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Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a multidrug-resistant (MDR) environment associated microorganism that causes infections in animals and human. The present study aimed to determine antibiotic susceptibility patterns and molecular characteristics of P. aeruginosa. The molecular typing of P. aeruginosa isolates was also performed. Poultry meat and meat product samples (n=110) were collected. The samples were inoculated on MacConkey and cetrimide agar for cultural identification and isolation. Gram staining and biochemical tests were performed for confirmation. The confirmed isolates of P. aeruginosa were then used for antibiotic susceptibility testing against commonly used antibiotics including meropenem, amikacin, aztreonam, azithromycin, enrofloxacin, and gentamicin. The virulence genes including exoU, exoS, lasR, rhlR, algD, pslD, and blaTEM were detected in selected MDR isolates of P. aeruginosa. Among the poultry meat samples, P. aeruginosa was more prevalent (50%) in fresh meat samples than others [frozen meat (40%) and meat products (8%)]. Confirmed isolates were Gram-negative, catalase positive, oxidase positive, beta-hemolytic, and citrate-positive while colorless growth on MacConkey's agar and green color growth on cetrimide agar was observed. In antibiotic sensitivity testing, results indicated that in poultry meat and meat product isolates, all P. aeruginosa isolates were highly resistant to azithromycin (83%). High resistance rate was also observed for aztreonam (67%), gentamicin (58%) and enrofloxacin (50%) and all P. aeruginosa isolates were highly sensitive to meropenem (84%) followed amikacin (75%). In molecular detection of virulence genes, poultry meat samples, exoU, algD, and their genes showed comparable prevalence (80%). The prevalence of drug resistance genes in P. aeruginosa from poultry meat samples was as follows; blaTEM (95%), tetR (0%), exoU (25%), exoS (30%), algD (80%), pslD (85%), lasR (85%) and rhlR (80%). In summary, the presence of virulent genes in P. aeruginosa isolates enables them to harbor antibiotic resistance and acts as an MDR public health pathogen with the potential to transfer to humans via the food chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal (GI) parasites are prevalent across the world, especially in developing countries. The prevalence is high in rural and semi-urban areas. Buxtonella (B.) sulcata is an opportunistic protozoan parasite causing GI problems in cattle and buffaloes which serve as the reservoir host for this zoonotic pathogen. In Pakistan, limited published data is available on molecular studies on prevalence of this parasite in bovines and associated risk factors. Briefly, 384 fecal samples (as determined through epidemiological sample size calculation formula) were collected from cattle and buffaloes from four towns of district Faisalabad through simple random sampling method. On a pre-designed questionnaire with closed ended questions, data on certain associated risk factors of buxtonellosis was gathered. Parasitic oocysts were separated from feces by using centrifugal sedimentation technique. DNA extraction was done from isolated oocysts of parasites followed by PCR analysis using genus specific primers (18S rRNA gene). The overall prevalence of Buxtonella spp. was 12.24 and 20.31% using microscopic and molecular techniques, respectively. Regarding the associated risk factors, the infection was found to be significantly more prevalent in females (P<0.05) compared to male animals, in younger animals compared to older animals, and in cattle compared to buffaloes. Among other factors, the prevalence of Buxtonella spp. was significantly higher (P<0.05) in grazing animals consuming pond water as compared to stall feeders consuming canal or tap water. Upon phylogenetic analysis, the obtained sequences showed 97.48% similarity with B. sulcata isolated from cattle and buffalo through Neighbor Joining Method. In conclusion, molecular techniques were found to be more suitable to detect Buxtonella spp. compared to microscopic techniques. Moreover, we need appropriate preventive measures to prevent its zoonotic transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) causes immunocompromising diseases in both domestic and wild cat species (Felis catus) around the world. Many characteristics of cats can affect the uptake of this virus including health status, age, gender, environment, lifestyle etc. The diagnosis of FIV can be confirmed by detecting antibodies in serum/plasma samples of infected cats. Despite its importance, the status of FIV infection is still poorly known in Pakistan. Therefore, the present study was devised to investigate the seroprevalence of FIV in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Blood samples of cats (n=90) were collected from outdoor facility of Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and sera samples were analyzed for the presence of antibodies against FIV by ELISA Kit (Agrolabo S.p.A, Italy). The ELISA based results obtained by measuring the optical