Journal of Veterinary Research最新文献

Introduction: The prevalence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms in different foods is widely researched. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of selected Enterobacterales species isolated from retail food of animal origin in Poland.

Material and methods: Cold cuts, cold-smoked fish and cheeses making 194 samples were tested with the ISO horizontal method for the detection of Enterobacteriaceae, and then Enterobacterales isolates were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). The isolates' antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using the minimal inhibitory concentration method.

Results: Enterobacterales were detected in 159 (82.0%) samples, from which 226 bacterial isolates were recovered. Six bacterial species accounted for 65.9% of Enterobacterales isolates: Escherichia coli (n = 41), Enterobacter cloacae (n = 26), Hafnia alvei (n = 25), Citrobacter spp. (n = 20), Serratia liquefaciens (n = 20) and Klebsiella oxytoca (n = 17). The isolated E. coli strains showed low resistance to seven antimicrobials. E. cloacae isolates were mostly resistant to ampicillin (76.9%) and azithromycin (38.5%), S. liquefaciens to colistin (100%) and H. alvei strains to colistin (96.0%) and ampicillin (60.0%). The majority of K. oxytoca isolates (70.6%) were resistant to ampicillin, whereas only five Citrobacter isolates were. Twenty of the total pool of isolates (8.8%) were defined as multidrug resistant.

Conclusion: Retail food of animal origin can be contaminated with various species of Enterobacterales, including microorganisms pathogenic to humans as well as others resistant to commonly used antimicrobials.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with dried black chokeberry pomace (Aronia melanocarpa) on metabolic and antioxidant parameters in high-yielding dairy goats.

Material and methods: Twenty-seven Polish White Improved goats in mid-lactation were divided into three groups: a control group and two experimental groups receiving chokeberry pomace at 15 g/kg (A1) and 30 g/kg (A2) of dry matter in the feed. Biochemical, enzymatic, mineral, and oxidative stress parameters were analysed.

Results: Supplementation, particularly in group A2, improved the lipid profile by reducing low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides and increasing high-density lipoprotein levels. It also enhanced antioxidant capacity (higher glutathione and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl values) and positively influenced liver and lysosomal enzyme activity. Changes in creatinine, cholinesterase and creatine kinase levels were observed, along with correlations between calcium and metabolic markers.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that chokeberry pomace may serve as a valuable feed additive in the nutrition of high-yielding dairy goats, promoting their metabolic health and potentially enhancing milk quality.

Introduction: Bacillus anthracis causes an infectious disease called anthrax. Herbivores are more susceptible to the disease than omnivores, carnivores and humans. Grazing animals are the highest-risk group, and among them, anthrax outbreaks have extremely high fatality rates and impose heavy costs, besides posing a grave zoonotic risk. The aim of the study was the application and evaluation of simultaneous use of multiplex PCR and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) allowing the differentiation of strains of the B. anthracis species from other species of the Bacillus genus.

Material and methods: The experiment involved 21 strains of B. anthracis. Strains of other species of the Bacillus genus were also included in the experiment. In the first part of the studies, two genes responsible for virulence - pag and cap, located on plasmids pXO1 and pXO2 - and the chromosomal sequence Ba813 were used for a multiplex PCR. In the next stage, PCR-RFLP, in which restriction analysis of the SG-749 sequence using the AluI enzyme was performed.

Results: The multiplex PCR allowed the identification of virulent B. anthracis strains, as well as the detection of the presence of the chromosomal sequence Ba813. Then, PCR-RFLP showed the restriction pattern characteristic of B. anthracis strains.

Conclusion: The simultaneous use of multiplex PCR and PCR-RFLP enables the distinction of B. anthracis strains with and without plasmids from other strains of the Bacillus genus, including those with the Ba813 chromosomal sequence.

Introduction: Tylosin's pharmacokinetics has been defined in different species of animals. Despite the description to date of multiple analytical protocols for the determination of tylosin in a variety of biological matrices, research evaluating the antibiotic concentration in sow's milk cannot be found in scientific literature. This study aimed to conduct such an evaluation.

