This study aims and documents the clinical and laboratory diagnosis of bovine dermatophilosis, caused by Dermatophiluscongolensis that causes exudation and matting of hairs and wools with the formation of crusts and scab. An adult local breed bullwith a history of reduced appetite, pruritus, dirty scabs and crusts as initial lesion coalesce on its different body parts was presentedto Debre Markos multipurpose veterinary clinic. The rectal temperature and other vital parameters were within the normalrange. The clinical signs observed were exudative dermatitis forming crusts and scabs, pruritus, matted hair like a paintbrushand keratinized material creating wart-like lesions that were widely distributed in different body parts. Few ticks were observedon the skin of the bull suspected as vector of the disease. Culture of skin scraps on blood agar showed small, grayish-white raisedgranular and hemolytic colonies. Staining of skin scraps by Giemsa and Gram’s stain and cultured colony by Gram’s stain indicatedthe characteristics of Dermatophilus congolensis, etiology of dermatophilosis. Other laboratory tests also showed the characteristicsof D. congolensis. The case was treated by penstrep and ivermectin parentally and iodine tincture topically, and the bull showedprogressive clinical improvement and complete recovery within 2 months. In conclusion, dermatophilosis is an economicallyimportant skin disease, highly prevalent in Ethiopia, and needs early detection and treatment by penstrep intramuscularly andivermectine subcutaneously with iodine tincture topically in line with proper husbandry practices to control the losses.
Keywords: Dermatophilus congolensis; bull; clinical diagnosis; dermatophilosis; skin.

Knowledge of domestic dog ecology and demography has been recognized as central to the designof an effective rabies control program. The study was conducted to assess owned dogs’ ecologyand demography and to identify predictors associated with dog ownership and rabies occurrencein the Amhara region, Ethiopia.Method: ology: The study employed dog census and questionnaire surveys of 907 householdsselected using a multistage sampling technique from six rural and six urban districts of theAmhara region, Ethiopia. The ecology and demography of owned dogs in the selected areas wererecorded and described using descriptive statistics. Mixed-effect logistic regression models wereused to identify factors associated with dog ownership and rabies occurrence.Results: A total of 6609 dogs were estimated from 42 kebeles in the 12 study districts. The male-to-female ratio of dogs was 1.7:1.0, and the mean age of dogs was 3.2 years. The proportion ofhouseholds who owned at least one dog was 5.9 %. The average number of dogs per dog-ownedhousehold was 1.3. Dog to household ratio was 1.0:13.0, and dog to human ratio was 1.0:48.5.The majority of the dog owners (97 %) keep dogs for home guard and livestock herding. Only 57% of the dogs were confined, and 16 % of them were vaccinated. Ninety-one percent of the dogowners did not practice neutering and spaying for dog population control. Religion, livestockownership pattern, and occupation were associated with dog ownership (p < 0.05). Communityresidence and age of respondents were associated with rabies occurrence (p < 0.05), while zonewas associated with both dog ownership and rabies occurrence at p-value

Background Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a zoonotic pathogen that contaminates abattoir workers,slaughter environments, slaughter equipment, and carcasses during abattoir processing. Infection with E. coliis associated with the consumption of contaminated food and water, and it is a potential threat to the healthand welfare of both humans and animals. Hence, this study aimed to detect diarrheagenic E. coli and assess itsantibiogram profile in two abattoir settings, in one health lens.Methods A cross-sectional study in one health approach was conducted from December 2020 to June 2021. Atotal of 384 samples from abattoir workers’ hands, carcasses, knives, cattle feces, abattoir water and effluents werecollected. Bacterial culture and biochemical tests were conducted to isolate E. coli, while conventional polymerasechain reaction was performed to identify virulence genes. The antibiogram of diarrheagenic E. coli was tested againstnine antimicrobials using the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method.Results A total of 115 (29.95%) E. coli were isolated from the 384 samples, and from these isolates, about 17 (14.8%)were confirmed to be diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC). Among the DEC pathotypes, nine (52.94%), five (29.4%), and three(17.65%) were Shiga toxin-producing, enterohemorrhagic, and enterotoxigenic E. coli, respectively. While 14 (82.35%)DEC isolates harbored the stx2 gene, five (29.41%) the eae gene, five (29.41%) the hlyA gene and three (17.65%)harbored the st gene. All the DEC isolates were resistant to erythromycin and vancomycin; whereas, they weresusceptible to ampicillin, nalidixic acid and norfloxacin. Furthermore, 64.7% of DEC isolates showed resistance to bothceftazidime and kanamycin and 88.24% of the isolates showed multidrug resistance.Conclusion This study detected DEC isolates having different virulence genes, which showed single and multipleantimicrobial resistance. Given the existing poor hygienic and sanitary practices along the abattoir-to-table food
chain, coupled with the habit of raw meat consumption, this result indicates a potential public and animal health riskfrom the pathogen and antimicrobial resistance.Keywords Abattoir setting, Antibiogram profile, Carcasses, Diarrheagenic E. Coli, Virulence genes

