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Potential role of wild forest berries as a transmission vehicle for taeniid eggs was examined using non-zoonotic Taenia laticollis eggs as a model. The berries studied were bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) (1 m 2 plot, n = 10) and lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) (1 m 2 plot, n = 11). The plots in the managed forest were evenly sprayed with 30,000 or 60,000 T. laticollis eggs suspended in water, and berries were collected 24 h after spraying. The berries were rinsed with water, and the water was sieved through a 1-mm and a 63-μm sieve to remove coarse material and through a 20-μm sieve to collect possible eggs. A small proportion of the sieved material was examined by microscopy after treatment with fluorescent Calcofluor White stain, which binds to eggshell chitin. In the recovery tests in artificially spiked samples, the detection limit was 5 eggs in 100 g of commercial frozen bilberries and lingonberries. Taeniid eggs were detected in all of the 10 experimentally contaminated bilberry samples and in 10 of 11 lingonberry samples. The sieved debris was also analyzed for T. laticollis DNA using semi-quantitative PCR. All samples were positive in quantitative SYBR Green real-time PCR using a T. laticollis-specific primer pair amplifying a short fragment of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 gene. This indicates that forest berries contaminated in shrubs contained T. laticollis eggs, and that berries can serve as a vehicle for taeniid eggs and may pose a possible risk to humans., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The most common rodent control method worldwide is anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs), which cause death by internal bleeding. ARs can transfer to non-target predators via secondary exposure, i.e. by consuming contaminated rodents. Here we quantify the prevalence of seven AR substances in the liver tissues of altogether 17 mammalian or avian predator or scavenger species in Finland. In addition, we identify the environmental and biological factors potentially linked to secondary AR poisoning. No previous AR screenings have been conducted in the country, despite the widespread use of ARs and their potential impacts on the high levels of the ecosystem food chain. ARs were detected (≥0.3 μg/kg) in 82% of the 131 samples. The most prevalent and the AR with highest concentrations was bromadiolone (65% of samples). In 77% of the positive samples more than one (2-5) different ARs were detected. Of the environmental variables, we only found a weakly positive relationship between the coumatetralyl concentration and the livestock farm density. Conversely, overall AR concentration and number, as well as the concentration of three separate ARs (coumatetralyl, difenacoum and bromadiolone) differed among the three species groups tested, with the group "other mammals" (largely represented by red fox and raccoon dog) having higher values than the groups presented by mustelids or by birds. ARs are authorized only as biocides in Finland and a national strategy on risk management (e.g. for minimising secondary poisoning of non-target species) of ARs was adopted in 2011. Based on these results it appears that the risk mitigation measures (RMMs) either have not been followed or have not been effective in preventing wide scale secondary exposure. Continued monitoring of AR residues in non-target species is needed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of current RMMs and a need for new ones to reduce the risk of secondary poisoning., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Carnivore and omnivore animals are the main reservoir hosts of nematodes of the genus Trichinella. Out of the twelve taxa identified so far in the world, four, namely Trichinella spiralis, Trichinella nativa, Trichinella britovi and Trichinella pseudospiralis, are circulating in Europe. All these four species were detected in Finnish wild animals and T. spiralis also in domestic pigs and synanthropic rats of Finland up to 2004, when the last T. spiralis infection was documented in a domestic pig. In the periods 1993-1997 and 1999-2005, T. spiralis was detected in 13.6% (6/44) and in 14.5% (46/317) of infected wild animals, respectively. The aims of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of Trichinella spp., especially T. spiralis in wild carnivores of Finland, 7-9 years after the eradication of Trichinella infection from Finnish domestic pigs, and to evaluate the impact of the disappearance of domestic cycle of T. spiralis on the sylvatic Trichinella cycle(s). Trichinella spp. larvae were detected in 34.7% (1081/3112) wild animals and 835 (77.2%) Trichinella spp. isolates were identified at the species level. Trichinella spiralis was detected in 9 animals (1.0% of identified infections) as single, double or triple infections; whereas, T. spiralis had been detected in 13.6% and in 14.5% of infected wild animals in the course of the two previous investigations. The reduction of T. spiralis prevalence from 1993-1997 to 2011-2013 is statistically significant (p < 0.001) both per total tested animals and per host species. The results of this study support the hypothesis of spillover from domestic pigs as a source of T. spiralis in wildlife. The eradication of T. spiralis from