The Office International des Epizooties (OIE) was established on 25 January 1924 following an epizootic of rinderpest in Belgium in 1920 with the following objectives: (a) to promote and coordinate research on the surveillance and control of animal diseases throughout the world, (b) to inform government veterinary services of the occurrence and course of epizootics which would endanger animal and human health, and (c) to issue warning to the member countries to act rapidly should the need arise.

Streptococcus suis is an emerging human pathogen originating naturally from pigs. Almost all pigs carry this bacterium asymptomatically. The disease is characterised by meningitis, sepsis, loss of hearing, endocarditis, arthritis and haemorrhagic skin lesions and is life threatening with mortality of 3–18%. It was first reported in 1954 in pigs and 1968 in human in Denmark. The prevalence is coincident with high density of pigs reported mostly in Southeast Asia. The pork industry is expanding geometrically so also the number of potentially exposed human to S. suis infection.

Objective: To study the occurrence of brucellosis in small ruminants in a district of Southern India. Methods: A total of 425 serum samples (215 sheep and 210 goats) were collected from January to March 2022 using a multistage sampling method. The serum samples were subjected to three serological tests that were employed in this study, namely RBPT (Rose Bengal Plate Test), STAT (Standard Tube Agglutination Test), and I-ELISA. The risk factors were determined by collecting data through a questionnaire and establishing correlations between the responses and seropositivity within a specific flock. Result: Among the 425 samples collected, 91 samples (21.4%) were positive by RBPT, 124 samples (29.2%) by STAT and 156 samples (36.7%) by I-ELISA in sheep and goats. Sheep showed higher seropositivity in all three tests than goats. Analysis of multivariable logistic regression showed that age (>3 vs.<3 years; OR: 2.262, 95% CI: 1.414–3.618), abortion history (yes vs. no; OR: 1.837; 95% CI: 1.098–3.071), vaginal discharges (yes vs. no; OR: 2.334; 95% CI: 1.421–3.835), the migratory herd (yes vs. no; OR: 2.197; 95% CI: 1.369–3.527), and place of disposal of the foetus (yes vs. no; OR: 2.093; 95% CI: 1.320–3.318) were significant risk factors of brucellosis. Conclusions: Livestock owners and consumers of sheep and goats should be educated about brucellosis and prevention strategies to mitigate its uncontrolled spread and lower the potential threat of human brucellosis. Choosing the right rearing practices, enhancing husbandry procedures, changing farmer’s perspectives on brucellosis, and inclusion of small ruminants in brucellosis control programs are all key management approaches that can aid in the prevention and control of Brucella infection in small ruminants.

Brucellosis is a widely prevalent zoonotic disease of major public health significance. A collection of Brucella melitensis and Brucella abortus field isolates of animal and human origin were subjected to MLVA-15 typing followed by phylogeography studies. The MLVA-15 analysis of B. melitensis (n = 65) field isolates resulted in 48 different profiles. The panel I marker bruce45 was found to be most conserved, while the rest of the panel I markers showed low to moderate length polymorphism. Among the panel II markers, bruce04, bruce16 and bruce30 showed a high discriminatory index. The MLVA-15 typing of 13 B. abortus field isolates revealed 13 different genotypes with panel II markers showing higher discriminatory ability vis-à-vis panel I. The minimum spanning tree analysis (MST) in comparison with isolates from the international database revealed that all B. melitensis and B. abortus isolates from this study belonged to the 'Eastern Mediterranean' and the 'abortus C' lineage, respectively. The MLVA-15 typing could differentiate field isolates of B. abortus and B. melitensis originating from different regions, reaffirming the technique's potential of high resolution and suitability for local epidemiological studies. The MLVA scheme also has the advantage of comparison of local isolates with a worldwide database, allowing for phylogeographical studies.

Background: Brucellosis is one of the important diseases affecting both human as well as livestock. Rapid diagnosis of the pathogen is highly essential for undertaking effective therapeutic measures. Loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, one of the robust nucleic acid detection platforms, is used especially for rapid disease diagnosis. However, persistent contamination has been the major bottleneck in LAMP which can be eliminated with adoption of appropriate closed-tube formats. Methods: In the present report, two sets of LAMP primers targeting omp2b gene of Brucella were designed and standardized for detection of all the major Brucella spp. Result: There was absence of amplification in any of the non-Brucella species in contrast to detection of white precipitation in unaided eye in daylight as well as greenish fluorescence under ultraviolet light in all of the Brucella species. It was found to be more sensitive than conventional PCR as relative sensitivity was found to be 0.34pg for first set of primers and 34fg for second set of primers, as compared to 3.4pg through bcsp31 PCR.

OBJECTIVES:Brucellosis is the most common zoonotic disease that has been diagnosed mainly by serological tests and blood culture to some extent. This study was designed to establish a PCR technique for rapid diagnosis to be used in surveillance activities.METHODS:The purpose of this study was firstly explained to the study population and verbal consent was obtained before sample collection. Peripheral blood was collected from 116 occupationally exposed groups with and without pyrexia of unknown origin from various districts of Punjab. Samples were subjected to blood culture, serological tests and DNA extraction was done using conventional laboratory extraction procedure. A primer pair B4/B5 that amplifies a gene encoding a 31 kDa immunogenic outer membrane protein (bcsp31) of Brucella species was used for PCR amplification.RESULTS:The results showed that 8 (7%) of the cases had positive PCR and the detection threshold of primers used in this study were 715 cfu/ml. PCR results were 51.3% accurate for sensitivity of 12.6% and specificity of 100% using STAT as gold standard.CONCLUSIONS:Early-case reporting is possible by rapid tests like PCR. Thus, PCR is a promising diagnostic tool for routine investigation and surveillance of brucellosis which is the key element for management of prevention and control programmes. But patient condition before testing, optimal clinical specimen, sample volume used, simple and efficient DNA extraction protocol are the points of concern for PCR to be used as a routine test in clinical laboratory practice.

