Clostridial Infection Research Articles

Fecal microbiota transplantation: a step into the past or the future? A review

New data on the association of intestinal microbiome changes with some serious diseases raised the question of the role of the bacteria living in the intestine in maintaining human health. One way to study the composition and function of the microbiome and adjust it is fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which refers to the transfer of the donor's intestinal microbiota into the recipient's body to modify species diversity. Currently, FMT is included in the standards of care for relapsed and refractory types of clostridial infection in many countries. Its possible effect on the course of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, metabolic syndrome, and some neurological and other diseases is being studied. Fecal biomaterial storage banks have been established in Europe, Asia, and the USA to facilitate donor selection, storage and delivery of the biomaterial to the recipient and simplify the control of the procedure, safety and adverse events. In Australia, a medicinal product is approved, which includes feces of specially examined and prepared donors. Despite many unresolved technological, legal and ethical issues, FMT has already been established as a promising potential treatment for many diseases.

Clostridial Infections in Cattle: A Comprehensive Review with Emphasis on Current Data Gaps in Brazil.

Clostridial infections in cattle are a significant concern for Brazilian livestock. These diseases are caused by various species of Clostridium, which are known for their ability to produce potent toxins. Botulism in cattle is a serious and often fatal condition caused by the ingestion of neurotoxins produced by C. botulinum. This bacterium thrives in decomposing organic matter, such as spoiled feed, carcasses, and contaminated water. Tetanus is less common, but it is a serious disease that follows the contamination of wounds with Clostridium tetani spores. It results in muscle stiffness, spasms, and often death due to respiratory failure. Blackleg (C. chauvoei) is a disease that primarily affects young cattle, leading to acute lameness, swelling, and high fever. Malignant edema (C. septicum and others) is characterized by rapid onset of swelling at wound sites, and it can occur after injuries or surgical procedures. Enterotoxemia is triggered by the rapid growth of C. perfringens in the gut following excessive carbohydrate intake. This leads to toxin production that causes sudden death. In conclusion, clostridial bovine infections remain a persistent challenge for Brazilian cattle farmers. With continued focus on vaccination, good management practices, and research, the impact of these diseases can be minimized, safeguarding the livestock industry's economic viability.

Unveiling Microbial Diversity: Raman Spectroscopy's Discrimination of Clostridium and Related Genera.

In the clinical environment, the identification of phylogenetic closely related genera and species like Clostridium and Bacillus spp. is challenging. Both genera contain representatives of pathogenic and nonpathogenic species that need to be distinguished for a proper diagnostic read-out. Therefore, reliable and accurate detection methods must be employed for the correct identification of these genera and species. Despite their high pathogenicity, clostridial infections and food contaminations present significant challenges due to their unique cultivation conditions and developmental needs. Therefore, in many diagnostic protocols, the toxins are used for microbiological documentation. However, the applied laboratory methods suffer in accuracy, sometimes require large bacterial loads to provide reliable results, and cannot differentiate pathogenic from nonpathogenic strains. Here, Raman spectroscopy was employed to create an extensive Raman database consisting of pathogenic and nonpathogenic Bacillus and Clostridium species. These genera, as well as representatives of Paraclostridium and Clostridioides were specifically selected for their phylogenetic relation, cultivation conditions, and metabolic activity. A chemometric evaluation of the Raman spectra of single vegetative cells revealed a high discriminating power at the genus level. However, bacilli are considerably easier to classify at the species level than clostridia. The discrimination between the genera and species was based on their phylogeny and not their aerobic and anaerobic cultivation conditions. These encouraging results demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics is a robust and helpful method for differentiating Clostridium species from Bacillus, Clostridioides, and Paraclostridium species. This approach has the potential to be a valuable tool in clinical diagnostics.

