The effect of ampicillin and tylosin on the faecal enterococci of healthy young chickens

Enterococcal isolates from young chickens were differentiated into one of three species, namely Enterococcus faecalis, Ent. faecium and Ent. gallinarum . The proportion of each species among the enterococcal population changed with time in birds not dosed with antibiotics. This pattern of change was modified in birds dosed with either tylosin or ampicillin even though ampicillin did not select for ampicillin resistance among the enterococcal population. A gradual increase in tylosin resistance was recorded with time among the enterococci of the 'undosed' control birds. This was associated with an increase in the proportion of Ent. faecium , a species commonly resistant to tylosin, among the enterococci of the birds as they grew older.     

The effect of ampicillin and tylosin on the faecal enterococci of healthy young chickens

Enterococcal isolates from young chickens were differentiated into one of three species, namely Enterococcus faecalis, Ent. faecium and Ent. gallinarum. The proportion of each species among the enterococcal population changed with time in birds not dosed with antibiotics. This pattern of change was modified in birds dosed with either tylosin or ampicillin even though ampicillin did not select for ampicillin resistance among the enterococcal population. A gradual increase in tylosin resistance was recorded with time among the enterococci of the 'undosed' control birds. This was associated with an increase in the proportion of Ent. faecium, a species commonly resistant to tylosin, among the enterococci of the birds as they grew older.     

Interspecific variation within the 'hypervariable' region of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene among species of Schistosoma Weinland, 1858 (Digenea)

The 'hypervariable' region of the 18S ribosomal DNA gene, comprising 344 base pairs, was sequenced for five species of the genus Schistosoma (S. intercalatum, S. margrebowiei, S. mattheei, S. malayensis and S. rodhaini), representing three of the schistosome species groups. Heterobilharzia americana was also included as an outgroup. The sequences were compared with previously published sequences (S. haematobium, S. japonicum, S. mansoni and S. spindale). The analysis confirmed that the Asian schistosomes were distantly related to the other groups of schistosomes and showed that the amount of variation within the S. japonicum group (1.49%) was greater than that detected within the S. mansoni and S. haematobium groups (0% in each case).     

Hybridisation between the digeneans Schistosoma haematobium and S. mattheei : viability of hybrids and their development in sheep

The F1 and F2 hybrids of Schistosoma haematobium male × S. mattheei female were studied with regard to infectivity to intermediate and definitive hosts, isoenzymes (phosphoglucomutase) of individual male worms, randomly amplified polymorphic DNAs of individual adult worms and scanning electron micrographs of the tubercles of male worms. The infection rate of the F1 hybrid miracidia in Bulinus globosus (41.7%) was greater than that achieved in B. wrighti (16.3%); the infection rate of the F2 in B. wrighti was 15.4%. In the definitive hosts: in sheep only male F1 hybrids (i.e. no females and no F2 worms)were recovered; but in hamsters both paired F1 worms and unpaired F1 males were recovered, as were one pair of worms and unpaired males of the F2 generation. The S. mattheei and S. haematobium male worms showed very distinctive PGM patterns, and the F1 hybrids showed additive patterns and a polymorphism with two distinct types of band patterns which are the result of polymorphism in the S. haematobium. The RAPD profiles of the F1 hybrids were also composite of the two parental species. Scanning electron micrographs of the tubercles of male S. haematobium showed them to be heavily spined, whereas those of S. mattheei males were devoid of spines. The F1 hybrids did show variation ranging from non-spined, some with partial spination, to those with heavily spined tubercles. Male worms of the F2 generation possessed tubercles either with or without spines. The potential significance of hybridisation in areas of sympatry between S. haematobium and S. mattheei is discussed.     

Changes in the faecal enterococcal population of young chickens and its effect on the incidence of resistance to certain antibiotics

The faecal enterococcal population of chickens, fed a ration containing no coc-cidiostat or growth-promoting antibiotic, was monitored during the first 23 d after purchase as day-old birds. The proportion of Enterococcus faecalis , the majority of which were resistant to streptomycin (60μg/ml) and tetracycline (30 μg/ml), fell during the first week while there was a corresponding increase in the proportion of Ent. gallinarum. Enterococcus faecium , half of which were resistant to cephalothin (30 μg/ml), increased during the first week but thereafter rarely exceeded a quarter of the enterococcal isolates. The changes in the relative proportion of these three bacterial species was reflected by changes in the incidence of resistance to these antibiotics in the enterococcal population as a whole.     

The effect of growth-promoting antibiotics on the faecal enterococci of healthy young chickens

Small groups of chickens were given feed containing either avoparcin, nitrovin, vir-giniamycin or zinc bacitracin from the day of their purchase as day-olds. Differences between the birds receiving growth promoters and the untreated controls were observed during the last third of the 23 d survey period. The enterococcal population of the 'dosed' birds contained a greater proportion of Enterococcus faecium than did that of the control birds while the converse was true for Ent. gallinarum . This apparent selection of Ent. faecium by the growth-promoting antibiotics had an influence on the incidence of resistance to therapeutic antibiotics among the enterococcal population as a whole. This was because this species was generally more resistant than Ent. gallinarum to cephalothin, the MLS antibiotics (erythromycin, lincomycin and tylosin) and tetracycline.     

Restriction enzyme mapping of ribosomal DNA ofSchistosoma spindale andS. leiperi (Digenea) and its application to interspecific differentiation

Restriction maps were determined for the ribosomal RNA gene complex ofSchistosoma spindale andS. leiperi. The restriction map of theS. spindale rRNA gene complex was found to differ from those of other schistosomes previously described by the presence of an additionalEcoRI site in the non transcribed spacer region. In common withS. mattheei andS. margrebowiei, bothS. leiperi andS. spindale appear to have insertions in the transcribed spacer region, relative toS. mansoni.EcoRI digests of genomic DNA, probed with pSM 889, enabled differentiation ofS. spindale andS. leiperi from four other species of schistosome.