Acetaminophen is widely used in human beings for analgesic purposes, but is one of the most frequent causes of poisoning in cats. Acetaminophen-poisoned cats develop methemoglobinemia and sometimes hepatic failure. To determine the benefit of using methylene blue, a treatment for methemoglobinemia, along with N-acetylcysteine (NAC), the recommended treatment for acetaminophen-poisoned cats, groups of 3 male and 3 female cats each were given methylene blue NAC, or both after administration of acetaminophen (120 mg/kg of body weight, PO). Male cats seemed more susceptible than female cats to acetaminophen toxicosis, because 3 males died of hepatic failure (2 cats given acetaminophen/methylene blue and 1 given acetaminophen/NAC/methylene blue). Although NAC alone seemed to elicit the best overall response, methylene blue, alone or in combination with NAC, may be useful in female cats.

African swine fever (ASF), caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV), is currently one of the most important and serious diseases of pigs, mainly due to the enormous sanitary and socio-economic consequences. It leads to serious economic losses, not only because of the near 100% mortality rate, but also through the prohibitions of pork exports it triggers. Currently neither vaccines nor safe and effective chemotherapeutic agents are available against ASFV. The disease is controlled by culling infected pigs and maintaining high biosecurity standards, which principally relies on disinfection. Some countries have approved and/or authorised a list of biocides effective against this virus. This article is focused on the characteristics of chemical substances present in the most popular disinfectants of potential use against ASFV. Despite some of them being approved and tested, it seems necessary to perform tests directly on ASFV to ensure maximum effectiveness of the disinfectants in preventing the spread of ASF in the future.

A crucial first step in preventing the introduction and spread of harmful microorganisms in poultry farms is biosecurity. The objectives of this investigation were to assess biosecurity measures and the prevalence of different E. coli species in commercial chicken farms in Sharkia province, Egypt. Sensitivity of E. coli strains was identified, and their susceptibility to antibiotics and disinfection was evaluated as well. Four farms provided 21 samples each, for a total of 84 samples. Three samples of each were collected for water, feed, litter, cloaca, wall, hand, and foot boots. All the studied farms obtained a "poor biosecurity" grade, meaning that their overall biosecurity score, which is comprised of 40% external and 36.54% internal biosecurity, was less than 50%. Escherichia coli species were found in 79.76% of the samples. It was isolated from water, feed, litter, cloaca, walls, hands, and foot boots with percentages of 91.6; 83.3; 91.6; 100; 58.3; 58.3 and 75%, respectively. Biosecurity level had significant negative correlations with the isolated E. coil species. Escherichia coli O119 was the most common serotype in litter and the cloaca, while E. coli O1 was the most prevalent serotype in walls and hands. Additionally, serotypes for E. coli O26, O159, O128 and O78 were included. According to the patterns of antibiotic sensitivity, amikacin, nitrofurantoin, gentamycin, and levofloxacin showed intermediate sensitivity, whereas E. coli O119 bacteria were highly sensitive to ciprofloxacin. In the absence and presence of organic matter, Virocid, Cid 2000 and finally Virkon S were the most efficient against E. coli O119. According to this study, there were differences in the investigated farms' biosecurity levels in relation to the occurrence of Escherichia coli. To reduce the introduction and persistence of E. coli in poultry farms, several biosecurity practices and management, including stringent cleaning and disinfection measures should be applied.

Bacterial biofilms are structured communities of bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced polymer matrix that is attached to a surface. Biofilms protect and allow bacteria to survive and thrive in hostile environments. Bacteria within biofilms can withstand host immune responses, and are much less susceptible to antibiotics and disinfectants when compared to their planktonic counterparts. The ability to form biofilms is now considered an attribute of many microorganisms. Diseases associated with biofilms require novel methods for their prevention, diagnosis and treatment; this is largely due to the properties of biofilms. Furthermore, the presence of biofilms on surfaces found at farms, slaughterhouses or food processing plants will have an impact on the efficacy of disinfection protocols. Surprisingly, biofilm formation by bacterial pathogens of veterinary or zoonotic importance has received relatively little attention. The objective of this brief Review article is to bring awareness about the importance of biofilms to animal health stakeholders.

This study evaluated the influence of temperature and organic load on the effectiveness of domestic bleach (DB), Surface Decontamination Foam (SDF), and Virkon in inactivating Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores, which are a surrogate for Bacillus anthracis spores. The spores were suspended in light or heavy organic preparations and the suspension was applied to stainless steel carrier disks. The dried spore inoculum was covered with the disinfectants and the disks were then incubated at various temperatures. At −20°C, the 3 disinfectants caused less than a 2.0 log10 reduction of spores in both organic preparations during a 24-h test period. At 4°C, the DB caused a 4.4 log10 reduction of spores in light organic preparations within 2 h, which was about 3 log10 higher than what was achieved with SDF or Virkon. In heavy organic preparations, after 24 h at 4°C the SDF had reduced the spore count by 4.5 log10, which was about 2 log10 higher than for DB or Virkon. In general, the disinfectants were most effective at 23°C but a 24-h contact time was required for SDF and Virkon to reduce spore counts in both organic preparations by at least 5.5 log10. Comparable disinfecting activity with DB only occurred with the light organic load. In summary, at temperatures as low as 4°C, DB was the most effective disinfectant, inactivating spores within 2 h on surfaces with a light organic candload, whereas SDF produced the greatest reduction of spores within 24 h on surfaces with a heavy organic load.

