scholarly journals Comparison of Campylobacter Populations in Wild Geese with Those in Starlings and Free-Range Poultry on the Same Farm

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 3583-3590 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. M. Colles ◽  
K. E. Dingle ◽  
A. J. Cody ◽  
M. C. J. Maiden
Keyword(s):  
Human Disease ◽  
Population Biology ◽  
Broiler Chickens ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Source Of Infection ◽  
Large Numbers

ABSTRACT Wild geese are a potential source of Campylobacter infection for humans and farm animals and have been implicated in at least two large waterborne disease outbreaks. There have been few investigations into the population biology of Campylobacter in geese, carriage rates are reported to vary (0 to 100%), and no genetic characterization of isolates has been performed. Fecal samples collected from wild geese in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, were culture positive for C. jejuni (50.2%) and C. coli (0.3%). The C. jejuni (n = 166) isolates were characterized by using multilocus sequence typing and were compared with isolates collected from free-range broiler chickens and wild starlings sampled at the same location. A total of 38 STs, six clonal complexes, and 23 flaA SVR nucleotide STs were identified. The ST-21 and ST-45 complexes (5.4% of isolates) were the only complexes to be identified among isolates from the geese and the other bird species sampled in the same location. These clonal complexes were also identified among human disease isolates collected in the same health care region. The results indicate that large numbers of wild geese carry Campylobacter; however, there was limited mixing of Campylobacter populations among the different sources examined, and the host source could be predicted with high probability from the allelic profile of a C. jejuni isolate. In conclusion, genotypes of C. jejuni isolated from geese are highly host specific, and a comparison with isolates from Oxfordshire cases of human disease revealed that while geese cannot be excluded as a source of infection for humans and farm animals, their contribution is likely to be minor.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Salmonella Typhimurium infection in Norwegian hedgehog populations associated with two human disease outbreaks

2002 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. HANDELAND ◽  
T. REFSUM ◽  
B. S. JOHANSEN ◽  
G. HOLSTAD ◽  
G. KNUTSEN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Disease ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Reservoir Host ◽  
Carrier Rate ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Pfge Profile ◽  
Source Of Infection ◽  
Outbreak Areas ◽  
Eastern Norway

Faecal carriage of salmonella was investigated in 320 hedgehogs from Moss municipality in south-eastern Norway, Askøy, Bergen and Os municipalities in central-western Norway, and five municipalities in south-western and central Norway. The sampling in Moss was carried out 1 year after a human outbreak of salmonellosis, whereas the sampling in Askøy, Bergen and Os was carried out during a human outbreak. Both outbreaks were caused by Salmonella Typhimurium 4,5,12[ratio ]i[ratio ]1,2. No salmonella were detected in the hedgehogs from south-western (0/115) and central (0/24) Norway. Thirty-nine percent (39/99) of the animals sampled on Jeløy, and 41% (34/82) of those from Askøy, Bergen and Os, carried S. Typhimurium 4,5,12[ratio ]i[ratio ]1,2. The PFGE profile of isolates from hedgehogs and human beings were identical within each of the two outbreak areas. A significantly higher carrier rate of S. Typhimurium occurred among hedgehogs sampled at feeding places, compared to those caught elsewhere. The salmonella-infected hedgehog populations most likely constituted the primary source of infection during both of the human disease outbreaks, and the Norwegian hedgehog is suggested as a reservoir host of S. Typhimurium 4,5,12[ratio ]i[ratio ]1,2.

Model Characterization of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Analysis of Lung Pathology with Respect to Human Disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Eptisam lambu
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Human Disease ◽  
Vascular Remodeling ◽  
Vascular Wall ◽  
Lung Pathology ◽  
Pulmonary Arterial ◽  
Lung Pathogenesis ◽  
Arterial Endothelial Cells

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare multifactorial disease characterized by abnormal high blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, or increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), caused by obstruction in the small arteries of the lung. Increased PVR is also thought to be caused by abnormal vascular remodeling, due to thickening of the pulmonary vascular wall resulting from significant hypertrophy of pulmonary arterial smooth-muscle cells (PASMCs) and increased proliferation/impaired apoptosis of pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs). Herein, we investigated the mechanisms and explored molecular pathways mediating the lung pathogenesis in two PAH rat models: Monocrotaline (MCT) and Sugen5416/Hypoxia (SuHx). We analyzed these disease models to determine where the vasculature shows the most severe PAH pathology and which model best recapitulates the human disease. We investigated the role vascular remodeling, hypoxia, cell proliferation, apoptosis, DNA damage and inflammation play in the pathogenesis of PAH. Neither model recapitulated all features of the human disease, however each model presented with some of the pathology seen in PAH patients.

