Canine model for investigating the impact of oral enrofloxacin on commensal coliforms and colonization with multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli

A model was developed in dogs to determine the impact of oral enrofloxacin administration on the indigenous coliform population in the gastrointestinal tract and subsequent disposition to colonization by a strain of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (MDREC). Dogs given a daily oral dose of 5 mg enrofloxacin kg(-1) for 21 consecutive days showed a significant decline in faecal coliforms to levels below detectable limits by 72 In of administration. Subsequently, faecal coliforms remained suppressed throughout the period of enrofloxacin dosing. Upon termination of antibiotic administration, the number of excreted faecal coliforms slowly returned over an 8-day period, to levels comparable to those seen prior to antibiotic treatment. Enrofloxacin-treated dogs were more effectively colonized by MDREC, evidenced by a significantly increased count of MDREC in the faeces (7.1 +/- 1.5 log(10) g(-1)) compared with non-antibiotic-treated dogs (5.2 +/- 1.2; P = 0.003). Furthermore, antibiotic treatment also sustained a significantly longer period of MDREC excretion in the faeces (26.8 +/- 10.5 days) compared with animals not treated with enrofloxacin (8.5 +/- 5.4 days; P = 0.0215). These results confirm the importance of sustained delivery of an antimicrobial agent to maintain and expand the colonization potential of drug-resistant bacteria in vivo, achieved in part by reducing the competing commensal coliforms in the gastrointestinal tract to below detectable levels in the faeces. Without in vivo antimicrobial selection pressure, commensal coliforms dominated the gastrointestinal tract at the expense of the MDREC population. Conceivably, the model developed could be used to test the efficacy of novel non-antibiotic strategies aimed at monitoring and controlling gastrointestinal colonization by multidrug-resistant members of the Enterobacteriaceae that cause nosocomial infections.

Fecal androgen levels in common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) males living in captive family groups

In captive common marmoset groups, the reproductive inhibition observed in subordinate female seems to be a result of olfactory, visual and behavioral cues from the dominant female. However, few studies have examined the relationship among adult males living in the same social group. These studies have shown that reproductive failure among peer males seems to be based on hormonal and behavioral mechanisms. New insights on sexual strategies in primates have been shown using fecal steroids, but so far no information is available for common marmoset males. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of light-dark cycle, age and reproductive condition on the profile of fecal androgens in males living in the same family group. Feces were collected from six fathers and six sons for androgen determination during the light phase of the 24-h cycle for eight days randomly distributed over a 4-week period. Androgen levels were determined by enzyme immunoassay technique. Adult sons showed higher androgen levels (166.97 ± 22.95 ng/g) than fathers (80.69 ± 44.38 ng/g) and juveniles (49.06 ± 23.15 ng/g; P < 0.05). No diurnal variation (P > 0.05) in fecal androgen profile was observed in adults or juveniles. No indication of androgen-mediated social competition between fathers and adult sons was demonstrable. These results provide basic information on fecal androgen profile useful to investigate the socioendocrinology of free-ranging common marmoset males and verify that, in contrast to daughters, the reproductive suppression of sons is not based on physiological inhibition of their gonads

Colite de derivação fecal

A colite de derivação fecal (CD) é um processo inflamatório que ocorre no segmento colorretal desfuncionalizado, após uma cirurgia de desvio do trânsito intestinal. As principais características dessa entidade clínica são: apresenta-se na desfuncionalização do cólon ou reto; não há doença inflamatória intestinal preexistente; nunca acomete o sítio proximal à colostomia e ocorre resolução do processo após a restauração do trânsito intestinal. Diversas são as hipóteses postuladas para explicar o seu aparecimento; todavia, a deficiência nutricional do epitélio colônico, pela ausência dos ácidos graxos de cadeia curta (AGCC), no segmento desfuncionalizado, é a mais aceita na atualidade. Os autores fazem uma revisão da literatura enfocando os aspectos clínicos, histopatológicos e terapêuticos desta doença

