OBJECTIVES: The incidence of zoonoses in Korea has increased recently. However, the study of high risk groups for zoonoses has not been conducted to date in Korea. Thus, we did this study to obtain data on brucellosis among slaughterhouse workers in Korea. METHODS: We evaluated the structure of slaughterhouses and the process of slaughtering by reviewing the relevant literature and doing field studies. We visited 73 slaughterhouses and 62 residual products handle houses across the country. In addition, we conducted a questionnaire survey of the work activities, and obtained blood samples in order to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of brucellosis. The titers of brucellosis antibodies were measured using the standard tube agglutination test (SAT). We diagnosed subjects as seropositive for Brucellosis if the titers were more than 1:160. The data collected was evaluated using SPSS ver. 17.0. RESULTS: We included 1,503 subjects and obtained 1,482 blood samples among them: 849 workers involved in slaughtering, 351 handlers of residual products, 190 inspectors and their assistants, and 92 grading testers and their assistants. The seroprevalence of brucellosis among the slaughterhouse workers was 0.8% (95% CI=0.4-1.5). Broken down, the seroprevalence of brucellosis among the workers involved in slaughtering was 0.7% (95% CI=0.3-1.6), the handlers of residual products was 1.7% (95% CI=0.7-3.9) respectively. Risk factors for contracting brucellosis among slaughterhouse workers were being splashed with cattle blood around the mouth, cattle secretions around the body and not putting on protective apron while at work. CONCLUSIONS: An educational program is needed for high risk groups on zoonoses about the prevention of infection. Thus, effective working guidelines for workers who participate in the slaughter of animals must be developed in order to protect them from zoonoses.
*Abattoirs ; Animals ; Brucellosis/blood/*epidemiology ; Cattle ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Occupational Diseases/blood/*epidemiology/microbiology ; *Occupational Exposure ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Zoonoses/epidemiology/microbiology

Anthrax has become endemic throughout the upper Zambezi floodplain located in the Western Province of Zambia over the recent years. To date, no comprehensive study has been carried out to determine whether recurrence of anthrax outbreaks may be linked to differences in precipitation and human activities. Retrospective data for the period 1999 to 2007 showed that a total of 1,216 bovine cases of anthrax were reported. During the same period, 1,790 human anthrax cases and a corresponding case fatality rate of 4.63% (83/1,790) was documented in the upper Zambezi floodplain. Occurrence of human cases was highly correlated with cattle outbreaks (r = 0.94, p < 0.001). Differences in precipitation were significantly associated with the occurrence of anthrax outbreaks (chi2 = 4.75, p < 0.03), indicating that the likelihood of outbreaks occurring was higher during the dry months when human occupancy of the floodplain was greater compared to the flooding months when people and livestock moved out of this region. Human dependency on the floodplain was shown to significantly influence the epidemiology of anthrax in the upper Zambezi floodplain of western Zambia. Methods for mitigating anthrax outbreaks by disrupting the cycle of transmission are herein highlighted.
Animals ; Anthrax/*epidemiology/prevention & control/transmission/*veterinary ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/*epidemiology/prevention & control/transmission ; Climate ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Human Activities ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Zambia/epidemiology ; Zoonoses/epidemiology/microbiology/transmission

Paratuberculosis (PTB) is a major disease problem worldwide, and causes major economic losses in the dairy industry. Although PTB has been reported in Korea, no studies have been conducted to determine its prevalence and no program has been developed to control the disease. In this study, the sera of beef (n = 1,056) and dairy cattle (n = 1,105) from all provinces in Korea were tested to determine the prevalence of PTB using two different ELISA: an 'in house' modified absorbed ELISA (P-ELISA) based on sonicated antigen from Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis ATCC 19698, and a commercial ELISA (C-ELISA). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the cutoff point for P-ELISA. Based on C-ELISA results, the area under the curve for P-ELISA was 0.913 (95% CI, 0.883 to 0.943). Using a cutoff point of 0.100, P-ELISA showed a sensitivity of 62.0% and a specificity of 93.7%. The kappa value and the percent agreement between the two ELISAs were 0.322 and 92.5%, respectively. Both ELISAs showed a significant correlation between age and seropositivity (p < 0.01). According to C-ELISA, 71 of 2,161 sera (3.3%, 95 CI, 2.6% to 4.1%) were test-positive. The national true prevalence of PTB was estimated to be 7.1%. The findings suggest that a control program should be implemented to limit the spread of this disease, and that P-ELISA could be used as a screening test that produces results similar to C-ELISA.
Animals ; Antibodies, Bacterial/blood ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/*epidemiology/*microbiology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary ; Female ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis/*isolation & purification ; Paratuberculosis/blood/*epidemiology ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Seroepidemiologic Studies

