Perception and knowledge of portuguese veterinarians about the zoonotic transmission of helicobacter pylori and helicobacter suis: the need for one health intervention

Helicobacter species can colonize the gastrointestinal tract of both humans and animals, and are associated with gastrointestinal and extra-gastrointestinal diseases. Some studies indicate that animals, health professionals, and people in close contact with animals might be at higher risk for infection with gastric Helicobacter spp. Considering that veterinarians are professionals at risk for infection with zoonotic gastric Helicobacters and are also seen by many as health communicators concerning zoonoses, the aim of this study was to evaluate the Portuguese veterinarians’ perception and knowledge of Helicobacter spp. infection and its zoonotic risk/potential. Therefore, a structured questionnaire composed of 34 dichotomic, multiple-choice, rating scale, matrix, drop-down, and open-ended questions was developed and given to Portuguese veterinarians via an online platform from May 2021 to July 2021, and statistical analysis was used to obtain results. There was a total of 149 respondents, most of them (73.8%) being females. Evidently, Portuguese veterinarians have a limited perception regarding Helicobacter spp. infections. Of the respondents that “have heard of Helicobacter”, 17.6% do not know which animal species can be affected by it. Most of the companion animal veterinarians (76.2%) do not consider Helicobacter spp. infection a differential diagnosis when evaluating animals with gastritis. A significant percentage (37.2%) of the respondents that have “heard of H. suis” do not consider it a zoonotic bacterium. There is a need for education and sensitization of veterinarians regarding the potential zoonotic risk of Helicobacter spp. in order to elucidate these professionals to this One Health issue, as the number of reports of non-Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter in livestock, companion, and wild animals is increasing.A91F-E8B8-FA62 | Teresa Susana Letra MateusN/

Occurrence and Distribution of Fasciolosis in a Cohort of Ovine Livestock Restricted to a Mountain Plateau in Central Portugal

Fasciola hepatica is a parasite that is widespread in Europe, having been reported in ru- minants of several European countries and causing an important economic impact. This study ascertained the occurrence and distribution of fasciolosis in Portuguese ovine livestock by assessing F. hepatica IgG antibodies in a cohort of confined sheep from a high-altitude region of central Portugal in a 2-year period. Positive animals were found in most locations and in both years, with 18 of the 92 an- imals (19.6% [95% confidence interval CI: 12.03–19.15]) and 17 of the same 92 animals (18.5% [95% CI: 11.15–27.93]) showing to be seropositive in the first year and second year, respectively (p = 0.85). Pasture contamination by F. hepatica eggs could be reduced by thorough anthelmintic treatments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bacterial community and system performance of an aerobic granular sludge reactor treating pharmaceutical wastewater

Pharmaceuticals often reach wastewater treatment systems where low removal rates are observed. In the present study the potential impact of a mixture of such micro-pollutants on an aerobic granular sludge-sequencing batch reactor (AGS-SBR) was investigated using a lab-scale bioreactor. COD and P- removals were affected due to the load of pharmaceuticals resulting in a decrease of the COD uptake and the P-release during the anaerobic feeding phase, but the discharge limits were not exceeded. Nevertheless, both processes returned to its normal operation after resuming the pharmaceuticals feeding. The nitrification process was also affected but the activity of bacteria responsible for both nitrification steps was able to recover. The exposure to the pharmaceuticals induced alterations in the bacterial community structure

GASTRIC CARCINOMA WITH OSSEOUS METAPLASIA IN A DOG

This report describes an unprecedented case of a gastric carcinoma with osseous metaplasia in a 8-year-old male standard poodle. An exploratory laparotomy revealed a firm yellowish nodular mass in the pyloric region. The lesion was surgically removed and submitted for current histological examination. Immunohistochemistry was performed employing monoclonal antibodies for pan-cytokeratin, vimentin, smooth muscular a-actin and BMP-2/4. The mass consisted in neoplastic proliferation of epithelial cells, arranged in a tubular or acinar pattern and supported by scirrhous stroma, with mucin production and multiple foci of heterotopic ossification. Neoplastic epithelial cells showed strong positive immunostaining for AE1/AE3 and BMP-2/4, although they were negative for both vimentin and a-actin. Histopathological findings suggested that the bone tissue may be primarily originated from neoplastic epithelial cells which directly circumscribe the osseous metaplasia foci