the domestic cycle in Finland in 2004 has probably established a virtuous cycle reducing the prevalence of this pathogen among wild carnivores. We can expect that within some years and in absence of T. spiralis reintroduction in the domestic habitat, it might even disappear from the Finnish wildlife., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pigs are an important source of human infections with Salmonella, one of the most common causes of sporadic gastrointestinal infections and foodborne outbreaks in the European region. Feed has been estimated to be a significant source of Salmonella in piggeries in countries of a low Salmonella prevalence. To estimate Salmonella risk to consumers via the pork production chain, including feed production, a quantitative risk assessment model was constructed. The Salmonella prevalence in feeds and in animals was estimated to be generally low in Finland, but the relative importance of feed as a source of Salmonella in pigs was estimated as potentially high. Discontinuation of the present strict Salmonella control could increase the risk of Salmonella in slaughter pigs and consequent infections in consumers. The increased use of low risk and controlled feed ingredients could result in a consistently lower residual contamination in pigs and help the tracing and control of the sources of infections., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Salmonella infections in pigs are in most cases asymptomatic, posing a risk of salmonellosis for pork consumers. Salmonella can transmit to pigs from various sources, including contaminated feed. We present an approach for quantifying the risk to pigs from contaminations in the feed chain, based on a Bayesian model. The model relies on Salmonella surveillance data and other information from surveys, reports, registries, statistics, legislation and literature regarding feed production and pig farming. Uncertainties were probabilistically quantified by synthesizing evidence from the available information over a categorically structured flow chain of ingredients mixed for feeds served to pigs. Model based probability for infection from feeds together with Salmonella subtyping data, were used to estimate the proportion of Salmonella infections in pigs attributable to feed. The results can be further used in assessments considering the human health risk linked to animal feed via livestock. The presented methods can be used to predict the effect of changes in the feed chain, and they are generally applicable to other animals and pathogens., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

One-hundred-and-thirty-nine fecal samples were examined to assess the prevalence of Parascaris spp. and strongyle infections in two-year-old or younger horses in Finland. The owners of the horses were asked to answer an online questionnaire about the horses' environment and the management practices of the stable. The results of fecal examination and the survey were analyzed to evaluate the effect of different risk factors as ascertained by the survey on parasite prevalence. The prevalence of Parascaris spp. infections at 11.5% was lower than expected based on previous research and the strongyle prevalence of 57.6% was found in young Finnish horses. Strongyloides westeri and Eimeria leuckarti infections were also found. Pasture hygiene had a stronger influence on the prevalence of strongyle infections than on Parascaris spp. infections, whereas the hygiene routine of the horses' housing was found to be more important in the prevention of Parascaris spp. infections. The planning of the control of parasitic infections should be based on the identified risk factors., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Phylogenetic relationships of tapeworms of the genus Moniezia Blanchard, 1891 (Cestoda, Anoplocephalidae) parasitizing the Eurasian elk Alces alces, the moose A. americanus and the reindeer/caribou Rangifer tarandus (Cervidae) were studied using DNA sequences of two mitochondrial genes (cox1 and nad1). Several isolates from domestic ruminants, representing Moniezia expansa (Rudolphi, 1810) sensu lato and M. benedeni (Moniez, 1879) sensu lato, and one unidentified isolate from an African antelope, were also included in the analysis. Both genes identified the same six species of Moniezia, but interspecific phylogenetic relationships were better resolved by the nad1 data. The six species of Moniezia comprised two main clades: clade 1 that originates in bovids, with subsequent colonization of northern cervids in Eurasia, and clade 2 that originates in northern cervids, with subsequent specific divergence within these hosts. Clade 2 has a Holarctic distribution. None of the Moniezia specimens in Alces and Rangifer was conspecific with the species in domestic ruminants, suggesting that the custom of identifying Moniezia spp. in northern cervids either as M. expansa or M. benedeni is incorrect. At least two of the species parasitizing Alces and Rangifer have not been previously recognized. These findings challenge the results of all previous studies concerning the diversity and ecology of Moniezia spp. in northern cervids. The traditional classification into three subgenera (Moniezia Blanchard, 1891, Blanchariezia Skrjabin & Schultz, 1937 and Baeriezia Skrjabin & Schultz, 1937), based on the presence and type of interproglottidal glands, conflicts