Poultry Feces Research Articles

Detection of Campylobacter sp. from Poultry Feces in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Background: Campylobacter contamination in poultry and poultry product has been reported worldwide. The present study aims to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter in poultry feces using selective enrichment Bolton broth and multiplex PCR. Method: Two methods were used in this study: the first was direct plating of poultry feces into mCCDA agar plates. The second, three antibiotics were used at different concentrations to add in Bolton broth supplemented. These antibiotics were Rifampicin (Oxoid, Nepean, Ontario) with 10 mg/L, colistin (Oxoid, Nepean, Ontario) with 1 mg/mL and 2 mg/mL; trimethoprim (Oxoid, Nepean, Ontario) with 10 mg/L. The colonies with typical campylobacter morphology on blood agar (little, red and ring colonies) were further identified to the species level by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The addition of colistin (2 mg/mL) to the Bolton broth with selective supplements enhanced the selective isolation of Campylobacter strains. Out of the 52 feces samples, 18 (34.61%) were positive for campylobacter and direct plating on mCCDA 11 (21.15%) campylobacter strains (p campylobacter strains detected belonged to Campylobacter coli and 1 (5.55%) strain to Campylobacter jejuni. Conclusion: Although it is known to be difficult to isolate Campylobacter from animal feces samples, this study shows that antibiotic selective pressure improves the isolation efficiency of Campylobacter from poultry feces.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of <i>Salmonella enterica</i> Isolates from Chickens in Yobe State

<i>Salmonella</i> of poultry are zoonotic microorganisms transmitted to humans and other animals via contact with infected poultry feces, meat, eggs and formites. This study was conducted to phenotypically characterize <i>Salmonella enterica</i> from samples collected from chickens presented for slaughter in some selected Local Government Areas of Yobe State, Nigeria, as well as carry out antimicrobial susceptibility and minimum inhibition concentration on the isolates. A cloacal swab and blood samples were collected and transported on ice pack to Veterinary Microbiology Laboratory, University of Maiduguri and analyzed for the presence of <i>Salmonella enterica</i>. Samples were then inoculated onto Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate agar for morphological identification of <i>Salmonella</i> blackish colonies. A total of 600 (300 cloacal swab and 300 blood), consisting (202 males, 98 female chickens, 150 local and exotic each) were randomly sampled in 16 weeks for the isolation of <i>Salmonella enterica</i>. The presumptive <i>Salmonella</i> isolates were further characterized using the Microbact<SUP>TM</SUP> GNB 24E System kit, with 40 randomly selected presumptive isolates (8 from blood and 32 from cloacal swab) tested using Microbact 24E GNB Computerize system, with 10 samples found to be positive for <i>Salmonella</i> organisms out of which 9 (22.5%) were from cloacal swab and 1 (2.5%) from blood. All the blood samples were tested for haemagglutination using slide method, 255 were found to be positive, where agglutination was observed. Where as only 8 (2.7%) were positives after blood culture 8 (2.67%). Exotic chickens showed the highest resistance level of (35%) to commonly used antibiotics (Amoxixillin and Ampicillin). The isolates from exotic chickens are susceptible to Ciprofloxacin 11 (68.8%), Ofloxacin 10 (62.5%), Gentamicin 2 (12.5%), Levofloxacin and Erythromycin 6 (37.5%), while intermediate to Norfloxacin 5 (31.3%) and Amoxicillin 7 (43.8%) but were resistant to Ampicillin 6 (37.5%%), Cefuroxime 10 (62.5%) and Amoxicillin 4 (25.0%). The MIC was carried out on all the 10 <i>Salmonella</i> isolated that showed positive on microbact 24E computerized system. All the 10 isolates from microbact 24E computerized system showed susceptibility to amoxicillin, ofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin on MIC. The MIC of ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin was distributed within 0.00175–2 µg/ml each, and for amoxilin, the MIC ranged between 0.00175-3.00 µg/ml. It is therefore, concluded that <i>Salmonella</i> organisms phenotypically characterized in the study area had antimicrobial susceptibility to routinely used antimicrobial drugs. As a result, it is suggested that the medications with high susceptibility be used to treat poultry salmonellosis in the study area.

