Antimicrobial susceptibility of Haemophilus parasuis and Histophilus somni from pigs and cattle in Denmark

A total of 52 Haemophilus parasuis and 80 Histophilus somni isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility by MIC-determinations. None of the isolates were resistant to ampicillin, ceftiofur, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, florphenicol, penicillin, spectinomycin, tetracycline, tiamulin, or tilmicosin. Two H. parasuis isolates were resistant to trimethoprim + sulfamethoxazole. Six H. parasuis isolates had reduced susceptibility (0.06-0.5 microg/ml) to ciprofloxacin and 10 reduced susceptibility to TMP + sulfamethoxazole (1-2 microg/ml). This study showed that Danish isolates of H. parasuis and H. somni in general are fully susceptible to antimicrobial agents currently used for treatment of infections with these pathogens.     

Pheno- and genotyping of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolated from bovine milk and human skin

The purpose of this study was to improve our knowledge concerning the epidemiology and strain diversity of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolated from bovine milk in commercial dairy herds. A total of 341 S. epidermidis isolates obtained from cows' milk (317), farmers (17) and patients (7) were characterized. Of these 105 isolates were from cows' milk in two farms, where also 17 isolates were sampled from farmers. The remaining 212 isolates from cows' milk were from 170 farms. All isolates were examined by antimicrobial susceptibility, whereas 202 were examined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and 122 by ribotyping. PFGE showed single patterns in the human strains with one exception; one strain was categorised as the same clone as four of the milk strains. PFGE divided 73 of the milk strains into 62 different patterns. The PFGE method had high discriminatory power and shows that many different S. epidermidis types exist in milk samples. Antibiotic resistance patterns matched the SmaI profiles closely in the two herds, but poorly in the routinely collected milk samples. Isolates from herd 1 showed one to five patterns, depending on the typing method used. Isolates from the milker's skin showed one pattern, which was identical to the most common pattern found in the milk isolates. Isolates from herd 2 showed three to four patterns, two of these being identical to skin isolates from the milker. As dairy cows are not a natural host for S. epidermidis the results suggest a human source of these udder infections.     

Evidence of cormorant‐induced mortality,disparate migration strategies and repeatable circadian rhythm in the endangered North Sea houting (Coregonus oxyrinchus): A telemetry study mapping the postspawning migration

Life history theory predicts a trade‐off between migration and residency where migration is favoured when it infers elevated fitness. Although migration to more favourable environments may offer higher growth rates, migrants often experience increased mortality due to predation. Here, we investigated mortality and migration behaviour of the North Sea houting (Coregonus oxyrinchus), an anadromous salmonid endemic to the Wadden Sea. We used acoustic telemetry to map the migration of the only remaining indigenous population by applying stationary hydrophones combined with manual tracking. Data suggested a total mortality of 26%, with 30% of the total mortality attributed to predation by great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis), highlighting that North Sea houting conservation could be jeopardised by increased cormorant predation. Risk of cormorant predation was size‐dependent, with smaller fish suffering higher risk of predation. The study found North Sea houting to exhibit disparate migration strategies and identified a lentic area in the estuary as an important habitat. Two newly established artificial lakes within the river system significantly reduced the migration speeds, possibly indicating constrained navigation through the lakes. The migration into the Wadden Sea correlated with temperature perhaps indicating osmoregulatory constraints of sea entry. Unlike many salmonid species, migration occurred both day and night. Moreover, fish exhibited repeatable individual differences in diel activity patterns, suggesting that individuals differ consistently in their migratory activity throughout the 24‐hr period. Our study provides novel information on salmonid migration, which is crucial for the development of science‐based conservation strategies.     

N-acetylcysteine manipulation fails to elicit an increase in glutathione in a teleost model

Levels of oxidative stress can be affected by a range of compounds including toxins and pharmaceuticals. Antioxidants are important protective compounds which counteract the damaging effects of oxidative stress. Glutathione (GSH) is one of the main antioxidants for many organisms and can be synthesized from administered N-acetylcysteine (NAC). NAC has therefore often been used in a wide range of taxa to manipulate levels of GSH. Our objective was to validate this approach in a wild temperate teleost fish model, the brown trout (Salmo trutta). We used intracoelomic injections of NAC in saline and vegetable shortening, at two different concentrations (100 and 400 mg/kg), with the appropriate controls and shams, under controlled laboratory settings. We found that NAC failed to elicit an increase in GSH over three time periods and concluded that NAC is not an effective method to enhance GSH levels in teleost fish using the concentrations and vehicles tested here. We emphasize the importance of validation studies across all new species/taxa when possible and suggest that more investigation is required with regard to NAC manipulation in fish if this approach is to be used.     

The future of fish passage science,engineering, and practice

Much effort has been devoted to developing, constructing and refining fish passage facilities to enable target species to pass barriers on fluvial systems, and yet, fishway science, engineering and practice remain imperfect. In this review, 17 experts from different fish passage research fields (i.e., biology, ecology, physiology, ecohydraulics, engineering) and from different continents (i.e., North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia) identified knowledge gaps and provided a roadmap for research priorities and technical developments. Once dominated by an engineering‐focused approach, fishway science today involves a wide range of disciplines from fish behaviour to socioeconomics to complex modelling of passage prioritization options in river networks. River barrier impacts on fish migration and dispersal are currently better understood than historically, but basic ecological knowledge underpinning the need for effective fish passage in many regions of the world, including in biodiversity hotspots (e.g., equatorial Africa, South‐East Asia), remains largely unknown. Designing efficient fishways, with minimal passage delay and post‐passage impacts, requires adaptive management and continued innovation. While the use of fishways in river restoration demands a transition towards fish passage at the community scale, advances in selective fishways are also needed to manage invasive fish colonization. Because of the erroneous view in some literature and communities of practice that fish passage is largely a proven technology, improved international collaboration, information sharing, method standardization and multidisciplinary training are needed. Further development of regional expertise is needed in South America, Asia and Africa where hydropower dams are currently being planned and constructed.     

The rarely reported tet(31) tetracycline resistance determinant is common in Gallibacterium anatis

The present investigation was undertaken to identify and characterize the tetracycline resistance determinant in 22 Gallibacterium anatis strains for which no determinant was identified using primers specific for tet(A, B, C, D, E, G, H, K, L, M, O). A recent study found tet(B) to be the most prevalent tetracycline resistance determinant in a larger collection of G. anatis field strains from Mexico and Denmark. However, in 41% of the tetracycline resistant strains no determinant could be assigned. Here we demonstrate that tet(31) is a common determinant in G. anatis originating from chickens from very different production systems and localities. In addition, tet(31) was identified in strains isolated over a 30-year period. This is the first report on tet(31) since its original identification in Aeromonas salmonicida.     

Chlamydia psittaci: a suspected cause of reproductive loss in three Victorian horses

Chlamydia psittaci was detected by PCR in the lung and equine foetal membranes of two aborted equine foetuses and one weak foal from two different studs in Victoria, Australia. The abortions occurred in September 2019 in two mares sharing a paddock northeast of Melbourne. The weak foal was born in October 2019 in a similar geographical region and died soon after birth despite receiving veterinary care. The detection of C. psittaci DNA in the lung and equine foetal membranes of the aborted or weak foals and the absence of any other factors that are commonly associated with abortion or neonatal death suggest that this pathogen may be the cause of the reproductive loss. The detection of C. psittaci in these cases is consistent with the recent detection of C. psittaci in association with equine abortion in New South Wales. These cases in Victoria show that C. psittaci, and the zoonotic risk it poses, should be considered in association with equine reproductive loss in other areas of Australia.