Fecal androgen levels in common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) males living in captive family groups

In captive common marmoset groups, the reproductive inhibition observed in subordinate female seems to be a result of olfactory, visual and behavioral cues from the dominant female. However, few studies have examined the relationship among adult males living in the same social group. These studies have shown that reproductive failure among peer males seems to be based on hormonal and behavioral mechanisms. New insights on sexual strategies in primates have been shown using fecal steroids, but so far no information is available for common marmoset males. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of light-dark cycle, age and reproductive condition on the profile of fecal androgens in males living in the same family group. Feces were collected from six fathers and six sons for androgen determination during the light phase of the 24-h cycle for eight days randomly distributed over a 4-week period. Androgen levels were determined by enzyme immunoassay technique. Adult sons showed higher androgen levels (166.97 ± 22.95 ng/g) than fathers (80.69 ± 44.38 ng/g) and juveniles (49.06 ± 23.15 ng/g; P < 0.05). No diurnal variation (P > 0.05) in fecal androgen profile was observed in adults or juveniles. No indication of androgen-mediated social competition between fathers and adult sons was demonstrable. These results provide basic information on fecal androgen profile useful to investigate the socioendocrinology of free-ranging common marmoset males and verify that, in contrast to daughters, the reproductive suppression of sons is not based on physiological inhibition of their gonads

Determinación de coliformes totales y E. Coli en muestras de lechuga expendidas en cuatro mercados de la ciudad de Cuenca

A nivel mundial, existe una tendencia hacia el mayor consumo de frutas y hortalizas, motivada por una creciente preocupación de adoptar una dieta más equilibrada. Sin embargo su imagen de alimentos sanos las excluyen de toda sospecha cuando existen problemas de salud debido a la ingestión de alimentos. El objetivo de la presente tesis fue determinar la presencia de coliformes totales y E. coli en lechugas variedad Iceberg que se expenden en cuatro mercados de la ciudad de Cuenca. Los resultados obtenidos sirvieron como aporte al Departamento de Higiene y Control de Mercados del Ilustre Municipio de Cuenca. Este estudio fue de tipo descriptivo longitudinal. Se analizó un total de 96 muestras por duplicado y se realizó la determinación de coliformes totales y Escherichiacoli, mediante la técnica de placas PetrifilmTM. El grado de contaminación de las lechugas fue tolerable ya que solo el 1% de las muestras estuvo contaminada con niveles no aceptables de coliformes totales y el 6,25% con niveles no aceptables de E. coli, según la Recopilación Internacional de Normas Microbiológicas de los Alimentos y Asimilados de Pablo Moragas y col. Además, no se encontró ninguna relación significativa entre el mercado y el lugar de producción con el grado de contaminación de las lechugas. A pesar de la baja prevalencia de contaminación encontrada, la presencia de indicadores de contaminación fecal sugiere que las lechugas podrían tener una inadecuada calidad microbiológica, representando una fuente de ETAs, si la contaminación no es controlada mediante buenas prácticas de higiene

Digestibilidad fecal aparente de partidas de sorgo con diferentes contenidos de taninos, sometidos a distintas tecnologías de procesamiento en cerdos

