Publications by authors named "Hugh Cai"

Unlabelled: Piscine lactococcosis is a significant threat to cultured and wild fish populations worldwide. The disease typically presents as a per-acute to acute hemorrhagic septicemia causing high morbidity and mortality, recalcitrant to antimicrobial treatment or management interventions. Historically, the disease was attributed to the gram-positive pathogen .

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is a primary agent of pneumonia in dogs, and is associated with upper respiratory tract disease in cats. We present complete genome sequences of 26 isolates from clinically affected dogs and cats. These genome sequences will facilitate new molecular and epidemiological analyses.

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Echinococcus multilocularis, a cestode with zoonotic potential, is now known to have a high prevalence in wild canid definitive hosts of southern Ontario. The distribution of E. multilocularis across this region in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and coyotes (Canis latrans) is widespread yet heterogenous.

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The emergence of ophidiomycosis (or snake fungal disease) in snakes has prompted increased awareness of the potential effects of fungal infections on wild reptile populations. Yet, aside from , little is known about other mycoses affecting wild reptiles. The closely related genus has been associated with dermatomycosis in snakes and tuataras in captive collections, and was recently identified as the cause of skin infections in non-native wild panther chameleons () in Florida, USA.

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Objective: To compare PCR and culture results for the detection of subspecies .

Animals: Respiratory tract samples (N = 158) from horses being tested for

Procedure: Bacterial culture was carried out on samples from which was detected by quantitative real-time PCR.

Results: was isolated from 12 (7.

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Chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungi and , is associated with massive amphibian mortality events worldwide and with some species' extinctions. Previous ecological niche models suggest that . is not well-suited to northern, temperate climates, but these predictions have often relied on datasets in which northern latitudes are underrepresented.

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Article Synopsis
  • MS affects poultry by causing respiratory, joint, and reproductive diseases, leading to economic losses from stunted growth, higher mortality, reduced egg production, and increased condemnations at slaughter.
  • The seroprevalence of MS is rising globally, particularly in Quebec, where it has often been found as a primary pathogen in poultry farms since 2014, notably impacting egg-laying flocks.
  • Despite the presence of various strains, including type E and the Quebec-specific Qc-1, the overall impact of MS on production metrics has been determined to be minimal for all types of commercial poultry.
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Inflammation in the respiratory tract is thought to worsen the disease response to Mycoplasma bovis infection. This study investigated the cells involved in this response with a focus on proteases and cytokines as harmful effector mechanisms. By immunohistochemistry, Mac387-positive macrophages were the main cell type comprising the foci of caseous necrosis in cattle with M.

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Aims: Soybean meal (SBM) contributes high-quality dietary protein for pigs. However, it also contains antinutritional factors such as allergenic high molecular weight proteins and non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) that limit its use. Therefore, the objective of this study was to screen and characterize a robust Bacillus sp.

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Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are typically characterized by novelty (recent detection) and by increasing incidence, distribution, and/or pathogenicity. Ophidiomycosis, also called snake fungal disease, is caused by the fungus (formerly "). Ophidiomycosis has been characterized as an EID and as a potential threat to populations of Nearctic snakes, sparking over a decade of targeted research.

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Large numbers of mink have been infected with SARS-CoV2 containing the spike protein Y453F mutation in Europe, causing zoonosis concerns. To evaluate the genetic characteristics of the U.S.

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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in has been previously associated with topoisomerase and ribosomal gene mutations rather than specific resistance-conferring genes. Using whole genome sequencing (WGS) to identify potential new AMR mechanisms for it was found that a 2019 clinical isolate with high MIC (2019-043682) for fluoroquinolones, macrolides, lincosamides, pleuromutilins and tetracyclines had a new core genome multilocus sequencing (cgMLST) type (ST10-like) and 91% sequence similarity to the published genome of PG45. Closely related to PG45, a 1982 isolate (1982-M6152) shared the same cgMLST type (ST17), 97.

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causes highly contagious swine enzootic pneumonia worldwide. It has been reported that highly diversified strains exist in different parts of the world. We found gene sequencing analysis, an affordable and simple-to-perform typing method, to be specific and highly sensitive when applied to the molecular typing of 113 -positive clinical samples directly without culture.

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Southern Ontario has recently been identified as a risk area for Echinococcus multilocularis, based on surveys of foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and coyotes (Canis latrans) which act as definitive hosts of the parasite. In this manuscript, we describe the first detection of E. multilocularis in an eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) in North America.

