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Background and Aim: Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by Brucella species. This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with bovine brucellosis seropositivity in organized dairy farms to control the disease in unvaccinated adult bovine herds in Karnataka, India., Materials and Methods: In total, 3610 samples (3221 cattle and 389 buffaloes) were subjected to parallel testing using the Rose Bengal plate test and protein G-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, followed by analyses of animal- and farm-level epidemiological datasets to identify the risk factors., Results: The apparent brucellosis prevalence at the animal level was higher in buffaloes (8.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.9-11.4) than in cattle (6.1%, 95% CI = 5.3-7.0). In a multivariable logistic model, animals calved 3-5 times (odds ratio [OR] = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.50-3.1, reference [ref]: animals calved <2 times); animals with a history of abortion (OR = 54.73, 95% CI = 33.66-89.02), repeat breeding (OR = 19.46, 95% CI = 11.72-32.25), and placental retention (OR = 13.94, 95% CI = 4.92-39.42, ref: no clinical signs); and dogs on farms (OR = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.48-4.40, ref: absence of dogs); disposal of aborted fetus in open fields (OR = 4.97, 95% CI = 1.93-12.84) and water bodies (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.50-3.1, ref: buried); purchase of animals from other farms (OR = 6.46, 95% CI = 1.01-41.67, ref: government farms); hand milking (OR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.02-10.0, ref: machine milking); and use of monthly veterinary services (OR = 3.45, 95% CI = 1.28-9.29, ref: weekly services) were considered significant risk factors for brucellosis in organized bovine herds (p < 0.01)., Conclusion: The study identified that the animals calved 3-5 times or with a history of abortion/repeat breeding/placental retention, and disposal of aborted fetus in open fields/water bodies as the potential risk factors for bovine brucellosis. These risk factors should be controlled through the implementation of best practices to reduce the brucellosis burden in bovine farms., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Shome, et al.)

A total of 38 Escherichia coli isolates were recovered from 120 samples collected from various sources of broiler chicken farms (n = 10 each) in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states. Though the recovered E. coli isolates were found variably resistant to the tested antibiotics, all the tested isolates were susceptible to meropenem. Alarming multi-drug resistance (MDR) was observed (34/38) among the recovered isolates, wherein antibiotic-resistant genes (bla TEM , bla SHV , and tetA) were detected, except for bla CTX-M-9 . The heatmap with cluster analysis exhibited that majority of the E. coli isolates recovered from different sources and regions clustered together based on their phenotypic resistance suggesting co-sharing of resistance. However, the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing revealed an extremely diverse genotypic profile. Further, a significant statistical association was not observed between hypothesized risk factors and recovered MDR- E. coli isolates from various sources, although a significant statistical association between antibiotic resistance with large flock size, poor biosecurity practices, poor workers' hygiene, and poor disinfection practices was noticed. Since the study highlighted an alarming level of drug resistance among the recovered E. coli isolates, further in-depth research in similar veins is required to ensure the prudent use of antimicrobials in the poultry sector and the implementation of an antimicrobial surveillance system., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Neonatal calf mortality is a major concern to livestock sector worldwide. Neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD), an acute severe condition causes morbidity and mortality in calves. Amongst various pathogens involved in NCD, E. coli is considered as one of the major causes. The study was targeted to characterize E. coli isolates from neonatal calves for diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) types (pathotyping), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiling and to correlate with epidemiological parameters. From neonates, a total of 113 faecal samples were collected, out of that 308, lactose fermenting colonies were confirmed as E. coli. Pathotypable isolates (12.3%) were represented by STEC (6.1%), EPEC (2.9%), ETEC (1.9%), EAEC (0.9%) and EHEC (0.3%). Occurrence of STEC was more in non-diarrhoeic calves, whereas ETEC was observed more in diarrhoeic calves. EPEC occurrence was observed in both diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic calves. Fishers extract test showed no significant association for occurrence of DEC types to type of dairies, health status, species, breed, age and sex of neonatal calves. Two hundred and eighty isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. The isolates showed maximum resistance towards ampicillin (55.4%) followed by tetracycline (54.3%), while minimum resistance was observed towards meropenem (2.5%). Multidrug resistant E. coli isolates were found to be 139 (49.6%), and Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers were 120 (42.9%). DEC pathotypes like STEC, ETEC, EHEC and EAEC that are also multidrug resistant present in neonatal calves have zoonotic potential and hence are of public health significance., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background and Aim: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of high economic and public health importance in large and small ruminant populations worldwide. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of brucellosis in small ruminants in organized farms in the southern region of India., Materials and Methods: Farms exclusively rearing sheep and goats were selected based on the number of animals (small, medium, or large) and the location of the farm (urban, periurban, or rural). A total of 1499 serum samples; 1001 from sheeps and 498 from goats were sourced from six sheep and four goat farms and tested using Rose Bengal Plate and indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay tests., Results: The apparent prevalence of brucellosis was higher in sheep (8.29%, 95% CI 6.7-10.1) than goats (5.82%, 95% CI 4.0-8.2). The true adjusted population level seroprevalence was also higher in sheep, at 7.7% (95% CI 6.0-9.6) than in goats, at 5.1% (95% CI 3.2-7.6). According to bivariate categorical analysis, six highly significant (p<0.001) animal- and farm-level risk factors for sheep were age, breed, number of lambings, history of abortion, rural farms, and presence of dogs on the farm. In goats, five significant risk factors were found: History of abortion, separate sheds, dogs on the farm, weekly veterinary consultation, and lack of brucellosis awareness. In a logistic regression model, abortion (OR adjusted 10.8, 95% CI 1.2-96.12), rural farms (OR adjusted 8.5, 95% CI 3.6-20.0), and absence of separate sheds on the farms (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.5) were found to be significant risk factors for ovine brucellosis., Conclusion: The use of complementary measures to tackle the multiple animal- and farm-level risk factors may help to reduce the disease burden in the absence of a vaccination policy for small ruminants in India., (Copyright: © Natesan, et al.)

