Coccidiosis is a significant poultry disease caused by the Eimeria species. This study aims to determine the prevalence of Eimeria spp. on broiler farms in Vojvodina, along with the identification of parasite species, and assess the implemented biosecurity measures. The study was conducted on 100 broiler chicken farms (28 small-sized; 34 medium-sized; 38 large-sized farms) from June 2018 to December 2021. One pooled sample of faeces was collected from three to six-week-old chickens from each farm, and assessment of biosecurity measures was carried out using a questionnaire. Using the PCR method, DNA of Eimeria was found in 59 samples (59%), while 41 samples (41%) were negative. Four species of Eimeria were identified, and their prevalence was the following: E. acervulina (37%), E. maxima (17%), E. mitis (25%) and E. tenella (48%). A significant difference (p < 0.05) was established in the number of oocysts in flocks from small-sized farms compared to medium-sized farms. It was found that regular implementation of disinfection, disinsection and deratisation measures, as well as all the biosecurity measures, can significantly reduce the occurrence of coccidiosis. These results will help to develop better strategies for the control and prevention of coccidiosis on farms.

Enterococcus species are significant intestinal commensals of animals, including poultry. However, they have emerged as important opportunistic infective agents in both veterinary and human medicine as well as major nosocomial pathogens, owing to their increasing antimicrobial resistance. This research aimed to investigate the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Enterococcus spp. isolated from poultry farms in the north of Serbia. A total of 40 samples of overshoes or feces were collected from 40 poultry farms and analyzed for the presence of Enterococcus spp. using PCR or MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for their identification. The number of isolates was 40 and included 11 isolates from laying hens, 2 isolates from turkeys, 3 from broiler breeders, and 24 from broilers. The Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method was used to test for antibiotic susceptibility in accordance with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and EUCAST guidelines. The results showed that Enterococcus faecalis was isolated from 37.5% farms, and E. faecium from 42.5%. E. hirae was identified in 15% of poultry establishments, and E. durans and E. thialandicus on 2.5%. Notably, resistance to erythromycin, streptomycin, fluoroquinolones, and tetracyclines among the frequently used antibiotics was found. Furthermore, 35% of the isolates had multidrug resistance (MDR). In order to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance in chicken farming and protect the health of the public and animals alike, our findings highlight the critical need for improved surveillance and control measures. To effectively establish a containment strategy for Enterococcus spp. isolated from poultry farms, more research into the processes behind their antibiotic resistance is required.

Introduction: Novel molecular techniques applied in biotechnology research have provided sound evidence on clonal persistence of distinct serovars of Salmonella in feed factory environments, over long periods of time (months, even years), which can be responsible for repeated in-house contamination of final products. In this study, we examined the possibility of clonal persistence of isolates of three Salmonella serovars that have been repeatedly identified in animal feed samples from three feed factories throughout a two-year period. Methodology: The isolates Salmonella enterica serovars Tennessee (n = 7), Montevideo (n = 8), and Infantis (n = 4) were tested for genetic diversity using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multicellular behavior patterns by applying the Congo red agar test. Results: SpeI and XbaI macro-restriction profiles indicated that isolates S. Montevideo and S. Infantis were identical, whereas isolates of S. Tennessee demonstrated greater genetic diversity, although the genetic differences did not exceed 10%. All Salmonella serovars demonstrated the ability to produce predominant matrix compounds essential for biofilm formation, curli fimbriae and cellulose. Conclusions: The identification of identical clones of S. Montevideo and S. Infantis, as well as the minor genetic diversity of S. Tennessee, which have been repeatedly isolated from animal feed in three production plants throughout a two-year period, indirectly suggests the possibility of their persistence in feed factory environments. Their ability to express the key biofilm matrix components further supports this hypothesis.

