Person-to-person (MDR) multidrug-resistantTB transmission drives epidemic in China.

Person-to-person MDR-TB transmission drives epidemic in China.Recent data from a population-based, observational study in China revealed that patients were more likely to contract multidrug-resistant tuberculosis from person-to-person transmission than inadequate treatment. “Inadequate treatment was considered to be the most common way of developing MDR [tuberculosis (TB)]; however, our data show that most of the patients in our study population who had [MDR-TB] had been infected with MDR strains,” Chongguang Yang, PhD, postdoctoral associate of epidemiology of microbial diseases at Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote in the Lancet Infectious Diseases. “We also found that a majority of transmission events occurred in settings such as residential communities or complexes and related public facilities.” Yang and colleagues performed variable-number-of-tandem-repeat (VNTR) genotyping and whole-genome sequencing on MDR-TB isolates collected from patients in Shanghai, China to establish transmission patterns and risk factors of MDR-TB in the area. Their analysis included data from 324 patients aged 15 years and older who were diagnosed with MDR-TB between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2012. The researchers used a standardized questionnaire to determine patients’ social characteristics, history of TB exposure and locations where transmission may have occurred. According to the data, 59% of patients with MDR-TB were treatment-naive. Overall, 32% of the 324 MDR-TB strains were in 38 genomic clusters that differed by 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms or fewer, indicating recent transmission. The researchers combined treatment-naive cases (n = 191) with cases included in genomic clusters (n = 93) and estimated that up to 73% (95% CI, 67.3-77.3) of all MDR-TB cases were likely caused by transmission of MDR strains. Epidemiological links were identified in 69% of the genomically clustered cases, only four of which were traced to household contacts. The majority (n = 45) of cases were either linked to other cases from the same residential community or neighborhood street, or cases using the same public health facilities such as food markets.

Apps and calving seasons.

Farmers have found a much easier and faster way to register calves to help them through the forthcoming busy caving season – they have found the Herdwatch app.They have said that the app is easy to use and it has saved them valuable time and hassle, particularly when registering calves. Farmers are extra strapped for time during the busy calving season that is approaching, so now is the time to do something about it. Herdwatch will have your calves registered in 30 seconds, there and then, straight to the Department of Agriculture’s system. Herdwatch is now used by over 4,000 farmers and Declan Buttle, a suckler farmer in Blackwater, Co. Wexford, said he tags the calves and then registers them on his phone while the cow is in front of him.“There can be no mistakes that way. I would be lost without it.” Farmers are using Herdwatch every day to manage their herds and eliminate farm compliance paperwork. see

The veterinary practice.

A compilation of veterinary news, innovation,pet-care tips and disease update.Here read the current edition

New gene test to save dogs.

Veterinarians have struggled for years to understand why a common heartworm medicine causes some dogs to fall into a coma and die,though they knew it primarily affects herding dogs, such as collies and Australian shepherds – breeds known for their furry white feet. A Washington State University(WSU) professor, Dr. Katrina Mealey, solved that puzzle in 2001 by pinpointing a mutation that makes the drug react differently in some dogs and cats. She also invented a simple genetic test to detect the mutation, likely preventing thousands of pet owners from poisoning their furry friends. Mealey grew up with pet collies and went on to earn doctorates in pharmacology and veterinary medicine. The mutation has been observed in about a dozen dog breeds. A certain gene produces a protein that pumps drugs and other toxins out of the brain. With the mutation, however, the gene doesn’t produce enough of the protein, allowing certain drugs to accumulate in the brain. The results can be devastating. Mealey pointed to one case in 2009 involving a miniature Australian shepherd named Cash. When Cash was a puppy, his owner took him to visit some horse stables in Montana. It’s there, veterinarians suspect, that Cash ate some of the heartworm medicine ivermectin. Soon Cash began staggering and lapsed into a coma. After visiting a veterinary emergency room in Bozeman, he was flown by chartered plane to WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Cash was hospitalized for 26 days, eight of which he was comatose and needed a ventilator to breathe. Nursed back to health, he walked out of the hospital two days before Thanksgiving. Pet owners can submit for testing a vial of a pet’s blood or a swab of its mouth as owners are advised that unless it’s a pedigreed purebred testing is necessary.more

Campylobacter and Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Campylobacter and Guillain-Barré Syndrome, this seems strange and fictitious but its true and causing havoc. The truth is many people cannot link eating food or drinking milk with possibility of paralysis. Campylobacter jejuni is in a genus of bacteria that is among the most common causes of bacterial infections in humans worldwide and commonly found in animal feces.It is the major cause of gastroenteritis in man and has been linked to Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare condition in which a person immune system attacks the nerves, leading to muscle weakness and even paralysis.This cause of this condition is unknown, but it’s typically triggered by an infectious illness, such as the stomach flu or a lung infection. The signs of C.jejuni infection include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and malaise and diarrhea can vary in severity from loose to bloody stools. Campylobacter jejuni is commonly associated with poultry as it naturally colonizes the digestive tract of many bird species hence contamination of carcass during processing is a major route of infection in man. C. jejuni has also been identified in cattle gastrointestinal tract,the major form of distribution is drinking contaminated water or unpasteurized milk. Contaminated food is a major source of infections, where poorly prepared meat and poultry are the primary source of the bacteria. Surveys show that 20 to 100% of retail chickens are contaminated, this is not a surprise as many healthy chickens carry these bacteria in their intestinal tracts. Raw milk is also a source of infections, the bacteria are often carried by healthy cattle and by flies on farms. Unchlorinated water may also be another source of infections but properly cooking chicken, pasteurizing milk, and chlorinating drinking water kill the bacteria. This is one of the reason to stop drinking raw milk , stop eating poorly cooked chicken or meat and using contaminated water. This is a story of how a healthy nurse became a quadriplegic because of c. jejuni read

Studies reaffirm international campylobacter concerns

Studies reaffirm international campylobacter concerns: Fears over campylobacter levels in chicken in New Zealand have been reignited, thanks to recent research.

Broiler diseases pose no further threat to food safety

Broiler diseases pose no further threat to food safety: Degenerative breast diseases in broiler chickens have been proven to present no risk to food safety, nor are they associated with infectious or pathogenic agents.