Evolution of Salmonella spp. isolated compared to those of Campylobacter spp. in faecal samples for 12 years.

OBJECTIVE: The Autonomous Community of Galicia has adopted DECREE 216/2011 on health standards for poultry production, in addition to the Spanish national programs. However, no program has yet been implemented to eradicate campylobacteriosis, which shares the same reservoir. The aim of this study was to compare the evolution of Salmonella spp. isolates with respect to those of Campylobacter spp. in faecal samples received by the Microbiology Department. METHODS: A retrospective descriptive comparative study was conducted through the Laboratory Information System (SIL) of Salmonella spp. isolated against Campylobacter spp. in faeces between 2011 and 2022 at the Lucus Augusti University Hospital (HULA), Lugo, Spain. RESULTS: A total of 35,704 stool samples were analysed, of which 3,045 were positive. 751 Salmonella spp. were isolated. Statistical differences were observed in the annual distribution (p<0.01), with a clear turning point in 2018. Five hundred and five patients required hospital care, especially in 2014 with 72 patients (69%). On the other hand, 1,587 Campylobacter spp. were isolated. Required hospital care 1,002 patients during the study, with a peak in 2019 with 111 cases (62%). CONCLUSIONS: The reduction of salmonellosis cases and the maintenance of campylobacteriosis cases are directly related to the implementation of DECREE 216/2011. This, in turn, has reduced the pressure on hospitals in the HULA health area. Therefore, we believe that the ONE Health concept is being strengthened in the area studied.

Campylobacter assessment along the Spanish food chain: Identification of key points.

AIMS: Campylobacteriosis, caused by Campylobacter spp., is one of the most important foodborne zoonotic diseases in the world and a common cause of gastroenteritis. In the European Union, campylobacteriosis is considered the most common zoonotic disease, with over 10,000 cases in 2020 alone. This high occurrence highlights the need of more efficient surveillance methods and identification of key points. METHODS AND RESULTS: Herein, we evaluated and identified key points of Campylobacter spp. occurrence along the Spanish food chain during 2015-2020, based on the following variables: product, stage and region. We analysed a dataset provided by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition using a machine learning algorithm (random forests). Campylobacter presence was influenced by the three selected explanatory variables, especially by product, followed by region and stage. Among the studied products, meat, especially poultry and sheep, presented the highest probability of occurrence of Campylobacter, where the bacterium was present in the initial, intermediate and final stages (e.g., wholesale, retail) of the food chain. The presence in final stages may represent direct consumer exposure to the bacteria. CONCLUSSIONS: By using the random forest method, this study contributes to the identification of Campylobacter key points and the evaluation of control efforts in the Spanish food chain.

Oral curcumin ameliorates acute murine campylobacteriosis.

Introduction: Human infections with the food-borne enteropathogen Campylobacter jejuni are responsible for increasing incidences of acute campylobacteriosis cases worldwide. Since antibiotic treatment is usually not indicated and the severity of the enteritis directly correlates with the risk of developing serious autoimmune disease later-on, novel antibiotics-independent intervention strategies with non-toxic compounds to ameliorate and even prevent campylobacteriosis are utmost wanted. Given its known pleiotropic health-promoting properties, curcumin constitutes such a promising candidate molecule. In our actual preclinical placebo-controlled intervention trial, we tested the anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects of oral curcumin pretreatment during acute experimental campylobacteriosis. Methods: Therefore, secondary abiotic IL-10-/- mice were challenged with synthetic curcumin via the drinking water starting a week prior oral C. jejuni infection. To assess anti-pathogenic, clinical, immune-modulatory, and functional effects of curcumin prophylaxis, gastrointestinal C. jejuni bacteria were cultured, clinical signs and colonic histopathological changes quantitated, pro-inflammatory immune cell responses determined by in situ immunohistochemistry and intestinal, extra-intestinal and systemic pro-inflammatory mediator measurements, and finally, intestinal epithelial barrier function tested by electrophysiological resistance analysis of colonic ex vivo biopsies in the Ussing chamber. Results and discussion: Whereas placebo counterparts were suffering from severe enterocolitis characterized by wasting symptoms and bloody diarrhea on day 6 post-infection, curcumin pretreated mice, however, were clinically far less compromised and displayed less severe microscopic inflammatory sequelae such as histopathological changes and epithelial cell apoptosis in the colon. In addition, curcumin pretreatment could mitigate pro-inflammatory innate and adaptive immune responses in the intestinal tract and importantly, rescue colonic epithelial barrier integrity upon C. jejuni infection. Remarkably, the disease-mitigating effects of exogenous curcumin was also observed in organs beyond the infected intestines and strikingly, even systemically given basal hepatic, renal, and serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory mediators measured in curcumin pretreated mice on day 6 post-infection. In conclusion, the anti-Campylobacter and disease-mitigating including anti-inflammatory effects upon oral curcumin application observed here highlight the polyphenolic compound as a promising antibiotics-independent option for the prevention from severe acute campylobacteriosis and its potential post-infectious complications.