Con el objetivo de determinar el aporte en nutrientes digestibles para cerdos de dos tipos de sorgo procesados por distintos métodos, se realizó una prueba de digestibilidad fecal aparente (DFA) con cerdos en recría. Se estudiaron seis dietas: T1: maíz molido (MM); T2: sorgo alto tanino (SAT) molido (SATM); T3: SAT extrusado (SATE); T4: silo de grano húmedo de SAT (SSAT); T5: sorgo de bajo tanino (SBT) molido (SBTM); T6: silo de grano húmedo de SBT (SSBT). Se utilizaron 18 cerdos, tres por tratamiento, con un peso promedio de 36,5 kg, alojados en jaulas de digestibilidad individuales. El periodo experimental comprendió siete días de acostumbramiento y cinco de recolección de heces. Se suministraron dos tomas diarias iguales, de una cantidad de materia seca equivalente el 6 % del peso metabólico corporal. Se realizó recolección total de heces. Se determinó la DFA de materia seca (MS), materia orgánica (MO), proteína cruda (PC) y energía bruta (EB). Se estimó el aporte en base seca de Proteína Digestible y Energía Digestible. Los resultados de DFA de MS, MO, PC y EB, en porcentaje, fueron respectivamente, MM: 90,27; 90,18; 81,65; 89,74; SATM: 89,45; 89,29; 73,31; 88,96; SATE: 90,78; 90,64; 81,94; 91,24; SSAT: 83,58; 83,41; 49,11; 83,22; SBTM: 91,23; 91,09; 72,63; 90,83; SSBT: 93,16; 93,05; 83,55; 92,78. Se concluye que el SBTM, el SSBT y el SATE tienen un valor nutritivo equivalente al maíz.

Prevalencia de Helicobacter Pylori por antígeno fecal y factores de riesgo en la población del cantón Cuenca.Año 2003

El conocimiento de la prevalencia del helicobacter en la población y los factores de riesgo para controlar la enfermedad son importantes, para su control y erradicación. Conocer la prevalencia de la bacteria en la población, urbana y rural de la ciudad de Cuenca; y determinar si hay factores de riesgo que favorezcan la propagación de la infección. La prevalencia del Helicobacter en la ciudad de Cuenca - Ecuador, es de 44.9 por ciento, no hay diferencia estadísticamente significativas entre los habitantes del sector urbano 48.3 por ciento y rural 41.6 por ciento, las variables: residencia, [RP; 0.86] género, actividad manual, [RP; 0.98 IC: 0.82-1.24] ingesta de agua potable, [RP; 0.99 IC: 0.68-1.48], no se relacionan con la presencia del antígeno de Helicobacter en materia fecal, por lo que no constituyen un factor de riesgo para contraer la infección, la viariable edad, correlaciona positivamente con la prevalencia de la infección. 1.- La prevalencia del Helicobacter Pylori en el cantón Cuenca-Ecuador, en el año 2003, es del 44.9 por ciento que le ubica como una zona de prevalencia intermedia, menor a la esperada en un país en vías de desarrollo. 2.- No hay diferencias entre habitar en zona urbana y rural para prevalencia del Helicobacter Pylori 4.- La mayor parte de infección por Helicobacter Pylori, se adquiere en la infancia 5.- Las variables género, ingesta de agua potable, ocupación manual, no son factores de riesgo para contraer la infección

Prevalencia de helicobacter pylori por antígeno fecal y factores de riesgo en la población del cantón Cuenca año 2003

El conocimiento de la prevalencia del helicobacter en la población y los factores de riesgo para contraer la enfermedad son importantes, para su control y erradicación. El objetivo es conocer la pravalencia de la bacteria en la población urbana y rural de la ciudad de Cuenca, utilizando una prueba de alta sensibilidad y especificidad como es el Antígeno de Helicobacter Pylori fecal; y determinar si hay factores que favorezcan la propagación de la infección. Los resultados fueron la prevalencia de helicobacter en la Ciudad de Cuenca, Ecuador, es del 44.9 por ciento, no hay diferencias estadísticamente significativa entre los habitantes del sector urbano 48.3 por ciento y rural 41.6 por ciento, las variables: residencia, [OR: 1.31 IC:1. 0-1.6 género, [OR: 0.75 IC 0.5-1.0] actividad profesional, [OR: 1.-0 IC: 0.7-1.4] ingesta de alcohol, [OR: 1.2, IC: 0.8-1.7] ingesta de agua potable, [OR: 1.00, IC:0.6-1.4], no se relacionan con la presencia del antígeno de helicobacter en material fecal, variable edad, correlaciona positivamente con la prevalencia de la infección. Conclusión. 1.- La prevalencia del helicobacter en la ciudad de Cuenca le ubica como una zona de riesgo intermedio para contraer la infección 2.- No hay diferencia entre habitar en zona rural o urbana. 3.- La edad es un factor de riesgo, a mayor edad mayor probabilidad de contaminación. 4.- Las variables género ingesta de alcohol, ingesta de agua no potable, no son factores exclusivos de riesgo para contraer la infección

