in Pigs and Dairy Cattle in Northern Italy: Prevalence, Characterization and Comparison between Animal and Human Strains.

It has been observed that novel strains of can rapidly emerge and move between animal and human hosts. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of in pigs and dairy cattle in northern Italy and to characterize and compare animal strains with those from patients from the same geographical area. The strains were isolated from animals from farms and slaughterhouses (cross-sectional studies) and from neonatal animals with enteric disorders in routine diagnostic investigations (passive surveillance).

Comparison of microbiological profile of enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) isolates from subjects with colorectal cancer (CRC) or intestinal pre-cancerous lesions versus healthy individuals and evaluation of environmental factors involved in intestinal dysbiosis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) isolates from colorectal biopsies of subjects with a histological analysis positive for colorectal cancer (CRC), pre-cancerous lesions (pre-CRC) or with a healthy intestinal tissue and to evaluate the environmental factors that may not only concur to CRC development but may also affect gut microbiota composition.

Methods: ETBF isolates were typed using the ERIC-PCR method, while PCR assays were performed to investigate the bft alleles, the B. fragilis pathogenicity island (BFPAI) region and the cepA, cfiA and cfxA genes.