Clinical signs and post-mortem lesions caused by clostridial enterotoxemia in rabbits

Enterotoxemia, accompanied by diarrhea and bloating, is still a matter of pressing concern to the rabbit farming. Clostridia bacteria are often isolated from the internal organs of rabbits that have died of an anaerobic infection. Clostridial infection, manifested in various forms, is a major problem for veterinarians. The following drivers contribute to the emergence of the infectious disease: malnutrition (insufficient fiber intake); non-compliance with hygiene requirements for animal handling; unsustainable use of antibacterial drugs; gastrointestinal congestion. All these drivers can disrupt healthy caecum microflora due to changes in the gastrointestinal environment. Low-fiber diets result in slow cecum motility, thus, delaying transit of the intestinal contents and eventually changing the microflora. Use of antibiotics together with stress make Clostridia accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract, at the same time, reducing the number of microorganisms of other groups. The first signs of toxicoinfection are observed when rabbit kits are weaned from does. Clinical manifestation begins with bloating, weakness, inappetence, which ultimately lead to death. Observations have shown that the risk group includes rabbit kits weaned from the 35–77-day old does. Mortality was less reported in breeding stock and among replacement young animals. Autopsy revealed signs of enterotoxemia: serous-catarrhal gastritis, serous-hemorrhagic lymphonodulitis, degenerated kidneys, liver and heart muscle; passive congestion of lungs and pulmonary edema. Microbiological diagnosis revealed Clostridium histolyticum and Clostridium perfringens species known for their pronounced toxigenic profile, most often bacteria were found in the stomach, intestines and heart.

Pantothenate kinase: A promising therapeutic target against pathogenic Clostridium species

Current treatment of clostridial infections includes broad-spectrum antibiotics and antitoxins, yet antitoxins are ineffective against all Clostridium species. Moreover, rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens treatment effectiveness and public health. This study therefore aimed to discover a common drug target for four pathogenic clostridial species, Clostridium botulinum, C. difficile, C. tetani, and C. perfringens through an in-silico core genomic approach. Using four reference genomes of C. botulinum, C. difficile, C. tetani, and C. perfringens, we identified 1484 core genomic proteins (371/genome) and screened them for potential drug targets. Through a subtractive approach, four core proteins were finally identified as drug targets, represented by type III pantothenate kinase (CoaX) and, selected for further analyses. Interestingly, the CoaX is involved in the phosphorylation of pantothenate (vitamin B5), which is a critical precursor for coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis. Investigation of druggability analysis on the identified drug target reinforces CoaX as a promising novel drug target for the selected Clostridium species. During the molecular screening of 1201 compounds, a known agonist drug compound (Vibegron) showed strong inhibitory activity against targeted clostridial CoaX. Additionally, we identified tazobactam, a beta-lactamase inhibitor, as effective against the newly proposed target, CoaX. Therefore, identifying CoaX as a single drug target effective against all four clostridial pathogens presents a valuable opportunity to develop a cost-effective treatment for multispecies clostridial infections.

Nutritional support as a part of complex therapy for clostridial infection

In order to study modern principles of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of clostridial infection, an analysis of publications on the topic in the medical databases eLibrary, PubMed, Medline (2004–2023) was carried out. Based on the data obtained, a modern concept of etiology, pathogenesis, and methods of treating the disease using specialized principles of diet therapy and nutritional support is presented. It has been shown that today clostridial infection is one of the most dangerous nosocomial infections, the diagnosis of which is quite difficult. Timely testing and a clear diagnostic algorithm make it possible to identify the disease in the early stages of its development. Vancomycin and metronidazole remain the main therapeutic agents, but the effectiveness of the latter has been questioned by recent studies. It is clear that further clinical studies are needed to study the target population of bezlotoxumab and regulate the use of fecal microbiota transplantation, which appears to be promising. A specialized enteral mixture enriched with the natural anti-inflammatory growth factor TGF-β2 has a pathogenetic effect, accelerating the healing of the colon mucosa and improving nutritional status for a long time. Prevention of clostridial infection is largely ensured by hygiene measures, as well as the rational use of antibiotics.

MEDICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF WATER-RELATED IMPACTS ON HUMAN HEALTH IN CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT

This article addresses the pressing concerns regarding the influence of water as a potential risk factor on public health. Particular emphasis is given to the potential for worsening the epidemiological situation in Ukraine due to water pollution, especially in regions affected by martial law. The study aims to analyze the medical and microbiological risks associated with the impact of water on public health, considering the vital role of water in modern life. To accomplish this objective, we conducted a comprehensive review of online resources from contemporary databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We employed bibliosystematic and analytical methods in our research. Our investigation reveals that the compromise of water resource safety, particularly in regions marked by active hostilities or territories affected by significant anthropogenic stress, can lead to isolated outbreaks of infectious diseases that have the potential to escalate into epidemics. The article highlights a range of microorganisms that can be transmitted through water, such as bacteria (including E. coli, campylobacter, legionella, leptospira, typhoid salmonella, various types of salmonella, shigella, cholera, and parahaemolytic vibrio), viruses (such as rotaviruses, adeno-, astro-, noro-, and enteroviruses, as well as hepatitis A and E viruses), protozoa (including acanthamoebae, dysentery amoeba, giardia, and the pathogens of cryptosporidiosis and cyclosporiasis), and fungi (yeasts and certain molds). Intestinal and sapronose infections pose a substantial health risk to the population, with water and soil serving as the natural reservoirs of pathogens. Some sapronoses can also be transmitted by animals or animal-derived food products (e.g., cholera, clostridial infections, botulism, legionellosis, etc.). Overcrowded conditions exacerbate the potential for aerosol contamination. Therefore, the implementation of health-preserving technologies should consider the medical and microbiological risks associated with water and aim to minimize the adverse impact of waterborne pathogens on human health.

Improvement of Laboratory Diagnosis for Detection and Identification of Bovine Clostridiosis

Objective: Clostridiosis is a toxic infectious disease; the pathogenicity factor of causative agents is the secreted toxins. A characteristic feature of clostridiosis pathogens is their polytropism. They affect both humans and agricultural, domestic, and wild animals. Our research aimed to monitor Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium difficile spread among agricultural organizations of the Ural region. Materials and Methods: 137 biological samples were obtained from cattle with symptoms of clostridial infection. For PCR species and toxinotype identification commercial kits and previously described protocols were used. Results verification was conducted using MALDI-TOF MS. Results: Out of 137 samples of selected material Clostridium was detected in 40.6% of samples: Cl. difficile in 35.8%, Cl. perfringens in 25.3%, Cl. difficile+Cl. perfringens in 16.4%. Cl. difficile and Cl. perfringens were found in 30.5% of fecal samples, in pathological material from dead calves and cows – 8.7%, in milk samples – 1.4%. Conclusion: Laboratory methods made it possible to verify the diagnosis: infectious anaerobic enterotoxemia of calves in one case, necrotic enteritis in 3 animals, and intestinal toxic infection caused by Cl. perfringens type A in 2 cows and 5 calves. The diagnostics of toxinotypes of Cl. perfringens have made it possible to conduct toxin-specific vaccination against clostridial infection in farms.

Infection epidemiology in relation to different therapy phases in patients with haematological malignancies receiving CAR T-cell therapy.

We described the real-life epidemiology and causes of infections on the different therapy phases in patients undergoing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells directed towards CD19+ or BCMA+ cells. All consecutive patients receiving CAR T-cell therapy at our institution were prospectively followed-up. We performed various comparative analyses of all patients and subgroups with and without infections. Ninety-one adults mainly received CAR T-cell therapy for acute leukaemia (53%) and lymphoma (33%). We documented a total of 77 infections in 47 (52%) patients, 37 (48%) during the initial neutropenic phase and 40 (52%) during the non-neutropenic phase. Infections during the neutropenic phase were mainly due to bacterial (29, 78%): catheter infections (11 [38%] cases), endogenous source (5 [17%]), and Clostridioides difficile (5 [17%]). Patients receiving corticosteroids after CAR T-cell therapy had a higher risk of endogenous infection (100% vs. 16%; p = .006). During the non-neutropenic phase, bacterial infections remained very frequent (24, 60%), mainly with catheter source (8, 33%). Respiratory tract infections were common (17, 43%). Infections after CAR T-cell therapy were frequent. During the neutropenic phase, it is essential to prevent nosocomial infections and balance the use of antibiotics to lower endogenous bacteraemia and Clostridial infection rates.

