Trueperella pyogenes is an opportunistic pathogen, responsible for important infections in pigs and significant economic losses in swine production. To date, there are no available commercial vaccines to control diseases caused by this bacterium. In this work, we performed a comparative proteomic analysis of 15 T. pyogenes clinical isolates, by “shaving” live cells, followed by LC-MS/MS, aiming at the identification of the whole set of surface proteins (i.e., the “pan-surfome”) as a source of antigens to be tested in further studies as putative vaccine candidates, or used in diagnostic tools. A total of 140 surface proteins were detected, comprising 25 cell wall proteins, 10 secreted proteins, 23 lipoproteins and 82 membrane proteins. After describing the “pan-surfome”, the identified proteins were ranked in three different groups based on the following criteria: to be (i) surface-exposed, (ii) highly conserved and (iii) widely distributed among different isolates. Two cell wall proteins, three lipoproteins, four secreted and seven membrane proteins were identified in more than 70% of the studied strains, were highly expressed and highly conserved. These proteins are potential candidates, alone or in combination, to obtain effective vaccines against T. pyogenes or to be used in the diagnosis of this pathogen.

Canine leishmaniasis is a parasitic zoonosis mainly caused by L. infantum; an obligate intracellular protozoan transmitted by haematophagous insects of the genus Phlebotomus, which affects dogs and wild canids. The clinical implications of this disease are highly variable, since infected animals may remain asymptomatic (absence of observable clinical signs) or present a wide spectrum of clinical alterations and degrees of severity, including the death of the animal. Symptoms such as lymphadenomegaly, alopecia, weight loss, keratoconjunctivitis and onychogryphosis are usually the first diagnostic reference available. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the validity (sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios) and diagnostic utility (pre-test probability) of the clinical signs commonly associated with canine leishmaniasis based on the prevalence in the area and to explore the combination of symptoms that best predicts the diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis. It is a matched case-control study in the canine population of southern Spain based on the comparison of the findings collected in the clinical history and the results of the LeisSCAN quantitative ELISA. A total of 39 cases and 78 controls were analysed. Approximately 80% of the infected animals showed signs compatible with the disease. The most frequent alterations were cutaneous (64.1%), systemic (51.3%) and oculo-nasal (30.7%). The most useful signs to support this diagnosis were alopecia and epistaxis (LR+ 6.69 and 6.0, respectively) (pre-test leishmaniasis probability is >= 70% for prevalence >= 28% when alopecia or epistaxis is present), followed by lameness (LR+ 5.0). The combinations of signs that showed greater validity were alopecia with hyperkeratosis of the snout and alopecia with onychogryphosis (LR+ > 10). None of the observed signs or their combinations resulted useful to rule out the diagnosis (LR- 0.55 to 1.15). The results found show notable differences in the diagnostic value of the clinical signs, individually and in combination, so we believe that medical decisions should be based on their diagnostic validity (LR+) and the estimation of the pre-test and post-test probability.

Stray cats act as reservoirs of pathogens and resistance genes, representing a risk to public health, especially in urban and peri-urban areas due to their mobility and, in some cases, the lack of sanitary control. One of the most relevant zoonotic agents is Escherichia coli, a pathogen of the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals that causes infection/disease and can be transmitted from one species to another. We investigated a total of 169 rectal swabs from feline colonies in the municipality of Benalmadena (province of Málaga, south Spain). The microbiological identification process included bacterial isolation on selective media (XLD), standard biochemical tests and the MALDI-TOF identification system. A total of 68 E. coli strains were thus confirmed (40.23%). Subsequently, an antimicrobial resistance analysis was carried out using automatized methods (Sensititre); each isolate was evaluated by MIC against 15 antimicrobial agents. E. coli strains showed a high percentage of sensitivity. The most relevant finding was the resistance of the strains to azithromycin (100%), as well as a moderate resistance to sulfonamides (25%) and ampicillin (20.6%). The percentage of multidrug resistance (MDR) was found in 13.23% of the strains studied. In relation to the rest of the antimicrobials evaluated, the strains presented high percentages of sensitivity. It can be concluded that our research represents the first confirmation of commensal Escherichia coli in stray cats in Spain indicating a moderate-high prevalence as well as a low MDR levels. The control of the health status of these animals under a One Health approach is necessary due to their direct impact on public health.

Stray cats may act as reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant and potentially pathogenic bacteria, representing a potential public health concern within a One Health framework. This study investigated the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), multidrug resistance (MDR), and virulence-associated traits in commensal Escherichia coli isolated from free-living cat colonies in southern Spain. A total of 169 rectal swabs were collected from cats belonging to feline colonies and shelters in Benalmádena (Málaga, Spain). Bacterial isolation and identification were performed using selective culture media, conventional biochemical tests, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing against 15 antimicrobial agents, and isolates were screened for selected virulence-associated genes associated with major diarrheagenic E. coli pathotypes. A total of 68 E. coli isolates (40.2%) were recovered. The highest resistance frequencies were observed for sulfamethoxazole (25.0%) and ampicillin (20.6%), whereas all isolates showed high susceptibility rates to most of the antimicrobials tested, including azithromycin (100%), as well as gentamicin, amikacin, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, meropenem, colistin, chloramphenicol and tigecycline (98.5%). Six isolates (8.8%) were classified as multidrug-resistant. In addition, six isolates (8.8%) were identified as atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (aEPEC), although none exhibited a multidrug resistance phenotype. These findings demonstrate the presence of both antimicrobial resistance and virulence-associated traits among commensal E. coli circulating in free-living cats. The inclusion of feline colonies or shelters in antimicrobial resistance surveillance programmes may contribute valuable information for integrated One Health monitoring strategies.