Birds in Europe: Their conservation status

https://repositorio.unesp.br/bitstream/handle/11449/42589/WOS000287054500042.pdf?sequence=1

Degradation of the antibiotic amoxicillin by photo-Fenton process - Chemical and toxicological assessment

Proteus spp. bacteria were first described in 1885 by Gustav Hauser, who had revealed their feature of intensive swarming growth. Currently, the genus is divided into Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Proteus penneri, Proteus hauseri, and three unnamed genomospecies 4, 5, and 6 and consists of 80 O-antigenic serogroups. The bacteria are known to be human opportunistic pathogens, isolated from urine, wounds, and other clinical sources. It is postulated that intestines are a reservoir of these proteolytic organisms. Many wild and domestic animals may be hosts of Proteus spp. bacteria, which are commonly known to play a role of parasites or commensals. However, interesting examples of their symbiotic relationships with higher organisms have also been described. Proteus spp. bacteria present in soil or water habitats are often regarded as indicators of fecal pollution, posing a threat of poisoning when the contaminated water or seafood is consumed. The health risk may also be connected with drug-resistant strains sourcing from intestines. Positive aspects of the bacteria presence in water and soil are connected with exceptional features displayed by autochthonic Proteus spp. strains detected in these environments. These rods acquire various metabolic abilities allowing their adaptation to different environmental conditions, such as high concentrations of heavy metals or toxic substances, which may be exploited as sources of energy and nutrition by the bacteria. The Proteus spp. abilities to tolerate or utilize polluting compounds as well as promote plant growth provide a possibility of employing these microorganisms in bioremediation and environmental protection.

/pdf/significance-and-roles-of-proteus-spp-bacteria-in-natural-2sehfd11ij.pdf

Significance and Roles of Proteus spp. Bacteria in Natural Environments

Summary
The spread of antimicrobial resistance is of major concern for human health and leads to growing economic costs. While it is increasingly hypothesized that wildlife could play an important role in antimicrobial-resistant bacteria dynamics, empirical data remain scarce.
The present work builds on a systematic review of the available data in order to highlight the main information we have and to suggest research pathways that should be followed if we aim to fill the gaps in our current knowledge.
To achieve this goal, we address four questions: (i) Which resistant bacteria are the most frequently observed in wildlife? (ii) How are resistant bacteria exchanged between wildlife and the other hosts involved? (iii) In which habitats are those resistant bacteria found? (iv) Are resistances associated with certain ecological traits of the host?
Synthesis and applications. We highlight the strong link existing between the impact of human activities on natural habitats and the carriage of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria by wildlife. Furthermore, we underline that omnivorous, anthropophilic and carnivorous species are at high risk of being carriers and potentially spreaders of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Identifying among those groups key sentinel species may be of particular interest to implement ecosystem contamination surveillance. Finally, we discuss possible exchange routes for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria between humans and wildlife. Considering that water is of major importance in those exchanges, a critical way to control antimicrobial resistance spread may be to limit aquatic environment contamination by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and antibiotics.

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1365-2664.12596

Antimicrobial resistance in wildlife

Recent studies of natural environments have revealed vast genetic reservoirs of antibiotic resistance (AR) genes. Soil bacteria and human pathogens share AR genes, and AR genes have been discovered in a variety of habitats. However, there is little knowledge about the presence and diversity of AR genes in marine environments and which organisms host AR genes. To address this, we identified the diversity of genes conferring resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline, nitrofurantoin, and sulfadimethoxine in diverse marine environments using functional metagenomics (the cloning and screening of random DNA fragments). Marine environments were host to a diversity of AR-conferring genes. Antibiotic-resistant clones were found at all sites, with 28% of the genes identified as known AR genes (encoding beta-lactamases, bicyclomycin resistance pumps, etc.). However, the majority of AR genes were not previously classified as such but had products similar to proteins such as transport pumps, oxidoreductases, and hydrolases. Furthermore, 44% of the genes conferring antibiotic resistance were found in abundant marine taxa (e.g., Pelagibacter, Prochlorococcus, and Vibrio). Therefore, we uncovered a previously unknown diversity of genes that conferred an AR phenotype among marine environments, which makes the ocean a global reservoir of both clinically relevant and potentially novel AR genes.

/pdf/the-ocean-as-a-global-reservoir-of-antibiotic-resistance-rind4gk1j1.pdf

The Ocean as a Global Reservoir of Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from livestock and from humans with a professional exposure to animals in farms in Sicily.

European stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) is a Palearctic species with high conservation interest. This species nests on the ground, in open canopies with sparse herbaceous vegetation, and is typically found next to areas of intense agro-pastoral activity, where it feeds on invertebrates present in ruminant droppings. This study aimed to investigate the enteric, ocular, and oral bacterial flora of stone curlew and determine the possible occurrence of pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, the study aimed to determine how epidemiological factors shape the bacterial flora. Fecal samples, cloacal, conjunctival and oral swabs from 61individuals of B. oedicnemus were taken in three different agro-pastoral areas of the southeastern Sicily. The presence of commensal and potentially pathogenic bacteria in the samples was evaluated by standard methods. The bacteriological analysis revealed the presence of 215 Gram – and 92 Gram + strains belonging to 23 different genera (12 families). Potentially pathogenic species including Salmonella enterica, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus spp. have been identified. To our knowledge, this is the first study to determine the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria in stone curlew living in a semi-natural habitat. Some of the detected bacterial species are potentially pathogenic not only for wild species but also for domestic animals and humans. Altogether, our results suggest that stone curlew from agro-pastoral areas are being colonized with commensal or potentially pathogenic bacteria from agricultural or human sources; the prevalence of bacteria is probably influenced by environmental and alimentary factors. B. oedicnemus can, therefore, be considered a good indicator of environmental contamination by bacteria deriving from human activities, which are potentially threatening stone curlew and other wild birds species‎.