Illnesses associated with consuming infected milk and milk products are a widespread problem inlow and middle-income countries. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a bacteriumcommonly found in raw milk and causes foodborne diseases ranging from mild diarrhea to severehemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. This study aimed to investigate the viru-lence gene and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains isolatedfrom raw milk in dairy farms in and around Bahir Dar town. Raw milk samples (n = 128)collected from December 2021 to July 2022 were cultured, and E. coli strains were isolated usingstandard methods. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains were identified genotypically by thepresence of the virulence markers using a single-plex polymerase chain reaction. The antibioticsusceptibility testing of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli isolates was done by the agar disk diffusionmethod. In total, 32 E. coli isolates were recovered from milk samples from lactating animals. PCRscreening of these isolates resulted in 19 (59.3%) positives for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Thestx2 gene was detected in 53% of cases, followed by stx1 (31%) and eae (16%. The STEC isolateswere highly sensitive to ciprofloxacin (94.7%) and kanamycin (89.5%), while exhibiting signif-icant resistance to amoxicillin (89.5%) and streptomycin (73.7%). The present study points outthe occurrence of virulent and antibiotic-resistant Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains in raw milkthat could pose a potential risk to public health. Further analysis by whole genome sequencing isnecessary for an in-depth assessment and understanding of their virulence and resistance factors.Moreover, large-scale studies are needed to identify the prevalence and potential risk factors andto prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant STEC strains in the milk production chain.

Abstract: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) are the leading cause of infectious diarrhea and posea significant global, regional, and national burden of disease. This study aimed to investigate theprevalence of six DEC pathotypes in children with diarrhea and determine their antibiotic resistancepatterns. Samples from 107 diarrheagenic children were collected and processed for Escherichiacoli (E. coli). Single-plex PCR was used to detect target virulence genes as well as characterize andcategorize DEC pathotypes. Antibiotic resistance patterns were determined by the Kirby–Bauerdisk diffusion method. E. coli was detected in 79 diarrheal stool samples, accounting for 73.8% ofthe samples collected. Additionally, 49.4% (39 out of 79) of the isolates harbored various typicalvirulence factors. Results revealed six pathotypes of virulence: enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) (53.8%),enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) (12.8%), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) (10.3%), Heteropathotypes(7.8%), Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) (7.7% each).The isolates exhibited high antibiotic resistance against trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (82.1%),amoxicillin (79.5%), ampicillin (74.4%), gentamicin (69.2%), and streptomycin (64.1%). An overalloccurrence of 84.6% of multiple-drug resistance was observed in the isolates, with resistance rangingfrom three to four antibiotic classes. Our findings revealed a high level of pathogenic E. coli that werehighly resistant to multiple categories of antibiotics among children in the Awi zone. These findingshighlight the potential role of pathogenic E. coli in childhood diarrhea in tropical low-resourcesettings and underscore the need for continued research on the characteristics of pathogenic andantibiotic-resistant strains.Keywords: children; diarrheagenic Escherichia coli; resistance; virulent genes; Awi zone

Background and Purpose: Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen responsible for causing various human and animalinfections and is well known for its ability to develop resistance to multiple antibiotics. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence ofmethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in bulk milk and dairy farms in northwestern Ethiopia and to determine theirphenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial susceptibility patterns.Methods: We collected 50 bulk milk samples from 50 dairy farms and 50 hand swabs from dairy milkers. The cefoxitin disk diffusiontest and PCR-based assays were used to identify MRSA isolates. In addition, cefoxitin-resistant isolates were tested for susceptibilityto other antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.Results: The results showed that MRSA was detected in 8 samples: 6 from bulk milk samples (12%) and 2 from hand swabs (4%). AllMRSA isolates exhibited a high resistance rate to penicillin (100%), followed by tetracycline (75%), ciprofloxacin (25%), chloram-phenicol (25%), erythromycin (25%), gentamycin (12.5%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (12.5%). Moreover, 72% of theisolates showed resistance to three or more antibiotic classes and were classified as multidrug-resistant.Conclusion: This study identified methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug-resistant MRSA in bulk milk and dairyfarms in northwestern Ethiopia. These findings highlight the potential risk of transmission of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria tohumans and the need for improved antibiotic stewardship in the dairy sector using the One Health approach.Keywords: dairy farms, Ethiopia, humans, MRSA, bulk milk, resistance