Ovine and Caprine Brucellosis (Brucella melitensis) in Aborted Animals in Jordanian Sheep and Goat Flocks

Two hundred and fifty five biological samples were collected from 188 animals (81 sheep and 107 goats) during the lambing season from September 2009 to April 2010 from the Mafraq region of Jordan. Sampled animals belonged to 93 sheep and goat flocks that had abortion cases in the region. One hundred and seven (41.9%) biological samples were positive for the omp2 primers that were able to identify all Brucella species in the collected samples which were obtained from 86 aborted animals (86/188 = 45.7%). Using the B. melitensis insertion sequence 711 (IS711) primers on the 107 omp2 positive samples, only 61 confirmed to be positive for B. melitensis. These positive samples were obtained from 28 sheep and 33 goats. The prevalence rate of B. melitensis was 27.1% (51/188) among aborted animals. For differentiation between vaccine strain and field strain infection, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method using PstI endonuclease enzyme was used. Vaccination with Rev-1 in the last year (OR = 2.92, CI: 1.1–7.7) and grazing at common pasture (OR = 2.78, CI: 1.05–7.36) were statistically significant (P ≤ .05) risk factors positively associated with the occurrence of brucellosis in sheep and goat flocks

Potential Antimalarial Activity from Alcoholic Extracts of Wild Salvia palaestina Leaves

Malaria threatens the lives of more than one third of the world’s population; it is a major cause of human deaths. As a result of the emergence of resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum to common antimalarial drugs, the search for new antimalarial drugs is urgently needed. Hemozoin synthesis is an indispensable process for the parasite survival and is the target of action for several known antimalarial drugs. Sage, Salvia palaestina, is an aromatic Mediterranean plant. Its leaves have been used over centuries in Palestinian traditional medicine and are now being investigated for potential antimalarial activity. This study reveals the antimalarial activity of crude and HPLC separated fractions tested using two methods; the inhibition of ferriprotoporphyrin IX (FP) biomineralization: semi-quantitative micro-assay used by Deharo and a previously self-developed quantitative in vitro method. Reversed phase preparative liquid chromatography coupled to Photo Diode Array (PDA) detector was used to isolate and enrich eight fractions. Three fractions showed promising antimalarial activity. The crude alcoholic extract of sage leaves seems to have the potential of an antimalarial drug; it prevents β-hematin formation with an efficiency of about 72% when compared to the standard Chloroquine which gave 93% at comparable concentrations of chloroquine and extract.The authors are grateful to the European Commission FP7 Programme for their financial support through DEBPAL2 project. We are grateful to Prof. Pierre Lutgen for his helpful discussions and insightful comments

Identification of Escherichia coli from broiler chickens in Jordan, their antimicrobial resistance, gene characterization and the associated risk factors

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is the principle cause of colibacillosis affecting poultry. The main challenge to the poultry industry is antimicrobial resistance and the emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria that threaten the safety of the food chain. Risk factors associated with emergence of antimicrobial resistance among avian pathogenic E. coli were correlated with the inappropriate use of antimicrobials along with inadequate hygienic practices, which encourages the selection pressure of antimicrobial resistant APEC. The aim of this study was to isolate, identify, serogroup and genotype APEC from broilers, assess their antibiotic resistance profile, expressed genes and the associated risk factors

The Role of Cultural Communication in Enhancing the Effectiveness of Medical Emergency Teams