with the currently observed molecular phylogenetic relationships within the genus Moniezia., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mycobacteriosis caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a rising concern in human medicine both in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. In cats, mycobacteriosis caused by NTM is considered mostly to be a focal or dermal infection, with disseminated disease mostly caused by Mycobacterium avium. We describe three cases of disseminated mycobacteriosis in cats, caused by Mycobacterium malmoense, Mycobacterium branderi/shimoidei and M. avium, with no identified underlying immunosuppression. In all cases, extracellular mycobacteria were seen in the pulmonary epithelium, intestinal lumen and glomerular tufts, which could affect the shedding of the organism. The present study highlights the importance of mycobacteriosis as a differential even in immunocompetent animals. Considering the close relationship of owners and pets and the potential presence of free mycobacteria in secretions, cats should be considered as a possible environmental reservoir for mycobacteria., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Healthy, thriving calves are essential for beef calf production. We studied the health status and factors associated with the growth of beef calves in six cow-calf herds during the first month of the calves' lives and at weaning age (200 days). The six herds were visited three times, when calves were approximately 3 days, 16 days and 30 days of age. On each visit calves (n=37) were clinically examined, weighed or measured, blood samples were collected, faecal samples obtained and deep nasopharyngeal swabs were taken. Each blood sample was analysed for acute phase proteins (haptoglobin, serum amyloid-A, fibrinogen), total proteins and albumin, the faecal sample for intestinal tract pathogens (rotavirus, bovine coronavirus, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella , oocysts of Eimeria coccidia and Cryptosporidium , and nematode eggs), and the nasopharyngeal swab for respiratory tract pathogens (bovine coronavirus (BCV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), bacteria and mycoplasma). Clinical diagnosis of respiratory tract disease, diarrhoea or umbilical disease was set at 15.0% for all the three consecutive examinations combined (n=107), but only few pathogens were detected from the samples. The increased levels of acute phase proteins were neither associated with any of the diseases nor with the pathogens. Random intercept linear models were used to explore factors affecting early (3-30 days) and long-term (3-200 days) growth, showing that calves with elevated serum amyloid-A concentrations at the age of 16 days had lower long-term growth. Increased albumin concentration at 30 days of age and higher parity of the dam increased early-term growth. The lack of association between a disease and the acute phase protein may stem from the low disease prevalence in the beef calves examined. The measurement of acute phase proteins of a young calf can help identify animals with possible future growth deficiencies, although the mechanisms through which the association between acute phase proteins and growth has yet to be explained., (© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The efficacy of the commercial competitive exclusion product Broilact against Campylobacter jejuni was evaluated in broiler chickens in a 5-week pilot-scale study. Newly-hatched broiler chicks were brought from a commercial hatchery. After arrival 50 seeder chicks were challenged orally with approximately 10(3) cfu of C. jejuni, wing marked, and placed back in a delivery box and moved to a separate room. The rest of the chicks (contact chicks) were placed in floor pens, 100 chicks per pen. Birds in two pens were treated orally on the day of hatch with the commercial competitive exclusion (CE) product Broilact, and three pens were left untreated. The following day 10 seeder chicks were introduced into the Broilact treated and untreated control pens. One pen was left both untreated and unchallenged (0-control). Each week the ceca of 10 contact chicks and one seeder chick were examined quantitatively for Campylobacter The treatment prevented or significantly reduced the colonization of the challenge organism in the ceca during the two first weeks; the percentage of colonized birds being 0% after the first week and 30% after the second week in the Broilact treated groups but was 100% in the control groups the entire 5-week rearing period. During the third rearing week the proportion of Campylobacter positive birds started to increase in the treated pens, being 80% after the third week and 95 and 90% after the fourth and fifth rearing weeks, respectively. Similarly the average count of Campylobacter in the cecal contents of the Broilact treated chicks started to increase, the difference between the treated and control chicks being 1.4 logs at the end of the rearing period. Although the protective effect was temporary and occurred only during the first two weeks of the rearing period, the results of this study support the earlier observations that CE flora designed to protect chicks from Salmonella may also reduce Campylobacter colonization of broiler chickens., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Poultry Science Association.)

