Pathogenic microorganisms pose a big threat towards food production. Meanwhile, negative impacts on humans and environment are seen by the use of pesticides. Biological control agents are an alternative to the use of chemical pesticides, and plant-growth promoting rhizobacteria, such as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens has been shown to have good properties as biocontrol agents. Before these bacteria can be used commercially their impact on other soil organisms has to be evaluated. This thesis looks into what biocontrol bacteria are and how they might affect earthworms.

Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV) is a common cause of respiratory disease among young cattle. The virus causes severe losses; the herd mortality rate can sometimes be as high as 20 %. In this study the avidity (i.e the antigen binding force) of BRSV specific antibodies was measured to see if there was a difference between antibodies produced during an acute phase of infection and antibodies produced by earlier infected animals. A commercially available ELISA-testkit against BRSV-specific antibodies was used and an incubation step with 6M urea was added. The effect of the urea is that it breaks the weak bonds between antibodies and antigen while the stronger bonds remain intact. Four different groups of animals were included in this study; seven calves that were naturally infected, three acutely infected calves with known time of infection, five cows that were seropositive during several years and four experimentally infected calves that had been a part of a vaccine trial. The results of this study showed that antibodies produced during the acute phase of an infection had a low avidity and that the avidity increased with time after infection.

Every year begomovirus infections cause severe constraints to the tomato production in Nicaragua. Extensive yield losses are followed by large economical losses, both for the country and the single farmer. During recent years the use of begomovirus resistant or tolerant tomato cultivars has increased in Nicaragua as an effort to improve yields. Still, begomovirus infection is a large threat to the tomato production. Therefore, ongoing work in Nicaragua is focusing on finding new, better, begomovirus tolerant or resistant tomato cultivars.

Background Nightingale attention that hygiene was an important task to prevent health- related infection. Today there are guidelines how hand hygiene should be followed, to prevent health- related infection. Good knowledge and education in hand hygiene and its consequences if it?s not followed is of great importance. Hand hygiene should be performed before and after the clean and the unclean work with patients and materials.

Introduction Postoperative wound infections leads to increased patient suffering and cost society money because it leads to longer hospital stays. Previous research shows that patient related risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), advanced age (>65 years) a low preoperative hemoglobin level (<140g/L) and a high BMI (> 30) increases the risk of suffering a postoperative wound infection. Aim To investigate whether patients that underwent surgery with Coronary artery Bypass Graft (CABG) in a university hospital in central Sweden in 2013 and had any of these risk factors more often suffer from post-operative wound infection.MethodThe study has a descriptive design and is based on an ongoing infection registration area of operations. The study included 148 patients out of 255 (58%) undergoing CABG in 2013. Possible risk factors were collected through medical record review.Results There was no significant correlation between surgical wound infection and patient-related risk factors such as smoking (not quit smoking four weeks before surgery), diabetes, COPD, advanced age (>65 years), low preoperative hemoglobin (<140g/L) or a high BMI (>30) and suffered a postoperative wound infection.Conclusion More research and a larger sample is needed in the field to produce a reliable result could be presented..

Obesity is a problem that increases exponentially in humans and companion animals. It is defined as a big accumulation of fat in the body and is usually connected with several diseases. This study describes how obesity can be diagnosed, in which way the gut flora can affect obesity, if the gut flora is genetically influenced or not, and how it differs between individuals with obesity and obesity-related diseases. Conclusions of the study are that both the bacterial strains Bacteriodetes and Firmicutes probably have a connection to obesity. The intestinal flora is probably also genetically related.

