Getting otitis management right from the first visit

All ear infections in dogs are secondary. Simply treating these leads to repeated cycles of inflammation and infection that result in the need for surgery. Most ear surgery is avoidable with correct management. This requires a two-phase approach: induction to remission and then maintenance to prevent relapse. To achieve this, all the primary, predisposing, perpetuating triggers must be identified and managed – there are no short cuts. In this article, Professor Tim Nuttall, Head of Dermatology Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Roslin, UK, outlines how to select and use diagnostic tests andtreatments effectively

Seizing the moment: the January 1949 riots, proletarian populism and the structures of African urban life in Durban during the late 1940's

Paper presented at the Wits History Workshop: Structure and Experience in the Making of Apartheid, 6-10 February, 1990

Staphylococcal-produced bacteriocins and antimicrobial peptides: their potential as alternative treatments for Staphylococcus aureus infections

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen of both humans and animals, implicated in a wide range of infections. The emergence of antibiotic resistance has resulted in S. aureus strains that are resistant to almost all available antibiotics, making treatment a clinical challenge. Development of novel antimicrobial approaches is now a priority worldwide. Bacteria produce a range of antimicrobial peptides; the most diverse of these being bacteriocins. Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesised peptides, displaying potent antimicrobial activity usually against bacteria phylogenetically related to the producer strain. Several bacteriocins have been isolated from commensal coagulase-negative staphylococci, many of which display inhibitory activity against S. aureus in vitro and in vivo. The ability of these bacteriocins to target biofilm formation and their novel mechanisms of action with efficacy against antibiotic-resistant bacteria make them strong candidates as novel therapeutic antimicrobials. The use of genome-mining tools will help to advance identification and classification of bacteriocins. This review discusses the staphylococcal-derived antimicrobial peptides displaying promise as novel treatments for S. aureus infections

Not just in man’s best friend: a review of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius host range and human zoonosis.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is one species in the commensal staphylococcal population in dogs. While it is commonly carried on healthy companion dogs it is also an opportunistic pathogen associated with a range of skin, ear, wound and other infections. While adapted to dogs, it is not restricted to them, and we have reviewed its host range, including increasing reports of human colonisation and infections. Despite its association with pet dogs, S. pseudintermedius is found widely in animals, covering companion, livestock and free-living species of birds and mammals. Human infections, typically in immunocompromised individuals, are increasingly being recognised, in part due to improved diagnosis. Colonisation, infection, and antimicrobial resistance, including frequent multidrug resistance, among S. pseudintermedius isolates represent important One Health challenge