A serological survey of pathogens associated with the respiratory and digestive system in the Polish European bison (Bison bonasus) population in 2017-2022.

BACKGROUND: The European bison (Bison bonasus) is a near threatened species and requires health monitoring. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of antibodies to pathogens known to cause respiratory and digestive illness in ruminants. RESULTS: In the studied 328 European bison, the highest seroprevalence was observed for Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1) (50.27%), Bovine Coronavirus (BCoV) (26.36%), and Bluetongue Virus (BTV) (12.83%). For Mycoplasma bovis strains and Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), positive results were rare. Interestingly, a higher prevalence of BTV antibodies was noted in the northeastern populations and older animals. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the Polish European bison population appears to have considerable contact with BoHV-1; however, this does not appear to be of great significance, as clinical symptoms and post-mortem lesions are rarely noted in Polish European bison population. The high seroprevalence of BTV in the north-east of Poland is an ongoing trend, also noted in previous studies. It is possible that European bison may perpetuate the virus in this region. This is the first report of antibodies for BCoV in European bison.

Automatic air volume control system for ventilation of two patients using a single ventilator: a large animal model study.

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak led to a global ventilator shortage. Hence, various strategies for using a single ventilator to support multiple patients have been considered. A device called Ventil previously validated for independent lung ventilation was used in this study to evaluate its usability for shared ventilation. We performed experiments with a total number of 16 animals. Eight pairs of pigs were ventilated by a ventilator or anesthetic machine and by Ventil for up to 27 h. In one experiment, 200 ml of saline was introduced to one subject's lungs to reduce their compliance. The experiments were analyzed in terms of arterial blood gases and respiratory parameters. In addition to the animal study, we performed a series of laboratory experiments with artificial lungs (ALs). The resistance and compliance of one AL (affected) were altered, while the tidal volume (TV) and peak pressure (Ppeak) in the second (unaffected) AL were analyzed. In addition, to assess the risk of transmission of pathogens between AL respiratory tracts, laboratory tests were performed using phantoms of virus particles. The physiological level of analyzed parameters in ventilated animals was maintained, except for CO2 tension, for which a permissive hypercapnia was indicated. Experiments did not lead to injuries in the animal's lungs except for one subject, as indicated by CT scan analysis. In laboratory experiments, changes in TV and Ppeak in the unaffected AL were less than 11%, except for 2 cases where the TV change was 20%. No cross-contamination was found in simulations of pathogen transmission. We conclude that ventilation using Ventil can be considered safe in patients undergoing deep sedation without spontaneous breathing efforts.

Multi-Drug Resistance to Salmonella spp. When Isolated from Raw Meat Products.

Salmonella spp. is the most frequent cause of foodborne diseases, and the increasing occurrence of MDR strains is an additional and increasing problem. We collected Salmonella spp. strains isolated from meat (poultry and pork) and analysed their antibiotic susceptibility profiles and the occurrence of resistance genes. To determine the susceptibility profiles and identify MDR strains, we used two MIC methods (MICRONAUT and VITEC2 Compact) and 25 antibiotics. Phenotypic tests showed that 53.84% strains were MDR. Finally, molecular analysis strains revealed the presence of blaSHV, blaPSE-1, blaTEM, but not blaCTX-M genes. Moreover, several genes were associated with resistance to aminoglycosides, cephalosporins, fluorochinolones, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines. This suggests that further research on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in foodborne strains is needed, especially from a One Health perspective.