Avian malaria caused by Plasmodium and the malaria-like parasites of the genus Haemoproteus has been regularly described in multiple regions worldwide. These parasites significantly affect many avian taxa, including domestic chickens and fighting cocks. There are limited epidemiological studies of these blood parasites in vertebrate hosts, especially in Thailand.

The Indo-Pacific seahorse, Hippocampus barbouri, is one of the most important marine fish and a potential target of aquaculture, but basic biological information on this fish is largely missing. In this study, we described the hepatocyte ultrastructure and the ontogeny of the liver in H. barbouri during the 1st and the 35th day after birth (DAB). The histological observation of the liver structure identified that hepatocytes have a centrally placed oblong to round nucleus surrounded by the basophilic cytoplasm. Extensive accumulation of lipid droplets and glycogen was observed in the cytoplasm of the hepatocytes. Transmission electron microscope observation confirmed that the hepatocytes contained cisternae of granular endoplasmic reticulum associated with mitochondria of various shapes. Secretory granules of uniform density were scatted in hepatocytes, which were considered as the glycogen storage granules. According to the liver ontogeny analysis, the basic liver structure such as a network of the hepatocyte and sinusoid capillary was present at the 1st DAB and a large amount of collagen accumulation was observed by the 14th DAB. These results increase the knowledge about the initial development of H. barbouri, which will be useful to assess nutritional status of this species during aquaculture development.

Contamination by Staphylococcus aureus of food produced from animal sources may have diverse and multifactorial causes that depend on geographical distribution. The goal of this study was to isolate and characterise S. aureus strains from contaminated fermented pork sausage, which is a local food of northeastern Thailand. S. aureus strains were isolated from local pork sausage, and the presence of classical enterotoxins was determined by PCR and reversed passive latex agglutination. These results were compared with strains derived from hospitalised patients and healthy carriers. Additionally, production of extracellular enzymes and haemolysin, biofilm formation, and antibiotic susceptibility were assessed. S. aureus was identified in 36 sausage isolates (60%). The strains positive for staphylococcal enterotoxin A were more frequently found in isolates from sausage and healthy carriers than in those from patients. All tested S. aureus strains were positive for DNase, lipase, proteinase, haemolysin, and biofilm formation; notably, strains isolated from food and healthy carriers displayed similar values. Most isolates were resistant to penicillin and ampicillin, while none were to methicillin. Thai fermented pork sausages are associated with a high risk of staphylococcal food poisoning, which may be linked to contamination caused by carriers. Dissemination of knowledge regarding best practices in sanitation and hygiene is important in local communities.

Cryptosporidium parvum is the most frequent parasitic agent that causes diarrhoea in AIDS patients in Thailand. Cryptosporidiosis outbreaks in humans may be attributed to contamination of their drinking water from infected dairy pastures. A 23-kDa glycoprotein of C. parvum (CpP23) is a sporozoite surface protein that is geographically conserved among C. parvum isolates. This glycoprotein is a potentially useful candidate antigen for the diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Therefore, we investigated the seroprevalence of C. parvum infection in dairy cows in northern Thailand using an ELISA based on recombinant CpP23 antigen. Sera were randomly collected from 642 dairy cows of 42 small-holder farmers, which had the top three highest number of the dairy cows' population in Northern Thailand, that included Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Lumpang provinces. The overall seroprevalence of the infection was 4.4 %, and the seropositive rates for the three provinces were 3.3 % in Chiang Mai, 5.1 % in Chiang Rai and 3 % in Lumpang. These results suggest that cattle could play a role in zoonotic cryptosporidiosis in Thailand.

Assays were done to assess the ability of 5 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) isolates from difference sources to adhere to canine and human corneocytes. Cell wall-associated (CWA) protein gene profiles were examined to look for associations with adherence. Five MRSP strains were studied: 3 with the same CWA protein gene profile (14 genes) and belonging to sequence type (ST) 45 were isolated from a dog, a human, and the environment. The other 2 were an environmental isolate belonging to ST433 that had the lowest number of CWA protein genes (12) and a canine clinical isolate belonging to ST733 that had the greatest number of CWA protein genes (18). The 3 isolates of MRSP ST45, a major clone in Thailand, had the greatest ability to adhere to canine and human corneocytes. Nevertheless, MRSP adherence ability could not be predicted from the profile of genes encoding CWA proteins.

