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Journal of Veterinary Science Sep 2023Leopard cat () is a small wild cat assessed as an endangered wildlife in Korea. There have been very few reports of their diseases. Herein, we describe fibrinous...
Leopard cat () is a small wild cat assessed as an endangered wildlife in Korea. There have been very few reports of their diseases. Herein, we describe fibrinous pleuritis caused by infection with excessive pleural effusion, hydropericardium, mild ascites, and liver fibrosis in a leopard cat. is a commensal microflora in domestic cats and often affects the upper respiratory tract inducing chronic and severe respiratory diseases. However, there is no literature regarding the in leopard cats. Therefore, we first report fibrinous pleuritis associated with an infection in a leopard cat.
Topics: Cats; Animals; Streptococcus; Animals, Wild; Pleurisy; Cat Diseases
PubMed: 38031647
DOI: 10.4142/jvs.23080 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2023is a zoonotic agent that causes severe invasive diseases in domestic animals and humans, but little is known about its pathogenesis and virulence mechanisms so far....
is a zoonotic agent that causes severe invasive diseases in domestic animals and humans, but little is known about its pathogenesis and virulence mechanisms so far. SCM, the M-like protein expressed by , is considered one of the major virulence determinants. Here, we report on the two distinct groups of SCM. SCM-1 proteins were already described to interact with its ligands IgG and plasminogen as well as with itself and confer antiphagocytic capability of SCM-1 expressing bacterial isolates. In contrast, the function of SCM-2 type remained unclear to date. Using whole-genome sequencing and subsequent bioinformatics, FACS analysis, fluorescence microscopy and surface plasmon resonance spectrometry, we demonstrate that, although different in amino acid sequence, a selection of diverse SCM-2-type isolates, phylogenetically representing the full breadth of SCM-2 sequences, were able to bind fibrinogen. Using targeted mutagenesis of an SCM-2 isolate, we further demonstrated that this strain was significantly less able to survive in canine blood. With respect to similar studies showing a correlation between fibrinogen binding and survival in whole blood, we hypothesize that SCM-2 has an important contribution to the pathogenesis of in the host.
PubMed: 37965557
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1228472 -
Journal of Dairy Science Dec 2023The early detection of major mastitis pathogens is crucial for the udder health management of dairy herds. Testing of pooled milk samples, either individual test-day cow...
Estimation of the performance of two real-time polymerase chain reaction assays for detection of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Streptococcus dysgalactiae in pooled milk samples in a field study.
The early detection of major mastitis pathogens is crucial for the udder health management of dairy herds. Testing of pooled milk samples, either individual test-day cow samples (TDCS) or aseptically collected pre-milk quarter samples (PMQS) may provide an easy to use and cost-effective group level screening tool. Therefore, the aim of this study was (1) to evaluate the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of 2 commercial multiplex real-time PCR test kits applied to pooled milk samples using a Bayesian latent class analysis and (2) to estimate the probability of detection in relation to the pool size and the number of cows positively tested by bacteriological culture (BC) within a pool. Pools of 10, 20 and 50 cows were assembled from 1,912 test-day samples and 7,336 PMQS collected from a total of 2,045 cows from 2 commercial dairy farms. Two commercial quantitative real-time PCR kits were applied to detect Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Streptococcus dysgalactiae in the pooled samples, and a BC was applied to PMQS yielding a cumulative pool result. A pool was considered BC-positive if it contained at least one BC-positive PMQS. Pathogens were more frequently detected in the PMQS pools than in the TDCS pools. Pools of 10 cows showed the highest probability of detection irrespective of sample type or type of PCR kit compared with larger pool sizes. Estimation with a Bayesian latent class analysis resulted in a median Se in PMQS pools of 10 cows for Staph. aureus of 63.3% for PCR kit I, 78.1% for PCR kit II, and 95.5% for BC; the Sp values were 97.0%, 97.6%, and 89.1%, respectively. The estimated median Se for Strep. species for PCR kits ranged between 77.5 and 85.6% and for BC between 73.7% and 79.2%; the median Sp values ranged between 93.6 and 99.2% for PCR kits, and between 96.9% and 97.4% for BC. In addition, the probability of detection increased with an increasing number of BC-positive cows per pool. To achieve a probability of detection of 90%, the estimated number of positive cows in PMQS pools of 10 cows for kit I was 4.1 for Staph. aureus, 1.5 for Strep. agalactiae, and 1.3 for Strep. dysgalactiae; for the equivalent TDCS pools and pathogens, 6.9, 1.9, and 2.0 positive cows were required, respectively. For Kit II and PMQS pools, the number of positive cows required was 2.8 for Staph. aureus, 1.4 for Strep. agalactiae, and 1.2 for Strep. dysgalactiae; for the equivalent TDCS pools and pathogens, 5.3, 1.8, and 2.0 positive cows were required, respectively. In conclusion, the type of samples used for pooling, the pool size and the number of infected cows per pool determine the probability of detecting an infection with major mastitis pathogens within a pool by PCR testing.
