Serological detection of antibodies to Ehrlichia canis and Borrelia burgdorferi S.L. in urban household dogs from Iași

Canine tick-borne diseases are an emerging problem within Romania and also throughout the European Countries. This threat comes not just from Lyme disease which is endemic in our country, but also from other tick-borne diseases as well as ehrlichiosis. The present study consisted in screening of IgG class antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi and Ehrlichia canis on 92 urban household dogs (48 females and 44 males) from Iași. The sampling took place during March to June 2021, in three veterinary clinics. The results of the serological testing revealed four positive dogs: one for IgG anti-E. canis and three for IgG anti-Borrelia burgdoferi s.l. Although the proportion of the sampled dog sex was almost equal, all positive animals were adult females. Our results highlight the silent circulation of the two pathogens in the studied area. These tick-borne pathogens are a significant medical concern to canine health. Changing tick distributions, pet travel and nonspecific clinical signs can make identifying infected pets challenging, so is very important to keep all dogs on appropriate, effective tick prevention year-round

Pestivirus spillover effect: molecular detection of bovine viral diarrhea virus in domestic and feral pigs

Pestivirus infections are important in the livestock industries, with infection occurring in cattle, sheep and pigs. The Pestivirus genus of the family Flaviviridae, includes four recognized species: bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 (BVDV-1), bovine viral diarrhea virus 2 (BVDV-2), border disease virus (BDV), and classical swine fever virus (CSFV). All pestivirus species can infect pigs, therefore accurate and specific pestivirus detection and differentiation is of great importance to assure control measures in swine populations. The aim of the study was the molecular detection of different pestiviruses in domestic and feral pigs. A total of 527 samples (92 pigs and 435 wild boars) were tested for pestiviruses detection using molecular assays. Eleven positive samples (6 wild boars and 5 domestic pigs) were identified using panpestivirus primers targeting the 5’- UTR region of the pestivirus RNA genome. Further all the positive samples were sequentially tested for detection of CSFV, BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 using specific primers. All RNAs were identified as positives for BVDV-1 and no amplification signals were obtained from BVDV-2 and CSFV. The current detection of BVDV-1 in clinical swine specimens highlights the important risk factor of swine population as reservoir and consequently carrier for BVDV

West Nile virus infections in Romania after the 2010 outbreak - a retrospective study in human and animal population

In this study the authors have made a retrospective analysis of West Nile virus infection in human and animals after 2010. Few studies have dealt with this arbovirosis in the last years and there is no analysis to correlate the evolution in animals and humans. To date it is considered that the largest outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) encephalitis from Europe was registered in 1996 in Romania. Cases of encephalitis with WNV have been reported in our country before first in 1955 in Transylvania, followed by an outbreak in 1964 in Banat. The outbreak from 1996, ended with over 390 confirmed cases of encephalitis in humans the majority being registered in Bucharest and in the southern area of Romania. The epidemiological situation, after the implementation of a surveillance system for WNV in humans until 2010, was characterized by sporadic cases, WNV being reported yearly, except 2002. The infections were reported mostly in the south and south eastern area of the country. The age distribution in human cases recorded a majority in the group age over 65 years due to the senescence of the immune system and the associated diseases. The gender ratio was dominant for men, considering the occupational factor. In 2010 the second large outbreak of WNV was recorded and 47 confirmed cases of WNV infection were registered. After 2010, WNV encephalitis was recorded yearly and the area of detection was confined to eastern area and slowly to the to the whole country. Human cases were registered yearly in areas where the virus was detected in animals by serological screening. Considering the analyzed data, we can state that the main feature of WNV infection is the continuous virus spreading over the territory both in humans and animals. This can be determined by the climatic changes, that allow the surviving and multiplication of the competent vectors in new areas and maybe of the changes in the migratory routes of the birds- main amplifying hosts. Unfortunately, no statistical correlation between human and animal cases could be made. We can state that WNV is continuing to represent a threat for public health and more in depth research has to be made in order to characterize the evolution of the infection in our country and the causes of its endemisation