Pseudomembranous colitis complicated by toxic megacolon in oncological patients

In recent years, information on the increase in the incidence of infection associated with Clostridioides difficile (CDI) has appeared in the literature. It is known that C. difficile which causes pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) most often affects debilitated patients who receive treatment for the main pathology for a long time. That is why PMC is most common in cancer patients receiving long-term and aggressive anticancer treatment, which is often accompanied by the use of several courses of antibiotics. The result of the irrational use of antibiotics, incorrect PMC therapy may be the formation of toxic megacolon, intestinal perforation, sepsis, which in turn is fraught with a fatal outcome. It is this state of affairs that aroused our interest in the study of this topic. The steady increase in the incidence of Clostridioides difficile infection makes it particularly relevant to study CDI problem in relation to cancer patients, since they most often have a wide range of risk factors for developing clostridial infection. The article presents an overview of domestic and foreign sources describing this pathology, discusses epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical picture and current understanding of the CDI treatment. At the end of the review, we present a case of successful treatment of pseudomembranous colitis after stoma closure, which was complicated by the development of toxic megacolon. Colproctectomy was performed as part of the complex treatment of this pathology. The patient received respiratory, renal replacement, hepatoprotective, antibiotic and antifungal therapy and other treatments.

Prevention methods for clostridial infection of cattle on the territory of the Russian Federation

This article presents a review of the literature data of foreign and domestic scientists, as well as an analysis of the results of our own research on the problem of clostridial infections in cattle. This paper provides insight into current etiological structure of clostridiosis in the Russian Federation in accordance with the data of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Center for Veterinary Medicine”. The species composition of bacteria of the genus Clostridium, which causes diseases in cattle in more than 17 regions of Russia, is described. Moreover, data on the Clostridia species diversity in the Ural region and information on vaccination against blackleg of cattle bred in the Sverdlovsk region are presented. The issues of immunogenicity of vaccines and the effectiveness of their use in cattle, depending on various factors, are highlighted. Up-to-date information on immunobiological preparations against clostridial diseases in cattle officially included in the register of medicinal products of the Russian Federation is presented. The advantages and disadvantages of domestic and foreign vaccines used in veterinary practice are analyzed. A review of current data in the field of new developments of Russian immunobiological agents against clostridial infections in cattle is presented. Comparative data on the use of domestic and foreign vaccines in veterinary practice at agricultural organizations are given. In a brief form, the main preventive measures for each infectious disease caused by clostridia are described.

Clostridial prosthetic joint infections: A series of 16 cases and literature review

ObjectivesProsthetic joint infections (PJIs) due to the Clostridium species have not been widely investigated. We aimed to characterize these uncommon infections. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study between 2003 and 2020 in six French hospitals combined with a review of the literature. ResultsThe main conclusions obtained from the 16 patients included were reinforced by the literature analysis: (i) Clostridium perfringens was the most frequently involved species, (ii) patients presented an advanced age at the time of prosthesis placement and infection, (iii) most of the infections were early- or delayed-onset, (iv) the prognosis for these PJIs remains poor, (v) when performed (n = 5), DAIR with 12-week antimicrobial therapy led to a favorable outcome in 80% of cases. ConclusionsGiven the low incidence of this infection, our work represents the largest series of clostridial PJIs reported to date and highlights some specificities of these infections. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.

