Publications by authors named "Sara Lawhon"

Article Synopsis
  • The increase in bacterial genomic data has led to the discovery of new bacteria and improved understanding of existing ones, particularly their classifications.
  • This review highlights new gastrointestinal bacteria found in various animals, including honeybees and domestic pets like guinea pigs, cats, cows, and goats.
  • Additionally, it notes important nomenclature changes in 2023 that impact species associated with health issues in domestic rabbits.
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Background: Canine superficial pyoderma is a common bacterial skin infection of dogs, generally caused by Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. The C4 strain of Staphylococcus felis was recently discovered to have strong antimicrobial activity against S. pseudintermedius in mice.

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The description of new taxa and nomenclature updates to currently known taxa from aquatic animal species continues. After a review of the literature from 2022 and 2023, multiple lists of bacteria, including members of Phylum , were compiled. As with the previous review, most bacteria are oxidase-positive Gram-negative bacilli with familiar families including new taxa in , , .

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  • The study explores the prevalence of bacteria that cause gastroenteritis in Rhesus macaques, which can lead to post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS).
  • It highlights that 21.6% of the bacterial isolates were resistant to quinolones, with significant findings showing that qPCR detected more positive cases than traditional culture methods.
  • The research emphasizes that gastrointestinal disease in Rhesus macaques is a critical issue in both health and welfare, contributing to high rates of hospitalization and euthanasia in these animals.
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  • Liposomal bupivacaine is a costly long-acting local anesthetic used in veterinary patients, and multiple uses from a single vial are common to save costs, raising concerns about contamination.
  • This study assessed the safety of multi-dose usage by analyzing samples from the first and last doses for potential bacterial and fungal contamination through various testing methods.
  • Results showed no bacterial growth in cultures, but about 50% of samples had DNA from bacteria or fungi detected; the research concludes that their aseptic handling protocol effectively prevents significant contamination up to 7 uses in 5 days.
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Continued investigation into the bacteria associated with non-domestic animals provides important information for recognizing normal flora, assessing the health status of these unique species of animals, and identifying new or emerging pathogens of concern. In this summary of novel taxa and taxonomic revisions, considerable additions have been made toward understanding fecal and mucosal flora in multiple wild animal species. In addition, novel pathogenic bacteria are discussed, including multiple spp.

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Rhodococcus equi causes pyogranulomatous pneumonia in foals and immunocompromised people. Despite decades of research efforts, no vaccine is available against this common cause of disease and death in foals. The purpose of this narrative review is to summarise the current understanding of interactions between R.

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Discospondylitis is a well-recognized disease in dogs, but the relative prevalence of causal infectious agents and efficiency of relevant diagnostic tests are not well-established. Medical record review identified 117 dogs diagnosed with discospondylitis in our clinic over a 5-year period. In 32 dogs, discospondylitis was diagnosed as an incidental imaging finding; 24 of these dogs had concomitant neoplasia.

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Article Synopsis
  • Current sterilization protocols for rodent surgical instruments contaminated with cecal contents are insufficient, motivating the exploration of effective pretreatment solutions.
  • The study tested various pretreatment agents (multienzyme detergent, neutral pH detergent, or chlorhexidine scrub) before glass bead sterilization, followed by thorough brushing to improve debris removal.
  • Results showed that using a pretreatment agent combined with brushing significantly reduced bacterial growth and organic contamination levels, highlighting their importance in achieving effective sterilization.
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Article Synopsis
  • Infection might trigger post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in humans and possibly cause a similar condition in rhesus macaques.
  • The study presents the complete genomes of 8 isolates and 103 isolates derived from rhesus macaques, examining both those with intestinal disease and those without.
  • Understanding these genetic isolates could help in exploring the link between infection and IBS, enhancing knowledge of gastrointestinal disorders.
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is a frequent cause of infections in dogs. Infectious isolates of this coagulase-positive staphylococcal species are often methicillin- and multidrug-resistant, which complicates therapy. In staphylococci, methicillin resistance is encoded by determinants found on mobile genetic elements called Staphylococcal Chromosome Cassette (SCC), which, in addition to methicillin resistance factors, sometimes encode additional genes, such as further resistance factors and, rarely, virulence determinants.

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Antimicrobial resistance is a significant concern worldwide; meanwhile, the impact of 3rd generation cephalosporin (3GC) antibiotics on the microbial communities of cattle and resistance within these communities is largely unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of two-dose ceftiofur crystalline-free acid (2-CCFA) treatment on the fecal microbiota and on the quantities of second-and third-generation cephalosporin, fluoroquinolone, and macrolide resistance genes in Holstein-Friesian dairy cows in the southwestern United States. Across three dairy farms, 124 matched pairs of cows were enrolled in a longitudinal study.

