Mastitis on selected farms in Wakiso district, Uganda: Burden, pathogens and predictors of infectivity of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in dairy herds.

Background: Mastitis and associated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are major challenges to the dairy industry worldwide.

Objective: This study aimed to expose the mastitis burden, causative bacteria and drivers for mastitis-causing multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococci infectivity in cows on dairy farms in Wakiso district, Uganda.

Methods: On 22 farms, practices were documented using questionnaires, and 175 cows were screened by the California mastitis test.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: using comparative medicine to understand exposure and adverse health outcomes in people and their pets.

One of the important human health benefits of keeping pets may be to serve as an early warning system for indoor childhood exposure to toxic chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The stain-resistant properties and environmental stability of PFAS make them a preferred choice for protective coatings and lubricants, and they have been used for years in various manufacturing and industrial processes around the world. Although the use of PFAS has arguably improved many commercial products, they have been linked to adverse health outcomes such as developmental delays, liver damage, immune suppression, disruption of endocrine and reproductive systems, and some cancers.

Seromonitoring of brucellosis in goats and sheep slaughtered at an abattoir in Kampala, Uganda.

We conducted a cross-sectional serologic study at Kampala City abattoir in Uganda on 287 small ruminants (221 goats and 66 sheep) to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis. The samples were tested using a modified rose bengal test (mRBT) and an indirect ELISA (iELISA). Small ruminant spp.

Milk Contamination by Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex, Implications for Public Health in Amazonas, Brazil.

Abstract: In Brazil, contamination of raw milk with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) has been reported in several states. The highest rate of consumption of raw milk and its derivatives in Brazil occurs in Amazonas. This state also has the highest prevalence of tuberculosis in both humans and livestock.

Study on supplemental test to improve the detection of bovine tuberculosis in individual animals and herds.

Background: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), is a worldwide disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). The success of bTB eradication and control programs is based on early detection and the removal of reactors from a herd thus routine testing and cull strategy have been applied globally.

Genetic Diversity and Potential Paths of Transmission of in the Amazon: The Discovery of Lineage Lb1 Circulating in South America.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) has yet to be eradicated in Brazil. Herds of cattle and buffalo are important sources of revenue to people living in the banks of the Amazon River basin. A better understanding of populational structure and transmission dynamics affecting these animals can significantly contribute in efforts to improve their sanitary status.

Epidemiological Study of Infection in Buffalo and Cattle in Amazonas, Brazil.

Bovine Tuberculosis (BTB) is an endemic disease in about one hundred countries, affecting the economy causing a decrease in productivity, condemnation of meat, and damaging the credibility on international trade. Additionally, the major causative agent for BTB can also infect humans causing a variety of clinical presentations. The aim of this study was to determine BTB prevalence and the main risk factors for the prevalence in cattle and buffalos in Amazonas State, Brazil.

Retrospective analysis of diagnoses and outcomes of 45 cats with micturition disorders presenting as urinary incontinence.

Background: In contrast to dogs, the causes and outcomes of urinary incontinence (UI) in cats are largely unknown.

Objectives: To determine the causes, identify comorbid conditions, and assess outcomes of cats with micturition disorders presenting as UI.

Animals: Forty-five cats with UI.

Prevalence, distribution, and risk factors for canine blastomycosis in Michigan, USA.

Blastomycosis is a systemic fungal infection that most commonly affects dogs and humans. The disease is thought to be endemic in southern regions of Michigan, USA, but epidemiologic investigations have not been reported in detail for this state. The primary aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and distribution of canine blastomycosis cases in Michigan and to identify risk factors for infection.

Molecular characterization of Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle and buffalo in Amazon Region, Brazil.

The aim of this study was to characterize Mycobacterium bovis from cattle and buffalo tissue samples, from two Brazilian states, and to analyse their genetic diversity by spoligotyping. Tissue samples from tuberculosis suspect animals, 57 in Amazonas State (12 cattle and 45 buffaloes) and six from Pará State (5 cattle and one buffalo) from slaughterhouses under State Veterinary Inspection, were isolated in culture medium Stonebrink. The positive cultures were confirmed by PCR and analysed by the spoligotyping technique and the patterns (spoligotypes) were identified and compared at the Mycobacterium bovis Spoligotype Database (http://www.

Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry identification of Mycobacterium bovis in Bovinae.

In this study, Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry was used to identify Mycobacterium bovis from cattle and buffalo tissue isolates from the North and South regions of Brazil, grown in solid medium and previously identified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based on Region of Difference 4 (RD4), sequencing and spoligotyping. For this purpose, the protein extraction protocol and the mass spectra reference database were optimized for the identification of 80 clinical isolates of mycobacteria. As a result of this optimization, it was possible to identify and differentiate M.

