Cattle are the main reservoir of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), one of the world’s most important foodborne pathogens. The pathogen causes severe human diseases and outbreaks. This study aimed to identify and characterize non-O157 STEC isolated from cattle feces from central and southern Chile. We analyzed 446 cattle fecal samples and isolated non-O157 STEC from 12.6% (56/446); a total of 93 different isolates were recovered. Most isolates displayed β-glucuronidase activity (96.8%; 90/93) and fermented sorbitol (86.0%; 80/93), whereas only 39.8% (37/93) were resistant to tellurite. A subgroup of 30 representative non-O157 STEC isolates was selected for whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. In silico analysis showed that they grouped into 16 different sequence types and 17 serotypes; the serotypes most frequently identified were O116:H21 and O168:H8 (13% each). A single isolate of serotype O26:H11 was recovered. One isolate was resistant to tetracycline and carried resistance genes tet(A) and tet(R); no other isolate displayed antimicrobial resistance or carried antimicrobial resistance genes. The intimin gene (eae) was identified in 13.3% (4/30) of the genomes and 90% (27/30) carried the stx2 gene. A phylogenetic reconstruction demonstrated that the isolates clustered based on serotypes, independent of geographical origin. These results indicate that cattle in Chile carry a wide diversity of STEC potentially pathogenic for humans based on the presence of critical virulence genes.

Objetivo: Describir los hallazgos de resistencia a antimicrobianos en aislados de Salmonella spp. y E. coli obtenidos de terneros de menos de 30 días de edad en el sur de Chile. Materiales y métodos: Se obtuvieron reportes de necropsia y microbiología de 107 terneros en el período comprendido entre 2002 y 2015. Adicionalmente se generó un Score de Resistencia a antimicrobianos para permitir la comparación entre aislados que fueron evaluados contra un set de distintos antimicrobianos. Resultados: No se observa una clara tendencia en la resistencia en el período en estudio, con similares niveles de resistencia observados para E. coli, E. coli β-hemolítica y Salmonella spp. Aproximadamente 50% de los aislados mostraron amplia sensibilidad a antimicrobianos, y entre 19 y 36% de los aislados demostraron potencial de resistencia extendida y pan resistencia respectivamente. Se encontraron múltiples patrones de resistencia, incluyendo 32 para E. coli, 17 para E. coli β-hemolítica y 10 para Salmonella spp. Conclusiones: En general, E. coli se mostró más sensible a ceftriaxona, E. coli β-hemolítica a Florfenicol y Salmonella spp. a gentamicina. En contraste, estos agentes fueron resistentes a amoxicilina, ampicilina y oxitetraciclina respectivamente. Este estudio es único en su aproximación y provee de información útil para médicos veterinarios y productores sobre los patrones de resistencia que amenazan la salud de los terneros. Estos resultados pueden ayudar a médicos veterinarios de campo a enfrentar y controlar efectivamente las diarreas en terneros.

Improvements and good practices (GPs) in rural environments are often developed by peasants themselves and shared among trust-based networks. The level of adoption of GPs by peasant family farmers (PFF) has been poorly studied. This paper describes the performance and results of the innovation adoption index (InAI) and rate (InAR) which were used to estimate the adoption of GPs for pesticide and veterinary drug use by PFF from eight different regions of Chile. Surveys were conducted among 257 farmers to find out about the adoption (yes/no) of a set of GPs in the adequate handling, use and storage of these chemical products, as well as some identifying information. The farmers in this study are producers of berries, dairy cows, honey and vegetables. The results of the survey showed an average of 57.33% GPs were adopted by farmers. Group averages of 55.23–61.32% were observed in the numbers of practices adopted by farmers. This survey data collection was part of a wider study intended to design a national plan to reduce chemical residues in food produced by PFF in Chile, with a focus on organizing practical workshops with extension officers and farmers.

Veterinarian and client discussions about indoor–outdoor cats, although challenging, can impact decisions made regarding cat care and outdoor access. An online survey, exploring topics discussed with clients regarding indoor–outdoor cats and One Health, was made available to veterinarians practicing in the U.S. in 2022. The importance of topics by practice location and to the veterinarian versus what the veterinarian perceived as important to the client were analyzed. Of 280 responding veterinarians, 95% discussed indoor–outdoor cat activities with clients. Cat-associated disease (81%), cat population control (64%), and cat-associated trauma (53%) were discussed most often. With the exception of population control, rural, suburban, and urban veterinarians did not significantly differ in the frequency of topics discussed. Danger to the cat (e.g., trauma and diseases) was the most important topic when addressing indoor–outdoor cats with clients; 57% of veterinarians considered it important to themselves and 61% considered it important to the client. Only 13% of the veterinarians were extremely comfortable discussing One Health with clients and several One Health-related topics (zoonoses and wildlife impacts) were discussed least often. Less focus on One Health topics is potentially a missed opportunity to educate clients, enable more informed client decisions, and improve overall the care of cats.

There are major gaps in understanding the transmission risk of hemorrhagic fevers of swine, such as African swine fever (ASF) and classical swine fever (CSF), in the Caribbean because animal-trade data are limited and fragmented. To address this gap, we reconstructed country-level directed trade networks from United Nations Comtrade data for 2022–2024 merged with participant input and analyzed them using social network analysis; nodes represent Caribbean jurisdictions with at least one trade tie, and edges represent reported movements of live pigs or pork products. Using these baselines, we conducted a participatory modeling exercise with 15 veterinary and agricultural officers from 10 Caribbean countries and territories during a regional ASF preparedness workshop in Saint Kitts. Network metrics were estimated for both pig and pork trade networks. Participatory input markedly expanded connectivity: for live pigs, the UN Comtrade network contained 6 edges and experts added 12 (18 total; 67% new). For pork products, the preliminary network contained 58 edges; participants added 42, bringing the total to 100 (42% new). The pork product network’s most central exporters by out-degree were the Dominican Republic (13) and Trinidad and Tobago (12); the median out-degree was 3. The live-pig network remained sparse, with isolated sub-graphs. Despite a median out-degree of 1 across the live-pig network, Saint Kitts and Nevis led exports (out-degree 5), with pig movements to Montserrat, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Anguilla, and Antigua and Barbuda. These findings show that participatory approaches with local expertise fill data gaps, enhance preparedness, and support risk assessment.

Introduction: African Swine Fever (ASF) is an important transboundary animal disease that was re-introduced to the Americas in 2021 and is at risk of spreading through the Caribbean region. There is an active outbreak of ASF in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and risk of onward transmission which could affect other islands, including the West Indies. If further spread of ASF occurs, pig farmers are likely to play a key role in prevention and response to an incursion of the disease. However, there is limited data about the demographics, knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of pig producers in the West Indies. Methods: This study aims to describe swine production and trade within five island territories and to collect KAP data using a survey to improve pig husbandry practices and inform African Swine Fever disease control and preparedness. Results: Pig production in this region appears to be dominated by backyard, smallholder farms with active intra-island trade and important deficiencies in biosecurity. Few farmers have any knowledge on ASF, as only 29.6% (21/71) indicated to have some knowledge about ASF. Commercial feed use is widespread (95.7% of farms, 68/71), as is the feeding of household scraps (57.8%, 41/71). International legal live pig trading is limited in its frequency and volume. Discussion: The heterogeneous political, cultural and geographical nature of the West Indies means that it is important to consider each island territory individually to appreciate and consider contextual aspects of pig production for improved preparedness. Farmers in this study proved to have little knowledge on ASF, practice some high-risk behaviors (swill & scrap feeding) and lack adequate biosecurity practices to keep the region safe from ASF.