Microsporum canis is considered the common dermatophyte agent associated with ringworm in felines and canines. In the present study, we sampled n = 548 felines and canines for the probable isolation of M. canis. The rate of isolation from the cats and dogs was 70.27 % (52/74) and 1.68 % (8/474), respectively and Persian cats were found to be highly susceptible to M. canis infection. The strains were evaluated for their production of phospholipase, lipase, catalase, and hemolysis and their ability to grow at 35 ℃. All the strains were identified as low producers of catalase and n = 17 strains exhibited high thermotolerance ability. Terbinafine was found to be the most effective antifungal drug and fluconazole was the least effective, in vitro. AFLP analysis revealed three genotypes of M. canis with 15 sub-clusters showing ≥ 90 % similarity and 7 sub-clusters exhibiting 100 % similarity. However, the phenotypic characters cannot be attributed based on the AFLP profiles.

Dermatophytes are keratinophilic fungi that cause skin infections in both humans and animals. Recently, the incidence rates of fungal infections associated with Trichophyton spp. have been considered endemic in many locations. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize Trichophyton spp. from canines and felines. In the present study, screened 442 canine (n = 386) and feline (n = 56) samples for dermatophytes. Among all the samples, ten isolates were identified as Trichophyton spp. based on micro-morphological features. For comparative analysis, we included three human strains of Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex. In vitro susceptibility of antifungal drugs indicated the highest sensitivity except for fluconazole. The canine and human strains were genetically characterized by sequencing three genes: the internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA, translation elongation factor 1- gene, and beta-tubulin. Based on sequence homology and phylogenetic analysis, the ten canine strains belonged to four different species/ genotypes such as T. mentagrophytes genotype VIII (T. indotineae) (n = 5), T. interdigitale (n = 2), T. simii (n = 2) and T. quinckeanum (n = 1). The three human strains used for comparative analysis were identified as T. mentagrophytes genotype VIII (n = 2) and T. benhamiae (n = 1). The study hence indicates that the T. mentagrophytes genotype VIII, considered as an endemic and emerging human pathogenic clone in India, is also the prevalent in animals.

bacteriological diagnoses, may now be termed to have historical significance at best in the case of fungal diseases because of the slow turnaround time and by the ubiquitous presence of fungal spores behaving as lab contaminants.Similarly,serological techniques may have a very limited role in the workup of eukaryotic infections owing to the complex antigenic profile of these organisms and the chronicity of the disease conditions. Microscopy can be retained for the relative procedural simplicity and rapidity of results. The ‘advanced’ diagnostic techniques mentioned above have been around for quite some time now and have been widely applied in the microbiology diagnostic laboratory as well.With requisite training and provision of equipment and appropriately trained technical staff,a MEM-NTDL can be operated successfully at the district level in a planned manner.This would greatly enhance the quality of health services available to our population and enable our country to reach the goal of Health for All in the near future. Following identification,comes the very important aspect of antimicrobial chemotherapy susceptibility testing.Even here, alternatives to the growth-based, culture-dependent systems should be sought—the role of Biomarkers related to the growth and metabolism of eukaryotic organisms should be explored and incorporated in practical diagnostics as an aid to infectious diseases therapy and patient management. This can be part of the scope of the MEM-NTDL of the future. sources which are not established till now.The present study was conducted to understand the molecular heterogeneity of Trichophyton spp. of canines and felines, and their phylogenetic relationship with human isolates. Methods: The samples ( skin ) were collected from 386 canines and 56 felinesexhibiting clinical signs of ringworm during the period of 2020-2021 from the hospitals and farms in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, India. All the samples were attempted for isolation on Sabouraud’s dextrose agar ( with chloramphenicol and cycloheximide at and . The antifungal susceptibility was the and Laboratory Standards Institute ( CLSI M38-Ed3 for filamentous ( CLSI: Wayne,PA,USA,2017 .The isolates presumptively identified as Trichohypton spp. were characterized further on PCR and of three genetic markers such as ITS, , and beta-tubulin Phylogenetic analysis and taxonomical determination of the Trichophyton isolates were performed. Three human isolates of T. mentagrophytes were used for comparative study. Results: Atotal of67 ( 15.16%,67/442 revealedthe presenceof hyphaeon directmicroscopic , and antifungal resistance among Trichophyton spp. from canines in India. Even though the Trichophyton prevalence was lower in canines, the presence of T. mentagrophytes genotype VIII/ T. indotineae is of great public health significance. This indicates the zoonotic sharing of strains especially T. mentagrophytes gentotype VIII in both hosts that are also considered as the recently endemic pathogenic clone in India. Bats can be affected by fungal pathogens such as Pseudogymnoascus destructans ,the causative agent of the white-nose syn- drome.Their body surface can also be colonized by fungal commensals or carry transient fungal species and participate in their dispersal.The present study aimed to assess the presence of P.destructans in Northern Belgium,to describe the skin mycobiome of active bats during summer and autumn, and to analyze possible differences in fungal diversity among bat species, sampling sites, and seasons. In total, 114 bat specimens belonging to seven species were sampled from various localities. Culture-based methods revealed an important mycological diversity with 209 different taxa. Overall, a mean of 3.7 taxa per bat was recorded but significant differences were

Neonatal calf mortality is a major concern to livestock sector worldwide. Neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD), an acute severe condition causes morbidity and mortality in calves. Amongst various pathogens involved in NCD, E. coli is considered as one of the major causes. The study was targeted to characterize E. coli isolates from neonatal calves for diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) types (pathotyping), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiling and to correlate with epidemiological parameters. From neonates, a total of 113 faecal samples were collected, out of that 308, lactose fermenting colonies were confirmed as E. coli. Pathotypable isolates (12.3%) were represented by STEC (6.1%), EPEC (2.9%), ETEC (1.9%), EAEC (0.9%) and EHEC (0.3%). Occurrence of STEC was more in non-diarrhoeic calves, whereas ETEC was observed more in diarrhoeic calves. EPEC occurrence was observed in both diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic calves. Fishers extract test showed no significant association for occurrence of DEC types to type of dairies, health status, species, breed, age and sex of neonatal calves. Two hundred and eighty isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. The isolates showed maximum resistance towards ampicillin (55.4%) followed by tetracycline (54.3%), while minimum resistance was observed towards meropenem (2.5%). Multidrug resistant E. coli isolates were found to be 139 (49.6%), and Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers were 120 (42.9%). DEC pathotypes like STEC, ETEC, EHEC and EAEC that are also multidrug resistant present in neonatal calves have zoonotic potential and hence are of public health significance.