ABSTRACT The objective of the present study was to evaluate the qPCR for detection and enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae using different milk samplings in comparison to the conventional microbiology. Four dairy herds with a history of subclinical mastitis caused by S. aureus and S. agalactiae were selected. Sampling approach included milk samples from bulk tank (BT), cow level (composite samples, CO), and mammary quarter level (MQ) from 785 lactating cows. Three consecutive monthly milk samplings were carried out, totaling 3347 MQ milk samples, 912 CO, and 12 from BT. All collected milk samples were subjected to conventional microbiology and qPCR for detection and enumeration of S. aureus and S. agalactiae. The qPCR showed 71.5% of diagnostic sensitivity for S. aureus isolated from MQ milk samples, 71.8% for CO, and 50% for BT milk samples compared with conventional microbiology methodology. Taken together, the diagnostic sensitivity for S. agalactiae isolated from MQ milk samples was 90.2, 87.7 for CO, and 90.9% for BT milk samples. In general, the qPCR methodology enabled the detection of S. aureus and S. agalactiae, regardless of the type of milk sampling. The direct use of milk samples to estimate the counting of S. aureus by qPCR demonstrated lower sensitivity than the counting of S. agalactiae, which can be explained by the pathogen infection dynamics and differences in milk sample type.

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to compare two MALDI-TOF identification methods [(a) direct sample identification after pre-incubation; or (b) use of bacteria isolated on pre-culture)] to standard, traditional bench microbiology. A total of 120 quarter milk samples from 40 Holstein lactating cows were screened based on culture-positive results obtained by microbiological culture (reference method) with the following numbers of quarters positive per cow: 4 cows with 1, 8 cows with 2, 12 cows with 3 and 16 cows with 4 infected quarters per cow. For direct identification method, quarter milk samples (n = 120) were skimmed by centrifugation (10,000 × g/10 min) and pre-incubated at 37 ºC for 12 h. After pre-incubation, quarter milk samples were submitted to total bacterial count by flow cytometry and for a preparation protocol for bacterial ribosomal protein extraction followed by MALDI-TOF MS analysis. The direct MALDI-TOF MS identification method compared to microbiological culture correctly identified isolates of coagulase-negative Staphylococci (27.2%), Streptococcus agalactiae (21.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (14.2%), and Streptococcus uberis (5.2%). The pre-incubation protocol of milk samples, associated to the direct identification method by MALDI-TOF MS, did not increase the identification at species level (score >2.0) of pathogens causing subclinical mastitis in comparison to the method without previous incubation.

RESUMO: A espectrometria de massas (MALDI-TOF MS) tem mostrado ser um método alternativo para a identificação de bactérias, sendo capaz de identificar as bactérias causadoras de mastite em gênero, espécie ou até mesmo subespécie. Com o objetivo de identificar os patógenos causadores de mastite em grande-escala por esta plataforma, um total de 305 isolados bacterianos oriundos de vacas com mastite subclínica foram analisados pela cultura microbiológica convencional (CM) e pela MALDI-TOF MS acoplada ao software Biotyper. Aproximadamente 89% das identificações realizadas pela MALDI-TOF MS foram consistentes com os resultados obtidos pela CM. Do restante de isolados bacterianos (11%), 6,3% foram classificados como identificação errônea (discordância de gênero e espécie), e 4,7% apresentaram concordância de gênero, mas discordância da espécie. Os resultados que apresentaram divergência estavam mais associados com a identificação das espécies de Streptococcus spp. e Enterococcus spp. devido à similaridade fenotípica entre os dois gêneros. Estes resultados divergentes sugerem que os ensaios bioquímicos podem ser propensos a erros de identificação, por isso a MALDI-TOF MS pode ser considerada um método alternativo para superar os erros de identificação da CM. A cultura microbiológica padrão e os ensaios bioquímicos utilizados na identificação de agentes causadores de mastite são demorados, trabalhosos e propensos a erros quando utilizados na identificação em nível de espécie. No presente estudo, demonstramos que a MALDI-TOF MS acoplada ao software Biotyper pode ser considerada um método alternativo de identificação de bactérias causadoras de mastite em grande-escala quando comparado com a cultura microbiológica convencional.

ABSTRACT: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been shown to be an alternative method for identification of bacteria via their protein profile spectra, being able to identify bacteria at the genus, species and even at subspecies level. With the aim of large-scale identification of pathogens causing mastitis by this platform, a total of 305 isolates of bacteria identified from cows with subclinical mastitis were analyzed by conventional microbiological culture (MC) as well as by MALDI-TOF MS coupled with Biotyper data processing. Approximately 89% of the identifications performed by MALDI-TOF MS were consistent with results obtained by MC. From the remaining isolates (11%), 6.3% of isolates were classified as misidentified (discordance for both genus and species level), and 4.7% showed identification agreement at the genus level but not at the species level, being classified as unidentified at species level. The disagreement results were mostly associated with identification of Streptococcus and Enterococcus species probably due to the narrow phenotypic similarity between these two genera. These disagreement results suggest that biochemical assays might be prone to identification errors and, MALDI-TOF MS therefore may be an alternative to overcome incorrect species-specific identification. Standard microbiological methods for bovine mastitis diagnosis are time consuming, laborious and prone to errors for some bacteria genera. In our study, we showed that MALDI-TOF MS coupled with Biotyper may be an alternative method for large-scale identification of bacteria isolated from milk samples compared to classical microbiological routine protocols.

Estudou-se a morfologia do encéfalo de Nasua nasua - quati, buscando comparar estes achados com outras espécies já descritos. Foram utilizados cinco encéfalos de quatis, provenientes do Criatório Científico (Cecrimpas), Unifeob. Os animais foram eutanásiados de acordo com a legislação (Cobea). Canulou-se a artéria carótida comum e a veia jugular externa sentido cranial, injetou-se solução de látex/bário corado de vermelho na artéria carótida, e solução de látex corado de azul na veia jugular. Em seguida os animais fixados em solução de formaldeído a 10%. O encéfalo tem sua nutrição dependente de quatro artérias, as artérias carótidas internas e as artérias vertebrais direitas e esquerdas. Esses vasos compuseram o circuito basilar e carotídeo que se anastomosam através das artérias cerebrais caudais. Correm na base do encéfalo sob a meninge pia mater.

The morphology of the brain of coati, Nasua nasua, was studied, to compare the findings with other species described. The brains of five coatis were used, proceeding from the Scientific Breeding School (Cecrimpas), Unifeob. The animals were sacrificed in accordance with the legislation (Cobea). With a needle, the common carotid artery and the external jugular vein was cannulated to cranial direction, injected latex solution stained with colored red barium respectively. Afterwards the animals were fixed in 10% formaldehyde solution. Brain has its dependent nutrition of four arteries, the internal carotid arteries and the right and left vertebral arteries. These vessels had composed the basal and carotid circuits that anastomose through the cerebral arteries volumes. They run in the base of the brain under piamater meninges.