Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in enteric Escherichia coli from domestic pets and assessment of associated risk markers using a generalized linear mixed model

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global public health problem, which is caused by the use of antimicrobials in both human and animal medical practice. The objectives of the present cross-sectional study were as follows: (1) to determine the prevalence of resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from the feces of pets from the Porto region of Portugal against 19 antimicrobial agents and (2) to assess the individual, clinical and environmental characteristics associated with each pet as risk markers for the AMR of the E. coli isolates.     

香蕉茎叶栽培猴头菇试验初报

采用2因素3水平设计,以香蕉茎叶代替部分棉籽壳进行猴头菇栽培试验,探讨不同培养基配方栽培猴头菇的效果,为实现香蕉茎叶资源化利用提供依据。结果表明,用香蕉茎叶代替部分棉籽壳栽培猴头菇是可行的,其对猴头菇菌丝生长速度及出菇产量的影响均达到极显著水平,其中又以配方4（棉籽壳400g,香蕉茎叶300g,麦麸50g,石膏粉5g,白糖5g,磷肥5g,pH6．5,含水量60％）的栽培效果最佳。     

Medicinal plants used in British Columbia, Canada for reproductive health in pets

In 2003, semi-structured interviews were conducted in British Columbia, Canada with participants obtained using a purposive sample on the ethnoveterinary remedies used for animals. Twenty-nine participants provided the information in this paper on the ethnoveterinary remedies used for reproductive health in dogs and cats. The plants used for pregnancy support and milk production in pets were raspberry-leaf (Rubus idaeus), motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) and ginger (Zingiber officinale). Uterine infections were treated with black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). Most of the studies conducted on these plants have not been conducted on companion animals.     

Prevalence,species distribution and antimicrobial resistance patterns of methicillin-resistant staphylococci in Lithuanian pet animals

Background

The bacterial genus Staphylococcus consists of many species that causes infections in pet animals. Antimicrobial resistant staphylococci cause infections that are difficult to treat and they are important from the point of one health perspective. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) species, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in diseased pet animals (Group A) and kennel dogs (Group B) in Lithuania and to characterize the isolates according to their antimicrobial resistance.

Results

Twenty-one MRS isolates were obtained from 395 clinical samples (5.3 %; CI 95 % 3.5-8.0) of Group A animals. Sixteen, four and one isolates were from dogs, cats and a pet rabbit, respectively. The mecA gene was present in 20 isolates, whereas one isolate was positive for the mecC gene. Twenty-one MRS isolates (20.0 %; CI 95 % 13.5-28.6) were obtained from the vagina of female dogs (n = 105) (Group B). All isolates carried the mecA gene. Twelve MRS species were isolated of which S. pseudintermedius was the most common (18/42) followed by S. haemolyticus (8/42) and S. lentus (4/42). MRSA was not found. All MRS strains were susceptible to vancomycin, linezolid, daptomycin and quinupristin/dalfopristin. Resistance to tetracycline (16/21), clindamycin (15/21) and erythromycin (14/21) was the most common types of resistance in Group A animals. Three isolates also demonstrated resistance to rifampin. Resistance toward gentamicin (16/21), ciprofloxacin (15/21), macrolides (15/21) and tetracycline (12/21) was the most common in kennel dogs (Group B). The most common genes encoding resistance to antimicrobials (excluding beta-lactams) in isolates from Group A pets were tetK (21/42), aph(3′)-IIIa (11/42) and aac(6'')-Ie-aph(2'''')-Ia (9/42).

Conclusions

A wide range of MRS species were found in pet animals in Lithuania. MRSA was not found.     

