The present study aimed to determine the bacteria isolated from bovine mastitis and their antimicrobial resistance in the western part of Romania. Clinical mastitis was diagnosed based on local inflammation in the udder, changes in milk, and when present, generalized symptoms. Subclinical mastitis was assessed using a rapid test—the California Mastitis Test. The identification of bacterial strains was performed based on biochemical profiles using API system tests (API 20 E, API Staph, API 20 Strep, API Coryne, API 20 NE (bioMerieux, Marcy l’Etoile, France), and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS). The prevalent isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus spp. (50/116; 43.19%), followed by Streptococcus spp. (26/116; 22.41%), E. coli (16/116; 13.79%), Corynebacterium spp. (9/116; 7.75%), Enterococcus spp. (10/116; 8.62%), and Enterobacter spp. (5/116; 4.31%). Phenotype antimicrobial resistance profiling was performed used the disc diffusion method. Generally, Gram-positive bacteria showed low susceptibility to most of the antimicrobials tested, except cephalothin. Susceptibilities to penicillins and quinolones were fairly high in Gram-negative bacteria, whereas resistance was observed to macrolides, aminoglycosides, and tetracyclines. The highest number of isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR), the resistance pathotypes identified including the most frequently antimicrobials used in cow mastitis treatment in Romania.

This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant profile and the antimicrobial activity of four different types of monofloral honey (manuka (MH), brassica rapeseed (BH), acacia (AH), and linden honey (LH)) against some bacterial/fungal ATCC strains and some multidrug-resistant strains isolated from chronic otitis in dogs. For the characterisation of the antioxidant profile of each honey, we extracted the honey samples by hydroalcoholic extraction and analysed them in terms of total polyphenols (TPC), total flavonoids (TFC), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) using the spectrophotometric method. The antimicrobial activity was determined using the microdilution method at concentrations of 10%, 15%, and 20%, with the results expressed in OD (optical density) calculated as BIR% (bacterial inhibition rate)/MIR% (mycelial inhibition rate). The antioxidant characterisation of the analysed honey samples showed the highest antioxidant activity and concentrations of TPC and TFC in MH, followed by LH. MH was proven to be the most effective on most clinical isolates concerning the antimicrobial activity in comparison with BH, AH, and LH. Except for B. cepacia and P. vulgaris, all the clinical isolates were sensitive to the antibacterial activity of honey. Regarding the ATCC strains, MH 10% was the most effective in inhibiting all the strains tested except for P. aeruginosa. In conclusion, the efficacy classification in our study was MH > BH > AH > LH.

Bacterial contamination of boar semen occurs with some frequency in artificial insemination centers and may have a negative effect on the quality of the semen as well as on the sows’ reproductive capacity. Normally, the source of bacterial contamination in pig seminal doses is the own boar. However, distilled water or laboratory equipment used to elaborate the seminal doses can be an important source of bacterial contamination. This study focused on the identification of gram-negative bacteria in boar semen, and impact on the quality of ejaculates obtained from boar, as well as on the establishment of antimicrobial resistance patterns of isolated gram-negative bacteria. Semen samples were collected from 96 boars, ranging in age from 12–36 month, from three artificial insemination centers from the North-West of Romania. Bacterial species were identified by two methods: matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and API 20 E (BioMerieux, France). The main bacteria isolated from the doses diluted semen were gram-negative bacteria (47.91%), with a majority of the contaminant bacteria belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae: Seratia marcescens 19.56%, Proteus mirabilis 15.21% and Escherichia coli 10.86% and to the family Pseudomonaceae: Ralstonia picketii 17.39%, Burkholderia cepacia 10.86%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 8.69%, and Pseudomonas fluorescens 4.34%, respectively. More than half of these isolates (56.52%) were resistant to gentamycin and 58.69% were resistant to penicillin. These antibiotics are very frequently added in sperm diluent in the centers for the processing of sperm from boars in Romania. Regular monitoring for bacterial contamination is an important aspect of a control program.

The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus species, which pose risks for public health, by evaluating skin samples collected from dogs in an animal shelter in Timisoara. Skin samples were taken from 78 dogs, which were either clinically healthy or suffering from dermatological conditions. Staphylococcus spp. was isolated and recognized based on conventional methods based on colony appearance, microscopic morphology, sugar fermentation, and coagulase activity. Following biochemical analysis, Staphylococcus isolates were subject to PCR tests to detect sa-f and sa-r genes to confirm the isolates to genus level. The typical colonies were identified to species level using biochemical methods, namely the VITEK®2 ID-GP64 identification card (bioMerieux, France). The phenotypic antimicrobial resistance profiling was performed using the VITEK®2 AST GP Gram-positive specific bacteria card (bioMerieux, France). Forty-three samples were confirmed as positive for Staphylococcus spp. Staphylococcus isolates were classified into the following categories: S. aureus, S. pseudintermedius, S. intermedius, S. epidermitis, S. haemolyticus, and S. hyicus. Eight (18.60%, 8/43) out of all the samples harbored the mecA gene, highlighting the distribution among isolated staphylococcal species: Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (4/43, 9.30%), Staphylococcus intermedius (1/43, 2.32%) and Staphylococcus aureus (3/43, 9.30%), respectively. The phenomenon of resistance was present, to the following antimicrobial agents: erythromycin (38/43, 88.37%), benzylpenicillin, kanamycin, and tetracycline with 37 strains (37/43, 86.04%), gentamycin (30/43, 69.76%), chloramphenicol (29/43, 67.44%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (27/43, 62.79%), ampicillin (26/43, 60,46%), rifampicin (25/43, 58,13%), imipenem (14/43, 32,55%), nitrofurantoin (11/43, 25.58%), oxacillin (8/43, 18.60%), vancomycin (4/43, 9.30%) and clindamycin (3/43, 6.97%), respectively. The presence of multidrug-resistant zoonotic staphylococci in clinically healthy dogs and dogs with skin lesions is an animal health and human health concern.

