妊娠期环境雌激素双酚A暴露对子代成年雌鼠的生殖损伤作用

为探究母鼠妊娠期暴露双酚A(BPA)对子代成年雌性小鼠生殖损伤作用及DNA甲基转移酶(DNMT)基因表达量的影响,将120只妊娠母鼠随机分为6组,每组20只。各组分别在母鼠孕0.5～17.5 d内按0、2.5、5、10、20、40 mg·(kg·d)~(-1)剂量灌胃BPA。每组随机选取10只子代成年(56 d)雌鼠,麻醉后处死,收集血液、子宫和卵巢;统计子鼠成年时子宫和卵巢指数;HE染色观察子代雌鼠卵巢的组织形态学变化;放射性免疫法检测子代雌鼠血清中卵泡刺激素(FSH)、黄体生成素(LH)、雌二醇(E_2)和孕酮(P_4)水平;酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)检测子代雌鼠卵巢内雌激素受体α(ERα)、雌激素受体β(ERβ)的含量;实时荧光定量PCR法检测子代雌鼠卵巢内ERα、孕酮受体(PgR)、DNMT1、DNMT3A和DNMT3B mRNA转录水平。结果显示,BPA显著降低子代雌鼠血清FSH、LH、E_2和P_4水平,显著提高子代雌鼠卵巢ERα和ERβ含量,显著降低子代雌鼠卵巢ERα、PgR和DNMT mRNA的转录水平(P0.05或P0.01)。BPA暴露子代小鼠成年时卵巢和子宫指数增大,HE染色观察卵巢实质发生萎缩,初级和次级卵泡数量增加。本研究表明,妊娠期暴露BPA可促进成年子鼠卵巢产生卵泡,显著降低生殖激素的含量及活性,显著增加卵巢激素受体的含量,抑制卵巢激素受体和DNMT的转录,对子代产生生殖损伤。     

母鼠孕期暴露双酚A对子代断乳雄鼠生殖内分泌以及睾丸DNA甲基化的影响

为探究母鼠妊娠期暴露双酚A(bisphenol A,BPA)对子代断乳雄鼠生殖内分泌与睾丸DNA甲基化的影响。按0,2.5,5.0,10.0,20.0,40.0 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1 )BPA剂量在妊娠期(PND)1～17 d灌胃孕鼠,制备孕鼠BPA暴露模型。然后统计母鼠妊娠期流产率,仔鼠断乳时存活率,睾丸系数。放射免疫法检测血清中雌二醇(E_2)、睾酮(T)含量;酶联免疫吸附法检测血清中雌激素受体α(ERα)、雌激素受体β(ERβ)含量;实时定量荧光PCR法检测睾丸中DNA甲基转移酶1(Dnmt1)、DNA甲基转移酶3a(Dnmt3a)、DNA甲基转移酶3b(Dnmt3b)mRNA相对转录水平。结果显示,20.0 mg/kg BPA暴露可极显著增加断乳时仔鼠睾丸系数(P0.01);20.0,40.0 mg/kg BPA暴露可显著增加母鼠流产率(P0.05),极显著降低仔鼠存活率(P0.01);2.5,20.0 mg/kg BPA暴露可极显著提高仔鼠血清T和ERβ含量(P0.01);各BPA剂量均可极显著降低仔鼠血清雌二醇水平(P0.01),促进睾丸内Dnmt1转录,抑制Dnmt3a和Dnmt3b转录;血清中雌激素受体α含量与BPA剂量呈现非线性关系。表明BPA通过干扰子代雄鼠睾丸内DNA甲基转移酶(Dnmt)的转录,使睾酮、雌二醇及雌激素受体分泌紊乱,影响子代雄鼠的生殖机能。     

