Due to increasing bacterial antibiotic resistance and the consumers’ tendency to choose organic products, cattle farmers are interested in alternative methods of calf diarrhoea treatment. This is a major challenge for veterinarians. Few methods of non-antibiotic treatment that bring satisfactory results have been reported in the related literature so far. In this article, the authors compare different non-antibiotic methods of diarrhoea prevention and treatment in calves. Among the alternatives discussed are herbs, probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics, lactoferrin, and bacteriophages. It was found that the best results could be achieved through the use of pro-, pre- and synbiotics. However, the authors would like to point out that with the expansion of knowledge about the practical use of broad-scale bacteriophages, they could be the best alternative to antibiotics.

The article describes the occurrence and phylogenetic relationship of Salmonella isolates found in subcutaneous abscesses of leopard geckos. The aim of the study was to determine the cause of the abscesses and to characterise isolated Salmonella strains. Samples of abscesses from five animals and internal organs (lungs, liver, and gut) of three of them were tested for Salmonella according to the PN-EN ISO 6579:2002/A1:2007 standard. The antimicrobial resistance was evaluated by minimal inhibitory concentrations and the genetic similarity of the isolates was assessed with pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). In total, seventeen Salmonella isolates belonging to five different serovars were found to be susceptible to all tested antimicrobials except streptomycin. The serovars were S. Hadar, S. Fluntern, S. Tennessee, S. enterica subsp. salamae 55:k:z₃₉, and S. Kentucky. Up to three serovars from different organs were isolated from the same individual. In two geckos, Salmonella were detected in the lungs. In three serovars, XbaI-PFGE typing revealed indistinguishable isolates from organs and abscesses. Multiple Salmonella serovars might be involved in abscess formation and infections. The occurrence of the same PFGE profiles of the isolates may testify to the role of opportunistic organisms in causing infection.

Land application of manure that contains antibiotics and resistant bacteria may facilitate the establishment of an environmental reservoir of antibiotic-resistant microbes, promoting their dissemination into agricultural and natural habitats. The main objective of this study was to search for acquired antibiotic resistance determinants in the gut microbiota of wild boar populations living in natural habitats. Gastrointestinal samples of free-living wild boars were collected in the Zemplén Mountains in Hungary and were characterised by culture-based, metagenomic, and molecular microbiological methods. Bioinformatic analysis of the faecal microbiome of a hunted wild boar from Japan was used for comparative studies. Also, shotgun metagenomic sequencing data of two untreated sewage wastewater samples from North Pest (Hungary) from 2016 were analysed by bioinformatic methods. Minimum spanning tree diagrams for seven-gene MLST profiles of 104 E. coli strains isolated in Europe from wild boars and domestic pigs were generated in Enterobase. In the ileum of a diarrhoeic boar, a dominant E. coli O112ab:H2 strain with intermediate resistance to gentamicin, tobramycin, and amikacin was identified, displaying sequence type ST388 and harbouring the EAST1 toxin astA gene. Metagenomic analyses of the colon and rectum digesta revealed the presence of the tetQ, tetW, tetO, and mefA antibiotic resistance genes that were also detected in the gut microbiome of four other wild boars from the mountains. Furthermore, the tetQ and cfxA genes were identified in the faecal microbiome of a hunted wild boar from Japan. The gastrointestinal microbiota of the free-living wild boars examined in this study carried acquired antibiotic resistance determinants that are highly prevalent among domestic livestock populations.

A significant threat to public health is presented by antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, selective pressure on which results from antibiotic use. Colistin is an antibiotic commonly used in veterinary medicine, but also one of last resort in human medicine. Since the 2015 discovery in China of the mcr-1 gene encoding colistin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae, other countries have noted its presence. This study was to find the mcr-1 gene prevalence in E. coli isolated from poultry slaughtered in Poland. Cloacal swabs were taken from December 2017 to October 2018 from broiler chickens in three regions. The samples (n = 158) were grouped as flocks treated with colistin sulphate (n = 87) and those not treated (n = 71). Resistance to antimicrobials commonly used in poultry was evaluated by minimum inhibitory concentration. The presence of the mcr-1 gene was confirmed by PCR. Isolates containing the mcr-1 gene were yielded by 11.27% of the samples from not treated flocks and 19.54% of those from treated flocks, but no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of the gene was seen between the groups. The results clearly preclude intensification of selective pressure for colistin resistance due to colistin sulphate treatment because they show that the avian gastrointestinal tract was already inhabited by colistin-resistant E. coli by the time the chickens came to the poultry house.

