La contamination de l'eau et des aliments par les virus pathogènes pour l'homme.

in Annales de Médecine Vétérinaire (2000), 144

Etude du role de Clostridium perfringens dans l'entérotoxémie bovine

in Bulletin et Mémoires de l'Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique (1999), 154(6, Pt 2),

Bovine enterotoxaemia is an acute to peracute syndrome occurring mainly in calves and characterized by the sudden or very rapid death of the calf, with colics, convulsions and nervous disorders as ... [more ▼]

Bovine enterotoxaemia is an acute to peracute syndrome occurring mainly in calves and characterized by the sudden or very rapid death of the calf, with colics, convulsions and nervous disorders as clinical signs, if any. The most pronounced lesion is a necrohaemorrhagic enteritis of the jejunum, the ileum, and sometimes the colon. Suckling beef calves are the most frequently affected ones. In 67% of the 78 field cases investigated, some kind of stress was observed 24 to 36 hours prior to the death: change in diet or pasture, vaccination... The most frequently isolated bacteria, and the one isolated in highest numbers, was non-sporulated non-enterotoxigenic toxinotype A Clostridium perfringens. Reproduction of the lesions was successful in a ligated intestinal loop assay in one calf with a few of these strains, more especially with one of them, which was shown later to produce another recently described toxin, the beta 2 toxin. A role for this beta 2 toxin in bovine enterotoxaemia is thus speculated for future research. [less ▲]

An Efficient Sampling Technique Used to Detect Four Foodborne Pathogens on Pork and Beef Carcasses in Nine Belgian Abattoirs

in Journal of Food Protection (1998), 61(5), 535-541

The method presented in this paper should prove useful in assessing the effectiveness of HACCP plans developed in slaughterhouses. Samples were collected by swabbing well-defined areas of pork and beef ... [more ▼]

The method presented in this paper should prove useful in assessing the effectiveness of HACCP plans developed in slaughterhouses. Samples were collected by swabbing well-defined areas of pork and beef carcasses with sterile gauze. Between 160 and 420 half-carcasses were swabbed in each of nine pork or beef slaughterhouses. Swabs from five carcasses were placed in the same sterile Stomacher bag, constituting a single composite sample. Standard or validated analytical methods were used to isolate and characterize four foodborne pathogens. Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter spp., and verocytotoxin-producing E. coli were detected, respectively, in 27, 2, 2, and 14% of the pork samples and 0, 22, 10, and 5% of the beef samples. Of the 10 samples positive for E. coli O157, only one yielded an isolate confirmed to be enterohemorrhagic. Since Salmonella spp. appear as the main contaminant port (27%) and L. monocytogenes as the main containment of beef (22%), any slaughterhouse sampling plan should include testing for the former in the case of pork carcasses and for the latter in the case of beef carcasses. One should also test regularly for the presence of E. coli O157 and Campylobacter spp. in pork and beef abattoirs. The method presented here is an easy way to assess the contamination rate of carcasses at the end of the slaughtering process. [less ▲]

Surveillance of foodborne illnesses in Belgium.

in Archives of Public Health (1997), 55

Isolation of O157 : H7 and other enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli from foodstuffs.

in Factors affecting the microbial quality of meat, 4. Microbial methods for the meat industry. Concerted Action CT94-1456 (1997)

Characterization of Clostridium perfringens isolates from goats.

in Indian Veterinary Journal (The) (1997), 74

Hybridization of 2,659 Clostridium Perfringens Isolates with Gene Probes for Seven Toxins (Alpha, Beta, Epsilon, Iota, Theta, Mu, and Enterotoxin) and for Sialidase

in American Journal of Veterinary Research (1996), 57(4), 496-501

OBJECTIVE--To genetically characterize Clostridium perfringens isolates for association of pathologic type with various diseases. DESIGN--Prospective study. SAMPLE POPULATION--2,659 C perfringens isolates ... [more ▼]

OBJECTIVE--To genetically characterize Clostridium perfringens isolates for association of pathologic type with various diseases. DESIGN--Prospective study. SAMPLE POPULATION--2,659 C perfringens isolates from various nonhuman animals species, human beings, and foods. PROCEDURE--Colony hybridization with DNA probes for 7 toxin (alpha, beta, epsilon, iota (subunits a and b), theta, mu, and enterotoxin) genes and 1 sialidase gene were performed to group the isolates by pathologic type. RESULTS--Enterotoxin-negative type-A isolates were the most common (2,575/2,659), were isolated from all sources, and were separated into 5 pathologic types. In cattle and horses with enterotoxemia, essentially only these pathologic types were identified. The enterotoxin-negative isolates of types C or D each had a single pathologic type. Type-C isolates were isolated only from swine with necrotic enteritis and type-D isolates from small ruminants with enterotoxemia, except that 1 type-D isolate was also found from a healthy fish. Type-B or -E isolates were not found. Among the 47 enterotoxin-positive isolates, 5 isolates from sheep or deer were type D and the other 42 were type A. These 42 isolates were grouped into 3 pathologic types: 1 type was isolated from samples of almost all origins, but the other 2 types were found in only 5 fish, 4 human beings, and 1 dog. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE--Genetic characterization of these isolates allowed identification of 11 different pathologic types. This approach may be useful in molecular diagnosis and prophylaxis of clostridial disease. [less ▲]

Développement actuel du concept de l'hygiène en agro-alimentaire et des exigences des normes européennes.

in Annales de Médecine Vétérinaire (1996), 140

Genome mapping of Clostridium perfringens strains with I-Ceul shows many virulence genes to be plasmid-borne.

in Molecular & General Genetics [=MGG] (1996), 251

Pulmonary Ventilation, Mechanics, Gas Exchange and Haemodynamics in Calves Following Intratracheal Inoculation of Pasteurella Haemolytica

in Zentralblatt für Veterinarmedizin. Reihe A (1995), 42(8), 531-544

A Pasteurella haemolytica A1 broth was injected intratracheally in eight calves and measurements of pulmonary function values (PFV) were made once before and hourly post inoculation (p.i.). Changes in ... [more ▼]

A Pasteurella haemolytica A1 broth was injected intratracheally in eight calves and measurements of pulmonary function values (PFV) were made once before and hourly post inoculation (p.i.). Changes in PFVs, included increased respiratory rate and minute ventilation (up to 158% of baseline 2 h p.i.) and decreased tidal volume and lung dynamic compliance (up to 33% of baseline 3 h p.i.). Total pulmonary resistance was not affected. At and after 3 h p.i. there was a progressive impairement of gas exchange, as judged from arterial O2 tension which decreased up to 65% of baseline. In contrast, arterial CO2 tension was not affected. Pulmonary hypertension was observed during the 3 last h of the study and was attributable to an increased pulmonary vascular resistance. Severe neutropenia was observed at 3 h p.i. and post-mortem histological findings were consistent with an acute fibrinohemorragic bronchopneumonia. In conclusion, P. haemolytica airway challenge unequiovocally resulted in acute pneumonia, providing a reproducible pathophysiological model for investigations regarding new therapeutic strategies. [less ▲]