The prevalence of human pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica was determined in tonsil and intestinal content samples from 388 healthy fattening pigs at the four biggest Finnish slaughterhouses. These slaughterhouses process 73% of pigs in Finland. Tonsil samples were tested by PCR targeted for yadA, and intestinal samples were cultured. All pathogenic Y. enterocolitica isolates represented bioserotype 4/O:3. The prevalence of Y. enterocolitica in tonsil samples was 60% (95% confidence limit, 55.4 to 65.1%), and its prevalence in intestinal samples was 26% (95% confidence limit, 22.1 to 31.2%). The prevalence of Y. enterocolitica in tonsil and intestinal samples varied between the four slaughterhouses. The tonsil prevalence of Y. enterocolitica was higher in slaughterhouse B, and the prevalence in intestinal content was higher in slaughterhouse C. There were more positive results in both tonsil and intestinal samples in pigs coming from fattening farms than in pigs coming from farrowing-and-fattening farms. A seasonal variation was observed in the prevalence of Y. enterocolitica in intestinal samples, with the highest prevalence during July and August, but no seasonal variation was detected in tonsil samples.

The Echinococcus granulosus complex (EG) is the causative agent of cystic echinococcosis (CE). Northern cervid Echinococcus was previously suggested to be the ancestor of the entire EG. During the last century, it was regarded to have three (or four) different, but often overlapping, transmission cycles in the circumpolar North: the original wolf-wild cervid (reindeer or elk)-cycle; the semi-synanthropic cycle involving sled and hunting dogs and wild cervids; and the synanthropic cycle involving herding dogs and semi-domesticated reindeer. Human infections mainly derived from the latter two cycles. In Fennoscandia, the synanthropic cycle has been eliminated during the last 50 years due to changes in reindeer husbandry methods; machinery making herding dogs largely redundant. Typical to human CE in the North has been the relatively benign nature of the disease compared with CE caused by E. granulosus sensu stricto. The metacestodes in humans and in the natural cervid hosts predominantly appear in the lungs. The causative agents have been identified as EG mitochondrial genotypes G8 and G10, now together with G6 (camel), G7 (pig) and G9 genotypes constituting the Echinococcus canadensis species. Based on recent findings in reindeer in Yakutia, G6 might also be recognised among cervid genotypes. The geographical distribution of both G8 and G10 is circumpolar, with G10 currently apparently more prevalent both in the Palearctic and Nearctic. Because of the disappearance of the working dog, E. canadensis in Fennoscandia is again highly dependent on the wolf, as it was before domestication of the dog. Pet and sled dogs, if their number further increases, may to a minor part participate in the life cycle. Human CE in the North was mostly diagnosed by mass chest tuberculosis radiography campaigns, which have been discontinued., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

When Echinococcus (E.) multilocularis was first detected in mainland Scandinavia in Denmark in 2000, surveillance was initiated/intensified in Sweden, mainland Norway and Finland. After 10 years of surveillance these countries all fulfilled the requirements of freedom from E. multilocularis as defined by the EU, i.e. a prevalence in final hosts <1% with 95% confidence level. However, in 2011 E. multilocularis was detected in Sweden for the first time and surveillance was increased in all four countries. Finland and mainland Norway are currently considered free from E. multilocularis, whereas the prevalence in foxes in Sweden and Denmark is approximately 0.1% and 1.0%, respectively. E. multilocularis has been found in foxes from three different areas in Denmark: Copenhagen (2000), Højer (2012-14) and Grindsted (2014). Unlike Sweden, Norway and Finland, human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is not notifiable in Denmark, and the number of human cases is therefore unknown. In Sweden, E. multilocularis has been found in foxes in four counties, Västra Götaland, Södermanland, Dalarna (2011) and Småland (2014). E. multilocularis has also been found in an intermediate host in Södermanland (2014). Two cases of AE have been reported