Material and methods: The study was carried out on five lactating sows reared on a farm located in Poland. The animals were given intramuscular injections of tylosin at 10 mg per kg of body weight for three consecutive days. Milk samples were collected 3 h and 1, 2, 5, 7, 14 and 21 d after the first administration. The determination of tylosin was carried out using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

Results: The highest mean concentration of the substance (1,802 μg/L) was found in the samples collected 3 h after the injection. The mean levels of tylosin in the samples collected on day 1 and day 2 were 744 μg/L and 482 μg/L, respectively. The mean concentration on day 5 was lower, falling to 97 μg/L. The value of 6 μg/L in the samples collected on day 7 was the lowest noted. The samples obtained 14 and 21 d after the first administration were below the limit of quantification.

Conclusion: Tylosin easily passes the blood-milk barrier in sows, reaching its maximum concentration in a short time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the excretion of tylosin into sow milk.

Introduction: In Poland, alpacas are commonly companion animals and producers of wool. Human-alpaca-environment interactions raise One Health concerns about antimicrobial resistance (AMR). No medications are licensed in Poland for camelids, and so all are prescribed under the cascade; they include β-lactams, cephalosporin, florfenicol, enrofloxacin, marbofloxacin, gentamicin, tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Human and animal bacterial AMR is a matter of global concern. Consequently, the aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of phenotypic and genotypic AMR among bacteria isolated from alpaca intestines.

Material and methods: Fifty-four strains were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and biochemical methods. Antibacterial susceptibility was assessed by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations and by the Kirby-Bauer method.

Results: Citrobacter spp., Enterobacter spp. and Serratia spp. exhibited resistance to β-lactams, first-generation cephalosporins and tetracyclines, with Serratia spp. also resistant to colistin, polymyxin B and florfenicol. Enterococcus spp. were resistant to penicillin G, benzylpenicillin and erythromycin, but not to vancomycin, while Staphylococcus spp. showed resistance to amoxicillin and penicillins, but not to methicillin. Bacillus spp. and Corynebacterium spp. were resistant to some penicillins, tetracyclines and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Enterobacteriaceae isolates carried resistance genes (aadA, dfrA1, tetA, sul1, sul2, strA/strB and floR); therefore, the tested alpacas' microbiomes harboured AMR determinants.

Conclusion: Alpacas should be monitored over an extended period to know the risk of transmission of AMR genes from components of their microbiome.

Introduction: Giardia duodenalis is the prevalent parasitic protozoan responsible for diarrhoeal disease in humans and animals. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and assemblages of this parasite present in cattle in Poland.

Material and methods: Faecal samples were collected from 1,602 cattle up to 4 months old, bred on 267 farms located in all 16 voivodeships of Poland. Extraction of DNA was performed using a modified alkaline and a heat lysis method. Molecular detection of β-giardin gene by PCR and sequence analysis were performed.

Results: In 174 of 1,602 (10.9%) tested cattle and in 89 of 267 examined herds (33.3%), G. duodenalis DNA was detected. The highest prevalence of Giardia in cattle was found in the Lubelskie (25%), Mazowieckie (21.3%) and Zachodniopomorskie (20.4%) voivodeships. In other regions, the prevalence did not exceed 10%. The number of Giardia-positive cattle decreased with animal age. The most frequently identified assemblage in cattle was E (89.2%), and A and B were detected more seldom in 9.0% and 1.8% of cattle, respectively. No significant differences in positive results were observed in cattle depending on production purpose.

Conclusion: The study results showed a high prevalence of Giardia in cattle in Poland. The presence of the Giardia A and B assemblages indicates a potential zoonotic threat.

Introduction: Highly efficient animal rearing would be impossible without the use of high-protein feed. In Europe the main source of feed protein has become soybean meal imported from South America, where the majority of it is genetically modified. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of genetically modified (GM) plant material in feed on the Polish market.

Material and methods: The study material consisted of feed materials and compound feed samples collected as part of the Official Feed Control Plan in 2018-2024. Methods recommended for use in official testing by the European Union Reference Laboratory for Genetically Modified Food and Feed were used to identify GM organism (GMO) presence.