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 is a pathotype of diarrheagenic E. coli that produces one or more Shiga toxins, forms a characteristic histopathology described as attaching and effacing lesions, and possesses the large virulence plasmid pO157. The bacterium is recognized worldwide, especially in developed countries, as an emerging food-borne bacterial pathogen, which causes disease in humans and in some animals. Healthy cattle are the principal and natural reservoir of E. coli O157:H7, and most disease outbreaks are, therefore, due to consumption of fecally contaminated bovine foods or dairy products. In this review, we provide a general overview of E. coli O157:H7 infection, especially focusing on the bacterial characteristics rather than on the host responses during infection.
Animals ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/blood/epidemiology ; Developing Countries ; *Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli ; Escherichia coli Infections/blood/*epidemiology/veterinary ; *Escherichia coli O157/genetics/pathogenicity ; Feces/microbiology ; Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome/blood/epidemiology/veterinary ; Operon ; Shiga Toxins/analysis ; Shigella dysenteriae ; Virulence

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and characteristics of pathogenic Escherichia (E.) coli strains from diarrheic calves in Vietnam. A total of 345 E. coli isolates obtained from 322 diarrheic calves were subjected to PCR and multiplex PCR for detection of the f5, f41, f17, eae, sta, lt, stx1, and stx2 genes. Of the 345 isolates, 108 (31.3%) carried at least one fimbrial gene. Of these 108 isolates, 50 carried genes for Shiga toxin and one possessed genes for both enterotoxin and Shiga toxin. The eae gene was found in 34 isolates (9.8%), 23 of which also carried stx genes. The Shiga toxin genes were detected in 177 isolates (51.3%) and the number of strains that carried stx1, stx2 and stx1/stx2 were 46, 73 and 58, respectively. Among 177 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli isolates, 89 carried the ehxA gene and 87 possessed the saa gene. Further characterization of the stx subtypes showed that among 104 stx1-positive isolates, 58 were the stx1c variant and 46 were the stx1 variant. Of the 131 stx2-positive strains, 48 were stx2, 48 were stx2c, 11 were stx2d, 17 were stx2g, and seven were stx2c/stx2g subtypes. The serogroups most prevalent among the 345 isolates were O15, O20, O103 and O157.
Animals ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/epidemiology/*microbiology ; DNA, Bacterial/chemistry/genetics ; Diarrhea/epidemiology/microbiology/*veterinary ; Escherichia coli/genetics/*isolation & purification/pathogenicity ; Escherichia coli Infections/epidemiology/microbiology/*veterinary ; Feces/microbiology ; Fimbriae, Bacterial/genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Vietnam/epidemiology ; Virulence Factors/*genetics

The sequences of the ccrAB genes from bovine-, canine- and chicken-originating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (S.) epidermidis (MRSE) and bovine methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (S.) aureus (MRSA) were compared to investigate the frequency of intra-species horizontal transfer of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) complex. Nineteen MRSE strains were isolated from bovine milk, chickens, and dogs, and their genetic characteristics were investigated by multilocus sequence typing and SCCmec typing. Among the animal MRSE strains, the most frequent SCCmec type was type IV, which consisted of the type B mec complex and ccrAB type 2. The ccrA2 and ccrB2 genes were sequenced from the bovine, chicken and canine MRSE strains and compared with those of the bovine MRSA strains. The sequences generally clustered as MRSA and MRSE groups, regardless of the animal source. Additionally, no bovine MRSE sequence was associated with the bovine MRSA groups. Although most of the bovine MRSE and MRSA isolates possessed SCCmec type IV sequences, our results suggest that the intra-species gene transfer of the SCCmec complex between bovine S. aureus and bovine S. epidermidis strains is not a frequent event.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*pharmacology ; Bacterial Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Bacterial Typing Techniques/veterinary ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/epidemiology/metabolism ; Chickens ; Dog Diseases/epidemiology/metabolism ; Dogs ; *Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; *Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; Methicillin/*pharmacology ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/genetics/isolation & purification ; Milk/microbiology ; Multilocus Sequence Typing/veterinary ; Poultry Diseases/epidemiology/metabolism ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Staphylococcal Infections/epidemiology/microbiology/*veterinary ; Staphylococcus epidermidis/genetics/isolation & purification

