Application of peracetic acid and quarternary ammonium disinfectants as a part of sanitary treatment in a poultry house and poultry processing plant.

Hygiene and sanitation play a major role in any effective disease control programme for poultry production and processing premises. Various deficiencies in disinfection may induce that chains of infections are not broken from one stock to another. The present study investigated the efficacy of disinfection on a broiler farm and in a plant processing poultry from the investigated farm. Besides inspection of disinfection, the influence of contamination on broiler carcasses and consequences of this contamination on sanitation of the processing lines were studied. Swabs from surfaces coming into contact with the handled raw material were taken and evaluated. The results obtained by a standard microbiological swab method were evaluated and compared with an ATP-bioluminescence method. The investigations included determination of total counts of microorganisms, coliform bacteria and moulds. When employing the standard plate-count method, the total counts of microorganisms (TCM) reached <1, 1-100 and >100 CFU in 0, 12 and 88% swabs on poultry farm and in 22%, 36% and 42% swabs in the processing plant, respectively. The bioluminescence method was used only in the processing plant and contamination corresponding to <100, 100-300 and >300 relative light units (RLU) was detected in 80%, 10% and 10% swabs respectively.

Histochemical study of innervation and NADPH-D activity of the thymus.

Acetylcholinesterase (ACHE)-positive nerve fibres in the thymus of the rat form perivascular plexuses as well as free ACHE-positive nerves, which do not follow the course of the vessels. A higher number of ACHE-positive nerves was observed in corticomedullary border and the medulla, a lower number in the cortex of the thymus lobuli. A gradual reduction of ACHE-positive intrathymus nerve formation was recorded and correlated with the increasing age of the rats. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase positive cells observed in the rat thymus were irregular with numerous projections and were located on the boundary of the cortex and medulla.

Yeast-like microorganisms in eye infections.

The proportion of yeast species involved in eye infections in 11 patients was examined. The presence of yeast organisms as causative agents of endophthalmitis was found in corneal smears (n = 4), conjunctival swabs (4), and vitreous fluid (3). Altogether 5 strains of Candida albicans, 2 strains of C. krusei and one strain each of C. guilliermondii, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis and Cryptococcus neoformans were isolated from the clinical material. The hematogenic origin of endophthalmitis was proved in 7 cases on the basis of positive blood samples and in 2 cases by the isolation of yeasts from the tip of an intravenous catheter. Endophthalmitis-supporting risk factors such as indwelling intravenous catheters, prolonged use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and chemotherapy, surgical intervention, diabetes mellitus, and malignancy were observed in the patients.

Incidence of Candida species isolated from human skin and nails: a survey.

Distribution of Candida species was investigated by examining 245 samples from skin lesions and nails. The isolates were identified using standard laboratory methods including germ tube test, micromorphology of colonies on rice agar, the commercial kit, saccharide assimilation and fermentation tests. Eight species of Candida were identified: C. albicans accounted for 56.4% of the isolates, C. parapsilosis 29.1, C. tropicalis 7.8, C. pulcherrima 2.9, C. guilliermondii 1.5, C. krusei and C. zeylanoides for 0.9% each, and C. robusta for 0.5%. The factors significantly associated with colonization were prolonged antibiotic therapy, parenteral nutrition, low birth body mass of infants, intubation, duration of stay in hospital, indwelling intravenous catheter, malignancies, diabetes, surgery, and obesity.

Effect of natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) on microbial decomposition processes in stored pig-slurry solids.

The solid fraction (SF) of pig slurry obtained in the first stage of aerobic slurry treatment was amended with 1 and 2% zeolite (clinoptilolite) and stored for 12 weeks under anaerobic conditions or with turning after 3 and 6 weeks of storage. In addition to that SF was mixed with 2% zeolite, 50% (V/V) sawdust, and both sawdust and zeolite, and stored for 6 weeks with turning after 1 and 3 weeks. Plate counts of psychrophilic, mesophilic, coliform and fecal coliform bacteria, determined during the storage, corresponded to the development of temperature in the core of the substrates. An effect of amendment of SF with zeolite and sawdust on plate counts of selected bacteria was observed, dependent on the zeolite dose. The thermophilic phase was not reached in any of the investigated substrates. The populations of fecal coliforms in the substrate amended with 1% zeolite and turned after 3 and 6 weeks decreased after 11 weeks down to 500 CFU/g substrate.

[The effect of prolonged starvation on changes in the activity of selected adaptive enzymes in rat liver]. / Vplyv prolongovaného hladovania na zmeny aktivity vybraných adaptívnych enzýmov v peceni potkanov.

Male rats of Wistar SPF stain (Velaz Prague) were used to investigate the influence of prolonged starvation on changes in the activity of selected adaptive enzymes in the liver and corticosterone in serum. Analyses were carried out on days 1,2,3,5 and 7 of starvation. The activity of tyrosine aminotransferase significantly increased in the period between days 2 and 5 of starvation, after which a decrease to the level of satiated animals was observed in the terminal period. Activities of tryptophane-2-3-dioxygenase and alanine aminotransferase increased in two phases reaching maximum values on days 2 and 7 of starvation. The activity of aspartate aminotransferase showed a progressive significant increase in dependence on the length of starvation. A more than threefold increase in corticosterone concentration was observed in the serum of starved animals in comparison with satiated rats.

[Hygienic problems of slaughterhouse wastewaters (author's transl)]. / Hygienische Probleme der Abwässer von Schlachthäusern.

Physical, chemical and bacterial qualities of total wastewaters from slaughterhouse and meat processing plants and individual departments has been followed. Obtained results are indicating the significance of wastewaters in contamination of living environment and stressing the importance of their treatment.