This essay specifically focuses on exploring the role of cultural communication in enhancing the effectiveness of medical emergency teams. It is based on the observation that communication problems have been identified as one of the leading causes in root-cause analyses of adverse events and near misses. The communication problems that contribute to these adverse outcomes are not limited to language barriers, however, language barriers are an important aspect of cultural communication that can impede the transfer of critical information. Other forms of miscommunication that are affected by culture can include: the lack of articulateness in clarifying diagnostic or treatment plans; poor questioning and listening skills; inadequate explanations for the informed consent process; inadequate assessment or reassessment of a clinical problem; and condescension or hostility that can lead to ineffective assertiveness or advocacy. It is believed that the impact of all of these communications has a disproportionately negative effect on patient safety when acute medical care is required. This could be explained by the fact that the severity of an acute illness and the rapid changes in patient acuity levels necessitate high-stakes decision making and timely precise action. This is particularly true when a MET is called. At this point, patient instability has been identified and there is acknowledgment by ward staff that additional help is needed to manage the situation. High-stakes decision making and teamwork in acute situations are known to be highly influenced by culture. Decisions are based on best evidence and clinical judgment, often under time constraints. A significant proportion of medical errors in acute scenarios are attributed to errors in judgment. Experts in clinical reasoning have shown that the quality of decisions can be compromised when there is an emotional bias that is triggered by cultural differences. This is an area that has a significant effect on patient safety where we can postulate that adverse outcomes and near misses involving acute medical care may have a relationship to cultural interactions between the treating teams and the patients

Pyrosequencing of Bacterial Symbionts within Axinella corrugata Sponges: Diversity and Seasonal Variability

Background: Marine sponge species are of significant interest to many scientific fields including marine ecology, conservation biology, genetics, host-microbe symbiosis and pharmacology. One of the most intriguing aspects of the sponge ‘‘holobiont’’ system is the unique physiology, interaction with microbes from the marine environment and the development of a complex commensal microbial community. However, intraspecific variability and temporal stability of sponge-associated bacterial symbionts remain relatively unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have characterized the bacterial symbiont community biodiversity of seven different individuals of the Caribbean reef sponge Axinella corrugata, from two different Florida reef locations during variable seasons using multiplex 454 pyrosequencing of 16 S rRNA amplicons. Over 265,512 high-quality 16 S rRNA sequences were generated and analyzed. Utilizing versatile bioinformatics methods and analytical software such as the QIIME and CloVR packages, we have identified 9,444 distinct bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Approximately 65,550 rRNA sequences (24%) could not be matched to bacteria at the class level, and may therefore represent novel taxa. Differentially abundant classes between seasonal Axinella communities included Gammaproteobacteria, Flavobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Acidobacter and Nitrospira. Comparisons with a proximal outgroup sponge species (Amphimedon compressa), and the growing sponge symbiont literature, indicate that this study has identified approximately 330 A. corrugata-specific symbiotic OTUs, many of which are related to the sulfur-oxidizing Ectothiorhodospiraceae. This family appeared exclusively within A. corrugata, comprising \u3e34.5% of all sequenced amplicons. Other A. corrugata symbionts such as Deltaproteobacteria, Bdellovibrio, and Thiocystis among many others are described. Conclusions/Significance: Slight shifts in several bacterial taxa were observed between communities sampled during spring and fall seasons. New 16 S rDNA sequences and concomitant identifications greatly expand the microbial community profile for this model reef sponge, and will likely be useful as a baseline for any future comparisons regarding sponge microbial community dynamics

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Two hundred and fifty five biological samples were collected from 188 animals (81 sheep and 107 goats) during the lambing season from September 2009 to April 2010 from the Mafraq region of Jordan. Sampled animals belonged to 93 sheep and goat flocks that had abortion cases in the region. One hundred and seven (41.9%) biological samples were positive for the omp2 primers that were able to identify all Brucella species in the collected samples which were obtained from 86 aborted animals (86/188 = 45.7%). Using the B. melitensis insertion sequence 711 (IS711) primers on the 107 omp2 positive samples, only 61 confirmed to be positive for B. melitensis. These positive samples were obtained from 28 sheep and 33 goats. The prevalence rate of B. melitensis was 27.1% (51/188) among aborted animals. For differentiation between vaccine strain and field strain infection, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method using PstI endonuclease enzyme was used. Vaccination with Rev-1 in the last year (OR = 2.92, CI: 1.1-7.7) and grazing at common pasture (OR = 2.78, CI: 1.05-7.36) were statistically significant (P ≤ .05) risk factors positively associated with the occurrence of brucellosis in sheep and goat flocks