The present study describes the serum biochemical alterations and histopathological abnormalities in the liver tissue of dogs with liver disease. A survey of hepatic lesions was conducted using ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle biopsies. The hematologic and biochemical changes in dogs with liver lesions were recorded. Chronic hepatitis was the most common liver histopathologic finding (37.9%). Other common findings included liver fibrosis (19.5%), vacuolar hepatopathy (10.3%), cholangiohepatitis (9.2%), hepatocellular carcinoma (4.6%), cholangitis (3.4%), cholangiocarcinoma (2.3%), and congestive hepatopathy (2.3%). Greater than 2-fold elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was a useful indicator, with a sensitivity of 40% to 65% for diagnosing all liver pathologies. Greater than 2-fold elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) without significant elevation of ALT was useful for diagnosing liver diseases affected by inflammatory or regressive changes (sensitivity of 40% to 50%). Elevation of ALT, ALP, or a combination of ALT and ALP had a high sensitivity of up to 90% for identifying dogs with liver pathology. Hepatic injury and cholestasis enzymes should be interpreted together with patient history, clinical signs, and liver ultrasonographic appearance before performing a liver biopsy.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether a virulent Canadian isolate of Senecavirus A (SVA) causes idiopathic vesicular disease (IVD) in pigs. Senecavirus A, which was first isolated in the United States in 2002 as Seneca Valley Virus, was linked to cases of porcine idiopathic vesicular disease in Canada in 2007 and in the United States in 2010. Since 2014, SVA outbreaks in Brazil, the US, Canada, China, Thailand, and Colombia point to an expanding global distribution and the need to study the pathogenicity of the virus. Unlike the prototype virus, recent US isolates of SVA have been shown to cause vesicular disease in pigs. We report vesicular disease in pigs following experimental inoculation with a 2016 Canadian isolate of SVA. All inoculated pigs developed vesicular lesions regardless of route of inoculation. Virus was detected in blood and oral fluids as well as on oral and fecal swabs. In addition, all pigs seroconverted to SVA by 6 days post-inoculation (DPI). This study confirms that recent Canadian isolates of SVA cause vesicular disease in pigs and highlights the importance of monitoring SVA for increased virulence.

OBJECTIVE To develop 2 rapid loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays for detection of Pasteurella multocida DNA (Pm-LAMP assay) and P multocida DNA from strains associated with hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) in cattle and buffalo (HS-LAMP assay). SAMPLE Solutions containing 16 P multocida strains and 9 other bacterial species at various concentrations. PROCEDURES Optimal conditions were determined for running the Pm-LAMP and HS-LAMP assays. The assays were then used to detect DNA of the test organisms. Results of LAMP assays were validated against conventional PCR assays designed for specific detection of P multocida and the B:2 serotype of HS-associated strains. RESULTS Following incubation of sample reaction mixtures for 27 minutes, specificity and sensitivity of the HS-LAMP assay at template DNA amounts as low as 5 pg were 93% and 97%, respectively. When duplicates of each sample were incubated for 28 minutes (a positive result defined as positive results for both reactions of a given sample), specificity and sensitivity of the HS-LAMP assay in the same conditions increased to 100%. The best specificity and sensitivity of Pm-LAMP single (93% and 91%) and duplicate (97% and 98%) reactions at template DNA amounts as low as 10 pg were achieved at 33 and 34 minutes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE These preliminary findings suggested the developed HS-LAMP assay had high sensitivity and specificity for detection of HS-associated P multocida. Additional research is needed to determine the accuracy of the assay for use on clinical specimens obtained in HS-endemic countries such as Pakistan and Thailand.

Objective--To assess the impacts of the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and various FMD control programs in southern Thailand. Animals--A native population of 562,910 cattle and 33,088 buffalo as well as 89,294 animals legally transported into southern Thailand. Procedures--A quantitative risk assessment was used to ascertain the probability of FMD introduction, and an intrinsic dynamic model was used to assess impacts. Value for the transmission rate (β) was estimated. Five scenarios created to assess the impacts of nonstructural protein (NSP) testing, mass vaccination, and culling were examined. Impacts were assessed through an examination of the estimated annual cumulative incidence (ACI) of FMD. The ACIs of various scenarios were compared by use of the Tukey Studentized range technique. Results--β was estimated at 0.115. Approximately 35,000 cases of FMD would be expected from the baseline situation. A 30% reduction of ACI was detected with the introduction of NSP antibody testing. Prophylactic vaccination resulted in an 85% reduction of ACI. Concurrent use of NSP antibody testing and vaccination reduced the ACI by 96%, and the addition of an eradication policy resulted in a slightly greater decrease in the ACI (98%). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance--The study used epidemiologic models to investigate FMD control interventions. Results suggested that vaccination has more impact than the use of NSP testing. Use of the NSP test reduced ACI during peak seasons, whereas vaccination diminished the underlying incidence. The best mitigation plan was an integrated and strategic use of multiple control techniques.

Orientostrongylus spp. (including 2 new species), descriptions and illustrations