Common parasites of the European bison include gastro-intestinal and pulmonary nematodes, liver flukes (Fasciola hepatica), tapeworms, and protozoa of the genus Coccidia. This study compared the extensiveness and intensities of European bison parasitic invasions in three north-eastern Polish forests in different seasons and queried the role of parasitological monitoring in sanitary and hygienic control of feeding places. Faecal samples were collected in the Białowieża, Knyszyńska, and Borecka Forests between 2014 and 2016, as were some from an area neighbouring the Białowieża Forest outside the Natura 2000 protected area. Parasites were detected in individual samples with the flotation, decanting and Baermann methods. The eggs of Trichostrongylidae, Aonchotheca sp., Nematodirus sp., Strongyloides spp., Trichuris sp., Moniezia spp., and Fasciola hepatica; the larvae of Dictyocaulus viviparus; and the oocytes of Eimeria spp. were identified. Significant variation in invasion intensity and diversity was seen by origin and season. The relationships were assessed first by univariable tests and next multivariately, when origin and season emerged as the major risk factors for exposure to most of the parasites. The differences in the level of parasitic infection between the forests did not have implications for its sufficiency to cause clinical symptoms. However, the associations and risk factors found enable the necessary preventive measures to be taken to protect the E. bison from exposure or decrease the risks. Additionally, parasitological monitoring is appropriate as the method of sanitary and hygienic control of European bison winter feeding places. Threats to public health through adventitious invasions by zoonotic factors such as F. hepatica have been identified.

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is one of the main pathotypes causing gastroenteritis, particularly in young immunocompromised hosts. The study reports the prevalence, characterisation, and molecular epidemiology of EPEC from piglets in northeastern India. A total of 457 faecal samples were collected, from which 1,286 E. coli strains were isolated and screened by PCR. The resultant EPEC strains were serotyped and phenotypically characterised for resistance against 15 antimicrobials. Also, the phylogenetic sequence was analysed for 11 selected strains. A total of 42 strains (3.26%) belonged to atypical EPEC, of which, 15 (35.71%, and 2.29% of the 654 strains from this farm type) were isolated from organised and 27 (64.29%, and 4.27% of the 632 strains from this farm type) from unorganised farms; further, 5 (11.90% of the EPEC strains and 1.51% of the 330 strains from this breed) were isolated from the indigenous breeds and 37 (88.10%, and 3.87% of the 956 strains from this breed) from crossbred piglets. Serogroups O111 (11.9%) and O118 (7.14%) were the most prevalent of the 10 present. Sequence analysis of a length of the eaeA gene of 11 isolates of the region showed them to have 100% homology with each other and their identity ranged from 99.4% to 99.7% with GenBank reference sequences. All the EPEC isolates were multi-drug resistant, showing the highest resistance to amoxicillin (80.9%) and cephalexin (76.19%). The study highlighted the association of EPEC with piglet’s diarrhoea in northeastern India. EPEC isolates belonged to many serotypes and phenotypically all were multi-drug resistant with close genetic homology.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat. It has been studied in humans and domestic animals, but there is a lack of data on wild animals. The objective of this study is the elucidation of its patterns in Staphylococcus spp. isolated from wild mammals of the Autonomous Community of Aragón (Spain). A total of 103 mammals (Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Chiroptera, Erinaceomorpha, and Lagomorpha) were studied. A recovery centre provided 32 and hunting 71. Nasal and faecal samples yielded 111 staphylococci, which were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry. A susceptibility test to 11 antibiotics was carried out, and statistical analysis was performed. Some differences were detected in bacterial prevalence depending on how the mammal fed. Artiodactyla, mainly hunted, were predisposed to carry coagulase-positive staphylococci. The staphylococci species recovered were resistant to at least two classes of antibiotics, and were disseminated in all of the geographical areas studied. Resistant staphylococci are widely distributed in the wild mammals in the areas of the study, but the resistance quantified in them is lower than that to be expected if the use of antibiotics in farms had a direct influence on the wildlife and its environment. On the other hand, resistance to antibiotics restricted to human use was widely disseminated in various wild animal species.

Gastrointestinal parasites are some of the most common pathogens which are seriously harmful to the camel’s health. The infection status of gastrointestinal parasites in camels (Camelus bactrianus) in the Tianshan Mountains pastoral area in China is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the species and infection intensity of gastrointestinal tract parasites in local camels. A total of 362 fresh faecal samples were collected and examined for parasite eggs using the saturated saline floating and natural sedimentation method. The parasite eggs were subjected to morphological and molecular examination and identification, and the infection rate and mean intensity of the parasites were analysed. A total of 15 gastrointestinal tract parasite species’ eggs were identified, with a detection rate of 100%. Ostertagia spp. (100%) and Trichostrongylus spp. (98.1%) were dominant. Camels were often coinfected by 5–14 species. The average number of eggs per gram of faeces was higher for Ostertagia spp. (298), Haemonchus contortus (176) and Nematodirus spp. (138). The number of species of parasites infecting young camels was significantly lower than that of adult camels, but the infection intensity in young camels was significantly higher. Gastrointestinal parasites were highly prevalent in camels from the Tianshan Mountains pastoral area in China. This finding provides important epidemiological data for the prevention and control of associated infections in camels.