Topics: Female; Animals; Cattle; Streptococcus agalactiae; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Milk; Staphylococcus aureus; Bayes Theorem; Mastitis, Bovine; Streptococcal Infections; Staphylococcal Infections; Cattle Diseases
PubMed: 37641275
DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-21902 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2023In dogs and cats, bacterial skin infections (pyoderma and otitis externa) are a common cause for visiting the veterinary clinic. The most frequent skin pathogens are , ,...
In dogs and cats, bacterial skin infections (pyoderma and otitis externa) are a common cause for visiting the veterinary clinic. The most frequent skin pathogens are , , , and , often requiring different therapeutic antibiotic protocols. Unfavorably, existing diagnostics based on cytology cannot reveal bacterial species but only bacterial shapes such as cocci or rods. This microscopic limitation could be overcome by clinical translation of affordable chromogenic media, which enable species identification based on bacterial colonies growing in different colors and sizes. In this study, we determined how well inexperienced general veterinary clinicians identified bacterial pathogens from the skin and ears on two commercial (Chromatic™ MH and Flexicult® Vet) and one custom-made Mueller Hinton agar-based chromogenic medium. For this purpose, four veterinarians evaluated 100 unique samples representing 10 bacterial species. On average, clinicians correctly identified between 72.1 and 86.3% of bacterial species. Colony colors developed quickly on the Chromatic™ MH medium, leading to the highest 81.6% identification accuracy after 24 h incubation. However, Flexicult® Vet exhibited the highest accuracy of 86.3% after prolonged 48 h incubation. Evaluators easily recognized bacteria displaying uniquely colored colonies like green-brown , blue , orange-brown spp., and red . Oppositely, staphylococci shared uncharacteristically pale pink colonies causing misidentifications among the genus, deteriorating overall accuracy by around 10 percentage points (from 90.9%). Another reason for identification errors was the evaluators' inexperience, reflected in not recognizing colony size differences. For example, although exhibited the tiniest colonies, the species was frequently mistaken for other cocci. Finally, around 10% of errors were negligence-related slips due to unconsidered sample history. To conclude, the introduction of chromogenic media into veterinary clinics can significantly complement diagnostics in skin inflammations by identifying pathogen species in around 80% of cases. The extra information may help in therapeutic dilemmas on antibiotics and standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Additional personnel training and evaluation help by visuals, flowcharts, checklists, and, if necessary, microbiologists could further improve identification accuracy.
PubMed: 37496749
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1152229 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Jul 2023Studies of microbiota in normal canine milk from healthy dams are sparse. As is the case with blood and urine, it was considered that milk contains no microbiota. Any...