Consequences of reduced vitamin A administration on mammary health of dairy ewes

The study was carried out in Mytilene breed dairy ewes, which were allocated into two groups, 2 months before their first mating. All animals were given a diet based on dried alfalfa hay and concentrate compound feed with no added vitamin A or copper, hence making the diet poor in beta-carotene and vitamin A. Ewes in group A were administered intramuscularly 150,000 IU of vitamin A at 3-month intervals, whilst animals in group B remained untreated. After lambing and on five occasions in total during their first lactation period, milk samples were collected from animals for somatic cell counting. Samples with somatic cell counts >= 0.5 x 10(6) cells mL(-1), as well as samples from clinical cases of mastitis were examined bacteriologically. Significantly (P 0.05). It is suggested that vitamin A deficiency may lead to increased incidence risk of clinical and subclinical mastitis in and to increased milk somatic cell counts in dairy ewes. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Selenium, vitamin E and vitamin A blood concentrations in dairy sheep flocks with increased or low clinical mastitis incidence

Objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between blood concentrations of selenium, vitamin E and vitamin A with the incidence of acute clinical mastitis in dairy sheep. For this purpose, 13 flocks with increased (>= 10%) and five flocks with small (<3%) incidence rate of clinical mastitis, were studied. In flocks with increased incidence rate, whole blood selenium and serum vitamin A blood concentrations were smaller (P<0.001) compared with those in flocks with smaller incidence of the disease; no relationship between vitamin E blood concentration and mastitis incidence was found. Animals with mastitis associated with Staphylococcus aureus had smaller (P<0.05) selenium, vitamin E and vitamin A blood/serum concentrations compared to healthy animals within the same flock; animals with mastitis associated with Mycoplasma agalactiae had smaller (P<0.05) concentrations of selenium and vitamin A compared to healthy animals within the same flock (P<0.05); finally, animals with mastitis associated with coagulase-negative staphylococci had smaller (P<0.05) concentrations of selenium compared to healthy animals within the same flock. The results indicate a possible predisposing role of Se deficiency in ovine mastitis. Selenium status of ewes may possibly be used to indicate animals at risk to develop clinical mastitis. Reduced vitamin A serum concentration may also contribute to development of clinical mastitis. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The effect of estus synchronization treatment on somatic cell count of transitional-anestrus local-Damascus cross breed goats' milk

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of estrus synchronization protocols and steroid hormones concentrations on somatic cell count (SCC) of transitional-anestrus local-Damascus cross goats’ milk. Fifty-six goats (2–4-year old) were randomly assigned to three groups: fluorogestone acetate (FGA, n = 19), FGA-Prostaglandin (FGA-PGF, n = 19) and control (n = 18) groups. Intravaginal sponge containing 40 mg FGA was inserted for 13 days and an injection of 600 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) was administered for goats of FGA and FGA-PGF groups at the time of sponge removal (day 0). In addition, goats of FGA-PGF group were injected with 10 mg dinoprost tromethamine (PGF₂α) on day 0. Five fertile local-Damascus cross bucks were turned-in with all goats on day 0. Blood and milk samples were collected from all goats on days -13 (beginning of experiment), -6, 0, 1, 2, 7, 13 and 20 (end of the experiment). Four-year old and second-parity goats had significantly higher (p < 0.05) SCC of both udder halves than 2- and 3-year old and first-parity goats, respectively. There was a significant effect (p < 0.05) for treatment and number of kids born in the last kidding season on SCC of both udder halves. Neither estradiol nor progesterone concentrations were correlated with SCC in goats in this experiment. The SCC of both udder halves and left udder halves in goats of the control and FGA groups, respectively, increased significantly (p < 0.05) after sponge removal and buck introduction when compared with day 0, with no differences in the FGA-PGF group. This increase in SCC of the control and FGA groups coincided with peak estrus behavior. However, SCC was far below the upper limit of the current standard for normal milk. In conclusion, induction of estrus with progestagen based programs and buck introduction may cause temporary significant increase in SCC. However, the SCC values during this period of temporary increase were still in the range of acceptable values for normal milk. With the current standards for SCC of 1,000,000/ml as legal limit for abnormal milk control programs in goats, estrus synchronization programs and the estrus status should not be considered when bulk-tank milk SCC is being investigated.A. Q. Talafha, S. Q. Lafi, M. M. Ababne