Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile of Enterococcus Species Isolated from Companion Birds and Poultry in the Northeast of Iran

Enterococci are Gram-positive facultative anaerobic bacteria commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract of the mammals and birds. These cocci are isolated from urinary tract infections, bacteremia, endocarditis, and burn wounds in humans. The evolution of antibiotic-resistant enterococci raised a problem due to the possibility of the transmission of these organisms between poultry and human. Regarding this, the present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of Enterococcus species among companion birds and poultry in the Northeastern of Iran and determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile of enterococci. To this end, oral and cloacal swabs were collected from 150 caged birds. Antibiotic susceptibility profile was determined using the standard disk diffusion method. The results revealed that out of 150 samples, 56 (37.33%) cases contained enterococci. Most of the specimens (25.33%) were Enterococcus faecalis isolated from 6.66% of the samples. Additionally, 2.66% and 1.33% of the samples were contaminated with Enterococcus mundtii and Enterococcus gallinarum, respectively. Furthermore, Enterococcus malodoratus and Enterococcus raffinosus were isolated from 0.66% of the samples. The results revealed that all of the isolates of E. faecalis and E. faecium were resistant to more than five antimicrobial agents. Most of E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates showed resistance to Cefazolin, Tiamulin, Flumequine, and Cephalexin. Accordingly, the majority of the isolates had multidrug resistance to the tested antibiotics. In conclusion, the presence of multidrug-resistant enterococci in the birds living close to humans requires thorough observations due to the transmission of these organisms to humans

An outbreak of yolk sac infection and dead-in-shell mortality in common canary (Serinus canaria) caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae

Summary Yolk sac infection (YSI) and dead-in-shell mortality caused by Enterobacteriaceae in birds are not a rare phenomenon, however there are only a few reports indicating the association between these conditions and Klebsiella spp. among canary chicks (Serinus canaria). There have been reports of high mortality among 1-3 day old canary chicks in an indoor flock of canaries. In order to study the causative agent, yolk sac samples from dead-in-shell and day-old canary chicks were cultured. Klebsiella pneumonia was isolated and identified based on biochemical tests and using genus and species-specific multiplex PCR and later tested for their susceptibility to 13 antimicrobial agents. The isolates showed susceptibility to Gentamycin, Chloramphenicol, Florfenicol and Streptomycin

Molecular diagnosis of Mycoplasma conjunctivae in an outbreak of infectious keratoconjunctivitis in sheep

Summary Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) is a painful, highly contagious ocular disease in sheep and goats. This study was carried out for identification and characterization of causative agent of ocular disease in a sheep flock consisting of 300 ewes in Mashhad, Iran. Several ocular swabs were taken from affected animals. The samples were pooled and processed in a laboratory for isolation of suspecious agent. Following inoculation of the pooled sample in PPLO broth and agar, turbidity and growth of colonies were observed in them, respectively. Sequencing of the 1013 bp PCR product of 16S rDNA gene revealed that the causative agent of the outbreak has 100% sequence identity to Mycoplasma conjunctivae. Based on our knowledge this is the first documented report of isolation and molecular characterization of M. conjunctivae in Iran

Effect of diet with soybean on histology and histomorphometry of small intestine villi and serum level of Calcium, Phosphorus and Glucose in mice

Background and Objective: Soybean as a cheap protein and without side effects has been introduced to food industry. This study carried out to determine the effect of diet containing soybean on histology and histomorphometry of duodenal villi and serum levels of Calcium, Phosphorus and Glucose in mice. Methods: In this experimental study, 30 female immature BALB/c mice with 3 weeks of age were randomly allocated into control, and experimental 1 and 2. The control group was fed a diet with complete protein. Animals in the experimental 1 and 2 were received a diet of complete protein with 40% soybean and 20% soybean, respectively. After 3 months the mice were anesthetized and blood samples were taken from the heart for determining serum level of Calcium, Phosphorus and glucose. Duodenum specimens from were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Results: Tissue structure of duodenum in experimental groups in compare to control group was not significantly changed, except for some scant specimens who showed some degrees of destruction in villi apicese. In histomorphometrical evaluation, the thickness of sub - mucosa and musculature were significantly increased in experimental groups compared to the controls group (P<0.05). The height of villi, depth of crypts and serum Glucose level were significantly reduced in experimental groups compared to the controls group (P<0.05), whereas the level of Calcium was significantly increased in experimental with the control group (P<0.05), but the level of Phosphorus did not show any significant changes in experimental groups compared to the controls. Conclusion: Long term consumption of soybean can induce significant alteration in serum Calcium and glucose level, thickness of sub mucosa and musculature, the height of villi and depth of crypt in duodenum

Higher serum vitamin D levels have a positive association with the incidence of recidivans form of cutaneous leishmaniasis; A cross-sectional study

Background: Several manifestations of cutaneous leishmaniasis are related to the host's immune system and the species of parasite. Objective: There have been some studies on the relationship between vitamin D statuses in infectious diseases including cutaneous leishmaniasis. However, the results of these studies have been inconsistent. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 147 patients with leishmaniasis were recruited and divided into the following categories: acute cutaneous leishmaniasis (<1 year) (n = 51), chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis (more than 1 year) (n = 26), and leishmaniasis recidivans (the appearance of new papular lesions around a previous scar) (n = 20), and a group of participants without leishmaniasis (n = 50), as a control group. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] level was analyzed. Result: There were significant differences in serum 25(OH) D between the groups with acute or chronic leishmaniasis and those with recidivans leishmaniasis (P = 0.013 and P = 0.022, respectively). The median serum level of vitamin D in the acute group was 13.7 ng/mL, in the chronic group was 16.05 ng/mL, in the recidivans group was 21.75 ng/mL, and in the control group was 17.97 ng/mL. Conclusion: Higher serum concentrations of 25(OH) vitamin D levels being associated with leishmaniasis recidivans