Prevalence,Serovars and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Salmonella spp. from Wild and Domestic Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana) in Grenada,West Indies

Cloacal swabs from 62 green iguanas (Iguana iguana), including 47 wild and 15 domestic ones from five parishes of Grenada, were sampled during a 4‐month period of January to April 2013 and examined by enrichment and selective culture for the presence of Salmonella spp. Fifty‐five per cent of the animals were positive, and eight serovars of Salmonella were isolated. The most common serovar was Rubislaw (58.8%), a serovar found recently in many cane toads in Grenada, followed by Oranienburg (14.7%), a serovar that has been causing serious human disease outbreaks in Japan. Serovar IV:48:g,z₅₁:‐ (formerly, S. Marina) highly invasive and known for serious infections in children in the United States, constituted 11.8% of the isolates, all of them being from domestic green iguanas. Salmonella Newport, a serovar recently found in a blue land crab in Grenada, comprised 11.8% of the isolates from the green iguanas. The remaining four less frequent serovars included S. Javiana and S. Glostrup. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests conducted by a disc diffusion method against amoxicillin–clavulanic acid, ampicillin, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, tetracycline and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole showed that drug resistance is minimal, with intermediate susceptibility, mainly to streptomycin, tetracycline and cefotaxime. This is the first report of isolation and antimicrobial susceptibilities of various Salmonella serovars from wild and domestic green iguanas in Grenada, West Indies.     

Effect of antimicrobial use and production system on Campylobacter spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Salmonella spp. resistance in Spanish swine: A cross‐sectional study

Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide public health threat; hence, current trends tend to reduce antimicrobial use in food‐producing animals and to monitor resistance in primary production. This study aimed at evaluating the impact of antimicrobial use and production system on swine farms in the antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter, Salmonella and Staphylococcus, the main zoonotic pathogens in pig herds, in order to assess their potential value as sentinel microorganisms in antimicrobial resistance surveillance schemes. A total of 37 Spanish swine farms, 18 intensive and 19 organic/extensive farms, were included in the study. The antimicrobial resistance of 104 Campylobacter, 84 Staphylococcus and 17 Salmonella isolates was evaluated using Sensititre plates following the EUCAST guidelines. Mixed‐effects logistic regression was used to evaluate the influence of production system and antimicrobial use in resistant and multidrug‐resistant (MDR) phenotypes to the antimicrobials tested. The results showed that antimicrobial use was higher (p < .001) on intensive farms than on organic/extensive farms. MDR in Campylobacter and Staphylococcus was lower on organic/extensive farms (OR < .01p < .001). Antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter and Staphylococcus isolates was, also for most of the antimicrobials studied, significantly higher in intensive than organic/extensive pig herds. Tetracycline resistance was associated with total antimicrobial consumption in both microbial species (p < .05), and some cross‐associations between distinct antimicrobial substances were established, for instance resistance to erythromycin was associated with macrolide and phenicol consumption. No significant associations could be established for Salmonella isolates. The results demonstrate the link between antimicrobial consumption and resistance in zoonotic bacteria and evidence the potential value of using Campylobacter and Staphylococcus species in monitoring activities aimed at determining the impact of antimicrobials use/reduction on the occurrence and spread of antimicrobial resistance.     

Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella spp. in small Indian mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus) in Grenada,West Indies

Intestinal samples from 156 small Indian mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus) collected island-wide in Grenada from April 2011 to March 2013 were examined for the presence of Salmonella enterica spp. Nineteen (12%) mongooses were culture-positive for S. enterica spp. of which five serotypes were identified. Salmonella javiana and S. Montevideo were the most commonly isolated serotypes. The other serotypes isolated were S. Rubislaw, S. Panama and S. Arechavaleta. All isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin–clavulanic acid, ampicillin, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, imipenem and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole. One isolate (S. Montevideo) showed resistance to tetracycline and intermediate resistance to streptomycin. The five isolated Salmonella serotypes are potential human pathogens suggesting that the mongoose may play a role in the epidemiology of human salmonellosis in Grenada.     

Antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella and generic Escherichia coli isolated from surface water samples used for recreation and a source of drinking water in southwestern Ontario,Canada

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the aquatic environment represents an important means of introduction and dissemination of resistance genes, and presence of resistant pathogens in surface waters may pose a public health concern to recreational and drinking water users. The purpose of this study was to explore antimicrobial resistance patterns in water samples collected from the Grand River watershed (southwestern Ontario, Canada) to describe the composition, trends and potential risks of AMR in the aquatic environment. As part of FoodNet Canada and the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS), stream water samples were collected bi‐weekly from sampling sites within the Grand River watershed in the Waterloo, Ontario sentinel site and tested for the presence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella spp. (2005–2013) and generic Escherichia coli (2012–2013). Of all samples tested, 16% of Salmonella and 22% of E. coli isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial, including three Salmonella isolates and two E. coli isolates that were resistant to Category I antimicrobials, which are classified as very high importance for the treatment of serious bacterial infections in humans. The greatest proportion of resistant E. coli isolates were observed from the river site upstream of the drinking water intake, while the greatest proportion of resistant Salmonella isolates were from sites upstream in the watershed, and at one recreational water site. Salmonella resistance trends remained fairly stable between 2007 and 2013, with the exception of streptomycin and tetracycline which increased in 2010 and 2013. Continued surveillance of antimicrobial resistance patterns and exploration of risk factor data will allow for a better understanding of resistance transmission in the aquatic environment.     

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Clostridium difficile Isolates from Family Dairy Farms

A significant risk factor for developing Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in humans and animals is associated with the antimicrobial use. It has often been hypothesized that farm animals could be the source for human infection with Clostridium difficile (CD). In the European Union, family‐run dairy farms are the predominant farming model, which are more interlinked within the community compared to large‐scale intensive dairy or beef farms. Therefore, it is important to investigate antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of CD in such environment. A total of 159 CD isolates from 20 family dairy farms were tested with a customized broth microdilution plate for their antimicrobial resistance. Seventeen antimicrobials were selected (amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, clindamycin, daptomycin, erythromycin, fusidic acid, imipenem, levofloxacin, linezolid, metronidazole, moxifloxacin, oxacillin, rifampicin, tetracycline, tigecycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and vancomycin), which are commonly used for treatment of CDI in veterinary and human medicine, or were previously applied in CD epidemiological studies. Antimicrobials, which are used for treatment of CDI in humans (metronidazole, vancomycin, fusidic acid, tigecycline, linezolid) inhibited CD growth in vitro. Most CD isolates were resistant to erythromycin (93.1%), daptomycin (69.2%) and clindamycin (46.5%). High multiple‐resistance was found in CD ribotype 012 (n = 5, 100%), some CD SLO 060 (n = 4, 25%) and one CD 033 (n = 1, 1.1%). High multiple‐resistance in this study was linked with CD ribotypes and not with the origin of CD. The low prevalence of these ribotypes (6.3%; 10/159) indicates that family‐run dairy farms are an unlikely source of CD with multiple‐resistance to antimicrobials.     

Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles and Diversity in Salmonella from Humans and Cattle, 2004–2011

Analysis of long‐term anti‐microbial resistance (AMR) data is useful to understand source and transmission dynamics of AMR. We analysed 5124 human clinical isolates from Washington State Department of Health, 391 cattle clinical isolates from the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and 1864 non‐clinical isolates from foodborne disease research on dairies in the Pacific Northwest. Isolates were assigned profiles based on phenotypic resistance to 11 anti‐microbials belonging to eight classes. Salmonella Typhimurium (ST), Salmonella Newport (SN) and Salmonella Montevideo (SM) were the most common serovars in both humans and cattle. Multinomial logistic regression showed ST and SN from cattle had greater probability of resistance to multiple classes of anti‐microbials than ST and SN from humans (P < 0.0001). While these findings could be consistent with the belief that cattle are a source of resistant ST and SN for people, occurrence of profiles unique to cattle and not observed in temporally related human isolates indicates these profiles are circulating in cattle only. We used various measures to assess AMR diversity, conditional on the weighting of rare versus abundant profiles. AMR profile richness was greater in the common serovars from humans, although both source data sets were dominated by relatively few profiles. The greater profile richness in human Salmonella may be due to greater diversity of sources entering the human population compared to cattle or due to continuous evolution in the human environment. Also, AMR diversity was greater in clinical compared to non‐clinical cattle Salmonella, and this could be due to anti‐microbial selection pressure in diseased cattle that received treatment. The use of bootstrapping techniques showed that although there were shared profiles between humans and cattle, the expected and observed number of profiles was different, suggesting Salmonella and associated resistance from humans and cattle may not be wholly derived from a common population.     

