Molecular Prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. and Toxoplasma gondii in Slaughtered Equids in Northern Tunisia.

Sarcocystis spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are two apicomplexan protozoa that infect a broad range of vertebrates, however, little is known about the infection of equids with these parasites. A total of 184 slaughtered equids from slaughterhouses of Bizerte and Tunis located in Northern Tunisia, were examined for meat infections with Sarcocystis spp. and T. gondii by PCR. The prevalence of infections with Sarcocystis spp. and T. gondii were 38% (95% CI: 31-45) and 39.7% (95% CI: 32.6-46.7), respectively. The highest prevalence of infection with Sarcocystis spp. was observed in donkeys (48.6%; 95% CI: 37.3-60) followed by mules (32.8%; 95%CI: 21.3-44.3), and horses (28.3%; 95% CI: 15.2-41.2) (P = .04). Similarly, the highest prevalence of infection with T. gondii was also observed in donkeys (66.2%; 95% CI: 55.4-77), followed by mules (18.7%; 95%CI: 9.2-28.3), and horses (26.1%; 95%CI: 13.4-38.8) (P < .001). The coinfection prevalence was estimated to be 17.4% (95%CI: 11.9-22.9). Taking into consideration that humans can be infected following consumption of infected equid meat with T. gondii and/or some Sarcocystis species, it is important to assess the risk of human infection. Thus, further studies are needed to better understand the epidemiology of these zoonoses.

Prevalence, virulence genes, and antimicrobial profiles of Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated from healthy cattle in Tunisia.

INTRODUCTION: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 is associated with intestinal infection in humans and is considered an important cause of food-borne diseases. The aim of the study was to assess the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in fecal samples of healthy cattle collected in slaughterhouses (n = 160) and from five farms (n = 100). METHODOLOGY: E. coli isolates were detected on MacConkey agar. A total of 236 E. coli isolates were recovered from fecal samples of healthy cattle. We used sorbitol MacConkey medium to detect non-sorbitol fermenting colonies. These bacteria were examined for the presence of O157:H7 antigen by latex agglutination. The isolation of E. coli O157:H7 has been confirmed with PCR amplification of rfbEO157 and fliCH7 specific genes for serogroup O157 and with multiplex PCR of stx1, stx2, eaeA, and ehxA. All isolates were examined for their susceptibility to 21 antibiotics by the disc diffusion method. RESULTS: Of the 236 E. coli isolates, 4.2% (10/236) were positive for STEC O157:H7. Shiga toxin gene (stx2) and ehxA were present in 70% of isolates, stx1 and eae were confirmed in 60% of the isolates. Other virulence factors screened (fimH, sfa/focDE, cdt3, traT, iutA, and hlyA) were present among the 10 isolates. All E. coli O157:H7 isolates were sensitive to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, cefotaxime, cefepime, aztreonam, colistin, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. All isolates belong to the phylo-group E. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study of the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle in Tunisia. Our finding proves the existence of STEC O157:H7 in healthy animals producing food for human consumption which could be a source of food-borne disease.

Prevalence, virulence and antibiotic susceptibility of Salmonella spp. strains, isolated from beef in Greater Tunis (Tunisia).

The aim of this work was to investigate the presence of Salmonella spp. in 300 beef meat samples collected from cattle carcasses of different categories (young bulls, culled heifers and culled cows). The detection of Salmonella spp. was performed by the alternative VIDAS Easy Salmonella technique and confirmed by PCR using Salmonella specific primers. Salmonella serotypes were determined by slide agglutination tests. The resistance to 12 antibiotics was determined by the diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar antibiotic discs. The overall contamination rate of beef by Salmonella spp. was 5.7% (17/300). This rate varied from naught (0/100) in bulls' meat to 14% (14/100) in culled cows' meat (p<0.001). The prevalence of Salmonella spp. was higher in summer and in cattle with digestive disorders: chronic gastroenteritis (6/17), traumatic peritonitis (3/17) and intestinal obstruction (2/17) (p<0.0001). Of the 17 Salmonella isolates, 6 serotypes were identified, namely Salmonella Montevideo (8/17), Salmonella Anatum (3/17), Salmonella Minnesota (2/17), Salmonella Amsterdam (2/17), Salmonella Kentucky (1/17) and Salmonella Brandenburg (1/17) (p<0.05). Unlike other serotypes, S. Montevideo was present during the whole year except winter. Almost all of the strains (16/17) were resistant to at least one of the 12 tested antibiotics. Multidrug-resistance concerned 14/17 of the strains, including Amoxicillin (13/17), Tetracycline (12/17), Streptomycin (10/17) and Nalidixic acid (6/17). All the strains were sensitive to the association (Amoxicillin+Clavulanic acid), Cefoxitin and Ceftazidime. In addition, our study showed that all Salmonella strains (17) were positive for invasion gene invA and negative for the virulence gene spvC. Only one isolate (S. Kentucky) harbored the h-li virulence gene.