Campylobacteriosis and Control Strategies against Campylobacters in Poultry Farms.

Campylobacteriosis is a significant foodborne illness caused by Campylobacter bacteria. It is one of the most common bacterial causes of gastroenteritis worldwide, with poultry being a major reservoir and source of infection in humans. In poultry farms, Campylobacters colonize the intestinal tract of chickens and contaminate meat during processing. Vaccines under development against Campylobacters in poultry showed partial or no protection against their cecal colonization. Therefore, this review will elaborate on campylobacteriosis and emphasize the control strategies and recent vaccine trials against Campylobacters in poultry farms. The epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of Campylobacter infection, along with specific mention of poultry Campylobacter contamination events in Malaysia, will also be discussed.

Assessing concordance between Campylobacter prevalence in broilers and human cases before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lower Saxony, Germany, considering fresh chicken meat consumption patterns.

As the most common foodborne disease, number of campylobacteriosis decreased in Germany with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As the consumption of fresh chicken meat is a major risk factor for human infection, this study investigated the relationship between Campylobacter contamination levels on chicken carcasses and human cases in Lower Saxony, Germany and observed fresh chicken meat consumption patterns between 2018 and 2021 including the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Campylobacter levels in broilers and human cases were classified based on the median and descriptively analysed per week using contingency tables. Before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018 and 2019), high Campylobacter contamination levels on neck samples and many human cases were more present, whereas with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021), low contamination levels on chicken carcasses and few human cases were more present. Lowest concordance between both parameters was shown in 2018 (Cohen's cappa coefficient: 0.37) and 2020 (0.38). The highest concordance was examined in 2021 (0.69). The private consumption of fresh chicken meat in Lower Saxony increased significantly with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 by 63.9 tonnes compared to 2019 to an average of 453.5 tonnes per week. Public health measures and a reduced number of medical treatments have undoubtedly had an impact on less reported human cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, number of human cases remained at a low level in Germany in 2023 while chicken meat consumption increased. Thus, further risk assessments regarding the risk of campyloabcteriosis due to chicken meat consumption should include the country of origin, as the level of contamination of chicken carcasses varies between European countries.

Therapeutic effects of oral benzoic acid application during acute murine campylobacteriosis.

Serious risks to human health are posed by acute campylobacteriosis, an enteritis syndrome caused by oral infection with the food-borne bacterial enteropathogen Campylobacter jejuni. Since the risk for developing post-infectious autoimmune complications is intertwined with the severity of enteritis, the search of disease-mitigating compounds is highly demanded. Given that benzoic acid is an organic acid with well-studied health-promoting including anti-inflammatory effects we tested in our present study whether the compound might be a therapeutic option to alleviate acute murine campylobacteriosis. Therefore, microbiota-depleted IL-10-/- mice were perorally infected with C. jejuni and received benzoic acid through the drinking water from day 2 until day 6 post-infection. The results revealed that benzoic acid treatment did not affect C. jejuni colonization in the gastrointestinal tract, but alleviated clinical signs of acute campylobacteriosis, particularly diarrheal and wasting symptoms. In addition, benzoic acid mitigated apoptotic cell responses in the colonic epithelia and led to reduced pro-inflammatory immune reactions in intestinal, extra-intestinal, and systemic compartments tested on day 6 post-infection. Hence, our preclinical placebo-controlled intervention trial revealed that benzoic acid constitutes a promising therapeutic option for treating acute campylobacteriosis in an antibiotic-independent fashion and in consequence, also for reducing the risk of post-infectious autoimmune diseases.