Clinical Practice Guidelines of the Scientific Society for the Clinical Study of Human Microbiome, of the Russian Gastroenterological Association and the Russian Society for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases on the Diagnosis and Treatment of <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> (<i>C. difficile</i>)-associated Disease in Adults

Аim: the clinical practice guidelines intended for gastroenterologists, internal medicine specialists, infectious disease specialists, general practitioners (family doctors), coloproctologists, surgeons and endoscopists present modern methods of diagnosis, prevention and treatment of C. difficile-associated disease.Key points. C. difficile-associated disease is a disease that develops when the diversity of the intestinal microbiota decreases and C. difficile excessively colonizes the colon, the toxins of which damage the intestinal muco-epithelial barrier, followed by the development of inflammation in the colon wall, with diarrhea being a characteristic clinical manifestation. The clinical presentation of the disease can vary from asymptomatic carriage, mild to moderate diarrhea that resolves on its own, to profuse watery diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis with development of life-threatening complications. The diagnosis of C. difficile-associated disease is based on an assessment of the clinical presentation, medical history, an objective examination of the patient and laboratory stool tests. The disease severity is determined by clinical symptoms and laboratory findings. Additional diagnostic methods that are used according to indications and contribute to the assessment of severity include endoscopy of the colon and abdominal cavity imaging methods. Treatment should be initiated in cases of characteristic clinical presentation of C. difficile-associated disease and positive laboratory stool testing. The choice of drug and treatment regimen depends on the severity of the episode, the presence of complications, and whether the episode is initial, recurrent, or reinfection.Conclusion. Determination of target groups of patients for the diagnosis of clostridial infection is important in preventing overdiagnosis and subsequent unnecessary treatment. Timely diagnosis and treatment of C. difficile-associated disease help avoiding the development of life-threatening complications and improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients.

Nutritional support in the complex therapy of clostridial infection after surgery

This article presents the tactics of nutritional support in a patient with pseudomembranous colitis after repeated consecutive operations on the abdominal organs, which led to significant violations of the nutritional status. Competent, individually selected correction of protein-energy deficiency in patients with pseudomembranous colitis allows achieving an effective treatment result, avoiding severe complications such as perforation, toxic dilatation, and bleeding. The peculiarity of this clinical case is that a patient with perforation of Meckels diverticulum and abdominal abscess developed a complication secondary widespread peritonitis, phlegmon, which required repeated surgical interventions. Surgical treatment and massive antibiotic therapy led to the development of Clostridium difficile infection: during the treatment the patient developed multiple loose stools and C. difficile toxins A and B were detected. Severe pseudomembranous colitis was accompanied by protein-energy deficiency (hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia), severe dehydration, hypokalemia, hyponatremia, and moderately severe anemia of complex genesis. When selecting nutritional support for patients with clostridial infection, it is important to take into account severe systemic inflammation, which affects the absorption and absorption of the intestinal wall, which in turn determines the route of introduction of nutrient substrates. In this case we needed to choose the right method for correcting the patients nutritional status.

Prospects of using probiotics containing <i>Lactobacillus acidophilus</i> in the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases

Aim theoretical analysis and systematization of the knowledge on using probiotics containingLactobacillus acidophilusin the prevention and treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
 The bibliographic databases of the scientific libraries eLIBRARY.RU, Cochrane Library and CyberLeninka, the electronic resources of the Global Health platform, the sites of scientific publications ScienceDirect and Elsevier, MEDLINE and PubMed-NCBI were searched for the relevant information. Next, the full-text sources were analysed. We used structural-logical and analytical methods in this work.
 The probiotics containingLactobacillus acidophiluswere reported to enhance eradication therapy in the presence ofHelicobacter pyloriinfection, reduce pain and normalize bowel function in irritable bowel syndrome, normalize liver function, reduce liver enzymes, prevent the development of hepatic encephalopathy in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, support clinical remission in ulcerative colitis. Also, they demonstrated the effectiveness for the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, including clostridial infection, and the improvement of intestinal microbiota. In many gastrointestinal diseases, the effect of probiotics had a high level of evidence. The beneficial properties of probiotics can be used in the development of functional food products for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes.

