1
|
El Khalfaoui N, El Amiri B, Cabaraux JF, Chentouf M, Raes M, Marcotty T, Kirschvink N. Rearing Management and Its Impact on Caseous Lymphadenitis in Sheep. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1504. [PMID: 38791721 PMCID: PMC11117208 DOI: 10.3390/ani14101504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Two surveys were conducted to assess the prevalence and risk factors of ovine caseous lymphadenitis (CL) and explore the association between its superficial and visceral forms in Sardi sheep in Settat province, Morocco. A total of 1521 sheep, including 318 lambs < 6 months, 572 young sheep aged 6-24 months, and 631 adult sheep > 24 months, were examined from 57 flocks. Superficial CL prevalence levels were as follows: 69/318 in lambs, 292/572 in young sheep, and 114/631 in adult sheep. Additionally, 2124 sheep, including 1813 young and 311 adult sheep, were inspected in slaughterhouses ante- and post-mortem. Among all infected animals, the prevalence of visceral abscesses was notably higher in adult sheep (83%, OR = 9.8, 95% CI = 5.5-17.2) compared to young sheep (35%). Data on flock size, sex, age, body condition score, rearing methods, and hygienic measures were collected. Suspected CL cases were confirmed using quadruplex-PCR. Poor barn ventilation, lack of abscess control, and younger age were identified as key risk factors for CL. Additionally, a high percentage (89%) of animals with thoracic abscesses did not display superficial lesions. While age and abscess control have been reported in previous studies, barn ventilation appears to be a new, but important, risk factor. In conclusion, the identified risk factors in Settat province are linked to breeding management practices. Implementing regular abscess control measures and improving barn ventilation are essential for CL prevention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nora El Khalfaoui
- Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences, University of Namur, 5000 Namur, Belgium; (N.E.K.)
- Animal Production Unit, Regional Center Agricultural Research of Settat, National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Avenue Ennasr, P.O. Box 415, Rabat Principal, Rabat 10090, Morocco
| | - Bouchra El Amiri
- Animal Production Unit, Regional Center Agricultural Research of Settat, National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Avenue Ennasr, P.O. Box 415, Rabat Principal, Rabat 10090, Morocco
| | - Jean-François Cabaraux
- Department of Veterinary Management of Animal Resources, FARAH Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Mouad Chentouf
- Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Tangier, National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Avenue Ennasr, P.O. Box 415, Rabat Principal, Rabat 10090, Morocco;
| | - Marianne Raes
- Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences, University of Namur, 5000 Namur, Belgium; (N.E.K.)
| | - Tanguy Marcotty
- Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences, University of Namur, 5000 Namur, Belgium; (N.E.K.)
| | - Nathalie Kirschvink
- Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences, University of Namur, 5000 Namur, Belgium; (N.E.K.)
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
El Damaty HM, El-Demerdash AS, Abd El-Aziz NK, Yousef SG, Hefny AA, Abo Remela EM, Shaker A, Elsohaby I. Molecular Characterization and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Isolated from Caseous Lymphadenitis of Smallholder Sheep and Goats. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2337. [PMID: 37508114 PMCID: PMC10376069 DOI: 10.3390/ani13142337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is a bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (C. pseudotuberculosis) that affects sheep and goats, leading to abscess formation in their lymph nodes. The present study aimed to isolate and identify C. pseudotuberculosis from CLA in smallholder sheep and goats, and determine the resistance patterns, virulence, and resistance genes of the isolates. Additionally, genotypic and phylogenetic analysis of the isolates was conducted using ERIC-PCR and DNA sequencing techniques. A cross-sectional study examined 220 animals (130 sheep and 90 goats) from 39 smallholder flocks for clinical signs of CLA. Fifty-four (24.54%) animals showed CLA-compatible lesions, confirmed by C. pseudotuberculosis isolation and PCR identification. Sheep had a lower infection rate of CLA (18.46%) compared with goats (33.3%). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 54 C. pseudotuberculosis isolates to 24 antimicrobial drugs revealed that they were 100% resistant to bacitracin and florfenicol, while none of the isolates were resistant to norfloxacin. A high resistance rate was observed for penicillin and erythromycin (92.6% each). Interestingly, 16.7% of C. pseudotuberculosis isolates recovered from sheep showed vancomycin resistance. Molecular characterization of C. pseudotuberculosis isolates revealed that PLD, PIP, and FagA virulence genes were present in all examined isolates. However, the FagB, FagC, and FagD genes were detected in 24 (100%), 20 (83%), and 18 (75%) of the sheep isolates, and 26 (87%), 26 (87%), and 18 (60%) of the goat isolates, respectively. The β-lactam resistance gene was present in all isolates. Furthermore, 83% of the sheep isolates carried the aminoglycoside (aph(3″)-lb), chloramphenicol (cat1), and bacitracin (bcrA) resistance genes. Among the isolates recovered from goats, 73% were found to contain macrolides (ermX), sulfonamide (sul1), and bacitracin (bcrA) resistance genes. It is worrisome that the glycopeptide (vanA) resistance gene was detected in 8% of the sheep isolates as a first report. ERIC-PCR genotyping of 10 multi-drug-resistant C. pseudotuberculosis isolates showed a high similarity index of 83.6% between isolates from sheep and goats. Nucleotide sequence analysis of partial 16S rRNA sequences of C. pseudotuberculosis revealed 98.83% similarity with biovar Ovis of globally available reference sequences on the Genbank database. Overall, our findings might indicate that C. pseudotuberculosis infection in smallholders in Egypt might be underestimated despite the significant financial impact on animal husbandry and potential health hazards it poses. Moreover, this study highlights the importance of implementing a sustainable control strategy and increasing knowledge and awareness among smallholder breeders to mitigate the economic impact of CLA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hend M El Damaty
- Department of Animal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt
| | - Azza S El-Demerdash
- Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Zagazig 44516, Egypt
| | - Norhan K Abd El-Aziz
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt
| | - Sarah G Yousef
- Department of Animal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt
| | - Ahmed A Hefny
- Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt
| | - Etab M Abo Remela
- Department of Bacteriology, Mycology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Taibah University, Medina 42353, Saudi Arabia
| | - Asmaa Shaker
- Department of Microbiology, Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32897, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim Elsohaby
- Department of Animal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Centre for Applied One Health Research and Policy Advice (OHRP), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| |
Collapse
|