Molecular Identification of Infectious Enteropathogens in Faeces of Healthy Horses

Abstract

Zoogenic faecal contamination of the environment is one of the indices included in the evaluation of ecological threats, health hazards and adverse impacts on various ecosystems. The risks and environmental concerns are associated with the fact that faeces of wild and domesticated animals constitute the largest source of environmental loading of enteropathogens associated with transmission of zoonotic diseases (enteric zoonoses). Although sick animals are more likely to transmit pathogens, healthy ones can also be the carriers and defecate them into the environment. This is of particular importance given the close human-animal interactions and health effects resulting from human and ecological exposures to faecal hazards from companion and farm animals. We have therefore set out to investigate whether healthy equines can carry and defecate human infectious pathogens. For this purpose, we set up a pilot study to examine the faecal DNA of horses using culture-independent molecular diagnostics – fluorescent probe-based quantitative real-time PCR. Our results revealed that among a total of 23 horses, 6 were found to carry Campylobacter jejuni ( C. jejuni), and 5 had Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ( S. Typhimurium). Moreover, Enterococcus faecalis ( E. faecalis) was found in 14 horses, while 19 were positive for Clostridium perfringens ( C. perfringens). Furthermore, the frequently reported protozoan parasites in livestock, Cryptosporidium parvum ( C. parvum) and Giardia lamblia ( G. lamblia), were discovered in 8 and 7 samples, respectively. This pilot study shed new light on the phenomenon of healthy horses carrying C. jejuni and other human-health-related enteropathogens.

Introducing Semi-Interpenetrating Networks of Chitosan and Ammonium-Quaternary Polymers for the Effective Removal of Waterborne Pathogens from Wastewaters

“…and Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC), were molecularly examined using the developed panel of species-specific genetic markers [42,55]. Additionally, protozoan pathogens such as Cryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum) and Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia) were analyzed in each sample using the established genetic markers [56]. Pathogen qPCR assays were performed in duplicate on a Bio-Rad CFX Connect Real-time PCR Detection System (Irvine, CA, USA).…”

Scenario-based assessment of fecal pathogen sources affecting bathing water quality: novel treatment options to reduce norovirus and Campylobacter infection risks

“…The health risk assessment for sites 3 and 8 was performed using the Bathing Water Guide online tool (Opasnet, 2019). The Bathing Water Guide tool can be used to evaluate the microbial risks in natural bathing waters and includes six reference pathogens, C. jejuni, E. coli O157:H7, rotavirus, norovirus, Cryptosporidium parvum, and Giardia lamblia.…”

“…Frontiers in Microbiology 08 frontiersin.org TABLE 2 Evaluated minimum, mean, and maximum numbers of norovirus GII (GC/1,000 ml) and C. jejuni (cfu/1000 ml) in different contamination scenarios at Lake Vanajavesi and Lake Ormajärvi in QMRA conducted with the Bathing Water Guide online tool (Opasnet, 2019).…”

“…Occurrence of Campylobacter spp. has been also reported from healthy horses (Moriarty et al, 2015;Paruch and Paruch, 2022). Animal farm runoff, manure spread on fields, and wildlife droppings can possess a risk of campylobacteriosis in humans through surface waters (Mulder et al, 2020).…”

“…However, some animals, such as cattle and horses, may act as reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens, for example, Campylobacter spp. ( Moriarty et al, 2015 ; Rapp et al, 2020 ; Espunyes et al, 2021 ; Paruch and Paruch, 2022 ). For reference, agricultural runoff was evaluated as the main pollution source in 36 bathing water pollution cases in the USA in 2021 ( United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2022 ).…”