Aspergillus fumigatus in Poultry

Aspergillus fumigatus remains a major respiratory pathogen in birds. In poultry, infection by A. fumigatus may induce significant economic losses particularly in turkey production. A. fumigatus develops and sporulates easily in poor quality bedding or contaminated feedstuffs in indoor farm environments. Inadequate ventilation and dusty conditions increase the risk of bird exposure to aerosolized spores. Acute cases are seen in young animals following inhalation of spores, causing high morbidity and mortality. The chronic form affects older birds and looks more sporadic. The respiratory tract is the primary site of A. fumigatus development leading to severe respiratory distress and associated granulomatous airsacculitis and pneumonia. Treatments for infected poultry are nonexistent; therefore, prevention is the only way to protect poultry. Development of avian models of aspergillosis may improve our understanding of its pathogenesis, which remains poorly understood

Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis for molecular typing of Aspergillus fumigatus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) is a prominent subtyping method to resolve closely related microbial isolates to provide information for establishing genetic patterns among isolates and to investigate disease outbreaks. The usefulness of MLVA was recently demonstrated for the avian major pathogen <it>Chlamydophila psittaci</it>. In the present study, we developed a similar method for another pathogen of birds: the filamentous fungus <it>Aspergillus fumigatus</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We selected 10 VNTR markers located on 4 different chromosomes (1, 5, 6 and 8) of <it>A. fumigatus</it>. These markers were tested with 57 unrelated isolates from different hosts or their environment (53 isolates from avian species in France, China or Morocco, 3 isolates from humans collected at CHU Henri Mondor hospital in France and the reference strain CBS 144.89). The Simpson index for individual markers ranged from 0.5771 to 0.8530. A combined loci index calculated with all the markers yielded an index of 0.9994. In a second step, the panel of 10 markers was used in different epidemiological situations and tested on 277 isolates, including 62 isolates from birds in Guangxi province in China, 95 isolates collected in two duck farms in France and 120 environmental isolates from a turkey hatchery in France. A database was created with the results of the present study <url>http://minisatellites.u-psud.fr/MLVAnet/</url>. Three major clusters of isolates were defined by using the graphing algorithm termed Minimum Spanning Tree (MST). The first cluster comprised most of the avian isolates collected in the two duck farms in France, the second cluster comprised most of the avian isolates collected in poultry farms in China and the third one comprised most of the isolates collected in the turkey hatchery in France.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>MLVA displayed excellent discriminatory power. The method showed a good reproducibility. MST analysis revealed an interesting clustering with a clear separation between isolates according to their geographic origin rather than their respective hosts.</p

Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in serum samples from cats with uveitis or systemic diseases in France

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Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in serum and aqueous humor samples from cats with uveitis or systemic diseases in France

International audienceAnti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies were determined in serum and aqueous humor of two groups of cats in France: cats with uveitis (group 1, n = 26) and cats with systemic disease (group 2, n = 24) using an agglutination test. Titres above 1:64 were considered positive. IgG antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 10 serum samples from group 1 and in 10 serum samples from group 2, and in 2 aqueous humor samples from group I and in 1 aqueous humor samples from group 2. The distribution of ocular lesions according to the serological status of the animals indicated that lens luxation and buphthalmia were more frequent in T. gondii seropositive cats than in seronegative ones. The study reports a similar prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in cats with uveitis and in cats without uveitis in France. Serological results must be analysed carefully and additional diagnostic tools is required

Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in serum samples from cats with uveitis or systemic diseases in France

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Diversity of Pneumocystis in animals, implications of host specificity for human infection

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Evaluation of the serological test Platelia® Aspergillus for the diagnosis of aspergillosis

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Diversity of Pneumocystis in animals, implications of host specificity for human infection

International audienc

Evaluation of the serological test Platelia® Aspergillus for the diagnosis of aspergillosis

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Un cas de mycétome dû à Aspergillus fumigatus chez un alpaga (Lama paco)

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