density of the substrate utilization showed the overall prevalence of FIV in cats as 28.9% in Faisalabad with a prevalence of 33.9% in male cats and 20.6% in female cats. The overall seropositivity for FIV was higher in adult cats (30.9%) than in young cats (22.7%). Risk factor association by Odd's ratio revealed that the disease is positively associated with adult age and male gender in cats. In conclusion, the factors of age (adult) and gender (male) were found to be the positively correlated (P=0.0164, OR=2.37, CI=0.74-7.55, RR=1.28, CI=0.94-1.73) with the presence of anti-FIV antibodies in the studied cats indicating the status of FIV infection in cats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was aimed to investigate the effects of Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZONP) supplementation on histomorphometry of small intestine and cecal tonsil in broilers. A total of 100, day-old chicks were randomly divided into four groups with five replicas per group, each having five birds. Birds were administered control (Basal diet), 80mg Zinc oxide (80ZnO), 40mg Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (40 ZONP), and 80mg Zinc oxide nanoparticles (80 ZONP)/kg diet for 35 days. The results showed a significant increase (P<0.05) in villus height (VH), and villus surface area (VSA) in all parts of small intestine of 40 ZONP supplemented birds. The villus width (VH) and villus height:crypt depth ratio (VH:CD) was also high (P<0.05) in duodenum and jejunum of 40 ZONP supplemented birds. In jejunum, the VH, VW, VSA and VH:CD were also increased (P<0.05) in 80 ZONP. The total goblet cell (GC) count was higher (P<0.05) in all three parts of small intestine in 40 ZONP group. However, GC containing acid mucin increased (P<0.05) in jejunum and ileum while GC containing mixed mucins increased (P<0.05) in duodenum and ileum of 40 ZONP group. In addition, GC containing acidic and mixed mucin and total GC count was also high in ileum of 80 ZONP group. The length, width, area and total number of lymphatic nodules of caecal tonsils were higher (P<0.05) in 40 ZONP. Supplementation of ZNOP at the dose rate of 40mg is a considerable feed additive for poultry with beneficial effects on intestinal and caecal tonsils micro architectural changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the prevalence of mycotic endometritis (ME) in buffaloes and mares in district Faisalabad, Pakistan was investigated. Uterine flush samples were aseptically collected from 144 buffaloes and 75 mares and incubated on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar for two weeks. The overall prevalence of ME was 3.5% in buffaloes and 2.7% in mares. Ultrasonographically, buffaloes with ME had thicker endometrium (P<0.05) than that of buffaloes without ME (9.66±0.9460 mm vs 8.97 ± 0.0816 mm). Buffaloes bred through artificial insemination showed lower (P<0.05) incidence of ME than those bred through natural mating (2.3% vs 12.5%). In mares, stocking density (1.44% for 1-5 animals/paddock vs 33.3% for >10 animals/paddock), history of abortion and retained fetal membranes were significant risk factors (P<0.05) for the prevalence of ME. Management condition, body condition score and parity were not associated with the prevalence of ME in either species. In addition, herd size and reproductive problems had no effect on the prevalence of this problem in buffaloes. Antifungal susceptibility testing for buffalo isolates showed that all three isolated genera (Penicillium, Aspergillus and Rhizopus) were susceptible to itraconazole, Penicillium being the most susceptible. Penicillium and Aspergillus were resistant to fluconazole; however, Rhizopus was susceptible to fluconazole. In mares, out of the two isolates (Penicillium and Candida), Penicillium was susceptible to itraconazole and resistant to fluconazole, while Candida was resistant to both drugs. It is concluded that the prevalence of ME is not threatening in either species. However, buffaloes bred through natural mating; mares reared under high stocking density or those with history of abortion and retained fetal membranes have high risk of developing the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) in poultry meat and to find its antimicrobial susceptibility. P. mirabilis has been frequently isolated from poultry and poses potential threat to public health. The pathogen resides in broiler's intestine, so it can be a source of contamination of chicken carcass in a slaughterhouse. A total of 50 samples of chicken carcass (from liver n=15, from intestine n=15, from thigh n=11 and from wings n=9) were taken from Faisalabad and cultured on Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate agar (XLD) for isolation and purification of P. mirabilis. Percent positivity of P. mirabilis in liver was found to be 60%, 46% in intestine, 36% in thigh and 33% in wings. P. mirabilis isolates showed high resistance to tetracycline (100%) and piperacillin (91.3%) while low resistance was shown to ceftazidime (8.6%). The study concluded that chicken could be the source of P. mirabilis and it can be