Introduction: Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Malassezia pachydermatis often cause skin diseases in dogs. Material and Methods: An online survey was e-mailed to veterinary practices nationwide covering demographics, diagnosis methods, and oral and topical treatment options. Of the 740 surveys sent, 100 complete replies were obtained. Results: The majority of clinicians were unaware of the existence of the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases guidelines or did not follow them (53%). Oral antibiotics were used universally for superficial bacterial folliculitis treatment, particularly amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (100%), cephalexin (94%), enrofloxacin (67%), or marbofloxacin (60%). For fold dermatitis (FD) and otitis externa (OE), oral antibiotics were also given as treatment in 88% and 82% of cases, respectively. Oral antifungals were often prescribed for generalised Malassezia dermatitis (85%), FD (70%), and OE (59%). S. pseudintermedius and M. pachydermatis were frequently treated topically, particularly with antibacterials or antifungals only, or a combination of antibacterials, antifungals, and glucocorticoids. Alternative options such as honey-based products were not frequently used. Conclusion: Our survey suggests that oral antibiotics are overused by Portuguese clinicians despite the spread of antibiotic resistant S. pseudintermedius. Oral antibiotics and antifungals are commonly prescribed for skin conditions manageable with topical treatments.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to determine microbiota in the cloacal samples of European herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and to compare a variety of genes encoding antimicrobial resistance in cultivable and non-cultivable bacteria. Material and Methods: Cloacal samples from European herring gulls were collected from a Kaunas city dump. Cultivable microbiota were isolated, their microbial susceptibility was tested, and genes encoding antimicrobial resistance were detected. Additionally, a metagenomic study was performed using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). Results: In total, 697 different operational taxonomic units at genus level were detected; however, only 63 taxonomic units were detected at the amount of ≥0.1% of the total number of DNA copies. Catellicoccus marimammalium was found to have the highest prevalence. The bacterial amount of other genera was up to 5% with the most highly prevalent being Psychrobacter (4.7%), Helicobacter (4.5%), unclassified Enterococcaceae (3.2%), Pseudomonas (2.9%), and Brachyspira (2.6%). Conclusions: C. marimammalium are predominant microbiota in the cloacal samples of Larus argentatus. This species of gulls is a reservoir of bacteria carrying a wide-spectrum of genes encoding antimicrobial resistance. The same genes were detected in both cultivable microbiota and in the total DNA of the samples.

Gallibacterium anatis is an opportunistic bacteria inducing a range of clinical signs in poultry. Gallibacterium anatis strains show multidrug resistance to antibacterial substances. The purpose of this study was to examine the susceptibility of G. anatis biovar haemolytica isolates collected from the respiratory, reproduction and gastrointestinal tracts of chickens to different antibiotics from various classes.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of antimicrobial-resistant Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium isolated from the oral cavities of captive giant pandas in China. The virulence-associated determinant and antimicrobial resistance genes were detected and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed on 54 strains of each bacterium. All isolates showed 100% multidrug resistance. E. faecalis isolates showed a higher percentage of strains resistant to gentamicin (48.1%), vancomycin (55.6%), linezolid (100%), and streptomycin (33.3%) than E. faecium isolates. The resistance genes of Enterococcus spp. were present to highly varying extents according to antibiotic type, their presence breaking down for E. faecalis and E. faecium respectively as aac(6')/aph(2″) 5.56% and 5.56%; aph(3')-Ⅲ 0% and 14.81%; ant(6)-I 0% and 3.7%; ant(4')-Ia 0% and 64.81%; tetL 20.37% and 100%; vanA 92.59% and 46.3%; vanB 0% and 0%; cfr 0% and 90.74%; optrA 96.3% and 3.7%; blaZ 0% and 1.85%; blaTEM 0% and 0%; tetA 20.37% and 0%; tetC 24.07% and 100%; tetM 0% and 0%; ermA 12.96% and 100%; ermB 5.56% and 3.7%; and ermC 0% and 1.85%.Virulence-associated determinants were detected in this research, which typically include efaA, gelE, asa1, ace, cylA, esp and hyl; however, the latter three were not detected. High proportions of the isolates carried the efaA, gelE, asa1, and ace genes. Respectively for E. faecalis and E. faecium their detection was efaA 98.1% and 85.2%; gelE 98.1% and 87%; asa1 92.6% and 87%; and ace 87% and 85.2%. This is the first study on the potential disease risk and antimicrobial-resistant characteristics of E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates in giant panda oral cavities. The results of this study show that the antimicrobial resistance rate of Enterococcus spp. isolated from the oral cavity of captive pandas is very high, and thus needs to be monitored.

The organic food sector and consumer interest in organic products are growing continuously. The safety and quality of such products must be at least equal to those of conventional equivalents, but attaining the same standards requires overcoming a particular problem identified in organic food production systems: the occurrence of bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and pathogenic Escherichia coli. These food-borne microorganisms were detected in the production environments of such food. The prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in organic livestock and products may be higher, but may also be the same as or lower than in like material from conventional farms. Furthermore, the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria was more often detected in conventional than in organic production. The aim of this review was to present the recent information on the microbiological safety of food of animal origin produced from raw materials from organic farms.

Foot rot in small ruminants is highly contagious, causes severe lameness, and impairs fertility and wool and meat production. It is usually treated with parenteral antibiotics, with attendant antibiotic resistance risk, and with bactericidal footbaths, potentially harmful to humans and the environment. An alternative treatment in sheep is proposed based on repeated topical ozonated ointment application. Its effectiveness and safety were evaluated by estimation of acute-phase response, biochemical indicators of organic damage, and antioxidant/oxidant balance (AOB). The study was conducted on ten sheep with Egerton scale 2–3 lesions. Ozone application was repeated every day for seven days. Blood was drawn first (T0) after foot cleaning and before ozonation, then (T1) seven days after the first ozone application, and finally (T2) four days after the last application. High clinical effectiveness was observed, with total recovery by 28 days from the start of treatment. A significant increase in antiradical activity was noted on the basis of a 2,2ʹ-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) assay from 1.16 ± 0.04 μmolTe/mL at T0 to 1.23 ± 0.03 μmolTe/mL at T1, with a slight decrease in oxidative stress. Calculated on the basis of antiradical capacity, AOB was higher at T1 (130 ± 19%) and decreased to 110 ± 16% at T2. Calculated on the basis of reducing power, it was 169 ± 22% at T1 and 131 ± 17% at T2. These results indicated that the AOB is efficient enough to prevent oxidative organ injury and the applied doses of ozone are safe for animals.