Design of a multi-epitope-based vaccine candidate against Bovine Genital Campylobacteriosis using a reverse vaccinology approach.

BACKGROUND: Bovine Genital Campylobacteriosis (BGC), a worldwide distributed venereal disease caused by Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis (Cfv), has a relevant negative economic impact in cattle herds. The control of BGC is hampered by the inexistence of globally available effective vaccines. The present in silico study aimed to develop a multi-epitope vaccine candidate against Cfv through reverse vaccinology. RESULTS: The analysis of Cfv strain NCTC 10354 proteome allowed the identification of 9 proteins suitable for vaccine development. From these, an outer membrane protein, OmpA, and a flagellar protein, FliK, were selected for prediction of B-cell and T-cell epitopes. The top-ranked epitopes conservancy was assessed in 31 Cfv strains. The selected epitopes were integrated to form a multi-epitope fragment of 241 amino acids, which included 2 epitopes from OmpA and 13 epitopes from FliK linked by GPGPG linkers and connected to the cholera toxin subunit B by an EAAAK linker. The vaccine candidate was predicted to be antigenic, non-toxic, non-allergenic, and soluble upon overexpression. The protein structure was predicted and optimized, and the sequence was successfully cloned in silico into a plasmid vector. Additionally, immunological simulations demonstrated the vaccine candidate's ability to stimulate an immune response. CONCLUSIONS: This study developed a novel vaccine candidate suitable for further in vitro and in vivo experimental validation, which may become a useful tool for the control of BGC.

Biochemical and molecular characterization of Campylobacter fetus isolates from bulls subjected to bovine genital campylobacteriosis diagnosis in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Bovine genital campylobacteriosis (BGC) is caused by Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis (Cfv) including its biovar intermedius (Cfvi). This sexually transmitted disease induces early reproductive failure causing considerable economic losses in the cattle industry. Using a collection of well-characterized isolates (n = 13), C. fetus field isolates (n = 64) and saprophytic isolates resembling Campylobacter (n = 75) obtained from smegma samples of breeding bulls, this study evaluated the concordance of the most used phenotypic (H2S production in cysteine medium and 1% glycine tolerance) and molecular (PCR) methods for the diagnosis of BGC and assessed possible cross-reactions in the molecular diagnostic methods. RESULTS: Characterization at the subspecies level (fetus vs. venerealis) of C. fetus isolated from bull preputial samples using phenotypic and molecular (PCR targeting nahE and ISCfe1) methods showed moderate concordance (κ = 0.462; CI: 0.256-0.669). No cross-reactions were observed with other saprophytic microaerophilic species or with other Campylobacter species that can be present in preputial samples. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of discrepant isolates showed 100% agreement with PCR identification. For the differentiation of Cfv biovars, comparison of the H2S test (at 72 h and 5 days of incubation) and a PCR targeting the L-cysteine transporter genes showed higher concordance when H2S production was assessed after 5 days (72 h; κ = 0.553, 0.329-0.778 CI vs. 5 days; κ = 0.881, 0.631-1 CI), evidencing the efficacy of a longer incubation time. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the limitations of biochemical tests to correctly identify C. fetus subspecies and biovars. However, in the case of biovars, when extended incubation times for the H2S test (5 days) were used, phenotypic identification results were significantly improved, although PCR-based methods produced more accurate results. Perfect agreement of WGS with the PCR results and absence of cross-reactions with non-C. fetus saprophytic bacteria from the smegma demonstrated the usefulness of these methods. Nevertheless, the identification of new C. fetus subspecies-specific genes would help to improve BGC diagnosis.

