A survey of mites on farm animals in Libya.

In 1985-1988, 2287 farm animals (cattle, camels, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, dogs and rabbits) suspected of carrying parasitic mites were examined at 58 farms throughout Libya. Mites were identified on 1303 of these animals. The commonest parasites on cattle were Psoroptes and Chorioptes, on camels and sheep were Sarcoptes and Psoroptes, and on goats were Sarcoptes and Demodex. Infested horses carrier Psoroptes or Chorioptes, and one donkey carried Sarcoptes. Otodectes was common on dogs, but Sarcoptes was rare and no Demodex were seen. Rabbits often had psoroptic ear mange or sarcoptic body mange. Dermanyssus gallinae and Ornithonyssus bursa were seen on chickens, but no mites were found on pigeons, ducks or turkeys.     

A survey of ticks on farm animals in Libya.

Thirteen species of ixodid ticks and two species of argasid ticks were collected during a three-year survey of 58 farms in Libya. These included Boophilus annulatus, B. microplus, B. decoloratus, seven species of Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rh. evertsi, Rh. bursa, Argas persicus and Ornithodoros foleyi. This is the first recording of B. microplus, B. decoloratus and Rh. bursa in Libya. Of 20,391 animals examined by random sampling, 2020 (9.6%) had ticks; particularly common were Hy. dromedarii on camels, Hy. impeltatum on sheep and Hy. excavatum on cattle. The tick found most frequently overall was Hy. dromedarii.     

Cloned transgenic farm animals produce a bispecific antibody for T cell-mediated tumor cell killing

Complex recombinant antibody fragments for modulation of immune function such as tumor cell destruction have emerged at a rapid pace and diverse anticancer strategies are being developed to benefit patients. Despite improvements in molecule design and expression systems, the quantity and stability, e.g., of single-chain antibodies produced in cell culture, is often insufficient for treatment of human disease, and the costs of scale-up, labor, and fermentation facilities are prohibitive. The ability to yield mg/ml levels of recombinant antibodies and the scale-up flexibility make transgenic production in plants and livestock an attractive alternative to mammalian cell culture as a source of large quantities of biotherapeutics. Here, we report on the efficient production of a bispecific single-chain antibody in the serum of transgenic rabbits and a herd of nine cloned, transgenic cattle. The bispecific protein, designated r28M, is directed to a melanoma-associated proteoglycan and the human CD28 molecule on T cells. Purified from the serum of transgenic animals, the protein is stable and fully active in mediating target cell-restricted T cell stimulation and tumor cell killing.     

Seroepidemiological study on human brucellosis in Assiut Governorate

Brucellosis is the most important zoonotic disease constituting a public health problem in Assiut Governorate, hence this study was carried out to determine the prevalence of brucellosis among humans in Assiut Governorate. A total of 7154 peripheral blood samples were collected from patients with fever at Assiut Fever Hospital during the period from 2002-2003. A full detailed anamnestic and clinical assessment in the form of questionnaire was designed for each individual to determine the risk factors with specific emphasis to age, sex, residence and occupation. All serum samples were screened for Brucella antibodies by slide agglutination test. Positive sera were further analyzed by standared tube agglutination test. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out to detect IgM and IgG Brucella antibodies. Statistical analysis was performed and correlation coefficient was done between all risk factors. Results declared that the prevalence of brucellosis was (1.29 +/- 0.004 %) and (1.22 +/- 0.002 %) as detected by agglutination and ELISA, respectively. IgM antibodies were estimated in 9.8 % of the examined patients, while IgG antibodies were found in 30.4 % of the examined patients, moreover both IgM and IgG antibodies were detected in 54.3 % of the examined patients. The prevalence of brucellosis was significantly (P < 0.05) affected by sex, where the rate of detection was higher among females (1.76 +/- 0.009 %) than males (1.05 +/- 0.004 %) as detected by agglutination test. On the other hand, the prevalence rate based on ELISA was (1.64 +/- 0.39 % and 1.01 +/- 0.89 %) for females and males, respectively. Prevalence of brucellosis was higher in rural areas (1.3 +/- 0.005 % & 1.25 +/- 0.009 %) than in urban areas (1.23 +/- 0.001% & 1.12 +/- 0.01 %) as detected by agglutination test and ELISA, respectively. The prevalence of brucellosis varied significanctly between different occupational and age groups. Public health impact of brucellosis is discussed and suggestive measures for control are explained.     

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for cortisol in the saliva of man and domestic farm animals

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay has been developed for the direct assay of cortisol in the saliva of man, sheep, calf and pig. The assay is sensitive (integral of 1pg), highly specific and reproducible, and has the advantage over radioimmunoassay in being cheaper and quicker to carry out. The relatively-non invasive method of collecting saliva on cotton buds coupled with simple assay equipment provide a good potential for assessing cortisol status in studies on stress and welfare in farm animals as well as the possibility of monitoring cortisol status in mammals generally.     