Seroprevalence of Q fever in cattle, sheep and goats in the Volta region of Ghana.

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, a causative agent of abortion in livestock and febrile illness in humans. Outbreaks of human cases of Q fever have been reported in Australia and the Netherlands, which was linked to abortions in goat and sheep farms. In Ghana, information on Q fever in both livestock and humans is scanty.

Viral diversity and abundance in polluted waters in Kampala, Uganda.

Waterborne viruses are a significant cause of human disease, especially in developing countries such as Uganda. A total of 15 virus-selective samples were collected at five sites (Bugolobi Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) influent and effluent, Nakivubo Channel upstream and downstream of the WWTP, and Nakivubo Swamp) in July and August 2016. Quantitative PCR and quantitative RT-PCR was performed to determine the concentrations of four human viruses (adenovirus, enterovirus, rotavirus, and hepatitis A virus) in the samples.

Investigation of blood lead concentrations in dogs living in Flint, Michigan.

OBJECTIVE To measure blood lead concentrations (BLCs) in dogs living in Flint, Mich, following a declared water crisis and to assess potential associations of BLCs with demographic data, water sources, and clinical signs in these dogs. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS 284 dogs residing in Flint, Mich (test population), and 47 dogs residing in East Lansing, Mich (control population), and immediately adjacent areas.

Use of whole-genome sequencing and evaluation of the apparent sensitivity and specificity of antemortem tuberculosis tests in the investigation of an unusual outbreak of Mycobacterium bovis infection in a Michigan dairy herd.

OBJECTIVE To describe use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and evaluate the apparent sensitivity and specificity of antemortem tuberculosis tests during investigation of an unusual outbreak of Mycobacterium bovis infection in a Michigan dairy herd. DESIGN Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) outbreak investigation. ANIMALS Cattle, cats, dog, and wildlife.

Survivability of Mycobacterium bovis on salt and salt-mineral blocks fed to cattle.

OBJECTIVE To determine the survivability of Mycobacterium bovis on salt and salt-mineral blocks in typical weather conditions in Michigan over two 12-day periods at the height of summer and winter. SAMPLE 4 salt (NaCl) and 4 salt-mineral blocks inoculated with pure cultures of a strain of M bovis currently circulating in Michigan livestock and wildlife. PROCEDURES In the summer and again in the winter, inoculated blocks were placed in secured outdoor facilities where equal numbers of each block type (2/type/season) were exposed to shade or sunlight.

The Prevalence of Brucellosis in Cattle, Goats and Humans in Rural Uganda: A Comparative Study.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the presence of brucellosis in cattle, goats and humans in farms from south-western Uganda and identify risk factors associated with brucellosis in these three host groups. Data and serum samples were collected from 768 cattle, 315 goats and 236 humans, with 635 samples of bovine milk, from 70 farms in two different study areas in south-western Uganda. Sera from livestock were tested with the Rose Bengal Plate test, using B.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Risk to Human Infection due to Mycobacterium bovis among Cattle Farming Communities in Western Uganda.

A cross-sectional study involving multistage cluster sampling was undertaken in Kashari county, Mbarara district, western Uganda, in which quantitative and qualitative approaches were utilized to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding risk of human infection with zoonotic tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis among cattle farmers. Of 496 respondents, 50% were farm owners and 50% herdsmen. Males were 70.

Herd outbreak of bovine tuberculosis illustrates that route of infection correlates with anatomic distribution of lesions in cattle and cats.

An outbreak of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a Michigan dairy herd resulted in quarantine, depopulation, pathology, and epidemiologic investigations. This herd, compared to other TB-infected herds in Michigan, was unusual in the long-term feeding of waste milk to its replacement calves. The herd had 80 cattle with positive results on caudal fold test or gamma interferon testing, which were reclassified as suspects because the herd had never been known to be tuberculous previously.

Safety of Intraperitoneal Injection of Adipose Tissue-Derived Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Cats.

Background: Chronic inflammatory diseases are common in cats and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are a promising therapeutic approach for management of these disorders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of intraperitoneal injection of MSC in cats.

Hypothesis: Intrapertioneal injection of autologous MSC in cats is safe.

Effect of feeding a direct-fed microbial on total and antimicrobial-resistant fecal coliform counts in preweaned dairy calves.

Objective: To determine whether feeding a direct-fed microbial (DFM) to dairy calves would reduce total and antimicrobial-resistant coliform counts in feces and affect average daily gain (ADG).

Animals: 21 preweaned Holstein heifer calves.

Procedures: The study had a randomized complete block design.