菟丝子黄酮缓解妊娠期双酚A暴露对子代成年雌鼠的生殖损伤作用

为探究菟丝子黄酮(CCFs)对母鼠妊娠期暴露双酚A(BPA)导致的子代成年雌鼠生殖损伤的缓解作用,将50只妊娠母鼠随机分为5组,即空白对照组、BPA模型组、BPA+低剂量CCFs组、BPA+中剂量CCFs组、BPA+高剂量CCFs组,每组10只,分别在孕1～17 d灌胃0.2 mL含有相应剂量药物的玉米油。待仔鼠出生56日龄时,每组随机选取10只子代成年雌鼠,收集血液和卵巢,统计各组成年雌鼠的卵巢指数;检测各组子代成年雌鼠血清中促性腺激素释放激素(GnRH)、卵泡刺激素(FSH)、黄体生成素(LH)的含量;检测每组卵巢组织中雌激素(E₂)、孕酮(P₄)、雌激素受体α(ERα)、雌激素受体β(ERβ)水平;检测卵巢组织活性氧(ROS)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、丙二醛(MDA)活性;HE染色观察各组卵巢组织学改变;荧光定量PCR法检测卵巢组织Nrf2、NQO1、HO-1 mRNA的表达。结果显示,BPA模型组小鼠卵巢指数升高,GnRH、FSH、LH、E₂和P₄激素水平降低,卵巢组织中ER水平紊乱。BP...     

母鼠孕期和哺乳期连续染毒双酚A对子代雄鼠睾丸发育的影响

旨在探究双酚A (BPA)对子代雄鼠睾丸发育的影响。本研究将8周龄体重18～22 g的SPF级母鼠随机分为7组,每组4个重复,每个重复5只,A组每天给予普通蒸馏水,B组每天饮水给予0.05 mg·kg^-1 BPA,C组每天饮水给予0.5 mg·kg^-1 BPA组,D组每天饮水给予5 mg·kg^-1 BPA,E组每天饮水给予10 mg·kg^-1 BPA,F组每天饮水给予20 mg·kg^-1 BPA,G组每天饮水给予50 mg·kg^-1 BPA。F0代母鼠自怀孕起直至F1代子鼠断奶止饮水染毒BPA,F1代雄鼠于断奶(21日龄)处死。ELISA结果显示,母鼠染毒BPA剂量5 mg·kg^-1以上时,子代血清和睾丸组织BPA含量显著增加(P<0.05)。睾丸器官指数测定结果证明,染毒BPA剂量大于等于20 mg·kg^-1可导致子代雄鼠睾丸指数显著增大(P<0.05)。H&E染色显示,母鼠染毒BPA剂量大于等于10 mg·kg^-1可导致睾丸生精小管萎缩,小管间隙变大。彗星试验结果证明,染毒BPA大于等于5 mg·kg^-1可使子代睾丸细胞核DNA损伤显著上升(P<0.05)。免疫组化结果显示,母鼠染毒BPA剂量大于等于20 mg·kg^-1时子代睾丸雄激素受体(AR)表达量显著减少(P<0.05)。转录组测序结果显示,母鼠染毒50 mg·kg^-1BPA后子代雄鼠睾丸剪切体代谢通路U5 snRNA亚基编码基因Snrnp40上调,剪切体通用蛋白组件编码基因Hnrnpu下调,导致mRNA转录后修饰第一步受阻,荧光定量PCR结果与转录组测序结果一致,证实了转录组结果。结果表明,母鼠暴露于低剂量BPA可以引起子代睾丸发育异常,其分子机制可能与剪切体进行mRNA转录后修饰第一步反应受阻有关。     

胎儿期至性成熟期持续暴露双酚A影响雌鼠卵巢核糖体功能

双酚A(BPA)是一种常见的环境类雌激素,对动物产生生殖毒性。为了探究长期双酚A暴露对卵巢发育的影响,将孕0 d昆明小鼠(8周龄,体质量25～30 g,SPF级)随机分为7组,每组4个重复,每个重复5只。A组每天饮水给予蒸馏水(0.00 mg/kg BPA)作为对照组,B组每天饮水给与0.05 mg/kg BPA,C组每天饮水给与0.50 mg/kg BPA,D组每天饮水给与5.00 mg/kg BPA,E组每天饮水给与10.00 mg/kg BPA,F组每天饮水给与20.00 mg/kg BPA,G组每天饮水给与50.00 mg/kg BPA。BPA饮水自母鼠孕0 d到仔鼠45 d性成熟,共计63 d。结果显示,BPA剂量≥0.50 mg/kg时,仔鼠血清和卵巢中BPA含量显著增加(P0.05),但仔鼠卵巢器官指数均无显著变化和病理损伤。TUNEL结果显示,染毒BPA≥10.00 mg/kg时卵巢颗粒细胞发生细胞凋亡(P0.05)。当染毒BPA剂量≥0.50 mg/kg时仔鼠卵巢ERα表达量显著增多(P0.05);低剂量BPA (0.05～10.00 mg/kg)显著降低ERβ表达,较高剂量(20.00～50.00 mg/kg)显著增加ERβ表达。转录组测序结果显示,BPA影响了卵巢核糖体通路,其中核糖体蛋白L21、Sa表达基因显著下调,核糖体蛋白L3、S2、L7a、S26、L26表达基因显著上调。这些基因的改变可能会导致胚胎生殖系统发育受阻和卵巢早熟。荧光定量PCR验证了转录组结果。本研究证实长期低剂量BPA暴露不会导致性成熟期小鼠卵巢器官指数变化和明显病理损伤,但会导致卵巢细胞凋亡和ER表达异常,BPA的生殖毒性可能与核糖体功能蛋白表达异常有关。     

