Background and Aim: Milk is a chief source of many nutrients. However, we must also bear in mind that it is a potential source for many cases of food poisoning. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of cow mastitis and evaluate the presence of enterotoxins and antibiotic resistance patterns in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from milk and contact humans in El-Behira Province, Egypt. Materials and Methods: A total of 680 milk samples from 170 cows and 86 human samples consisting of 43 hand swabs and 43 nasal swabs were analyzed. The milk samples were subjected to the California mastitis test. Results: The general occurrence was 23.1% (157/680) where 48 quarters had clinical mastitis and 109 had subclinical mastitis. Subsequently, S. aureus was isolated in Baird-Parker agar where typical and atypical colonies were selected and submitted to coagulase and complementary tests. Out of 48 samples of mastitic milk studied, 16 (33.3%) showed contamination by S. aureus whereas 109 samples of subclinical mastitis showed contamination in only 18 (16.5%). On the opposite hand, of the 86 human samples, 33 revealed S. aureus contamination, corresponding to 38.37% of the samples. Furthermore, multiplex polymerase chain reaction targeting nuc and the staphylococcal enterotoxin-encoding genes sea, seb, sec, sed, and see were performed after culture, revealing that 88.2% (30/34) of milk samples and 93.9% (31/33) of human samples were variably positive to those genes. Conclusion: The use of nuc gene based PCR is an accurate and rapid method for S aureus isolates detection. A high prevalence of multiple drug-resistant isolates of S. aureus recovered from both human and milk represents further evidence for possible veterinary hazards as well as public hazards, especially to those that consume milk from this region.

This study aims to determine the prevalence of STEC in she-camels suffering from mastitis in semi-arid regions by using traditional culture methods and then confirming it with Serological and molecular techniques in milk samples, camel feces, as well as human stool samples for human contacts. In addition, an antibiotic susceptibility profile for these isolates was investigation. Mastitic milk samples were taken after California Mastitis Test (CMT) procedure, and fecal samples were taken from she-camels and human stool samples, then cultured using traditional methods to isolate Escherichiacoli. These isolates were initially classified serologically, then an mPCR (Multiplex PCR) was used to determine virulence genes. Finally, both camel and human isolates were tested for antibiotic susceptibility. Out of a total of 180 she-camels, 34 (18.9%) were mastitic (8.3% clinical and 10.6% sub-clinical mastitis), where it was higher in camels bred with other animals. The total presence of E. coli was 21.9, 13.9, and 33.7% in milk, camel feces, and human stool, respectively, whereas the occurrence of STEC from the total E. coli isolates were 36, 16, and 31.4% for milk, camel feces, and stool, respectively. Among the camel isolates, stx₁ was the most frequently detected virulence gene, while hlyA was not detected. The most detected virulence gene in human isolates was stx₂ (45.5%), followed by stx₁. Camel STEC showed resistance to Oxytetracycline only, while human STEC showed multiple drug resistance to Amoxicillin, Gentamycin, and Clindamycin with 81.8, 72.7, and 63.6%, respectively. Breeding camels in semi-arid areas separately from other animals may reduce the risk of infection with some bacteria, including E. coli; in contrast, mixed breeding with other animals contributes a significant risk factor for STEC emergence in camels.

Background and Aim: Anaplasmosis and babesiosis are tick-borne diseases that threaten livestock production with subsequent considerable economic losses. This study was conducted to diagnose Anaplasma and Babesia infection using molecular techniques in imported Aberdeen Angus cattle imported from Uruguay to El-Kharga Oasis in New Valley, Egypt, and to investigate the effects of disease on some serum biochemical and oxidative stress parameters. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 31 cattle, 21 diseased and ten apparently normal, of varying ages and sex. The blood was used for the preparation of blood smears, polymerase chain reaction assay, and separation of serum for biochemical investigation. The experimental production farm at the Faculty of Agriculture, New Valley University, was infested with ticks and variable clinical manifestations during the period from December 2017 to March 2018. One calf died of a suspected blood parasite infection. Results: The blood film examination revealed infection by blood parasites in 21 samples. Anaplasma marginale and Babesia bovis were identified in 12 and 14 samples, respectively. A total of 14 samples were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to make these identifications. Biochemical parameters showed significantly elevated serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin (T. Bil), and urea in blood from parasite-infected female cattle and male calves compared with controls. Increased serum total protein, globulin, and creatinine were recorded only in infected female cattle. The blood glucose level was significantly decreased in infected female cattle and male calves compared with controls. Furthermore, albumin and albumin/globulin ratio was significantly reduced in the infected female cattle. Oxidative stress profiles of infected animals showed a significant increase in serum nitric oxide and malondialdehyde, and both total antioxidant capacity and reduced glutathione (GSH) were significantly reduced in comparison with control animals. Conclusion: The incidence of A. marginale and B. bovis infection is high in imported Aberdeen Angus cattle in New Valley Province. PCR methods provide a short-term assessment of disease. An extensive epidemiological survey, employing serology together with molecular genetic methods, monitoring of abundance and distribution of tick vectors, availability of vaccination programs, and tracking of animal transport is also needed for control of blood parasites.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence rates of Mycobacterium infection in camel sera collected before slaughter and gross lesion tissue collected at postmortem (PM) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), bacteriological culture, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In addition, serum samples from humans who had occupational contact with camels were tested by ELISA and sputum sample by culture. Materials and Methods: ELISA was performed on serum samples antemortem. In addition, bacteriological culture and PCR were conducted after PM. Tuberculosis infection was identified in humans who had contact with camels using ELISA for serum samples and culture for sputum samples. Results: Tuberculous lesions were detected in 184 of 10,903 camels (1.7%). The ELISA results revealed that of the 184 examined camel serum samples, 124 (67.39%) were positive and all 20 camel serum samples that had no associated tuberculous lesions were negative. Moreover, only one of 48 (2.08%) human serum samples was positive by ELISA. Mycobacterial culture revealed 112 isolates from the 184 examined camel samples (60.87%), while human sputum sample cultures were all negative. PCR analysis identified the mpb70 gene in three of seven randomly tested samples. Conclusion: Gene sequencing was performed on two samples and the sequences were submitted to the National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank (accession numbers MF990289 and MG59479). A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the partial DNA sequences of the mpb70 gene; the similarity between the isolates was 98.1%. The similarities between the two isolates and the standard strains of Mycobacterium bovis in GenBank were 98.1% and 100%, respectively. Further investigation on the antemortem detection of M. bovis infection in camels is needed to decrease public risk.