Guido Cordoni

Background: Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) causes colibacillosis, which results in significant economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. However, the diversity between isolates remains poorly understood. Here, a total of 272 APEC isolates collected from the United Kingdom (UK), Italy and Germany were characterised using multiplex polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) targeting 22 equally weighted factors covering virulence genes, R-type and phylogroup. Following these analysis, 95 of the selected strains were further analysed using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS).

Bee-keeping in the Marche region of Italy is an ancient tradition. Besides the production of honey and other products of the apiary (wax, propolis, royal jelly, bee bread and venom), bees also play a fundamental role in the pollination of cultivated and natural plants. For these reasons, and to update information on the status of apiculture in the Territorial Zone 7 (TZ 7) of the Marche Region of Italy, a survey was conducted in 2005 using geographic information system (GIS) technology. A CD-Rom was developed in html; this tool enables the visualisation of data using any operating system and browser. We collected information on the health status of 57 apiaries out of 169 for a total of 1 570 hives. Samples of honey were tested for the presence of antibiotics and pesticides. The data collected on American foulbrood showed that this disease is endemic in the area and the extent of spread appears to be largely under-estimated. No antibiotics were detected in any of the honey samples tested using the bacterial growth inhibition method. Similarly, high performance liquid chromatography did not detect any pesticide residues. Further research will be conducted by geo-referencing all apiaries in the same area and in apiaries located in other territorial zones of the Marche region.

Bee-keeping in the Marche region of Italy is an ancient tradition. Besides the production of honey and other products of the apiary (wax, propolis, royal jelly, bee bread and venom), bees also play a fundamental role in the pollination of cultivated and natural plants. For these reasons, and to update information on the status of apiculture in the Territorial Zone 7 (TZ 7) of the Marche Region of Italy, a survey was conducted in 2005 using geographic information system (GIS) technology. A CD-Rom was developed in html; this tool enables the visualisation of data using any operating system and browser. We collected information on the health status of 57 apiaries out of 169 for a total of 1 570 hives. Samples of honey were tested for the presence of antibiotics and pesticides. The data collected on American foulbrood showed that this disease is endemic in the area and the extent of spread appears to be largely under-estimated. No antibiotics were detected in any of the honey samples te...

This study assessed the prevalence and zoonotic potential of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) sampled from 104 dairy units in the central region of Zambia and compared these with isolates from patients presenting with diarrhoea in the same region. A subset of 297 E. coli strains were sequenced allowing in silico analyses of phylo- and sero-groups. The majority of the bovine strains clustered in the B1 'commensal' phylogroup (67%) and included a diverse array of serogroups. 11% (41/371) of the isolates from Zambian dairy cattle contained Shiga toxin genes (stx) while none (0/73) of the human isolates were positive. While the toxicity of a subset of these isolates was demonstrated, none of the randomly selected STEC belonged to key serogroups associated with human disease and none encoded a type 3 secretion system synonymous with typical enterohaemorrhagic strains. Positive selection for E. coli O157:H7 across the farms identified only one positive isolate again indicating this serotype is rare in these animals. In summary, while Stx-encoding E. coli strains are common in this dairy population, the majority of these strains are unlikely to cause disease in humans. However, the threat remains of the emergence of strains virulent to humans from this reservoir.

Strangles is one of the most common equine infectious diseases with serious health, welfare and socio-economic impact. However, the detection of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi can be challenging and persistently infected carriers are common. Furthermore, the use of classical microbiology can result in an underestimation of the prevalence of the disease. The difficulties associated with the slow diagnosis of Strangles can result in rapid spread of the disease. Therefore, rapid and economical diagnostic tests are urgently required. Here, two multiplex assays, were developed and validated for the detection of S. equi and S. equi subspecies zooepidemicus, the most common differential diagnosis. Using 59 S. equi and 59 S. zooepidemicus strains collected from various geographical areas, the PCR tests demonstrated a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 98%. Furthermore, the assay can be performed directly from clinical swabs. Thus, the assays designed here provide a rapid, reliable ...

Strangles is one of the most common equine infectious diseases with serious health, welfare and socio-economic impact. However, the detection of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi can be challenging and persistently infected carriers are common. Furthermore, the use of classical microbiology can result in an underestimation of the prevalence of the disease. The difficulties associated with the slow diagnosis of Strangles can result in rapid spread of the disease. Therefore, rapid and economical diagnostic tests are urgently required. Here, two multiplex assays, were developed and validated for the detection of S. equi and S. equi subspecies zooepidemicus, the most common differential diagnosis. Using 59 S. equi and 59 S. zooepidemicus strains collected from various geographical areas, the PCR tests demonstrated a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 98%. Furthermore, the assay can be performed directly from clinical swabs. Thus, the assays designed here provide a rapid, reliable and economical solution for the diagnosis of Strangles.

Complete genome sequences were determined for two distinct strains of slow bee paralysis virus (SBPV) of honeybees (Apis mellifera). The SBPV genome is approximately 9.5 kb long and contains a single ORF flanked by 5'- and 3'-UTRs and a naturally polyadenylated 3' tail, with a genome organization typical of members of the family Iflaviridae. The two strains, labelled 'Rothamsted' and 'Harpenden', are 83% identical at the nucleotide level (94% identical at the amino acid level), although this variation is distributed unevenly over the genome. The two strains were found to co-exist at different proportions in two independently propagated SBPV preparations. The natural prevalence of SBPV for 847 colonies in 162 apiaries across five European countries was <2%, with positive samples found only in England and Switzerland, in colonies with variable degrees of Varroa infestation.