Genetic insights of antibiotic resistance, pathogenicity (virulence) and phylogenetic relationship of Escherichia coli strains isolated from livestock, poultry and their handlers - a one health snapshot.

BACKGROUND: Pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli harbouring antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from any source (clinical samples, animal settings, or environment) might be transmitted and contribute to the spread and increase of antibiotic resistance in the biosphere. The goal of this study was to investigate the genome to decipher the repertoire of ARGs, virulence genes carried by E. coli strains isolated from livestock, poultry, and their handlers (humans), and then unveil the genetic relatedness between the strains. METHODS: Whole genome sequencing was done to investigate the genetic makeup of E. coli isolates (n = 20) [swine (n = 2), cattle (n = 2), sheep (n = 4), poultry (n = 7), and animal handlers (n = 5)] from southern India. The detection of resistome, virulome, biofilm forming genes, mobile genetic elements (MGE), followed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and phylogenetic analyses, were performed. RESULTS: E. coli strains were found to be multi drug resistant, with a resistome encompassing > 20 ARGs, the virulome-17-22 genes, and > 20 key biofilm genes. MGE analysis showed four E. coli isolates (host: poultry, swine and cattle) harbouring composite transposons with ARGs/virulence genes (blaTEM, dfr, qnr/nleB, tir, eae,and esp) with the potential for horizontal transfer. MLST analyses revealed the presence of ST937 and ST3107 in both livestock/poultry and their handlers. Phylogenomic analyses with global E. coli isolates (human/livestock/poultry hosts) showed close relatedness with strains originating from different parts of the world (the United States, China, etc.). CONCLUSION: The current study emphasizes the circulation of strains of pathogenic sequence types of clinical importance, carrying a diverse repertoire of genes associated with antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation and virulence properties in animal settings, necessitating immediate mitigation measures to reduce the risk of spread across the biosphere.

Human interventions in a behavioural experiment for Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus).

Experiments are widely used to investigate the behaviour and cognition of animals. While the automation of experiments to avoid potential experimenter bias is sometimes possible, not all experiments can be conducted without human presence. This is particularly true for large animals in captivity, which are often managed by professional handlers. For the safety of the animals and experimenters, a handler must be present during behavioural studies with certain species. It is not always clear to what extent cues provided by handlers affect the animals, and therefore the experimental results. In this study, we investigate handler interventions during the training process for a behavioural experiment with Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Nepal. We show that elephant handlers (mahouts) intervened to guide elephants in performing the learning task using vocal and behavioural cues, despite experimenters requesting minimal intervention. We found that although the frequency of mahout interventions did not decrease as the training progressed, the nature of their interventions changed. We also found more non-verbal than verbal cues across the training. Our results suggest that guidance from handlers may be common in behavioural studies, and continued consideration should be put into experimental design to reduce or account for cues that animals may receive from humans. This study also emphasises the need to take into account the presence of humans in interpreting the results of animal behavioural experiments, which not only presents challenges to behavioural research, but also represents opportunities for further study.

Occupational Fatalities Due to Mammal-Related Accidents in Japan, 2000-2019.

INTRODUCTION: Animal-related fatal accidents occur annually while individuals are outside working. This study intended to evaluate the trends of occupational fatal accidents related to mammals and compare them with nonoccupational accidents. METHODS: We collected occupational and nonoccupational fatalities related to mammals between 2000 and 2019 from data on fatal occupational accident cases certified by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan, in addition to other statistics from relevant ministries, media reports such as newspapers, and academic case reports. RESULTS: A total of 109 fatal accidents related to mammals were confirmed as occurring during work, and 129 were confirmed as taking place outside of work. Of the former, accidents among livestock farmers and horse racing-related workers accounted for about half. Among the accidents not related to work, dog attacks, infectious diseases from cats or dogs, traffic accidents with wild animals, and bear attacks during wild vegetable picking were common. Deaths from infectious diseases caused by dogs and cats have rarely been reported in the mass media. CONCLUSIONS: Although the number of fatal occupational accidents related to mammals is not large, we concluded that it is necessary to continue preventive measures centered on accidents at livestock farms and in horse racing-related workplaces. It is also necessary to inform people about the risks of infectious diseases mediated by dogs and cats.

Exposure to high endotoxin concentration increases wheezing prevalence among laboratory animal workers: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Endotoxin from Gram-negative bacteria are found in different concentrations in dust and on the ground of laboratories dealing with small animals and animal houses. METHODS: Cross-sectional study performed in workplaces of two universities. Dust samples were collected from laboratories and animal facilities housing rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits or hamsters and analyzed by the "Limulus amebocyte lysate" (LAL) method. We also sampled workplaces without animals. The concentrations of endotoxin detected in the workplaces were tested for association with wheezing in the last 12 months, asthma defined by self-reported diagnosis and asthma confirmed by bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) to mannitol. RESULTS: Dust samples were obtained at 145 workplaces, 92 with exposure to animals and 53 with no exposure. Exposed group comprised 412 subjects and non-exposed group comprised 339 subjects. Animal-exposed workplaces had higher concentrations of endotoxin, median of 34.2 endotoxin units (EU) per mg of dust (interquartile range, 12.6-65.4), as compared to the non-exposed group, median of 10.2 EU/mg of dust (interquartile range, 2.6-22.2) (p < 0.001). The high concentration of endotoxin (above whole sample median, 20.4 EU/mg) was associated with increased wheezing prevalence (p < 0.001), i.e., 61 % of workers exposed to high endotoxin concentration reported wheezing in the last 12 months compared to 29 % of workers exposed to low endotoxin concentration. The concentration of endotoxin was not associated with asthma report or with BHR confirmed asthma. CONCLUSION: Exposure to endotoxin is associated with a higher prevalence of wheezing, but not with asthma as defined by the mannitol bronchial challenge test or by self-reported asthma. Preventive measures are necessary for these workers.

Behavioral, physiological, and hormonal responses during pre-slaughter handling in goats: A comparison between trained and untrained handlers.

Objective: The livestock handler attitude and their handling of animals is crucial for improving animal welfare standards, minimizing stress, improving productivity and meat quality. The present study was undertaken to assess the effect of training livestock handlers on behavioral, physiological, and hormonal responses during preslaughter handling in goats. Methods: A total of 6 handlers were divided into trained (trained in basic animal handling practices, animal behavior, and animal welfare), contact trained (not trained directly but interacted and saw the working of trained handlers), and untrained groups (no formal training). The handling experiment was conducted on 18 male goats by following a cross-over design. The goats were moved from lairage to slaughter point by trained, contact-trained, and untrained handlers. Various behavioral, physiological, and hormonal parameters were recorded at the lairage before handling and at the slaughter point after handling the goats. Results: The training of livestock handlers had a significant effect on behavioral, physiological, and hormonal responses in goats. The goats handled by untrained and contact-trained handlers were recorded with intense vocalization, significant (p<0.05) increase in heart rate and blood glucose, and catecholamines (adrenaline and nor-adrenaline), thereby indicating stress and poor animal welfare. The trained handlers were observed to use visual interactions (waving of hands or objects, blocking, hand raising, etc), and lower stress responses were recorded in the goats handled by this group. Conclusion: The present study highlights the importance of training to livestock handlers in improving animal welfare and minimizing stress in goats during preslaughter stress.