in humans (2012), both infected abroad. No cases of E. multilocularis or AE have been reported in Finland and Norway. Recommendations and future considerations are discussed further., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Moniliformin is a Fusarium mycotoxin mainly produced by several species infecting grains in different climatic conditions. According to our previous studies, it is acutely toxic to rats, with an LD50 cut-off value of 25mg/kg b.w. To further assess the possible health risks of low dose exposure to moniliformin, a subacute oral toxicity study was conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats, adapting OECD guideline 407. Five dose groups and two satellite groups, each consisting of five male rats, were daily exposed to moniliformin by gavage. Two rats in the highest dose group, showed decreased activity followed by acute heart failure and death. The rats of the lower doses (<9mg/kg b.w.) showed no signs of toxicity. The daily intake of moniliformin strongly reduced the phagocytic activity of neutrophils in all dose groups. The decrease continued in the satellite group during the follow-up period, indicating a severe impact on the immune system and a LOAEL value of 3mg/kg b.w. for moniliformin. Moniliformin was rapidly excreted into urine, ranging between 20.2 and 31.5% daily and showed no signs of accumulation. The concentration of moniliformin in faeces was less than 2%, which suggests efficient absorption from the gastrointestinal tract., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we compared the performance of conventional sample preparation techniques used in mycotoxin analyses against automated on-line sample clean-up for the determination of deoxynivalenol (DON) and its conjugated derivative, deoxynivalenol-3-β-d-glucoside (D3G), in cereal grains. Blank wheat and barley samples were spiked with DON and D3G, extracted with a mixture of acetonitrile:water (84:16, v/v) and processed by one of the following: extract and shoot, MycoSep(®) 227 clean-up columns, MycoSep 227 with an additional acetonitrile elution step and centrifugal filtration, followed by analysis with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Based on method performance characteristics and poor recoveries (<30%) obtained for the polar D3G with some techniques, the extract and shoot approach was chosen for the inter-laboratory method comparison study. Thus, the same spiked samples were analysed in parallel by another laboratory with an in-house validated on-line sample clean-up method, utilising TurboFlow™ chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry. Method validation was performed by determination of specificity, linearity, recovery, intra-day precision and the limits of detection and quantification. Matrix-matched linearity (R(2)>0.985) was established in the range of 100-1600 and 20-320μg/kg for DON and D3G, respectively. Average recoveries (%RSD) were acceptable with both methods for wheat and barley, ranging between 73% and 102% (3-12%) for DON and 72% and 98% (1-10%) for D3G. The benefit of using automated sample clean-up in comparison to extract and shoot is the ability to inject directly pure extracts into the mass spectrometer, offering faster analyses and improved sensitivity with minimum system maintenance., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The end products (digestate, solid fraction of the digestate, liquid fraction of the digestate) of ten biogas production lines in Finland were analyzed for ten hazardous organic compounds or compound groups: polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB(7)), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH(16)), bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), perfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFCs), linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LASs), nonylphenols and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NP+NPEOs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). Biogas plant feedstocks were divided into six groups: municipal sewage sludge, municipal biowaste, fat, food industry by-products, animal manure and others (consisting of milling by-products (husk) and raw former foodstuffs of animal origin from the retail trade). There was no clear connection between the origin of the feedstocks of a plant and the concentrations of hazardous organic