47 research outputs found
Prevalenza di dermatofiti e di altri funghi in cani randagi/ vaganti della provincia di Verona
No full text
Indagine sulla gestione alimentare del cavallo da sella in Puglia. Veterinaria Pratica Equina
No full textComparative evaluation of E-test and CLSI methods for Itraconazole, Fluconazole and Ketoconazole susceptibilities of Microsporum canis strains
No full textThe incidence of resistance to antifungal agents for dermatophytes is increasing, but most of the methods currently available to test the antifungal susceptibility of Microsporum canis still require standardization. The aims of this study were: (i) to evaluate the antifungal susceptibility of M. canis strains recovered from animals to ketoconazole (KTZ), fluconazole (FLZ) and itraconazole (ITZ) using a modified CLSI broth microdilution (CLSI M38-A2-BMD) and the E-test® protocols and (ii) to estimate the agreement between the methods. Tentative azole epidemiological cutoff values (ECVs) were also proposed in order to interpret the results of in vitro susceptibility tests and to establish the agreement between the E-test and CLSI BMD methods. A total of forty clinical M. canis strains from animals with skin lesions were tested, and the essential (EA) and categorical agreement (CA) between the two methods were determined. KTZ displayed the lowest MIC values, while ITZ and FLZ the highest. The ECV for KTZ and ITZ were 4 μg/ml, while those of FLZ was 64 μg/ml. Based on ECVs, about 88% of M. canis strains were susceptible to all azoles being a cross-resistance with ITZ-FLZ registered for one strain. A total of five M. canis strains showed MIC > ECV for FLZ using CLSI, while one strain showed MIC > ECV for ITZ using both tests. KTZ, ITZ and FLZ showed EA ranging from 92.5 to 95%, for all azoles and CA > 97% except for FLZ (87.5%). The good CA between the E-test and the CLSI BMD provides evidence of the reliability of the former method to test the antifungal susceptibility of M. canis for ITZ and KTZ and not for FLZ
Bovine Dermatophilosis in an Apulian dairy cattle
No full textDermatophilosis is a chronic and contagious exudative-proliferative dermatitis that mainly affects wild and domestic ruminants. It is caused by Dermatophilus congolensis, a Gram positive bacterium. The disease is currently considered endemic in Africa, North America, Australia and New Zealand. The few Italian reports are not related to domestic cattle in which the infection is characterized by high morbidity and low mortality with distinctive epidermal lesion like “paintbrush”. In domestic and wild ruminants, it’s a multifocal inflammatory disease of superficial layers of the skin of the back, carpus and hock. The aggravated forms can result in high fever and in a significative reduction in dairy production. The diagnosis is usually made by culture isolation of the crusts on Columbia Blood Agar (CBA) incubated in microaerophilic condition at 37°C for 5 days. Aim of this work is to describe a case of dermatophilosis occurred in an Apulian dairy cattle in the August of 2016. The characteristic skin lesion involved 30% of the animals and some animals showed anorexia and high fever accompanied by drastic reduction of dairy production. Two samples (recent crusts from two different animals) were subjected to culture isolation for bacteriological and mycological tests, as well as molecular identification by PCR with specific primers for D. congolensis. The amplicons were sequenced by MiSeq NGS technology and the sequence, aligned with the reference sequences present in the BLAST database. The two sequences perfectly matched with reference sequences of D. congolensis. Diagnosis based on culture isolation often reveals skin bacteria and fungi contaminants, as occurred in this case, that can interfere with D. congolensis growth. For this reason this method is often not usefull as diagnostic test and it’s necessary to use reliable diagnostic tests such as PCR in order to obtain more precise information on the real diffusion of this pathogen.La dermatofilosi è una dermatite cronica contagiosa a carattere essudativo-proliferativo che colpisce principalmente i ruminanti. E’ causata da Dermatophilus congolensis, un batterio Gram positivo. E’ considerata endemica in Africa, Nord America, Australia e Nuova Zelanda. In Italia le poche segnalazioni che ci sono non riguardano i bovini domestici nei quali l’infezione è caratterizzata da un’alta morbilità e bassa mortalità, con lesioni epidermiche a “paintbrush” distintive. Nei ruminanti la patologia coinvolge gli strati superficiali della cute del dorso, carpo e garretto. Le forme aggravate comportano febbre elevata e notevole riduzione della produzione lattea. La diagnosi si effettua