INTRODUCTION Antimicrobials are widely used in animal production for the treatment, prevention, and control of infectious diseases. However, antimicrobial use (AMU) is also a key driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In response, the Canadian poultry sector implemented a phased three-step AMU reduction strategy to mitigate the emergence and spread of AMR. Enterococci are ubiquitous inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract of animals and serve as important sentinel organisms for AMR surveillance because of their capacity to acquire AMR. METHODS This study investigated associations between farm management practices, including AMU, and AMR in enterococci isolated from broiler chickens. Farm management data were collected using standardized questionnaires, and faecal samples were obtained during farm visits. Phenotypic AMR profiles were determined by minimum inhibitory concentration testing of 623 isolates from 419 flocks across five Canadian provinces over a 4-year period. Generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate associations between AMR and other factors, including AMU, province, year, breed, stocking density, downtime between flocks, and sanitation practices. RESULTS Avilamycin use was significantly associated with avilamycin resistance in both E. faecalis and E. faecium. Provincial and temporal differences in resistance were observed for certain antimicrobials, with a notable decline in resistant isolates to Veterinary Drugs Directorate's Category II and III antimicrobials following implementation of the three-step AMU reduction strategy. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that targeted AMU reduction strategies were associated with reducing AMR percentages in enterococci from Canadian broilers.
Armed conflict is rising globally; however, its more‐than‐human dimensions are rarely examined. Dog‐human entanglements are profoundly impacted by armed conflict, with implications for health and wellbeing for humans, dogs and the broader environment. This includes the transmission of infections that dogs can spread to humans‐with rabies being the most serious of these‐and injury due to dog bites. Dogs and their relationships to humans, especially children, must be factored into humanitarian response and planning.
In a context of food security of animal consumption and diversification of protein sources, we have studied the risks to contract metazoan parasites through the consumption of 'gros-gris' snails (Cornu aspersum maximum) sampled in 12 French farms. The dissection of 361 adult snails, born and reared in France, revealed a very low parasite prevalence of 0.55% [Confidence interval: 0.15%-2.00%]. Each of the two parasitized snails harboured a single larva of the trematode Brachylaima at the metacercarial stage in its kidney. For its development, Brachylaima requires the presence of both terrestrial gastropods (first and second intermediate hosts) and vertebrates (definitive hosts) such as rodents and birds which faeces contain parasite' eggs. As for these vertebrate hosts, humans can be infected through the ingestion of parasitized snails and then harboured the parasite at an adult stage in the intestine, which could lead to digestive pathology. Our preliminary results suggest however very limited parasitological risks of the consumption of snails if they are born and reared in France, contrarily to wild snails from the subspecies C. aspersum aspersum ('petit-gris'), frequently found infected not only by Brachylaima, but also by nematodes and mites. In order to avoid snail contamination in helicicultures as much as possible, we recommend preventing intrusion of vertebrates, potentially parasitized, in the parks.
ABSTRACT Introduction Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a zoonotic metastrongyloid nematode that causes eosinophilic meningitis and ocular angiostrongyliasis in humans and other accidental hosts. In India, reported human cases are sporadic, with several associated with monitor lizard consumption, while systematic studies remain limited. Methods We examined 60 opportunistically obtained rodent carcasses from six localities along the Pondicherry‐Tamil Nadu border. Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis were performed on adult nematodes recovered from the rats. Results A. cantonensis was detected in three bandicoot rats, two Bandicota bengalensis and one B. indica . Parasite identity was confirmed by sequence analysis of the complete cytochrome c oxidase subunit I ( cox1 ) gene, while rodent identity was confirmed using a partial cytochrome b ( cytb ) sequence. All eight recovered worms shared an identical cox1 sequence, representing the novel haplotype IND1. TN1 within Clade III. Conclusion This study provides the first molecular confirmation of A. cantonensis in definitive hosts from India.
ABSTRACT Introduction Hepatitis E virus (HEV) represents a major public health concern. Beyond the main zoonotic genotypes HEV‐3 and HEV‐4, with pigs and wild boars recognized as the primary reservoirs of infection, a genetically distinct hepevirus of rodent origin (species Rocahepevirus ratti, genotype C1) (rat HEV, RHEV) has recently been implicated in human hepatitis cases worldwide. Although several risk factors have been proposed, contact with rats has been documented in one human case only, and the sources and transmission routes of RHEV remain largely unclear. Of interest, RHEV RNA has recently been detected in farmed pigs, highlighting livestock environments as potential interspecies transmission interfaces. In light of these findings, we performed a molecular investigation for RHEV in rodents captured on farms raising different livestock species in Northwestern Italy (Piemonte region). Methods A total of 98 rodents, collected on 32 livestock farms, were tested for RHEV by a combined molecular approach based on RHEV specific real‐time reverse transcription (RT)‐PCR assay and a pan‐hepevirus heminested RT‐PCR. Positive samples were further processed to attempt full‐genome amplification. Results RHEV RNA was identified in a Norway rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) and in house mice ( Mus musculus ) , with detection rates of 16.6% (1/6; 95% CI: 0.41–64.1) and 7.0% (6/86; 95% CI: 2.6–14.5), respectively. The positive rodents were captured in five livestock farms, raising cattle, goats, and poultry, located across three municipalities. The nearly full‐length genome of a rat strain (RHEV/ Rattus norvegicus /38129‐22/ITA) was reconstructed. Pairwise nucleotide alignment showed high genetic relatedness of RHEV/ Rattus norvegicus /38129‐22/ITA with sequences previously identified in rodents and human patients, including those from European countries. Conclusions The identification of infected rodents in livestock farms highlights RHEV circulation in rural environments, where interactions among rodents, domestic animals, and humans may be facilitated. Additional studies are necessary to elucidate RHEV transmission dynamics and assess public health implications.