Studies of microbiota in normal canine milk from healthy dams are sparse. As is the case with blood and urine, it was considered that milk contains no microbiota. Any discovery of bacteria in canine milk is, therefore, often noted to be a result of contamination during sampling or interpreted as mastitis and treated with antibiotics. Milk was collected twice within 19 days after natural parturition from 11 lactating dams, with no general or local clinical signs of mastitis or other disease. The skin and teats were prepared with an antimicrobial protocol prior to each milk sampling. In total, 210 milk samples were collected and assessed for a number of bacterial colonies grown on each plate. Bacterial growth was detected in 180 samples (86%). , spp., spp., Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (CoNS), spp., , spp., spp., and were identified from pure and/or mixed bacterial growth, listed in descending order of occurrence. Despite the small sample size, the consistent occurrence of bacteria in early postpartum dams indicates a genuine occurrence of bacteria in canine milk, rather than random contamination. The finding of bacteria in the milk of dams should not, therefore, be the sole argument for the diagnosis of mastitis.
PubMed: 37444004
DOI: 10.3390/ani13132206 -
Theriogenology Sep 2023Semen extenders usually contain antibiotics with the aim to minimize bacterial growth, but the indiscriminate use of antibiotics increases the emergence of...
Semen extenders usually contain antibiotics with the aim to minimize bacterial growth, but the indiscriminate use of antibiotics increases the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. A limiting factor of semen processing in dogs is the low total sperm count that limits the number of insemination doses that can be obtained from one ejaculate. Therefore, two ejaculates collected at a short interval can be combined to increase the number of AI doses. In this study, semen was collected from dogs either once or the same dogs (n = 28) were submitted to dual semen collection 1 h apart. All ejaculates were submitted to bacteriological analysis. We hypothesized that bacterial contamination of semen is low but that a dual semen collection might increase contamination. A sample for bacteriological examination was taken from raw semen immediately after semen collection. Bacteria including mycoplasmas were isolated using conventional cultivation procedures and isolates were identified to the species level by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization - time of flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry. In total, 22 bacterial species were identified in the 84 ejaculates with Mycoplasma cynos, Streptococcus canis and Canicola haemoglobinophilus being most frequent. Bacterial growth was sporadic in 16 and absent in 10 ejaculates. The overall bacterial growth was lower in the second than in the first ejaculate of dual semen collections (p < 0.05). The percentage of motile and membrane-intact spermatozoa in frozen-thawed ejaculates was not associated with the degree of bacterial contamination of raw semen. In conclusion, there was only limited microbial contamination in dog semen and the microorganisms isolated are considered part of the normal genital bacterial flora. Repeated semen collection reduced bacterial contamination in the second in comparison to the first ejaculate. The use of antibiotics in canine semen should be questioned.
Topics: Male; Dogs; Animals; Semen; Bacteria; Spermatozoa; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Body Fluids
PubMed: 37315442
DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.06.002 -
Veterinary Sciences Apr 2023An 8-year-old male Rhodesian Ridgeback was presented with fever and severe thrombocytopenia. Clinical and laboratory examination, echocardiography, blood culture, and...
An 8-year-old male Rhodesian Ridgeback was presented with fever and severe thrombocytopenia. Clinical and laboratory examination, echocardiography, blood culture, and pathohistology revealed evidence of infective endocarditis, ischemic renal infarcts, and septic encephalitis. Treatment was started immediately but the dog's condition worsened, and the dog had to be euthanized. The causative strain was detected by blood culture and MALDI-TOF MS and analyzed using whole-genome sequencing and multilocus sequence typing. Antibiotic susceptibility testing did not detect any resistance. The affected heart valve was analyzed using FISH imaging, which showed a streptococcal biofilm on the heart valve. Bacteria in biofilms are recalcitrant to antibiotic treatment. Early diagnosis could be beneficial to treatment outcome. Treatment of endocarditis could be improved by researching the optimal dosage of antibiotics in conjunction with the use of biofilm-active drugs.
PubMed: 37235397
DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10050314 -
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica Apr 2023Streptococcus canis is a beta-haemolytic, Gram-positive cocci commonly identified on the canine ocular surface under both healthy and diseased conditions. The objective...
