Salmonella in breeding pigs: Shedding pattern,transmission of infection and the role of environmental contamination in Irish commercial farrow‐to‐finish herds

This study aimed to provide new insights into the epidemiology of Salmonella in pig production, focusing on potential shedding patterns in breeding pigs throughout a full production cycle and the risk of transmission of infection from the sow to her offspring. A longitudinal study was conducted on five farrow‐to‐finish commercial pig farms. In each herd, shedding of Salmonella in faeces was monitored in breeders through service, gestation and lactation. Swabs of the farrowing room floor and pools of faeces from piglets were collected on two occasions during lactation. Environmental pen swabs were also taken in the weaning and finisher houses. Salmonella isolates were serotyped, tested for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and typed by Multiple‐Locus Variable number tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA). Shedding by breeding pigs was low in all stages of the production cycle; 5% of sows shed at service, the production stage with highest risk of shedding (p < .01), 1.6% shed during gestation and 2.5% after farrowing. Salmonella was detected in 4% of piglet faecal pools in the second week post‐farrowing and 5% in the fourth week. Serotyping and AMR profiles of Salmonella isolates revealed that strains in sows and gilts were mostly different from strains isolated in weaner and finisher facilities. MLVA typing confirmed that the source of infection in piglets was in most instances the contaminated environment rather than their dam. Based on the typing results, it appears that sows do not pose a major risk in the maintenance and transmission of Salmonella to their progeny but instead the contaminated pen environment is more significant in the perpetuation of the organism on farm.     

Intestinal Contents Supernatant Viscosity of Rats Fed Oat-Based Muffins and Cereal Products

The intestinal contents viscosities of oat-based breakfast cereals and muffins were examined. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were adapted for four days to a semipurified diet (AIN-76A). Following an overnight fast, the animals were meal-fed 5 g of either the AIN-76A diet (containing 5% cellulose), the AIN-76A diet containing 2% guar gum, whole-grain oat flour, one of five cereals (corn flakes, cooked oatmeal, uncooked oatmeal, cooked oat bran, or Cheerios), or one of two types of muffins (containing whole-grain oat flour or oatmeal). Two hours after presentation of the meal, the animals were killed, the small intestines removed, and the contents collected. The contents were centrifuged, and the viscosity values of the undiluted supernatants were determined. The supernatant viscosity from rats fed the AIN-76A diet was negligible (<5 mPa·sec), whereas that from rats fed guar gum was high (396 ± 117 mPa·sec). Of the cereals fed, corn flakes resulted in the lowest viscosity (<5 mPa·sec). However, all oat-based cereals resulted in high intestinal contents supernatant viscosity levels (cooked oatmeal 368 ± 128, uncooked oatmeal 307 ± 107, cooked oat bran 301 ± 85, Cheerios 199 ± 58, mPa·sec) with no statistically significant differences. The intestinal contents viscosity values for the whole-grain oat flour muffin and oatmeal muffin were 233 ± 52 and 111 ± 26 mPa·sec, respectively, a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). This suggests that the form of the oat within a food may influence the degree of viscosity produced within the small intestine after that food is consumed.     

Use of the Rubber Elasticity Theory to Characterize the Viscoelastic Properties of Wheat Flour Doughs

The viscoelastic properties of durum wheat flour doughs were measured using the extensigraph in uniaxial extension and the Rheometrics mechanical spectrometer in oscillatory shear. The research examined the effect of increasing density of cross-links on rubber elasticity in these systems. The stress-strain behavior of durum wheat flour dough was not well simulated by Mooney-Rivlin type nonlinear elasticity. Addition of increasing amounts of iodate made the dough show appreciable strain thickening behavior, approximating the behavior of natural rubbers The estimated apparent molecular weight between cross-links ranged from 10,500 to 16,000, much larger than that of rubbers, for which values are in the range of 500–1,000. When the Mooney-Rivlin equation was tested, it appeared to approximate only moderately well the extensional behavior of iodate-added wheat flour doughs at finite but low extensions, where the finite extensibility of chains is not a factor. It is hypothesized that the cross-linked network is highly diluted with hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds that limit the applicability of rubberlike elasticity theories. Increasing the cross-linked density using iodic acid developed matrices that moved the behavior of durum flour doughs closer to Mooney-Rivlin behavior.     

