Introduction to the alpha-proteobacteria: Wolbachia and Bartonella, Rickettsia, Brucella, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma

Wolbachia is an obligate intracellular endosymbiont and likely mutualist living within the heartworm Dirofilaria immitis and a number of other filarial nematodes in the family Onchocercidae. The bacterial infection is passed from worm to worm transovarially; the organisms are in ovarian cells, the developing microfilariae, and multiply and persist in all later developmental stages through the mosquito and into the next host. Besides being present in the ovaries of the adult worms, they also are present in large numbers within the hypodermal tissues of the nematode. It is now know that these bacteria that were first observed in heartworms more than 30 years ago are actually related to similar Wolbachia bacteria that are found in arthropods. Wolbachia is an alpha-proteobacteria, and this group includes a number of important arthropod-transmitted bacterial agents of dogs and cats: Rickettsia rickettsii, R. felis, Anaplasma platys, Ehrlichia canis, E. chaffeensis, and E. ewingii. Alpha-proteobacteria are also important as obligate intracellular mutualists in plants in which they are responsible for nitrogen fixation. Recent work on the treatment of heartworms in dogs with doxycycline stems from related work with the human filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus that causes river blindness in people.     

Suitability of the broth-disk elution test for evaluating susceptibility of obligate anaerobes to trimethoprim-sulfonamides

Species of anaerobic bacteria isolated from clinical veterinary specimens were tested for susceptibility to trimethoprim-sulfonamides by the broth-disk elution technique. Three different media were used for each organism: prereduced anaerobically sterilized (PRAS) brain-heart infusion broth (BHI), thioglycollate broth, and a semidefined PRAS medium. Susceptibility results from these media were compared with those determined by interpreting the minimal inhibitory concentration obtained using an agar dilution technique. Results from broth-disk testing in semidefined medium agreed in 68.7% of the cases, in 53.7% for thioglycollate broth, and in 36.9% for BHI. The greatest deviation between techniques occurred with isolates belonging to the genus Bacteroides, followed by those of the genus Clostridium and those of the genus Fusobacterium. This deviation was directly proportional to increasing concentrations of thymidine in the BHI and thioglycollate broths but not with the semidefined medium. We conclude that the broth-disk elution method for measuring susceptibility of obligate anaerobes to trimethoprim-sulfonamides is unsuitable.     

Evaluation of topical application of ronnel solution for generalized demodicosis in dogs.

Of 20 dogs with generalized demodicosis, 18 responded favorably to treatment with 8.5% ronnel solution applied to one-third of the body every 3rd day, in rotation. Duration of treatment was from 5 to 20 weeks. In 2 dogs, the demodicosis recurred and required additional treatment with ronnel. Two dogs died during the study. One death was attributed to ronnel toxicosis; the other was unexplained. Eight of 10 control dogs treated orally and topically for pyoderma associated with demodicosis still had demodicosis 1 year after initiation of the study.     

Characteristics of Salmonella isolated from animals at a veterinary medical teaching hospital

Salmonella belonging to 47 serotypes was isolated from animals at the University of California Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital during the years 1974 to 1983. Salmonella belonging to 12 serotypes accounted for 89% of the 725 isolates. Salmonella typhimurium (including var copenhagen) was the most commonly isolated serotype, but during 1981 to 1983, S krefeld and S saint-paul were predominant. Certain serotypes seemed to be isolated more frequently from extraintestinal sources (S typhi-suis, S dublin). Although resistance to ampicillin, kanamycin, neomycin, streptomycin, and sulfonamides was common (greater than 60% of the isolates were resistant), resistance to chloramphenicol, gentamicin, and trimethoprim-sulfonamides was infrequent, except for isolates of S krefeld and S saint-paul.     

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction for distinguishing Taylorella equigenitalis from Taylorella equigenitalis-like organisms.

It is difficult to distinguish isolates of Taylorella equigenitalis, the cause of contagious equine metritis, from a T. equigenitalis-like organism isolated from asymptomatic donkeys and horses. Although T. equigenitalis is responsible for a severe, contagious disease of the reproductive tract of equids, the T. equigenitalis-like organism, although contagious, does not appear to produce disease. Because of the economic consequences of correctly distinguishing isolates of these 2 microorganisms, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay was developed that will distinguish isolates of T. equigenitalis from the T. equigenitalis-like microorganism. The primers used in the PCR assay were designed to amplify unique regions of the gene encoding the 16S ribosomal RNA.