Cloaca

Hypospadias is a congenital anomaly that is presented in both male and female newborn as the External Urethral Meatus opens ventral to its normal position. This birth defect of the Urogenital Tract is found more common in males; and the main contributing factors are subcategorized mainly into Genetic, Hormonal and Environmental factors. The incidence of this anomaly varies around the globe but a raise in its rate of occurrence within the past two decades has been detected, suggested to the increase of several Endocrine Disrupters that mimics the action of Estrogen affecting the normal development of the embryo during gestation.

Faulty ventral openings of the urethra constitute a broad spectrum of malformations that are subsumed under the term "hypospadia." The normal development of the urethra and the genitals critically depends on the following events: (a) formation of the external genitalia, (b) fate of the cloacal membrane, and (c) formation of the distal urethra. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate these events using microsurgical techniques and scanning electron microscopy in staged rat embryos.

A previous analysis by GC−MS, TLC, and FT-IR spectroscopy indicated a diterpene hydrocarbon and a diterpene ketone from the paracloacal glands of adult male, but not female, Chinese alligators, Alligator sinensis Fauvel (Crocodilia, Reptilia). 1 The molecular weight of the ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal susceptibility of Candida spp. recovered from tortoises (Chelonoidis spp.) and sea turtles (Chelonia mydas, Caretta caretta, Lepidochelys olivacea, Eretmochelys imbricata). For this purpose, material from the oral cavity and cloaca of 77 animals (60 tortoises and 17 sea turtles) was collected. The collected specimens were seeded on 2 % Sabouraud dextrose agar with chloramphenicol, and the identification was carried out by morphological and biochemical methods. Sixty-six isolates were recovered from tortoises, out of which 27 were C. tropicalis, 27 C. famata, 7 C. albicans, 4 C. guilliermondii and 1 C. intermedia, whereas 12 strains were obtained from sea turtles, which were identified as Candida parapsilosis (n = 4), Candida guilliermondii (n = 4), Candida tropicalis (n = 2), Candida albicans (n = 1) and Candida intermedia (n = 1). The minimum inhibitory concentrations for amphotericin B, itraconazole and fluconazole ranged from 0...

Background The endemic H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (A/H5N1) in poultry in Egypt continues to cause heavy losses in poultry and poses a significant threat to human health. Methods Here we describe results of A/H5N1 surveillance in domestic poultry in 2009 and wild birds in 2009–2010. Tracheal and cloacal swabs were collected from domestic poultry from 22024 commercial farms, 1435 backyards and 944 live bird markets (LBMs) as well as from 1297 wild birds representing 28 different types of migratory birds. Viral RNA was extracted from a mix of tracheal and cloacal swabs media. Matrix gene of avian influenza type A virus was detected using specific real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and positive samples were tested by RT-qPCR for simultaneous detection of the H5 and N1 genes. Results In this surveillance, A/H5N1 was detected from 0.1% (n = 23/) of examined commercial poultry farms, 10.5% (n = 151) of backyard birds and 11.4% (n = 108) o...

Salmonella Enteritidis is a communicable zoonotic bacterium. The present investigation was done to evaluate the potential occurrence of Salmonella Enteritidis in laying hen farms and its contamination pathways. Samples were collected from 10 laying hen farms located in the Delta of Egypt. Cloacal swabs (n=300), eggshell swabs (n=400), and hand swabs from egg packagers (n=38) were collected. Pools of ovary and oviduct were obtained from 150 hens; all samples were examined for the presence of Salmonella Enteritidis. Results indicated that Salmonella Enteritidis may initially occupy in ovary, oviduct, and cloaca. The risk for eggshell contamination is highly impending from laying hen flocks infected with Salmonella Enteritidis with percentage of >30%. Farms having eggshell contamination percentage of >60% with Salmonella Enteritidis provided a high risk for packagers' hand contamination. Questionnaire of egg packagers specified that seven out of the eight smoker packagers suf...

Ducks and seabirds are natural hosts for influenza A viruses (IAV). On oceanic islands, the ecology of IAV could be affected by the relative diversity, abundance and density of seabirds and ducks. Seabirds are the most abundant and widespread avifauna in the Western Indian Ocean and, in this region, oceanic islands represent major breeding sites for a large diversity of potential IAV host species. Based on serological assays, we assessed the host range of IAV and the virus subtype diversity in terns of the islands of the Western Indian Ocean. We further investigated the spatial variation in virus transmission patterns between islands and identified the origin of circulating viruses using a molecular approach. Our findings indicate that terns represent a major host for IAV on oceanic islands, not only for seabird-related virus subtypes such as H16, but also for those commonly isolated in wild and domestic ducks (H3, H6, H9, H12 subtypes). We also identified strong species-associated ...

In this study, the prevalence and distribution of various Arcobacter spp. were investigated in samples taken from the cloacae of healthy domestic geese raised in Turkey. A membrane filtration technique with a non-selective blood agar was employed after enrichment in Arcobacter enrichment broth (AEB) to isolate a wide range of Arcobacter spp. In addition, the isolates were characterized phenotypically and identified at species level using a multiplex-PCR assay. A total of 90 cloacal swab samples taken from geese, collected on three farms (18, 25, 47 samples, respectively), were examined. Of the samples examined, 16 (18%) were found positive for Arcobacter. One Arcobacter species was isolated from each bird. Of the 16 Arcobacter isolates, 7 (44%), 7 (44%) and 2 (12.5%) were identified by m-PCR as A. cryaerophilus, A. skirrowii and A. butzleri, respectively. The present study indicates that domestic geese can harbour a variety of Arcobacter spp. in their cloacae. The presence of Arcoba...