Brucella abortus, a gram negative, facultative intracellular pathogen causes brucellosis in many animal species and humans. Although live, attenuated vaccines are available against this infection, they suffer from certain limitations. Therefore, the development of an effective subunit vaccine against brucellosis is an area of intense research. The outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Brucella species have been extensively studied for its immunogenicity and protective ability. We have investigated the potential of CpG ODN to enhance the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of recombinant 28 kDa outer membrane protein (rOMP28) of Brucella melitensis. The study demonstrated vigorous immunoglobulin G (IgG) response of OMP28. The administration of rOMP28 with CpG caused increased cell mediated immune response in terms of induced IgG2a, T-cell proliferation and up-regulation of type I cytokine expression. In contrast, the free antigen suppressed the interferon gamma (type I cytokine) production on in-vitro stimulation of spleenocytes. The result indicates the role of OMP28 in the down regulation of IFN-gamma production. Moreover, the B. abortus S-19 vaccinated mice showed highest production of IL-4 and IFN-gamma. The protective ability of the antigen was evaluated by systemic bacterial clearance after challenging the mouse with B. abortus 544 pathogen. The level of protection was significant in rOMP28+CpG treated mice but was lower than the required level. The results of the present study indicate that rOMP28 could be an immunogen capable of inducing both humoral and cellular immune response. The humoral response was biased towards Th1 type when it was co-administered with CpG.

Brucella abortus is a facultative intracellular pathogen that survives and replicates in host macrophages. Hence, macrophage function plays an important role in influencing natural resistance/susceptibility to intracellular pathogen. The natural resistance associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1; erstwhile referred as Ity/Lsh/Bcg), a transmembrane protein, regulates activity of macrophages against intracellular pathogens. In bovine, natural resistance to brucellosis is significantly associated with (GT)13 allelic variant of microsatellite locus at 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of the NRAMP1 gene. In the present study we screened 65 Murrah breed of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) to identify polymorphism at 3′UTR of NRAMP1 gene and evaluate the association of these polymorphisms with the macrophage function. Four allelic variants (viz., GT13, GT14, GT15 and GT16) were identified. Majority of the buffaloes were of either homozygous (GT)14/(GT)14 or heterozygous (GT)14/(GT)15 with (GT)14 allele occurring most frequently (62%). For association study, non-vaccinated and serologically negative animals were divided into three genotypic groups: group 1 (n = 2) comprising animals of homozygous (GT)13 genotype, whereas, group 2 (n = 4) and group 3 (n = 6) consisted animals of heterozygous [(GT)13/(GT)n, where n ≠ 13] and non-(GT)13 [(GT)n/(GT)n, where n ≠ 13] genotype, respectively. Macrophages, after maturation, were challenged with Brucella LPS to assay the macrophage function in terms of H2O2 and NO production. The (GT)13 allele, either in homozygoous {(GT)13/(GT)13} or heterozygous {(GT)13/(GT)n, where n = 14, 15 or 16}, was significantly (p < 0.01) associated with increased production of H2O2 and NO. In this manuscript, for the first time, we have identified (GT)13 allelic variant and demonstrated its significant association with the improved macrophage function in buffalo.

Sexually active male Japanese quail (Coturnix coutrnix Japonica) produce a foamy substance from their cloacal gland. It was postulated that bacteria played an important role in production of foam. The primary objective of this study was to isolate and identify bacteria present in the cloacal foam. The secondary objective was to evaluate the effect of fluoroquinolone treatment on bacterial counts and foam production. Healthy adult Japanese quail were maintained in individual cages under uniform husbandry conditions and allocated arbitrarily into three groups (each group consisted of 12 male and 12 female birds). Foam was collected from the cloacal gland of male birds of each group separately into sterile petri dishes and was cultured to isolate and identify bacteria and to determine their sensitivity to various antibiotics. Escherichia coli bacteria, sensitive to various antibacterials (including the fluoroquinolones ciprofloxacin and pefloxacin), were isolated. In the second part of the study, male quails of Group I (control) received I mL vehicle (normal saline 0.9% (w/v) NaCl) daily (via the intraperitoneal route) for 12 days. Male birds from groups II and III were treated intraperitoneally with ciprofloxacin or pefloxacin at the rate of 10 mg and 12 mg per/kg body weight respectively, for 12 days. In antibiotic-treated birds, there was a gradual reduction in foam production during treatment. At the end of treatment, the cloacal gland area was smaller (P < 0.05) in pefloxacin-treated birds compared to the other groups. Furthermore, a trend towards decreasing body weight and fertilizing ability was noted in the same group. A drastic reduction in bacterial counts of foam was recorded only in fluoroquinolone-treated groups during treatment period. After cessation of treatment, all end points were increasing back to pre-treatment levels. In conclusion, E. coli were present in the foam of the cloacal gland of Japanese quail and may have a role in foam production.