Zinc Oxide Quantum Dots May Provide a Novel Potential Treatment for Antibiotic-Resistant Streptococcus agalactiae in Lama glama.

Streptococcus agalactiae is a significant pathogen that can affect both human beings and animals. The extensive current use of antibiotics has resulted in antibiotic resistance. In our previous research, we found that zinc oxide quantum dots (ZnO QDs) had inhibitory effects on antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. In this study, a strain of Streptococcus agalactiaeWJYT1 with a broad antibiotic-resistant spectrum was isolated and identified from Lama glama at Sichuan Agricultural University Teaching Animal Hospital. The genome for the resistance and virulence genes was analyzed. Additionally, the antibacterial effects and anti-virulence mechanism of ZnO QDs for S. agalactiaeWJYT1 were investigated. The results showed that the genome of S. agalactiaeWJYT1 is 1,943,955 bp, containing 22 resistance genes and 95 virulence genes. ZnO QDs have a good antibacterial effect against S. agalactiaeWJYT1 by reducing bacterial growth and decreasing the expression of virulence genes, including bibA, hylB, sip, and cip, which provides a novel potential treatment for S. agalactiae.

Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Captive Giant Pandas: A Reservoir of Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Virulence-Associated Genes.

Recent studies showed that Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains isolated from captive giant pandas have serious resistance to antibiotics and carry various antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). ARGs or virulence-associated genes (VAGs) carried by antibiotic-resistant E. coli are considered as a potential health threat to giant pandas, humans, other animals and the environment. In this study, we screened ARGs and VAGs in 84 antibiotic-resistant E. coli strains isolated from clinically healthy captive giant pandas, identified the association between ARGs and VAGs and analyzed the phylogenetic clustering of E. coli isolates. Our results showed that the most prevalent ARG in E. coli strains isolated from giant pandas is blaTEM (100.00%, 84/84), while the most prevalent VAG is fimC (91.67%, 77/84). There was a significant positive association among 30 pairs of ARGs, of which the strongest was observed for sul1/tetC (OR, 133.33). A significant positive association was demonstrated among 14 pairs of VAGs, and the strongest was observed for fyuA/iroN (OR, 294.40). A positive association was also observed among 45 pairs of ARGs and VAGs, of which the strongest was sul1/eaeA (OR, 23.06). The association of ARGs and mobile gene elements (MGEs) was further analyzed, and the strongest was found for flor and intI1 (OR, 79.86). The result of phylogenetic clustering showed that the most prevalent group was group B2 (67.86%, 57/84), followed by group A (16.67%, 14/84), group D (9.52%, 8/84) and group B1 (5.95%, 5/84). This study implied that antibiotic-resistant E. coli isolated from captive giant pandas is a reservoir of ARGs and VAGs, and significant associations exist among ARGs, VAGs and MGEs. Monitoring ARGs, VAGs and MGEs carried by E. coli from giant pandas is beneficial for controlling the development of antimicrobial resistance.

The influence of prepaid service and promotion purchase restriction on consumers' willingness to share in tourism and hospitality: from the perspective of framing effect theory.

Prepaid service is not only a financial tool, but also a common promotion mode in tourism and hospitality. Due to the limited resources of the enterprise, the enterprise needs to reasonably allocate the promotion resources to maximize the effectiveness of the promotion. As two common promotion purchase restrictions, limited-time promotion and limited-quantity promotion how to interact with prepaid services in the form of discounts or freebies to enhance consumers' willingness to share is the focus of this study. This study carried out three experiments based on framing effect theory, stimulus-organism-response theory, and social capital theory, which has found that the prepaid service mode moderates the relationship between promotion purchase restrictions and consumers' willingness to share. When the prepaid service mode is a discount type, the limited-quantity promotion can generate higher sharing willingness than the limited-time promotion, and the perceived scarcity plays a mediating role. When the prepaid service mode is a freebie type, the limited-time promotion can generate higher sharing willingness than the limited-quantity promotion, and the perceived certainty of opportunity plays a mediating role.

