Objectives: The nasal and sinus cavities in children may serve as reservoirs for microorganisms that cause recurrent and chronic lung infections. This study evaluates whether the mink can be used as an animal model for studying Pseudomonas aeruginosa mediated rhino-sinusitis since there is no suitable traditional animal model for this disease.Methods: Nasal tissue samples from infected and control mink were fixed in formalin, demineralized, and embedded in paraffin. A histological examination of sections from the infected animals revealed disintegration of the respiratory epithelium lining the nasal turbinates and swelling and edema of the submucosa. The expression of mucins and sialylated glycans was examined using immunohistochemistry.Results: MUCI, MUC2 and MUC5AC were upregulated in the inoculated animals as a much stronger staining was present in the respiratory epithelium in the infected animals compared to the controls. The goblet cells in the nasal epithelium from the infected mink showed high affinity to the Maackia amurensis lectin and anti-asialo GM1 indicating a high concentration of alpha 2-3 sialic acid respectively beta GalNAc1-4Gal beta containing glycans in these mucin producing cells. The nasal cavity in the infected mink shows features of carbohydrate expression comparable to what has been described in the respiratory system after Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in humans.Conclusion: It is suggested that the mink is suitable for studying Pseudomonas aeruginosa mediated rhino-sinusitis. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hemorrhagic pneumonia in mink (Neovison vison) is caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and is an acute and fatal disease in farmed mink. Earlier work has demonstrated that some outbreaks of hemorrhagic pneumonia are caused by pathogenic strains while most outbreaks are caused by local strains. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic and geographical relationship among outbreaks of hemorrhagic pneumonia by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing of P. aeruginosa isolates. Furthermore, chosen isolates were typed by a commercial genotyping method based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and compared to a larger dataset of human and environmental origin. The bacterial isolates were obtained from diagnostic samples from 2002 to 2009 and contained 164 isolates from 95 outbreaks on 90 farms. Our results show that most outbreaks of hemorrhagic pneumonia in mink are caused by distinct strains of P. aeruginosa. We also identified related P. aeruginosa strains which, together with two prevalent but unrelated clones, caused one third of the outbreaks of hemorrhagic pneumonia supporting the sparse literature on this subject. None of the SNP typed strains were identified in a large dataset of human and environmental origin.

Hemorrhagic pneumonia is an acute and fatal disease in farm mink with outbreaks occurring almost exclusively in the autumn months in Denmark. The disease is caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is a well known pathogen in immune compromised humans. Serotyping has been the traditional method of typing P. aeruginosa isolates from mink, but in this experiment pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was utilized to acquire a more detailed typing of P. aeruginosa isolates from outbreaks of hemorrhagic pneumonia in Denmark from 2002 to 2011. The results indicate that outbreaks of hemorrhagic pneumonia are often caused by a local P. aeruginosa clone but that some clones or related clones now and then give rise to more than two outbreaks which can be geographically widespread. Our results show that P. aeruginosa can survive on the farm or in a contaminating source and remain virulent for mink for up to five years.

Use of antimicrobials in the mink production is of vital importance for controlling diseases. However, the increasing risk of developing antimicrobial resistant bacteria as a consequence of the medical treatment requires special attention to ensure continuing availability of antimicrobials for which the bacteria are fully susceptible. Vetstat, a database for veterinary medicine registration, was implemented in Denmark in 2000. The aim of Vetstat was recording all antimicrobial prescriptions on farm level, including veterinarian involved, date of use, animal species, age group and diagnosis. During the period 2003–2010, Denmark experienced an almost linear increase (R2=0.93) of the annual consumption of antimicrobials in the mink production of 135% as reported through Vetstat. This increase could not solely be explained by an increasing number of mink produced (9%). The seasonal consumption pattern of antimicrobials used in mink is generally characterized by very low levels used during winter, a slight increase in April, maximum levels used in May and intermediate levels used during late summer and autumn. However, during the last 4–6 years an increase in antimicrobial consumption used particularly in late summer and autumn seems accountable for the overall increase during 2003–2010. The proportion of resistant hemolytic and non-hemolytic E. coli and Staphylococcus spp. isolated from diagnostic samples to the National Veterinary Institute has increased in the same period. It may therefore be concluded that a change in the practice of antibiotics used in the mink farm is important to avoid excessive development of antimicrobial resistant bacteria.

The distribution on serovars of 60 Salmonella isolates from reptiles kept in captivity in Denmark during the period 1995-2006 was investigated. The isolates were all recovered from clinical specimens submitted to the National Veterinary Institute. A majority of the samples were from reptiles in zoological gardens or similar, while a minor number was from reptiles kept in private homes. A total of 43 serovars were detected, most of them being what is usually called exotic serotypes, and many not having a trivial name, while a few isolates belonged to well-known human pathogenic serovars, such as S. Enteritidis, S. Typhimurium, S. Bovismorbificans. One isolate was rough and two were non-typeable. Isolates from turtles belonged to the subspecies enterica, while many isolates from both sauria and snakes belonged to other subspecies. The findings underline the potential zoonotic risk by handling reptiles in zoological garden or other public settings, or keeping pet reptiles in private homes.

Summary The objective of the study was to investigate whether the apparently geographical clustering of High Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza (HPAI H5N1) infected wild dead birds in Denmark during the first five months in 2006 were the result of biased submission to the laboratory, or else a true geographical clustering. Using a scan statistic we show that a significant cluster is identifiable in the Danish parts of the Western Baltic Sea south-east of Denmark, and thus the geographical clustering of deaths was a real phenomena.