Foal-Heat Diarrhea Is Not Caused by the Presence of Yeasts in Gastrointestinal Tract of Foals

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a normal yeast flora is present in the intestine of healthy foals and whether establishing yeast flora or yeast overgrowth might be associated with foal-heat diarrhea. Among the sampled foals, 49% showed foal-heat diarrhea and 28.3% were positive for yeasts. Candida famata was isolated 9 times; Geotrichum sp., 6; Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 5; Cryptococcus laurentii, 4; Rhodotorula sp., 3; Zygosaccharomyces sp., 2; and Candida colliculosa, Candida globosa, and Candida pelliculosa 1 time, respectively. The colony-forming unit ranged from 1 to 10 in all positive cultures. Fifteen of 92 (16.3%) foals with heat diarrhea and 11 of 92 (11.9%) asymptomatic animals yielded positive samples for yeasts. None of the animals shed the same yeast more than 2 times consecutively, and yeasts were found in pure or mixed culture. Equine gastrointestinal tract did not appear to be colonized by yeasts during the first 15 days of life, and yeasts are not involved in foal-heat diarrhea.     

Characterization of cell wall associated proteins of a Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine mastitis case by a proteomic approach

Staphylococcus aureus causes different pathologies in humans and animals. In particular, it is involved in intramammary infections in cows, causing economic losses and milk-safety problems. Although it is well-known that surface components (proteins and capsular polysaccharides) and exotoxins are virulence factors involved in the pathogenesis of bovine mastitis, less is known about the precise biochemical identity of such molecules. Therefore, mapping of surface proteins using specific disease- and environment-isolates provides a benchmark for strain comparison of pathogens with different pathogenic characteristics and antibiotic resistance mechanism and can aid in defining specific vaccine and therapeutic targets. In this study, we used a proteomic approach on protein extracts of lysostaphin-treated S. aureus in isotonic conditions, to produce a reproducible and well resolved 2-D electrophoresis (2-DE) reference map of surface associated proteins of isolated S. aureus from a case of bovine mastitis. The most abundant protein components were identified by Matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry.     

Prevalence of cryptosporidian infection in cats in Turin and analysis of risk factors

An epidemiological study was carried out to identify factors associated with the risk of cryptosporidian infection in cats. Faecal samples from 200 domestic cats were collected in the small animal clinic at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Turin (north-west Italy). The faecal samples were analysed for the presence of Cryptosporidium species oocysts using a centrifugation concentration floatation method. For each cat, age, sex, breed, indoor/outdoor status, diet, diarrhoea and presence of other enteric parasites were analysed for association with Cryptosporidium species infection. Cryptosporidia oocysts were identified in 49 cats (24.5%) aged from 2 months to 18 years. Statistical analysis revealed that four variables are significantly associated with an increased risk of infection: less than 1 year of age (chi(2)=6.5, P=0.01), feeding home-cooked diet (chi(2)=6.92, P<0.01), presence of diarrhoea (chi(2)=4.34, P<0.037), and presence of other enteric parasites (chi(2)=10.31, P<0.01). No statistical differences were found for sex (chi(2)=1.56, P=0.21), breed (chi(2)=0.78, P=0.38) and outdoor/indoor status (chi(2)=1.49, P=0.22). Cryptosporidium species was the parasite most frequently detected in the cats surveyed.