Antimicrobial resistance and public and animal health risks associated with pathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from calves.

We aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from fecal samples of calves and buffalo calves (2008-2013), in Minas Gerais, Brazil, as well as the frequency of O157 gene and strains carrying extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) and mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes. E. coli strains (n=518) were tested for susceptibility against ten antimicrobials. Tetracycline was the antimicrobial with the highest resistance rate (382/518), followed by ampicillin (321/518), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (312/518), chloramphenicol (192/518), gentamicin (126/518), ciprofloxacin (148/518), cefazolin (89/518), colistin (54/518) and cefoxitin (34/518). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 381/518 isolates. No strain harbored mcr or O157 genes, whereas 19/99 were ESBL positive. The most prevalent pathotype and phylogroup were STEC and B1, respectively. Age, EHEC pathotype and resistance to aminoglycoside and cephem were significantly associated with MDR in the multivariate model. Overall, E. coli strains showed high rates of resistance to penicillin, tetracyclines and folate inhibitors, in addition to an alarming rate of MDR and ESBL-producing strains.

Zoonotic bacterial pathogens in bats samples around the world: a scoping review.

The aim of this scoping review was to describe the zoonotic bacterial pathogens already reported and their frequency in different bat species. Six databases were searched, without restriction on the year or location where the studies were carried out. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 146 studies that were published between 1964 and 2020 (most after 2005) were selected. In these studies, 102 zoonotic bacterial genera were described in different samples of fourteen bat families in 55 countries, suggesting the possible role of bats as hosts for these pathogens. The pathogens mainly identified in bats were Bartonella spp., Leptospira spp. and Staphylococcus spp. In conclusion, the information provided by this scoping review expands the knowledge about zoonotic bacterial pathogens already identified in bats, which can guide epidemiological surveillance policies for these pathogens in different countries.

Preparing Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu Linnaeus, 1758) for Reintroduction into the Wild: A Screening for Parasites and Hemopathogens of a Captive Population.

The reintroduction of captive animals to the wild helps restore endangered species, but it risks pathogen transmission, harming wild populations. Such transmission can impact the genetic diversity and long-term viability of these populations. This study assessed parasite diversity and load in captive Pecari tajacu, a species native to the Americas and culturally significant to Brazilian indigenous culture, prior to reintroduction. Samples from 24 peccaries were analyzed for ectoparasites, hemopathogens, and stool parasites with direct and molecular analysis. Findings showed that various parasites were present. Two peccaries (8.3%) were infested by the adult tick Amblyomma sculptum. Six (25.0%) tested positive for Trypanosoma evansi, four (16.7%) for hemobacteria of the family Anaplasmataceae, twelve (50.0%) for hemotropic Mycoplasma, and seven (29.2%) for Leishmania braziliensis. Stool samples indicated multiple parasites, with sixteen (66.7%) peccaries infected by Strongylida order parasites, Spiruridae in three (12.5%), and Ascaris suum in one (4.2%) animal. Cysts of Balantidium sp. were found in twenty (83.3%), Entamoeba polecki in five (20.8%), and Iodamoeba bütschlii in two (8.3%) peccaries. To our current knowledge, this is the first global report of Leishmania braziliensis, Iodamoeba bütschlii, and Entamoeba polecki in P. tajacu, irrespective of the environment, including both captivity and wild conditions. Some of these parasites are common in domestic animals, and others are zoonotic, indicating potential interspecies pathogen transmission.

Clinical-epidemiological profile of the canine population in a shelter, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2019-2020.

The aim of this study was to analyze the demographic, clinical, and hematological aspects of the population in a dog shelter located in the municipality of Lavras, Brazil. All animals were microchipped and evaluated by veterinarians. Whole blood samples were obtained from 329 dogs in the months of July-August 2019 and from 310 dogs in the months of January-February 2020. Most of the dogs were of mixed breed, received anti-rabies and polyvalent vaccines (100%), were dewormed (100%), and were spayed/neutered (98.59%), with a predominance of adult (86.51%), short-hair (67.51%), normal body condition (65.57%), medium-size (62.57%), and female (62.36%). The main clinical alterations detected were enlarged lymph nodes (38.69%), skin lesions (31.50%), overweight (23.32%), obesity (6.07%), elevated temperature (17.05%), and ear secretion (15.72%). Regarding hematological alterations, thrombocytopenia (36.31%), leukopenia (15.92%), anemia with decreased hemoglobin values (10.60%), hematocrit (9.70%), and red blood cells (5.14%) were observed. Most of the shelter dogs were apparently healthy, but specific measures for nutritional, dermatological, otological and disease management should be implemented once the health changes are verified, as they impact the general state of the population and adoptions.

First report and whole-genome sequencing of Pseudochrobactrum saccharolyticum in Latin America.