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Expansion of our knowledge of the microbial world continues to progress at a rapid rate and carries with it an associated need for recognizing and understanding the implications of those changes. Here, we describe additions of novel taxa from domestic animals published in 2022 that are validly published per the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. These included new members of , sp.

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Article Synopsis
  • New and revised microbial taxa are rapidly increasing, making it difficult to track the emergence of novel bacterial species.
  • This publication is the second to summarize these taxa in non-domestic animals, following a similar approach used for human-associated prokaryotic species.
  • Many new bacteria were discovered on the mucosal surfaces and gastrointestinal tracts of healthy wildlife, including potentially pathogenic species from mammals and aquatic sources.
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Background: Dilute sodium hypochlorite (bleach) baths at 0.005% concentration twice weekly have been shown to markedly reduce the severity of atopic dermatitis in children, yet no tolerability and efficacy data are available for this treatment in dogs.

Objectives: To determine the local tolerability and the longitudinal effect on the density of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius of repeated diluted bleach baths on healthy dog skin.

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Strangles is a contagious bacterial disease of horses caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (SEE) that occurs globally. Rapid and accurate identification of infected horses is essential for controlling strangles. Because of limitations of existing PCR assays for SEE, we sought to identify novel primers and probes that enable simultaneous detection and differentiation of infection with SEE and S.

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Increased interest in farmed aquatic species, aquatic conservation measures, and microbial metabolic end-product utilization have translated into a need for awareness and recognition of novel microbial species and revisions to bacterial taxonomy. Because this need has largely been unmet, through a 4-year literature review, we present lists of novel and revised bacterial species (including members of the phylum ) derived from aquatic hosts that can serve as a baseline for future biennial summaries of taxonomic revisions in this field. Most new and revised taxa were noted within oxidase-positive and/or nonglucose fermentative Gram-negative bacilli, including members of the , , and genera.

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Revisions and new additions to bacterial taxonomy can have a significant widespread impact on clinical practice, infectious disease epidemiology, veterinary microbiology laboratory operations, and wildlife conservation efforts. The expansion of genome sequencing technologies has revolutionized our knowledge of the microbiota of humans, animals, and insects. Here, we address novel taxonomy and nomenclature revisions of veterinary significance that impact bacteria isolated from nondomestic wildlife, with emphasis being placed on bacteria that are associated with disease in their hosts or were isolated from host animal species that are culturally significant, are a target of conservation efforts, or serve as reservoirs for human pathogens.

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Novel bacterial taxonomy and nomenclature revisions can have significant impacts on clinical practice, disease epidemiology, and veterinary microbiology laboratory operations. Expansion of research on the microbiota of humans, animals, and insects has significant potential impacts on the taxonomy of organisms of clinical interest. Implications of taxonomic changes may be especially important when considering zoonotic diseases.

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Extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae are serious public health threats. Due to an increasing number of reports of ESBL and AmpC producing Escherichia coli in agricultural settings, it is critical to understand the relationship between the use of two of the highest priority critically important human antibiotics (e.g.

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Objective: To compare: (1) the load and diversity of cultivatable bacterial species isolated from tissue biopsies with cultures from surface swabs, and (2) the ability of each technique to detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a model of MRSA-infected equine wounds.

Study Design: Experimental in vivo study.

Animals: Three light-breed adult horses.

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Dermatophytosis, also known as ringworm, is a contagious fungal skin disease affecting humans and animals worldwide. Persian cats exhibit severe forms of the disease more commonly than other breeds of cat, including other long-haired breeds. Certain types of severe dermatophytosis in humans are reportedly caused by monogenic inborn errors of immunity.

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In two sequential replicates ( = 90 and = 96 feedlot finisher cattle, respectively) we measured the impact of an -based probiotic (DFM) and an altered feedlot pen environment on antimicrobial resistance among fecal enterococci in cattle fed (or, not fed) the macrolide tylosin. Diluted fecal samples were spiral-plated on plain and antibiotic-supplemented m- agar. In the first replicate, tylosin significantly ( < 0.

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The objective of this experiment was to determine if statistical process control (SPC) procedures coupled with remote continuous data collection could accurately differentiate between animals experimentally inoculated with a viral-bacterial (VB) challenge or phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Crossbred heifers (N = 38; BW = 230 ± 16.4 kg) were randomly assigned to treatments by initial weight, average daily gain (ADG), bovine herpes virus 1, and Mannheimia haemolytica serum titers.

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