Exploring the Determinants and Indicators of Poultry Feces Management Behaviors in Rural Western Uganda

Exploring the Determinants and Indicators of Poultry Feces Management Behaviors in Rural Western Uganda

Pollution characteristics of livestock faeces and the key driver of the spread of antibiotic resistance genes

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in livestock and poultry faeces has attracted considerable amounts of attention. However, in the actual breeding environment, the key driver of the spread of ARGs and which bacteria are involved remain unclear. This study investigated 19 antibiotics and 4 heavy metals in 147 animal faeces. The results showed that piglet faeces exhibited the highest levels of antibiotics and heavy metals. Twelve ARGs, 4 mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and bacterial communities of piglet faeces from 6 pig farms were further assessed to determine the key driver and relevant mechanism of the spread of ARGs. Sulphonamides (SAs) explained 36.5% of the variance (P < 0.05) of the bacterial community and were significantly related to 8 genes (P < 0.01), indicating that SAs dominated the spread of ARGs and should be tightly supervised. Structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated that SAs increased the abundance of ARGs via two pathways: horizontal transfer of ARGs (involving 10 genera) and vertical transfer of ARGs (involving 26 genera). These results improve our understanding of the potential hosts involved in the spread of ARGs, suggesting that monitoring of the above potential hosts is also important in animal feeding practice.

Research on method for detection of harmful gases in livestock based on open path laser absorption spectrum

The breath and feces of livestock and poultry will produce harmful gases such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. When the concentration of these gases exceeds the standard, they will seriously harm the health of livestock and poultry and even keepers. Fast and accurate monitoring of these harmful gases is of great significance in improving the health status of animals and keepers. Laser spectroscopy technology is an effective means of gas detection. Because of its high sensitivity and selectivity, it is widely used in gas monitoring. However, the currently adopted method of pumping sample gas detection based on the long optical path gas absorption cell is susceptible to the influence of the high ash and high humidity environment of the livestock and poultry house, causing detection errors. Open path laser absorption spectroscopy technology does not require a gas absorption cell to detect the gas concentration in free space. Based on this principle, this paper develops out the research on the open path laser absorption spectroscopy detection method for harmful gases in livestock and poultry houses, focusing on the design of laser collimation system, laser reflection system, laser focusing system, and laser detection system. The ammonia gas was used as the detection object to verify the feasibility of detecting harmful gas in livestock and poultry houses with open path laser absorption spectroscopy.

Genetic Profiles and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Salmonella Infantis Strains Isolated in Italy in the Food Chain of Broiler Meat Production.

This work aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility of 87 Salmonella Infantis strains isolated in Italy from 2016 to 2019 along the food chain of broiler meat production and in humans and to determine the genetic profiles of the strains in order to establish a possible correlation with the antimicrobial pattern. All isolates were tested by the disk diffusion method to evaluate antimicrobial susceptibility toward sixteen antimicrobials, and the broth microdilution method was used to confirm extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production. PCR and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were applied to characterize ESBL-encoding and AmpC β-lactamase genes and to analyze the S. Infantis strains genetic profiles respectively. S. Infantis isolates showed high prevalence of resistance, in particular toward nalidixic acid (97.7%), tetracycline (96.5%), sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim (91%) and cefepime (72.4%). The 80.5% of isolates were ESBL, cefotaxime-resistant, carrying the blaCTX-M1 gene. The most prevalent PFGE profile was XbaI.0126 (35.6%). The remaining strains had a genetic homology from 81% to 97% with the XbaI.0126 profile. The strains belonging to these profiles were isolated from different matrices collected along the broiler food chain independently on the year and from the region and there was no correlation between the PFGE profiles and resistance patterns. We found two ESBL-producing S. Infantis strains with the same XbaI.2621 profile isolated from humans and from poultry feces, not yet reported in Italy. Our findings confirmed the diffusion of ESBL-multi drug resistant (MDR) S. Infantis along the broiler food chain and in humans and underlined the importance of continuous monitoring to control and to reduce the prevalence of this bacterium, applying a global One Health approach.

Biosynthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Leaf Extract of Passiflora subpeltata: Characterization and Antibacterial Activity Against Escherichia coli Isolated from Poultry Faeces

The current study was undertaken to investigate the antibacterial (against molecular characterized E. coli isolated from poultry faeces) potential of biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) from Passiflora subpeltata Ortega aqueous leaf extract. The biosynthesized nanoparticles were subjected to physico-chemical characterization to study shape, size and purity by UV–Vis spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The molecular identification of isolated E. coli from faeces samples was carried out by using 16–23s rRNA primers. The results of the physico-chemical characterization revealed that the biosynthesized nanoparticles were of 93.7% purity with an average size between 45 and 50 nm. The ZnO-NPs offered significant inhibition against the isolated Gram-negative E. coli with MIC at 62.5 µg mL−1 concentration. The antibacterial potential of ZnO NPs against E. coli has also been investigated by the cell viability test, and further the effects of ZnO NPs on bacterial morphological structures was analysed by SEM and TEM.

Antimicrobial drug resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica in commercial poultry value chain in Chitwan, Nepal

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) among bacterial pathogens is a fast-growing public health concern. AMR in non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars (NTS) among food animals is of special concern as this may transmit resistant pathogens to humans during handling or consumption of animal products. In Nepal, the possibility of AMR Salmonella serovars among food animals is an important area of research, particularly in light of the rapidly growing poultry industry, lack of surveillance and proper biosecurity measures; and paucity of relevant data. This study was conducted with the aim to estimate the burden of NTS and associated antimicrobial resistance in the environments of commercial poultry farms and the poultry carcasses in slaughter house. This study also intends to find some basic knowledge of the poultry farmers and their practice relating to the use of antimicrobials, vaccination and biosecurity measures.MethodsTaking one health approach, a cross-sectional study was carried out in Chitwan district of Nepal between May and October 2017. Various environmental samples viz. farm litter, feed, water, poultry faeces, vehicle swabs, farm swabs from 12 broiler poultry farms and various sections of poultry carcasses from 21 slaughter houses were aseptically collected. These were microbiologically assessed for the presence of NTS serovars and their phenotypic and genotypic indicators of antimicrobial resistance. The poultry farmers were also briefly interviewed regarding their basic biosecurity related knowledge and practices before collecting the environmental samples.ResultsOverall, of total environmental samples collected, 50% (31/62) tested positive for NTS serovars with environmental swabs (70%, 8/12) being the most culture positive sample types. Similarly, of 159 tissue samples collected from 24 carcasses, 79% (126/159) were culture positive for NTS serovars. Nearly 97% (153/157) of isolates showed antimicrobial resistance to tetracycline, while 11% (17/157) to ciprofloxacin and 5% (8/157) of isolates were resistant against azithromycin. All 157 isolates were sensitive to meropenem. In terms of AMR genes, tetA (83%, 131/157), QrnS (40%,64/157), mefA (8%, 13/157) and VIM-1 (0.6%, 1/157) were detected in the isolates that corresponded to the AMR to tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin and meropenem respectively. In farmers interview, only 42% (5/12) of farmers mentioned of using basic biosecurity measures such as applying lime powder around the farm; 84% (10/12) of farmers reported vaccinating their birds with some vaccine and 75% (9/12) of farmers used various antimicrobials prophylactically such as neomycin (33%, 4/12), colistin (33%, 4/12), furaltadone (33%, 4/12), doxycycline (25%, 3/12), sulfatrimethoprim (25%, 3/12) and tylosin (16%, 2/12).ConclusionsThis study revealed gross contamination of farm environment and subsequent poultry meat samples with NTS serovars that were resistant to several clinically important antimicrobials. Further, inadequacy of even basic biosecurity measures and frequent prophylactic use of antimicrobials in the commercial poultry farms was observed. This reinforces an urgent need to raise awareness and implement proper biosecurity approaches from farms to slaughter houses in order to reduce the burden of NTS contamination of surrounding environment and poultry products. Further, high prevalence AMR among NTS isolates also underscores the need to strengthen the policies to prevent the rampant use of clinically used human antimicrobials in poultry sector.

