Trichinella spp. in Wild Boars (Sus scrofa), Brown Bears (Ursus arctos), Eurasian Lynxes (Lynx lynx) and Badgers (Meles meles) in Estonia, 2007-2014

Simple Summary Trichinellosis is an important foodborne zoonosis. In Estonia, Trichinella infections are endemic in wild animals. This paper summarizes findings of Trichinella-parasites during an 8-year period in Estonia in selected host species: wild boars, brown bears, Eurasian lynxes, and badgers. The results highlight that testing wildlife hunted for human consumption for Trichinella is important, and that there is room for improvement in the proportion of hunted animals tested. In this study, we summarize Trichinella findings from four wild, free-ranging host species from Estonia during 2007-2014. Trichinella spp. larvae were detected in 281 (0.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.8-1.0) of 30,566 wild boars (Sus scrofa), 63 (14.7%, 95% CI 11.6-18.3) of 429 brown bears (Ursus arctos), 59 (65.56%, 95% CI 55.3-74.8) of 90 Eurasian lynxes (Lynx lynx), and three (60.0%, 95% CI 18.2-92.7) of five badgers (Meles meles). All four European Trichinella species were detected: T. britovi in 0.7% of the wild boars, 7.2% of the brown bears, 45.6% of the lynxes, and 40.0% of the badgers; T. nativa in 0.1% of the wild boars, 5.8% of the brown bears, and 20.0% of the lynxes; T. pseudospiralis in 0.02% the wild boars; and T. spiralis in 0.03% of the wild boars and 4.4% of the lynxes. The results include the first description from Estonia of T. britovi in brown bear and badgers, T. pseudospiralis in wild boars, and T. spiralis in wild boars and lynxes. The results indicate high infection pressure in the sylvatic cycles across the years-illustrating continuous risk of spillover to domestic cycles and of transmission to humans.Peer reviewe

The prevalence, counts and antimicrobial suspectibility of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in fresh chicken meat at Estonian retail level

Thermophilic Campylobacter spp. are one of the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in European Union and the illness is frequently associated with the consumption of chicken meat. The aim of the present study is to give an overview about the prevalence, counts and antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter spp. in fresh chicken meat at the Estonian retail level. Campylobacter spp. was isolated in 77 (35%) of 220 meat samples. Altogether, 24 (20.3%) of Estonian origin, 41 (50%) of Lithuanian origin and 12 (60%) of Latvian origin chicken fresh meat samples were positive for Campylobacter at Estonian retail level. The highest counts of Campylobacter spp., on average 2600 CFU g-1, were detected in the chicken meat of Lithuanian origin followed by on average 1600 CFU g-1 and 660 CFU g 1 in samples of Latvian and Estonian origin, respectively. The seasonal peak of Campylobacter contamination was between June and September. A total of 36 isolates (36.7%) of 98 were susceptible to all the tested antimicrobials. The highest proportion of isolates (41 isolates, 41.8%) was resistant to fluoroquinolones. Multiresistance was detected in 5 (5.1%) isolates. In conclusion, compared to fresh chicken meat products of Lithuanian and Latvian origin, the prevalence, counts and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter spp. in fresh chicken meat of Estonian origin were lower. Therefore we suppose that the risk of occurrence of Campylobacter human infection by consuming domestic chicken meat is lower than by consuming imported chicken meat

Trichinella spp. biomass has increased in raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Estonia

Background: Raccoon dogs and red foxes are well-adapted hosts for Trichinella spp. The aims of this study were to estimate Trichinella infection prevalence and biomass and to investigate which Trichinella species circulated in these indicator hosts in Estonia. Methods: From material collected for evaluating the effectiveness of oral vaccination program for rabies eradication in wildlife, samples from 113 raccoon dogs and 87 red foxes were included in this study. From each animal, 20 g of masseter muscle tissue was tested for the presence of Trichinella larvae using an artificial digestion method. The Trichinella larvae were identified to species level by multiplex polymerase chain reaction method. Results: The majority of tested animals were infected with Trichinella spp. The parasite species identified were T. nativa and T. britovi. The apparent infection prevalence was 57.5% in raccoon dogs and 69.0% in red foxes, which were higher than previous estimates. In addition, the larval burden had also increased in both hosts. We estimated that in 2011-2012, the Trichinella spp. biomass was more than 15 times higher in raccoon dogs and almost two times higher in red foxes than in 1992-2000 (based on mean larval burden), and almost 20 times higher in raccoon dogs and almost five times higher in red foxes than in 2000-2002 (based on median larval burden). Conclusions: Raccoon dogs and red foxes are relevant reservoirs for Trichinella spp. in Estonia. The biomass of Trichinella circulating in sylvatic cycles was substantial and had increased: there is substantial infection pressure in the sylvatic cycle.Peer reviewe

Antibiotic Resistance in Campylobacter spp. Isolated from Broiler Chicken Meat and Human Patients in Estonia