Vet-OncoNet: Malignancy Analysis of Neoplasms in Dogs and Cats

Analysis of canine and feline tumor malignancy data can help clinicians identify high-risk patients and make more accurate decisions. Based on a sample of 16,272 cancer records, including 3266 cats and 13,006 dogs, collected from January 2019 to December 2021 in the Vet-OncoNet Network database, this study aimed to compare the tumor malignancy profile between cats and dogs, considering animal-related factors (sex, age, and breed), topography, and geographic location using a mixed-effects logistic regression model. Cats had a higher proportion of malignant tumors (78.7%) than dogs (46.2%), and the malignancy profile was very different regarding tumors’ topographies.The mean age of malignant tumors occurred eight months later than benign ones (9.1, SD = 3.4; 9.8,SD = 3.2), in general. Species (OR = 3.96, 95%CI 3.57: 4.39) and topography (MOR = 4.10) were the two most important determinants of malignancy risk. Female dogs had a higher risk than male dogs (OR = 1.19, 95%CI 1.08: 1.31), which does not appear to be the case in cats (OR = 0.98, 95%CI0.77: 1.23). Breed contributed significantly to differences in malignancy risk in dogs (MOR = 1.56), particularly in pit bulls and boxers. District of residence was not so relevant in predicting malignancy risk (MOR = 1.14). In both species, the risk of malignancy increased by approximately 20% every three years. It could be hypothesized that species differences in genetic structure may contribute to tumor malignancy

Effects of fluoxetine schock loadings in a aerobic granular sludge sequencing batch reactor

Pharmaceuticals have received increasing attention as emerging organic pollutants due to their frequent occurrence in the environment and potential adverse effects on ecossistems and to human health. Pharmaceuticals may not be completely metabolized in the human body and can enter municipal sewage systems as the parent drug and as their “biologically active” metabolites. Some of these compounds cannot be easily removed at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) [1]. Fluoxetine (FLX) is a chiral fluorinated pharmaceutical indicated mainly for treatment of depression and is one of the most dispensed drugs in the world. There is a clear evidence of environmental contamination with this drug and its active metabolite norfluoxetine (NFLX) [2]. Granular sludge sequencing batch reactors (SBR) constitute a promising technology for the treatment of effluents containing micropollutants. The main biological processes occurring in wastewater treatment plants - COD, N and P removal - can be inhibited by these pollutants. This study focused on the effect of FLX on the performance of granular sludge SBR and on the diversity of the microbial population under continuous and intermittent feeding of the compound. The COD removal was not markedly affected by FLX shock loads. Ammonium removal was initially affected but after ca. 20 days of FLX feeding, NH4+ was not detected in the treated effluent – maximum of 0.03 mM – indicating that ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) became adapted to the presence of FLX. Nitrite was also practically not detected in the treated effluent - maximum of 0.01 mM - indicating that nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were not inhibited by the presence of the FLX, whereas nitrate accumulated in the effluent, indicating that denitrification was affected. Phosphate removal was markedly affected in the beginning of FLX feeding showing a gradual adaptation to the presence of FLX, being practically not detected in the treated effluent (maximum of 0.04 mM) after 70 days. There was no evidence of FLX biodegradation. Changes in the bacterial community from aerobic granules were examined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA. Samples taken before starting the shock loadings with FLX clearly shift from other samples. Moreover, two main branches separate the samples taken during continuous FLX feeding from samples taken during intermittent FLX feeding