Corynebacterium oculi-related bacterium may act as a pathogen and carrier of antimicrobial resistance genes in dogs: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The genus Corynebacterium comprises well-known animal and human pathogens as well as commensals of skin and mucous membranes. Species formerly regarded as contaminants are increasingly being recognized as opportunistic pathogens. Corynebacterium oculi has recently been described as a human ocular pathogen but has so far not been reported in dogs. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we present two cases of infection with a novel Corynebacterium sp., a corneal ulcer and a case of bacteriuria. The two bacterial isolates could not be identified by MALDI-TOF MS. While 16 S rRNA gene (99.3% similarity) and rpoB (96.6% identity) sequencing led to the preliminary identification of the isolates as Corynebacterium (C.) oculi, whole genome sequencing revealed the strains to be closely related to, but in a separate cluster from C. oculi. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed high minimal inhibitory concentrations of lincosamides, macrolides, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones for one of the isolates, which also contained an erm(X) and tet-carrying plasmid as well as a nonsynonymous mutation leading to an S84I substitution in the quinolone resistance determining region of GyrA. CONCLUSIONS: While the clinical signs of both dogs were alleviated by antimicrobial treatment, the clinical significance of these isolates remains to be proven. However, considering its close relation with C. oculi, a known pathogen in humans, pathogenic potential of this species is not unlikely. Furthermore, these bacteria may act as reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes also in a One Health context since one strain carried a multidrug resistance plasmid related to pNG3 of C. diphtheriae.

The impact of deployment on the psychological health status, level of alcohol consumption, and use of psychological health resources of postdeployed U.S. Army Reserve soldiers.

This study was conducted to investigate the impact of deployment on the psychological health status, level of alcohol consumption, and use of psychological health resources of postdeployed Army Reserve (AR) soldiers. Data were collected from 51,078 postdeployed AR soldiers via DD Form 2900 to detect existing psychological and medical issues. As predicted, findings indicate that AR soldiers screened 7 or more months post redeployment are significantly more likely than those screened 3 to 6 months post redeployment to screen positive for moderate (chi2 (1, N = 44,319) = 15.75, p < 0.001) and severe (chi2 (1, N = 44,319) = 7.82, p < 0.05) functional impairment and PTSD (chi2 (1, N = 51,017) = 14.43, p < 0.001). Present findings are consistent with previous research, suggesting that adverse psychological health issues can be detected during their mild stages and resolved to prevent further degradation when screenings are performed according to military policy.