Interstitial brachytherapy in the management of haemangiosarcoma of the rostrum of the horse: Case report and review of the literature

Sarcomas arising in the equine species are rare tumours, and treatment is generally surgical. Radiotherapy has been used in the management of malignancies of large animals; however, conventional external radiotherapy delivery is difficult. Interstitial brachytherapy has been used in the management of human sarcomas with reasonable success, although equine experience is minimal. We report a case of equine haemangiosarcoma treated with brachytherapy demonstrating the feasibility of the procedure and the highly malignant natural history of haemangiosarcoma. An 8‐year‐old American Saddlebred gelding presented for evaluation of a soft tissue mass on the forehead which had been present for at least 6 months. Initial surgical attempts at management were unsuccessful; therefore a radiation oncologist specialising in brachytherapy was consulted. The radiation oncologist and veterinary surgeon performed an interstitial implant of the tumour mass on the rostrum of the horse under general anaesthesia. The procedure was well tolerated by the horse. The tumour demonstrated immediate response and was noted to have completely regressed within 6 weeks of the implant removal. Unfortunately, the horse developed widespread metastatic disease and required euthanasia. At the time of necropsy, no visible tumour was identified at the implant site. Interstitial brachytherapy is feasible in soft tissue sarcomas of the horse; however, supportive demands are great with this procedure and we recommend it only be done at large speciality centres.     

In Vivo and In Vitro Sperm Interaction with Oviductal Epithelial Cells of Llama

Sperm reservoirs in South American Camelids would be crucial for successful fertilization. Since ovulation occurs approximately 36 h after mating, the maintenance of the sperm viability in the oviduct waiting for the ovum is a critical reproductive event. Our study aimed at determining whether the isthmus or the utero tubal junction (UTJ) could function as a sperm reservoir in llama by means of in vivo and in vitro experiments. For the in vivo experiments, the oviducts of adult females with a dominant follicle bigger than 7 mm were examined for the presence of sperm at 6, 18, 24, 28 and 35 h after mating. The results using scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed ultrastructural differences between isthmus and UTJ with respect to (1) predominance of secretory cells in the UTJ and ciliated cells in the isthmus epithelium and (2) cytoplasmic bulbous projection of the secretory cells in the UTJ. Sperm adhered by a mucus‐like substance were seen only in the UTJ at 6, 18, 24 and 28 h post‐mating. Lack of sperm adhered to oviductal mucosa was observed around ovulation (35 h). In vitro experiments demonstrated higher ability of UTJ epithelial cell explants with respect to isthmus explants to bind sperm in a co‐cultured system. The anatomical features and the presence of a sperm bonding agent in the UTJ together with the in vitro differential binding of sperm to UTJ explants strongly suggest that both may be feasible mechanisms that facilitate sperm storage in this oviductal region in llama.     

High-level gentamicin-resistant and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolated from a wound in a dog

This report describes the first clinical case, in Europe, of a high-level gentamicin-resistant and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium infection in a dog. The aim of this report is to alert the veterinary profession to high-level gentamicin-resistant and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in companion animal patients. Multi-drug resistant strains of this pathogen are the cause of considerable problems in human hospitals and for community healthcare professionals worldwide. The potential for a similar impact within veterinary medicine is discussed.     

Interaction of Collimonas strain IS343 with Rhizoctonia solani at low carbon availability in vitro and in soil

Collimonas sp. IS343, isolated from an organically-farmed arable soil and characterized as a broad-range oligotrophic bacterium, was shown to degrade chitin and to suppress R. solani mycelium growth under in vitro conditions at high and low carbon availabilities. In contrast to C. fungivorans Ter331, strain IS343 did not respond with an increase in growth rate to higher carbon levels in liquid medium, it reached higher cell numbers in carbon-poor media and it showed better survival in bulk soil. Therefore, it was concluded that strain IS343 cells are better adapted to circumstances of low carbon availability as present in bulk soils than strain Ter331 cells. Further, strain IS343 cells were more suppressive towards R. solani than strain Ter331 cells in vitro. When introduced into soil, strain IS343 cells delayed disease development caused by R. solani AG2-2IIIB in sugar beet plants. These results suggest that strain IS343 cells are able to tentatively suppress R. solani AG2-2IIIB mycelium growth in soil. Potential mechanisms behind the observed suppressive effects can be competition for available nutrients between strain IS343 cells and R. solani mycelium in soil or the production of chitinase as shown for this and other Collimonas species.     

The increasing importance of herbicides in worldwide crop production

Herbicide use is increasingly being adopted around the world. Many developing countries (India, China, Bangladesh) are facing shortages of workers to hand weed fields as millions of people move from rural to urban areas. In these countries, herbicides are far cheaper and more readily available than labor for hand weeding. History shows that in industrializing countries in the past, including the United States, Germany, Japan and South Korea, the same phenomenon has occurred—as workers have left agriculture, herbicides have been adopted. It is inevitable that herbicide use will increase in sub‐Saharan Africa, not only because millions of people are leaving rural areas, creating shortages of hand weeders, but also because of the need to increase crop yields. Hand weeding has never been a very efficient method of weed control—often performed too late and not frequently enough. Uncontrolled weeds have been a major cause of low crop yields in sub‐Saharan Africa for a long time. In many parts of the world, herbicides are being increasingly used to replace tillage in order to improve environmental conditions. In comparison with tillage, herbicide use reduces erosion, fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient run‐off and conserves water. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry