cattle
Public and Environmental Health MicrobiologyAnalysis of Campylobacter jejuni Subtype Distribution in the Chicken Broiler Production Continuum: a Longitudinal Examination To Identify Primary Contamination PointsThe longitudinal examination of Campylobacter jejuni subtypes throughout the broiler production continuum is required to determine transmission mechanisms and to identify potential reservoirs and the foodborne risk posed. We showed that a limited number of C. jejuni subtypes are responsible for...
Public and Environmental Health Microbiology | SpotlightRepeated Oral Vaccination of Cattle with Shiga Toxin-Negative Escherichia coli O157:H7 Reduces Carriage of Wild-Type E. coli O157:H7 after ChallengeThe bacterium E. coli O157:H7 causes foodborne disease in humans that can lead to bloody diarrhea, kidney failure, vascular damage, and death. Healthy cattle are the main source of this human pathogen. Reducing E. coli O157:H7 in cattle will reduce human disease. Using a randomized comparison, a...
BiotechnologyDietary Supplementation with Sodium Sulfate Improves Rumen Fermentation, Fiber Digestibility, and the Plasma Metabolome through Modulation of Rumen Bacterial Communities in SteersEssential elements like nitrogen and sulfur greatly affect rumen fermentation and metabolism in ruminants. However, little knowledge is available on the effects of sulfur on the rumen microbiota and plasma metabolome. The results of the present trial demonstrated that supplementing the steer ration with sodium sulfate markedly improved rumen fermentation, fiber digestibility, and metabolism of amino acids, purine derivatives, and...
Environmental MicrobiologyGenetic and Phenotypic Factors Associated with Persistent Shedding of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli by Beef CattleFood animal reservoirs contribute to Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) evolution via the acquisition of horizontally acquired elements like Shiga toxin bacteriophages that enhance pathogenicity. In cattle, persistent fecal shedding of STEC contributes to contamination of beef and dairy products and to crops being exposed to contaminated water systems....
Public and Environmental Health MicrobiologyVeterinary Students Have a Higher Risk of Contracting Cryptosporidiosis when Calves with High Fecal Cryptosporidium Loads Are Used for Fetotomy ExercisesCryptosporidium spp. can cause severe diarrhea in infected individuals. Cryptosporidium parvum is zoonotic, and cattle are the main reservoir. In several countries, outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have occurred in veterinary students after handling calves. We carried out a 1-year-long prospective study to investigate the occurrence of these recurrent...
Food MicrobiologyAre Antimicrobial Interventions Associated with Heat-Resistant Escherichia coli on Meat?The implementation of multiple hurdles in the beef production chain has resulted in substantial improvement in the microbial safety of beef in Canada. In this study, we characterized a large number of Escherichia coli isolates (n = 1,450) from various sources/stages of beef processing to determine whether the commonly used antimicrobial interventions would...
Evolutionary and Genomic MicrobiologyWhole-Genome Comparisons of Staphylococcus agnetis Isolates from Cattle and ChickensStaphylococcus agnetis has been recently recognized as associated with disease in dairy cattle and meat-type chickens. The infections appear to be limited in cattle and systemic in broilers. This report details the molecular relationships between cattle and chicken isolates in order to understand how this recently recognized species infects different hosts with...
Public and Environmental Health MicrobiologyCarriage and Subtypes of Foodborne Pathogens Identified in Wild Birds Residing near Agricultural Lands in California: a Repeated Cross-Sectional StudyThe shedding dynamics of foodborne pathogens by wild birds on farmland are not well characterized. This yearlong study sampled wild birds for foodborne pathogens within agricultural lands in northern California. There was a low prevalence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing...
Genetics and Molecular BiologyTyping of mecD Islands in Genetically Diverse Methicillin-Resistant Macrococcus caseolyticus Strains from CattleSince its first description in 2017, the methicillin resistance gene mecD has been detected in M. caseolyticus strains from different cattle sources and countries. Our study provides new insights into the molecular diversity of mecD-carrying M. caseolyticus strains by using two approaches to characterize mecD elements: (i) multiplex PCR for molecular typing of McRImecD and...
Food MicrobiologyLongitudinal Study of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli and Campylobacter jejuni on Finnish Dairy Farms and in Raw MilkThe increased popularity of raw milk consumption has created demand for relaxing legislation, despite the risk of contamination by pathogenic bacteria, notably STEC and C. jejuni. However, the epidemiology of these milk-borne pathogens on the herd level is still poorly understood, and data are lacking on the frequency of milk contamination on farms with cattle...