Physiological and potentially pathogenic microbial flora in stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus), southeastern Sicily

Feline Calicivirus (FCV) has been recognised as major oral and respiratory pathogen of cats. The high correlation among the field viruses and FCV-F9 serotype has represented the immunological bases for the employ of FCV-F9 serotype as a vaccine for calicivirosis in cats. The aim of this paper was to evaluate, by in vitro neutralization assays, the antigenic correlation among the vaccine F9 and FCV field strains isolated in Sicily (Italy) from cats showing clinical forms referable to calicivirus infection. The results confirm the low correlation between FCV-F9 strain and calicivirus strains spread in the feline population.

Feline calicivirus strains isolated in Italy.

RIASSUNTO Photobacterium damselae susbsp. piscicida (Ph.d.p.) e l’agente eziologico della fotobatteriosi o pasteurellosi ittica. Le principali specie ittiche delle quali sia stata documentata la sensibilita all’infezione sono la spigola (Dicentrarchus labrax), l’orata (Sparus aurata) e il cefalo (Mugil cephalus). L’affermazione di alcune specie innovative nella maricoltura siciliana ci ha indotto a valutare la loro eventuale suscettibilita nei confronti di tale batterio. A tal fine, attraverso challenge sperimentali in microcosmo, e stata valutata la sensibilita al patogeno in soggetti di ombrina boccadoro (Argyrosomus regius) (n=10+10 controllo, peso medio 80 g), dentice (Dentex dentex) (n=10+10 controllo, peso medio 60 g) e spigola (n=10+10 controllo, peso medio 50 g) quale specie suscettibile al patogeno e utilizzata come controllo positivo. I pesci sono stati mantenuti in vasche da 110 litri, a temperatura di 24°C e salinita dell’acqua di 38‰. L’infezione e stata effettuata utilizzando il ceppo 249/I99 somministrato per via intraperitoneale e intramuscolare con 0,1 ml di soluzione batterica 10 ufc/ml. Si e registrata mortalita elevata in tutti e tre i gruppi sebbene in tempi variabili per le tre specie. Da tutti i soggetti deceduti sono stati prelevati campioni di fegato, rene e milza che sono stati sottoposti ad esame batteriologico ed istopatologico. Le analisi microbiologiche hanno permesso di reisolare Ph.d.p. da tutti i soggetti testati. A conferma dei risultati, e stato utilizzato il kit di agglutinazione (Bionor) specifico contro Ph.d.p. L’esame istologico ha permesso di evidenziare una necrosi a focolai che interessava gli organi linfoidi, particolarmente milza e rene craniale, secondariamente il fegato. I nostri risultati costituiscono una conferma sperimentale della suscettibilita verso Ph.d.p. del dentice, specie in cui era gia nota l’infezione spontanea, nonche la prima nota attestante la suscettibilita a tale patogeno di ombrina boccadoro.

Suscettibilità di alcune specie ittiche innovative per Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida attraverso challenge Susceptibility of some new fish species to Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida in challenge

Staphyloccoccus aureus is the major cause of mastitis in small ruminants in the Mediterranean farms causing severe losses to dairy industry. Antibiotic treatment has been the most common approach to control these infections. Aim of this study was to investigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR), virulence factors and biofilm-related genes of 84 Sicilian strains of S. aureus isolated from sheep and goats milk during two different periods δT1 (2006-2009) and δT2 (2013-2015). Kirby Bauer method and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) were utilized to monitor AMR and related genes (mecA, tetK, tetM, ermA, ermC). Moreover, toxin genes (tsst-1, sea-see, seg-sej, and sep) and biofilm genes (bap, ica, sasC) were studied. Twenty-six isolates (30.9%) showed multidrug resistance. The two groups showed similar results with exception for higher values of resistance for tilmicosin and lower for sulfamethoxazole and vancomycin of the second group. MecA gene was detected in one isolate. Tetracycline resistance was higher than 20%, with an increase in δT2 group. Toxin genes were found in 5 isolates (5.9%), belonging of δT2 group, while 57 of isolates (67.8%) showed biofilm related genes. The high presence of multi-resistant isolates suggests the need of more responsible use of antibiotic therapy for the control of these infections.

/pdf/phenotypic-and-genotypic-study-on-antibiotic-resistance-and-4ube0ctxu5.pdf

Phenotypic and genotypic study on antibiotic resistance and pathogenic factors of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from small ruminant mastitis milk in South of Italy (Sicily).

Maria Foti

Papers

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from livestock and from humans with a professional exposure to animals in farms in Sicily.

Physiological and potentially pathogenic microbial flora in stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus), southeastern Sicily

Feline calicivirus strains isolated in Italy.

Suscettibilità di alcune specie ittiche innovative per Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida attraverso challenge Susceptibility of some new fish species to Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida in challenge

Phenotypic and genotypic study on antibiotic resistance and pathogenic factors of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from small ruminant mastitis milk in South of Italy (Sicily).