Three hundred years of House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) persecution in Germany

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. SEITZ
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
World War ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
Second World

Modernization of agriculture, economic development and population increase after the end of the Thirty Years' War caused authorities in many parts of Germany to decree the eradication of so-called pest animals, including the House Sparrow. Farmers were given targets, and had to deliver the heads of sparrows in proportion to the size of their farms or pay fines. At the end of the eighteenth century German ornithologists argued against the eradication of the sparrows. During the mid-nineteenth century, C. L. Gloger, the pioneer of bird protection in Germany, emphasized the value of the House Sparrow in controlling insect plagues. Many decrees were abolished because either they had not been obeyed, or had resulted in people protecting sparrows so that they always had enough for their “deliveries”. Surprisingly, various ornithologists, including Ernst Hartert and the most famous German bird conservationist Freiherr Berlepsch, joined in the war against sparrows at the beginning of the twentieth century, because sparrows were regarded as competitors of more useful bird species. After the Second World War, sparrows were poisoned in large numbers. Persecution of sparrows ended in Germany in the 1970s. The long period of persecution had a significant but not long-lasting impact on House Sparrow populations, and therefore cannot be regarded as a factor in the recent decline of this species in urban and rural areas of western and central Europe.

The Role of Free-Living Amoebae Occurring in Heated Effluents as Causative Agents of Human Disease

1983 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 135-147
Author(s):  
Maurice A Shapiro ◽  
Meryl H Karol ◽  
Georg Keleti ◽  
Jan L Sykora ◽  
A J Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Human Disease ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Cooling Towers ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Cooling Systems ◽  
Delayed Onset ◽  
Source Of Infection ◽  
Causative Agents

It has been shown that several pathogenic organisms may be frequently found in thermal effluents and cooling systems of coal fired power plants. One of them is pathogenic Naegleria fowleri, the causative agent of an acute fatal human disease - primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). In our study two out of eight power plants investigated, harbored pathogenic N. fowleri in heated water or cooling towers. The occurrence of this organism was related to elevated temperatures. No significant correlation was found for other biological and chemical parameters. In addition, pathogenic Acanthamoeba which causes granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) was found in the tested heated effluents from coal fired power plants. Non-pathogenic strains of N. fowleri as well as other free-living and “harmless” amoebae were also very abundant in effluents from all investigated coal fired power plants and cooling towers. It has been reported that several species of nonpathogenic amoebae were isolated from humidifiers and air conditioning systems. Serological testing of symptomatic human subjects has indicated that these organisms may be one of the causative agents of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. An experimental study performed in our laboratory involved testing of guinea pigs sensitized by injection of axenic, non-pathogenic N. gruberi. Delayed onset skin reactivity was apparent in all animals injected with the antigen. Antibodies were detected in all sensitized animals. Bronchial provocation challenge employed to investigate pulmonary hypersensitivity was also used, and yielded positive results. All the sensitized animals displayed delayed onset respiratory responses. The results of this study indicate that not only pathogenic but also non-pathogenic free-living amoebae may be important causative agents of human disease. The occurrence of these organisms in cooling systems from coal fired power plants indicates that these facilities may be an important source of infection.

Molecular prevalence and characterization of Cryptosporidium in domestic free-range poultry in Anhui Province, China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Gong ◽  
Zhen-zhen Kan ◽  
Jia-min Huang ◽  
Zhui Fang ◽  
Xin-chao Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anhui Province ◽  
Free Range

scholarly journals Pathologic characterization of white striping myopathy in broiler chickens

2021 ◽  
pp. 101150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Prisco ◽  
Davide De Biase ◽  
Giuseppe Piegari ◽  
Ilaria D'Aquino ◽  
Adriano Lama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Broiler Chickens ◽  
White Striping

scholarly journals Genetic Diversity of Campylobacter jejuni Isolates from Farm Animals and the Farm Environment

