Large Animal Clinical Quiz

This article contains a quiz pertinent to knowledge about Large Animal medicine for the benefit of students

Detection of mecC-Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates in river water : a potential role for water in the environmental dissemination

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a public health concern due to limited treatment options. The recent description of a mecA homologue, mecC in human and cattle, led to studies to detect this new variant in human and other animal species. Detection of mecC in wild boar and fallow deer in a Spanish game estate led us to further investigate the presence of mecC-MRSA at this location. Samples from cattle, wild animals, workers and river water were tested. A further three mecC-MRSA isolates were obtained from river water. Molecular characterization (multilocus sequence typing and spa typing) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (broth microdilution) showed that isolates were similar to those detected in wild animals. Whole genome sequencing confirmed that the isolates from the river water and wild animals in the same geographic area were all closely related isolates of ST425 mecC-MRSA. The presence of mecC-MRSA in the river water highlights the potential role of water in the dissemination of mecC-MRSA

Concert recording 2022-04-07

[Track 1]. Moose the mooche / Charlie Parker -- Red clay / Freddie Hubbard -- Mr. Tinfoil / Max Morrow -- Sonata for alto saxophone and piano. I. Andante moderato ; II. Adagio, dolce exspressivo ; II. Allegro con brio / John C. Worley -- Tsu / Max Morrow

Concert recording 2022-04-07

[Track 1]. Moose the mooche / Charlie Parker -- Red clay / Freddie Hubbard -- Mr. Tinfoil / Max Morrow -- Sonata for alto saxophone and piano. I. Andante moderato ; II. Adagio, dolce exspressivo ; II. Allegro con brio / John C. Worley -- Tsu / Max Morrow

Whole genome sequencing of Plasmodium falciparum from dried blood spots using selective whole genome amplification

BACKGROUND: Translating genomic technologies into healthcare applications for the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum has been limited by the technical and logistical difficulties of obtaining high quality clinical samples from the field. Sampling by dried blood spot (DBS) finger-pricks can be performed safely and efficiently with minimal resource and storage requirements compared with venous blood (VB). Here, the use of selective whole genome amplification (sWGA) to sequence the P. falciparum genome from clinical DBS samples was evaluated, and the results compared with current methods that use leucodepleted VB. METHODS: Parasite DNA with high (>95%) human DNA contamination was selectively amplified by Phi29 polymerase using short oligonucleotide probes of 8-12 mers as primers. These primers were selected on the basis of their differential frequency of binding the desired (P. falciparum DNA) and contaminating (human) genomes. RESULTS: Using sWGA method, clinical samples from 156 malaria patients, including 120 paired samples for head-to-head comparison of DBS and leucodepleted VB were sequenced. Greater than 18-fold enrichment of P. falciparum DNA was achieved from DBS extracts. The parasitaemia threshold to achieve >5× coverage for 50% of the genome was 0.03% (40 parasites per 200 white blood cells). Over 99% SNP concordance between VB and DBS samples was achieved after excluding missing calls. CONCLUSION: The sWGA methods described here provide a reliable and scalable way of generating P. falciparum genome sequence data from DBS samples. The current data indicate that it will be possible to get good quality sequence on most if not all drug resistance loci from the majority of symptomatic malaria patients. This technique overcomes a major limiting factor in P. falciparum genome sequencing from field samples, and paves the way for large-scale epidemiological applications

Prevalence and Predictors of Vitamin D Deficiency among African Immigrants Living in Australia

Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations <50 nmol/L) is a public health issue in Australia and internationally. Those with darker skin require a greater dose of ultraviolet B radiation from sunlight than those with paler skin to synthesise adequate amounts of vitamin D. Using data from the 2011–2013 Australian Health Survey, we investigated the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency in African immigrants aged ≥18 years living in Australia (n = 236). Serum 25(OH)D was measured using a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method that is certified to international reference measurement procedures. Poisson regression was used to investigate independent predictors of vitamin D deficiency. A total of 36% of adults were vitamin D deficient (35% of men, 37% of women). The prevalence ratio (PR) of vitamin D deficiency decreased by 2% per year of age (PR 0.98; 95% CI (0.97, 0.99); p = 0.004) and was 1.6 times higher in those with low/sedentary, compared to moderate/high, physical activity levels (PR 1.64; 95% CI (1.12, 2.39); p = 0.011). The greatest risk was for those assessed during winter/spring compared with summer/autumn (PR 1.89; 95% CI (1.33, 2.64); p < 0.001). Culturally appropriate messaging on safe sun exposure and dietary vitamin D is warranted in order to promote vitamin D sufficiency in African immigrants living in Australia.R.M.L. is supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellowship. L.J.B. is supported by a Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Curtin University Research Fellowship. E.D. would like to acknowledge the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship in supporting this research. The Australian Health Survey was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) with funding provided through the ABS health survey programme, the Department of Health and the National Heart Foundation of Australia

An Analysis of Road Dust Samples in the United States

In industrial regions, such as those in Northwestern Indiana, raw input, waste, and other products of industry are moved to and from their manufacturing locations, and can affect and be detected in local ecosystems. One method of qualifying the presence of any potentially hazardous industrial byproducts is by sampling the dust which accumulates along roads, called Road Dust Sediments (RDS), and chemically analyzing these samples for numerous properties. Road dust, which is a mixture of organic and inorganic compounds, can be used as an indicator for what pollutants are present in a particular area. Through an analysis of samples collected from across the country, we were able to identify various properties of the sediment samples, such as pH, metal presence, organic compound composition, and solubility in water to determine the overall makeup of the samples. Methods used for analysis of RDS samples included Liquid Chromatography (LC), Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), pH determination, organic carbon analysis, and visual analysis using a microscope. Overall, the results seemed to indicate a higher level of pollutants in areas closer to industry compared to areas more removed from industry