Remarks on the prevalence of some viral respiratory diseases in cattle

Serological screening using the ELISA blocking test on 114 serum samples taken from cattle that haven’t been vaccinated had positive results for bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVD-MD) at a percentage of 43% and for rhino-tracheitis virus (IBR-IPV), the percentage was of 68.42%. The positive results can be explained by the presence of the virus in herds, where the diseases have a subclinical evolution. The serologic investigation using the ELISA blocking test has established the serological prevalence of infections with BVD-MD and IBR-IPV in three farms from Moldavia, the highest prevalence being registered in the case of rhinotracheitis virus (IBR-IPV). The presence of positive reactions, corroborated with the lack of clinical signs in herd can be explained by the presence of latent infections. A wide variety of stimuli such as stress, transport and treatment with corticosteroids may lead to the reactivation of the disease from latency. The obtained results suggest that an extension of serologic investigations in more farms was necessary for finding the animals with subclinical forms

Serological detection of antibodies to Ehrlichia canis and Borrelia burgdorferi S.L. in urban household dogs from Iași

Canine tick-borne diseases are an emerging problem within Romania and also throughout the European Countries. This threat comes not just from Lyme disease which is endemic in our country, but also from other tick-borne diseases as well as ehrlichiosis. The present study consisted in screening of IgG class antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi and Ehrlichia canis on 92 urban household dogs (48 females and 44 males) from Iași. The sampling took place during March to June 2021, in three veterinary clinics. The results of the serological testing revealed four positive dogs: one for IgG anti-E. canis and three for IgG anti-Borrelia burgdoferi s.l. Although the proportion of the sampled dog sex was almost equal, all positive animals were adult females. Our results highlight the silent circulation of the two pathogens in the studied area. These tick-borne pathogens are a significant medical concern to canine health. Changing tick distributions, pet travel and nonspecific clinical signs can make identifying infected pets challenging, so is very important to keep all dogs on appropriate, effective tick prevention year-round

Pestivirus spillover effect: molecular detection of bovine viral diarrhea virus in domestic and feral pigs

Pestivirus infections are important in the livestock industries, with infection occurring in cattle, sheep and pigs. The Pestivirus genus of the family Flaviviridae, includes four recognized species: bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 (BVDV-1), bovine viral diarrhea virus 2 (BVDV-2), border disease virus (BDV), and classical swine fever virus (CSFV). All pestivirus species can infect pigs, therefore accurate and specific pestivirus detection and differentiation is of great importance to assure control measures in swine populations. The aim of the study was the molecular detection of different pestiviruses in domestic and feral pigs. A total of 527 samples (92 pigs and 435 wild boars) were tested for pestiviruses detection using molecular assays. Eleven positive samples (6 wild boars and 5 domestic pigs) were identified using panpestivirus primers targeting the 5’- UTR region of the pestivirus RNA genome. Further all the positive samples were sequentially tested for detection of CSFV, BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 using specific primers. All RNAs were identified as positives for BVDV-1 and no amplification signals were obtained from BVDV-2 and CSFV. The current detection of BVDV-1 in clinical swine specimens highlights the important risk factor of swine population as reservoir and consequently carrier for BVDV

Preliminary investigations on prevalence of ESBL-production Escherichia coli strains in swine from Botoșani County

Administration of antimicrobials to food-producing animals increases the risk of higher antimicrobial resistance in normal intestinal flora. The present preliminary study was conducted to investigate the presence of extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli strains in healthy swine from Botoșani County. During 2016-2018, a total of 87 samples of luminal contents of gut sections (cecal) were collected and tested. Fifty-one (51,72%) E. coli isolates were identified as ESBL-producing strains. These preliminary results reflect the selective pressure, caused by intense and less prudent use of the antimicrobials in swine production in our country. Moreover, commensal E. coli can be a reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes, which can be transferred to pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, resistance genes transferring from farm to fork represent a public health emerging danger by the potential of producing difficultto- treat pathogens

Preliminary results regarding the prevalence of CTX-M genes identified in E. coli strains isolated from slaughtered pigs

Extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing enterobacteriaceae and AmpC cephalosporinases are of major importance for public health because these bacteria have low sensitivity to antibiotics such as extended spectrum cephalosporins, which are antimicrobials widely used both in human and in veterinary medicine. Such strains, especially Escherichia coli (E. coli), have been frequently isolated from pigs too, production animals being considered carriers with major implications in the transmission chain of these strains in humans. The aim of this study was to characterise the molecular substrate of ESBL-positive E. coli strains isolated from slaughtered pigs from 3 slaughter houses from the Moldova area by identifying the CTX-M genes. After collection, the samples were primarily processed for phenotypical identification and confirmation of ESBL-positive E. coli strains. Bacterial DNA extraction for the target strains was carried out using the “boiled preps” method. Identification of the blaCTX-M (blaCTX-M-9; blaCTX-M-1) genes was carried out by PCR using the specific protocol. Molecular investigations revealed that out of the 118 analysed samples, the blaCTXM- U gene was identified in 61% (72/118). Characterisation of the CTX-M groups signalled the presence of the CTX-M-1 group in 44/72 (61.11%) of the analysed strains, and the presence of the CTX-M-9 group in 18/72 (25%) of the strains. This study emphasised a high prevalence of CTX-M enzyme-producing E. coli strains isolated from the caecum of slaughtered pigs

The role of bacterial infections in the development of respiratory diseases in swine

Respiratory disease of bacterial etiology is a serious health problem on commercial farms.Pig production on commercial farms means keeping a large number of pigs in a relatively small space with a high level of technological organization of the production process. Intensive utilization of accommodation capacities, early weaning of piglets, inadequate microclimatic conditions for most of the statised categories and deficits in nutrition have conditioned the appearance of production or technological diseases. Production diseases of bacterial etiology are presented in this review paper. Diseases of bacterial etiology that occur at all stages of technological production are: atrophic rhinitis, enzootic swine pneumonia, pneumonia caused by pasteurellosis, bordetella, pneumonia caused by A. pleuropneumoniae, pneumonia caused by Haemophilus parasuis and pneumonia caused by Streptococcus. We have described the possibility of prophylaxis of these production diseases of bacterial etiology and the possibility of their control. These manufactured diseases cause economic losses (deaths, reduced daily gain, extended fattening time and treatment costs

Seroprevalence of Anti-Hepatitis E Virus Antibodies among Patients from a Tertiary Hospital from Northeast Romania

Background and Objectives. Being an enterically transmitted pathogen with a growing prevalence in developed countries, hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection remains an underdiagnosed disease in Eastern Europe. As far as Romania is concerned, only a few studies address this issue. Our goal was to estimate the prevalence of serum anti-HEV IgA/IgM/IgG antibodies in a group of patients admitted to the Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases “St. Parascheva” Iasi. Materials and Methods. The cross-sectional study consisted of enrollment of 98 patients admitted to the clinic for COVID-19 over a period of three months in 2020. Results. The median age in our study was 73 years, with an equal gender ratio and with a predominance of people from the urban environment (75%). The overall HEV antibody seroprevalence was 12.2%. The main risk factors associated with HEV infection were consumption of water from unsafe sources (58.3% HEV-positive patients vs. 26.7% HEV-negative patients, p = 0.026) and improperly cooked meat (58.3% HEV-positive patients vs. 23.2% HEV-negative patients, p = 0.01). Zoonotic transmission was an important criterion in our study, with patients reporting contact with pigs, poultry, rats, or other farms animals, but no significant differences were found between HEV antibody positive and negative groups. Conclusions. The seroprevalence rate of HEV antibodies was similar to other previous reports from our area but higher than in most European countries. The fact that HEV antibodies were detected in patients without identifiable risk factors for hepatitis E is evidence of subclinical infection as a silent threat

Serological investigations on Aujeszky’s disease virus in farm pigs from Iași County

Aujeszky's disease caused by Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) is one of the most important diseases in swine industry. The infection is almost asymptomatic in older pigs and in adults a latent infection persists lifelong. In this study, we conducted a serological survey of ADV in farm pigs in Iași County. In total, 172 pig serums collected between August and September 2016 were screened for the presence of antibodies against ADV. For the screening was used the ELISA kit Svanovir®PRV-gE-Ab, that can differentiate the vaccinated pigs from the infected ones based on the detection of antibodies against the gE antigen. In all four investigated farms positive animals for ADV antibodies were detected, the overall prevalence registered being 36,62%. Our study is a preliminary investigation underlining the possibility of ADV circulation and persistence in swine farms from Iași County