SiO/Si interferometers designed for on-site botulinum neurotoxin serotypes B and C quantification and biological activity assessment.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT), the agent causing botulism, exhibit the highest potency among bacterial toxins and pose a significant threat to both humans and animals. The current in vivo method (mouse lethality assay, MLA) is inappropriate for real-time and pen-side assessment of the occurring outbreak or case. Herein, we describe a reflective-based biosensor capable of detecting the toxin's type and activity state by competitive immunoassay and endopeptidase activity, respectively.

Towards harmonized laboratory methodologies in veterinary clinical bacteriology: outcomes of a European survey.

Introduction: Veterinary clinical microbiology laboratories play a key role in antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and prevention of healthcare associated-infections. However, there is a shortage of international harmonized guidelines covering all steps of veterinary bacterial culture from sample receipt to reporting.

Methods: In order to gain insights, the European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Treatment (ENOVAT) designed an online survey focused on the practices and interpretive criteria used for bacterial culture and identification (C&ID), and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of animal bacterial pathogens.

Alternative Traits for Genetic Evaluation of Mastitis Based on Lifetime Merit.

Genetic selection has achieved little progress in reducing mastitis incidence. Mastitis traits are problematic due to the lack of sensitivity of the data and reliance on clinical diagnosis, often missing subclinical cases, and/or on monthly somatic cell count (SCC) measurements. The current measure for mastitis is the lactation average of the somatic cells score (LSCS).

Complete genome sequence of multi-drug-resistant subsp. serovar Typhimurium strain Bnaya isolated from a dairy calf in Israel.

This manuscript reports the complete genome sequence of a subsp. serovar Typhimurium strain (designated "Bnaya"), isolated from a dead dairy calf with severe diarrhea in Israel. The isolate exhibited multi-drug resistance, which is highly unusual in bovine spp.

Resistant Bacteria in Broiler Litter Used as Ruminant Feed: Effect of Biotic Treatment.

The use of antimicrobial drugs and coccidiostats in poultry farming is widespread, with a significant proportion of these drugs being excreted and released into the environment. The residues of such drugs in poultry litter (PL) can result in the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The impact of different biotic treatments (aerobic, anaerobic, and stacking) on broiler litter (BL) before its use as animal feed has not been studied extensively, nor have the differences between antimicrobial-dependent and independent broiler farms been investigated.

Upregulation of Operon Governs Biofilm Formation by a Coagulase-Negative .

is a Gram-positive, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), which appears as commensal in the skin, as well as a prevalent mastitis pathogen of goats. Occasionally, it is also associated with infections in humans. Biofilm formation has been identified as a putative virulence factor in .

Public and animal health risks associated with spillover of into dairy farms.

Brucellosis is a worldwide zoonosis with important public health, animal health and economic implications. , commonly associated with small ruminants, is an emerging bovine pathogen in dairy farms. We analysed all outbreaks affecting dairy farms in Israel since 2006, combining traditional and genomic epidemiology to explore the public health implications of this One Health challenge.

Evaluation of acoustic pulse technology as a non-antibiotic therapy for bovine intramammary infections: Assessing bacterial cure vs. recovery from inflammation.

Introduction: The spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to human and animal health. Therefore, new solutions are needed to prevent returning to a world without effective antibiotics. Mastitis in dairy cows is a major reason for antimicrobial use in food animal production, and mastitis-causing bacteria have the potential to develop AMR.

Infant Botulism, Israel, 2007-2021.

Infant botulism (IB) is an intestinal toxemia that manifests as descending paralysis, constipation, and, in some cases, respiratory failure. Laboratory-confirmed IB cases are rare, and recent data in Israel are lacking. We conducted a national multicenter retrospective study of laboratory-confirmed IB cases reported in Israel during 2007-2021.

Neospora-related abortions in sheep in Israel - A serological diagnostic challenge in an endemic area.

Abortions in sheep flocks is a common multifactorial problem, which affects animal productivity and welfare. Israel is endemic to several infectious abortifacient pathogens, with neosporosis identified as a prominent cause. High seroprevalence of N.

What Is Hiding in the Israeli Mediterranean Seawater and Beach Sand.

Objective: In the present study, we aimed to investigate the presence of fungi that may affect human health in sand and water on Israeli Mediterranean Sea coast beaches.

Methods: The study included screening of the sand and water of six urban beaches from north to south on the Israeli Mediterranean coast. Sand samples were extracted with water, and the water wash was cultured and quantitated.