母子两代连续双酚A暴露对子鼠睾丸发育的影响

双酚A(BPA)是一种无处不在的环境雌激素,长期暴露或接触会影响动物的生殖功能。为了探究持续低剂量暴露BPA对雄鼠生殖器官和功能的影响,将妊娠0 d孕鼠随机分为7组,每组20只,分别为空白对照组,0.05 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组,0.50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组,5.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组,10.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组,20.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组, 50.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) BPA组。自母鼠怀孕0 d起持续饮水染毒BPA至哺乳期结束,仔鼠21 d断奶后直接以继续饮水染毒至45日龄性成熟期,共染毒63 d。子代雄鼠于45 d处死。结果显示,染毒BPA剂量大于等于10.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)时雄鼠血清BPA含量显著高于空白对照组(P<0.05),染毒BPA剂量大于等于20.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)时睾丸组织BPA含量显著高于空白对照组(P<0.05)。H&E染色和睾丸器官指数测定结果显示染毒BPA剂量10.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)以上导致睾丸生精小管萎缩,小管间隙变大,50.00 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)以上导致子代雄鼠睾丸指数显著增大(P<0.05)。染毒BPA剂量在0.50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)以上时睾丸精子活力与密度相较于空白对照组均显著减少(P<0.05),而各染毒组精子畸形率均显著大于空白对照组(P<0.05)。染毒BPA剂量在0.50 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)以上时睾丸生殖细胞核DNA损伤显著大于空白对照组(P<0.05)。染毒BPA剂量在0.05 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)以上时睾丸雄激素受体(AR)表达量显著减少(P<0.05)。转录组测序结果显示染毒BPA可导致雄鼠睾丸剪切体U1亚基蛋白质C合成基因Snrpc和剪切体通用载体组件编码基因Hnrnpu均显著下调,使得mRNA的转录后修饰第一步即无法进行,剪切体功能受阻可能是BPA影响睾丸发育的重要原因。荧光定量PCR证实了转录组结果,并进一步证明了Hnrnpu对BPA的敏感性大于Snrpc。     

细胞松弛素B对猪孤雌囊胚DNA甲基化和组蛋白乙酰化的影响

以猪电激活孤雌胚胎为研究对象,通过添加细胞松弛素B(CB)对胚胎发育过程中DNA甲基化和组蛋白乙酰化的变化进行了研究。利用荧光定量PCR检测了囊胚中DNA甲基转移酶(Dnmt1,Dnmt3a,Dnmt3b)、组蛋白乙酰转移酶(Hat1)、组蛋白去乙酰化酶(Hdac1)以及凋亡相关基因(Bax,Casp3)mRNA水平的表达,并通过免疫荧光染色检测了囊胚中5hmc/5mc,AcH3K9,H3K9me3的表达水平。结果显示:5mg/L CB处理4h能够显著提高猪孤雌囊胚的卵裂率和囊胚率(P0.05),减少囊胚细胞凋亡数量;DNA甲基转移酶(Dnmt1,Dnmt3a,Dnmt3b)、组蛋白乙酰转移酶(Hat1)、组蛋白去乙酰化酶(Hdac1)以及凋亡相关基因(Bax,Casp3)mRNA水平均明显下降;AcH3K9的表达无明显变化;而5hmc/5mc和H3K9me3的表达明显升高。该结果为进一步研究猪胚胎发育过程中的表观遗传变化提供了试验依据。     

