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Background Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is the principle cause of colibacillosis affecting poultry. The main challenge to the poultry industry is antimicrobial resistance and the emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria that threaten the safety of the food chain. Risk factors associated with emergence of antimicrobial resistance among avian pathogenic E. coli were correlated with the inappropriate use of antimicrobials along with inadequate hygienic practices, which encourages the selection pressure of antimicrobial resistant APEC. The aim of this study was to isolate, identify, serogroup and genotype APEC from broilers, assess their antibiotic resistance profile, expressed genes and the associated risk factors. Results APEC was isolated from the visceral organs of sick chickens with a prevalence of 53.4%. The most prevalent serotypes were O1, O2, O25 and O78, in percentage of 14.8, 12.6, 4.4 and 23.7%, respectively. Virulence Associated Genes; SitA, iss, iucD, iucC, astA, tsh cvi and irp2 were detected in rate of 97.4, 93.3, 75, 74, 71, 46.5, 39 and 34%, respectively and 186 (69.2%) isolates possess >  5–10 genes. The highest resistance was found against sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim, florfenicol, amoxicillin, doxycycline and spectinomycin in percentage; 95.5, 93.7, 93.3, 92.2 and 92.2%, respectively. Sixty-eight percent of APEC isolates were found to have at least 5 out of 8 antimicrobial resistant genes. The most predominant genes were Int1 97%, tetA 78.4%, bla TEM 72.9%, Sul1 72.4%, Sul2 70.2%. Two risk factors were found to be associated with the presence of multi-drug resistant APEC in broiler chickens, with a P value ≤0.05; the use of ground water as source of drinking water and farms located in proximity to other farms. Conclusions This study characterized the VAGs of avian pathogenic E. coli and establish their antimicrobial resistance patterns. The widespread of antimicrobial resistance of APEC isolates and detection of ARGs highlighted the need to monitor the spread of ARGs in poultry farms and the environment in Jordan. Use of ground water and closely located farms were significant risk factors associated with the presence of MDR APEC in broiler chickens in Jordan.

This cross-sectional study aimed to study animal, farm, and within-farm seroprevalence of C. burnetii and to identify associated risk factors in goat and sheep farm in northern Jordan. Questionnaire was developed to collect information about risk factors and farms management practices. Blood samples from 730, ≥ 1-year-old females (goat n = 250; sheep n = 480) were randomly collected from 20 goat herds and 40 sheep flocks. IDEXX ELISA Kit was used to detect C. burnetii antibodies. The overall goat and sheep seroprevalence level was 32.5% (237/730) and was significantly higher in goats (43.3%, 108/250; 95% CI 37–49.6) than sheep (27%, 129/480; 95% CI 29.1–36.2) (χ2 test, p ≤ 0.001). Eighty percent (16/20) of goat herds and 60% (24/40) of sheep flocks had at least one seropositive animal (p ≥ 0.05). The average within goat herds and sheep flock seroprevalence were 36.4% (ranged: 0–91%) and 23.4% (ranged: 0–82%), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression model revealed that seroprevalence increased 1.79 times in goat herds compared with sheep flocks, 3.2 times more in farms containing ≥ 100 animals, and 1.7 times higher in farms with their animals that were ≥ 2 years of age than in farms with their animals that are < 2 years of age. In addition, seroprevalence significantly increased 1.52 times in farms loaning bucks or rams during breeding season and 1.63 times in farms containing cats on premises (p ≤ 0.05). Farm biosecurity measures are essential to prevent introduction and minimize transmission of C. burnetii infection to humans and animals.

A total of 156 Staphylococcus aureus isolates were obtained from 330 imported fresh fish samples from three countries. Selective media were used for the isolation of S. aureus, and the isolates were confirmed by PCR. The isolates were tested for mecA gene, antibiotic resistance, and enterotoxin genes (sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, and sei). Most isolates carried sea, seg, and sei genes, and seg-sei was the most frequent enterotoxin profile. About 88.5% of the S. aureus exhibited resistance to at least one antibiotic. High resistance to penicillin and ampicillin; low resistance to tetracycline, erythromycin, rifampin, and clindamycin; and very low resistance to cefotaxime, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin were exhibited by S. aureus from the three countries. In addition, some antibiotic resistance exhibited a strong correlation (P ≤ 0.01) with enterotoxigenicity in S. aureus. The study concluded that the large amount of globally traded fish increases the possibility of intercontinental transmission of enterotoxigenic and multidrug-resistant S. aureus through fish and highlights the potential influence of local fish handling and processing on consumer health worldwide. The introduction of periodic training in food safety and hygiene is essential to increase fish handlers' awareness of good hygienic practices in handling fish. These findings also enrich the ongoing debate about the risk of methicillin- and multidrug-resistant S. aureus as a foodborne pathogen compared with drug-susceptible S. aureus.