Sixteen Holstein cows were used to test the effect of postmilking teat treatment on colonization and intramammary infection by Staphylococcus aureus on chapped teats. Treatments were (1) chapping the teat and using 1% I2/10% glycerin postdip solution, (2) 1% I2/10% glycerin postdip solution on nonchapped teats, (3) chapping the teat and using 10% glycerin postdip solution, (4) chapping the teat and not using a postdip solution. All mammary glands were free of S aureus teat skin colonization and intramammary infection at the start of the study. Teats selected for chapping were dipped in 1N NaOH prior to 3 applications of S aureus broth culture; cultures were applied at 12-hour intervals on all teats. Treatments were applied after each milking for 30 days and were initiated after the second broth dip. Teat skin swab specimens and milk samples were collected before treatment application. Teat skin condition was scored daily. Nonchapped teats (treatment 2) did not support skin or orifice colonization by S aureus. Treatment-1 teats healed most rapidly and supported less colonization in skin and orifice than did treatment-3 and -4 teats. Teat skin scores and skin colonization were lower for treatment-3 than treatment-4 teats. A correlation between teat skin colonization and teat skin conditions was found. Two intramammary infections were found in treatment-4 quarters and 1 in a treatment-3 quarter. On the basis of our findings, we concluded that poor teat skin condition will more readily support S aureus colonization, that a dip of 1% I2 with glycerin helped reduce S aureus colonization and was associated with faster healing, and that glycerin in teat dips may be of value in preventing colonization by S aureus and in promoting healing.

A crucial control point for good hygiene is the process of cleaning and disinfecting the slaughterhouse, the animals, the environment, and the hands of the workers. It is a crucial phase in the biosecurity process. By counting the aerobic bacteria, coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, salmonella, moulds, and yeasts, the current study was designed to assess the abattoir's contamination and its effects. A total of 120 samples were collected, including swabs from the floor, wall, workers' hands, animals' skin, and the outside of the carcass (20 samples/each). Results of aerobic plate count clarified that the highest mean value was recorded in the abattoirs' floors and walls (1.48x106±2.29x105, 9.54x105 ±1.44x105 respectively), which were then followed by the skin, hands of workers and the outer surfaces of the carcass (5.71x104±1.26x104, 5.39x104±1.15x104, 4.50x104 ±1.68x104 respectively). After using disinfectants, chloroxylenol was the most effective disinfection across all tested samples, with the best reduction percentage. The highest mean value of staphylococcus count was recorded in the hands of workers (1.95x105±1.03x105) had the greatest staphylococcus count, followed by the outer surface of the carcass and the skin (6.66x104 ±2.47x104, 6.47x104±1.22x104 respectively). The highest mean value of coliforms count was recorded on the outer surface of the carcasses 43.45±10.61 MPN/cm2, followed by the skin and the hands of the workers (33.90±8.27, 28.90±11.57 MPN/cm2 respectively. Several spp of coliforms were detected such as Citrobacter diversus, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes and Klebsiella pneumonia. Staph. aureus was reported depending on coagulase test, the incidence of infection was higher in Carcass than in hands and skin. Moreover, Salmonella incidence was higher in the hands followed by carcass. The abattoir's air samples had high mean value of mould 25.93±2.83 compared to yeast 17.80±3.58 (cfu/plate/minute). Regarding mould, H2O2 showed the best reduction rate followed by chlorine. While regarding yeast, chlorine was the best followed by chloroxylenol. Results of microbiological examination of the collected samples reflected a clear state of contamination in abattoirs environment and the effect of disinfectants.

In May of 2013, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) was detected in swine for the first time in North America. It spread rapidly, in part due to contaminated livestock trailers. The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of an accelerated hydrogen peroxide disinfectant for inactivating PEDV in the presence of feces on metal surfaces, such as those found in livestock trailers. Three-week-old barrows were inoculated intragastrically with 5 mL of PEDV-negative feces for the negative control, 5 mL of untreated PEDV-positive feces for the positive control, and 5 mL or 10 mL of PEDV-positive feces that was subjected to treatment with a 1:16 or 1:32 concentrations of accelerated hydrogen peroxide disinfectant for a contact time of 30 min at 20°C. These pigs served as a bioassay to determine the infectivity of virus following treatment. Rectal swabs collected from the inoculated pigs on days 3 and 7 post-inoculation were tested by using PEDV-specific real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and the proportion of pigs in each group that became infected with PEDV was assessed. None of the pigs used for the bioassay in the 4 treatment groups and the negative control group became infected with PEDV, which was significantly different from the positive control group (P < 0.05) in which all pigs were infected. The results suggest that the application of the accelerated hydrogen peroxide under these conditions was sufficient to inactivate the virus in feces found on metal surfaces.

Porcine parvoviruses (PPV) are known to be particularly resistant to many disinfectants used to control other non-enveloped viruses. However, effective disinfectants used against PPV are harsh and corrosive to animal health facilities and the environment. We propose a noncorrosive "green" disinfectant that generates peracetic acid in-situ and is capable of inactivating PPV completely at a 1% concentration for a 10-minute contact time.

Avian influenza outbreaks have occurred during winter months, and effective disinfection of poultry premises at freezing temperatures is needed. The commercial disinfectants Virkon and Accel, supplemented with an antifreeze agent [propylene glycol (PG), methanol (MeOH), or calcium chloride (CaCl2)], were evaluated for their effectiveness in killing avian influenza virus (AIV) at −20°C or 21°C. An AIV suspension was applied to stainless steel disks, air-dried, and covered with a disinfectant or antifreeze agent for 5 to 30 min. Virkon (2%) and Accel (6.25%) with 30% PG, 20% MeOH, or 20% CaCl2 inactivated 6 log10 AIV within 5 min at −20°C and 21°C. At these temperatures PG and MeOH alone did not kill AIV, but the 20% CaCl2 solution alone inactivated 5 log10 AIV within 10 min. The results suggested that CaCl2 is potentially useful to enhance the effectiveness of disinfection of poultry facilities after outbreaks of AIV infection in warm and cold seasons.