ABSTRACT A 6 week old Plum-headed parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala) from a private bird collection in the Metropolitan Region of Chile died after presenting depression, ataxia, tremors of the head, subcutaneous hemorrhage and delayed crop emptying. Histological examination of liver tissue revealed intranuclear viral inclusion bodies and focal necrosis. Liver tissues and blood contained both avian polyomavirus (APV) and psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) viral nucleic acids (DNA), indicating dual viral infection. The purpose of this report is to describe the first case of concurrent psittacine beak and feather disease virus PBFDV and APV infection in a psittacine bird in captivity in Chile. PBFDV has not been reported until now in Chile.

RESUMEN Una cotorra ciruela (Psittacula cyanocephala) de seis semanas de edad de una colección privada de aves en la Región Metropolitana de Chile, murió después de presentar depresión, ataxia, tremor de la cabeza, hemorragia subcutánea y enlentecimiento en el vaciamiento del buche. El examen histopatológico del tejido hepático reveló la presencia de cuerpos de inclusión intranucleares y necrosis focal. Hígado y sangre del ave contuvieron ácidos nucleicos virales de "avian polyomavirus" (APV) y "psittacine beak and feather disease virus" (PBFDV) indicando una infección viral dual. El propósito de esta comunicación es describir el primer caso de infección concurrente por APV y PBFDV en un ave psitácida en cautiverio en Chile. Hasta ahora, PBFDV no había sido reportado en Chile.

Campylobacter jejuni isolates of different origins (bovine, broiler meat, human) were screened by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of 4 genes cdtB, cst-II, ggt, and virB11, previously linked to virulence such as adherence, invasion, colonization, molecular mimicry, and cytotoxin production. In addition, the isolates were screened for the presence of the global gene regulator csrA linked to oxidative stress responses, biofilms formation, and cell adhesion. All the C. jejuni isolates were positive for cdtB gene. The csrA gene was detected in 100% and 92% of C. jejuni isolates from human and animal origin and the virB11 gene was detected in 7.3% and 3.6% isolates from chicken and human respectively. All isolates from bovine were negative for the virB11 gene. The isolates showed a wide variation for the presence of the remaining genes. Of the C. jejuni recovered from human 83.6%, and 32.7% were positive for cst-II, and ggt respectively. Out of the isolates from chicken 40% and 5.5% isolates revealed the presence of cst-II, and ggt, respectively. Finally of the C. jejuni isolates from bovine, 97.7% and 22.7% were positive for cst-II, and ggt respectively. We conclude that the genes of this study circulate among humans and animals. These results led us to hypothesize that the isolates associated with enteritis (cdtB positives) are not selected by environmental or host-specific factors. On the other hand, the high frequencies of csrA gene in C. jejuni show that this gene is important for the survival of C. jejuni in animals and humans.

Background: Campylobacter sp.- one of the leading causes of bacterial food-borne gastrointestinal illness worldwide- is increasingly resistant to fluoroquinolone and macrolide antimicrobials, which has become a major concern for public health. Objective: To describe the susceptibility patterns of Campylobacter jejuni strains to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin and to explore the origin of its resistance in human isolates. Material and Method: In this study, fifty-five ciprofloxacin and erythromycin susceptibility patterns of C. jejuni strains isolated from humans with diarrheal disease, performed by broth microdilution MIC, were compared with 55 and 44 isolates from chicken meat and bovines respectively, obtained from the Metropolitan Region, Chile. Results: Of the 55 human isolates of C. jejuni, 33 (60%) were resistant to ciprofloxacin and all were sensitive to erythromycin. Of the 55 isolates from chicken meat, 32 (58.2%) were resistant to ciprofloxacin and 1.8% were resistant to erythromycin. Of the 44 isolates of C. jejuni from cattle, 8 (18.2%) were resistant to ciprofloxacin and all were sensitive to erythromycin. Four PFGE patterns matched with certain resistance profiles and grouped isolates from human and animal. Conclusion: The findings showed continued effectiveness of erythromycin for campylobacteriosis and a high percentage of C. jejuni strains ciprofloxacin-resistant. This is interesting because it is considered that the presence of ciprofloxacin resistant strains in broiler meat can be in part the source of resistance to this antimicrobial in humans.

Introducción: El incremento de la resistencia en Campylobacter sp. (una de las principales causas de gastroenteritis bacteriana de origen alimentario) a fluoro-quinolonas y macrólidos, es un problema en salud pública. Objetivo: Conocer los patrones de susceptibilidad in vitro de Campylobacter jejuni a eritromicina y ciprofloxacina y conocer el origen de su resistencia en aislados de humanos. Material y Método: En este estudio, se compararon las susceptibilidades a ciprofloxacina y eritromicina -CIM efectuadas por microdilución en caldo- de 55 aislados de C. jejuni provenientes de humanos con enterocolitis, con 55 aislados de carne de pollo y 44 de bovinos obtenidos en la Región Metropolitana, Chile. Resultados: De 55 aislados de C. jejuni de humanos, 33(60%) presentaron resistencia a ciprofloxacina y todos presentaron susceptibilidad a eritromicina. De 55 aislados procedentes de carne de pollo, 32 (58,2%) presentaron resistencia a ciprofloxacina y un aislado resultó resistente a eritromicina (1,8%). De 44 aislados de bovinos, 8(18,2%) presentaron resistencia a ciprofloxacina y todos resultaron sensibles a eritromicina. Cuatro patrones de electroforesis a campo pulsado coincidieron en sus perfiles de resistencia y agruparon aislados de origen humano y animal. Conclusiones: Los resultados muestran que eritromicina continúa siendo efectiva para el tratamiento de la campilobacteriosis y que existe un alto porcentaje de cepas resistentes a ciprofloxacina. Se considera probable que la presencia de cepas resistentes a ciprofloxacina en la carne de pollo puede ser en parte el origen de la resistencia a este fármaco en humanos.