Prevalence and characterization of multidrug resistance and variant Salmonella genomic island 1 in Salmonella isolates from cattle,poultry and humans in Iran

Salmonella enterica is a common food‐borne pathogen with occasional multidrug resistance (MDR). Salmonella genomic island (SGI1) is a horizontally transmissible genomic island, containing an MDR gene cluster. All Salmonella serotypes are public health concern, although there is an additional concern associated with those that harbour SGI1. In Iran, there are no data on the presence of SGI1 variants in Salmonella isolates. The present study was conducted to identify MDR‐ and SGI1‐carrying Salmonella strains isolated from various sources and to compare their genetic relatedness between human and animal sources. In total, 242 Salmonella isolates collected from chicken, cattle, and humans from 2008 through 2014 were studied. The isolates were tested for resistance to 14 antimicrobials via the disc diffusion method. They were also tested for the presence of SGI1 variants via PCR, and genetic relatedness was evaluated based on pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Resistance to at least one antimicrobial agent was observed in 132 (54%) Salmonella isolates (n = 242), while more than 40% of the isolates showed MDR. Based on PCR analysis, eight variants of SGI1, including SGI1, SGI1‐B, SGI1‐C, SGI1‐D, SGI1‐F, SGI1‐I, SGI1‐J and SGI1‐O, were found in both human and animal isolates. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in the prevalence of SGI1 variants between human and animal isolates (p > 0.05). Macrorestriction PFGE analysis of the isolates with the same SGI1 variant and resistance patterns revealed genetic relatedness ranging from 70% to 100% among human and animal isolates. According to our review, this is the first documentation of SGI1 in Salmonella isolates in Iran. The presence of similar SGI1 variants in both humans and animals, along with their related PFGE patterns, suggests that food‐producing animals may be a source of MDR Salmonella isolates in Iran.     

Prevalence and Characteristics of Salmonella in the Beef Chain in the Republic of Ireland

The study investigated the prevalence, concentration and characteristics of Salmonella spp. in the Irish beef chain. A total of 900 samples including bovine hides, carcasses and ground beef were examined for the pathogen over a 2‐year study (July 2007–June 2009). Salmonella prevalence was low in all sample types; bovine hide (0.75%, 3 of 400); carcasses (0.25%, 1 of 400); and ground beef (3%, 3 of 100). All positive samples contained the pathogen in low concentrations (<10 CFU per cm² or per g). Serovars recovered were S. Dublin from hide and carcasses and S. Braenderup in ground beef. All isolates were susceptible to 13 anti‐microbials. The study highlights that Salmonella can be found at low levels at all stages of beef chain production, processing and retail and that there is a need for multiple hurdle interventions and practices along the beef chain, which will reduce consumer exposure to this pathogen.     

Prevalence and genetic characterization of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs in Iqaluit,Nunavut, Canada

There are few epidemiologic studies on the role of dogs in zoonotic parasitic transmission in the Circumpolar North. The objectives of this study were to: (a) estimate the faecal prevalence of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs; (b) investigate potential associations between the type of dog population and the faecal presence of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp.; and (c) describe the molecular characteristics of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs in Iqaluit, Nunavut. We conducted two cross‐sectional studies in July and September 2016. In July, the team collected daily faecal samples for 3 days from each of 20 sled dogs. In September, the team collected three faecal samples from each of 59 sled dogs, 111 samples from shelter dogs and 104 from community dogs. We analysed faecal samples for the presence of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. using rapid immunoassay and flotation techniques. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of target genes were performed on positive faecal samples. Overall, the faecal prevalence of at least one of the target parasites, when one faecal sample was chosen at random for all dogs, was 8.16% (CI: 5.52–11.92), and for Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp., prevalence was 4.42% (CI: 2.58–7.49) and 6.12% (CI: 3.88–9.53), respectively. The odds of faecal Giardia spp. in sled dogs were significantly higher than those in shelter and community dogs (OR 10.19 [CI: 1.16–89.35]). Sequence analysis revealed that 6 faecal samples were Giardia intestinalis, zoonotic assemblage B (n = 2) and species‐specific assemblages D (n = 3) and E (n = 1), and five faecal samples were Cryptosporidium canis. Giardia intestinalis is zoonotic; however, Cryptosporidium canis is rare in humans and, when present, usually occurs in immunosuppressed individuals. Dogs may be a potential source of zoonotic Giardia intestinalis assemblage B infections in residents in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada; however, the direction of transmission is unclear.     