Analysis of two cross-contamination cases of Campylobacter jejuni foodborne disease in fragile subjects in the territory of a Local Health Authority in Tuscany, Italy.

Campylobacteriosis is the most reported foodborne disease in the European Union, with more than 100,000 confirmed cases annually. Human infection can be caused by a low infectious dose, and in fragile populations, the food disease can manifest itself in acute and severe forms. This study aims to analyze two cases of campylobacteriosis in fragile people caused by Campylobacter jejuni in 2023 in Tuscany and the actions of the Local Health Competent Authority. From the results of the related investigations, it was possible to attribute both cases of foodborne diseases to unsafe food management during preparation/administration. Given the peculiar characteristics of the etiological agent, it is necessary to focus the attention of the population, especially those who deal with fragile subjects, on the good hygiene practices to be followed both at home and in collective catering.

Meta-analyses of the global multilocus genotypes of the human pathogen Campylobacter jejuni.

Campylobacter infections are a leading cause of bacterial diarrheal illness worldwide, with increasing reports of outbreaks in both developing and developed countries. Most studies investigating strain genotypes and epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni examined on a local scale. Using the archived multilocus sequence typing data at seven loci, and associated strain metadata from the PubMLST database, here we investigated the spatial and temporal genetic structure of the global population of C. jejuni. Our analyses revealed evidence for clonal dispersals of multiple sequence types (STs) among countries and continents. However, despite the observed clonal dispersal and that most genetic variations were found within individual geographic subpopulations, both the non-clone-corrected and clone-corrected samples showed evidence of significant genetic differentiation among national and continental subpopulations, with non-clone-corrected samples showing greater differentiation than clone-corrected samples. Phylogenetic incompatibility analyses provided evidence for recombination within each continental subpopulation. However, linkage disequilibrium analyses rejected the hypothesis of random recombination across the samples. Temporally, multiple STs were found to persist across four decades and the five globally most common STs showed relatively stable frequencies over the last two decades. We discussed the implications of our results to food security, disease transmission, and public health management.

Carvacrol prophylaxis improves clinical outcome and dampens apoptotic and pro-inflammatory immune responses upon Campylobacter jejuni infection of human microbiota-associated IL-10-/- mice.

Incidence rates of human Campylobacter jejuni infections are progressively increasing globally. Since the risk for the development of post-infectious autoimmune diseases correlates with the severity of the preceding enteritis and campylobacteriosis treatment usually involves symptomatic measures, it is desirable to apply antibiotic-independent compounds to treat or even prevent disease. Given its health-promoting including anti-inflammatory properties carvacrol constitutes a promising candidate. This prompted us to test the disease-alleviating including immune-modulatory effects of carvacrol prophylaxis in acute murine campylobacteriosis. Therefore, human gut microbiota-associated IL-10-/- mice were orally challenged with synthetic carvacrol starting a week before C. jejuni infection and followed up until day 6 post-infection. Whereas carvacrol prophylaxis did neither affect gastrointestinal pathogen loads, nor the human commensal gut microbiota composition, it improved the clinical outcome of mice, attenuated colonic epithelial cell apoptosis, and dampened pro-inflammatory immune responses not only in the intestinal tract but also in extra-intestinal organs including the liver and the spleen. In conclusion, our preclinical placebo-controlled intervention study provides convincing evidence that oral carvacrol pretreatment constitutes a promising option to mitigate acute campylobacteriosis and in turn, to reduce the risk for post-infectious complications.

Menthol Pretreatment Alleviates Campylobacter jejuni-Induced Enterocolitis in Human Gut Microbiota-Associated IL-10-/- Mice.