The Brucellaceae family comprises microorganisms similar both phenotypically and genotypically, making it difficult to identify the etiological agent of these infections. This study reports the first isolation, identification, and characterization of Pseudochrobactrum saccharolyticum (strain 115) from Latin America. Strain 115 was isolated in 2007 from a bovine in Brazil and was initially classified as Brucella spp. by classical microbiological tests and bcsp31 PCR. The antimicrobial susceptibility of strain 115 was tested against drugs used to treat human brucellosis by minimal inhibitory concentration test. Subsequently, the whole genome of the strain was sequenced, assembled, and characterized. Phylogenetic trees built from 16S rRNA and recA gene sequences enabled the classification of strain 115 as Pseudochrobactrum spp. Phylogenomic analysis using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Average Nucleotide Identity allowed the classification of the strain as P. saccharolyticum. Additionally, a Tetra Correlation Search identified one related genome from the same species, which was compared with strain 115 by analyzing genomic islands. This is the first identification and whole-genome sequence of P. saccharolyticum in Latin America and highlights a challenge in the diagnosis of bovine brucellosis, which could be solved by including the sequencing of 16S rRNA and recA genes in routine diagnostics.

Canine leptospirosis in stray and sheltered dogs: a systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the prevalence of leptospirosis among stray and sheltered dogs worldwide. Six databases were searched, which resulted in the retrieval of 476 articles. Sixty articles were selected for analysis according to 10 quality criteria. Among the selected papers, 26 papers [43.4% (26/60)] met five of the 10 quality criteria established, 10 papers [16.7% (10/60)] met three criteria, nine papers [15.0% (9/60)] met four criteria, six papers [10.0% (6/60)] met six criteria, four papers [6.7% (4/60)] met eight criteria, and three papers [5.0% (3/60)] met nine of the 10 criteria, whereas two papers [1.7% (1/60)] met two and seven [1.7% (1/60)] criteria. Publications originated mainly from the Americas [45.0% (27/60)] and in the last 16 years (2003-2019) [81.7% (49/60)], and most of the sampled dogs were stray dogs [65.0% (39/60)]. The most commonly used diagnostic test for leptospirosis was the microscopic agglutination test [78.4% (47/60)] followed by polymerase chain reaction [21.7% (13/60)], and the most common serovars were Canicola [71.4% (35/49)], Icterohaemorrhagiae [65.3% (32/49)], Grippotyphosa [40.8% (20/49)], and Pomona [40.8% (20/49)]. In conclusion, our results showed that Leptospira spp. are present in unowned dogs worldwide; however, the low-methodological quality of the recovered cross-sectional studies precluded a meta-analysis.

Climate influence the human leptospirosis cases in Brazil, 2007-2019: a time series analysis.

BACKGROUND: Human leptospirosis is responsible for great losses and deaths, especially in developing countries, which can be mitigated by knowing the correct health indicators and climate influence on the disease. METHODS: Leptospirosis cases and deaths, population and precipitation were recovered from different databases (2007-2019). Annual incidence, mortality and case fatality rates (CFRs) of human leptospirosis and average precipitation were calculated for Brazil and its regions. Time series analysis using an moving average with external variable (ARMAX) model was used to analyse the monthly contribution and precipitation influence over leptospirosis cases for each Brazilian region and for the whole country. A forecast model to predict cases for 2020 was created for Brazil. RESULTS: Human leptospirosis exhibited heterogeneous distribution among Brazilian regions, with most cases occurring during the rainy season and precipitation influenced the disease occurrence in all regions but the South. The forecast model predicted 3276.99 cases for 2020 (mean absolute percentage error 14.680 and root mean square error 53.013). Considering the annual average for the period, the leptospirosis incidence was 1913 cases per 100 000 inhabitants, mortality was 0.168 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants and the CFR was 8.83%. CONCLUSIONS: The models built can be useful for planning leptospirosis surveillance and control actions for the whole country and its regions and, together with the health indicators, revealed no uniform epidemiological situation of leptospirosis in Brazil.

Efficacy of Brucella abortus S19 and RB51 vaccine strains: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to recalculate the efficacy of Brucella abortus S19 and RB51 vaccine strains and discuss the main variables associated with controlled trials to evaluate bovine brucellosis vaccine efficacy (VE). The most commonly used vaccine strain was S19, at a dose of 1010 colony forming units (CFU), followed by RB51 at 1010 CFU. The most commonly used challenge strain was B. abortus 2308, at a dose of 107 CFU, by the intraconjunctival route. Regarding the meta-analysis, trials were grouped according to the vaccine strain and dose to recalculate protection against abortion (four groups) or infection (five groups) using pooled risk ratio (RR) and VE. Regarding protection against abortion (n = 15 trials), the S19 vaccine at 109 CFU exhibited the highest protection rate (RR = 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) : 0.12-0.52; VE = 75.09%, 95% CI: 48.08-88.05), followed by RB51 at 1010 CFU (RR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.16-0.61; VE = 69.25%, 95% CI: 39.48-84.38). Regarding protection against infection (n = 23 trials), only two subgroups exhibited significant protection: S19 at 109 CFU (RR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.14-0.55; VE = 72.03%, 95% CI: 57.70- 81.50) and RB51 at 1010 CFU (RR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.22-0.84; VE = 57.05%, 95% CI: 30.90-73.30). In conclusion, our results suggest that a dose of 109 CFU for S19 and 1010 CFU for RB51 are the most suitable for the prevention of abortion and infection caused by B. abortus.

