Development of the Tonsil Microbiome in Pigs and Effects of Stress on the Microbiome.

Tonsils, lympho-epithelial tissues located at the junction of the oropharynx and nasopharynx, play a key role in surveillance, colonization, and persistence of inhaled and ingested pathogens. In pigs, the tonsils are a reservoir for numerous bacteria and viruses, including host-specific pathogens and potential zoonotic pathogens as well as commensal organisms. However, there are no in depth studies of the development of the tonsillar microbiome in pigs, or any mammal, over time.

Genome Sequences of 34 Shiga Toxin-Producing Isolates from Swine and Other Sources.

Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) bacteria are foodborne pathogens that can be carried by various animals. The swine STEC population is partially composed of host-specific strains that are often not well characterized. In this work, the genome sequences of a number of swine STEC strains are presented.

Intestinal Microbial Community Dynamics of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in an Agroecosystem.

The intestinal microbiota has important functions that contribute to host health. The compositional dynamics of microbial communities are affected by many factors, including diet and presence of pathogens. In contrast to humans and domestic mammals, the composition and seasonal dynamics of intestinal microbiota of wildlife species remain comparatively understudied.

Association between thermal environment and Salmonella in fecal samples from dairy cattle in midwestern United States.

The objective of this study was to describe the association between thermal measures in the barn environment (pen temperature and humidity) and fecal shedding of Salmonella in dairy cattle. A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted within a commercial dairy herd located in the midwestern United States. Five pooled fecal samples were collected monthly from each pen for 9 mo and submitted for microbiological culture.

Factors Associated with Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Shedding by Dairy and Beef Cattle.

Unlabelled: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Cattle are the primary reservoir for STEC, and food or water contaminated with cattle feces is the most common source of infections in humans. Consequently, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 1,096 cattle in six dairy herds (n = 718 animals) and five beef herds (n = 378 animals) in the summers of 2011 and 2012 to identify epidemiological factors associated with shedding.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Diversity of Salmonella in Finishing Swine.

Salmonella enterica (nontyphoidal) is one of the major causes of foodborne diseases in the United States and worldwide. Molecular typing methods are significant tools used to better understand the transmission and ecology of Salmonella in order to implement pre-harvest control measures. The objectives of this study were to describe the Salmonella genotypes, the distribution of isolate subtypes from different ecological niches (i.

Organic or antibiotic-free labeling does not impact the recovery of enteric pathogens and antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli from fresh retail chicken.

We investigated the implied health benefits of retail chicken breast labeled as "organic" or "antibiotic-free" when compared to conventional products based on frequency of contamination by Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and coliform bacteria resistant to fluoroquinolones, extended-spectrum cephalosporins, or carbapenems.

Recommendations for the role of social science research in One Health.

The social environment has changed rapidly as technology has facilitated communication among individuals and groups in ways not imagined 20 years ago. Communication technology increasingly plays a role in decision-making about health and environmental behaviors and is being leveraged to influence that process. But at its root is the fundamental need to understand human cognition, communication, and behavior.

Diverse virulence gene content of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli from finishing swine.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections are a critical public health concern because they can cause severe clinical outcomes, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome, in humans. Determining the presence or absence of virulence genes is essential in assessing the potential pathogenicity of STEC strains. Currently, there is limited information about the virulence genes carried by swine STEC strains; therefore, this study was conducted to examine the presence and absence of 69 virulence genes in STEC strains recovered previously from finishing swine in a longitudinal study.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in swine: the public health perspective.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are food-borne pathogens that are an important public health concern. STEC infection is associated with severe clinical diseases in human beings, including hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure and death. Cattle are the most important STEC reservoir.

Enumeration of salmonella in feces of naturally infected pigs.

Quantification of Salmonella in asymptomatic pigs can be used to institute control measures and to assess risk of carcass contamination during slaughter. The objective of this study was to quantify the fecal concentration of Salmonella in naturally infected pigs. Individual fecal samples (positive [n=443], negative [n=1225] determined by microbiological culture) were submitted for direct quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR).

Scoping review on search queries and social media for disease surveillance: a chronology of innovation.

Background: The threat of a global pandemic posed by outbreaks of influenza H5N1 (1997) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS, 2002), both diseases of zoonotic origin, provoked interest in improving early warning systems and reinforced the need for combining data from different sources. It led to the use of search query data from search engines such as Google and Yahoo! as an indicator of when and where influenza was occurring. This methodology has subsequently been extended to other diseases and has led to experimentation with new types of social media for disease surveillance.

Prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica in antimicrobial-free and conventional antimicrobial use swine production.

