Evaluation of the Effect of Culling on Browse Damage by the Japanese Serow in Gifu Prefecture, Japan

The Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus; serow) is a protected territorial ungulate native to Japan. However, locally overabundant serow populations can damage forest plantations and agriculture through browsing. Despite government permitted annual culling of serows on forest lands of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, browse damage continues to be reported in hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa; cypress) plantations. Sika deer (Cervus nippon; deer), which are co-located with serows can also browse cypress, but their impacts have never been evaluated. The objective of our research was to evaluate the involvement of each species in browse damage and to establish the damage-causing mechanisms after serow culling at selected study sites (T1 [0.3 ha], T2 [0.2 ha], and T3 [1.1 ha]) in 3 cypress plantations in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, where serow culling was conducted. In 2019 and 2020, 2 and 2 serows were culled in T1, 3 and 0 in T2, and 1 and 1 in T3, respectively. Forestry workers also applied a chemical repellent (ziram-based fungicide) to some stands in T3 in October 2019 and May 2020. Between December 2018 and September 2020, we used camera traps to monitor activity patterns of serows and deer and the replacement of territorial serows before and after culling. We also investigated seasonal browsing impacts between August 2019 and June 2020 by thoroughly checking for browsing marks on the terminal shoot. Serows and deer accounted for 79% and 21% of camera-trap videos, respectively. Despite annual culling, serows were recorded at all browsed sites before the next growing season. Browse damage was higher in autumn and winter, but in T3 it was reduced when the repellent was applied. Management of ungulate browse damage to cypress will require accurate identification of species causing the damage, monitoring serow activity before and after culling, and a using repellent immediately before browsing seasons

Isolation and Characterization of Antimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia coli from Retail Meats from Roadside Butcheries in Uganda

Retail meats are one of the main routes for spreading antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) from livestock to humans through the food chain. In African countries, retail meats are often sold at roadside butcheries without chilling or refrigeration. Retail meats in those butcheries are suspected to be contaminated by ARB, but it was not clear. In this study, we tested for the presence of antimicrobial-resistantEscherichia colifrom retail meats (n = 64) from roadside butcheries in Kampala, Uganda. The meat surfaces were swabbed and inoculated on PetriFilm SEC agar to isolateE. coli. We successfully isolatedE. colifrom 90.6% of these retail meat samples. We identified the phylogenetic type, antimicrobial susceptibility, and antimicrobial resistance genes prevalence between retail meat isolates (n = 89). Phylogenetic type B1 was identified from 70.8% of the retail meat isolates, suggesting that the isolates originated primarily from fecal contamination during meat processing. Tetracycline (TET)-resistant isolates withtetAand/ortetBgene(s) were the most frequently detected (28.1%), followed by ampicillin (AMP) resistance genes withbla(TEM)(15.7%,) and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (SXT) resistance genes withsul2(15.7%). No extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing isolates were detected. A conjugation assay showed that resistance to AMP, TET, and SXT could be simultaneously transferred to recipients. These findings suggest that antimicrobial-resistantE. colican easily be transferred from farms to tables from retail meats obtained from roadside butcheries

Traces of pandemic fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli clone ST131 transmitted from human society to aquatic environments and wildlife in Japan

Transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria among humans, animals, and the environment is a growing concern worldwide. The distribution of an international high-risk fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli clone, ST131, has been documented in clinical settings. However, the transmission of ST131 from humans to surrounding environments remains poorly elucidated. To comprehend the current situation and identify the source of ST131 in nature, we analyzed the genetic features of ST131 isolates from the aquatic environment (lake/river water) and wildlife (fox, raccoon, raccoon dog, and deer) and compared them with the features of isolates from humans in Japan using accessory and core genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses. We identified ST131 isolates belonging to the same phylotype and genome clusters (four of eight clusters were concomitant) with low SNP distance between the human isolates and those from the aquatic environment and wildlife. These findings warn of ST131 transmission between humans and the surrounding environment in Japan