Sample collection and identificationA total of 180 lactating animals (166 cows and 14 buffalo) were sampled from seven farms. Before collection of clinical samples, a brief history of various animal

Cysticercosis/taeniasis is one of the neglected parasitic zoonoses in developing countries like India. A study was conducted for a period of 7 years from 2010 to 2017 during which 13,596 pig and 1238 human samples were screened to learn the exact scenario of cysticercosis/taeniasis in the different regions of Maharashtra State. Prevalence of cysticercosis/taeniasis in pigs and humans was recorded using various diagnostic methods such as meat inspection and serological methods involving ELISA. The overall prevalence of cysticercosis in pigs was found to be 0.88% by postmortem examination and 0.9% by PCR assay, whereas prevalence of taeniasis in humans was 3.15% by ELISA and 2.04% by PCR. As compared to the previous reports from the state, the findings of the present study revealed a lowered prevalence of the disease in both the human and the pig population. It was concluded that the declining trend of cysticercosis in Maharashtra State was the outcome of the implementation of appropriate and sustainable public health interventions achieved through demonstrations and the distribution of booklets in the vernacular language.

This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance pattern of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) in the feces of healthy poultry and retail chicken. All 146 E. coli recovered from 351 samples were screened by PCR for detection of ExPEC strains. Nineteen (13.01%) isolates were confirmed as ExPEC. Distribution of ExPEC strains was revealed as follows: broiler (25%), layer (15.87%), and raw chicken (3.12%). Turkey, duck, and water samples were negative for ExPEC strains. ExPEC strains belonged to phylogenetic groups B2 (52.63%), A (36.84%), and D (10.53%). Twenty-three (15.75%) isolates were ESBLpositive, including four ExPEC strains. ESBL-positive E. coli were isolated from all the samples except turkey. A high degree of resistance to commonly used antimicrobials, namely nalidixic acid (95.89%), tetracycline (95.89%), trimethoprim (89.04%), colistin (82.88%), and ciprofloxacin (54.11%), including β-lactam antimicrobials ampicillin (84.93%) and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (81.51%), was expressed by the isolates. Out of fifteen randomly selected ESBL-positive E. coli isolates, β-lactam genes, namely blaTEM, blaCTX-M, and blaOXA, were detected in three, six, and one, respectively. Poultry and raw chicken harbor multidrug-resistant, ESBL-type E. coli as well as ExPEC and these strains may be transmitted to humans via the food chain.

Pathogenic E. coli associated with bovine mastitis are least studied group of microbes in India. Thus an investigation was carried out to know the occurrence of bovine subclinical mastitis and E. coli at different dairy farms. E. coli strains isolated from clinical and environmental samples were screened for virulent genes namely, eae, bfpA, iapH, aggR, elt, est, stx1/stx2; phylogenetic groups and for ESBL production. Findings revealed high prevalence of subclinical mastitis (45%). E. coli strains were isolated from milk, udder, milking machine, floor swabs, etc. Out of 81 E. coli, 38 (46.91%) were ESBL producers. The virulent genes in single or in combination were detected in 55 strains and eae gene was predominant (43.20%). The stx1/stx2 were detected in 2.47% samples. E. coli isolates fall under phylogenetic groups B1 (58.18%), A (23.63%) and D (18.18%). Phylogenetic group B2 was not detected. Dairy cattle could act as a reservoir of ESBL type diarrheagenic E. coli.

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