Comparison of automatic methods MALDI-TOF, VITEK2 and manual methods for the identification of intestinal microbial communities on the example of samples from alpacas (Vicugna pacos).

Introduction: Universally, in microbiological diagnostics the detection of live bacteria is essential. Rapid identification of pathogens enables appropriate remedial measures to be taken. The identification of many bacteria simultaneously facilitates the determination of the characteristics of the accompanying microbiota and/or the microbiological complexity of a given environment. Material and Methods: The effectiveness of the VITEK2 Compact automated microbial identification system and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), analytical profile index (API) and Remel RapID tests were compared in identification of bacteria isolated from the alpaca gastrointestinal tract. Results: Most isolates were Gram-positive, such as Bacillus cereus, Bacillus flexus, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus subtilis; Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus gallinarum, Enterococcus hirae and Enterococcus casseliflavus; Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus equorum, Staphylococcus lentus, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus sciuri; Paenibacillus amylolyticus; Cellulosimicrobium cellulans; Leuconostoc mesenteroides; Clostridium perfringens; Corynebacterium stationis, Corynebacterium xerosis, and Corynebacterium diphtheriae (the last only isolated manually by API Coryne and the VITEK2 system and Corynebacteria (CBC) card). Corynebacterium diphtheriae was misidentified by MALDI-TOF MS as Candida lipolytica (currently Yarrowia lipolytica). Gram-positive and Gram-variable Micrococcus luteus were also isolated. Gram-negative Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter gergoviae, Enterobacter hormaechei and Enterobacter ludwigii; E. coli; Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae; Citrobacter braakii and Citrobacter freundii; Serratia liquefaciens, Serratia odorifera and Serratia marcescens; Morganella morganii subsp. morganii; Providencia alcalifaciens; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia; Moraxella osloensis; and Ochrobactrum intermedium were also found. The yeasts Candida albicans, Candida haemulonii and Candida ciferrii were also present. Conclusion: MALDI-TOF MS enabled the identification of pathogens and opportunistic pathogens from the alpaca gut which may represent a high risk to human and animal health.

Less Typical Courses of Rhodococcus equi Infections in Foals.

This article aims to present several interesting and less typical courses of Rhodococcus equi infections in foals, collected during the 2019-2021 foaling seasons in some Polish studs. The study was conducted by the Division of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, and concentrated on ultrasonographic contribution to diagnostics and treatment of the disease. Among many standard cases of rhodococcal pneumonia, some rare ones occurred. The aforementioned issues include the potential contribution of rhodococcal infection to a grave outcome in a prematurely born filly, lost as a yearling, so-called "extrapulmonary disorders" (EPD), a hypothesis of inherited immunodeficiency with grave outcome in a breeding dam line from one stud, and macrolide-induced anhidrosis. The main benefit of this report would be to supplement the general picture of clinical rhodococcosis.

Nanodelivery of essential oils as efficient tools against antimicrobial resistance: a review of the type and physical-chemical properties of the delivery systems and applications.

This review provides a synthesis of the last ten years of research on nanodelivery systems used for the delivery of essential oils (EOs), as well as their potential as a viable alternative to antibiotics in human and veterinary therapy. The use of essential oils alone in therapy is not always possible due to several limitations but nanodelivery systems seem to be able to overcome these issues. The choice of the essential oil, as well as the choice of the nanodelivery system influences the therapeutic efficacy obtained. While several studies on the characterization of EOs exist, this review assesses the characteristics of the nanomaterials used for the delivery of essential oils, as well as impact on the functionality of nanodelivered essential oils, and successful applications. Two classes of delivery systems stand out: polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) including chitosan, cellulose, zein, sodium alginate, and poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA), and lipidic NPs including nanostructured lipid carriers, solid lipid NPs, nanoemulsions, liposomes, and niosomes. While the advantages and disadvantages of these delivery systems and information on stability, release, and efficacy of the nanodelivered EOs are covered in the literature as presented in this review, essential information, such as the speed of emergence of a potential bacteria resistance to these new systems, or dosages for each type of infection and for each animal species or humans is still missing today. Therefore, more quantitative and in vivo studies should be conducted before the adoption of EOs loaded NPs as an alternative to antibiotics, where appropriate.

Rhodococcus equi-Occurrence in Goats and Clinical Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Rhodococcus equi infection is commonly known in equine medicine to cause frequently fatal rhodococcosis. Infections in other species and people are also reported. Clinical manifestation in goats is relatively similar to horses and humans, but data regarding bacterium prevalence are scarce. Thus, the study aimed to estimate the occurrence of R. equi in goats. METHODS: During post mortem examination, submandibular, mediastinal, and mesenteric lymph nodes were collected. Standard methods were used for bacteria isolation and identification. RESULTS: A total of 134 goats were examined, and 272 lymph node samples were collected. R. equi was isolated from four animals. All four isolates carried the choE gene, and one also had traA and pVAPN plasmid genes. CONCLUSIONS: To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first report of R. equi occurrence and genetic diversity in goats. The results may help create a model for treating rhodococcosis in other animal species and assessing the role of meat contamination as a potential source of human infection. This research should be considered a pilot study for further application of the goat as a model of R. equi infection in horses and humans.