First Isolation and Multilocus Sequence Typing of Brucella canis from a Subclinically Infected Pet Dog in China.

Canine brucellosis, a worldwide zoonotic disease, is mainly caused by Brucella canis. In the present study, we isolated a Brucella strain (CD3) from a subclinically infected pet dog in Sichuan Province, Southwestern China. Classical biotyping methods and molecular biological tests (BCSP31 and BcSS PCR) proved that the strain belonged to B. canis. Furthermore, B. canis CD3 and another two B. canis strains (WJ5 and YA4), which were all isolated from pet dogs in Sichuan, were genotyped using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Our results showed that the three B. canis strains were identified as the same sequence type (ST21). The present study is the first to report B. canis strain from a subclinically infected pet dog in China, indicating a potential threat to public health posed by subclinical infections in pet dogs. We suggest that screening for B. canis should be incorporated into routine medical examination of pet dogs and other companion animals in areas with a history of animal or human brucellosis.

Prevalence and new genotypes of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in sheltered dogs and cats in Sichuan province, southwestern China.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a common intracellular parasite that infects a wide range of hosts, including humans and companion animals, raising concerns of zoonotic transmission. However, there is limited epidemiological information on the prevalence and genotypes of E. bieneusi in sheltered dogs and cats in Sichuan province, southwestern China. A total of 880 fecal samples were collected from shelters in different cities of Sichuan province, including 724 samples from dogs, and 156 samples from cats. Enterocytozoon bieneusi was determined by sequence analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Overall, the prevalence of E. bieneusi was 18% (158/880), and the parasite was detected in 18.8% (136/724) and 14.1% (22/156) of the dogs and cats examined, respectively. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of five genotypes in dogs, including three known genotypes CD9 (n = 92), PtEb IX (n = 41), and Type IV (n = 1), and two novel genotypes SCD-1 (n = 1) and SCD-2 (n = 1). Similarly, four genotypes were identified in cats, including CD9 (n = 11), Type IV (n = 6), D (n = 4), and PtEb IX (n = 1). Genotypes D and Type IV have previously been identified in humans and are reported in sheltered dogs and cats in the present study, indicating that these animals could be as potential sources of human microsporidiosis infections.

TITLE: Prévalence et nouveaux génotypes d'Enterocytozoon bieneusi chez les chiens et chats de refuges dans la province du Sichuan, dans le sud-ouest de la Chine. ABSTRACT: Enterocytozoon bieneusi est un parasite intracellulaire commun qui infecte un large éventail d'hôtes, y compris les humains et les animaux de compagnie, ce qui soulève des problèmes de transmission zoonotique. Cependant, il existe peu d'informations épidémiologiques sur la prévalence et les génotypes d'E. bieneusi chez les chiens et les chats des refuges dans la province du Sichuan, au sud-ouest de la Chine. Au total, 880 échantillons de matières fécales ont été prélevés dans des refuges dans différentes villes de la province du Sichuan, dont 724 échantillons de chiens et 156 échantillons de chats. Enterocytozoon bieneusi a été déterminé par analyse de séquence de l'espaceur transcrit interne ribosomique (ITS). Dans l'ensemble, la prévalence d'E. bieneusi était de 18 % (158/880) et le parasite a été détecté chez 18,8 % (136/724) et 14,1 % (22/156) des chiens et des chats examinés, respectivement. L'analyse des séquences a révélé la présence de cinq génotypes chez le chien, dont trois génotypes connus CD9 (n = 92), PtEb IX (n = 41) et type IV (n = 1), et deux nouveaux génotypes SCD-1 (n = 1) et SCD-2 (n = 1). De même, quatre génotypes ont été identifiés chez les chats, dont CD9 (n = 11), Type IV (n = 6), D (n = 4) et PtEb IX (n = 1). Les génotypes D et de type IV ont été précédemment identifiés chez l'homme et sont rapportés chez des chiens et des chats des refuges dans la présente étude, ce qui indique que ces animaux pourraient être des sources potentielles d'infections par microsporidiose chez les humains.