Antimicrobials use and resistance on integrated poultry-fish farming systems in the Ayeyarwady Delta of Myanmar

Antimicrobials are used to support livestock health and productivity, but might pose a risk for the development of antimicrobial resistance; in particular, when multiple livestock species are raised together in production systems. On integrated chicken-fish farms, chickens are raised over fish ponds and poultry faeces is excreted into the ponds. We investigated antimicrobial usage and the antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli cultured from poultry faeces on 301 integrated farms in Ayeyarwady Delta of Myanmar. Antimicrobials were used by 92.4% of farmers for chickens, but they were not applied to fish. The most common antimicrobials used were Octamix (amoxicillin and colistin sulfate) on 28.4%, enrofloxacin on 21.0% and amoxicillin on 16% of farms. Overall, 83.1% (152/183) of the E. coli were resistant to at least one antimicrobial. The highest level of resistance was to amoxicillin (54.6%), tetracycline (39.9%), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (35.5%) and enrofloxacin (34.4%). Multidrug resistance was identified in 42.4% of isolates. In general, we found similar levels of antimicrobial resistance in non-users of antimicrobials as in users of antimicrobials for more commonly applied antimicrobials. Overall, antimicrobial resistance was lower in chickens on these integrated farms in Myanmar, compared to poultry farms in other countries of South East and East Asia.

Clostridium perfringens as Foodborne Pathogen in Broiler Production: Pathophysiology and Potential Strategies for Controlling Necrotic Enteritis.

Simple SummaryClostridium perfringens (Cp.) is an important microorganism from a clinical, food and veterinary point of view. In humans, it is the causal agent of foodborne diseases, commonly associated with the consumption of chicken meat, while, in broilers, it causes clinical or subclinical necrotic enteritis. Cp. has the ability to synthesize toxins, bacteriocins, and enzymes of different nature, which modify the anatomical structure of the intestinal mucosa, enterocytes, and the cellular matrix altering the physiological activities of the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea, and if it is not attended, death, resulting in significant economic losses for the poultry industry. Food additives such as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, essential oils, organic acids, and enzymes have been presented as alternatives to mitigate the incidence of necrotic enteritis (NE) in broilers, by improving the overall intestinal health and producing healthy birds for consumption. It is imperative to conduct further research on alternatives and efficient products to modulate the intestinal microbiota, and to know the role they play in the immune system, complementing the current demand, economic gain, and keeping the ecology.Clostridium perfringens (Cp.) is the cause of human foodborne desease. Meat and poultry products are identified as the main source of infection for humans. Cp. can be found in poultry litter, feces, soil, dust, and healthy birds’ intestinal contents. Cp. strains are known to secrete over 20 identified toxins and enzymes that could potentially be the principal virulence factors, capable of degrading mucin, affecting enterocytes, and the small intestine epithelium, involved in necrotic enteritis (NE) pathophysiology, also leading to immunological responses, microbiota modification and anatomical changes. Different environmental and dietary factors can determine the colonization of this microorganism. It has been observed that the incidence of Cp-associated to NE in broilers has increased in countries that have stopped using antibiotic growth promoters. Since the banning of such antibiotic growth promoters, several strategies for Cp. control have been proposed, including dietary modifications, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, phytogenics, organic acids, and vaccines. However, there are aspects of the pathology that still need to be clarified to establish better actions to control and prevention. This paper reviews the current knowledge about Cp. as foodborne pathogen, the pathophysiology of NE, and recent findings on potential strategies for its control.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Biofilm Formation Capacity of Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Strains Isolated from Poultry and Humans in Poland.

Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (S. enterica ser. Enteritidis) is the most frequently detected serovar in human salmonellosis, and its ability to produce a biofilm and the risk of transmission from animals and food of animal origin to humans are significant. The main aim of the present work was to compare S. enterica ser. Enteritidis strains isolated from poultry and human feces in terms of resistance profiles, prevalence of selected resistance genes, and their potential for biofilm formation, by assessing their biofilm growth intensity, the prevalence and expression of selected genes associated with this phenomenon, and the correlation between increased antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation ability of the two tested groups of S. enterica ser. Enteritidis. This study showed a difference in antimicrobial resistance (minimal inhibitory concentration value) between S. enterica ser. Enteritidis groups; however, the majority of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains were isolated from poultry (environmental samples from chicken broilers, turkey broilers, and laying hens). Differences in the prevalence of resistance genes were observed; the most common gene among poultry strains was floR, and that among strains from humans was blaTEM. S. enterica ser. Enteritidis strains isolated from poultry under the tested incubation conditions exhibited better biofilm growth than strains isolated from humans. A higher level of gene expression associated with the production of cellulose was only detected in the S48 strain isolated from poultry. On the other hand, increased expression of genes associated with quorum sensing was observed in two strains isolated from poultry farms and one strain isolated from human feces.

Quantification of Veterinary Antibiotics in Pig and Poultry Feces and Liquid Manure as a Non-Invasive Method to Monitor Antibiotic Usage in Livestock by Liquid Chromatography Mass-Spectrometry.

Antibiotics are active substances frequently used to treat and prevent diseases in animal husbandry, especially in swine and poultry farms. The use of manure as a fertilizer may lead to the dispersion of antibiotic residue into the environment and consequently the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Most pharmaceutical active ingredients are excreted after administration, in some cases up to 90% of the consumed dose can be found in the feces and/or urine as parent compound. Therefore, due to antibiotic metabolism their residues can be easily detected in manure. This article describes a method for simultaneous analysis of ciprofloxacin, chlortetracycline, doxycycline, enrofloxacin, lincomycin, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, tiamulin, trimethoprim and tylosin in feces, liquid manure and digestate. Antibiotics were extracted from the different matrices with McIlvaine-Na2EDTA buffer solution and the extract was purified by the use two techniques: d-SPE and SPE (Strata-X-CW cartridges) and final eluent was analyzed by LC-MS and LC-MS/MS. The European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC was followed to conduct the validation of the method. Recoveries obtained from spiked pig and poultry feces and liquid manures samples ranged from 63% to 93% depending on analytes. The analysis of 70 samples (feces, liquid manure and digestate) revealed that 18 samples were positive for the presence of doxycycline, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, enrofloxacin, tiamulin and lincomycin. The results obtained in the presented study demonstrated that animal feces can be used as a non-invasive method detection antibiotic usage in animal production.

Simultaneous determination of multi-class antibiotics and steroid hormones drugs in livestock and poultry faeces using liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

ABSTRACT A method for simultaneous determination of multi-class antibiotics and steroid hormone analysis in faeces of livestock and poultry was developed using liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF MS). An in-house database was built for 156 detected drugs using Personal Compound Database Library software (PCDL) including compound name, monoisotopic mass, chemical formula, RT, chemical structure and three CID MS/MS spectra. The linearity result showed that all the drugs exhibited good linearity with determination coefficients (R2) higher than 0.99. The drug recoveries and their RSDs for all three faeces samples (pig, cattle and chicken) were tested and 81, 96 and 92 drugs were chosen for analysis in pig, cattle and chicken faeces, respectively. Further validation showed that 73 veterinary drugs in all three kinds of faeces samples can be quantified in one analytical run. This work shows that qualitative and quantitative analysis using LC-QTOF MS represents a simple, sensitive, low-cost and high-throughput methodology in routine laboratory analyses.