Modern Approaches to the Diagnosis and treatment of <i>Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile)</i>-associated Disease in Adults (literature Review and Expert Council Resolution)

Aim: to review the modern approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of C. difficile-associated disease in adults and present the resolution of the Expert Council held on March 25, 2023 in Moscow.General provisions. C. difficile is the most important nosocomial pathogen which spores are also commonly found in the environment. Microbiota impairment, primarily due to the use of antibacterial drugs, is a key stage in the development of C. difficile-associated disease. A search for an infection should be carried out only in patients with diarrhea, and it is advisable to use at least 2 laboratory methods. The drug of choice for first-line treatment is vancomycin. If drug treatment is ineffective or the patient has recurrent clostridial infection, fecal microbiota transplantation should be considered. The probiotic strain Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 has a direct inhibitory effect on C. difficile toxin A, promotes normalization of the intestinal microbiota composition, and decreases the inflammatory reaction in colonic mucosa colonized with a toxigenic strain of C. difficile.Conclusions. Addition of the probiotic strain Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 to antibacterial therapy promotes both primary and secondary prevention of C. difficile-associated disease.

Drug-independent control strategy of clostridial infection in broiler chickens using anti-toxin environmentally friendly multienzymes

The study investigated the effect of enzymes as a toxin detoxifier (DETOXIZYME) dietary supplementation on performance during growth, blood chemistry, and immunity under clostridia infection in chickens. A total of 480, day-old male chicks were randomly distributed to four groups, with six replicates of 20 birds each. The first control negative treatment (A) fed the basal formula as commercial feed prepared following the strain's needs, the second control positive group (B) fed the basal formula challenged with Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) type A, the third group (C) fed the basal formula with 100 g DETOXIZYME/ton of feed and challenged with clostridia, and the fourth group (D) fed the control basal formula with 100 g DETOXIZYME/ton of feed. DETOXIZYME dietary supplementation significantly boosted body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and European production efficiency factor (EPEF) and improved the feed conversion rate (FCR) of the broilers. The dietary supplementation of DETOXIZYME significantly increased carcass trait and spleen. However, liver and abdominal fat weight significantly decreased compared with clostridia-challenged groups. The values of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), uric acid, creatinine, and Malondialdehyde (MDA) were decreased. While calcium, phosphate, zinc, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels were improved in birds that took basal formulas fortified with DETOXIZYME contrary to the other treatment groups during 35 days of age. Plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) values were reduced versus the other treatment groups. Dietary supplementation of DETOXIZYME increased total protein, albumin, globulin, and Newcastle Disease (ND) immunity titer levels in the overall period compared to other groups. Dietary DETOXIZYME supplementation decreased clostridia and E. coli bacteria counts and improved gut morphometry. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of DETOXIZYME had a positive impact on performance, blood biochemistry, immunity, and bacterial counts and improved the gut morphology in broilers under clostridia infection.

Relationship between Vaccine Application and Climate Factors in Sheep and Goat Farms in Greece.

