Feral pigeons (Columbia livia) live in close contact with humans and other animals. They can transmit potentially pathogenic and zoonotic agents. The objective of this study was to isolate and detect strains of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli and Campylobacter jejuni of urban feral pigeons from an area of Lima, Peru. Fresh dropping samples from urban parks were collected for microbiological isolation of E. coli strains in selective agar, and Campylobacter by filtration method. Molecular identification of diarrheagenic pathotypes of E.coli and Campylobacter jejuni was performed by PCR. Twenty-two parks were sampled and 16 colonies of Campylobacter spp. were isolated. The 100% of isolates were identified as Campylobacter jejuni. Furthermore, 102 colonies of E. coli were isolated and the 5.88% resulted as Enteropathogenic (EPEC) type and 0.98% as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). The urban feral pigeons of Lima in Peru can act as a reservoir or carriers of zoonotic potentially pathogenic enteric agents.

SARS-CoV-2 can infect a variety of wild and domestic animals worldwide. Of these, domestic cats are highly susceptible species and potential viral reservoirs. As such, it is important to investigate disease exposure in domestic cats in areas with active community transmission and high disease prevalence. In this report we demonstrate the presence of serum neutralizing antibodies against the receptor binding-domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 in cats whose owners had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Lima, Peru, using a commercial competitive ELISA SARS-CoV-2 Surrogate Virus Neutralization Test. Out of 41 samples, 17.1% (7/41) and 31.7% (13/41) were positive, using the cut-off inhibition value of 30% and 20%, respectively. Not all cats living in a single house had detectable neutralizing antibodies showing heterogenous exposure and immunity among cohabiting animals. This is the first report of SARS-COV-2 exposure of domestic cats in Lima, Peru. Further studies are required to ascertain the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 exposure among domestic cats.

Streptococcus zooepidemicus is an emerging zoonotic pathogen involved in septicemic infections in humans and livestock. Raising guinea pigs in South America is an important economic activity compared to raising them as pets in other countries. An outbreak of severe lymphadenitis was reported in guinea pigs from farms in the Andean region. S. zooepidemicus was isolated from multiple cervical and mandibular abscesses. Isolate was characterized by multilocus sequence typing and phylogenetic analysis. This is the first molecular characterization of a highly pathogenic strain, showing major important virulence factors such as the M-like protein genes szP and mlpZ, the fimbrial subunit protein gene fszF, and the protective antigen-like protein gene spaZ. Additionally, this guinea pig strain was phylogenetically related to equines but distant from zoonotic and pig isolates reported in other countries.

Background/Objectives: Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E. coli) are widely circulating in livestock of low- and middle-income countries. However, the drivers of their circulation remain largely unknown. Small-scale farms in Peru exhibit an unusually high prevalence of fecal carriage of ESBL-E. coli in their livestock. The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of ESBL-E. coli fecal carriage in dairy cows, pigs, and poultry in the Lima and Ica regions of Peru and to identify the drivers associated with the observed prevalence at the farm level. Methods: We compared the prevalence of fecal carriage of ESBL-E. coli isolated from dairy cattle (N = 244 animals; 25 farms), pigs (N = 261; 25), and laying hens (N = 255; 10). We also administrated questionnaires to 59 farmers regarding their socioeconomic status, husbandry practices, animal diseases, and antibiotic use. Results: All but one of the 60 farms sampled had at least one animal carrying ESBL-E. coli. A statistically higher prevalence of ESBL-E. coli was estimated in dairy cows (75%) and pigs (61%) from Lima compared to laying hens from Ica (34%). Our statistical analyses (Poisson generalized linear models) using two variable selection approaches revealed that the prevalence of ESBL-E. coli was lower in farms raising laying hens, when farmers oversaw both animal husbandry and healthcare, and in farms with a lower number of gastrointestinal outbreaks in the last semester. Socio-economic features of farmers and self-reporting antibiotic use varied across farms (i.e., highest antibiotic use over the last semester was reported among pig farmers (96%), followed by laying hen (70%) and dairy cattle farmers (50%)), but these factors were not associated with the prevalence of ESBL-E. coli. Conclusions: Despite a relatively low number of farms sampled, our findings suggest that the widespread circulation of ESBL-E. coli among livestock in Peru could be mainly associated with unknown species-specific drivers, independently of the socioeconomic status of farmers and antibiotic use. Therefore, our study calls for future research to identify the specific drivers promoting the high prevalence of ESBL-E. coli among cattle and pigs in Peru.

El objetivo del presente estudio fue identificar los agentes bacterianos aislados y evaluar su susceptibilidad antibiótica a partir de casos de mortalidad en cuyes procedentes de dos centros de crianza familiar-comercial de la provincia de Canchis, Cusco. Se procesaron 230 animales (130 con lesiones respiratorias y 100 con lesiones enterohepáticas), tomándose muestras de hígado, pulmón, bazo e intestino. Se realizó un cultivo microbiológico y antibiograma en agar con discos de los principales antibióticos usados en sistemas de crianza de cuyes. A nivel de lesiones respiratorias se identificó a Streptococcus sp (47.1%), Bordetella sp (26.4%), Salmonella sp (13.8%), Klebsiella sp (9.2%) y Pasteurella sp (3.4%). Asimismo, en cuyes con lesiones entéricas se identificó a Salmonella sp (56.8%), E. coli (29.7%), Citrobacter sp (7.6%) y Klebsiella sp (5.9%). La mayor frecuencia de aislados bibacterianos en cuadros respiratorios fue para Streptococcus sp y Bordetella sp, en tanto que para lesiones hepático-entéricas fue Salmonella sp y E. coli. La frecuencia general de resistencia en las cepas aisladas fue de 5.4 y 3.6% para enrofloxacina y trimetoprima-sulfametoxazol, respectivamente. Los resultados evidencian la variedad de géneros bacterianos presentes en procesos respiratorios y entérico-hepáticos en cuyes, así como una frecuencia baja de resistencia antibiótica en las cepas aisladas.

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to infect various animal species, including companion animals such as cats. Although direct transmission from cats to humans has not been confirmed, monitoring the prevalence of infection in these animals remains critical as susceptible hosts to SARS-CoV-2, particularly in regions with high COVID-19 case numbers. This study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in cats during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lima, Peru.Methods: Serum samples from 544 cats, collected between 2020 and 2021, were tested for antibodies using a double antigen sandwich ELISA targeting the receptor-binding protein domain (RBD) and the nucleocapsid (N) proteins. This ELISA has a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 100%.Results: A seroprevalence of 43.8% was observed, with higher rates in females (63.9%), kittens (51.3%), and the Domestic Shorthair breed (93.2%). Among owners diagnosed with COVID-19, 95.5% of their cats were seropositive, with no cross-reactivity observed for other common feline diseases.Conclusion: These findings suggest significant SARS-CoV-2 exposure and possible infection in cats during the early pandemic phase in Peru. The high seroprevalence observed highlights the need for ongoing surveillance of companion animals, especially in regions with high human infection rates.