Virulence Genes Profile and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Community-Acquired Bacterial Urinary Tract Infections in a Brazilian Hospital.

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are one of the most common diseases worldwide and Escherichia coli is the most common causative bacteria. Empirical treatment is challenging due to antimicrobial or multidrug-resistance. The aims of this study were to determine the uropathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility profile, as well as to identify the phylogroups and virulence genes of E. coli strains, associated with community-acquired UTI in outpatients admitted at a Brazilian Hospital in southeast Brazil. In total, 47 bacterial strains were isolated from 47 patients, 44 women and 2 men (no gender record from one patient). The age of the patients whose urine culture were positive varied from 0 (less than one month) to 104 years. Most of the isolates were E. coli (41/47), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (2/47), Klebsiella variicola/Klebsiella aerogenes (1/47), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1/47), Proteus mirabilis (1/47), and Citrobacter koseri (1/47). Most E. coli strains were classified as phylogroup B2 (15/41 = 36.59%) and B1 (12/41 = 29.27%) and the most common virulence genes among E. coli strains were fimH (31/41 = 75.61%), iutA (21/41 = 51.22%), and tratT (16/41 = 39.02%). Among the E. coli strains, 59% were multidrug-resistance and strains that were ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, or tetracycline-resistant exhibited more chance to be multidrug-resistance, with an odds ratio of 100.00 [95% confidence interval (CI) 9.44-1059.26], 22.50 (95% CI 3.95-128.30), and 12.83 (95% CI 2.68-61.45), respectively. Our results showed that E. coli was the main etiological agent identified and demonstrated high frequency of multidrug-resistance and virulence factors in bacterial strains isolated from UTIs.

Accidental exposure to Brucella abortus vaccines and occupational brucellosis among veterinarians in Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Brucellosis is an important occupational disease, mainly among veterinarians, because of their frequent contact with sick animals, contaminated secretions and live attenuated anti-Brucella vaccines. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of accidental exposure to S19 and RB51 vaccine strains and occupational brucellosis among veterinarians registered to administer vaccinations in Minas Gerais, Brazil, as well as to identify the risk factors associated with accidental exposure to anti-Brucella abortus vaccines. Data were collected through an online questionnaire. Three hundred and twenty-nine veterinarians were included in the analyses using stratified random sampling. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the predictors of accidental exposure to S19 and RB51 strains. Nearly one third of the veterinarians registered to administer bovine brucellosis vaccination in Minas Gerais, 32.83% (108/329) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 27.78-38.19%), reported having been accidentally exposed to S19 or RB51 vaccine strains. The exposure factors associated with this outcome included a score of personnel protective equipment (PPE) use during work (odds ratio [OR], 0.94; 95% CI: 0.89-0.98) and a score of knowledge about brucellosis symptoms, classified as poor (base category), intermediate (OR, 0.26; 95% CI: 0.07-0.87) or good (OR, 0.22; 95% CI: 0.07-0.62). In addition, 4.56% (15/329) (95% CI: 2.57-7.41%) of veterinarians reported that they had brucellosis, of which 46.67% (7/15) considered that the disease was due to accidental exposure to anti-B. abortus live attenuated vaccine. The prevalence of accidental exposure to B. abortus vaccine strains among veterinarians from Minas Gerais enrolled in the control of bovine brucellosis was high. The reduced knowledge about human brucellosis symptoms and lack of appropriate PPE use were risk factors from unintentional contact with S19 and RB51 vaccine strains.

Occupational exposure to Brucella spp.: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Brucellosis is a neglected zoonotic disease of remarkable importance worldwide. The focus of this systematic review was to investigate occupational brucellosis and to identify the main infection risks for each group exposed to the pathogen. Seven databases were used to identify papers related to occupational brucellosis: CABI, Cochrane, Pubmed, Scielo, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science. The search resulted in 6123 studies, of which 63 were selected using the quality assessment tools guided from National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Case Report Guidelines (CARE). Five different job-related groups were considered greatly exposed to the disease: rural workers, abattoir workers, veterinarians and veterinary assistants, laboratory workers and hunters. The main risk factors and exposure sources involved in the occupational infection observed from the analysis of the articles were direct contact with animal fluids, failure to comply with the use of personal protective equipment, accidental exposure to live attenuated anti-brucellosis vaccines and non-compliance with biosafety standards. Brucella species frequently isolated from job-related infection were Brucella melitensis, Brucella abortus, Brucella suis and Brucella canis. In addition, a meta-analysis was performed using the case-control studies and demonstrated that animal breeders, laboratory workers and abattoir workers have 3.47 [95% confidence interval (CI); 1.47-8.19] times more chance to become infected with Brucella spp. than others individuals that have no contact with the possible sources of infection. This systematic review improved the understanding of the epidemiology of brucellosis as an occupational disease. Rural workers, abattoir workers, veterinarians, laboratory workers and hunters were the groups more exposed to occupational Brucella spp. infection. Moreover, it was observed that the lack of knowledge about brucellosis among frequently exposed professionals, in addition to some behaviors, such as negligence in the use of individual and collective protective measures, increases the probability of infection.