The objectives of the present study were (a) to evaluate the importance of climate-related variables in the vaccination patterns applied in sheep and goat farms in Greece and (b) to assess potential interactions between these factors and previously established important health management- and human resources-related factors applied in the farms. Vaccination patterns against chlamydial abortion, clostridial infections, contagious agalactia, contagious ecthyma, foot-rot, paratuberculosis, pneumonia or staphylococcal mastitis were assessed. Climatic variables (2010-2019 and 2018-2019) were obtained for 444 locations with small ruminant farms throughout Greece. Patterns of vaccine administration in the farms were obtained through interviews with farmers. The following nine outcomes were considered: 'vaccination against chlamydial abortion', 'vaccination against clostridial infections', 'vaccination against contagious agalactia', 'vaccination against contagious ecthyma', 'vaccination against foot-rot', 'vaccination against paratuberculosis', 'vaccination against bacterial pneumonia', 'vaccination against staphylococcal mastitis' and 'total number of optional vaccines administered'. Univariable and multivariable analyses were first performed to establish associations of each of the above outcomes with climatic variables. Then, the same approach was employed to assess the importance of climatic variables against health management- and human resources-related factors in the administration of vaccines in the farms of the study. Climatic variables had a higher association with vaccinations against infections in sheep flocks (26 associations) than in goat herds (9 associations) (p = 0.002) and in farms with semi-extensive or extensive management (32 associations) than in farms with intensive or semi-intensive management (8 associations) (p < 0.0001). In 26 cases (38.8% of all analyses evaluated), the climatic variables overshadowed the management- and human resources-related variables assessed as significant predictors for vaccination. In most cases, these referred to sheep flocks (nine cases) and farms with semi-extensive or extensive management (eight cases). For all eight infections, there were changes in the climatic variables found to be significant predictors from the 10-year dataset to the 2-year dataset. The results indicated that, in some cases, climate factors overshadowed factors traditionally considered for the formulation of vaccination programs. This points out the significance of taking into account climate conditions in the health management of small ruminant farms. Future studies can be focused on formulating vaccination programs in accordance with climate factors and also on setting the optimum season(s) for vaccination of animals based on the circulation of the pathogens, the risks for the development of diseases and the stage within the annual production cycle of the animals.

Postpartum clostridial gangrenous metritis in 12 dairy goats in France.

Clostridial infections in goats have been associated frequently with enteric diseases or gas gangrene but very rarely with the reproductive system. We describe here 12 cases of fatal postpartum gangrenous metritis in does associated with infection by several clostridial species. Clinically, these cases were characterized by rapid onset of hyperthermia followed by death after kidding. On postmortem examination, the uteri appeared to be necrotic and were hemorrhagic and edematous. Microscopically, the uteri had diffuse coagulative necrosis, edema, hemorrhage, and fibrinous thrombi with intralesional gram-positive rods. Clostridium perfringens was isolated from 7 of 9 uterine samples cultured, and C. perfringens, C. septicum, C. novyi, or C. chauvoei were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the 5 cases examined. IHC for Paeniclostridium sordellii was negative in all 5 cases. PCR performed on 3 of the C. perfringens isolates was positive for alpha toxin and perfringolysin, identifying these isolates as type A. Clostridial infection should be considered in cases of postpartum gangrenous metritis of does.

English

This study reports on the effectiveness of silage additive based on consortium Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L1a and Bacillus licheniformis WJ53A in comparison with three homofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (Pediococcus acidilactici 12c, L. Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L1a, and L. plantarum S1aR). For this purpose, the antagonistic activity of these isolated LAB was tested. The impact of the isolated LAB on silage acidity, organic acid content, and dry matter of silage was also determined. The fungal and bacterial DNA load in the conserved silages was estimated using quantitative PCR and their effects on the quality category of silage were evaluated. The obtained results showed all inoculants being effective in ensiling of maize with the consortium (L1a + WJ53A), showing a high lactic acid content (94.51%, P&lt;0.0001) in comparison to control (88.28%, P&lt;0.0001). The consortium also showed a lower acetic acid (5.49% to 10%, P=0.0002) and absolutely no butyric acid in respect to control silage (0% to 1.64%, P&lt;0.0001). The qPCR results presented an increase in the final LAB DNA concentration of silage conserved with consortium (0.002487 ng, P=0.0002) when compared to control (0.001127 ng, P=0.0002) but did differ from the inoculant of L1a (0.001790 ng, P=0.0219). Also, the final fungal DNA concentration showed the effectiveness of the consortium by the reduction of fungal DNA in comparison to control (0.00027 ng against 0.00106 ng, P=0.0007). The most interesting result is the inhibition of clostridia growth based on the qPCR analysis which showed a lower clostridial DNA in silage inoculated with the consortium (P&lt;0.001) against all the inoculants used in this study. This research shows the advantage of ensilaging with a consortium of a homofermentative LAB and a Bacillus strain B. licheniformis WJ53A which reduces the risk of clostridial infections in livestock farming