Human Campylobacter jejuni infections are of worldwide importance and represent the most commonly reported bacterial enteritis cases in middle- and high-income countries. Since antibiotics are usually not indicated and the severity of campylobacteriosis is directly linked to the risk of developing post-infectious complications, non-toxic antibiotic-independent treatment approaches are highly desirable. Given its health-promoting properties, including anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activities, we tested the disease-alleviating effects of oral menthol in murine campylobacteriosis. Therefore, human gut microbiota-associated IL-10-/- mice were orally subjected to synthetic menthol starting a week before C. jejuni infection and followed up until day 6 post-infection. Whereas menthol pretreatment did not improve campylobacteriosis symptoms, it resulted in reduced colonic C. jejuni numbers and alleviated both macroscopic and microscopic aspects of C. jejuni infection in pretreated mice vs. controls. Menthol pretreatment dampened the recruitment of macrophages, monocytes, and T lymphocytes to colonic sites of infection, which was accompanied by mitigated intestinal nitric oxide secretion. Furthermore, menthol pretreatment had only marginal effects on the human fecal gut microbiota composition during the C. jejuni infection. In conclusion, the results of this preclinical placebo-controlled intervention study provide evidence that menthol application constitutes a promising way to tackle acute campylobacteriosis, thereby reducing the risk for post-infectious complications.

Oral treatment of human gut microbiota associated IL-10-/- mice suffering from acute campylobacteriosis with carvacrol, deferoxamine, deoxycholic acid, and 2-fucosyl-lactose.

Food-borne Campylobacter jejuni infections constitute serious threats to human health worldwide. Since antibiotic treatment is usually not indicated in infected immune-competent patients, antibiotic-independent treatment approaches are needed to tackle campylobacteriosis. To address this, we orally applied carvacrol, deferoxamine, deoxycholate, and 2-fucosyl-lactose either alone or all in combination to human microbiota-associated IL-10-/- mice from day 2 until day 6 following oral C. jejuni infection. Neither treatment regimen affected C. jejuni loads in the colon, whereas carvacrol lowered the pathogen numbers in the ileum on day 6 post-infection (p.i.). The carvacrol and combination treatment regimens resulted in alleviated diarrheal symptoms, less distinct histopathological and apoptotic epithelial cell responses in the colon, as well as diminished numbers of colonic neutrophils and T lymphocytes on day 6 p.i., whereas the latter cells were also decreased upon deferoxamine, deoxycholate, or 2-fucosyl-lactose application. Remarkably, the carvacrol, deferoxamine, and combination treatment regimens dampened ex-vivo IFN-γ secretion in the colon, the kidneys, and even in the serum to basal concentrations on day 6 p.i. In conclusion, carvacrol alone and its combination with deferoxamine, deoxycholate, and 2-fucosyl-lactose constitute promising antibiotics-independent treatment options to fight acute campylobacteriosis.

Prophylactic Oral Application of Activated Charcoal Mitigates Acute Campylobacteriosis in Human Gut Microbiota-Associated IL-10-/- Mice.

The incidence of human Campylobacter jejuni infections is increasing worldwide. It is highly desirable to prevent campylobacteriosis in individuals at risk for severe disease with antibiotics-independent non-toxic compounds. Activated charcoal (AC) has long been used as an anti-diarrheal remedy. Here, we tested the disease-mitigating effects of oral AC versus placebo in human gut microbiota-associated (hma) IL-10-/- mice starting a week prior to C. jejuni infection. On day 6 post-infection, the gastrointestinal C. jejuni loads were comparable in both infected cohorts, whereas campylobacteriosis symptoms such as wasting and bloody diarrhea were mitigated upon AC prophylaxis. Furthermore, AC application resulted in less pronounced C. jejuni-induced colonic epithelial cell apoptosis and in dampened innate and adaptive immune cell responses in the colon that were accompanied by basal concentrations of pro-inflammatory mediators including IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and nitric oxide measured in colonic explants from AC treated mice on day 6 post-infection. Furthermore, C. jejuni infection resulted in distinct fecal microbiota shift towards higher enterobacterial numbers and lower loads of obligate anaerobic species in hma mice that were AC-independent. In conclusion, our pre-clinical placebo-controlled intervention study provides evidence that prophylactic oral AC application mitigates acute murine campylobacteriosis.

Clinical isolate characteristics and demographics of patients with C.jejuni and C.coli infections in Northern Israel, 2015-2021.