: Classical swine fever (CSF) is an economically significant, multi-systemic, highly contagious viral disease of swine world over. The disease is notifiable to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) due to its enormous consequences on porcine health and the pig industry. In India, the pig population is 9.06 million and contributes around 1.7% of the total livestock population. The pig industry is not well organized and is mostly concentrated in the eastern and northeastern states of the country (~40% of the country's population). Since the first suspected CSF outbreak in India during 1944, a large number of outbreaks have been reported across the country, and CSF has acquired an endemic status. As of date, there is a scarcity of comprehensive information on CSF from India. Therefore, in this review, we undertook a systematic review to compile and evaluate the prevalence and genetic diversity of the CSF virus situation in the porcine population from India, targeting particular virus genes sequence analysis, published reports on prevalence, pathology, and updates on indigenous diagnostics and vaccines. The CSF virus (CSFV) is genetically diverse, and at least three phylogenetic groups are circulating throughout the world. In India, though genotype 1.1 predominates, recently published reports point toward increasing evidence of co-circulation of sub-genotype 2.2 followed by 2.1. Sequence identities and phylogenetic analysis of Indian CSFV reveal high genetic divergence among circulating strains. In the meta-analysis random-effects model, the estimated overall CSF prevalence was 35.4%, encompassing data from both antigen and antibody tests, and region-wise sub-group analysis indicated variable incidence from 25% in the southern to nearly 40% in the central zone, eastern, and northeastern regions. A country-wide immunization approach, along with other control measures, has been implemented to reduce the disease incidence and eliminate the virus in time to come., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background and Aim: Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli are gradually increasing worldwide and carry a serious public threat. This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial resistance pattern of ESBL-producing E. coli isolated from fecal samples of piglets and pig farm workers., Materials and Methods: Fecal samples from <3-month-old piglets (n=156) and farm workers (n=21) were processed for the isolation of ESBL-producing E. coli in MacConkey agar added with 1 µg/mL of cefotaxime. E. coli (piglets=124; farm workers=21) were tested for ESBL production by combined disk method and ESBL E-strip test. Each of the ESBL-positive isolate was subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing. The ESBL-producing E. coli were further processed for genotypic confirmation to CTX-M gene., Results: A total of 55 (44.4%, 55/124) and nine (42.9%, 9/21) ESBL-producing E. coli were isolated from piglets and farm workers, respectively. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of the ESBL-positive E. coli isolates from piglets and farm workers showed 100% resistance to ceftazidime, cefotaxime, cefotaxime/clavulanic acid, ceftazidime/clavulanic acid, and cefpodoxime. A proportion of 100% (55/55) and 88.9% (8/9) ESBL-positive E. coli were multidrug resistance (MDR) in piglets and farm workers, respectively. On genotypic screening of the ESBL E. coli isolated from piglets (n=55), 15 were positive for the bla CTX-M gene and of the nine ESBL E. coli from farm workers, none were positive for the bla CTX-M gene., Conclusion: Although there was no significant difference in isolation of ESBL-producing E. coli between piglets and farm workers, the ESBL-positive E. coli from piglets showed relatively higher MDR than farm workers., (Copyright: © Tamta, et al.)

Aim: The present study aimed to study the seroprevalence of brucellosis in small ruminants of Gujarat state, India, using Rose Bengal Plate test (RBPT) and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA)., Materials and Methods: A total of 2444 sera samples (675 sheep and 1769 goat) from unorganized sector and 1310 sera samples (861 sheep and 449 goat) from seven organized farms were collected for brucellosis screening., Results: In unorganized sector, 23.70% sheep (160/675) and 15.99% goat (283/1769) were positive by RBPT and 24.44% sheep (165/675) and 17.24% goat (305/1769) by iELISA. The organized sector samples showed higher seroprevalence in goat (7.79 %, 35/449) than sheep (4.06 %, 35/861) by RBPT. Similarly, in iELISA, goat samples showed a higher seroprevalence (9.35%, 42/449) compared to sheep (7.50%, 65/861). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of RBPT with ELISA were 88.69% and 99.65%, respectively, and showed a significant difference (p≤0.0001). The Chi-square analysis revealed a significant difference in seroprevalence between sectors (p≤0.01) and species (p≤0.01)., Conclusion: The seroprevalence of brucellosis in small ruminants of Gujarat was investigated and showed a higher prevalence of brucellosis and warrants the implementation of proper preventive measures.

Twelve screened cases of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in calves were enrolled. Six of the calves were treated intramuscularly with sodium ceftiofur (1 mg/kg), and six were treated with nebulised sodium ceftiofur (1 mg/kg). Comparative evaluation of the two therapeutic modalities was based on repetitive analysis of hematological profile of calves on days 0, 5, and 10 post-therapy. The mortality rate in the group of calves treated with the nebulised sodium ceftiofur was significantly (p < 0.001) lower, and their clinical and hematological parameters returned to normal significantly (p < 0.001) faster than in calves treated intramuscularly. Nebulisation of sodium ceftiofur is the most effective treatment in calves with BRD under field conditions. Nasal lavage fluid analysis indicating a high rise of neutrophil count and macrophages may be used as an alternative method to detect pulmonary inflammation in BRD-affected calves.