SEROPREVALENCE OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII INFECTION IN PIGS IN EXTENSIVE BREEDING FROM SARANDA DISTRICT OF ALBANIA

The main aim of this study was to determine the sero-prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pigs from extensive breeding of Saranda county in southern of Albania. Was collected 92 samples of pigs sera from 13 extensive farms at the time of slaughter in slaughterhouses. Collected blood was left to express serum and it was kept in a freezer until the time when samples were processed in the laboratory of Microbiology of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Tirana, Albania. Serum samples were examined by indirect ELISA method using ID Screen Multi-species kit (ID.VET., France) for anti-Toxoplasma specific Ig G antibodies, resulting from infection with Toxoplasma gondii. Samples sera presenting S/P value % less than or equal to 40% are considered negative, between 40-50% are considered doubtfull, greater than or equal 50% are considered positive. Out of 92 samples collected from 13 farms, 16 sera had anti- Toxoplasma Ig G antibodies. Average prevalence was 17.4 %

Ante-mortem and Post-mortem Inspection and Relationship between Findings in a North Albanian Pig Slaughterhouse

Simple Summary In European Union abattoirs, the safety of meat is dependent on the favorable opinion from an official veterinarian, in accordance with the current legislation. From this perspective, the feedback generated from the ante-mortem visit and the post-mortem inspection can be investigated to control the health and welfare conditions of the animals in the pre-slaughter phases. From this perspective, we evaluated the ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection outcomes of slaughtered pigs in northern Albania and correlated the results in order to gain insight into the conditions and injuries of pigs slaughtered outside the European context and to extend knowledge on the possible relationship between ante-mortem and post-mortem relief. Dyspnea and tail, skin, and ear lesions were the most frequently observed conditions before slaughter, while pleuritis, pneumonia, liver alterations, white spots on the liver, and pericarditis were the most frequent lesions after slaughter. A significant increase in the total number of post-mortem findings was also observed as the number of ante-mortem findings increased. Overall, the prevalence of the findings observed in this study falls within the broad range of the data in the literature, but additional information should be collected during meat inspection so as to better understand the relationship between ante- and post-mortem outcomes. In June 2014, Albania was granted EU candidate status, thus starting a process of compliance with the membership criteria. In this context, a modern meat inspection approach in line with the European legislation was applied to a pig slaughterhouse in northern Albania in order to investigate the ante-mortem (AM) and post-mortem (PM) conditions and the relationship between these findings. For this purpose, 3930 pigs divided into 35 batches were evaluated over a 3-month period. The most frequent AM conditions recorded were tail lesions and dyspnea (9.1%), followed by skin (8.9%) and ear lesions (8.5%), while in the PM inspections, pleuritis was the most frequently observed condition (10.2%), followed by pneumonia (8.5%), liver alterations (5.7%), milk spot liver (3.8%), and pericarditis (3.3%). With the exception of liver alterations, the other PM lesions mentioned were positively associated with lesions on the ears (OR = 1.036; p < 0.001) and skin (OR = 1.026; p = 0.011) and dyspnea (OR = 1.021; p = 0.005), confirming the link between these variables and the health and welfare conditions of pigs on farms. Overall, the evidence that emerged from this Albanian slaughterhouse can be considered in line with other European contexts, especially in light of the considerable variability in the data present in the literature

Genotyping of virulence factors in avian pathogenic E. coli by multiplex PCR.

Colibacillosis caused by pathogenic E. coli strains (Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli) is one of the main causes of economic losses in poultry breeding industry worldwide. This acute infection of birds may be clinically localized or systemic, several of the lesions in visceral organs are observed. Virulence factors in the E. coli genome, described in various studies, have not clarified prevalence of APEC strains, and their importance in the infection pathogenesis is still unknown. Conducted surveys indicate that the presence of virulence genes in E. coli isolates is the starting point of differentiation and characterization of pathogenic E. coli to those intestinal and opportunistic. A total of 158 E. coli strains were examined for the presence of eight virulence genes: iss, tsh, papC, vat, cvaA/B, iucD, astA, irp2, by means of molecular biology technique PCR-multiplex (Ewers et al. 2004). This study identified significant differences of virulence factors among strains isolated from lesions, compared to those from apparently healthy subjects. iss, responsible for increased serum survival in the E. coli bacteria, was the virulence factor with the highest percentage of detection (42.40%). Virulence genes frequency is considered to be an important indicator of the virulence of E. coli strains. Thus the lack of virulence factors in APEC strains resulted in 27.18%, while in AFEC strains resulted in 61.81%. These data obtained from genetic characterization of avian E. coli strains constitute the first report in Albania for colibacillosis infection outbreak in poultry flocks. The presence, appearance and distribution of virulence genes in poultry flocks provide basic information for the control and eradication of the colibacillosis infection

Multiple antimicrobial resistance among Avian Escherichia coli strains in Albania

In this study, 101 Escherichia (E.) coli isolates from broilers, laying hens and turkeys which had died from colibacillosis, collected from 37 intensive and rural farms in Albania, were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility toward 12 different molecules. The highest levels of resistance were observed for Erythromycin (E) (100%) Amoxicillin (AMX) (99.1%), Tetracycline (TE 30) (96.07%), Streptomycin (STR) (93.07%) and Neomycin (N30) (85.15%). Considerable resistance was also detected for fluoroquinolones. Moreover, 73.33% of E. coli resistant to at least one fluoroquinolone were also resistant to the two other fluoroquinolones checked. No evident differences were found between the E. coli from intensive and from rural farms. Multiple antibiotic resistance was expressed by all the E. coli tested. 23.63% and 17.39% of E. coli isolated from intensive and rural farms, respectively, were resistant towards all the drugs tested. These data would seem to indicate incorrect use of antibiotics on poultry farms in Albania

Detection and genetic characterization of canine parvovirus and Canine coronavirus strains circulating in district of Tirana in Albania Canine coronavirus strains circulating

An epidemiological survey for Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) and Canine coronavirus (CCoV) was conducted in Albania. A total of 57 fecal samples were collected from diarrheic dogs in the District of Tirana during 2011-2013. The molecular assays detected 53 and 31 CPV- and CCoV-positive specimens, respectively, with mixed CPV-CCoV infections diagnosed in 28 dogs. The most frequently detected CPV type was 2a, whereas IIa was the predominant CCoV subtype. A better comprehension of the CPV-CCoV epidemiology in eastern European countries will help to assess the most appropriate vaccination strategies to prevent disease due to infections with these widespread agents of acute gastroenteritis in the dog