Surveillance for Campylobacter infections in indigenous poultry reared in Nsukka, Nigeria

Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne diseases worldwide. Poultry is indisputably the major reservoir of Campylobacter for human infection but dearth of data exists on the epidemiology of the infection in poultry in Nigeria. Consequently, the study determined the occurrence and distribution of Campylobacter infections and also the risk practices aiding the transmission in indigenous poultry reared in Nsukka, Nigeria. The bacteria isolation was done following standard microbiological protocol. The overall prevalence of the infection was 18.9%. The specific prevalence was 19.6% and 17.8% in indigenous chicken and turkey respectively. In the chicken, frizzled feather and naked neck breeds had prevalence of 30.8% and 26.1% respectively while the normal feather breed had the lowest prevalence of 13.7%. In both chicken and turkey, the infection was more during the wet season and in birds raised under extensive husbandry management. Major risk practices found were sale of untreated poultry faeces as organic fertilizer, eating during farm operations and non-use of protective clothing. The 18.9% prevalence is lower than 36% reported in 2010 but is very significant from food safety and public health perspectives. Considering the zoonotic and economic consequences associated with Campylobacter infection, adoption of farm-to-fork concept principles in indigenous poultry production in Nsukka is recommended, for further reduction or possible elimination of the infection. Proper treatment of poultry faeces before disposal or before use as feed (in fish or pig farms) or manure (in vegetable gardens) is important to curtail inter species transmission of Campylobacter in the study area.

Risk factors and transmission pathways associated with infant Campylobacter spp.prevalence and malnutrition: A formative study in rural Ethiopia.

Early infection from enteropathogens is recognised as both a cause and effect of infant malnutrition. Specifically, evidence demonstrates associations between growth shortfalls and Campylobacter infection, endemic across low-income settings, with poultry a major source. Whilst improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) should reduce pathogen transmission, interventions show inconsistent effects on infant health. This cross-sectional, formative study aimed to understand relationships between infant Campylobacter prevalence, malnutrition and associated risk factors, including domestic animal husbandry practices, in rural Ethiopia. Thirty-five households were visited in Sidama zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' region. Infant and poultry faeces and domestic floor surfaces (total = 102) were analysed for presumptive Campylobacter spp. using selective culture. Infant anthropometry and diarrhoeal prevalence, WASH facilities and animal husbandry data were collected. Of the infants, 14.3% were wasted, 31.4% stunted and 31.4% had recent diarrhoea. Presumptive Campylobacter spp. was isolated from 48.6% of infant, 68.6% of poultry and 65.6% of floor surface samples. Compared to non-wasted infants, wasted infants had an increased odds ratio (OR) of 1.41 for a Campylobacter-positive stool and 1.81 for diarrhoea. Positive infant stools showed a significant relationship with wasting (p = 0.026) but not stunting. Significant risk factors for a positive stool included keeping animals inside (p = 0.027, OR 3.5), owning cattle (p = 0.018, OR 6.5) and positive poultry faeces (p<0.001, OR 1.34). Positive floor samples showed a significant correlation with positive infant (p = 0.023), and positive poultry (p = 0.013, OR 2.68) stools. Ownership of improved WASH facilities was not correlated with lower odds of positive stools. This formative study shows a high prevalence of infants positive for Campylobacter in households with free-range animals. Findings reaffirm contaminated floors as an important pathway to infant pathogen ingestion and suggest that simply upgrading household WASH facilities will not reduce infection without addressing the burden of contamination from animals, alongside adequate separation in the home.

