Search

Colistin is a high priority, last-resort antibiotic recklessly used in livestock and poultry farms. It is used as an antibiotic for treating multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections as well as a growth promoter in poultry and animal farms. The sub-therapeutic doses of colistin exert a selection pressure on bacteria leading to the emergence of colistin resistance in the environment. Colistin resistance gene, mcr are mostly plasmid-mediated, amplifying the horizontal gene transfer. Food products such as chicken, meat, pork etc. disseminate colistin resistance to humans through zoonotic transfer. The antimicrobial residues used in livestock and poultry often leaches to soil and water through faeces. This review highlights the recent status of colistin use in food-producing animals, its association with colistin resistance adversely affecting public health. The underlying mechanism of colistin resistance has been explored. The prohibition of over-the-counter colistin sales and as growth promoters for animals and broilers has exhibited effective stewardship of colistin resistance in several countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine hokovirus (PHoV), also referred to as porcine parvovirus 4 (P-PARV4), a recently discovered parvovirus of swine that is closely related to human parvovirus 4/5 (H-PARV4/5), was first described in Hong Kong. To evaluate the occurrence of P-PARV4 in Portuguese wild boars in the hunting season of 2011/2012, liver and serum samples were tested. P-PARV4 was detected in 24 % of the wild boars analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis showed a close relationship between the P-PARV4 isolates and other P-PARV4 reference strains. This virus appears to be emerging, with yet unknown implications for public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]