Antibiotic resistance transfer during food production and preservation

Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide public health problem. In case of antibiotic resistance transfer to humans through food, the food production chain does not only play a passive role but it can also affect survival of antibiotic resistant bacteria and transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. This PhD research aimed at providing more insight into the acquisition and dissemination of antibiotic resistance during food production and preservation. Firstly, the transfer of an environmental plasmid to foodborne pathogens was analyzed as the spread of antibiotic resistance results roughly from an interplay of factors between environment, animals, food and humans. In a second part, the presence of integrons, one of the genius systems bacteria possess to acquire antibiotic resistance genes, was examined in a Belgium collection of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. The third part of this PhD research explored to which extent plasmid transfer can occur in biofilms, as these structures represent a significant problem in the food industry. Minimal processing techniques and their influence on plasmid transfer are the topic of the last phase as the food industry increasingly applies these to meet the consumer demand for safe and high quality food. However, not much is known about how these techniques contribute to the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes

Tongue and tail necrosis in an atypical case of acute steroid responsive meningitis-arteritis in a dog

Acute steroid responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA) is a common neurological disorder in young dogs. Typical clinical symptoms of the acute form of SRMA are neck pain, depression and fever. This case report describes a 1.5-year-old Pointer with uncommon neurological deficits (unilateral multiple cranial nerve deficits and Homer's syndrome) and an exceptional necrosis of the tongue. This was believed to be part of the systemic vasculitis accompanying SRMA. The patient also developed tail necrosis and iatrogenic calcinosis cutis, which complicated further treatment of the dog

Comparative aspects of pulmonary toxicity induced by cytotoxic agents with emphasis on lomustine, and a veterinary case report

In veterinary oncology the use of the nitrosourea compound lomustine is increasing. veterinary oncologists need to be aware of the pulmonary toxicity of this drug. Because of the lack of veterinary publications on this subject, the incidence and pathophysiology in human cancer patients of pulmonary toxicity induced by cytotoxic agents in general and by nitrosoureas in particular are discussed. Three clinical syndromes can be recognized, the most devastating of which is interstitial pneumonitis resulting in pulmonary fibrosis. Disturbances in the homeostatic mechanisms of the oxidant/antioxidant-, immunologic-, matrix repair-, proteolytic-, and central nervous systems are some of the major mechanisms of pulmonary injury in human medicine. Risk factors such as cumulative dose, age, radiation, oxygen administration and multi-drug regimens are recognized. For the first time in veterinarv medicine, a case report of a dog with pulmonary fibrosis, probably caused by chronic lomustine administration, is presented

Evaluation of antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid for the diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis in dogs

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by the neurotropic tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). In dogs, this virus may affect the central nervous system (CNS), causing meningoencephalitis, meningomyelitis, radiculitis or any combination of these. Diagnosis of TBE relies on a combination of clinical signs of CNS disease and laboratory findings, including CSF pleocytosis and serum TBEV antibody titers. Exposure to TBEV does not necessarily cause clinical disease, and seroprevalence has been reported as high as 40% in endemic areas. This causes concerns of over-diagnosing TBE in dogs with CNS disease. By examining TBEV antibodies in dogs with and without neurological disease in a TBEV endemic area, this study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of TBEV antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in dogs. Eighty-nine dogs were included in the study, 56 with neurological disease and 33 neurologically normal control dogs. A positive TBEV CSF and serum IgG antibody titer (> 126 U/mL) was found in 3/89 dogs (3.4%). A positive serum TBEV antibody titer was found in 11 of the 89 dogs (12.4%). None of the control dogs showed a positive CSF antibody titer, whilst two showed positive serum concentrations. A positive CSF IgG antibody titer supports a clinical diagnosis of TBE in patients with acute onset of CNS disease and may help reduce the risk of over-diagnosis

Favorable outcome of conservative treatment in a cat with T9T10 intervertebral disk disease

A 12-year-old domestic shorthair was presented with acute paraplegia. On the basis of radiography and myelography, a presumable diagnosis of disk herniation at the level of T9T10 was made. The cat was treated conservatively and recovered from paraplegia with only mild residual ataxia. Follow-up for more than one year showed no changes or recurrence of the symptoms

Associations between neutering and idiopathic epilepsy in Labrador retrievers and Border collies under primary veterinary care in the UK

