Antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria isolated from infections in cats and dogs throughout Europe (2002–2009)

A monitoring program of the pre-treatment susceptibility of clinical isolates of bacteria from diseased dogs and cats was active between the years 2002 and 2009. Susceptibility of each isolated strain to a panel of nine antibiotics (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin, penicillin, clindamycin, doxycycline, enrofloxacin, marbofloxacin, trimethoprim and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) was assessed. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of marbofloxacin was also determined by a standardized microdilution technique following CLSI recommendations. In total, 1857 bacterial strains were collected throughout Europe from cases of otitis, respiratory, urinary and dermatological infections. Although bacterial susceptibility varied for each of the antibiotics within the panel, patterns of susceptibility were similar to those described in the literature for comparable time periods and geographical areas. With a clinical resistance varying from 0 to 14.48% against the isolated strains, marbofloxacin susceptibility was very high and remains an effective antibiotic for the treatment of otitis, urinary, respiratory and dermatological infections in companion animals.     

Ecological fitness and strategies of adaptation of Bartonella species to their hosts and vectors

Bartonella spp. are facultative intracellular bacteria that cause characteristic host-restricted hemotropic infections in mammals and are typically transmitted by blood-sucking arthropods. In the mammalian reservoir, these bacteria initially infect a yet unrecognized primary niche, which seeds organisms into the blood stream leading to the establishment of a long-lasting intra-erythrocytic bacteremia as the hall-mark of infection. Bacterial type IV secretion systems, which are supra-molecular transporters ancestrally related to bacterial conjugation systems, represent crucial pathogenicity factors that have contributed to a radial expansion of the Bartonella lineage in nature by facilitating adaptation to unique mammalian hosts. On the molecular level, the type IV secretion system VirB/VirD4 is known to translocate a cocktail of different effector proteins into host cells, which subvert multiple cellular functions to the benefit of the infecting pathogen. Furthermore, bacterial adhesins mediate a critical, early step in the pathogenesis of the bartonellae by binding to extracellular matrix components of host cells, which leads to firm bacterial adhesion to the cell surface as a prerequisite for the efficient translocation of type IV secretion effector proteins. The best-studied adhesins in bartonellae are the orthologous trimeric autotransporter adhesins, BadA in Bartonella henselae and the Vomp family in Bartonella quintana. Genetic diversity and strain variability also appear to enhance the ability of bartonellae to invade not only specific reservoir hosts, but also accidental hosts, as shown for B. henselae. Bartonellae have been identified in many different blood-sucking arthropods, in which they are typically found to cause extracellular infections of the mid-gut epithelium. Adaptation to specific vectors and reservoirs seems to be a common strategy of bartonellae for transmission and host diversity. However, knowledge regarding arthropod specificity/restriction, the mode of transmission, and the bacterial factors involved in arthropod infection and transmission is still limited.     

Diagnosis of Endometritis in the Bitch: A New Approach

There are a few investigations into endometritis in the bitch and its relationship with failure to conceive remains unclear. This may be because of the difficulty in collecting uterine samples for further investigations. Recently, transcervical catheterization by vaginal endoscopy has been introduced allowing the evaluation of the endometrium. In this study, uterine cytology and bacteriology were evaluated in 26 infertile bitches. Endometritis was bacterial in origin in most cases (70% of affected bitches), but these results may be underestimated, as some other pathogens (anaerobic bacteria, mycoplasms and fungi) were not investigated. Endometritis, in our opinion, should be investigated in each case of unexplained infertility in bitches. The method used here seems reliable although defining more accurate classification criteria will improve the efficiency of this non-invasive technique.     

Les marqueurs lymphocytaires chez les animaux domestiques—I. Lectines mitogenes et lectines non mitogenes

The authors reviewed the lymphocyte markers in domestic animals. The first part is devoted to lectins. The general and methodologic aspects of lectins as mitogens are studied. The main mitogen lectins are emphasized in regard to their field of utilisation and the technical aspect of their use. The non-mitogen lectins are presented for cell suspension or tissue section staining.     

Immunomodulatory properties of a strain of Mycobacterium chelonae--II. Qualitative and quantitative stimulation of mouse splenocytes by Mycobacterium chelonae

Intraperitoneal [i.p.] and subcutaneous [s.c.] administration to BALB/C mice with a single dose of 5 mg/kg body weight (wet weight) of live Mycobacterium chelonae (Mch) augmented splenocyte blastogenesis. Similar increases in splenocyte blastogenesis manifested during a single oral administration to mice with 100 mg/kg body weight (wet weight) of this Mycobacterium. When splenocytes issued from these mice are activated by mitogens, a highly significant enhancement of lymphoblastic transformation was observed. On the other hand, multiple oral administrations with 50 mg/kg body weight (wet weight) to Mch/dose did not manifest statistically significant differences in splenocyte blastogenesis as compared to controls. Meanwhile, a highly increased transformation of splenocytes, issued from such mice, is observed in response to lectins and to the mitogenic effect of this microorganism. Splenocyte counts have shown 44.5, 37.6, and 23.2% increases in response to i.p., s.c. and multiple oral administration of this bacterium, respectively, as compared to solvent controls. Repeated s.c. administration of this mycobacterium manifested short lived and weak syndromes of anaphylactic shock during and immediately after the second inoculation of Mch. This phenomenon is not observed during repeated intraperitoneal and oral administrations. In conclusion, parenteral (i.p. and s.c.) and oral administration of Mch stimulates the immune system of mice. This effect is characterised by increased in vivo cell multiplication and by enhanced ex vivo DNA synthesis of murine splenocytes. The need of further studies is eminent to elucidate classes of immunocompetent cells involved in this phenomenon.