Poultry meat is considered the most important source of Campylobacter spp. Because of ris- ing antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter spp., this study investigated the antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter isolates from fresh broiler chicken meat originating from the Baltic countries sold in Estonian retail settings. Additionally, human clinical isolates obtained from patients with Campylobacter enteritis in Estonia were analysed. The aim of this study was to investigate the susceptibility of Campylobacter spp. to nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, streptomycin, erythromycin and gen- tamicin. The broth microdilution method with the EUCAMP2 panel was used for MIC determination and antimicrobial mechanisms were analysed using WGS data. A total of 46 Campylobacter strains were analysed, of which 26 (42.6%) originated from Lithuanian, 16 (26.2%) from Latvian, and 4 (6.6%) from Estonian fresh broiler chicken meat. In addition, 15 (24.6%) Campylobacter strains of patients with campylobacteriosis were tested. The antimicrobial resistance patterns of Campylobacter spp. isolated from fresh broiler chicken meat samples of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian origin collected in Estonian retail, and from patients with Campylobacter enteric infections, were determined. A total of 46 (75%) of the isolates tested were C. jejuni and 15 (25%) were C. coli. Campylobacter resistance was highest to nalidixic acid (90.2% of strains) and ciprofloxacin (90.2%), followed by tetracycline (57.4%), streptomycin (42.6%) and erythromycin (6.6%). All strains were sensitive to gentamicin. Additionally, antimicrobial resistance genes and point mutations were detected in 27 C. jejuni and 8 C. coli isolates previously assigned as resistant with the phenotypic method. A high antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter spp. in Lithuanian- and Latvian-origin broiler chicken meat and Estonian clinical isolates was found. Similar antibiotic resistance patterns were found for broiler chicken meat and human Campylobacter isolates.This work was supported by the Estonian Research Council grant PRG1441. WORLDCOM project of the One Health European Joint Programme (OHEJP) consortium and received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme [grant number 773830].This work was supported by the Estonian Research Council grant PRG1441. WORLDCOM project of the One Health European Joint Programme (OHEJP) consortium and received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme [grant number 773830]

Occurence of Eserichia coli O157:H7 in Estonian dairy farms and beef production chain in 2005–2014

Escherichia coli O157:H7 human infections are mostly associated with consumption of raw or undercooked beef and raw milk. Ruminants, especially cattle are the main reservoir of the pathogen. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle dairy farm and beef production level in Estonia. It was found that E. coli O157:H7 is present at both the dairy farm and slaughterhouse level. The occurrence of the pathogen at Estonian dairy farm level was 1.2% from 1312 cattle's sampled. At slaughterhouse level 744 hide swabs were taken from which 30 (4.0%) were positive to E. coli O157:H7. Both stx1 and stx2 genes were determined from isolates and often the combination of both genes was found to be present. Minimal inhibitory concentration was determined for 30 E. coli O157:H7 isolates which revealed 26.7% of multiresistant isolates. In 2009–2010 in a total of 188 beef samples were analysed, which all were negative for O157:H7

Antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. isolated from Estonian cattle and swine from 2010 to 2015

Abstract Background The prevalence of resistant Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. in food-producing animals has increased worldwide. The objective of the study was to investigate the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis isolated from healthy and diseased swine and cattle in Estonia. Clinical specimen and faecal samples were collected during 2010 to 2015. The in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using the microdilution method. Results The most prevalent resistance of E. coli isolates from clinically healthy swine was observed against streptomycin (39.2%), tetracycline (32.5%) and sulfamethoxazole (30.0%), whereas in clinically healthy cattle, the resistance was the highest against aminoglycosides (7.0–8.8%) and tetracycline (7.0%). The E. coli isolates from clinically healthy swine showed significantly higher multidrug-resistance compared to isolates originated from clinically healthy cattle. E. coli isolates from diseased swine showed highest resistance to sulfamethoxazole (68.6%), tetracycline (60.2%) and streptomycin (54.6%). The proportion of resistant E. coli isolates from diseased cattle (clinical submissions) was highest to streptomycin (63.5%), sulfamethoxazole (60.3%) and tetracycline (58.8%). The proportion of multidrug-resistant isolates did not differ significantly between animal species. Among E. coli isolates, four strains representing AmpC phenotypes were found. One plasmid-encoded AmpC type β-lactamases producing E. coli from clinically healthy cattle was found to harbour the bla CMY-1 gene, and another from clinically healthy swine carried the bla CMY-2 gene. Among nine E. coli strains exhibiting an ESBL phenotype three strains was found to be the same genotype bla TEM-52C. Enterococci from healthy swine and cattle showed high resistance to tetracycline and erythromycin. Regarding enterococci, the number of multidrug-resistant strains was significantly higher in swine isolates compared to isolates originated from cattle. Conclusions The antimicrobial resistance of E. coli isolates was high in both Estonian swine and cattle. However, swine isolates, especially E. coli from healthy swine, had developed a higher level of resistance. The amount of multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates was also significantly higher in clinically healthy swine compared to that in cattle