This study was conducted at the City Abattoir in Kampala, Uganda to evaluate the cleaning process, with focus on bacterial pathogens, in a pilot scale integrated bioprocess. This consisted of four steps: anaerobic sequencing batch reactors; aerobic/anoxic sequencing batch reactors; a high performance temperature controlled methanogenesis digester and a constructed wetland. The objective was to determine if this type of cleaning process could be used to clean wastewater from abattoirs in a satisfactory way. The indicator organisms for faecal contamination, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. were used to investigate in what numbers bacteria could be found in the untreated wastewater and how much that was reduced in the different steps of the cleaning process. The water was analysed for Salmonella to see if human pathogens could be found and could survive the different steps of the treatment process.

This study was carried out in Jordan with the purpose to investigate the bacterial microflora of egg shells from cage systems and from deep litter floor systems. Another aim wasto get a general impression of the hygiene, at farm level, of egg production in Jordan andthe factors affecting it.Eggs from two cage systems and three floor systems were analyzed, regarding bacterialcontamination of the egg shells. Egg samples were taken from the storage room, the eggcradle in the cage system and from the nest and floor in the floor system. To get a generalimpression of the hygiene at the farms, swab tests and air tests were performed. Swab testswere performed with a sterile cotton swab at the same units as the eggs were sampled andair tests were performed by opening petri dishes where the hens were staying.

Infection with the bovine lungworm - Dictyocaulus viviparus - is occasionally a problem in Swedish cattle herds. The infection could act in synergism with other infections such as Corona virus to create a poorer welfare and productivity in cattle. Studies have shown that a diagnosis can be made with both the Baermann method and with an ELISA. In Norway diagnosis of BVDV on a herd level is attained through pooled serum samples. The question was raised whether pooled serum samples could be used in a similar fashion to attain status on a herd level for lungworm.

Peat litter is a soft material with high absorbency. About hundred years ago many farmers in Sweden used peat litter to their dairy cows. After the World War II the use of peat litter decreased and the farmers used more straw. Nowadays (year 2007), when it is harder to find straw and sawdust to buy, peat litter is advancing again. The purpose with this study is to investigate peat as a litter to dairy cows.

Bakground: Puerperal fever caused by group A Streptococcus is in a global context seen as a common cause of death in childbirth.Aim: To examine the consequences of group A streptococcus infections in women postpartum and to see what a nurse can do to stop the infection with adequate nursing interventions.Method: This is a review built on 15 articles. These articles were read in full and audited with a suitable template.Result: Women postpartum has 20 times higher risk to get group A stretococcus infection as compared to non pregnant. The consequences of Group A Streptococcus infection can lead to high fever, abscesses around the uterus, sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), hysterectomy and death. Patients who share room with infected patients carries an increased risk to be infected. Curtains between patient beds can be colonized by Group A Streptococcus.

Tuberculosis is one of many infectious diseases in the world and is responsible for a large number of human deaths each year. The cause is Mycobacterium ssp included in the tuberculosis-complex, there among Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Infection with M. bovis causes bovine tuberculosis in cattle which in 90 % has a pulmonary location. Humans are infected mainly by milk from infected cows but also by close contact with coughing animals or by eating raw meat.

Tuberculosis is one of many infectious diseases in the world and is responsible for a large number of human deaths each year. The cause is Mycobacterium ssp included in the tuberculosis-complex, there among Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Infection with M. bovis causes bovine tuberculosis in cattle which in 90 % has a pulmonary location. Humans are infected mainly by milk from infected cows but also by close contact with coughing animals or by eating raw meat.

Each year, Heterobasidion spp. is a major cause of economic losses to forestry in the northernhemisphere, including Sweden. New results indicate that pre?commercial thinnings could be at riskfor Heterobasidion spp. infections.

To be able to give optimal care to patients in small animal hospitals, we have to have knowledge about how to prevent the spread of infection. An important part in this is hand hygiene routines. We have to clean hands whenever they are visibly dirty, and disinfect them regularly in between. Another important part is the cleaning and disinfection of the environment in the clinic, and also the cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of medical instruments. Other important parts are isolation of patients with known infections, to wear clothes with short sleeves and to wash them at least once daily, to wear gloves, having short nails and not wearing jewelry when working.