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Article Synopsis
  • LAMP is a simple and quick method for detecting pathogens in food, and this study aimed to validate it against the FDA's reference method in dry dog food.
  • Fourteen collaborators from seven labs in the U.S. and Canada tested blind-coded dog food samples, comparing results from both the LAMP and the BAM methods.
  • The study found no significant differences in detection rates between the two methods, suggesting that LAMP is a reliable alternative for routine screening in animal food.
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is a major cause of pneumonia, arthritis, and mastitis in cattle and can lead to significant economic losses. Antimicrobial resistance is a concern and further limits the already short list of drugs effective against mycoplasmas. The objective of this study was to examine changes in minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antimicrobials of aminoglycoside, fluoroquinolone, lincosamide, macrolide, pleuromutilin, phenicol, and tetracycline classes for 210 isolates collected from 1978 to 2009.

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A 23-yr-old captive-born Przewalski's horse mare ( Equus przewalskii) was euthanized at a Canadian zoo because of severe colic resulting from rupture of a jejunal pseudodiverticulum. An incidental finding of an encysted larval cestode within a hepatic granuloma was diagnosed on histopathology. Gel-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on liver tissue was positive for Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato, and deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing of the PCR product was 100% homologous with Echinococcus equinus.

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A 14-week-old female Boston terrier-cross dog with intermittent gastroenteritis and an eosinophilia developed progressive neurologic disease with ataxia progressing to uncontrolled paddling. Autopsy revealed larvae in 4 of 7 brain sections, with severe eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. Diagnosis was confirmed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing tests of fresh and paraffin-embedded brain in conjunction with the compatible histologic appearance.

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Following extirpation from Ontario, Canada in the early 1900s, Eastern Wild Turkeys (EWTs; Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) were successfully reintroduced to the province in 1984. Despite the subsequent establishment of robust populations and biannual hunting seasons, data on the circulation of potential pathogens in these birds are lacking. Similarly, the interface between EWTs and poultry is poorly understood and includes possible bidirectional pathogen transmission via direct or indirect contact.

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  A 2-mo-old Vancouver Island marmot ( Marmota vancouverensis), housed at a quarantined breeding facility, presented for acute obtundation and vestibular ataxia. Physical examination revealed poor growth compared with littermates, poor nutritional condition, and mild dehydration. The animal's condition deteriorated over 24 hr, and it was euthanized following the development of generalized seizures.

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Background: Soybean meal is an excellent and cost-effective protein source; however, its usage is limited in the piglet due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors and the antigens glycinin and β-conglycinin. The objective of the current study was to screen and select for bacteria that can be efficiently adopted to ferment soybean meal in order to solve this problem.

Results: Bacteria were isolated from fermented soy foods and the grass carp intestine, and strains selected for high protease, cellulase and amylase activities.

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A total of 217 Mycoplasma bovis isolates cultured from clinical cases in Ontario, Canada, over the past 30 y were selected to be characterized by a multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) method. Eleven housekeeping genes were evaluated for suitability for MLST; 2 loci that had been used in prior MLST schemes, dnaN and metS, along with hsp70 were chosen for further sequence analysis. The remaining loci- adk, efp, gmk, gyrB, polC, rpoB, tpiA, and uvrC genes-were not used because they had little to no sequence variation.

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Bovine astrovirus (BoAstV) was identified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on brain tissue of 2 feedlot cattle that died of non-suppurative encephalitis. Sequencing demonstrated a high degree of identity with neurotropic US and Swiss BoAstV strains. To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed report of BoAstV-associated encephalitis in cattle residing in eastern Canada.

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This study analyzed sheep prion protein (PrP) genotypes of samples submitted from Ontario and other provinces of Canada to the Animal Health Laboratory at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, between 2005 and 2012. In Ontario, the proportion of scrapie-resistant sheep increased from 2005 to 2012 as evidenced by an increase in the ARR haplotype. When Canadian provinces (Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia) were compared from 2008 to 2012, a high proportion of scrapie-resistant sheep was found in all the provinces.

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A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay of the outer membrane protein (OMP) P2 gene was developed and used to test 97 putative Haemophilus parasuis pure cultures and 175 clinical tissue samples. With standard culture isolation as the gold standard, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the PCR assay were determined to be 83% and 80%, respectively.

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