Distribution of trichostrongylosis of geese on the territory of Poltava region

Successful development of poultry farming can be achieved not only as a result of the creation of highly productive new breeds of geese, the improvement of diets for nutrients, but also in the conditions of stable epizootic well-being of infectious and invasive diseases. Parasitic diseases of domestic waterfowl account for a large proportion of other diseases and cause significant damage to geese farming. Among helminthiases of geese, infections caused by nematodes parasitizing in the gastrointestinal tract of birds, in particular Trichostrongylus tenuis, are quite common. The aim of this study was to study the distribution of trichostrongylosis among populations of domestic geese in the territory of Poltava region, Ukraine (Velyka Bahachka, Hlobyne, Hrebinka, Zinkiv, Karlivka, Poltava, Myrhorod, Shyshaky districts). The conducted scatoscopical studies showed that the average extensity and intensity of trichostrongylosic infestation was respectively 22.9 % and 89.7 ± 8.2 eggs per 1 g of poultry feces. Invasiveness in the region studied ranged from 17.2 to 26.7 % and from 20 to 380 eggs per 1 g of feces. At the same time, it was found out that the degree of affliction of domestic geese by the agent of trichostrongylosis in farms with different capacity and technology of keeping was significantly different. In individual farms and farms, the extensity and intensity of the invasion of geese is higher (24.4 % and 97.7 ± 10.7 eggs per 1 g of feces) than in the specialized geese farms (16.1 % and 70.3 ± 15.1 eggs in 1 g of feces). It has been found that goose trichostrongylosis is more frequently present in the mixinvasions of the digestive canal of the bird along with protosooses and nematodoses. Extensity of mixinvasions reaches 18.1 %, which is 78.9 % of the total number of patients at geese trichostrongylosis. Extensity of trichostrongylosic mono-invasion was 4.8 % (21.1 % of the total invasion of T. tenuis birds). The results of the conducted studies lead to a further, deeper study of the issues of epizootic features of trichostrongylosis of geese, taking into account the seasonal and age dynamics of invasion, as well as the effectiveness of therapeutic and preventive measures.

A comparative study on the use of selective media for the enumeration of Clostridium perfringens in poultry faeces

Isolation and fast detection of Clostridium perfringens is essential in veterinary medical diagnostics and veterinary research, as it allows to recommend suitable treatment options after antimicrobial resistance determination, and is essential to study pathogenesis. In this study four selective media were tested for the enumeration of, and selectivity towards C. perfringens in faecal samples from poultry. The routinely used Columbia agar with 5% sheep (CBA), Shahidi-Ferguson-perfringens agar (SFP), tryptose sulphite cycloserine agar (TSC), and a novel chromogenic medium, CHROMagar™ C. perfringens (CHCP), were tested. Overall, no difference in C. perfringens recovery could be observed between the selective media. The limit of quantification was 103 CFU/mL for all agars. CHCP showed the highest specificity, especially when low C. perfringens loads were present in the faeces, with TSC being the second most specific selective medium. Both CBA and SFP allowed considerable growth of other faecal microbiota and were not specific for C. perfringens. On CHCP, differentiation of C. perfringens from other faecal bacteria was straightforward due to the appearance of C. perfringens as orange colonies, with other bacteria being absent or appearing as blue/green colonies. On TSC, C. perfringens appeared as black colonies, but longer incubation periods were sometimes needed for the black colour to develop. Therefore, CHCP can be recommended when timely and easy identification and enumeration of C. perfringens from complex samples, such as faeces, is needed.

Occurrence and genetic characteristics of mcr-1-positive colistin-resistant E. coli from poultry environments in Bangladesh

ObjectivesColistin is one of the last-resort antibiotics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacterial infections. We determined the occurrence and characteristics of mcr-1-producing Escherichia coli obtained from live bird markets (LBMs), rural poultry farms (RPFs) and rural household backyard poultry environments (HBPs) in Bangladesh. MethodsWe tested 104 extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli isolated during 2017–2018 from poultry sources for colistin resistance. We analysed the resistant isolates for the mcr genes and characterized mcr-positive isolates for antibiotic susceptibility, antibiotic resistance genes, transmissible plasmids and clonal diversity. ResultsOf 104 isolates, 98 (94%) had MICcolistin ≥4 μg/mL and 14 (13.5%) were positive for mcr-1, of which 10 were from LBMs (n = 10), 3 were from RPFs and 1 was from an HBP. All 14 mcr-1 E. coli were resistant to third-generation cephalosporin and tetracycline, whereas 12 were resistant to fluoroquinolone and sulfamethoxazole, 10 were resistant to aminoglycosides and 3 were resistant to nitrofurantoin. Four isolates carried conjugative mcr-1 plasmid of 23–55 MDa in size. The 55 MDa plasmid found in two isolates carried additional resistant genes including blaCTX-M-group-1 and blaTEM-1 (ESBL), qnrB (fluoroquinolone), and rmtB (aminoglycoside). These plasmids belong to the IncF family with additional replicons: HI1 and N. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction revealed a heterogeneous banding pattern of mcr-1-positive isolates. ConclusionWe report a 13.5% prevalence of mcr-1-positive MDR E. coli in poultry faecal samples predominantly from LBMs in Bangladesh accentuating the need for safe disposal of poultry faeces and hygiene practices among people exposed to poultry.