Fecal Microbiome Features Associated with Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacterales Carriage in Dairy Heifers.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) are a growing public health threat, and one key human exposure point is through livestock and the food supply. Understanding microbiome factors associated with fecal ESBL carriage can help detect and ideally assist with controlling and preventing ESBL dissemination among livestock. The objective of this study was to investigate the diversity and composition of the heifer fecal microbiota in ESBL-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) carriers and noncarriers.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolation from dog grooming products used by private owners or by professional pet grooming salons: prevalence and risk factors.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most commonly isolated bacterium from skin lesions of dogs with post-grooming furunculosis (PGF). It is frequently found in human hair and skin care products, and may pose a health risk to consumers. Information regarding the prevalence of P.

Neck of femur fractures treated with the femoral neck system: outcomes of one hundred and two patients and literature review.

Introduction: The recently developed femoral neck system (FNS) for treatment of femoral neck fractures (FNF), comprises theoretical biomechanical advantages compared to other implants. The aim of this study was to validate the safety and to report outcomes of patients treated with the FNS.

Method: A retrospective multicentric analysis of patients treated by FNS with a minimum of three months of follow-up.

Botulinum Neurotoxin C Dual Detection through Immunological Recognition and Endopeptidase Activity Using Porous Silicon Interferometers.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most potent toxins known in nature produced by strains, which can cause life-threatening diseases in both humans and animals. The latter is of serious environmental and economic concern, resulting in high mortality, production losses, and rejection of contaminated animal feed. The available mouse assay is inadequate for real-time and on-site assessment of outbreaks.

The association between natural drinking water sources and the emergence of zoonotic leptospirosis among grazing beef cattle herds during a human outbreak.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease associated with water abundance in tropical and temperate climate zones. Bacterial spread may also occur in dry and warm weather conditions when humans and animals are forced to share depleted water sources. In such settings, farm animals such as beef cattle, which may be present in large numbers in natural water sources, can play a major role in disease spread.

Spatial and temporal dynamics of microbiomes and resistomes in broiler litter stockpiles.

Farmers apply broiler chicken litter to soils to enrich organic matter and provide crops with nutrients, following varying periods of stockpiling. However, litter frequently harbors fecal-derived microbial pathogens and associated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and may be a source of microbial contamination of produce. We coupled a cutting-edge Loop Genomics long-read 16S rRNA amplicon-sequencing platform with high-throughput qPCR that targeted a suite of ARGs, to assess temporal (five time points over a 60-day period) and spatial (top, middle and bottom layers) microbiome and resistome dynamics in a broiler litter stockpile.

Protein Biomarker Identification for the Discrimination of Field Isolates From the Rev.1 Vaccine Strain by MALDI-TOF MS.

Rev.1 is a live attenuated vaccine strain that is widely used to control brucellosis in small ruminants. For successful surveillance and control programs, rapid identification and characterization of isolates and reliable differentiation of vaccinated and naturally infected animals are essential prerequisites.

Longitudinal study on the effects of growth-promoting and therapeutic antibiotics on the dynamics of chicken cloacal and litter microbiomes and resistomes.

Background: Therapeutic and growth-promoting antibiotics are frequently used in broiler production. Indirect evidence indicates that these practices are linked to the proliferation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from food animals to humans, and the environment, but there is a lack of comprehensive experimental data supporting this. We investigated the effects of growth promotor (bacitracin) and therapeutic (enrofloxacin) antibiotic administration on AMR in broilers for the duration of a production cycle, using a holistic approach that integrated both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods.

Seroprevalence of spp. in Horses in Israel.

Leptospirosis has been reported in both humans and animals in Israel but has not been reported in horses. In 2018, an outbreak of spp. serogroup Pomona was reported in humans and cattle in Israel.

Globetrotting strangles: the unbridled national and international transmission of between horses.

The equine disease strangles, which is characterized by the formation of abscesses in the lymph nodes of the head and neck, is one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses around the world. The causal agent, subspecies , establishes a persistent infection in approximately 10 % of animals that recover from the acute disease. Such 'carrier' animals appear healthy and are rarely identified during routine veterinary examinations pre-purchase or transit, but can transmit to naïve animals initiating new episodes of disease.

Detection of Infection in Aborted Equine Fetuses in Israel.

In horses, and have been associated with fetal loss, and neurological disease, respectively. This study investigated the role of spp. infection in equine abortion in Israel.

Fungi in sands of Mediterranean Sea beaches of Israel-Potential relevance to human health and well-being.

Background: Sand of sea harbour bacteria that may cause enteric and other infections in humans, and are controlled by regulatory measures. Data on fungi in sea sand are scarce. Thus, an international group of mycologists was formed to explore fungal flora in sand of various waterbodies.