Tularemia is an acute, infectious zoonotic disease caused by a smal. aerobic, intracellular, gram-negative bacillus Francisella tularensis. Tularemia was firstly described towards the end of nineteenth century in Japan, however, the name Francisella comes from Edward Francis, an American researcher who in 1911 detected this bacterium in squirrels in Tulare County, California. In Poland tularemia in humans was recognized for the first time in 1949. In the years 1949 to 2009, over 600 tularemia cases were recorded in Poland, with one fatality in 1983. Initial work on the use of F. tularensis as a biological weapon was carried out in the 30s of the twentieth century simultaneously in the United States, Soviet Union and Japan. The natural reservoirs of the micro-organism are rodents and lagomorphs, which can be a source of infection for other animals and humans. Human infection occurs through direct contact with sick animal. inhalation of dust contaminated with feces of sick animals and it takes place mainly in the farms involved in the animal production, to a lesser extent as a result of contaminated food and water.
Human body is a complex system that is affected by a significant number of microscopic organisms called the microbiomes. The dynamic development of science has led to innovative discoveries in the field of microbiology. This in turn has extracted new field, metagenomics, thanks to which it became possible to perform detailed analysis of individual groups of bacteria and to determine their effects on preserving a good health. One of the biggest scientific projects that would investigate the influence of microbiomes on humans is HMP (Human Microbiome Project). As part of it the research is being conducted leading to characterize human microbiome at the level of nucleotide sequence of the entire genomic DNA. The microflora of the skin, oral cavity, respiratory tract, digestive tract (intestines), genitourinary system has an essential role in the homeostasis. In the last year the carried research proved that it is a vital part of the human organism in preserving a good health. Any changes in its composition may lead to systemic diseases. Pathological changes affect the outcome of the interaction within the microflora that includes species of commensal and pathogenic bacteria, as well as immunology and genetics of the host. Metagenomics research will contribute not only to the recognition of new, so far unidentified by the bacteriological methods microorganisms, but most of all they will serve as a basis to understand the relationships between the human organism and in-dwelling microorganisms. Thanks to the development of the metagenomics or the NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) it will be possible to discover new metabolic pathways and bidirectional links of bacteria with human metabolism. This will help in finding new therapeutic methods in the treatment of many noninfectious diseases so far considered as civilization diseases or genetically conditioned.
The aim of study was the preliminary evaluation of the occurrence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBL) - producing Escherichia coli in 650 milk and inflammatory secretions from cows with clinical or subclinical mastitis. One millilitre of the sample was added to Mueller-Hinton broth supplemented with 6.5% NaCl, Tryptone Soya Broth with cefoxitin and aztreonam, and then to MRSA ID agar. Presumptive MRSA colonies were analysed for the presence of mecA gene. Parallel to MRSA identification, the samples were incubated in buffered peptone water, lauryl tryptose broth and McConkey agar supplemented with cefotaxim for ESBL-producing E. coli isolation. These bacteria were identified using API Rapid 32 E and the ability of ESBL production was initially established using disc test D68C and confirmed by MIC technique using Sensititre ESBL plates. The primers (blaCTX, blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCMY-2-group) for the detection of some of the genes encoding ESBL production were used. The 45 strains of S. aureus with mecA gene and 41 strains of E. coli with blaTEM gene were detected.
The paper concerns molecular study on pathogenicity markers of fourteen Y. enterocolitica 0:9 isolated from pigs in which initially positive serological reactions for brucellosis were observed (n = 41), health) pigs, which were brucellosis-negative (n = 258), and wild boars serologically negative for brucellosis (n = 209). PCR identification proved that all isolates were ail, ystA- and myfA-positive. The plasmid encoding yadA marker was detected in nine isolates that originated from pigs serologically, positive or negative for brucellosis, and from one isolate of wild boar origin. Furthermore, none of the examined isolates was ystB-positive. Results of the investigations indicate that the Y enterocolitica 0:9 isolates from pigs or wild boars, regardless of whether they were serologically positive or negative for brucellosis, may also be potentially pathogenic for humans, due to the presence of chromosomal and plasmid encoded molecular markers.