mediante isolamento colturale su Columbia Blood Agar (CBA) incubato in micoraerofilia a 37°C per 5 giorni. Nella presente nota descriviamo un focolaio di dermatofilosi avvenuto nell’agosto 2016 in un allevamento di bovine da latte sito in Puglia. Le lesioni coinvolgevano il 30 % dell’effettivo e alcuni animali presentavano anoressia e febbre con riduzione della produzione lattea. Due croste provenienti da soggetti diversi sono state sottoposte ad esami batteriologici e micologici, e ad identificazione molecolare mediante PCR con primers specifici per D. congolensis. Gli amplificati sono stati sequenziati mediante tecnologia MiSeq NGS e la sequenza, allineata con le sequenze di referenza del database BLAST, ha dato esito positivo per D. congolensis. La diagnosi basata sull’isolamento colturale risulta spesso non idonea a causa della contemporanea presenza di contaminanti cutanei, come è avvenuto in questo caso, si rende perciò necessario l’ impiego di test diagnostici affidabili come la PCR al fine di ottenere informazioni più precise sulla reale diffusione di questo patogeno
Dermatophytes prevalence and clinical occurrence of dermatophytoses in an intensive rabbit breeding farm
No full textExpression of the μ-opioid receptor on Malassezia pachydermatis and its effect in modulating phospholipase production
No full textMalassezia spp. may act as opportunistic skin pathogens in humans and animals. Malassezia pachydermatis proliferation and phospholipase production may play a pathogenic role in the occurrence of skin lesions in dogs. This study investigates the presence of μ-opioid receptor (MOR) in M. pachydermatis strains isolated from healthy dogs and dogs with skin lesions and its effects on phospholipase activity (p.a.). P.a. of 64 M. pachydermatis isolates was evaluated using different concentrations of naloxone (Nx), a MOR antagonist. Isolates were divided into Group A (i.e., 40 isolates from 26 dogs with dermatitis) and Group B (i.e., 24 isolates from 12 healthy dogs). The MOR expression was analyzed by Western blot and immunofluorescence. A statistically higher p.a. than that of the controls was found with isolates in Group A at a Nx concentration of 10-6 M (P<0.05). No isolate in Group B displayed p.a. in either control samples or in the presence of any Nx concentration. Immunoblotting revealed two positive MOR immunoreactive bands of approximately 65 and 98 kDa. MOR expression and localization was also demonstrated by immunofluorescence in isolates from Groups A and B. This study provides the first evidence of MOR expression on M. pachydermatis cell membranes pointing to its possible role in modulating p.a. production in isolates from dogs with skin lesions
Beauveria bassiana delivered through a cellulose-based hydrogel is effective against the red poultry mite, Dermanyssus gallinae
No full text: Though the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana has shown to be efficacious for managing Dermanyssus gallinae infestations, its delivery as liquid formulation poses concerns related to environmental stability and efficacy. To overcome such concerns, here we proposed a hydrogel matrix based on hydroxyethyl-cellulose (HEC) for delivering B. bassiana to control D. gallinae. Nymph and adult mites were exposed to a hydrogel matrix or filter papers containing B. bassiana (107 conidia/mL), with and without a pre-incubation period of 4 days at 25 °C (treated groups). As control groups, mites were exposed to hydrogel matrix or filter papers with sterile distilled water. Results showed higher mortality of all stages of D. gallinae in treated groups compared to respective control groups. The LT50 and LT90 estimated on D. gallinae were lower in treated groups (LT50 ≤ 9.5 days for adults; and LT50 ≤ 10.7 days for nymphs; LT90 ≤ 14.9 for adults; LT90 ≤ 17.9 days for nymphs) than in control groups (LT5 0 ≥14.9 days for adults, LT50 > 19 days for nymphs; LT90 > 20 days for adults and nymphs). Pre-incubation significantly reduced LT50 and LT90 with respect to other treated groups. Overall, our study outlined that the conidial suspension of B. bassiana in hydrogel is efficacious against both nymphs and adults of D. gallinae. The pre-incubation of B. bassiana in the HEC enhanced its efficacy. Thus, delivering B. bassiana through HEC-based hydrogel matrix may represent an effective and sustainable solution for managing D. gallinae infestations in the poultry industry
MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS AND SEQUENCE-BASED IDENTIFICATION OF CRYPTOCOCCUS SPECIES ISOLATED FROM WILD BIRDS
No full textPreliminary data on the occurrence and genotyping of Prototheca zopfii, a cause of bovine mastitis in dairy cattle farms in Veneto region
No full text