Potential for pet animals to harbour methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus when residing with human MRSA patients

Colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may be persistent in people and is horizontally transmissible. The scientific literature suggests that domestic pets may also participate in cross-transmission of MRSA within households. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of and risk factors for MRSA carriage by pets residing in households with an MRSA-infected person. From 66 households in which an MRSA-infected patient resided, we screened 47 dogs and 52 cats using a swab protocol. Isolates from pets and humans were genotyped using two techniques and compared for concordance. Human participants completed a 22-question survey of demographic and epidemiologic data relevant to staphylococcal transmission. Eleven of 99 pets (11.5%) representing 9 (13.6%) of households were MRSA-positive, but in only six of these households were the human and animal-source strains genetically concordant. Human infection by strain USA 100 was significantly associated with pet carriage [OR = 11.4 (95% CI 1.7, 76.9); P = 0.013]. Yet, for each day of delay in sampling the pet after the person's MRSA diagnosis, the odds of isolating any type of MRSA from the pet decreased by 13.9% [(95% CI 2.6, 23.8); P = 0.017)]. It may be concluded that pets can harbour pandemic strains of MRSA while residing in a household with an infected person. However, the source of MRSA to the pet cannot always be attributed to the human patient. Moreover, the rapid attrition of the odds of obtaining a positive culture from pets over time suggests that MRSA carriage may be fleeting.     

番茄灰霉病拮抗细菌的筛选与X-75菌株鉴定

采用琼脂平板扩散法筛选对番茄灰霉菌具有拮抗作用的细菌,经过对200株分离自土壤的细菌菌株进行初筛、复筛后,得到了1株具有较高拮抗活性的菌株X-75。对该菌株进行形态观察和生理生化特征分析,初步将其鉴定为芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus sp.),将其16SrDNA序列与GenBank中已知标准菌株的16SrDNA序列进行比对,并用Neighbor-joining方法构建X-75菌株进化树,结果表明,X-75与标准菌株AB245422 Bacillus velezensis聚于同一分支,同源性最高,达99.93%;利用番茄离体叶片对X-75菌株的防效进行初步检测,结果表明X-75菌株对番茄灰霉病菌具有明显的拮抗作用。     

Self‐Reported Acute Health Effects and Exposure to Companion Animals

To understand the etiological burden of disease associated with acute health symptoms [e.g. gastrointestinal (GI), respiratory, dermatological], it is important to understand how common exposures influence these symptoms. Exposures to familiar and unfamiliar animals can result in a variety of health symptoms related to infection, irritation and allergy; however, few studies have examined this association in a large‐scale cohort setting. Cross‐sectional data collected from 50 507 participants in the United States enrolled from 2003 to 2009 were used to examine associations between animal contact and acute health symptoms during a 10–12 day period. Fixed‐effects multivariable logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confident intervals (CI) for associations between animal exposures and outcomes of GI illness, respiratory illness and skin/eye symptoms. Two‐thirds of the study population (63.2%) reported direct contact with animals, of which 7.7% had contact with at least one unfamiliar animal. Participants exposed to unfamiliar animals had significantly higher odds of self‐reporting all three acute health symptoms, when compared to non‐animal‐exposed participants (GI: AOR = 1.4, CI = 1.2–1.7; respiratory: AOR = 1.5, CI = 1.2–1.8; and skin/eye: AOR = 1.9, CI = 1.6–2.3), as well as when compared to participants who only had contact with familiar animals. Specific contact with dogs, cats or pet birds was also significantly associated with at least one acute health symptom; AORs ranged from 1.1 to 1.5, when compared to participants not exposed to each animal. These results indicate that contact with animals, especially unfamiliar animals, was significantly associated with GI, respiratory and skin/eye symptoms. Such associations could be attributable to zoonotic infections and allergic reactions. Etiological models for acute health symptoms should consider contact with companion animals, particularly exposure to unfamiliar animals. Prevention of pet‐associated zoonotic diseases includes commonsense measures such as hand‐washing, but are often overlooked by pet owners and non‐pet owners alike.     

间充质干细胞疗法应用于宠物临床的现状及问题

间充质干细胞(mesenchymal stem cells,MSCs)是存在于机体间质组织中的成体干细胞.在体内或体外适宜条件下MSCs具有向多种细胞类型分化的能力,包括成骨细胞、软骨细胞、肌肉细胞、脂肪细胞甚至胰岛细胞和神经细胞.MSCs疗法已经成为一种新兴的治疗手段,能有效地提高宠物的生活质量,帮助动物摆脱病痛的困扰.本研究综述了MSCs疗法在宠物临床中应用的现状并讨论了应用中存在的问题.     

宠物养生浅谈

在广泛文献检索的基础上,综述了饲养宠物的种类、养生价值和饲养注意事项等,以期为全民养生保健提供参考。