In the present study, Staphylococcus (S.) hyicus strains isolated in Russia (n = 23) and Germany (n = 17) were investigated for the prevalence of the previously described genes sheta and shetb. Sheta was detected in 16 S. hyicus strains. Sheta-positive strains were mainly found among strains isolated from exudative epidermitis, and frequently together with the exfoliative toxin-encoding genes exhD and exhC. Partial sequencing of sheta in a single S. hyicus strain revealed an almost complete match with the sheta sequence obtained from GenBank. None of the S. hyicus strains displayed a positive reaction with the shetb-specific oligonucleotide primer used in the present study. According to the present results, the exotoxin encoding gene sheta seems to be distributed among S. hyicus strains in Russia and Germany. The toxigenic potential of this exotoxin, which does not have the classical structure of a staphylococcal exfoliative toxin, remains to be elucidated.
Animals ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/epidemiology/microbiology ; DNA Primers ; Dog Diseases/epidemiology/microbiology ; Dogs ; Epidermitis, Exudative, of Swine/epidemiology ; Exfoliatins/*genetics/immunology ; Germany ; Pneumonia/epidemiology/veterinary ; Russia ; Staphylococcal Infections/immunology/veterinary ; Staphylococcus aureus/genetics/*pathogenicity ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/epidemiology ; Virulence/*genetics ; Virulence Factors/genetics/immunology

A multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification (mLAMP) assay was developed for simultaneous detection of the stx1 and stx2 genes and applied for detection of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in cattle farm samples. Two target genes were distinguished based on T m values of 85.03 +/- 0.54degrees C for stx1 and 87.47 +/- 0.35degrees C for stx2. The mLAMP assay was specific (100% inclusivity and exclusivity), sensitive (with a detection limit as low as 10 fg/microL), and quantifiable (R 2 = 0.9313). The efficacy and sensitivity were measured to evaluate applicability of the mLAMP assay to cattle farm samples. A total of 12 (12/253; 4.7%) and 17 (17/253; 6.7%) STEC O157, and 11 (11/236; 4.7%) non-O157 STEC strains were isolated from cattle farm samples by conventional selective culture, immunomagnetic separation, and PCR-based culture methods, respectively. The coinciding multiplex PCR and mLAMP results for the types of shiga toxin revealed the value of the mLAMP assay in terms of accuracy and rapidity for characterizing shiga toxin genes. Furthermore, the high detection rate of specific genes from enrichment broth samples indicates the potential utility of this assay as a screening method for detecting STEC in cattle farm samples.
Animals ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/epidemiology/microbiology ; Escherichia coli Infections/epidemiology/microbiology/*veterinary ; Feces/microbiology ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques/*veterinary ; Shiga Toxin 1/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Shiga Toxin 2/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli/*genetics/isolation & purification

Escherichia (E.) coli serotype O157:H7 is a globally distributed human enteropathogen and is comprised of microorganisms with closely related genotypes. The main reservoir for this group is bovine bowels, and infection mainly occurs after ingestion of contaminated water and food. Virulence genetic markers of 28 O157:H7 strains were investigated and multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) was used to evaluate the clonal structure. O157:H7 strains from several countries were isolated from food, human and bovine feces. According to MLEE, O157:H7 strains clustered into two main clonal groups designated A and B. Subcluster A1 included 82% of the O157:H7 strains exhibiting identical MLEE pattern. Most enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7 strains from Brazil and Argentina were in the same MLEE subgroup. Bovine and food strains carried virulence genes associated with EHEC pathogenicity in humans.
Animals ; Argentina/epidemiology ; Brazil/epidemiology ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/epidemiology/*microbiology ; Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli/genetics/*isolation & purification/pathogenicity ; Escherichia coli O157/*genetics/*isolation & purification/pathogenicity ; Food Microbiology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial/physiology ; Genetic Markers ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Shiga Toxin 1/genetics/metabolism ; Shiga Toxin 2/genetics/metabolism ; Virulence

Neospora caninum is an important cause of abortion in dairy cattle worldwide. Dog is the definitive host for N. caninum and can infect dairy cattle. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Neospora oocysts in feces of dogs from dairy farms. A total of 174 fecal samples was collected from 89 farm dogs and 85 household dogs during 2006 and 2008. Fecal samples of dogs were microscopically examined for detecting Hammondia Neospora-like oocysts (HNLO) by Mini Parasep(R)SF fecal parasite concentrator. HNLO were microscopically detected in 4 fecal samples (2.2%). The fecal samples with HNLO were examined by N. caninum-specific PCR. Two of the samples were positive for N. caninum. The 2 positive fecal samples were selected for inoculation to calves. Two inoculated calves were seronegative by ELISA for 4 months post-infection. This is the first report of finding N. caninum DNA in feces of farm dogs in Mashhad area, Iran.
Animals ; Antibodies, Fungal/blood ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/immunology/parasitology ; Coccidiosis/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary ; DNA, Fungal/genetics/isolation & purification ; Dog Diseases/*epidemiology/*parasitology ; Dogs ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods ; Feces/*microbiology ; Iran/epidemiology ; Male ; Microscopy/methods ; Neospora/*genetics/*isolation & purification ; Oocysts/cytology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods ; Prevalence