Investigating the prevalence of Salmonella in dogs within the Midlands region of the United Kingdom

Background - The intimate relationship between dogs and their owners has the potential to increase the risk of human exposure to bacterial pathogens. Over the past 40 years, there have been several reports on transmission of salmonellae from dogs to humans. This study therefore aimed to determine the prevalence of Salmonella in the faeces of dogs from the Midlands region of the United Kingdom to assess exposure risk and potential for zoonotic transmission. Results - A total of 436 apparently healthy dogs without diarrhoea from households (n = 126), rescue centres (n = 96), boarding kennels (n = 43), retired greyhound kennels (n = 39) and a pet nutrition facility (n = 132) were investigated for Salmonella shedding. Faecal samples were processed by an enrichment culture based method. The faeces from one dog (0.23 %; 95 % confidence limit 0.006 %, 1.27 %) was positive for Salmonella. The species was S. enterica subspecies arizonae. Conclusion - This study showed that the prevalence of Salmonella from faeces from apparently healthy dogs from a variety of housing conditions is low; however, Salmonella shedding was still identified

Efficacy of Papain Gel—A Smart Alternative to Conventional Methods of Carious Dentin Removal: An <i>In Vitro</i> Study

Aim: The study was aimed at finding out the efficacy of the caries removal ability of a chemomechanical agent (papain gel) and comparing it with that of conventional slow-speed rotary carbide burs and mechanical hand excavators in deciduous extracted molars. Materials and methods: A total of 30 extracted teeth that were used for the present study were distributed equally among two major categories (15 each) by simple random sampling technique. The teeth were sectioned into two halves mesiodistally in a longitudinal plane through the center of the caries. In each category, the corresponding halves were sectioned off randomly but in equal numbers further into two groups as follows: Category 1: Group I hand excavators and group II carbide burs. Category 2: Group III hand excavator group and group IV Papacarie group. Parameters recorded included total time taken for caries removal and residual caries remaining using caries detection dye in each group and category, which were estimated and observed under a stereomicroscope (magnification 12.5×). The data was computed and statistically analyzed to find out and compare the efficacy of caries removal of three different methods used. Results: As per the critical difference (CD), the results of the study showed the caries removal mean time for group IV (Papacarie group) when compared to other groups was significantly higher (p p p p < 0.05). Conclusion: From the results of this study, it was found that papain gel can be used as an effective alternative method compared to conventional methods for caries removal, especially in pediatric patients, owing to its lesser time commitment and better outcome