年龄对小鼠植入前胚胎Dnmts表达量的影响

为了研究老化对小鼠植入前不同时期胚胎DNA甲基转移酶(Dnmts)表达量的影响,试验利用Western-blot方法分别检测了青、老年小鼠2细胞/4细胞、8细胞/桑椹胚、囊胚三种胚胎的Dnmts(Dnmt3a、Dnmt1、Dnmt3b、Dnmt3L)表达量。结果表明：青年和老年小鼠2细胞/4细胞胚胎除Dnmt3a表达量差异不显著(P>0.05)外,其余3种DNA甲基转移酶(Dnmt1、Dnmt3b、Dnmt3L)表达量均随年龄增加呈显著下降趋势(P<0.05);在8细胞/桑椹胚和囊胚中青年和老年小鼠4种DNA甲基转移酶表达量均无显著差异(P>0.05)。说明老化会导致小鼠2细胞和4细胞胚胎Dnmts表达量产生波动,对其他时期胚胎影响不大。     

雌激素受体和雌性生殖研究进展

雌激素通过雌激素受体（ER）在雌性生殖活动中起着重要作用,雌激素受体是配体依赖的转录调节因子,属核受体超家族成员。目前认为存在2种亚型：即经典的ERα和新发现的ERβ。利用基因敲除技术研究表明,ERα和ERβ对于卵巢的发育不是必需的,但ERα可通过负反馈回路调节排卵,而ERβ通过卵巢内和卵巢外2条途径调节卵泡的发育和排卵,两者共同作用以维持雌性性征、卵泡发育和排卵等生理活动;在子宫中,ERα占主导作用,在子宫成熟和胚胎附植过程中起着重要作用,ERβ则能以反应特异性和剂量依赖性的方式调节ERα的作用。     

孕鼠暴露双酚A对仔鼠存活率、生殖激素及相关基因的影响

为了研究孕鼠在孕期暴露双酚A（bisphenol A,BPA）对仔鼠生殖激素及相关基因的影响,试验将40只昆明孕鼠随机分为A、B、C、D共4组,每组10只。其中A组为对照组,饲喂普通鼠粮;B、C、D组孕鼠整个妊娠期（妊娠1 d至分娩）分别按每只鼠每天50、500、2 500 mg/kg体重给予BPA,待孕鼠自然分娩,观察记录仔鼠死亡情况。至仔鼠性成熟（56日龄）剖杀仔鼠,摘取睾丸或卵巢称重并计算脏器指数,HE染色观察卵巢或睾丸组织结构的变化,ELISA试剂盒分析仔鼠血清睾酮（T）、促卵泡素（FSH）及雌二醇（E₂）水平,免疫组织化学方法检测仔鼠睾丸或卵巢Bax、Bcl-2蛋白的表达,实时荧光定量PCR检测仔鼠睾丸StAR、CYP11a或卵巢AMH、Kitlg mRNA表达。结果显示,孕鼠暴露BPA极显著增加了仔鼠死亡率（P<0.01）,显著降低了仔鼠睾丸重（P<0.05）。ELISA检测结果表明,孕鼠暴露BPA极显著降低了仔鼠T（♂）及FSH（♀）含量（P<0.01）,极显著升高了仔鼠（♀） E₂水平（P<0.01）。HE染色结果显示,随BPA剂量增加,仔鼠睾丸组织损伤严重,间质细胞减少;卵巢组织结构随BPA剂量增大,空泡逐渐增多,黄体颗粒数量逐渐减少。免疫组化结果显示,孕鼠暴露BPA增加了仔鼠睾丸或卵巢组织中Bax阳性蛋白表达,减少了Bcl-2阳性蛋白表达,显著降低了雄性仔鼠StAR mRNA表达量（P<0.05）;B、D组雄性仔鼠CYP11a mRNA表达量极显著降低（P<0.01）,而C组CYP11a mRNA表达量极显著升高（P<0.01）;C、D组雌鼠Kitlg mRNA表达极显著降低（P<0.01）,AMH mRNA表达量显著升高（P<0.05）。本试验结果表明,孕鼠妊娠期暴露不同剂量BPA增加了仔鼠死亡率,扰乱了生殖激素平衡和睾丸/卵巢中相关凋亡蛋白及生殖基因表达。     

Salmonella in pork cuttings in supermarkets and butchers' shops in Denmark in 2002 and 2006

