Diversity of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates in European Wildlife

Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known colonizer and cause of infection among animals and it has been described from numerous domestic and wild animal species. The aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular epidemiology of S. aureus in a convenience sample of European wildlife and to review what previously has been observed in the subject field. 124 S. aureus isolates were collected from wildlife in Germany, Austria and Sweden; they were characterized by DNA microarray hybridization and, for isolates with novel hybridization patterns, by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The isolates were assigned to 29 clonal complexes and singleton sequence types (CC1, CC5, CC6, CC7, CC8, CC9, CC12, CC15, CC22, CC25, CC30, CC49, CC59, CC88, CC97, CC130, CC133, CC398, ST425, CC599, CC692, CC707, ST890, CC1956, ST2425, CC2671, ST2691, CC2767 and ST2963), some of which (ST2425, ST2691, ST2963) were not described previously. Resistance rates in wildlife strains were rather low and mecA-MRSA isolates were rare (n = 6). mecC-MRSA (n = 8) were identified from a fox, a fallow deer, hares and hedgehogs. The common cattle- associated lineages CC479 and CC705 were not detected in wildlife in the present study while, in contrast, a third common cattle lineage, CC97, was found to be common among cervids. No Staphylococcus argenteus or Staphylococcus schweitzeri-like isolates were found. Systematic studies are required to monitor the possible transmission of human- and livestock- associated S. aureus/MRSA to wildlife and vice versa as well as the possible transmission, by unprotected contact to animals. The prevalence of S. aureus/MRSA in wildlife as well as its population structures in different wildlife host species warrants further investigation

Molecular characterization and genetic variability at k-casein gene (CSN3) in Sudanese camels.

κ-casein is a glycosilated protein belonging to a family of phosphoproteins (αs1, β, αs2, κ) that represent themajor protein component inmammalianmilk. κ-casein plays an essential role in the caseinmicelle stabilization, determining the size and the specific function. In the present paper, we report for the first time the characterization of the nucleotide sequence of the whole κ-casein-encoding gene (CSN3) plus 1045 nucleotides at the 5′ flanking region in Camelus dromedarius. The promoter region and the complete cDNA were also provided for the first time in Camelus bactrianus. The gene is spread over 9.3 kb and consists of 5 exons varying in length from 33 bp (exon 3) to 494 bp (exon 4), and 4 introns from 1200 bp (intron 3) to 2928 bp (intron 2). Highly conserved sequences, located in the 5′ flanking region, have been found. The regulatory regions of camels seems to be more related to equids than to other compared species. 17 polymorphic sites have been detected, one of these (g.1029T>C) is responsible for the creation of a new putative consensus sequence for the transcription factor HNF-1. In general, these SNPs are the first reported in camels for casein loci. Finally, seven interspersed repeated elements were also identified at intronic level

Chemical composition of Gariss produced from milk of camels with different watering intervals using some traditional containers in Al-Koma Locality, North Darfur State, Sudan

Abstract Background The nomadic camels herders utilizing the extensive production system in Sudan depend mainly on fermented milk, locally known as Gariss, as their main stable food for several months during the year. Methods This study was conducted to assess some factors (locations, types of containers used for preparing Gariss and camels watering intervals) affecting the compositional content of Gariss that is commonly prepared by nomadic camel herders. Gariss samples (n-118) were collected during February 2018, from nomadic herders in 4 locations in Al-Koma Locality, North Darfur State, Sudan. Results and discussion The chemical analysis conducted during this study indicated that the mean levels of the total solids, fat, protein and ash content and the pH values of Gariss samples revealed 7.35 ± 0.22%, 2.58 ± 0.08%, 1.86 ± 0.04% and 0.67 ± 0.01% and 3.77 ± 0.03, respectively. The data showed that Gariss prepared in Siin showed the highest total solids (7.7 ± 0.71%), protein (2.02 ± 0.18%), fat (2.60 ± 0.19%) and ash (0.68 ± 0.04%) content, while it revealed the lowest pH value (3.61 ± 0.11). Gariss prepared in plastic containers showed the lowest total solids (7.30 ± 0.23%) and protein (1.48 ± 0.28%). Moreover, Gariss from milk of camels that drink water every 14 days revealed high values for total solids (7.91 ± 0.29%), fat (2.80 ± 0.11%), protein (1.99 ± 0.05%) and pH (3.78 ± 0.04), while it showed the lowest ash (0.67 ± 0.02%) content compared to those made from milk of camels with drinking water frequency of 10 days. Conclusion The study concluded that the compositional content of Gariss was affected by the frequency of water drinking by camels in addition to the containers used for its preparation; as the compositional content of Gariss from Siin showed the best values followed by that stored in Bokhsa. Thus, the study recommends that Siin and Bokhsa should be considered as valuable ethnic containers in keeping camel fermented milk with better compositional content

Old World camels in a modern world - a balancing act between conservation and genetic improvement

International audienceOld World camels have served humans in cross-continental caravans, transporting people and goods, connecting different cultures and providing milk, meat, wool and draught since their domestication around 3000-6000 years ago. In a world of modern transport and fast connectivity, these beasts of burden seem to be out-dated. However, a growing demand for sustainable milk and meat production, especially in countries affected by climate change and increasing desertification, brings dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius) and Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) back onstage and into the focus of animal breeders and scientists. In this review on the molecular genetics of these economically important species we give an overview about the evolutionary history, domestication and dispersal of Old World camels, whereas highlighting the need for conservation of wild two-humped camels (Camelus ferus) as an evolutionarily unique and highly endangered species. We provide cutting-edge information on the current molecular resources and on-going sequencing projects. We cannot emphasise enough the importance of balancing the need for improving camel production traits with maintaining the genetic diversity in two domestic species with specific physiological adaptation to a desert environment