Clostridium difficile is an etiological agent of pseudomembranous colitis and antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Adhesion is the crucial first step in bacterial infection. Thus, in addition to toxins, the importance of colonization factors in C. difficileassociated disease is recognized. In this study, we identified Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic bacterium that infects people and multiple animal species. Colonization of the gastrointestinal tract may be asymptomatic or cause a variety of disorders, including mild diarrhea, pseudomembranous colitis, and antibiotic-associated diarrhea (1). Recent outbreaks in North America and Europe document the seriousness of C. difficile infection (2). C. difficile toxins, including toxin A, toxin B, and a recently identified toxin, binary ADP-ribosyltransferase toxin C. difficile transferase, are thought to be the primary virulence factors that mediate C. difficile-associated disease (3). Because C. difficile colonizes gastrointestinal tissues and enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells (4, 5), colonization factors are also recognized as important virulence factors of C. difficile. A variety of colonization factors has been identified, including the following: capsule (6); proteolytic enzymes (7, 8); S-layer proteins P36 and P47 (9); adhesins such as SLPA, CCAP6, Fbp68, and 12-kDa protein (4, 9 -14); flagellins such as FliC and FliD (15, 16); and GroEL chaperones (17,18).Adhesion is the first step in bacterial infection, and several adhesins known as microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs) 2 contribute to this step (19). MSCRAMMs located on bacterial surfaces mediate adhesion by binding to various extracellular matrices including fibronectin (Fn), laminin, collagen, elastin, and proteoglycan on host surfaces (19). Loss of some of these genes may attenuate virulence, indicating that MSCRAMMs are pivotal mediators of bacterial disease (20). Although a number of MSCRAMMs have been investigated in other bacterial pathogens, only a few clostridial adhesins, such as Fbp68, have been characterized, and the colonization mechanisms of C. difficile are still poorly understood (11).Manganese-binding proteins are important players in bacterial physiology by participating in cation homeostasis (21), carbon metabolism to promote nutrient acquisition (22), signal transduction (23), resistance to oxidative stress (24), and nutrient-deprived stress (25). In addition, the interaction of some bacterial adhesins and ECM components can be modulated by metal ions such as calcium (26,27). To date, the ability of manganese to mediate bacterial adhesion has not been reported.Previously, Fbp68 on the surface of C. difficile was shown to serve as an adhesin by binding to Fn, fibrinogen, and vitronectin (11). Interestingly, antibody to Fbp68 can be detected in sera from patients with C. difficile-associated disease, indicating that Fbp68 can induce a host immune response during C. difficile infection (28). Structural analysis of Fbp68 indicates t...
Highlights Non-regulated cattle diseases in EU are subject to different control programmes making difficult their comparison. Output-based and risk-based approaches can provide comparable data regardless of the surveillance activities or epidemiological scenarios. SOUND CONTROL will provide requirements for an output-based framework for non-regulated cattle diseases. Results can be applicable to other diseases and species, widening the application of output-based and cost-efficient disease surveillance.
BackgroundBovine tuberculosis (bTB) is an important bacterial infectious disease in Albania of concern to animal and human health; its prevalence is poorly documented.MethodsIn this longitudinal study, we tested by ELISA 2661 serum samples, from 154 herds, with the aim of establishing the suitability of this approach to screen the bovine population for bTB. In a follow-on survey of 87 animals in three villages, we assessed the usefulness of the Mycobacterium bovis IDEXX ELISA (IDEXX M. bovis Antibody (Ab) Test. IDEXX Europe B.V P.O. Box 1334, 2130 EK Hoofddorp, The Netherlands) assay by comparing IDEXX results with the results of the single intradermal cervical skin test. Skin tests were performed either after or at the time of collection of blood samples, and therefore cattle were not sensitized by tuberculin before serological testing.ResultsThe proportion of herds in which serologically positive cattle were found was 18.2 % (95 % CI, 1.9–25.8 %) and the prevalence of seropositive cattle was 1.4 % (95 % CI, 0.8–2.1 %). In the follow-up study, two of the 87 animals reacted positively to the skin test and two produced inconclusive reactions. No overlap was found between the four animals with positive IDEXX ELISA results and the four animals with non-negative skin test results.ConclusionThe lack of agreement between the results of the two tests may reflect different elements of the immune response (humoral and cell-mediated immunity). In future, cattle should be sensitized by the intradermal injection of tuberculin 14 days prior to the collection of blood samples, which would then be tested by the Mycobacterium bovis IDEXX ELISA Test in order to determine more accurately the prevalence of infection.
Background Brucellosis is a ubiquitous zoonotic disease globally. It is endemic among bovines, sheep, and goats in Albania. The national control and eradication programs for brucellosis has been applied on sheep and goat farms as well as large dairy cattle farms, i.e., those with more than ten milking cows. The current study aims at estimating the herd and average individual animal prevalence of brucellosis in the national beef cattle herds, the missing information that was essential to propose the most appropriate control measures for this subpopulation. Rose Bengal Test (RBT), Fluorescence Polarization Assay (FPA), and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) were used as serological tests and classical bacteriology for isolation. Results were also used to investigate the difference in sensitivity between the assays used.
The COST action “Standardising output-based surveillance to control non-regulated diseases of cattle in the European Union (SOUND control),” aims to harmonise the results of surveillance and control programmes (CPs) for non-EU regulated cattle diseases to facilitate safe trade and improve overall control of cattle infectious diseases. In this paper we aimed to provide an overview on the diversity of control for these diseases in Europe. A non-EU regulated cattle disease was defined as an infectious disease of cattle with no or limited control at EU level, which is not included in the European Union Animal health law Categories A or B under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2002. A CP was defined as surveillance and/or intervention strategies designed to lower the incidence, prevalence, mortality or prove freedom from a specific disease in a region or country. Passive surveillance, and active surveillance of breeding bulls under Council Directive 88/407/EEC were not considered as CPs. A questionnaire was designed to obtain country-specific information about CPs for each disease. Animal health experts from 33 European countries completed the questionnaire. Overall, there are 23 diseases for which a CP exists in one or more of the countries studied. The diseases for which CPs exist in the highest number of countries are enzootic bovine leukosis, bluetongue, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, bovine viral diarrhoea and anthrax (CPs reported by between 16 and 31 countries). Every participating country has on average, 6 CPs (min–max: 1–13) in place. Most programmes are implemented at a national level (86%) and are applied to both dairy and non-dairy cattle (75%). Approximately one-third of the CPs are voluntary, and the funding structure is divided between government and private resources. Countries that have eradicated diseases like enzootic bovine leukosis, bluetongue, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and bovine viral diarrhoea have implemented CPs for other diseases to further improve the health status of cattle in their country. The control of non-EU regulated cattle diseases is very heterogenous in Europe. Therefore, the standardising of the outputs of these programmes to enable comparison represents a challenge.
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