The prevalence of Salmonella in fresh pork cuttings in Denmark in the years 2002 and 2006 was investigated at retail and compared with the retail supply pattern. A total of 1025 and 3473 samples were taken in 2002 from butcher's shops and supermarkets, respectively. The corresponding numbers in 2006 were 259 from butchers' shops and 628 from supermarkets. In 2002, 1.2% of all samples were positive for Salmonella; butchers' shops and supermarkets had 1.8% and 1.0% positive samples, respectively. The overall prevalence in 2006 was 4.2%, with prevalence of 8.1% and 2.6% for butchers' shops and supermarkets, respectively. Hence, increases around 3- to 5-fold were found. There was neither observed any parallel increase in Salmonella positive carcasses in Danish slaughterhouses during the study period, nor were any changes in supply routes towards slaughterhouses with higher prevalence observed, which could explain the apparent increase. We hypothesize that hygiene levels and ability to avoid cross-contamination and prevent growth of the organism, in the meat processing chain after slaughter were the most likely responsible factors. Results from this study indicate that the hygiene performance, particularly at retail, has a significant impact on the occurrence of Salmonella. This implies that there is no direct link between slaughterhouse Salmonella surveillance data and the level of Salmonella contamination at retail. To improve risk assessment of Salmonella in fresh pork meat, this study underlines the need for comprehensive retail data.     

Helminth and protozoan parasites in dogs and cats in Belgium

This study investigates the level of helminthic and protozoal infestation over the last 10 years in strays, well-cared-for dogs and cats. Determination of the prevalence of infections was based either on faecal examination or on worm counts at necropsy. Of 2324 faecal flotations (NaCl sp.gr. 1.20) of stray dogs, 34.2% had eggs or proglottids of one or more worm species consisting of Toxocara canis (17.4%), Toxascaris leonina (10.1%), Uncinaria stenocephala (11.4%), Trichuris vulpis (7.0%) and cestodes (2.1%). Isospora oocysts were observed in 5.2% of the dogs. The data on the distribution of the various worm species in the positive dogs indicate that T. canis eggs were by far the most common (50.9%). Necropsy data from 212 infected dogs indicate that 38.9% were infected with T. canis and 33.7% with T. leonina. The overall prevalence of worm infestation of 246 well-cared-for kennel dogs, based on worm egg counts by the McMaster technique, was 36.1%. Of 30 feline faecal samples examined by flotation, 83.3% were positive for parasites, including Toxocara cati (60%), Ancylostoma tubaeformae (36.6%), Taenia (Hydatigera) taeniaeformis (20%) and coccidia (30%). Toxocara cati was the most frequently found worm species at the necropsy of 25 cats (52%). Toxoplasma was not observed.     

Sanguinarine metabolism and pharmacokinetics study in vitro and in vivo

Sanguinarine (SA) is a benzo[c] phenanthridine alkaloid which has a variety of pharmacological properties. However, very little was known about the pharmacokinetics of SA and its metabolite dihydrosanguinarine (DHSA) in pigs. The purpose of this work was to study the intestinal metabolism of SA in vitro and in vivo. Reductive metabolite DHSA was detected during incubation of SA with intestinal mucosa microsomes, cytosol, and gut flora. After oral (p.o.) administration of SA, the result showed SA might be reduced to DHSA in pig intestine. After i.m. administration, SA and DHSA rapidly increased to reach their peak concentrations (C_max, 30.16 ± 5.85, 5.61 ± 0.73 ng/ml, respectively) at 0.25 hr. Both compounds were completely eliminated from the plasma after 24 hr. After single oral administration, SA and DHSA rapidly increased to reach their C_max (3.41 ± 0.36, 2.41 ± 0.24 ng/ml, respectively) at 2.75 ± 0.27 hr. The half-life (T_1/2) values were 2.33 ± 0.11 hr and 2.20 ± 0.12 hr for SA and DHSA, respectively. After multiple oral administration, the average steady-state concentrations (C_ss) of SA and DHSA were 3.03 ± 0.39 and 1.42 ± 0.20 ng/ml. The accumulation indexes for SA and DHSA were 1.21 and 1.11. The work reported here provides important information on the metabolism sites and pharmacokinetic character of SA. It explains the reasons for low toxicity of SA, which is useful for the evaluation of its performance.     

