Candida species are a natural component of the intestinal tract microflora, but in favourable conditions they can cause superficial, mucosal, or even systemic candidiasis. Poultry production might be a source of human drug-resistant yeast infections, including Candida spp. The limited data concerning the antifungal susceptibility of poultry Candida isolates prompted us to carry out research to determine the susceptibility of isolates from turkey intestinal tracts. The beak cavity, crop and cloaca were swabbed of 580 turkeys from 58 flocks in western Poland. The susceptibility tests were conducted using the E-test method with amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, and voriconazole on 52 isolates of C. albicans, C. catenulata, C. glabrata, C. palmioleophila, C. rugosa, C. krusei and C. lusitaniae. All isolates were susceptible to voriconazole. According to the MIC values obtained for amphotericin B and fluconazole, all Candida spp. isolates were classified as susceptible according to the described breakpoints except for C. krusei, which was the only isolate that was amphotericin B-, fluconazole- and itraconazole-resistant. The susceptibility to itraconazole varied: 11 of the Candida isolates were susceptible (21.1%), 29 were dose-dependently susceptible (55.8%), and 12 isolates were resistant (23.1%). There are few resistant strains of Candida in turkeys, and the drug resistance varies. When Candida passes from turkeys to humans, there is a wide range of antifungal treatment options.

A wide range of essential plant oils and extracts have been shown to be fungal inhibitors and could provide attempting alternative for treating animal infections. The current study screened the in-vitro antifungal properties of propolis in addition to Eucalyptus and Moringa essential oils on some fluconazole-resistant Candida isolates recovered from cases of bovine and ovine mycotic mastitis through determination of their Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC). Propolis recorded MIC and MFC ranged from 44 mg/mL to 175 mg/mL and the isolates of C. albicans were the most sensitive. Eucalyptus was the most effective essential oil with MIC and MFC ranged from 2 mg/mL to 16 mg/mL and was mostly effective against C. tropicalis, C. albicans and C. kefyr. Regarding Moringa essential oil, the recorded MIC and MFC ranged from 31.25 mg/mL to 125 mg/mL and the most sensitive isolates were C. tropicalis and C. kefyr. The molecular characterization of azole-resistance genes revealed that all tested isolates harbored CDR gene 100%, while MDR1 and ERG11 genes were represented as 80% and 40%, respectively. Therefore, the antifungal effect of propolis and essential oils of Eucalyptus and Moringa against fluconazole-resistant Candida species were highlighted in the current study and can be employed as useful alternatives for the treatment of bovine and ovine mycotic mastitis.

Candidiasis is a mycosis caused by the mycelial yeast of the Candida genus which is opportunistic pathogen of humans, animals, and birds. Under some conditions such as prolonged antibiotic therapy, overcrowding, and immunosuppression, the opportunistic Candida can cause disease. Chicken candidiasis is sporadically occurred and characterized by unsatisfactory growth, listlessness, roughness of feathers, and death. A case of 23 weeks old layer with history of increased mortality and anemia was submitted to our Lab. At necropsy, the characteristic lesions were observed in the crop and proventriculus. The whitish pseudomembrane, that are peeled easily, was found in the crop. Proventriculus was swollen and the mucosa was covered with hemorrhagic exudate. The histological changes of the affected crop are epithelial hyperplasia, hydropic degeneration, and mycelia formation. Smears made from the necrotic mucosal surfaces of the crop revealed the presence of large number of yeast cells and mycelia. Pure cultures of yeast colonies were obtained from the potato dextrose agar. The yeast cells were identified as Candida albicans by gene sequencing. To our knowledge, this is the first report of candidiasis in chickens with anemia in Korea.

Cultures of bovine alveolar macrophages were inoculated with type-1 and type-8 adenoviruses, initially isolated from calves with respiratory tract disease, and functional properties of the cells were observed over a period of 10 to 11 days. Both viruses replicated in macrophages; viral titers were low (< 3.75 log10 TCID50/0.1 ml), and intranuclear inclusions were detected by indirect immunofluorescence in 5 to 10% of the cells from 3 days after inoculation. Highest titers were induced by type-1 adenovirus, which also induced the greatest functional changes. Expression of Fc and complement receptors was reduced by both viruses, although the greatest effects were seen with type 1. Phagocytosis of Candida krusei cells was reduced following type 1 infection, whereas phagocytosis in type-8-infected cells was not different from that of noninfected macrophages. Ability to kill ingested Candida cells also was reduced following type-1 infection, whereas type-8-infected macrophages had lower killing ability only at 2 to 4 days after inoculation. Neither virus had substantial effects on the production of neutrophil chemotactic factors by the macrophages.

Avian peritoneal exudate macrophages, when exposed to phagocytic stimuli, produced an appreciable oxidative burst as measured by production of chemiluminescence, superoxide anion, and hydrogen peroxide. Metabolic inhibitors of the oxidative burst and scavengers of oxygen radicals clearly inhibited macrophage chemiluminescence, but had no significant effect on macrophage bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli or fungistatic activity against Candida tropicalis. Therefore, avian macrophages were capable of oxygen-independent bactericidal and fungistatic activities.

In vitro antifungal susceptibility test was carried out on 53 strains of Candida spp. isolated from milk of dairy cows with subclinical mastitis and teat cups of milking machines. Nystatin, clotrimazole, miconazole, econazole, 5-fluorocytosine, cycloheximide, haloprogin and griseofulvin were tested by the agar dilution method. The 84.8 % to 98.2 % of Candida strains were inhibited by clotrimazole, econazole and miconazole at = 20.32 micro g/ml)

This study was carried out to treatment test for bovine mastitis by the determination of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) based on firefly bioluminescence. In the susceptibility test, cephalothin which looks the most effective were sensitive to Staphylococcus sp. (72.3 %), Micrococcus sp. (84.2 %), Streptococcus sp. (72.7 %) and Gram positive bacilli (72.7 %), Gram negative bacilli were sensitive to gentamycin (92.3 %) and Yeast-like-fungi was the most sensitive to clotrimazole, and nystatin in order. When the number of bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Candida tropicalis isolated from the mastitis milk were counted by conventional agar plating technique, and compared with the concentration of bacterial ATP, it gave a good linear relationship. The content of ATP per Staphylococcus aureus, cell was 3.1fM and Candida tropicalis showed the high level of ATP (90fM). The ATP assay was applied to the determination of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of various antibiotics. When Staphylococcus aureus was incubated in the presence of different concentration of tetracycline, erythromycin, kanamycin and streptomycin sulfate and the growth was monitored by the conventional agar plating technique and ATP assay, both methods showed the same results that they were 1mcg/ml, 2mcg/ml, 6.25mcg/ml and 8mcg/ml, respectively. For the determination of susceptibility of sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated for the milk with mastitis to tetracycline, erythromycin, kanamycin and strepomycin sulfate, the minimum time required for the test was determined by the assay of ATP every 30 minutes during incubation of 3 hours at 37deg C. ATP concentration time curve calculated on both resistant and sensitive strains incubated 3 hours as the optimum time for the determination of susceptibilities of various antibiotics examed. The ATP concentration of each test brith (antibiotic contraining), expressed as a percentage of its own control brith (antibiotic-free) indicated values of 30 % to be indicative of each antibiotic sensitivity.