J Scott Weese

..difficile-negative horses with colitis (P = 0.03). This study provides further evidence that C. difficile and enterotoxigenic C. perfringens are associated with equine enterocolitis...

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..Study of the pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy of minocycline in dogs and cats is warranted...

..Miconazole has limited antibacterial properties that include antistaphylococcal activity...

..Environmental tagging may be a useful infection control tool for establishing baseline cleaning rates, identifying deficiencies in protocols, evaluating the effects of interventions and education of personnel...

..With an understanding of some basic concepts and use of available resources, development of an effective infection control programme is within the reach of any facility...

..To compare methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) and methicillin-susceptible S pseudintermedius (MSSP) infections in dogs...

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..Selective enrichment culture for C. difficile was performed and isolates were characterised using ribotyping, PCR for the detection of tcdA, tcdB and cdtB genes, and tcdC sequence analysis...

..The reason for this discrepancy is unclear but it demonstrates that further study of MRSA in livestock as well as slaughter, processing and retail environments is needed to elucidate the epidemiology of MRSA contamination of meat...

..The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) contamination of retail meat and to determine the level of contamination...

..The decline in prevalence over time may also have implications on public health concerns, since colonization rates of animals at the time of slaughter are presumably more relevant than those earlier in life...

..While the relevance of contamination of retail meat is currently unclear, further study is required to determine if food may be a source of infection...

..While objective data regarding optimal perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis are limited, the antimicrobial use practices observed here commonly deviated from standard recommendations for perioperative prophylaxis...

..The objective of this study was to determine whether O. formigenes could be detected in the faeces of healthy cats...

..MRSA screening of horses admitted to a veterinary hospital was useful for identification of community-associated and nosocomial colonization and infection, and for monitoring of infection control practices...

..To describe MRSA infection and colonization in household pets, and transmission of MRSA between animals and humans...

..Deficiencies in veterinary probiotic quality remain. Veterinarians and owners should scrutinize commercial probiotics and demand evidence of quality control and efficacy...

..An understanding of the strengths and limitations of various diagnostic options is important for the management of canine and feline enteritis...

..This study demonstrated that Salmonella persists in food bowls that are inoculated with Salmonella-containing raw meat. Standard methods of cleaning and disinfection were minimally effective at eliminating Salmonella contamination...

..No piglets or sows received antimicrobials during the study period. These results indicate that age must be considered when designing surveillance programmes and interpreting results of different studies on MRSA...

..Measures need to be undertaken to improve sharps handling practices to reduce the number of needlestick injuries among veterinary technicians...

..The relative importance of these staphylococci on different animal species varies, as do the concerns about zoonotic transmission, yet it is clear that both present a challenge to veterinary medicine...

..While Streptococcus canis is typically considered to be the main cause of necrotizing fasciitis in dogs, staphylococci should also be considered...

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..All veterinary practices should have some form of infection control program in order to address surgical site infections, among other issues, and to provide the optimal and expected level of care...

..33) or surface type (P = 0.95), but there was an effect of sunlight (P = 0.002). Outdoor survival of S. equi is poor, and prolonged quarantine of outdoor areas, particularly areas exposed to the sun, is probably unnecessary...

..C. difficile was relatively common in households, suggesting that exposure to this pathogen may be a regular event. There was no evidence that dogs are a significant source of household C. difficile contamination...

..Despite the negative connotations that are associated with multi-drug resistant infections, most infections are potentially treatable if basic principles of infection treatment and infection control are followed...

..This study has identified relatively common contamination of retail ground beef and pork with C. difficile spores; however, the levels of contamination were very low...

..A better understanding of risk factors for MRSA colonization is important to elucidate the epidemiology of this emerging veterinary and zoonotic pathogen, and to design evidence-based infection control programs...

..Although petting zoos are common at public events and allow the public to interact with animals, there has been minimal evaluation of practices at petting zoos...

..This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of Clostridium difficile contamination of retail chicken...

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..A toxigenic strain of C. difficile was isolated from one turkey-based food. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 1/25 (4%) diets. Campylobacter spp. were not isolated from any of the diets...

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..Contents of 5/20 (25%) human and 3/17 (18%) veterinary products were misspelled. In only 9 human and 2 veterinary products were the contents adequately identified...

..Regular reassessment of protocols based on ongoing research and clinical experiences is required...

..5 cases per 1,000 admissions (P < 0.001)...

..This statement was directed at control of MRSA in people; however, it is equally relevant in the veterinary context and should receive strong consideration...

..This pathogen is emerging as an important cause of neurological disease in Canada...

..This possibility must be taken into consideration when designing infection control and disinfection protocols...

..All tested isolates from clinical infections were negative for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes. Equine MRSA infection may be an important emerging zoonotic and veterinary disease...

..Consistent intestinal colonization in adults was only achieved with a prohibitively high dose...

..Horses with cough were more commonly treated (P = 0.02). In almost all cases, no clinical signs suggested that bacterial infection was present. Inappropriate use of antimicrobials was common...

..This study evaluated C. difficile and MRSA shedding by slaughter age pigs from farms across Canada...

..No correlation was found between C perfringens spore number and the presence of CPE...

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..No relevant growth was present in 5 (26%) products. Average bacterial growth ranged from 0 to 1.8 x 10(5) CFU/g. Overall, the actual contents of the diets were not accurately represented by the label descriptions...

..difficile in retail meats, using a broad Canadian sampling infrastructure and 3 culture methods. We found 6.1% prevalence and indications of possible seasonality (highest prevalence in winter)...

..Further studies are required to investigate the clinical relevance of C. difficile in calves...