Multidrug‐Resistant Outbreak‐Associated Salmonella Strains in Irrigation Water from the Metropolitan Region,Chile

Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) is the main cause of foodborne diseases in the Chilean population. With the aim of characterizing the presence of S. enterica in bodies of water, samples from 40 sources were obtained, including rivers and irrigation canals used by agricultural farms in the most populated regions of Chile. As result, 35 S. enterica isolates belonging to several serotypes were detected, with the highest frequency represented by Typhimurium and Enteritidis. All strains showed phenotypic antimicrobial resistance, and most of them were multiresistant to critically important antimicrobials. In addition, the pulse‐field gel electrophoresis analysis using XbaI and BlnI endonucleases showed that seven Salmonella isolates belonging to serotypes Typhimurium, Enteritidis and Infantis had identical pulsotypes to outbreak‐associated clinical isolates detected in the Chilean population, suggesting a public health risk of water pollution in this region. Among sampling sites, the higher detection rates were observed in rural than urban and peri‐urban areas, suggesting that the animal husbandry might contribute for environmental dispersion of this pathogen. Future efforts should address the characterization of cause‐and‐effect relationship between water contamination and foodborne disease, including the implementation of surveillance programmes to tackle potential risks for both human and animal populations.     

浙江部分地区屠宰场待宰猪链球菌的检测及药敏试验

对浙江部分地区屠宰场中猪链球菌的分布和耐药情况进行调查.结果表明,猪链球菌的携带率为13.1%(38/290),其中2型猪链球菌为0.69%(2/290);不同地区之间待宰猪的猪链球菌携带率存在明显的差异,义乌地区的猪链球菌携带率为21.0%(22/139),而江山为0;各地区不同分离株的耐药性无明显差异,均对β-内酰胺类药物敏感,50%以上分离株对四环素、强力霉素、红霉素、麦迪霉素等几种药物表现为多重耐药.     

Investigations of the Distribution and Persistence of Salmonella and Ciprofloxacin‐Resistant Escherichia coli in Turkey Hatcheries in the UK

This study aimed at gaining information on the presence of Salmonella in UK turkey hatcheries and possible epidemiological links between breeding farms, hatcheries and finishing farms. The presence of ciprofloxacin‐resistant E. coli in hatchery samples, as well as in faecal samples from farms, and trends in occurrence of resistance were also investigated. Over a 2 year‐period, four British turkey hatcheries were visited and intensively sampled for the presence of Salmonella and ciprofloxacin‐resistant E. coli. In two hatcheries, a link could be demonstrated between the presence of certain Salmonella serovars in the hatcheries and on breeding and finishing farms. Within the hatcheries, serovars linked to breeding farms were found more frequently in the poult processing and dispatch areas, whereas serovars identified as ‘resident hatchery contaminants’ were predominantly found inside the hatcher cabinets. Ciprofloxacin‐resistant isolates of S. Senftenberg were identified in one hatchery, which coincided with enrofloxacin treatment of some of the breeding flocks. Ciprofloxacin‐resistant E. coli was found in two hatcheries, and the majority of these isolates showed multidrug resistance.     

Changes in the prevalence,genotypes and antimicrobial resistance phenotypes of non‐typhoidal Salmonella recovered from mail‐order hatchling poultry sold at US feed stores, 2013–2015

Every year, multiple outbreaks of salmonellosis in humans are linked to contact with mail‐order chicks and ducks. The objective of this study was to describe the temporal changes in the prevalence of serovars, genotypes and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) phenotypes of non‐typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) recovered from shipped boxes of mail‐order hatchling poultry in the United States during 2013 to 2015. In each year, a sample of feed stores belonging to a single national chain participated in the study. The store employees submitted swabs or hatchling pads from hatchling boxes and shipment tracking information of the arriving boxes to the investigators. NTS was cultured from the samples and isolates were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (Ames, IA) for serotyping, pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and AMR phenotyping. The PFGE patterns of Salmonella serovars isolated from hatchling boxes were compared with those from human outbreaks of salmonellosis linked to live poultry contact. The box‐level prevalence of NTS was significantly higher in 2015 compared to 2014. Also, the population of Salmonella serovars recovered in 2015 was more diverse and substantially different from those recovered in the previous two years. Of PFGE patterns recovered from hatchling boxes, seven distinct patterns in 2015, three in 2014 and four in 2013 were indistinguishable from the PFGE patterns of human outbreaks‐associated strains in the respective years. Importantly, a significant positive correlation was found between the box‐level prevalence of PFGE patterns and the number of human illnesses associated with the same patterns. Also, the proportion of multidrug‐resistant isolates was higher in 2014 and 2015 compared to that in 2013. The results demonstrate that shipments of mail‐order hatchling poultry are frequently contaminated with Salmonella genotypes indistinguishable from human outbreaks‐associated strains each year, and control efforts at hatchery level are likely to have an important public health impact.     

