The aim of the study was the assessment of microbiological quality of compound feed used in Poland in 2007-2010. The examinations were done at all veterinary diagnostic laboratories operating in the frame of official laboratory system. The occurrence of Salmonella sp. and counts of Enterobacteriaceae family, mesophilic aerobic bacteria, total microorganisms, and fungi were assessed. Assays were done following Polish, European, and international standards. Percentage of contamination of compound feed for poultry, pigs, and cattle by Salmonella sp. ranged from 0% to 3.5%. The highest contamination level by Enterobacteriaceae bacteria were detected in wet petfood. No more than 10 ⁶ cfu/g of aerobic bacteria and no more than 10 ⁵ cfu/g of fungi were detected in the feed. The results of the study revealed that the microbiological quality of compound feed used in Poland in 2007-2010 was better than the quality of the feed used in 2003-2006.

The aim of this work was to present selected data regarding traditional and modern methods for C. botulinum and its toxins detection. In this article, methods based on culturing techniques, mouse bioassay, immunological techniques, chromatography and PCR, PFGE, RFLP, AFLP are described. The mentioned techniques were evaluated considering their usefulness in the samples examination, genotyping of strains and the diagnostics of botulism.

Major outbreaks of avian type C botulism have been rarely reported from Central Europe. In this paper, we report the first severe outbreak of avian type C botulism in Poland. In 2011-12, two epizootics caused by Clostridium botulinum took place at Jeziorsko dam reservoir and affected an estimated number of 5500 birds in 2011 and 1600 birds in 2012. In total, 24 species ofwaterbirds were affected, including mainly waterfowl (37.0%), shorebirds (27.0%), rallids (25.7%), and larids (9.1%). Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and coots (Fulica atra) were most commonly represented among all affected species (27.5% and 25.0% of all recorded carcasses, respectively). Laboratory analyses confirmed the presence of type C botulinum toxin in the internal organs of paralyzed birds. This case study from the Jeziorsko dam reservoir demonstrates that this type of shallow-water habitat is especially prone to avian botulism outbreaks in the climatic conditions of Central Europe.

The paper presents the first results of a study on the contamination of honey produced in the Republic of Kazakhstan with C. botulinum spores known to pose a potential infection threat to infants. During microbiological analysis, culturing methods with TPGY, Willis-Hobbs agar, FAA agar connected with PCR, sequencing, and a mouse bioassay were used. The C. botulinum contamination rate of honey was relatively low as determined, at 0.91%. Nonetheless, the potential danger of the bacteria to childrens’ health should not be neglected

The study was conducted at all regional veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Feed materials were examined for Salmonella prevalence and contamination by Enterobacteriaceae, aerobic mesophilic bacteria, total plate count, fungi, Clostridium sp., and Bacillus cereus. Assays were done following international and Polish standards used in food and feed microbiology. Salmonella sp. were most often detected in oil seeds. In most of the examined feed ingredients, the number of Enterobacteriaceae did not exceed 10 cfu/g. The contamination by aerobic bacteria ranged most often from 101to 107 cfu/g, and the highest mycological contamination was noted in cereal grains (10⁸ cfu/g). The results showed that microbial contamination of feed materials in regard to Enterobacteriaceae, fungi, and total plate counts declined over the past years.