Critical assessment of commercially available microtitre panels for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of veterinary pathogens.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) in the veterinary sector by broth microdilution is mainly based on commercially available microtitre plates with specific panels. A critical review of commercially available microtitre panels identified AST panels that fulfil the requirements for obtaining reliable AST results by covering the necessary antimicrobial concentrations for both clinical breakpoints as well as quality control (QC) ranges for approved QC strains. However, there are AST panels in which these prerequisites are only in part fulfilled, and some AST panels that do not fulfil the aforementioned criteria at all.

Detection of to identify persistently contaminated locations using faecal and environmental samples in broiler houses of clinically healthy flocks.

Worldwide outbreaks make infections with pathogenic strains of (EC) one of the most important diseases in the broiler industry. Although research has increased knowledge about the pathogen, the transmission is not fully understood. Samples from different locations were collected from two broiler farms in Germany over a total of six production cycles.

Recommendation of a standardized broth microdilution method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of and resistance monitoring.

Unlabelled: This study aimed to develop a method for standardized broth microdilution antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of (.) , the causative agent of infectious coryza in chickens. For this, a total of 83 isolates and strains were collected from 15 countries.

Serological monitoring of Enterococcus cecorum specific antibodies in chickens.

Pathogenic Enterococcus cecorum (EC) has gained increasing importance as the cause of skeletal infections in meat-type chicken production. Since effective intervention strategies are scarce, it must be focused on preventive measures. Vaccination of meat-type breeder chicken flocks is common practice to protect the progeny against infection with EC.

Research Note: Preliminary results, first detection of Enterococcus cecorum from environmental samples by streaking on X-Gluc containing selective media.

The isolation of cultivable E. cecorum from the environment of poultry houses remains a challenge. Environmental samples (dust wipes, equipment swabs, pooled feces) and samples from culled bird vertebras were collected from an infected broiler flock on d 37 posthatching.

Molecular characterization of the gene of and the proposition of a new genotyping method as alternative for classical serotyping.

is the aetiological agent of infectious coryza (IC) in chickens and characterized by acute respiratory distress and severe drop in egg production. Vaccination is important in the control of IC outbreaks and the efficacy of vaccination is dependent on serovars included in the vaccine. Classical serotyping of is laborious and hampered by poor availability of antigens and antisera.

Characterization of Temperate LPS-Binding Bordetella avium Phages That Lack Superinfection Immunity.

Bordetella avium causes a highly infectious upper respiratory tract disease in turkeys and other poultry with high economic losses. Considering the antimicrobial resistance crisis, bacteriophages (phages) may be an alternative approach for treating bacterial infections such as bordetellosis. Here, we describe seven phages, isolated from drinking water and feces from chicken and turkey farms.

Influence of heat stress on intestinal integrity and the caecal microbiota during Enterococcus cecorum infection in broilers.

Enterococcus cecorum (EC) is one of the most relevant bacterial pathogens in modern broiler chicken production from an economic and animal welfare perspective. Although EC pathogenesis is generally well described, predisposing factors are still unknown. This study aimed to understand the effect of heat stress on the caecal microbiota, intestinal integrity, and EC pathogenesis.

Health Status of Bycaught Common Eiders () from the Western Baltic Sea.

The Common Eider () inhabits the entire northern hemisphere. In northern Europe, the flyway population reaches from the southern Wadden Sea to the northern Baltic coast. The European population is classified as endangered due to declines in Common Eider numbers across Europe since 1990.

Influence of lincomycin-spectinomycin treatment on the outcome of Enterococcus cecorum infection and on the cecal microbiota in broilers.

Background: Enterococcus cecorum (EC) is one of the main reasons for skeletal disease in meat type chickens. Intervention strategies are still rare and focus mainly on early antibiotic treatment of the disease, although there are no data available concerning the effectivity of this procedure. The present study aimed to investigate the effectivity of early lincomycin-spectinomycin treatment during the first week of life after EC-infection.

Different virulence levels of Enterococcus cecorum strains in experimentally infected meat-type chickens.

In recent years, pathogenic strains of Enterococcus cecorum (EC) have emerged as a causing agent of septicemia and skeletal infection in broiler chickens with a high economic impact worldwide. Although research has been conducted, many aspects of the pathogenesis of the EC-associated disease are still unknown. In the present study, an experimental infection model was established in broiler chickens.

Examination of common swifts (Apus apus) for salmonella shedding in the area of Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Objective: The available literature indicates a high prevalence of the zoonotic pathogen (S.) serovar Infantis in the common swift (). This long-distance migrant, which only consumes aerial plankton, can reach high population densities in places with suitable breeding sites.

Development of a harmonized method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Bordetella avium using broth microdilution and detection of resistance genes.

