Frequency of cardiac involvement among patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis

Background and aims: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an idiopathic chronic inflammatory disease mainly involves sacroiliac and axial joints; but it may also have extra-articular involvement. Accordingly, this study was designed to determine the frequency of cardiac involvement among patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Methods: This study was performed as a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional survey. In this study 50 consecutive patients with AS and 40 normal healthy subjects were enrolled and compared for cardiologic manifestations. Results: The frequency of cardiac involvement was similar between AS patients and normal subjects (P>0.05). However, there was significant difference between 2 groups in point of mitral valve prolapse and mitral regurgitation (P<0.05). Conclusions: Totally, according to the obtained results, it may be concluded that the frequency of cardiac involvement in AS patients and normal subjects were relatively similar

Migrating common toads (Bufo bufo) in rural temperate regions: reservoirs of Salmonella?

Salmonella infections in amphibians are supposedly highly prevalent. Migrating common amphibian species in cultivated areas such as common toads (Bufo bufo) may thus promote spread and zoonotic transfer of Salmonella to humans, both indirectly by crop and livestock contamination and by direct contact. Between February and April 2011, the intestinal content of 1,740 samples of road-killed migrating common toads in five Flemish provinces of Belgium was examined for the presence of Salmonella using bacterial culture and PCR. All the samples were negative. These results suggest that the role of migrating common toads in maintaining the infection cycle of Salmonella in northern European temperate regions is negligible

Molecular and serological detection of Ehrlichia canis in naturally exposed dogs in Iran: an analysis on associated risk factors

The general aim of this study, which was conducted for the first time in Iran, was to evaluate the seroprevalence and geographical distribution of Ehrlichia canis in a dog population in Iran, followed by molecular confirmation using PCR and sequencing. Blood samples were collected from 240 dogs in different areas of Alborz and Tehran Provinces and initially analyzed using the immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) test to detect anti-Ehrlichia canis IgG antibodies. Subsequently, nested PCR was performed based on a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene of E. canis on serologically positive samples. The results showed that 40/240 dogs (16.6%) presented anti-Ehrlichia canis IgG antibodies and that nine of the blood samples from the 40 seropositive dogs (22.5%) contained E. canis DNA, which was confirmed by sequencing. The seroprevalence of E. canis tended to be higher in purebred, one to three-year-old male dogs living in the Plain zone, in rural areas; however, this difference was not statistically significant

Road-killed common toads (Bufo bufo) in Flanders (Belgium) reveal low prevalence of ranaviruses and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Road-killed common toads (Bufo bufo; n=1,740) from Flanders, Belgium, were tested for ranavirus and Batrachochytrium. dendrobatidis. (Bd) using polymerase chain reaction. Both infections were present at a very low prevalence (<0.2% with a confidence interval of 95% for ranavinis and 0.63% for Bd)

The absence of zoonotic agents in invasive bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) in Belgium and The Netherlands

Exotic invasive bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) are considered to exert a considerable negative impact on native amphibian communities. This can be due to competition and predation, but they are also a notorious source of the infectious diseases chytridiomycosis and ranavirosis, affecting amphibian populations globally. Little is known regarding their carriage of other microbial agents that might be transferred to humans or other animals. In this study we determined the occurrence of the amphibian pathogens Ranavirus and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and of the zoonotic agents Coxiella burnetii, Neospora caninum, Leptospira sp., Toxoplasma gondii, Mycoplasma sp., Campylobacter sp., Salmonella sp. and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Escherichia coli in 164 bullfrogs from three populations in Belgium and The Netherlands. Although B. dendrobatidis was present at a high prevalence of 63%, mean infection loads were low with an average of 10.9 genomic equivalents (SD 35.5), confirming the role of bullfrogs as B. dendrobatidis carriers, but questioning their role as primary reservoirs for B. dendrobatidis transmission to native amphibian communities. All tested samples were negative for the other infectious agents examined. These results suggest a limited role of bullfrogs as carrier of these pathogens

The novel 'Candidatus Amphibiichlamydia ranarum' is highly prevalent in invasive exotic bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus)

Knowledge concerning microbial infectious diseases in the current amphibian crisis is rudimentary and largely limited to ranavirosis and chytridiomycosis. The family Chlamydiaceae is gaining attention as a common cause of disease in amphibians and may harbour new and emerging amphibian pathogens. We identified a novel species of Chlamydiales (Candidatus Amphibiichlamydia ranarum) with a prevalence of 71% in exotic invasive bullfrog tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus) from an introduced population in the Netherlands. The sequence of a 1474bp 16S rRNA gene fragment showed that the novel taxon forms a well-defined clade with Candidatus Amphibiichlamydia salamandrae' within the Chlamydiaceae family. Although none of the tadpoles examined showed signs of clinical disease, urgent evaluation of its pathogenic potential for native amphibian species is required