Chlortetracycline in swine-bioavailability and pharmacokinetics in fasted and fed pigs

Chlortetracycline hydrochloride was administered intra-arterially (11 mg/kg) and as an oral drench (33 mg/kg) to ten 21.0-31.5-kg pigs. Five of the pigs were fasted 18 h prior to dosing and five of the pigs were fed ad libitum prior to dosing. The mean volume of distribution determined by area-under-the-curve calculations for the fasted pigs (0.967 +/- 0.210 l/kg) was significantly less (P less than 0.05) than the mean volume of distribution for the fed pigs (1.39 +/- 0.31 l/kg). Mean total body clearance of the drug was also significantly less (P less than 0.05) in the fasted pigs (0.165 +/- 0.055 l/kg/h) as compared to the fed pigs (0.307 +/- 0.053 l/kg/h). The elimination constants (beta) were not found to be statistically different (P less than 0.05): 0.1811 +/- 0.0057 for the fasted pigs; 0.2260 +/- 0.0461 for the fed pigs. The bioavailability for both groups was similar; 19.12 +/- 8.3% for the fasted pigs and 17.88 +/- 5.3% for the fed pigs. In a second experiment three groups of six pigs which weighed 34.5-44.1 kg were fed a corn-soy diet ad libitum. The rations were fortified with chlortetracycline at 100, 400 or 1000 mg chlortetracycline hydrochloride/kg feed. Chlortetracycline concentrations were determined in plasma samples collected over a 6-day period. Plasma chlortetracycline concentrations reach a plateau within 24 h after initial access to the trial diets and were highly correlated with the dose of the drug consumed (r2 = 0.97).     

2005年国内蛋、肉鸡市场分析回顾及2006年走势预测

2005年如果没有年底的禽流感疫情,对于我国蛋鸡、肉鸡生产来说应该是一个非常完美的丰收年,是哪些因素导致了2005年蛋鸡市场如此好的行情?2006年我国家禽市场又将走向何方?……作者对以上热点问题进行了深入分析研究,供读者参考。     

Pharmacokinetics of penicillin-G in ewes and cows in late pregnancy and in early lactation

Concentrations of penicillin-G in serum were determined after single intravenous doses of potassium penicillin-G (10 mg/kg body wt) to ewes and cows in late pregnancy and in early lactation. Penicillin-G in serum was analysed by a microbiological method and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by model-independent methods. Serum concentrations were lower in early lactation than in late pregnancy in both ewes and cows. The differences were statistically significant at most sampling times in ewes but only during the first hour in cows.
Weight corrected values of clearance and volume of distribution were significantly higher in early lactation than in late pregnancy in both ewes and cows. Mean residence time and elimination-half life were shorter in lactating than in pregnant ewes, however for the latter parameter the difference was not statistically significant. Neither of these parameters changed in cows.
It is concluded that in both ewes and cows pharmacokinetic parameters of penicillin-G are altered from late pregnancy to early lactation but that these changes have little practical impact and do not call for a revised dosage regime of the studied drug.     

Housing of dogs and cats in shelters and kennels in Switzerland

The study deals with the situation regarding housing of dogs and cats in Swiss shelters and kennels. In shelters, dogs were mainly held inside a cubicle with a small outside yard. In kennels, housing of dogs took place mainly in inside rooms. Usually two or three dogs were kept together. Cats were held in rooms, with or without outside yards, mainly in groups; no establishment preferred exclusively the housing in cubicles. Shelters received on average 183 dogs and 262 cats each year. Among them, about a third were lost animals while the remaining ones were relinquished. The study highlights some possibilities for improvements and the great diversity of the establishments regarding their size, infrastructure, housing conditions and aims.     

Salmonellae and Campylobacters in Household and Stray Dogs in Northern Taiwan

Rectal swabs were collected from 437 household and 491 stray dogs in northern Taiwan from May 2003 to June 2005 to investigate the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibilities of salmonellae and campylobacters. The results revealed that 2.1% of household dogs and 6.3% of stray dogs were positive for salmonellae, with Salmonella Duesseldorf being the most dominant serotype in both. Additionally, 2.7% of the household dogs and 23.8% of the stray dogs were positive for campylobacters. Campylobacter jejuni was the most prevalent species (86.8%), followed by C. upsaliensis (9.3%) and C. coli (3.9%). Both salmonella and campylobacter isolation rates from the stray dogs were significantly higher than those from the household dogs (p < 0.01). The susceptibility of 33 C. jejuni isolates to eight antimicrobials was studied by the E-test. A high rate of resistance was observed to azithromycin (93.9%), clindamycin (87.9%), erythromycin (81.8%), tetracycline (78.8%), chloramphenicol (69.7%), nalidixic acid (51.5%), gentamicin (33.3%), and ciprofloxacin (18.2%). The susceptibility of 40 Salmonella isolates to 15 antimicrobials was also studied by the disc-diffusion method. All the Salmonella isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone. Resistance was observed most frequently to tetracycline (77.5%), chloramphenicol (52.5%), and ampicillin (50%).