Streptococcus canis is a beta-haemolytic, Gram-positive cocci commonly identified on the canine ocular surface under both healthy and diseased conditions. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of S. canis on the normal and abnormal ocular surface of a canine ophthalmology referral population in Canada, and to investigate potential clinical aspects that may be associated with its presence. Included were 59 dogs (118 eyes) with unilateral or bilateral ocular disease diagnosed at the time of conjunctival sampling. A real-time PCR specific for S. canis was standardized for use with conjunctival swabs. Total DNA was extracted from 118 samples and used as template for the diagnostic assay. Samples were considered positive if amplification was detected and dissociation temperature matched a positive control. Signalment and other clinical data were also collected at the time of sampling. Of the 118 eyes sampled, 8 tested positive for S. canis (6.8%). No association between the detection of S. canis and breed, cephalic conformation, sex, age, use of ophthalmic antibiotics or other topical medications, ophthalmic diagnosis, use of systemic antibiotics or other systemic medications, or systemic diagnosis was identified. In conclusion, S. canis may be present on the ocular surface of dogs at a higher rate than previously reported. It is suggested that this may be linked to the use of PCR for pathogen detection instead of culture.
Topics: Animals; Dogs; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Dog Diseases; Eye Diseases; Prevalence; Streptococcus; Canada
PubMed: 37118781
DOI: 10.1186/s13028-023-00677-y -
Microbial Genomics Mar 2023, a multi-host pathogen commonly isolated from dogs and cats, has been occasionally reported in severe cases of human infection. To address the gap in knowledge on its...
, a multi-host pathogen commonly isolated from dogs and cats, has been occasionally reported in severe cases of human infection. To address the gap in knowledge on its virulence and host tropism, we investigated genomic epidemiology and report the results of this analysis for the first time. We analysed 59 . whole genome sequences originating from a variety of host species, comprising 39 newly sequenced isolates from UK sources, along with all (=20) publicly available genomes. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) phenotype was determined for all 39 available isolates. Genomes were screened for determinants of resistance and virulence. We created a core SNP phylogeny and compared strain clustering to multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and M-like protein (SCM) typing. We investigated the dataset for signals of host adaptation using phylogenetic analysis, accessory genome clustering and pan-genome-wide association study analysis. A total of 23 % (9/39) of isolates exhibited phenotypic resistance to lincosamides, macrolides and/or tetracyclines. This was complemented by the identification of AMR-encoding genes in all genomes: tetracycline ( 14 %, 8/59; and 7 %, 4/59) and lincosamide/macrolide (, 7 %, 4/59). AMR was more common in human (36 %, 4/11) compared to companion animal (18 %, 5/28) isolates. We identified 19 virulence gene homologues, 14 of which were present in all strains analysed. In an strain isolated from a dog with otitis externa we identified a homologue of superantigen SMEZ. The MLST and SCM typing schemes were found to be incapable of accurately representing core SNP-based genomic diversity of the population. No evidence of host adaptation was detected, suggesting the potential for inter-species transmission, including zoonotic transfer.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Dogs; Cats; Multilocus Sequence Typing; Phylogeny; Genome-Wide Association Study; Cat Diseases; Dog Diseases; Genomics; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 37000493
DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000974 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Feb 2023Streptococcus dysgalactiae increasingly is recognized as a pathogen of concern for human health. However, longitudinal surveillance data describing temporal trends of S.... (Review)
Review
Streptococcus dysgalactiae increasingly is recognized as a pathogen of concern for human health. However, longitudinal surveillance data describing temporal trends of S. dysgalactiae are scarce. We retrospectively identified all β-hemolytic streptococcal bloodstream infections reported in Bergen, in western Norway, during 1999-2021. To explore S. dysgalactiae disease burden in a broader context, we mapped the incidence of all microbial species causing bloodstream infections during 2012-2021. We found S. dysgalactiae incidence rates substantially increased during the study period; by 2021, S. dysgalactiae was the fifth most common pathogen causing bloodstream infections in our region. We noted genotypic shifts and found that the rising trend was related in part to the introduction and expansion of the stG62647 emm-type. S. dysgalactiae is among the most common causes of bloodstream infections in western Norway, and increased surveillance and unambiguous species identification are needed to monitor the disease burden attributable to this pathogen.
Topics: Humans; Streptococcal Infections; Retrospective Studies; Sepsis; Norway
PubMed: 36692331
DOI: 10.3201/eid2902.221218