a source of infection in human and animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cross sectional study was performed to determine the frequency of Escherichia coli in fresh and frozen meat samples followed by antimicrobial resistance profiling and to detect different extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBLs) genes. A total of 100 samples of fresh and frozen meat (n=50 each) were collected from different butcher shops and supermarkets. Equal numbers of specimens were collected from chicken and mutton. Samples were processed for isolation and identification of E. coli by standard microbiological, biochemical and molecular characterization. The resistance pattern was detected by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method while presence of ESBLs was checked by double disk synergy test and PCR. The results of present study showed that among 100 meat samples, potentially pathogenic E. coli was isolated from 36 samples with greater contamination 20/50 (40%) in chicken samples in comparison to mutton 16/50 (32%). Similarly, the frequency of E. coli was more pronounced in fresh meat 30/50 (60%) rather than frozen 4/50 (8%). The highest resistance pattern (100%) was observed against ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin and tetracycline followed by cefotaxime (91.6%) and (n=27) isolates were found multi drug resistant (MDR). The double disk synergy test found 17 (47.22%) ESBL producing isolates while bla CTX-M gene was identified in 5 (29.41%) isolates followed by bla OXA-48 in 4 (23.52%) samples and bla TEM gene in 1 (5.88%). This study revealed that vigilant control procedures should be implemented all over the food chain and effective surveillance should also be performed at national level to minimize the spread of MDR and ESBL producing Escherichia coli from raw meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycotic infections of reproductive tract did not receive much attention in the past. Fungi cause reproductive problems by invading or colonizing the reproductive tract, which adversely affects the reproductive efficiency in cattle. Current study was designed to find out the prevalence of fungal pathogens from uterine samples of Sahiwal cattle and to perform antifungal susceptibility testing on the isolated fungal pathogens. For this purpose, 144 uterine samples were collected and cultured on Sabouraud’s dextrose agar at 25oC for two weeks. Fungi were identified based on the microscopic characteristics. The results showed that out of 144 samples, 4 were found positive, showing an overall prevalence of mycotic endometritis in Sahiwal cattle as 2.8% in Faisalabad. Penicillium and Aspergillus species were the isolated fungal pathogens. The prevalence of mycotic endometritis was significantly higher in cattle having the history of reproductive problems (P<0.05). However, the association between mycotic endometritis, and managemental conditions, parity, herd size, body condition score, and the breeding method was statistically nonsignificant. The mean endometrial thickness in Sahiwal cattle suffering from mycotic endometritis was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the value for nonendometritis cattle. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Itraconazole (Rolac®) was 4.12 mg/ml against Aspergillus spp. and 8.6mg/ml against Penicillium spp. However, both Aspergillus and Penicillium spp. were resistant to Fluconazole (Fungone®). It is recommended that further studies should be undertaken to investigate the role and economic impact of fungal pathogens in the etiology of reproductive disorders that fail to respond to antibiotic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquitoes are highly active vectors capable of transmitting various pathogenic and infectious diseases to humans and animals. The present study was designed to identify the major species of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne flaviviruses (Saint Louis Encephalitis, West Nile and Dengue Viruses) prevalent in three districts of Punjab representing the three agro-geoclimatic zones viz; Multan, Chakwal and Jhang. The collected mosquitoes were stereoscopically identified to confirm the species and sex of the mosquitoes. Stereoscopic identification confirmed that female mosquitoes were 4334 out of 10675 (40.6%), 2242 out of 7296 (30%) and 2040 out of 6450 (31.6%) from districts Chakwal, Jhang and Multan, respectively. It was concluded that Culex species were present in abundance (73.2%) as compared to Aedes species (26.7%) in the selected study districts. The results of multiplex RT-PCR depicted that Dengue, West Nile, Japanese encephalitis and Saint Louis encephalitis viruses were prevalent in the mosquitoes of all three selected districts. However, the prevalence of mosquito-borne viruses insignificantly varied (P>0.05) among the three districts. This study has provided a better understanding of the prevailing mosquito species and mosquito-borne viruses in the study districts that can help to devise appropriate control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]