Prevalence,antimicrobial resistance profile and comparison of selective plating media for the isolation of Salmonella in backyard chickens from Entre Rios,Argentina

This study was conducted to estimate the apparent prevalence of Salmonella spp. in birds kept under backyard system in Entre Ríos, Argentina, and determine the performance of two selective plating media used for Salmonella isolation, and the antimicrobial resistance of the isolated. Also, the association of farms characteristics with Salmonella presence was evaluated. A total of 657 backyard chickens and 15 gooses were sampled one time by cloacal swab, belonging to 51 and one family farms, respectively, and four counties in Entre Rios state from April 2014 to May 2015. Only four samples from backyard chickens belonged to three family farms from Uruguay County were positive to Salmonella spp., so the apparent prevalence was 0.6% for this kind of chicken. Four serovars were isolated (Salmonella ser. Lille, S. ser. Newport, S. ser. Enteritidis and S. ser. Rissen), which were susceptible to all antibiotics tested with the exception of erythromycin. For Hektoen enteric agar and brilliant green agar, relative specificity and positive predictive value were 1, and the relative sensitivity and negative predictive value did not show any difference between them. The agreement was very good between these two plating media. None of the variables studied could be selected to calculate the risk factors associated with Salmonella isolation because p > .15. Although the prevalence of Salmonella spp. is low in backyard birds in Entre Rios, the presence of S. ser. Enteritidis should not be discounted, because it is found in the county that concentrates a large population of intensive poultry production in the state.     

Genomic diversity and resistome profiles of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Kentucky isolated from food and animal sources in Ireland

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Kentucky is frequently isolated from poultry, dairy and beef cattle, the environment and people with clinical salmonellosis globally. However, the sources of this serovar and its diversity and antimicrobial resistance capacities remain poorly described in many regions. To further understand the genetic diversity and antimicrobial sensitivity patterns among S. Kentucky strains isolated from non-human sources in Ireland, we sequenced and analysed the genomes of 61 isolates collected from avian, bovine, canine, ovine, piscine, porcine, environmental and vegetation sources between 2000 and 2016. The majority of isolates (n = 57, 93%) were sequence type (ST) 314, while only three isolates were ST198 and one was ST152. Several isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR) and 14 carried at least one acquired antimicrobial resistance gene. When compared to a database of publicly available ST314, four distinct clades were identified (clades I–IV), with the majority of isolates from Ireland clustering together in Clade I. Two of the three ST198 isolates were characteristic of those originating outside of the Americas (Clade ST198.2), while one was distantly clustered with isolates from South and North America (Clade ST198.1). The genomes of the two clade ST198.2 isolates encoded Salmonella Genomic Island 1 (SGI1), were multidrug-resistant and encoded polymorphisms in the DNA gyrase (gyrA) and DNA topoisomerase (parC) known to confer resistance to fluoroquinolones. The single ST152 isolate was from raw beef, clustered with isolates from food and bovine sources in North America and was pan-susceptible. Results of this study indicate that most S. Kentucky isolates from non-human sources in Ireland are closely related ST314 and only a few isolates are antimicrobial-resistant. This study also demonstrates the presence of multidrug-resistant ST198 in food sources in Ireland.     

Salmonella enterica serovar Kentucky recovered from human clinical cases in Maryland,USA (2011–2015)

