No abstract

Toxoplasma gondii infections in sheep and goats are important economically and for public health for many countries, including Romania. In this study, seroprevalence and associated risk factors for T. gondii infection were determined in 2500 sheep and 500 goats from three counties in the Banat region of Romania. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 1266 of 2500 (50.64%) sheep and in 375 (75%) of 500 goats, by using a commercial (IDEXX) ELISA. To evaluate the epidemiological status of the infection, some risk factors for ovine and caprine T. gondii infections were assessed. The main risk factors associated with T. gondii infections were breed, age, and the presence of cats in the farm. Seroprevalence was higher in animals older than three years and in purebred versus mixed breed animals. This is the first detailed study of risk factors associated with T. gondii seroprevalence in sheep and goats in Romania.

The purpose of this study was to quantify the microbial load and to detect potentially pathogenic germs on the surface of absorbent food pads in the packaging of fresh chicken and minced meat marketed in the retail units in Romania. The load in E. coli, as an indicator of faecal contamination, was significantly lower than that of Enterobacteriacea and coliform germs. Congo red-binding E. coli strains have been identified. The affinity for the Congo red dye is considered a phenotypic marker for the presence of curli fibers. These surface formations give the bacterial strains the ability to form biofilm on various surfaces. Their presence also correlates with the property of these bacterial strains to trigger severe infections in humans. These strains showed 100% resistance to fourth-generation cephalosporins, 87.5% to third-generation cephalosporins and 75% to quinolones. A single strain was resistant to meropenem. All the tested strains were susceptible to gentamicin. Coagulase-positive staphylococci were identified in 40% of the analyzed samples. Of the 30 strains of Staphylococcus spp. tested (coagulase-positive and negative), 63.3% proved to be methicillin-resistant and 43.3% had resistance to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. In one sample, it was detected Salmonella infantis. Thus, it can be appreciated that these absorbent food pads may be a source of direct contamination with potentially pathogenic and / or antibiotic-resistant germs for the persons who manipulates them in their domestic environment, as well as a source of cross-contamination of food and other surfaces in the kitchen.

Improving sperm parameters with a role in fertilization and keeping them as long as possible at optimal levels is still a current requirement for frozen-thawed semen. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of an artificial insemination media (M) and prostatic fluid (PF), post thawing, on dog sperm motility parameters. The sperm rich fraction from nine dog ejaculates was cryopreserved. After thawing, three experimental variants were carried out: 1) semen diluted 1:1 with CaniPlus Enhance–media 2) with the PF and 3) semen without any addition. Samples were incubated at 37°C and sperm motility parameters were assessed after 10, 25, 40 and 50 minutes. Samples supplemented with the insemination media recorded the highest values of total motility, progressive motility and sperm velocity throughout incubation. Addition of PF had a negative effect on the total and progressive motility values and caused a slight increase in velocity.