C.coli is a significant cause of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide, with the majority of cases attributed to C.jejuni. Although most clinical laboratories do not typically conduct antimicrobial susceptibility testing for C.coli, the rise in resistant strains has underscored the necessity for such testing and epidemiological surveillance. The current study presents clinical isolate characteristics and demographics of 221 patients with C.coli (coli and jejuni) infections in Northern Israel, between 2015 and 2021. Clinical and demographic data were collected from patient medical records. Susceptibility to erythromycin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and gentamicin was assessed using the standard E-test. No significant correlations were found between bacterial species and patient ethnicity, patient gender, or duration of hospitalization. In contrast, significant differences were found between infecting species and patient age and age subgroup (P < 0.001). Furthermore, erythromycin resistance was observed in only 0.5% of the study population, while resistance to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and gentamicin was observed in 95%, 93%, and 2.3% of the population, respectively. The presented study underscores the need for routine surveillance of C.coli antibiotic resistance.

Genomic resistant determinants of multidrug-resistant Campylobacter spp. isolates in Peru.

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) Campylobacter is a global health threat; however, there is limited information on genomic determinants of resistance in low- and middle-income countries. We evaluated genomic determinants of AMR using a collection of whole genome sequenced Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli isolates from Iquitos, Peru. METHODS: Campylobacter isolates from two paediatric cohort studies enriched with isolates that demonstrated resistance to ciprofloxacin and azithromycin were sequenced and mined for AMR determinants. RESULTS: The gyrA mutation leading to the Thr86Ile amino acid change was the only gyrA mutation associated with fluoroquinolone resistance identified. The A2075G mutation in 23S rRNA was present, but three other 23S rRNA mutations previously associated with macrolide resistance were not identified. A resistant-enhancing variant of the cmeABC efflux pump genotype (RE-cmeABC) was identified in 36.1% (35/97) of C. jejuni genomes and 17.9% (12/67) of C. coli genomes. Mutations identified in the CmeR-binding site, an inverted repeat sequence in the cmeABC promoter region that increases expression of the operon, were identified in 24/97 C. jejuni and 14/67 C. coli genomes. The presence of these variants, in addition to RE-cmeABC, was noted in 18 of the 24 C. jejuni and 9 of the 14 C. coli genomes. CONCLUSIONS: Both RE-cmeABC and mutations in the CmeR-binding site were strongly associated with the MDR phenotype in C. jejuni and C. coli. This is the first report of RE-cmeABC in Peru and suggests it is a major driver of resistance to the principal therapies used to treat human campylobacteriosis in this setting.

Bovine campylobacteriosis in heifer: pathogenesis study and insights in the conventional and molecular diagnosis in an experimental bovine model and field cases.

Campylobacter fetus spp. is a bacterium associated to reproductive losses in cattle worldwide. It is a venereal infectious disease known as bovine campilobacteriosis, with high impact mainly in countries with extensive production systems. Here, we show pathogenesis and diagnostic methods for Campylobacter fetus detection in cervico-vaginal mucus (CVM) samples from heifers experimentally infected and field cases from herds with low reproductive performance by campylobacteriosis infection. Bacterial culture, direct immunofluorescence test and qPCR were used as diagnostic methods to evaluate detection of C. fetus. In the experimental model 30 Aberdeen Angus and crossbred heifers and 4 Aberdeen Angus bulls for natural mating were assigned to 3 groups experimentally challenged with C. fetus subsp. fetus (Cff), C. fetus subsps venerealis (Cfv) and C. fetus subsp venerealis biovar intermedius (Cfvi), respectively, and a negative control group, all followed for 9 months. Also, field samples of CVM and aborted fetuses were recollected from seven beef cattle farms. Bacteriological culture had the higher C. fetus detection rate in CVM being the most appropriate, followed by qPCR (with commercial extraction DNA kit), direct immunofluorescence test and qPCR (with in-house extraction DNA method), in both, experimental model and field cases. From experimental model after natural mating, 62.5% and 25% heifers got pregnant from Cff and Cfvi groups, respectively, while from Cfv no pregnancy was detected. The strain more frequently detected was Cfvi, followed by Cff and Cfv. Colonization of Cff in female genital tract with high number of carriers and presence in aborted fetuses was evidenced, suggesting a high risk to bovine reproductive health. Bacteriemia was not detected after genital infection. Given the low detection rate of either test, we suggest the use of both, PCR based methods and bacterial culture could result in higher detection rate in farms with endemic campylobacteriosis.