Bezbednost hrane za životinje predstavlja ključnu, ali često zanemarenu kariku u lancu bezbednosti hrane. Hrana za životinje ne samo da direktno utiče na zdravlje životinja, već može predstavljati i značajan rezervoar zoonotskih patogena, među kojima je Salmonella jedan od najvažnijih. Tokom ispitivanja 100 izolata Salmonella poreklom iz različitih gotovih smeša za ishranu životinja i komponenti hrane za životinje, identifikovano je čak 17 različitih serovarijeteta. Među njima su i serovarijeteti od velikog značaja za javno zdravlje, kao što su Salmonella Enteritidis, Infantis, Montevideo, Mbandaka, Agona, Senftenberg koji se često povezuju sa infekcijama kod ljudi. Prisutnost ovih serovarijeteta ukazuje na visok rizik prenošenja patogena kroz lanac ishrane, od kontaminirane hrane za životinje, preko zaraženih životinja, do krajnjeg potrošača. Uprkos ovim nalazima, značaj koji salmonele koje se ustanovljavaju u hrani za životinje mogu imati u pojavi salmoneloza životinja i ljudi, veoma je teško proceniti. Mali broj epidemioloških istraživanja je obuhvatio retrogradne analize izvora infekcije za ljude do hrane za životinje, i potvrdio direktnu vezu između Salmonella u hrani za životinje i pojave infekcije kod ljudi. Precizni podaci o značaju hrane za životinje kao izvora epidemiološki važnih sojeva Salmonella, nedostaju, jer se izolati uobičajeno ne tipiziraju do serovarijeteta. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju na potrebu za unapređenjem sistema kontrole, jačanjem svesti kako stručne zajednice, tako i šire javnosti, o značaju hrane za životinje u prevenciji zoonotskih infekcija. Hranu za životinje ne treba posmatrati samo kao sirovinu, već kao potencijalnu početnu tačku u širenju patogenih mikroorganizama od posebnog značaja za javno zdravlje.

Dosadašnja istraživanja ukazuju na blagodetna svojstva konzumacije magarećeg mleka. Zbog svojih hipoalergenih, antiinflamatornih i antioksidativnih svojstava smatra se da je konzumacija magarećeg mleka najviše rasprostranjena među osetljivom populacijom dece i imunokompromitovanih ljudi. Takođe, prema hemijskom sastavu najsličnije je humanom mleku, te se koristi i kao zamena za majčino mleko. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je da se mikrobiološki ispita sirovo magareće mleko na prisustvo patogenih mikroorganizama prenosivih hranom, kao i da se odrede struktura i navike potrošača magarećeg mleka. Mikrobiološki je ispitano 32 uzorka svežeg magarećeg mleka namenjenog prodaji sa četiri farme muznih magarica na teritoriji Vojvodine. Mikrobiološko ispitivanje uzoraka podrazumevalo je: utvrđivanje prisustva Salmonella spp. i Listeria monocytogenes, određivanje ukupnog broja mikroorganizama, kao i broja Enterobacteriaceae, Campylobacter spp. i Escherichia coli. Metode su izvedene prema važećim ISO standardima. Sprovedenom online anketom među ciljanom grupom potrošača magarećeg mleka, ispitane su struktura i navike potrošača. Anketu je popunilo 100 ispitanika. Ukupan broj mikroorganizama u magarećem mleku bio je u rasponu od 3,26 do 6,07 log CFU/ml. U devet uzoraka magarećeg mleka određen je broj bakterija iz porodice Enterobacteriaceae u intervalu od 0,3 do 3,16 log CFU/ml. U tri uzorka magarećeg mleka utvrđeno je prisustvo Escherichia coli i njihov broj se kretao od 0,47 do 0,69 log CFU/ml. Broj Campylobacter spp. bio je ispod nivoa kvantifikacije u svim uzorcima magarećeg mleka (<1 log CFU/ml). Salmonella spp. i Listeria monocytogenes nisu izolovani ni u jednom uzorku. Rezultati ankete pokazuju da 69% ispitanika isključivo konzumira termični neobrađeno magareće mleko. Deca su najčešći konzumenti, što je potvrdilo 72% ispitanika, navodeći da u njihovom domaćinstvu magareće mleko konzumiraju deca. Čak 46% ispitanika je navelo da magareće mleko konzumira kao lek. S obzirom na dobijene varijabilne mikrobiološke rezulate, koji su posledica nedovoljno adekvatnih higijenskih uslova, najverovatnije nastalih tokom ručne muže, kao i na rezultate ankete koji ukazuju da su osetljiva populacija dece najčešći konzumenti magarećeg mleka preporuka je da se magareće mleko termički obradi pre konzumacije.