A Longitudinal Case Study on Dissemination of ST398 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Within a Dairy Cow Herd.

The study was conducted to describe the dynamics of ST398 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on a dairy herd in northeastern Italy. MRSA was first identified in this herd of 120 cows in 2016, after which the herd was sampled once every 3 months for 1 year (April 2016-May 2017). Samples collected included nasal swabs and milk samples from cows and nasal swabs from farmworkers. In addition, pen fencing and teat milk liners were swabbed and air samples from cow pens and the milking parlor were collected. All samples were tested for MRSA using a selective medium; positive isolates were confirmed by mecA PCR. A representative set of MRSA isolates was genotyped using spa typing and multilocus sequence typing. Overall, 34 (mean 23%, range 16-30%) milking cows were found harboring MRSA in the mammary gland and only 6 recovered from infection or colonization. The mean incidence rate was 14% (range 8-20%), mean cure rate was 23% (range 13-43%), and estimated basic reproduction number (R0) was 1.08. The average of positive quarters found was 35.1% and most of the positive quarters (82.4%) developed subclinical mastitis. The mean duration of MRSA colonization in quarters during the study was 247 days, but quarters affected by subclinical mastitis harbored MRSA for a longer time than healthy ones (285 days vs. 131 days). After the second sampling, the farmer segregated MRSA-positive cows from the uninfected cows and milked them last. Despite segregation, 25 newly infected or colonized cows were detected. MRSA isolates from cows, environment, and two farmworkers belonged to the same sequence type (ST398) and spa type (t034). This study highlights the ability of ST398 MRSA to cause a persistent infection of the mammary gland and to survive in the farm environment.

Detection of Clostridium tetani Neurotoxins Inhibited In Vivo by Botulinum Antitoxin B: Potential for Misleading Mouse Test Results in Food Controls.

The presence of botulinum neurotoxin-producing Clostridia (BPC) in food sources is a public health concern. In favorable environmental conditions, BPC can produce botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) outside or inside the vertebrate host, leading to intoxications or toxico-infectious forms of botulism, respectively. BPC in food are almost invariably detected either by PCR protocols targeted at the known neurotoxin-encoding genes, or by the mouse test to assay for the presence of BoNTs in the supernatants of enrichment broths inoculated with the tested food sample. The sample is considered positive for BPC when the supernatant contains toxic substances that are lethal to mice, heat-labile and neutralized in vivo by appropriate polyclonal antibodies raised against purified BoNTs of different serotypes. Here, we report the detection in a food sample of a Clostridium tetani strain that produces tetanus neurotoxins (TeNTs) with the above-mentioned characteristics: lethal for mice, heat-labile and neutralized by botulinum antitoxin type B. Notably, neutralization occurred with two different commercially available type B antitoxins, but not with type A, C, D, E and F antitoxins. Although TeNT and BoNT fold very similarly, evidence that antitoxin B antiserum can neutralize the neurotoxic effect of TeNT in vivo has not been documented before. The presence of C. tetani strains in food can produce misleading results in BPC detection using the mouse test.

A survey of Clostridium spiroforme antimicrobial susceptibility in rabbit breeding.

Rabbit meat breeding may be heavily affected by enterotoxaemia due to Clostridium spiroforme. Data on its antimicrobial susceptibility are insufficient, presumably because of difficulties in cultivating and identifying the pathogen. Our aim is therefore to provide this information to veterinary practitioners by focusing on a panel of therapeutics used in intensive rabbit units. Lincomycin was also checked in order to investigate the origin of resistance to macrolides. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined with the agar dilution method according to the CLSI M11-A7 protocol (2007). MIC(50) and MIC(90) were, respectively, 64 and 64microg/ml for tiamulin, 32 and 32microg/ml for norfloxacin, 0.063 and 0.125microg/ml for amoxicillin, and 8 and 16microg/ml for doxycycline. MIC(50) and MIC(90) were 256microg/ml for sulphadimethoxine, spiramycin and lincomycin. Our results have shown that intrinsic or acquired antimicrobial resistances are diffuse in the C. spiroforme population and suggest focusing on prevention rather than on treatment of clostridial overgrowth, by reducing risk factors and using antimicrobials prudently.