Tularaemia is a zoonotic disease caused by the gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis, which is endemic to Ukraine. The aim of this work was to provide screening of different field samples (rodent tails, ticks, pellets, water, and hay) to obtain an actual picture of the tularaemia epizootic situation in the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv oblasts. Samples were collected using the flag method (for ticks) and break-back traps (for rodents). Also, hay, water and owl pellets were collected for study. The F. tularensis genetic material in samples was detected using a 16S qPCR. It was found that in Kharkiv oblast, 23% of collected samples were positive for F. tularensis, in Dnipropetrovsk oblast 1.9%, and in Mykolaiv oblast 0.4%. Among the sample types, 34.7% of ticks, 1.8% of rodents, and 36.4% of pellets were positive for F. tularensis. The most frequent carriers of F. tularensis were the D. reticulatus and I. ricinus ticks (74.2% and 29.3%, respectively, of positive results).

Salmonellosis is a zoonotic disease, and Salmonella spp. can sometimes be found in dogs and cats, posing a risk to human health. In this study, the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of faecal Salmonella were investigated in pet dogs and cats in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Faecal samples from 243 dogs and 113 cats, at seven pet clinics, were tested between March 2018 and May 2019. Each Salmonella isolate was characterised using serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. The prevalence of Salmonella was 9.47% in dogs and 1.77% in cats. Among the 25 isolates, eight serotypes of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica were detected, S. Kentucky (n = 11), S. Indiana (n = 5), and S. Typhimurium (n = 4) predominating. S. Derby, S. Toucra, S. Sandiego, S. Newport, and S. Saintpaul all occurred singly. The 23 Salmonella strains found in dogs were from seven different serovars, while the two strains in cats were from two. The highest resistance rates were found for tetracycline (92%), azithromycin (88%), cefazolin (84%), nalidixic acid (80%), ampicillin (80%), ceftriaxone (80%), and streptomycin (76%). Resistance to three or more antimicrobial agents was detected in 24 (96%) isolates. Most of the S. Kentucky and S. Indiana isolates were multi-drug resistant to more than 11 agents. The carriage rate was far higher in dogs than in cats from Xuzhou. Some isolated strains were highly resistant to antimicrobials used to treat infections in humans and pets, which may raise the risk of humans being infected with multi-drug resistant Salmonella via close contact with pets.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal disease for which no simple antemortem diagnostic assay is available. A new polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test has recently been developed that targets the spike protein region of the FIP virus (FIPV) and can identify specific mutations (M1030L or S1032A), the presence of which indicates a shift from feline enteric coronavirus (FeCV) to FIPV. This test will only be useful in the geographical region of interest, however, if the FIP viruses contain these mutations. The primary objective of this study was to determine the presence of the M1030L or S1032A mutations in FeCV derived from stool samples from a selected group of healthy cats from households and shelters and determine how many of these cats excrete FeCV. The secondary objective was to evaluate how often these specific FIPV mutations were present in tissue samples derived from cats diagnosed with FIP at postmortem examination. Feline enteric coronavirus (FeCV) was detected in 46% of fecal samples (86/185), all were FeCV type 1, with no difference between household or shelter cats. Only 45% of the FIPV analyzed contained the previously reported M1030L or S1032A mutations. It should be noted that, as the pathological tissue samples were opportunistically obtained and not specifically obtained for PCR testing, caution is warranted in interpreting these data.

The objectives of this study were to describe the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility and clinical significance of Proteus mirabilis in canine bacteriuria and to identify the risk factors associated with P. mirabilis urinary tract infections. This is a retrospective observational study of 48 P. mirabilis-positive canine urinary cultures. Only 22 of the 48 P. mirabilis isolates (45.8%) were non-susceptible to at least one tested antimicrobial. Most P. mirabilis isolates (98%) were susceptible to enrofloxacin, 93.7% to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and 85.4% to ampicillin, cephalothin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Five multidrug-resistant isolates were detected (10.4%). A significant increase in antimicrobial resistance was observed over the study period. Positive P. mirabilis cultures were associated with bacterial cystitis in 36 of 39 dogs (92.3%), pyelonephritis in 2 of 39 dogs (5.1%), and one dog had both bacterial cystitis and pyelonephritis (2.5%). There was no subclinical bacteriuria. Most urinary tract infections were complicated as risk factors were identified in 37 of 39 dogs (94.8%). The most commonly identified risk factors were the presence of a contaminated peri-vulvar area with urine/feces or a hypoplastic vulva. To conclude, P. mirabilis bacteriuria was associated with upper and lower urinary tract infections in this study and was found more frequently in complicated bacterial cystitis. Multidrug-resistant isolates and increased P. mirabilis antimicrobial resistance have been identified over the last 10 years, but most isolates remain susceptible to first-line antimicrobials such as amoxicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.