There are sparse published scientific data on associations between neutering and the severity and survival of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy. This study aimed to explore the timing of neutering with respect to onset of seizures in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy. Associations between neutering and both age of onset of seizures and the occurrence of cluster seizures or status epilepticus were examined. Survival analysis investigated the effects of sex-neuter categories. The median survival time of Border collies was compared with data previously reported in literature. The study included veterinary primary-care clinical data on 117 Labrador retrievers and 57 Border collies diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy from the VetCompass project in the UK. The majority (74.2%; P ≤ 0.001) of neutered cases were neutered before the onset of seizures. Age (years) at onset of seizures did not differ between dogs intact at time of onset and dogs neutered before onset of seizures (males 3.6 vs. 3.7; P = 0.468 and females 3.4 vs. 4.1; P = 0.154). Neuter status was not associated with the occurrence of cluster seizures (males P = 0.947 and females P = 0.844). Dogs intact at onset of seizures had longer median survival times than dogs neutered before onset of seizures (males, 1436 days vs. 1234 days; P = 0.019; females, 1778.5 days vs. 1261 days; P = 0.027). Median survival time of 1393 days for Border collies was longer than previously reported (P ≤ 0.001). These results do not support recommendations to neuter dogs with idiopathic epilepsy within an evidence-based treatment plan

Characterization of cefotaxime- and ciprofloxacin-resistant commensal Escherichia coli originating from Belgian farm animals indicates high antibiotic resistance transfer rates

Food-producing animals represent one of the sources of antibiotic resistant commensal bacteria. There is an increasing awareness that these bacteria might have the potential to transfer their resistance genes to other (pathogenic) bacteria. In this study, 50 commensal Escherichia coli strains originating from food-producing animals and resistant to the highest priority, critically important antibiotics cefotaxime and/or ciprofloxacin, were selected for further characterization. For each strain (i) an antibiogram, (ii) the phylogenetic group, (iii) plasmid replicon type, (iv) presence and identification of integrons, and (v) antibiotic resistance transfer ratios were determined. Forty-five of these strains were resistant to 5 or more antibiotics, and 6 strains were resistant to 10 or more antibiotics. Resistance was most common to ampicillin (100%), sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin (82%), trimethoprim, tetracycline (74%), cefotaxime, (70%) and ceftazidime (62%). Phylogenetic groups A (62%) and B1 (26%) were most common, followed by C (8%) and E (4%). In 43 strains, more than 1 replicon type was detected, with FII (88%), FIB (70%), and I1 (48%) being the most encountered types. Forty strains, positive for integrons, all harbored a class I integron and seven of them contained an additional class II integron. No class III integrons were detected. The antibiotic resistance transfer was assessed by liquid mating experiments. The transfer ratio, expressed as the number of transconjugants per recipient, was between 10(-5) and 10(0) for cefotaxime resistance and between 10(-7) and 10(-1) for ciprofloxacin resistance. The results of the current study prove that commensal E. coli in food-production animals can be a source of multiple resistance genes and that these bacteria can easily spread their ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime resistance

Association between Estrus and Onset of Seizures in Dogs with Idiopathic Epilepsy

Background: Catamenial epilepsy in humans is defined as changes in seizure frequency over the course of the menstrual cycle. Three hormonally based patterns of seizure exacerbation have been determined. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether there is an association between onset of seizures and the estrous cycle in intact bitches with presumptive idiopathic epilepsy and whether a pattern to the onset of seizures could be recognized. Animals: Forty- five intact female dogs from a hospital population with a presumptive diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy. Methods: In a retrospective study, the database of a small animal hospital in Sweden was searched for medical records of intact female dogs diagnosed with epilepsy or seizures. The stage of the estrous cycle as reported either by the owner or the veterinarian at the time of the first seizure was noted. Results: Of the 45 dogs with idiopathic epilepsy, 17 ( 38%) had their first seizure when in heat and six dogs ( 13%) had their first seizure 1- 3 months after heat. Nine dogs ( 20%) had seizures reoccurring in relation to their estrous cycle. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: These findings suggest an association between estrus and onset of seizures in intact bitches with presumptive idiopathic epilepsy. Two hormonally based patterns could be recognized: one during heat and one during a specific time point at the end of diestrus. This could be explained by the proconvulsive effects of estrogen or loss of protective effect against seizures of progesterone, respectively

Retrospectieve studie van 20 honden en 1 kat met tetanus (2001-2008)

In 20 dogs and I cat a diagnosis of tetanus was made based on the typical clinical signs and a possible wound history. In 7 animals a tooth abnormality was considered as the entrance way of the bacteria. By means of radiography of the thorax several animals were evaluated for the presence of possible complications such as aspiration pneumonia, megaoesophagus or hiatal hernia. The treatment existed mainly of metronidazole as an antibiotic, acetylpromazine to control the muscle spasms and additional supportive therapy. The survival rate was 71%