Rapid screening for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in clinical elephant trunk wash samples.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis can infect and be transmitted between elephants and humans. In elephants, the 'gold standard' reference test for detection of tuberculosis is culture, which takes a minimum of eight weeks for results and has limited sensitivity. A screening test that is rapid, easily implemented, and accurate is needed to aid in diagnosis of tuberculosis in elephants.

Characterization of the resistome in manure, soil and wastewater from dairy and beef production systems.

It has been proposed that livestock production effluents such as wastewater, airborne dust and manure increase the density of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and genes in the environment. The public health risk posed by this proposed outcome has been difficult to quantify using traditional microbiological approaches. We utilized shotgun metagenomics to provide a first description of the resistome of North American dairy and beef production effluents, and identify factors that significantly impact this resistome.

Resistome diversity in cattle and the environment decreases during beef production.

Antimicrobial resistant determinants (ARDs) can be transmitted from livestock systems through meat products or environmental effluents. The public health risk posed by these two routes is not well understood, particularly in non-pathogenic bacteria. We collected pooled samples from 8 groups of 1741 commercial cattle as they moved through the process of beef production from feedlot entry through slaughter.

Use of Metagenomic Shotgun Sequencing Technology To Detect Foodborne Pathogens within the Microbiome of the Beef Production Chain.

Foodborne illnesses associated with pathogenic bacteria are a global public health and economic challenge. The diversity of microorganisms (pathogenic and nonpathogenic) that exists within the food and meat industries complicates efforts to understand pathogen ecology. Further, little is known about the interaction of pathogens within the microbiome throughout the meat production chain.

Comparison of RNA extraction methods to augment the sensitivity for the differentiation of vesicular stomatitis virus Indiana1 and New Jersey.

Two methods for the extraction of RNA of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) Indiana1 and New Jersey and their simultaneous amplification by one-step polymerase chain reaction using reverse transcriptase were evaluated. A guanidine-thiocyanate-based RNA extraction (Qiagen RNeasy Mini Kit, Qiagen, Valencia, CA ) followed by column-based purification coupled with one-step RT-PCR proved to be a simple, safe, practicable, and reliable tool for rapid, highly sensitive, and specific differential diagnosis of both types of VSV in cell lysate and spiked tissue samples as compared with the tri-phasic extraction method (Tri-reagent method). When RNA was extracted either from VSV cell culture stock or from VSV spiked bovine lymph nodes by using Qiagen RNeasy Mini Kit, the detection limit in the multiplex RT-PCR was as low as 0.

Adsorptive effects of di-tri-octahedral smectite on Clostridium perfringens alpha, beta, and beta-2 exotoxins and equine colostral antibodies.

Objective: To determine the adsorptive capability of di-tri-octahedral smectite (DTOS) on Clostridium perfringens alpha, beta, and beta-2 exotoxins and equine colostral antibodies.

Sample Population: 3 C perfringens exotoxins and 9 colostral samples.

Procedures: Alpha, beta, and beta-2 exotoxins were individually co-incubated with serial dilutions of DTOS or bismuth subsalicylate, and the amount of toxin remaining after incubation was determined via toxin-specific ELISAs.

A single-tube multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for detection and differentiation of vesicular stomatitis Indiana 1 and New Jersey viruses in insects.

A multiplex single-tube reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been developed for the detection and differentiation of vesicular stomatitis viruses (VSV), Indiana 1 and New Jersey, from insect samples. Using this assay, detection of either or both viruses in as little as 20 fg of total RNA from tissue culture was achieved, along with detection of vesicular stomatitis (VS) RNA from macerates containing 2 infected mosquitoes in pools of 10-30 noninfected mosquitoes. Vesicular stomatitis virus was detected by RT-PCR in all culture-positive samples, and detection as low as 4 plaque forming units per milliliter was achieved.

Population-based study of fecal shedding of Clostridium perfringens in broodmares and foals.

Objective: To determine the percentage of broodmares and foals that shed Clostridium perfringens in their feces and classify the genotypes of those isolates.

Design: Prospective cross-sectional study.

Animals: 128 broodmares and their foals on 6 equine premises.