Colonizing foreign terrain: Insights into bacterial enteropathogens.

In this present issue of the Biomedical Journal insights into pediatric campylobacteriosis are granted, and a potential path to developing a parenteral vaccine against enterotoxigenic E. coli is demonstrated. Additionally, a study shows how the use of extracorporeal shockwave therapy contributes to countering osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Furthermore, the relation between intimate partner violence and a saliva biomarker is explored. Finally, findings concerning the risk of dementia in patients with autonomic nervous system dysregulation are elucidated; and patterns of non-Alzheimer disease pathophysiology in individuals with depressive disorder are revealed.

The History of Bovine Genital Campylobacteriosis in the Face of Political Turmoil and Structural Change in Cattle Farming in Germany.

Contagious bovine genital campylobacteriosis (BGC), also known as bovine venereal campylobacteriosis, is a disease relevant to international trade listed by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). It is caused by Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis (Cfv), one of three subspecies of Campylobacter fetus. Bulls are the reservoir but BGC may also be spread by artificial insemination (AI). BGC is characterized by severe reproductive losses such as infertility, early embryonic death and abortion with considerable economic losses. This significant economic impact has prompted several countries to adopt stringent eradication and surveillance measures to contain the disease. While there are commercial and autologous vaccines available, scientific evidence for the effectiveness of vaccination is still lacking. In Germany, BCG was already found to be endemic in the 1920s, shortly after the agent and the disease had been described for the first time. It can be assumed that BCG had already circulated uncontrolled for a long time in the predecessor states of Germany, influenced only by the political situation and trading networks of the time. After WW II, BCG was eradicated in the German Democratic Republic due to industrialized cattle production based on AI but it was still endemic at low levels in the Federal Republic of Germany with its diverse cattle production. There has been a steady decline in BGC incidence in re-unified Germany over the past 28 years. A single genetic Cfv lineage was identified which probably emerged in the 19th century and diversified over time. Interestingly, no recurrent cross-border introduction became evident. This review gives insight into the history of bovine genital campylobacteriosis considering the structural change in cattle farming in Germany and reflecting on the political background of the time.

Prophylactic oral application of resveratrol to alleviate acute campylobacteriosis in human gut microbiota associated IL-10-/- mice.

Human infections with the food-borne zoonotic enteropathogen Campylobacter jejuni are increasing globally. Since multi-drug resistant bacterial strains are further on the rise, antibiotic-independent measures are needed to fight campylobacteriosis. Given its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties the polyphenolic compound resveratrol constitutes such a promising candidate molecule. In our present placebo-controlled intervention trial, synthetic resveratrol was applied perorally to human gut microbiota-associated (hma) IL-10-/- mice starting a week before oral C. jejuni infection. Our analyses revealed that the resveratrol prophylaxis did not interfere with the establishment of C. jejuni within the murine gastrointestinal tract on day 6 post-infection, but alleviated clinical signs of campylobacteriosis and resulted in less distinct colonic epithelial apoptosis. Furthermore, oral resveratrol dampened C. jejuni-induced colonic T and B cell responses as well as intestinal secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators including nitric oxide, IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ to basal levels. Moreover, resveratrol application was not accompanied by significant shifts in the colonic commensal microbiota composition during campylobacteriosis in hma IL-10-/- mice. In conclusion, our placebo-controlled intervention study provides evidence that prophylactic oral application of resveratrol constitutes a promising strategy to alleviate acute campylobacteriosis and in consequence, to reduce the risk for post-infectious autoimmune sequelae.