compounds in the digestate. For PCDD/Fs and for DEHP, the median soil burden of the compound after a single addition of digestate was similar to the annual atmospheric deposition of the compound or compound group in Finland or other Nordic countries. For PFCs, the median soil burden was somewhat lower than the atmospheric deposition in Finland or Sweden. For NP+NPEOs, the soil burden was somewhat higher than the atmospheric deposition in Denmark. The median soil burden of PBDEs was 400 to 1000 times higher than the PBDE air deposition in Finland or in Sweden. With PBDEs, PFCs and HBCD, the impact of the use of end products should be a focus of further research. Highly persistent compounds, such as PBDE- and PFC-compounds may accumulate in agricultural soil after repeated use of organic fertilizers containing these compounds. For other compounds included in this study, agricultural use of biogas plant end products is unlikely to cause risk to food safety in Finland., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A study concerning persistent organic pollutants in Finnish semi-domesticated reindeer was conducted in northern Finland. The aim of this study was to explore POP presence in different tissues of reindeer. In addition, it was studied how POPs are transported from food concentrates and lichen to reindeer hind tissues and further to the placenta, foetus, milk and calf. Concentrations of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs), 37 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (including 12 dioxin-like PCBs), and 15 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were analysed. In most of the reindeer muscle tissue samples PCBs were clearly dominating compounds (on average 58% of the total WHO-TEQ). The total WHO-TEQ was higher in the muscle tissue of reindeer calves than in their corresponding hinds (on average 1.7 pg/g fat vs. 1.1 pg/g fat, respectively). The total WHO-TEQ concentrations were higher in the muscle and liver tissues of reindeer hinds than in their blood or placentas. The foetuses had clearly lower WHO-TEQ concentrations than their corresponding hinds. The contribution of WHO-PCDD/F-TEQ to the total WHO-TEQ was somewhat higher in the liver than in the muscle tissue. The reindeer hind-calf pair, which had gone through the lichen diet, had on average higher WHO-PCDD/F- and PCB-TEQ concentrations in their tissues than the hind-calf-pair that had gone through the reindeer food concentrate diet. WHO-PCB-TEQs in the reindeer foetuses were equal with the concentrations of placentas. The reindeer foetuses contained generally more PBDEs than their corresponding hinds and placentas. This may indicate effective transport of these compounds through the placenta of reindeer., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) has become a threat in the modern cattle sector because of its adverse impact on human health. Systems have been developed to reduce the risk of EHEC infection associated with the beef production chain. In Finland, the risk management of EHEC is mainly targeted at primary production, which is controlled by a national program. The prevalence of E. coli O157 in slaughter animals and herds appears to have remained relatively low over the years (0.2 to 1.2% and 0.3 to 1.5%, respectively). The effectiveness of the Finnish EHEC control program (FECP) was analyzed with a Bayesian statistical model based on the results from 2006 through 2010. According to the model, the estimated true prevalence of EHEC in slaughter animals was at its highest in 2007 (95% credible interval [CI], 0.94 to 1.85% of animals), and the estimated true prevalence in herds was its highest in 2007 (95% CI, 1.28 to 2.55% of herds). However, the estimated probability of the FECP detecting an EHEC-positive slaughter animal or herd was 0.52 to 0.58% and 4.74 to 6.49%, respectively. The inability to detect EHEC-positive animals was partly due to animal-based random sampling, which ignores herd-level testing and therefore emphasizes the testing of slaughter animals from herds that send more animals to slaughter. Some slaughterhouses collected samples incorrectly as a consequence of an incorrectly implemented FECP. Farmers may also have questionable reasons for choosing to send animals to be slaughtered in small abattoirs, in which testing is less likely, to avoid suspicion of EHEC or other zoonotic infections.

