SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance of Wild Mice and Rats in North American Cities.

From July 2020 to June 2021, 248 wild house mice (Mus musculus), deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), and black rats (Rattus rattus) from Texas and Washington, USA, and British Columbia, Canada, were tested for SARS-CoV-2 exposure and infection. Two brown rats and 11 house mice were positive for neutralizing antibodies using a surrogate virus neutralization test, but negative or indeterminate with the Multiplexed Fluorometric ImmunoAssay COVID-Plex, which targets full-length spike and nuclear proteins. Oro-nasopharyngeal swabs and fecal samples tested negative by RT-qPCR, with an indeterminate fecal sample in one house mouse. Continued surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wild rodents is warranted.

A retrospective study of equine perinatal loss in Canada (2007 to 2020).

Objective: This study aims to identify the most common causes of equine perinatal loss up to 7 d of age in Canada. Animal: Equine. Procedure: Necropsy reports from 360 equine perinatal loss cases were acquired from provincial veterinary diagnostic labs across Canada. Each case was classified into a basic cause (noninfectious, infectious, or unidentified) of perinatal loss, then further classified into primary and secondary categories for analysis. Results: Of the basic causes of perinatal loss, noninfectious causes were the most common. Bacterial causes, such as septicemia, were the most common primary diagnosis overall. Actinobacillus was the most commonly identified bacterial species. Conclusion: This study showed similar results to those of studies conducted in other countries, including having similar etiologic agents identified. The high prevalence of thyroid hyperplasia identified in this study is notable and was not reported in other, similar retrospective studies, despite being reported in locations other than Canada. Clinical relevance: Perinatal loss can have important economic consequences for horse breeders; thus, identification of the most common causes is of interest to both veterinarians and breeders.

Étude rétrospective des décès périnataux équins au Canada (2007 à 2020). Objectif: Cette étude vise à identifier les causes les plus courantes de décès périnatal équin jusqu'à l'âge de 7 jours au Canada. Animal: Cheval. Procédure: Les rapports d'autopsie de 360 cas de décès périnatal équin ont été acquis auprès de laboratoires provinciaux de diagnostic vétérinaire à travers le Canada. Chaque cas a été classé selon une cause fondamentale (non infectieuse, infectieuse ou non identifiée) de décès périnatal, puis classé en catégories primaires et secondaires pour analyse. Résultats: Parmi les causes fondamentales de décès périnatal, les causes non infectieuses étaient les plus fréquentes. Les causes bactériennes, telles que la septicémie, étaient le diagnostic principal le plus courant dans l'ensemble. Actinobacillus était le genre bactérien le plus fréquemment identifié. Conclusion: Cette étude a montré des résultats similaires à ceux d'études menées dans d'autres pays, y compris l'identification d'agents étiologiques similaires. La forte prévalence de l'hyperplasie thyroïdienne identifiée dans cette étude est remarquable et n'a pas été signalée dans d'autres études rétrospectives similaires, bien qu'elle ait été signalée dans des endroits autres que le Canada. Pertinence clinique: Le décès périnatal peut entraîner des conséquences économiques importantes pour les éleveurs de chevaux; ainsi, l'identification des causes les plus courantes intéresse à la fois les vétérinaires et les éleveurs.(Traduit par Dr Serge Messier).

Detection of multiple human enteropathogens in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from an under-resourced neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) can carry various human pathogens, and may be involved in pathogen propagation and transmission to humans. From January 31-August 14, 2021, a community outbreak of Shigella flexneri serotype 2a occurred among unhoused or poorly housed people in the Downtown Eastside neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The source could not be identified; however, patients reported contact with rats, and previous studies indicated transmission of rat-associated zoonotic pathogens among the unhoused or poorly housed residents of this neighborhood. The study objective was to determine if rats trapped in the outbreak area were carriers of Shigella spp. and other zoonotic enteric pathogens. From March 23-April 9, 2021, 22 rats were lethally trapped within the outbreak area. Colonic content was analyzed using the BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal (multiplex PCR) panel for human enteropathogens, which detected: Campylobacter spp. (9/22), Clostridioides difficile (3/22), Yersinia enterocolitica (5/22), Cryptosporidium spp. (8/22), Giardia duodenalis (5/22), Rotavirus A (1/22), enteroaggressive Escherichia coli (2/22), enteropathogenic E. coli (10/22), and Shigella spp. or enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) (3/22). An ipaH PCR assay was used for targeted detection of Shigella spp./EIEC, with five rats positive. Two samples contained insertion sites unique to S. flexneri isolated from the human outbreak. This study highlights the potential for rats to carry a broad range of human pathogens, and their possible role in pathogen maintenance and/or transmission.

A comparison of assays for the detection of Cryptosporidium parvum in the feces of scouring calves.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a zoonotic, protozoan parasite that causes potentially life-threatening diarrhea in the host and can be transmitted via the fecal-oral route. C. parvum can infect cattle and may be detected in their feces using a variety of tests. We compared the level of agreement, ease of procedure, and cost among PCR, lateral flow immunoassay, fluorescent antibody, and Kinyoun acid-fast stain direct smear tests. Over the course of 9 mo, 74 calf fecal samples were submitted and tested for C. parvum using all 4 tests. A Fleiss kappa value of 0.813 was obtained, indicating an excellent level of agreement among tests. Overall, the best test based on cost and ease of procedure was the Kinyoun acid-fast stain direct smear.