No abstract

It was the objective of the study to estimate the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in bulk tank milk from German dairy herds and to characterize isolates from bulk tank milk with respect to their Staph. aureus protein A (spa) and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type, their phenotypic antimicrobial resistance and resistance-resp. virulence-associated genes using broth microdilution and a microarray for Staph. aureus. Bulk tank milk samples (25 mL) were tested for MRSA using a 2-step selective enrichment protocol. Presumptive MRSA were confirmed by PCR. Thirty-six isolates collected from bulk tank milk of dairy herds in 2009 and 2010 were included in the characterization. All isolates displayed spa-types assigned to the clonal complex CC398. Based on the epidemiological cutoff values for the interpretation of minimum inhibitory concentrations isolates were resistant to tetracycline (100%), clindamycin (58%), erythromycin (52%), quinupristin/ dalfopristin (36%), and kanamycin (27%). Isolates did not carry genes associated with typical virulence factors for Staph. aureus such as the Panton-Valentine leukocidin. However, they did carry hemolysin genes. Livestock-associated MRSA of CC398 does occur in German dairy herds and the strains have similar properties as described for strains from pigs.

The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of helminths in the horse population of the state of Brandenburg, Germany. One hundred and twenty-six horse farms in the state were selected by randomised stratified sampling. In total, 1,407 horses across all farms were examined coproscopically. The experimental unit was the horse farm: a farm was considered infected when at least one horse on the farm investigated was positive for helminth eggs. Animal details such as age, breed and sex were collected for all study horses and analysed for risk of infection. Risk was defined as horses having an above-average shedding of strongyle eggs. The following prevalence on horse farm level were established: Cyathostominae (98.4%), ascarids (16.7%), tapeworms (14.3%), pinworms (8.7%) and strongyloides (4,0%). The large strongyle Strongylus vulgaris was identified on only one farm. Liver flukes and lungworms were not found. Age, breed and sex were identified as risk factors for high shedding of strongyle eggs of individual animals: odds ratios for higher shedding intensities were 4.18 for yearlings and 2.42 for fillies compared to adult animals, and 3.69 for heavy breeds and 4.94 for wild horses compared to thoroughbreds. Mares and stallions did shed more strongyle eggs than geldings. Knowledge about the helminth prevalence will allow the issuance of specific treatment recommendations. Furthermore, the information on risk factors of individual horses will facilitate targeting single animals for selective treatments.

BackgroundGiardia duodenalis is a common flagellated protozoan parasite that infects the small intestine of a wide range of vertebrate hosts. This study aimed to determine whether tracing of G. duodenalis isolates by current genetic typing tools is possible using an exemplary set of samples from infected cattle, buffalo and children from the Ismailia province, Egypt.MethodA total of 804 fecal samples from ruminant animals was collected from 191 herds and 165 samples from diarrheal children below the age of 10 years. Parasites were detected in these samples using the copro-antigen RIDA®QUICK test and by real-time PCR. Samples were then genetically characterized based on the triosephosphate isomerase, glutamate dehydrogenase and β-giardin genes.ResultsThe prevalence of G. duodenalis was 53% in ruminants and 21% in symptomatic children and infection was not positively correlated with diarrheal symptoms. Sequence typing analysis confirmed predominance of B-type sequences (>67%) in humans and E-type sequences (>81%) in ruminants over A-type sequences. For 39 samples the complete sequence information of the three marker gene fragments could be derived. Integration of the concatenated sequence information of the three marker gene fragments with the spatial data of the respective sample revealed that identical or near identical (only up to 1 out of 1358 bp different) concatenated sequencing types were spatially related in 4 out of 5 cases.ConclusionThe risk of zoonotic infection emanating from ruminants even in high prevalence areas is negligible. Genetic characterization indicated a predominant anthropogenic cycle of infection within the pediatric population studied. Integration of sequence typing data with information on geographic origins of samples allows parasite sub-population tracing using current typing tools.

Vaccination experiments were carried out in Ethiopia to study the efficacy of the NDV-I 2 vaccine against challenge with an Ethiopian velogenic strain of NDV. In experiment A, which comprised 300 broiler chicks, the efficacy of the ocular/drinking water application of the HB1/La Sota vaccine was compared with the ocular/drinking water and the feed application of the NDV-I 2 vaccine on untreated barley and sorghum. The NDV-I 2 vaccine applied by eye-drop or drinking-water protected the chickens against challenge as efficiently as combined HB1/La Sota vaccination but untreated barley and sorghum were unsuitable vaccine carriers. The vaccine virus could not be recovered and chickens neither seroconverted nor were they protected. In experiment B, 120 broiler chicks were divided into 6 treatment groups. One group each received NDV-I 2 vaccine mixed with untreated barley or sorghum which was applied immediately, or 14 h after mixing and standing at ambient temperature. The fifth group was vaccinated intraocularly and via the drinking water with the NDV-I 2 vaccine. The sixth group remained untreated. Experiment B confirmed the results of experiment A. In experiment C, 100 chicks were divided into 5 groups of 20 chickens each. One group each received the NDV-I 2 vaccine on parboiled barley or sorghum as vaccine carriers 0 and 6 h after mixing. The last group remained untreated. Parboiled barley given 0 or 6 h and parboiled sorghum given 0 h after mixing with the vaccine led to seroconversion and protection of the chickens. Parboiled sorghum given 6 h after mixing with the vaccine did not. It is concluded that the thermostable NDV-I 2 vaccine may be a suitable vaccine for oral application under Ethiopian conditions.