Serum samples from 953 reindeer (Rangifer t. tarandus) calves-of-the-year from 21 reindeer herding co-operatives in Finland in slaughter season 2006/2007 were assayed for antibodies against Hypodermin C by an ELISA detecting IgG. Data on presence of Hypoderma tarandi larvae on 12,327 reindeer hides from 17 of the 21 herding co-operatives in slaughter season 2005/2006 were included for support. ELISA showed a seroprevalence of 60.9%, with no significant difference between females and males, and increase with latitude (southernmost and northernmost co-operatives examined, Pudasjärvi and Kaldoaivi, 11.8 and 100% of seropositives, respectively). The proportion of larva positive hides (range 0.5-60% per co-operative) was low compared to the proportion of seropositives. Also the proportion of larva positive hides increased with latitude. Our findings indicated that high latitude combined with open landscape, presence of low vegetation and high reindeer density provided more favorable conditions for sustaining of high degree of warble fly infestation, and furthermore, that any possible effect of ivermectin treatment on infestation rate was ruled out by the higher effect by the above factors., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The steroids, hydrocortisone, androstenedione, 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone, 17-α-methyltestosterone, and progesterone were separated with microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) and detected with UV absorption. The microemulsion phases were prepared from both artificial and vegetable oils, from them the first was made of alkane and alcohol and the latter from colza, olive, linseed, and walnut oils. The electrolyte solutions were made to emulsions using sodium dodecyl sulfate and alkaline tetraborate. The solution mixtures made from ethyl acetate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, 1-butanol, acetonitrile, and sodium tetraborate were used as the reference solutions to evaluate the performance of the vegetable oil emulsions. Our study showed that the lipophilic organic phase in the microemulsion did provide resolution improvements but not selectivity changes. The results also correlate with real interactions of the steroids with the lipophilic organic microemulsion phase. The quality of the oils between the manufacturers did not have importance, which was noticed from the equal behavior of the steroids in the vegetable oil emulsions. Detection limits of the steroids in vegetable oil emulsions were at the level of 0.20-0.43μg/L. Thus, they were 2-10 times higher than the concentrations in the partial filling micellar electrokinetic chromatography (PF-MEKC), which we have obtained earlier. The repeatability (RSD%) of the electrophoretic mobilities of the steroids was between 0.50 and 3.70. The RSD% values between the inter-day separations were below 1%, but when walnut and olive oils were used the values exceeded even 10%., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) and class C serine β-lactamases (pAmpC) able to hydrolyze third-generation cephalosporins are a recognized threat to the efficacy of these drugs in treating serious infections. Broiler chicks are a known source of Escherichia coli harboring genes for these enzymes. Competitive exclusion (CE) has been used for decades in Finland to prevent the colonization of broiler ceca by Salmonella, but has not been widely used in Sweden. The markedly different prevalences of ESBL- or pAmpC-producing E. coli at slaughter in broilers produced in the 2 countries suggest a potential role for CE. The present study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of a commercial CE product in reducing the colonization of broiler ceca by ESBL- or pAmpC-producing E. coli. The challenge organisms were isolated from healthy broilers in Sweden. Each E. coli strain (1 ESBL and 2 pAmpC types) was subjected to 4 replicate trials. In each trial, a group of 20 newly hatched Ross breed chicks were treated by gavage with the CE product, whereas another group of 20 was left untreated. The next day, all 40 chicks were inoculated by gavage with the E. coli strain. The chicks were reared in cardboard boxes and received feed and water ad libitum. After a week the chicks were asphyxiated with CO(2), and their ceca removed and examined for the presence of the E. coli strains. The median and quartiles of the challenge E. coli estimates in the groups were determined, and the treated and control groups were compared with the Wilcoxon 2-sample test. In each trial, a substantial and statistically significant or highly significant reduction was observed in the colonization of the ceca of CE-treated chicks by E. coli strains, compared with that of untreated control. Referring to an arbitrary criterion for high shedders presented in the literature, it was concluded that at least for the ESBL E. coli, the results were also of epidemiological relevance.