A combination of mitochondrial DNA markers Ckmito and ND5-CD is recommended as the most reliable indicator for microbial source tracking to identify faecal pollution from poultry in China

Abstract A suitable marker for microbial source tracking (MST) remains difficult to find in China due to the geographical variability of markers. 162 faecal and litter samples were collected from five different regions in China to identify the faecal pollution from poultry with nine published molecular markers for MST. All samples tested were positive for both universal markers BacUni and MI50, but BacUni was detected with higher gene copies. Of the avian-associated AV4143 and GFD assays, the AV4143 was modified here with the accuracy of 88% which proved its potential in identifying faecal pollution from avian. For all poultry-associated markers tested, the best performance characteristics were shown in marker Ckmito (accuracy of 97%), followed by ND5-CD (accuracy of 88%), and finally LA35 and Chicken-Bac (accuracy of ≤ 77%). A combination of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers Ckmito and ND5-CD is recommended to differentiate the contamination caused by poultry. LA35 was more sensitive in poultry litter (100%) than in poultry faeces (21%). Our findings regarded BacUni, AV4143, and a combination of Ckmito and ND5-CD as the best performing universal, avian, and poultry assays, respectively. Suitable molecular markers could assist with efforts to determine the faecal pollution sources in environmental monitoring.

Chicken eggs, childhood stunting and environmental hygiene: an ethnographic study from the Campylobacter genomics and environmental enteric dysfunction (CAGED) project in Ethiopia

BackgroundChildhood stunting and malnutrition condemn millions of people globally to a life of disadvantage and cognitive and physical impairment. Though increasing egg consumption is often seen as an important solution for low and middle income countries (including Ethiopia), emerging evidence suggests that greater exposure to poultry feces may also inhibit child growth due to the effects of enteric bacteria, especially Campylobacter, on gut health.MethodsIn this rapid ethnographic study, we explored village poultry production, child dietary practices, and environmental hygiene conditions as they relate to Campylobacter risk and intervention in 16 villages in Haramaya Woreda, Eastern Ethiopia.ResultsIn the study area, we found that women assumed primary responsibility to care for both chickens and children: in feeding, housing, and healthcare. Most chickens were free-range local indigenous breeds, and flock sizes were small and unstable due to epidemics, seasonal trends, reproductive patterns, and lack of food. Generally, eggs were seen as “too luxurious” to be eaten, and were predominantly sold at local markets for scarce cash, despite high malnutrition rates. Local narratives of extreme poverty, social dietary norms, parental fatalism, and lack of “dietary consciousness” (as it was called) were invoked to explain this. We found that homesteads were highly contaminated with human and animal feces. Although community members viewed chicken feces and poultry gastrointestinal contents as particularly noxious in comparison to other animals because of their feeding behaviour, they did not relate them to any particular disease. Shared human-animal housing and childcare practices place children at high risk of exposure to enteric bacteria from animal manure, despite daily routines designed to manage the domestic landscape.ConclusionsAddressing childhood stunting and malnutrition through egg production in rural landscapes like Haramaya must navigate three distinct health and care regimes: for children, chickens, and home environments. Interventions should be based on a holistic approach to social and economic empowerment, one that considers both women and men and integrates nutrition, health, and community change as its overarching goal.