Swine are the primary reservoir for foodborne illness associated with Yersinia enterocolitica. The use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture has been hypothesized as having a potential role in the increase in prevalence of zoonotic pathogens. The objective of this study was to compare the frequency of Y.

Yersinia enterocolitica of porcine origin: carriage of virulence genes and genotypic diversity.

Yersinia enterocolitica is an important foodborne pathogen, and pigs are recognized as a major reservoir and potential source of pathogenic strains to humans. A total of 172 Y. enterocolitica recovered from conventional and antimicrobial-free pig production systems from different geographic regions (North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa) were investigated to determine their pathogenic significance to humans.

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae producing CTX-M cephalosporinase from swine finishing barns and their association with antimicrobial use.

We report the recovery of Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae containing the extended-spectrum β-lactamase gene bla(CTX-M) from 24 of 1,495 (1.6%) swine fecal samples in 8 of 50 (16%) finishing barns located in 5 U.S.

Antimicrobial susceptibility, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and multi-locus sequence typing of Campylobacter coli in swine before, during, and after the slaughter process.

The objective of this study was to determine persistence of clonal strains from farm to retail by assessing the clonal relatedness of Campylobacter coli isolated on farm, peri-harvest, and at processing from 11 individually identified pigs. Phenotypic (antimicrobial susceptibility) and genotypic (pulsed field gel electrophoresis [PFGE] and multi-locus sequence typing [MLST]) characterization of isolates was conducted. There was high genetic diversity of Campylobacter isolates from on-farm fecal samples.

Quantification of Campylobacter and Salmonella in cattle before, during, and after the slaughter process.

Salmonella and Campylobacter cause a significant number of human illnesses globally, most of which are food related. Cattle can be asymptomatic carriers of both of these pathogens. The objective of this study was to determine the association between the concentration of Salmonella and Campylobacter pre- and postharvest in cattle.

Ceftiofur use in finishing swine barns and the recovery of fecal Escherichia coli or Salmonella spp. resistant to ceftriaxone.

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between ceftiofur use policy in finishing swine barns and recovery of fecal Escherichia coli or Salmonella spp. resistant to ceftriaxone. The study population included 54 finishing swine barns from three companies located in North Carolina.

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profile of Campylobacter spp. isolated from conventional and antimicrobial-free swine production systems from different U.S. regions.

We conducted a study to compare the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profile of Campylobacter isolated from 34 farm-slaughter pair cohorts of pigs raised in conventional and antimicrobial-free (ABF) production systems. Isolates originated from four different states of two geographic regions (region 1--Ohio and Michigan; region 2--Wisconsin and Iowa). A total of 838 fecal and 1173 carcass samples were examined.

Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli harboring blaCMY in retail beef and pork products.

We estimated the proportion of retail beef and pork products containing bla(CMY)-mediated third-generation cephalosporin resistance in commensal Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. Samples were obtained from 50 grocery stores located in two U.S.

Association of dry cow therapy with the antimicrobial susceptibility of fecal coliform bacteria in dairy cows.

The prophylactic use of intramammary antimicrobial drugs at the end of lactation in dairy cows, known as dry cow therapy (DCT), is widely practiced in US dairy herds. This extremely common use of high-dose, slow-release antimicrobials may influence the ecology of bacterial flora on dairy farms. We investigated the association between the antimicrobial used for intramammary DCT and the relative number of fecal coliform bacteria with reduced susceptibility to three antimicrobial drugs in dairy cattle.

Genetic and phenotypic characterization of the bla(CMY) gene from Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica isolated from food-producing animals, humans, the environment, and retail meat.

The bla(CMY-2) family of the ampC beta-lactamase genes confer broad-spectrum resistance to beta-lactam antimicrobials, including ceftriaxone and ceftiofur, as well as to beta-lactamase inhibitors, such as clavulanic acid. Organisms with the bla(CMY-2) phenotype have been recovered from the environment and from retail meat products, posing a potential public health risk. The objectives of this study were to sequence the bla(CMY-2) gene from Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica from multiple sources that had a reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone and to determine the effect of observed mutations in the bla(CMY-2) gene on the antimicrobial resistance phenotype (spectrum and minimum inhibitory concentration/susceptibility patterns) of the isolates.

Identification of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica organisms with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone from fecal samples of cows in dairy herds.

Objective: To estimate the relationship between therapeutic use of ceftiofur and recovery of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone from feces of dairy cattle.

Animals: 3,840 mature dairy cows on 50 dairy herds in Ohio. Procedures-Fecal samples were obtained from up to 100 mature dairy cows on each farm.