This study aimed at investigating the occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. in diarrheic goat kids in Greece and the risk factors associated with cryptosporidiosis. Altogether, 292 diarrheic 4–15-day-old goat kids from 54 dairy goat herds of Northern Greece were examined. Oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in 223 of 292 (76.4%) goat kids and the intensity of infection was scored as “high” in 142 samples, “moderate” in 45 samples, and “low” in 36 samples. Larger herds (>200 animals) had higher infection rates than smaller ones, although this difference was not statistically significant. Significantly higher infection rates were observed in herds during late kidding season (1 January to 30 April) compared to the early one (1 September to 31 December). These results suggest that cryptosporidiosis is very common in diarrheic goat kids in Greece, especially in large herds during the late parturition season.

Foodborne toxoplasmosis is a leading cause of foodborne deaths and hospitalization worldwide. The level of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii is influenced by culture and eating habits. There is a scarcity of data about women's knowledge and perception of this disease. The aim of this study was to determine toxoplasmosis knowledge and preventive practices of young childbearing age women in Jordan. A descriptive cross-sectional study recruited a random sample of 1,390 undergraduate university female students and was stratified based on place of residency. About half of students (51.1%) reported having \"ever\" heard or read about toxoplasmosis, and almost all students (98.6%) had never been tested for toxoplasmosis. Overall, there was a lack of awareness about toxoplasmosis, its risk factors, symptoms, and timing of infection, and preventive practices. High percentages of females reported a high level of hygienic practices related to hand washing after gardening, changing cat litter, and handling raw meat. However, 16.7% of students reported eating raw meat, 26.5% usually eat traditional herbs, and 17.2% drink untreated spring water. This study establishes a baseline for the awareness levels about toxoplasmosis among young women in Jordan. These findings highlight the urgent need for toxoplasmosis awareness and preventive education for childbearing females. An effective education and outreach program should cover important topics concerning risk factors, high-risk foods, and preventive measures against toxoplasmosis.

Two hundred and fifty-five biological samples (106 aborted foetal tissue samples and 149 blood samples from aborted sheep and goats) were collected from 188 animals during the lambing season from September 2009 to April 2010 from the Mafraq region of Jordan. The sampled animals belonged to 93 goat and sheep flocks that had cases of abortion. A total of 169 (66.3%) biological samples were collected from sheep and 86 (33.7%) from goats. Seventy-six (29.8%) biological samples (45 blood and 31 tissue samples) were positive for Toxoplasma gondii by PCR assay. The positive samples were obtained from 43 sheep and 23 goats. The overall toxoplasma-specific prevalence rate was 35.1% (66/188). Forty flocks (43%) had at least one T. gondii PCR-positive animal. The risk factors related to flock health status and farm management that are hypothesized to be associated with T. gondii PCR positivity were also assessed using multiple logistic regressions. The presence of cats (OR = 4.74), a large flock size (OR = 2.76) and the method of disposing the aborted foetuses (OR = 3.77) were all statistically significant ( P  < 0.05) risk factors that were positively associated with toxoplasma positivity in goat and sheep flocks.

This study was conducted in the Larnaca area of Cyprus and included 28 goat and 15 sheep flocks suffering from neonatal diarrhoea (>20%). Faecal samples from diarrhoeic animals revealed that 25 of the 28 goat and 12 of the 15 sheep flocks were positive for Cryptosporidium . The ELISA was more accurate in the diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis compared to the Ziehl–Neelsen staining technique ( P  < 0.05). Flock size and the period of kidding/lambing were found to be the main risk factors implicated in the occurrence of neonatal goat kid/lamb cryptosporidiosis.