..This suggests that there is a potential for interspecies transmission of C. difficile and epidemiological studies are warranted...

..The observed prevalence of resistance in commensal E. coli from this population was lower than that previously reported in companion animals, but a small percentage of dogs may be a reservoir for CMY-2 E. coli...

..This is the first study to demonstrate a statistically significant association between hand hygiene practices and a measurable clinical outcome in veterinary medicine...

..There is an environmental reservoir of pathogens in veterinary hospitals; therefore, additional studies are required to characterize risk factors associated with HAI in companion animals, including the role of the environment...

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..This prompted an investigation of MRSA colonization in other animals in the ICU...

..To compare the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli in the faeces of pet dogs from volunteer households in Southwestern Ontario, Canada...

..Indistinguishable canine and human S. pseudintermedius isolates were present in 4/9 of households with a human who was colonized...

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..difficile in humans...

..A positive EIA result was reported in 17 (44%) of the cases. There was no association between the presence of different ribotypes or strains and toxin gene(s) profiles and the clinical outcome...

..006, OR 4.05, 95% CI 1.4-10.8). Acquisition of C. difficile during hospitalization in the ICU was associated with the development of diarrhea (P=0.004). Two ribotypes, one toxigenic and one non-toxigenic, predominated...

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..001) in the United States (n = 10), United Kingdom (n = 2), and Denmark (n = 1). MRSA colonization may be an occupational risk for veterinary professionals...

..To characterize and evaluate risk factors for suture-associated cystoliths in dogs and cats...

..This study fulfilled Koch's postulates for C. difficile-associated diarrhea in foals and provides a model for consistent reproduction of the disease for future studies...

..Surgical cold sterile solutions were sampled and bacteria, including opportunistic pathogens, were recovered from 13% of the sampled solutions. Attempts to sterilize surgical instruments with cold sterile solutions should be avoided...

..Eleven isolates were toxigenic, and 8 (67%) were classified as toxinotype III. The human health implications of this finding are unclear, but with the virulence of toxinotype III strains further studies are required...

..pentosus WE7 were not evident in vivo. Results raise concern about the variety of untested probiotic products that are commercially available. Safety and efficacy testing needs to be performed for all potential equine probiotics...

..Evaluation of the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant staphylococcal colonization is necessary to understand the apparent emergence of these strains and to develop appropriate control strategies...

..POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: In vivo studies are required to determine whether di-tri-octahedral smectite might be a useful adjunctive treatment of clostridial colitis and endotoxaemia in horses...

..8%) isolates. While a large number of ribotypes were found, a few predominated across the province. The high prevalence and wide distribution of ribotype 027/NAP1 are disconcerting in view of the severity of disease associated with it...

..No adverse effects were noted. Fecal colonization of LGG in dogs is somewhat variable; however, clinical studies are indicated to evaluate this organism in the treatment and prevention of canine disease...

..Dogs that have been referred from a community practice may have MDR E coli UTIs at the time of admission...

..Veterinarians should be aware of the concerns regarding MRSA and should develop an understanding of appropriate disease surveillance, diagnostic testing, and infection control in order to lessen the impact of MRSA on small animals...

..The role of C difficile in enteric disease in cats has not been extensively studied and is unclear; however, our findings suggest that toxigenic strains of C difficile may cause diarrhea in cats...

..In appropriate circumstances, these methods may be useful for controlling the spread of this potentially serious pathogen...

..This study demonstrates that MRSA is common in pigs in Ontario, Canada, and provides further support to concerns about transmission of MRSA between pigs and humans...

..Furthermore, although AAI dogs may not be representative of the general population of dogs, we also recommend that feeding of raw meat to dogs is to be avoided in homes where immunocompromised people live...

..A variety of methods are available for environmental sampling, and the objectives of sampling must be considered when choosing the appropriate technique...

..Twenty-four (29%) dogs received antimicrobials after surgery. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Certain discrepancies between antimicrobial use practices in this study and standard guidelines used in human medicine were evident...

..While the clinical significance is not resolved at this point, infection control practices should address this potential source of nosocomial infection...

..Analysis of objective data regarding antimicrobial use and changes in antimicrobial use patterns over time is important in veterinary practices...

..Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin was present in feces during diarrheic episodes but not when feces were normal. Both dogs responded to a prolonged course of oral cephalexin and dietary modification...

..Thus, ICU hospitalization time should be as short as possible to prevent development of antimicrobial resistance among rectal E coli isolates...

..To evaluate the prevalence of, and risk factors for, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization in veterinary personnel...

..A 2-year-old dog was evaluated because of complications that developed following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy. Infection of the surgical site developed following removal of the failed implant...

..To investigate bacterial culture practices in veterinary clinics, with an emphasis on laboratory biosafety and on quality of laboratory practices...

..Phage type distribution of Salmonella isolates should be monitored to determine whether DT104 will remain a prevalent equine pathogen...

..Identification of its toxins is important for management of individual cases and for prevention of transmission and zoonosis. In humans, CDI diagnosis is performed with enzyme immunoassays, none of which have been validated for horses...

..All C. difficile strains tested (n=20) survived 71°C for 2 h, but 90% died within 10 min when re-heated at 85°C. Current cooking recommendations would need revision to include C. difficile...

..Its agreement with culture was poor and the high unresolved rate (37%) also significantly decreased the clinical utility of the test...

..C. difficile was found in 4.8% (5/119) of the samples. This study, combined with studies of other food sources, suggests that widespread contamination of food is common...

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..difficile from a diarrheic fecal sample, along with exclusion of other enteropathogens, formed the basis of this presumptive diagnosis. Further study is indicated to evaluate the role of C. difficile in neonatal diarrhea in elk...