Leptospirosis in a Dutch catfish farm

A 51-year-old farm worker presented with jaundice and fever. There had been a rat infestation around the farm ponds and in the shed. He was admitted to our hospital with acute renal and liver failure, thrombocytopenia and rhabdomyolysis. Because of the clinical clues, leptospirosis was suspected and diagnosed in blood by polymerase chain reaction and serology. Also his son, a co-worker on the farm, showed a positive serology. Clinicians should be aware of these occupational outbreaks and should recognise the clinical picture.     

Influenza a antibodies in cervine animals

Summary In the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test, 20 cervine sera, most of which came from Northern Germany, were treated with receptor destroying enzyme (RDE) and 11 sera were found to contain antibodies against the H₁N₁ (A/USSR 90/77) and H₃N₂ (A/Victoria 13/75, A/Texas 1/77) influenza viruses. Only two sera contained antibodies against H₃N₂ viruses, and seven sera were negative. Evidence of the specificity of influenza antibodies was provided by the following findings: 1) the IgG serum extracts showed the same inhibitory activity of haemagglutinin as the RDE treated sera; 2) addition of protein A led to an increase in the HI titers; 3) in the haemolysis in gel test, some of the HI positive sera formed haemolysis rings of the same diameter as hyperimmune antiinfluenza A (H₁N₁) serum; and 4) the cervine sera reacted positively in the neuraminidase inhibition (NI) test. It is remarkable that influenza H₁N₁ antibodies were found in the serum of one cervine before this virus strain appeared in humans.

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Influenza-A-Antikörper bei Rehen und Hirschen

Zusammenfassung Von 20 Sera der Spezies Cervus, meist aus Norddeutschland stammend, die mit receptor destroying enzyme (RDE) behandelt worden waren, enthielten elf hämagglutinationshemmende Antikörper gegen H₁N₁ (A/USSR 90/77)- und H₃N₂ (A/Victoria 13/75, A/Texas 1/77)-Influenza-Viren. Nur zwei Sera besaßen Antikörper gegen H₃N₂-Viren, und sieben Sera waren sero-negativ. Die Spezifität der Antikörper war durch folgende Befunde zu belegen: 1) der IgG-Extrakt der Sera wies die gleiche inhibitorische Wirksamkeit des Hämagglutinins wie die mit RDE-behandelten Sera auf; 2) Zugabe von Protein A führte zu einer Erhöhung des HAH-Titers; 3) im Hämolysin-in-Gel-Test bildeten einige der HAH-positiven Sera Hämolyse-Ringe von gleichem Durchmesser wie ein Antiinfluenza-H₁N₁-Hyperimmunserum; und 4) die Sera von Hirschen und Rehen waren auch in der Inhibition der Neuraminidase (NI-Test) positiv. In einem Serum eines Hirsches wurden HI-Antikörper gegen Influenza H₁N₁ vor dem Auftreten dieses Virusstammes beim Menschen nachgewiesen.

     

Present situation of national surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria isolated from farm animals in Japan and correspondence to the issue

The Japanese Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (JVARM) was formed in 1999 in response to international concerns about the impact of antimicrobial resistance on public health. The aim of the present investigation was to provide insight into the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance among bacterial strains isolated from cattle, swine and poultry on farms across Japan. In this paper, we summarize a nationwide investigation (1999-2003) on antimicrobial susceptibility of the targeted bacterial species for the JVARM, namely Salmonella, Campylobacter, Enterococcus and Escherichia coli, isolated from the feces of healthy domestic animals. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 10-18 antimicrobial agents including the major generic groups were determined using an agar dilution method according to the international NCCLS guideline in principle. The outline of present results is as follows: (1) A total of 307 Salmonella, 3,225 Escherichia coli, 2,822 Enterococcus and 1,122 Campylobacter were isolated from healthy domestic animals and examined for antimicrobial susceptibility. (2) The isolates of all targeted bacterial species represent high rates of antimicrobial resistance to both oxytetracycline (OTC) and dihydrostreptomycin (DSM). (3) Among the isolates of Campylobacter and E. coli, the frequency of isolation of resistance to fluoroquinolones ranged from 14 to 24% and 2 to 3%, respectively. (4) Resistance to fluoroquinolones was not observed among the isolates of Salmonella or Enterococcus. Continious investigation at the nation level of antimicrobial resistance among the isolates from healthy domestic animals remains a high priority for the JVARM program. Furthermore, appropriate and prudent use of antimicrobials for diseased animals should be considered essential.