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 7409-7413 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. M. Colles ◽  
K. Jones ◽  
R. M. Harding ◽  
M. C. J. Maiden
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Campylobacter Jejuni ◽  
Human Disease ◽  
Clonal Complex ◽  
Food Samples ◽  
Complex Model ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Significant Genetic Differentiation ◽  
Sequence Types ◽  
Retail Food

ABSTRACT The genetic diversity of Campylobacter jejuni isolates from farm animals and their environment was investigated by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). A total of 30 genotypes, defined by allelic profiles (assigned to sequence types [STs]), were found in 112 C. jejuni isolates originating in poultry, cattle, sheep, starlings, and slurry. All but two of these genotypes belonged to one of nine C. jejuni clonal complexes previously identified in isolates from human disease and retail food samples and one clonal complex previously associated with an environmental source. There was some evidence for the association of certain clonal complexes with particular farm animals: isolates belonging to the ST-45 complex predominated among poultry isolates but were absent among sheep isolates, while isolates belonging to the ST-61 and ST-42 complexes were predominant among sheep isolates but were absent from the poultry isolates. In contrast, ST-21 complex isolates were distributed among the different isolation sources. Comparison with MLST data from 91 human disease isolates showed small but significant genetic differentiation between the farm and human isolates; however, representatives of six clonal complexes were found in both samples. These data demonstrate that MLST and the clonal complex model can be used to identify and compare the genotypes of C. jejuni isolates from farm animals and the environment with those from retail food and human disease.

scholarly journals Emergence of Salmonid Alphavirus Genotype 2 in Norway—Molecular Characterization of Viral Strains Circulating in Norway and Scotland

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1556
Author(s):  
Monika J. Hjortaas ◽  
Elena Fringuelli ◽  
Adérito L. Monjane ◽  
Aase B. Mikalsen ◽  
Christine M. Jonassen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Full Length ◽  
Genomic Diversity ◽  
Last Common Ancestor ◽  
Source Of Infection ◽  
New Variant ◽  
Genotype 2 ◽  
Boat Traffic ◽  
Horizontal Spread ◽  
Full Length Genome

Pancreas disease (PD) and sleeping disease (SD), caused by an alphavirus, are endemic in European salmonid aquaculture, causing significant mortality, reduced growth and poor flesh quality. In 2010, a new variant of salmonid alphavirus emerged in Norway, marine salmonid alphavirus genotype 2 (SAV2). As this genotype is highly prevalent in Scotland, transmission through well boat traffic was hypothesized as one possible source of infection. In this study, we performed full-length genome sequencing of SAV2 sampled between 2006 and 2012 in Norway and Scotland, and present the first comprehensive full-length characterization of Norwegian marine SAV2 strains. We analyze their relationship with selected Scottish SAV2 strains and explore the genetic diversity of SAV. Our results show that all Norwegian marine SAV2 share a recent last common ancestor with marine SAV2 circulating in Scotland and a higher level of genomic diversity among the Scottish marine SAV2 strains compared to strains from Norway. These findings support the hypothesis of a single introduction of SAV2 to Norway sometime from 2006–2010, followed by horizontal spread along the coast.

Effects of free-range chickens and geese on insect pests and weeds in an agroecosystem

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sean Clark ◽  
Stuart H. Gage
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pests ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Apple Fruit ◽  
Apple Orchard ◽  
Japanese Beetle ◽  
Plum Curculio ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Domestic Bird

AbstractWe evaluated the effects of free-range chickens and geese on insect pests and weeds in an experimental, nonchemical agroecosystem consisting of an apple orchard with intercropped potatoes. The objective was to assess the potential of these domestic bird species as biological control agents. Four insect pests were studied: plum curculio, apple maggot, Japanese beetle, and Colorado potato beetle. Chickens fed on several potential crop pests, including Japanese beetle. Although Japanese beetles were less abundant on apple trees when chickens were present, the proportion of damaged fruit was not reduced. Furthermore, chickens did not affect weed abundance or crop productivity. In contrast, geese were effective weeders. Their activities reduced weed abundance and increased potato plant growth and yields compared with a minimally weeded control. In addition, the activities of geese indirectly reduced apple fruit damage by plum curculio and increased the proportion of pest-free fruit, possibly because removal of vegetation by the geese reduced humidity at the soil surface and therefore reduced the activity of plum curculio.

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