Results: Between 2018 and 2024, 171 (53.9%) positive samples were identified, all with GM soybean presence. No GM maize or GM rapeseed was identified. The majority of positive samples contained three GM soybean varieties: MON 40-3-2, MON 89788 and MON 87701. The results from samples taken at the eastern Polish border varied from one survey year to the next, revealing GMO presence ranging from 0% to 80%, and the entirety of the GMO content to be soybean.

Conclusion: The high-protein soybean meal in poultry and pig farming is in part derived from GM soybeans grown in third countries. Other feed crops like maize and rapeseed are GMO-free or contaminated with GMOs only at low levels.

Introduction: Isoxazoline derivatives such as fluralaner, sarolaner, lotilaner, and afoxolaner are a new class of insecticide and acaricide compounds. These compounds are characterised by rapid action and high efficacy over a period of up to several weeks. A method for identifying all four isoxazoline derivatives in animal and human plasma has not been proposed to date. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and validate a novel analytical method for the determination of fluralaner, sarolaner, lotilaner, and afoxolaner in laying hen plasma and to revalidate the proposed method in human, canine and feline plasma.

Material and methods: The plasma concentrations of isoxazoline derivatives were determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Analytical samples were prepared by precipitating proteins with a mixture of 96% acetonitrile and 4% ammonium hydroxide (v/v). Chromatographic separation was achieved on a chromatographic column (1.8 μm 2.1 × 100 mm) using 0.1% formic acid in water and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile with gradient elution.

Results: The results indicate that the described method is replicable, linear (r² = 0.99), precise (1.66% to 14.97%), accurate (1.19% to 11.67%), selective and sensitive (limit of quantitation = 1 ng/mL). Depending on the studied compound and animal species, total recovery reached 85-99%, and the matrix effect did not exceed 15% in any of the analyses.

Conclusion: The proposed method is simple, effective, inexpensive and rapid because it requires only a single-step sample preparation protocol.

Introduction: Respiratory diseases have a substantial impact on swine production worldwide. Understanding the relationship between gross lung lesions and the presence of infectious agents is crucial for developing effective disease control strategies that target both primary and secondary pathogens.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 22 pig farms in western Poland. Cranioventral pulmonary consolidation (CVPC) in slaughtered pigs was assessed, and 20 lung tissue samples were collected from each herd. The presence of common bacterial and viral respiratory pathogens was identified using PCR-based methods.

Results: The disorder was observed in 79.3% (95% confidence interval 75.3-82.8) of slaughtered pigs across all examined herds. The most frequently detected pathogens at both the herd and individual animal levels were Glaesserella parasuis, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and porcine circovirus 2. Co-infections involving two or more respiratory pathogens were prevalent, occurring in 100% of herds and 87.7% of individual pigs. Mean CVPC scores were significantly higher in pigs infected with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Mycoplasma hyorhinis and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus 1.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the multifactorial nature of respiratory infections in pigs. Effective control measures should consider the high prevalence of co-infections and their impact on lung lesion severity to improve overall herd health and productivity.

Introduction: Trichinella spp. is an important zoonotic nematode parasite which infects a variety of hosts, not only including omnivorous and carnivorous animals but also herbivores. The environment and wildlife play a crucial role in nematode circulation in Poland. Trichinella spp. are present in prey animals, and the growth in the wolf population makes them potentially one of the major reservoirs, spreaders and/or indicators of Trichinella presence in their prey. The main aims of the study were to demonstrate the prevalence of Trichinella spp. in wolves, identify the predilection sites, and evaluate the species diversity and possible risk factors.

Material and methods: Forelimb, diaphragm and tongue muscle samples from 96 wolves from all over the country were examined by microscopy and molecular identification of parasitic isolates from them was made by multiplex PCR.

Results: A total of 43 wolves (44%) were infected with Trichinella spp. For the first time, T. spiralis was detected in these animals, being noted in almost half of the cases. Trichinella spiralis infections were clustered in the north-west of the country.

Conclusion: The high Trichinella prevalence in the apex predator suggests the wolf's growing importance in the circulation and transmission of this food-borne parasite. This also indicates the importance of the disposal of carcasses to prevent the risks of animal and human exposure to this dangerous pathogen and the spread of Trichinella in a sylvatic environment.