Seroprevalence of Selected Zoonotic Agents among Hunters from Eastern Poland

The aim of our study was the collection of seroprevalence data for Toxoplasma gondii, Coxiella burnetii, Trichinella spp., and Francisella tularensis from hunters in Lublin Province. The antibodies against T. gondii and C. burnetii were recorded in 38.5% and 16.2% of the sera, respectively. 4.05% of the sera were seropositive for both T. gondii and C. burnetii. None of the sera tested reacted positively with F. tulariensis or Trichinella spp. Seroprevalence of T. gondii and C. burnetii is common among the hunters from Lublin Province. It seems reasonable to undertake similar research among hunters from other regions of eastern Poland

Zagrożenie gorączką Q oraz brucelozą u zwierząt i ludzi jako skutek wzrostu międzynarodowego obrotu handlowego

Gorączka Q i bruceloza stanowią istotny problem zdrowotny ludzi i zwierząt. Badania w kierunku gorączki Q wykonywano odczynem wiązania dopełniacza (OWD). W celu potwierdzenia obecności DNA C. burnetii w badanej próbce stosowano metodę PCR w odmianie klasycznej i w czasie rzeczywistym (real-time PCR). W diagnostyce brucelozy bydła stosowano odczyn kwaśnej aglutynacji płytowej (OKAP), OWD, i-ELISA oraz odczyn fluorescencji w świetle spolaryzowanym – (FPA). W odniesieniu do badań wykonanych w kierunku gorączki Q u bydła, stwierdzono od roku 2009 n=27 wyników dodatnich testem OWD, w roku 2010 liczba wyników dodatnich podwoiła się i stwierdzono n=54 wyniki dodatnie. W kolejnych latach uzyskano odpowiednio n=177 (2011), n=51 (2012) oraz n=12 (2013) wyników dodatnich. Analiza materiału genetycznego testem PCR w kierunku C. burnetii w badanych próbkach wykazała obecność specyficznego DNA odpowiednio w n=3 (2011) i jednej próbce (2012). Na podstawie badań serologicznych wykonanych w kierunku brucelozy bydła stwierdzono w latach 2009 i 2011 po 13 wyników dodatnich, w 2010 za serologicznie dodatnie uznano n=34 sztuki bydła. W roku 2012 liczba zwierząt serologicznie dodatnich wyniosła n=17, w roku 2013 zanotowano jedynie n=5 wyników dodatnich w odczynach serologicznych. Badania bakteriologiczne jak i badania molekularne wykonywane techniką PCR, nie wykazały obecności pałeczek Brucella

New insight on chlamydiae

This article provides an overview of the current knowledge on chlamydiae, which are intracellular bacteria belonging to the Chlamydiaceae family. Whole-genome sequencing leads to great increases in the available data about Chlamydia spp. Recently, novel chlamydial taxons in various hosts living in different environments have been recognised. New species and taxons with Candidatus status have been recorded mainly in birds and reptiles. Chlamydia gallinacea is an emerging infectious agent in poultry with indirectly confirmed zoonotic potential. Recently, a new group of avian C. abortus strains with worldwide distribution in various wild bird families has been described. The definition of C. abortus species became outdated with the discovery of these strains and has been amended. It now includes two subgroups, mammalian and avian, the latter including all isolates hitherto referred to as atypical C. psittaci or C. psittaci/C. abortus intermediates

Chlamydia - important health problem in swine production

This paper provides an overview on the current knowledge of chlamydiae prevalence in pigs. Within the order Chlamydiales are Gram negative obligate intracellular pathogens. The family Chlamydiaceae has recently been taxonomically revised and there are two genera proposed: Chlamydia and Chlamydophila. Organisms of both genera can be isolated from their specific animal hosts worldwide. In pigs C. suis, C. abortus, C. pecorum and C. psittaci have been isolated. Chlamydial infections in pigs are associated with different clinical diseases such as conjunctivitis, rhinitis, pneumonia, pericarditis, polyarthritis, abortion, stillbirths and reproductive disorders. Infections can be frequently asymptomatic, and the host serves as natural reservoir of the organisms. Diagnosis of swine chlamydiosis is rather rare, since most veterinary diagnostic laboratories do not perform routine examination for chlamydiae. Meanwhile, recent scientific reports present data, confirming that swine chlamydiosis can be an important health problem in swine farms and may cause significant economic losses

Chlamydiae – what’s new?

This paper provides an overview of the current knowledge of chlamydiae. These intracellular microorganisms belonging to the Chlamydiaceae family are widely distributed throughout the world. Constant development of culture-independent approaches for characterisation of microbial genomes enables new discoveries in the field of Chlamydia. The number of new taxa is continuously increasing as well as the range of hosts. New species and genotypes are constantly being discovered, particularly new avian and reptilian agents, which are discussed in this article. Interestingly, wild animals are the main hosts for new Chlamydia species including different species of bird, turtle and snake. The availability of next-generation sequencing opens up a new prospect for research and leads to deeper knowledge of these interesting microorganisms about which much is still to discover