Colite de derivação fecal

A colite de derivação fecal (CD) é um processo inflamatório que ocorre no segmento colorretal desfuncionalizado, após uma cirurgia de desvio do trânsito intestinal. As principais características dessa entidade clínica são: apresenta-se na desfuncionalização do cólon ou reto; não há doença inflamatória intestinal preexistente; nunca acomete o sítio proximal à colostomia e ocorre resolução do processo após a restauração do trânsito intestinal. Diversas são as hipóteses postuladas para explicar o seu aparecimento; todavia, a deficiência nutricional do epitélio colônico, pela ausência dos ácidos graxos de cadeia curta (AGCC), no segmento desfuncionalizado, é a mais aceita na atualidade. Os autores fazem uma revisão da literatura enfocando os aspectos clínicos, histopatológicos e terapêuticos desta doença

Co-occurrence of Helicobacter pylori with faecal bacteria in Nairobi river basin: public health implications.

Introduction: Overwhelming evidence implicates Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) as an etiologic agent of gastrointestinal diseases including gastric cancer. The mode of transmission of this pathogen remains poorly understood. Objective: This investigation is to establish the presence of H. pylori in the waters of the Nairobi river basin and the predictive value the presence of fecal indicator bacteria would have for H. pylori. Methodology: Physical, chemical and biological assessment of water quality of rivers in Nairobi were carried out using standard methods. H. pylori DNA in water was detected using highly specific primers of glmM gene (294pb). Results: There was high presence of faecal bacteria in the waters sampled. H. pylori DNA was detected in two domestic wells and one river. The wells were located in two different regions of the water basin but influenced by similar human activities. Conclusion: The high presence of faecal bacteria in the waters sampled did not parallel the H. pylori detection in the same waters. H. pylori was detected in the Nairobi river basin, but there was no relationship between the numerical levels of fecal bacteria and H. pylori.

Faecal bacteria in Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mollusca: Bivalvia) for biomonitoring coastal waters and seafood quality

O desenvolvimento urbano em áreas costeiras é intenso e o aumento das descargas de esgoto é uma das conseqüências. Assim, leis específicas que regulem limites para a contaminação microbiológica das águas e de alimentos de origem marinha são necessárias. O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar a utilização de Enterococos e coliformes termotolerantes na carne de mexilhões Perna perna como alternativa para o monitoramento da qualidade microbiológica de águas costeiras. O estudo também considera relações alométricas aplicadas às taxas de clearance para entender a concentração de bactérias pelo molusco. As densidades bacterianas obtidas no molusco foram de 50 a 4300 vezes maiores do que nas amostras de água coletadas próximas dos moluscos e alguns foram considerados impróprios para consumo, mesmo quando as águas não mostraram restrições. A taxa de clearance média obtida para retenção de Enterococos foi 317.7 ml h-1 e essas taxas (CR) puderam ser relacionadas com o tamanho dos mexilhões (L) pela equação CR = 28.3229L1.6421. Os resultados mostram que as densidades bacterianas nos tecidos dos mexilhões podem refletir a contaminação crônica do ambiente e que as taxas de clearance devem ser consideradas para a tomada de decisão em situações onde, por exemplo, se deseja implantar mexilhões para cultivo.