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The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial strains isolated from pathological lungs of pigs with respiratory symptoms in a farm from Western Romania. From pigs that died with respiratory signs there were isolated eight Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, six Streptococcus suis, four Escherichia coli and two Salmonella choleraesuis strains. Antibiotic susceptibility has tested for oxytetracycline, penicillin, enrofloxacin and florfenicol. The results of the study demonstrated that more than 80% of A. pleuropneumoniae strains were sensitive to florfenicol. Over 95% of the Gram-negative isolates were resistant to penicillin and oxytetracycline. However, observations from last years indicate a decreased sensitivity of A. pleuropneumoniae strains to penicillin and oxytetracycline. An increasing level of resistance to antimicrobials used frequently has been also observed among Salmonella strains. Although other studies have indicated that these strains have preserved total sensitivity to gentamicin, in our study, 50% of Salmonella strains were only intermediate to this antibiotic. However, gentamicin and florfenicol seem to remain the antimicrobials with best efficiency for all Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains isolated in this study.

Keywords: chromogen, methicillin, MRSA, resistanceIntroduction: Currently, both in staphylococci isolated from animals with different diseases, as well as in humans, the MRSA strains (Methicillin Resistant S. aureus) are monitored, as the methicillin resistance is associated with the resistance to other antibiotic groups.Methicillin resistance is encoded by mec staphylococcal chromosomal cassettes (SCCmec), which are islands of resistance. These strains can be identified by molecular biology tests and tests that reveal several phenotypic characteristics.The research was made in order to characterize and identify phenotypically the MRSA staphylococci strains isolated from animals.Materials and Methods: Researches were made on 240 coagulase positive and coagulase negative strains of staphylococci. Mannitol fermentation was tested on Champan medium, free coagulase was revealed on Baird-Parker medium and to identify S. aureus subsp. aureus was used the chromogenic medium Chromatic Staph.Methicillin-resistant strains were detected by disc diffusion method, using biodiscs with methicillin, oxacillin and cefoxitin. Also, to identify the MRSA strains, was used the chromogenic medium Chromatic MRSA.Results: The isolates were positive to mannitol and produced complete haemolysis or were unhaemolytic. A total of 44 strains produced free coagulase on Baird-Parker medium, considered coagulase positive strains, while 196 were coagulase negative strains.The isolates conducted differently to methicillin: 22,08% of strains were resistant, 51,25% of strains were susceptible and 26,66% had intermediate resistance, while the resistant strains to oxacillin were 42,91%.The increased frequency of methicillin-resistant strains of staphylococci and, particularly, MRSA strains, determined using the cefoxitin disk diffusion test, which is more reliable than methicillin and oxacillin.On the MRSA chromogenic medium, the methicillin-resistant strains of staphylococci formed colonies with pigment from mauve to orange mauve.Conclusion: The obtained results by disk diffusion test on resistance patterns to 3 beta-lactams, resistant to penicillinase, indicated a different frequency of the resistant strains to these antibiotics.Cefoxitin disk diffusion test revealed a frequency of 2,51% of resistant strains, that can be considered MRSA strains.

Introduction: One of the most common neurologic disease in Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is represented by progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), being caused by John Cunningham (JC) polyoma virus. Case presentation: We report a case of a 27 years old women, HIV-positive since childhood, under specific antiretroviral therapy with good adherence to it in that period but starting with adolescence adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) decreased. In this context her HIV viral load increased to a 690.000 copies/ml, and CD4 collapsed at 57 cells/mmc. She presented in our clinic with ataxic left hemiparesis, truncal ataxia and left hemi-hypoesthesia. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed a slightly pleocytosis and polymerase chain reaction performed from CSF diagnosed John Cunningham (JC) virus. Once diagnosis established, we reinitiated HAART, but some neurologic disorders persisted like difficulty of the left upper member, having the modified Rankin scale (mRS) of 5. The patient started a multidisciplinary rehabilitation (MDR) treatment, specifically adapted. It consisted of 4 sessions of neuromotor treatments, 20 sessions of massages, and 12 sessions of occupational therapy. According to MDR, the patient improved the ataxic walking, without support, presenting an improvement mRS of 3. Conclusions: AIDS patients with PML could require a prolonged MDR treatment for neurological disorders and rehabilitation treatment promptly should be applied when such diagnosis is suspected. Key words: progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, human immunodeficiency virus, neurological disorder, multidisciplinary rehabilitation,