Aims: In response to a request from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), the objective of this study was to develop a harmonized method for broth microdilution susceptibility testing of Bordetella (B.) avium, the major causative agent of infectious coryza in poultry.

Methods And Results: To find a suitable test medium, growth curves with four epidemiologically unrelated B.

Tenacity of Enterococcus cecorum at different environmental conditions.

Aims: Our aim was to analyse the survival of Enterococcus cecorum (EC) at various temperatures, relative air humidities and on different substrates commonly existing in broiler houses.

Methods And Results: A pathogenic EC isolate (EC14) was used to inoculate sterile litter, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and dust samples. Incubation at 37, 25 or 15°C with either 32% relative humidity (RH) or 78% RH followed.

Impact of a reduced water salinity on the composition of Vibrio spp. in recirculating aquaculture systems for Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and its possible risks for shrimp health and food safety.

Tropical shrimp, like Litopenaeus vannamei, in land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are often kept at low water salinities to reduce costs for artificial sea salt and the amount of salty wastewater. Although these shrimp are tolerant against low salinities, innate immunity suppression and changes in the microbial composition in the water can occur. As especially Vibrio spp.

Impact of Bacteriophage-Supplemented Drinking Water on the Population in the Chicken Gut.

Among intestinal coliform microbes in the broiler gut, there are potentially pathogenic () that can cause avian colibacillosis. The treatment with antibiotics favors the selection of multidrug-resistant bacteria and an alternative to this treatment is urgently required. A chicken model of intestinal colonization with an apathogenic model strain of .

Development of an in-house ELISA for detection of antibodies against in Pekin ducks.

(EC) is known to cause skeletal lesions in broiler chickens and also systemic infections in Pekin ducks. Despite the importance of the pathogen, there is still a lack of serological diagnostic tools for the detection of EC infections. Here we describe the development of an in-house indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of EC-specific antibodies and its application by examination of 67 sera from experimentally infected Pekin ducks, 710 field samples from four Pekin duck breeder flocks previously vaccinated with inactivated vaccines, and 80 samples from commercial Pekin ducks coming from vaccinated parent flocks.

characterization and genetic diversity of field strains.

(BA) is a respiratory pathogen of particular importance for turkeys. Specific adherence and damage to the respiratory epithelia are crucial steps of the pathogenesis, but knowledge about the mechanisms and the variety of virulence in field strains is limited. We analysed 17 BA field strains regarding their virulence-associated properties in tracheal organ cultures (TOC) of turkey embryos, and their genetic diversity.

Diagnostic methods for identifying different Aeromonas species and examining their pathogenicity factors, their correlation to cytotoxicity and adherence to fish mucus.

Aeromonas spp. are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment, acting as facultative or obligate pathogens for fish. Identifying Aeromonas spp.

A Review of Enterococcus cecorum Infection in Poultry.

Enterococcus cecorum was initially identified as a harmless commensal of the gastrointestinal tract of chickens. However, over the past 15 yr, pathogenic strains of E. cecorum have become a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in broiler breeders, and repeated outbreaks occur, but an environmental reservoir for pathogenic E.

Recommendations for identifying pathogenic Vibrio spp. as part of disease surveillance programmes in recirculating aquaculture systems for Pacific white shrimps (Litopenaeus vannamei).

Due to their pathogenic potential, identifying Vibrio species from recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) is of great importance to determine the risk for animal's as well as for the consumer's health. The present study compared identification results for a total of 93 Vibrio isolates, including type strains and isolates from shrimp aquaculture. Results from biochemical identifications, 16S rRNA sequencing, sequencing of the uridylate kinase encoding gene pyrH and analysis of the protein spectra assessed by MALDI-TOF MS were compared.

Establishment of a Bordetella avium challenge model in turkeys.

Despite the importance of Bordetella avium (BA) as a respiratory pathogen of young turkeys, no infection model for the evaluation of BA-vaccine efficacy is available. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of route and dose of infection on the establishment of a BA-challenge model. In our first experiment, 28-day-old turkeys were either inoculated oculonasally with 10, 10 or 10 colony forming units (CFU) of BA per bird or exposed to BA by aerosol with 10-10 CFU/m.

Colonization patterns of Enterococcus cecorum in two different broiler production cycles detected with a newly developed quantitative real-time PCR.

Background: Although Enterococcus cecorum (EC) infection is one of the most important bacterial diseases in modern broiler chickens today, many aspects of epidemiology and pathogenesis are still unknown. There is a need for better detection methods for EC than classical cultivation. In the present study, we describe the validation and application of a newly developed quantitative TaqMan real-time PCR (qPCR) assay based on the 16S-rRNA-gene for the detection of EC.