The first three human trichinellosis cases in Finland were recorded around 1890, and altogether eight cases were registered until 2008. The first infected Finnish swine was found in 1954. From the early 1980s, an increasing trend in the number of infected swine was seen, with the highest number registered in 1996, after which a decrease has been observed. Infected pigs were found yearly until 2004. Since 1954, all slaughtered pigs have been tested for Trichinella, regardless of subsequent export or domestic consumption purpose. All Trichinella infections revealed in pigs are, since 1998, analysed for species by multiplex PCR. So far, all larvae from pig infections have been identified as Trichinella spiralis. During the recent decreasing trend in prevalence, the number of pig farms has also decreased, while the yearly number of slaughtered pigs has remained stable or even slightly increased. For many decades, the Trichinella prevalence in Finnish wildlife has remained high. Foxes, raccoon dogs, wolves, and lynx in the southern part of the country exhibit prevalence exceeding 50%. The most common species in wildlife is Trichinella nativa, a species with very low infectivity to swine, but also, T. spiralis, Trichinella britovi, and Trichinella pseudospiralis occur in wildlife.

Foodborne outbreaks are often reported to be acquired at food service establishments. As a part of a quantitative risk assessment on the consumer risk of contracting Salmonella infection via shell eggs, we studied how small, medium, and large restaurants, institutional kitchens, and staff canteens (n=171) purchase, store, and use shell eggs. In addition, we estimated the fraction of raw and undercooked risky egg dishes among all egg dishes served in food service establishments of different sizes and types. The majority of establishments used shell eggs (78%), purchased eggs once per week (39%), and stored eggs at cool temperatures (82%). The size of the food service establishment had a less significant effect on shell egg preparation and handling practices than the type of the establishment. In particular, restaurants and institutional kitchens differed from each other. Restaurants purchased shell eggs more frequently, were more likely to store them at room temperature, stored shell eggs for a shorter period, and were more likely to prepare undercooked egg dishes than institutional kitchens. It was predicted that 6 to 20% of all different egg dishes prepared in a single randomly chosen food service establishment would be risky egg dishes with a 95% Bayesian credible interval of 0 to 96%, showing uncertainty because of the variability between kitchens and uncertainty in kitchen type-specific parameters. The results indicate that although most Finnish food service establishments had safe egg handling practices, a substantial minority expressed risky behavior. Compared with the egg consumption patterns in private Finnish households, however, practices in food service establishments did not prove to be more prone to risk.

A quantitative liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed for the determination of malachite green (MG) and its metabolite leucomalachite green (LMG) in fish. Residues were extracted with an acetonitrile-acetate buffer and purified using the automated solid-phase extraction (ASPEC). Residues were analyzed with a reversed-phase LC-MS/MS using a positive-ion electrospray ionisation (ESI). Isotope-labelled leucomalachite green (LMG-D5) was used as an internal standard for the quantification of LMG residues. The related dye, brilliant green (BG) was used as an instrumental standard. Identification and quantification of analytes were based on the ion transitions monitored by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The decision limit (CCalpha) for MG and LMG was 0.13 and 0.16 microgkg(-1). The respective detection capabilities (CCbeta) were 0.22 and 0.27 microgkg(-1). The absolute recovery (repeatability SD(r)) was in the range of 58-65% (7.8-11.2%) for MG and 59-68% (9.7-16.9%) for LMG. LMG was quantified also based on the internal standard, giving a recovery (repeatability SD(r)) of 103-110% (4.8-9.3%). The method was further evaluated by analyzing a total of 34 fish residue monitoring samples, of which eight samples were found to be non-compliant containing low residues of LMG.