Identificación de neospora caninum en materia fecal de 60 caninos en hatos lecheros en el municipio el Rosal, Cundinamarca

Bogotá (Colombia): Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Programa de Medicina Veterinaria

Comparison of molecular markers to detect fresh sewage in environmental waters

Human-specific Bacteroides HF183 (HS-HF183), human-specific Enterococci faecium esp (HS-esp), human-specific adenoviruses (HS-AVs) and human-specific polyomaviruses (HS-PVs) assays were evaluated in freshwater, seawater and distilled water to detect fresh sewage. The sewage spiked water samples were also tested for the concentrations of traditional fecal indicators (i.e., Escherichia coli, enterococci and Clostridium perfringens) and enteric viruses such as enteroviruses (EVs), sapoviruses (SVs), and torquetenoviruses (TVs). The overall host-specificity of the HS-HF183 marker to differentiate between humans and other animals was 98%. However, the HS-esp, HS-AVs and HS-PVs showed 100% hostspecificity. All the human-specific markers showed >97% sensitivity to detect human fecal pollution. E. coli, enterococci and, C. perfringens were detected up to dilutions of sewage 10_5, 10_4 and 10_3 respectively.HS-esp, HS-AVs, HS-PVs, SVs and TVs were detected up to dilution of sewage 10_4 whilst EVs were detected up to dilution 10_5. The ability of the HS-HF183 marker to detect freshsewagewas3–4 orders ofmagnitude higher than that of the HS-esp and viral markers. The ability to detect fresh sewage in freshwater, seawater and distilled water matrices was similar for human-specific bacterial and viral marker. Based on our data, it appears that human-specific molecular markers are sensitive measures of fresh sewage pollution, and the HS-HF183 marker appears to be the most sensitive among these markers in terms of detecting fresh sewage. However, the presence of the HS-HF183 marker in environmental waters may not necessarily indicate the presence of enteric viruses due to their high abundance in sewage compared to enteric viruses. More research is required on the persistency of these markers in environmental water samples in relation to traditional fecal indicators and enteric pathogens.

Prevalence and occurrence of zoonotic bacterial pathogens in surface waters determined by quantitative PCR

The prevalence and concentrations of Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp. and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) were investigated in surface waters in Brisbane, Australia using quantitative PCR (qPCR) based methodologies. Water samples were collected from Brisbane City Botanic Gardens (CBG) Pond, and two urban tidal creeks (i.e., Oxley Creek and Blunder Creek). Of the 32 water samples collected, 8 (25%), 1 (3%), 9 (28%), 14 (44%), and 15 (47%) were positive for C. jejuni mapA, Salmonella invA, EHEC O157 LPS, EHEC VT1, and EHEC VT2 genes, respectively. The presence/absence of the potential pathogens did not correlate with either E. coli or enterococci concentrations as determined by binary logistic regression. In conclusion, the high prevalence, and concentrations of potential zoonotic pathogens along with the concentrations of one or more fecal indicators in surface water samples indicate a poor level of microbial quality of surface water, and could represent a significant health risk to users. The results from the current study would provide valuable information to the water quality managers in terms of minimizing the risk from pathogens in surface waters.

Evaluation of multiple sewage-associated bacteroides PCR markers for sewage pollution tracking

The host specificity of the five published sewage-associated Bacteroides markers (i.e., HF183, BacHum, HuBac, BacH and Human-Bac) was evaluated in Southeast Queensland, Australia by testing fecal DNA samples (n = 186) from 11 animal species including human fecal samples collected via influent to a sewage treatment plant (STP). All human fecal samples (n = 50) were positive for all five markers indicating 100% sensitivity of these markers. The overall specificity of the HF183 markers to differentiate between humans and animals was 99%. The specificities of the BacHum and BacH markers were > 94%, suggesting that these markers are suitable for sewage pollution in environmental waters in Australia. The BacHum (i.e., 63% specificity) and Human-Bac (i.e., 79% specificity) markers performed poorly in distinguishing between the sources of human and animal fecal samples. It is recommended that the specificity of the sewage-associated markers must be rigorously tested prior to its application to identify the sources of fecal pollution in environmental waters.