Isolation of Dermatophilus congolensis phage from the 'lumpy wool' of sheep in Western Australia

Application of bacteriophages

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and decrease in the discovery rate of novel antibiotics takes mankind back to the ‘pre-antibiotic era' and search for alternative treatments. Bacteriophages have been one of promising alternative agents which can be utilised for medicinal and biological control purposes in agriculture and related fields. The idea to treat bacterial infections with phages came out of the pioneering work of Félix d‘Hérelle but this was overshadowed by the success of antibiotics. Recent renewed interest in phage therapy is dictated by its advantages most importantly by their specificity against the bacterial targets. This prevents complications such as antibiotic-induced dysbiosis and secondary infections. This article is compiled by the participants of the Expert Round Table conference ‘Bacteriophages as tools for therapy, prophylaxis and diagnostics' (19–21 October 2015) at the Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology, Tbilisi, Georgia. The first paper from the Round Table was published in the Biotechnology Journal1. This In Focus article expands from this paper and includes recent developments reported since then by the Expert Round Table participants, including the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol for the applications of bacteriophages.

Prevalence and pathology of dermatophilosis in camels (Camelus dromedaries) in Iran

Gross and histopathologic lesions of the integumentary system were studied in 103 camels (Camelus dromedarius) slaughtered in Yazd Province of Iran. Dermatophilosis was diagnosed in 14 (13.6%) of the studied camels. Grossly, patchy thickening of the skin with dark brown scabs or crusts were observed on the rump, flanks, abdomen, shoulders, and neck. A heavy infestation with brown hard ticks was present on the lesions in almost all of the affected camels. On parasitology examination, all the ticks were identified as Hyalomma spp. Histopathologic examination of the affected skins revealed prominent superficial thickening of the epidermis as orthokeratotic and parakeratotic hyperkeratosis, degenerating neutrophils, serous fluid, and bacterial filaments. A lot of keratinaceous debris associated with an exudate rich in neutrophils were seen as remarkable features of the lesions on the superficial epidermis. Dermal inflammation was mild with infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells, particularly lymphocytes, around superficial vessels. A Gram-positive filamentous organism which was divided into parallel rows of cocci was observed in the crusts by Brown and Brenn Gram stain. This is the first report of the occurrence of dermatophilosis in the camels of Iran. With regard to infestation of the lesions by Hyalomma spp., it seems that this tick may have an important role in the pathogenesis of dermatophilosis in the camels of this region.