Salmonella Kentucky is among the most frequently isolated S. enterica serovars from food animals in the United States. Recent research on isolates recovered from these animals suggests there may be geographic and host specificity signatures associated with S. Kentucky strains. However, the sources and genomic features of human clinical S. Kentucky isolated in the United States remain poorly described. To investigate the characteristics of clinical S. Kentucky and the possible sources of these infections, the genomes of all S. Kentucky isolates recovered from human clinical cases in the State of Maryland between 2011 and 2015 (n = 12) were sequenced and compared to a database of 525 previously sequenced S. Kentucky genomes representing 12 sequence types (ST) collected from multiple sources on several continents. Of the 12 human clinical S. Kentucky isolates from Maryland, nine were ST198, two were ST152, and one was ST314. Forty‐one per cent of isolates were recovered from patients reporting recent international travel and 58% of isolates encoded genomic characteristics similar to those originating outside of the United States. Of the five isolates not associated with international travel, three encoded antibiotic resistance genes conferring resistance to tetracycline or aminoglycosides, while two others only encoded the cryptic aac(6′)‐Iaa gene. Five isolates recovered from individuals with international travel histories (ST198) and two for which travel was not recorded (ST198) encoded genes conferring resistance to between 4 and 7 classes of antibiotics. Seven ST198 genomes encoded the Salmonella Genomic Island 1 and substitutions in the gyrA and parC genes known to confer resistance to ciprofloxacin. Case report data on food consumption and travel were, for the most part, consistent with the inferred S. Kentucky phylogeny. Results of this study indicate that the majority of S. Kentucky infections in Maryland are caused by ST198 which may originate outside of North America.     

Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Campylobacter spp. Isolated from Broiler Chicken Meat of Estonian,Latvian and Lithuanian Origin at Estonian Retail Level and from Patients with Severe Enteric Infections in Estonia

The resistance patterns of Campylobacter spp. isolated from retail broiler chicken meat originating either from Estonia, Lithuania or Latvia collected in Estonia were determined. Additionally, in collaboration with the laboratories of several Estonian hospitals, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined for Campylobacter isolates from patients with severe Campylobacter enteric infections. The isolates were identified at the species level by the PCR method. Respectively, 88.8% of the isolates were C. jejuni, and 11.2% were C. coli. In total, 126 Campylobacter isolates of broiler chicken meat and human origin were tested for minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) with the broth microdilution VetMIC^TH method (National Veterinary Institute; Uppsala, Sweden) for a total of six antimicrobials. Resistance to one or more antimicrobials was detected in 62 (63.3%) of Campylobacter broiler chicken meat isolates and in 20 (71.4%) of human‐origin isolates. Large proportions of the broiler chicken meat isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin (60.2%). Multidrug resistance (i.e. to three or more unrelated antimicrobials) was detected in five (5.1%) C. jejuni isolates. Among the human isolates, 20 (71.4%) were resistant to fluoroquinolones, and two (7.1%) C. jejuni isolates exhibited multidrug resistance. The chicken meat isolates of Estonian origin were the most susceptible. However, a high proportion of fluoroquinolone‐resistant C. jejuni isolates were found in Latvian and Lithuanian products. The results of this study indicate that the problems caused by the inappropriate use of antimicrobials extend beyond the country in which a food originates; therefore, both domestic and international interventions and agreements are required to implement common policies on antimicrobial usage and to minimize the emergence of Campylobacter drug resistance.     

Epidemiology of Salmonella on the Paws and in the Faeces of Free‐Ranging Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) in Southern Ontario,Canada

Raccoons are common in urban and rural environments and can carry a wide range of bacteria, including Salmonella, that can negatively affect human and livestock health. Although previous studies have reported that raccoons shed a variety of Salmonella serovars in their faeces, it is unknown whether Salmonella is carried on raccoon paws. Our objective was to compare the prevalence of Salmonella on the paws and in the faeces of raccoons in south‐western Ontario. Raccoons were sampled in a repeat cross‐sectional study on five swine farms and five conservation areas from May to October 2012. A total of 416 paired faecal and paw samples were collected from 285 individual raccoons. Salmonella was detected in 18% (75/416; 95% CI, 14–22%) and 27% (111/416; 95% CI, 22–31%) of paw and faecal samples, respectively. Salmonella was detected only on paws in 8% (35/416; 95% CI, 5.9–11.5%), only in faeces in 17% (71/416; 95% CI, 13.6–21.0%) and on both paws and in faeces in 10% (40/416; 95% CI, 7.0–12.9%) of raccoon captures. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to examine associations between the presence of Salmonella and age (adult, juvenile), sex (male, female), location type (swine farm, conservation area), sample type (faeces, paw) and season (May–July and August–October). Random intercepts were included to account for clustering by individual animal and location. Significant differences, that varied by sample type and season, were noted in the prevalence of Salmonella carriage between sexes. Raccoons can carry Salmonella serovars known to infect humans and livestock on their paws and/or in their faeces and therefore have the potential to mechanically and biologically disseminate Salmonella among livestock facilities and human recreational areas.