Individual cloacal swabs of mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ) and of herring gulls ( Larus argentatus ), as well as samples of waterbird feces obtained in 2008 and 2009, were cultivated for Escherichia coli . Isolates of E. coli were tested for susceptibilities to 12 antimicrobial agents by the disk diffusion method. Moreover, the samples were subcultivated on MacConkey agar (MCA) containing cefotaxime (2 mg liter −1 ) to detect E. coli with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and subsequently on MCA supplemented with ciprofloxacin (0.05 mg liter −1 ) and MCA with nalidixic acid (20 mg liter −1 ) to isolate fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli . PCR was used to detect specific antibiotic resistance genes. We found 9 E. coli isolates producing ESBL with bla genes: bla CTX-M-1 (6 isolates), bla CTX-M-9 plus bla TEM-1b (1 isolate), bla CTX-M-15 plus bla OXA-1 (1 isolate), and bla SHV-12 (1 isolate). In the isolate with bla CTX-M-15 , the gene aac(6)-Ib-cr was also detected. The bla gene...

Individual cloacal swabs of mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ) and of herring gulls ( Larus argentatus ), as well as samples of waterbird feces obtained in 2008 and 2009, were cultivated for Escherichia coli . Isolates of E. coli were tested for susceptibilities to 12 antimicrobial agents by the disk diffusion method. Moreover, the samples were subcultivated on MacConkey agar (MCA) containing cefotaxime (2 mg liter −1 ) to detect E. coli with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and subsequently on MCA supplemented with ciprofloxacin (0.05 mg liter −1 ) and MCA with nalidixic acid (20 mg liter −1 ) to isolate fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli . PCR was used to detect specific antibiotic resistance genes. We found 9 E. coli isolates producing ESBL with bla genes: bla CTX-M-1 (6 isolates), bla CTX-M-9 plus bla TEM-1b (1 isolate), bla CTX-M-15 plus bla OXA-1 (1 isolate), and bla SHV-12 (1 isolate). In the isolate with bla CTX-M-15 , the gene aac(6)-Ib-cr was also detected. The bla gene...

In this study, the prevalence and distribution of various Arcobacter spp. were investigated in samples taken from the cloacae of healthy domestic geese raised in Turkey. A membrane filtration technique with a non-selective blood agar was employed after enrichment in ...

Screening wild birds for viral pathogens has become increasingly important. We tested a screening approach based on blood and cloacal and tracheal swabs collected by hunters to study the prevalence of influenza A, paramyxo-, flavi-, and alphaviruses in Finnish wild waterfowl, which has been previously unknown. We studied 310 blood samples and 115 mixed tracheal and cloacal swabs collected from hunted waterfowl in 2006. Samples were screened by RT-PCR and serologically by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for influenza A (FLUAV), type 1 avian paramyxo-(APMV-1), Sindbis (SINV), West Nile (WNV) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBEV) virus infections. FLUAV RNA was found in 13 tracheal/cloacal swabs and seven strains were isolated. Five blood samples were antibody positive. Six APMV-1 RNA-positive samples were found from which four strains were isolated, while two blood samples were antibody positive. None of the birds were positive for flavi...

Many native bird species are currently considered rare in Brazil because they have been indiscriminately collected by animal traffickers and commercialized, leading to dwindling numbers in their natural habitats. Confiscated animals are at times destined for reintroduction programs that must ensure these animals do not pose a risk to native populations. Healthy or sick wild passerines may carry a great diversity of microorganisms. Therefore, knowledge of the sanitary status of confiscated animals destined for reintroduction is critical to assess whether these animals act as microorganism carriers and to investigate the epidemiology of transmissible diseases, a crucial aspect for animal and human health preservation. This study examined the occurrence of aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria and fungi in cloacal swabs collected from wild confiscated passerines intended for reintroduction programs. In vitro susceptibility tests of the most frequent isolates as well as studies of the molecular aspects of Escherichia coli isolates were also performed. There was microorganism growth in 62.5% of 253 samples. The microorganisms that were most frequently isolated were Staphylococcus spp. (15.0%), Micrococcus spp. (11.5%), E. coli (10.7%) and Klebsiella spp. (10.7%). Fifteen bacteria genera and seven fungi genera were isolated. Multidrug-resistance to antimicrobials was observed in Staphylococcus spp., Micrococcus spp., E. coli and Klebsiella spp. isolates. The high occurrence of Enterobacteria observed is possibly related to the sanitary conditions in which confiscated animals are usually kept. One E. coli sample (out of 27 isolates) was positive for the S-fimbrial adhesion encoding gene (sfa). Considering the low occurrence of genes that encode virulence factors, confiscated passerines may represent a low risk for the potential transmission of EPEC, APEC, UPEC and NMEC isolates to other animals or humans. The potential risk of intra- or inter-specific transmission of multidrug-resistant isolates and the introduction of these microorganisms into the environment must be considered, although there are still therapeutic alternatives for treatment of these animals among the antimicrobials which were tested. The stress and poor hygiene conditions imposed on animals during trafficking may have caused their contamination by multidrug-resistant agents transmitted by humans or by the precarious environment to which they were subjected. Risks related to the dissemination of Salmonella spp., Cryptococcus spp. and Candida spp. are low when reintroduction programs are considered.