Detection of BHV-1 antibodies in bovine raised in rural households from Iași County

Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis / infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV) is a significant disease among domestic and wild cattle. IBR/IPV is caused by Bovine Herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) that is capable of attacking many different tissues in the body leading to a variety of clinical diseases. The virus can persist in clinically recovered animals for years, remaining inactive until the animal is placed under stress. Investigations were undertaken during 2015-2016 on bovine raised in rural households in Miroslovești and Ciohorăni commune from Iași County. Individual serum samples from 305 cattle were tested for detection of BHV-1 antibodies using an ELISA commercial kit (IDEXX IBR Ab). The results showed that overall seroprevalence of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) was 63.6% in tested cattle. These data underline the fact that in household reared cattle are several animals with BHV-1 lifelong latent infection

First Record of West Nile Virus Specific Seroconversion in Dogs From Eastern Romania

West Nile virus (WNV) infection causes diseases that vary in intensity from asymptomatic to fatal encephalitis in humans and animals. The etiological agent is a Flavivirus belonging to Japanesse Encephalitis complex. This zoonotic virus is maintained in nature in an enzootic cycle between mosquitoes and birds as amplifying hosts. Except birds, a wide variety of animals develop seroconversion caused by infection, and previous studies indicated that dogs may be considered as sentinel for WNV. The importance of studying this virus is caused by its zoonotic character, limited possibilities of active surveillance and real-time alertness of the infection’s presence in the human and animal populations. The aim of the study was to demonstrate and estimate the seroconversion in dogs within an area with confirmed cases in humans and animals. A total number of 76 serum samples were evaluated for the presence of specific anti WNV antibodies using a commercial competitive ELISA kit, for the detection of anti-pr-E antibodies (ID Screen® West Nile Competition Multi-species). The results indicated specific antibodies in 32 (42.1%) out of 76 samples tested. Positive results were recorded in all four counties from which samples were collected. Our preliminary results proved the circulation of WNV in dogs in areas where the infection was previously reported in animals and humans

Diversity of nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated from animal samples

Limited data is available regarding the epidemiology of the nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in Romania, in both human and veterinary medicine. The objective of the present study was the identification and characterization of the Mycobacterium avium complex species isolated from backyard poultry and ruminant samples. The molecular identification and genotyping was performed in ANSES, Laboratory for Animal Health, Maisons-Alfort, France, by real time PCR, with a wide range of targets: hsp65, IS6110, IS1081, IS1245, IS901 and MIRU-VNTR. M. avium avium and M. avium paratuberculosis were the two species identified. Five different profiles were obtained through genotyping, four of which had corresponding INMV (INRA Nouzilly MIRU-VNTR) profiles: INMV 2, INMV 67, INMV 99 and INMV 100. The technique differentiated between the M. avium paratuberculosis isolated from sheep and cattle and expressed a high discriminatory power, proving to be extremely useful for assessing the genetic diversity of the tested animal origin samples and providing comparable information on the general structure and main pathogens belonging to MAC

The role of bacterial infections in the development of respiratory diseases in swine

Respiratory disease of bacterial etiology is a serious health problem on commercial farms.Pig production on commercial farms means keeping a large number of pigs in a relatively small space with a high level of technological organization of the production process. Intensive utilization of accommodation capacities, early weaning of piglets, inadequate microclimatic conditions for most of the statised categories and deficits in nutrition have conditioned the appearance of production or technological diseases. Production diseases of bacterial etiology are presented in this review paper. Diseases of bacterial etiology that occur at all stages of technological production are: atrophic rhinitis, enzootic swine pneumonia, pneumonia caused by pasteurellosis, bordetella, pneumonia caused by A. pleuropneumoniae, pneumonia caused by Haemophilus parasuis and pneumonia caused by Streptococcus. We have described the possibility of prophylaxis of these production diseases of bacterial etiology and the possibility of their control. These manufactured diseases cause economic losses (deaths, reduced daily gain, extended fattening time and treatment costs