Serological Survey of Leptospira Infection in Arabian Horses in Poland.

Leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonotic infections worldwide, including in most livestock, some companion animals, horses, wildlife, and humans. Epidemiological estimation of its prevalence in all species is difficult due to the variety of clinical presentations and challenges regarding laboratory diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to measure the seroprevalence of leptospiral infection in Arabian horses kept in the largest breeding farms in Poland, representing over 15% of the Polish Arabian horse population. Leptospira antibodies were detected by MAT (cut-off 1:100) in 33.2% of serum samples (204 of 615 animals) (CI 95%: 29.6-37.0%), most frequently reacting with the serovar Grippotyphosa, similar to previous reports in populations of randomly selected horses. These results indicated high Leptospira seropositivity, thus, although any form of clinical leptospirosis is rare, it may be postulated that the leptospiral exposure is widespread.

The first visually-guided bronchoscopy in European bison (Bison bonasus) - An additional tool in the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis?

The European bison (Bison bonasus, EB) is an endangered species, and as about 1/3 of its global population is found in Poland, it is particularly important that Polish herds should be monitored. One particular concern is tuberculosis, which is not a marginal problem in wildlife in Poland, and has been microbiologically confirmed in EB, wolves (Canis lupus) and wild boar (Sus scrofa). However, ante mortem diagnosis of tuberculosis in EB is troublesome. Therefore, the present paper evaluates the potential of bronchoscopy as a diagnostic tool. Seven EB were studied, four of which were found to be naturally infected with M. caprae; in two of these, endoscopy identified abnormalities in the respiratory tract ante mortem. Therefore, despite some limitations, endoscopy can be an additional tool for diagnosing tuberculosis in EB, especially in highly valuable animals, and to assess the stage of the disease.

Globetrotting strangles: the unbridled national and international transmission of Streptococcus equi between horses.

The equine disease strangles, which is characterized by the formation of abscesses in the lymph nodes of the head and neck, is one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses around the world. The causal agent, Streptococcus equi subspecies equi, establishes a persistent infection in approximately 10 % of animals that recover from the acute disease. Such 'carrier' animals appear healthy and are rarely identified during routine veterinary examinations pre-purchase or transit, but can transmit S. equi to naïve animals initiating new episodes of disease. Here, we report the analysis and visualization of phylogenomic and epidemiological data for 670 isolates of S. equi recovered from 19 different countries using a new core-genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) web bioresource. Genetic relationships among all 670 S. equi isolates were determined at high resolution, revealing national and international transmission events that drive this endemic disease in horse populations throughout the world. Our data argue for the recognition of the international importance of strangles by the Office International des Épizooties to highlight the health, welfare and economic cost of this disease. The Pathogenwatch cgMLST web bioresource described herein is available for tailored genomic analysis of populations of S. equi and its close relative S. equi subspecies zooepidemicus that are recovered from horses and other animals, including humans, throughout the world. This article contains data hosted by Microreact.

Microbiological assessment of sheep lymph nodes with lymphadenitis found during post-mortem examination of slaughtered sheep: implications for veterinary-sanitary meat control.

BACKGROUND: Microbiological examination of lesions found in slaughtered animals during meat inspection is an important part of public health protection as such lesions may be due to zoonotic agents that can be transmitted by meat. Examination of inflamed lymph nodes also plays a particular important role, as lymphadenitis may reflect a more widespread infection. Such lesions in sheep are mainly caused by pyogenic bacteria but also mycobacteria are occasionally found. Meat inspection data from 2017 to 2018 from southern Poland, especially from the Malopolska region, indicate that purulent or caseous lymphadenitis involving the mediastinal and tracheobronchial lymph nodes (MTLNs) is a common finding. The primary aim of the current study was to determine the aetiology of these lesions. Furthermore, it was investigated how presence of lesions was correlated with age and grazing strategy of affected sheep. RESULTS: Post-mortem examination revealed purulent or caseous lymphadenitis in the MTLNs of 49 out of 284 animals (17.3%). Subsequent microbiological examination revealed the presence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (34.7%), Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (34.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (8.2%), Enterococcus spp. (2.0%), Trueperella pyogenes (2.0%), and ß-haemolytic strains of Escherichia coli (2.0%). Mycobacterium spp. and Rhodococcus equi were not detected. In older sheep, the probability of the presence of purulent or caseous lymphadenitis was higher than in younger, and the risk was increasing by 1.5% with each month of life. Sheep grazing locally had 4.5-times greater risk of having purulent or caseous lymphadenitis than individuals summer grazing in the mountains. CONCLUSION: The most common aetiological agents of purulent or caseous lymphadenitis in the MTLNs of sheep in the Malopolska region were C. pseudotuberculosis and S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis. Particular attention during post-mortem examination should be paid to the carcasses of older sheep and sheep grazing on permanent pastures, as they seem more prone to develop purulent or caseous lymphadenitis.