Low Occurrence of Extended‐Spectrum β‐lactamase‐Producing Escherichia coli in Finnish Food‐Producing Animals

ESBL/AmpC‐producing Escherichia coli is increasingly isolated from humans and animals worldwide. The occurrence of ESBL/AmpC‐producing E. coli was studied in food‐producing animals in Finland, a country with a low and controlled use of antimicrobials in meat production chain. A total of 648 cattle, 531 pig, 495 broiler and 35 turkey faecal samples were collected from four Finnish slaughterhouses to determine the presence of extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase (ESBL/AmpC)‐producing E. coli. In addition, 260 broiler and 15 turkey samples were screened for carbapenemase‐producing E. coli. Susceptibility to different class of cephalosporins and meropenem was determined with disc diffusion tests according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST). Determination of ESBL/AmpC production was performed with a combination disc diffusion test according to the recommendations of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Plasmidic bla_ESBL/AmpC genes were characterized by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. A collection of isolates producing AmpC enzyme but not carrying plasmidic bla_AmpC was analysed by PCR and sequencing for possible chromosomal ampC promoter area mutations. Altogether ESBL/AmpC‐producing E. coli was recovered from five cattle (0.8%), eight pig (1.5%) and 40 broiler samples (8.1%). No ESBL/AmpC‐producing E. coli was found in turkey samples. Carbapenem resistance was not detected. Altogether ESBL/AmpC‐producing E. coli was found on 4 (2.0%), 3 (4.5%) and 14 (25%) cattle, pig and broiler farms, respectively. From cattle samples 3 (27%) bla_CTX‐M‐1 and from broiler samples 13 (33%) bla_CTX‐M‐1 and 22 (55%) bla_CMY‐2 gene‐carrying isolates were detected. In pigs, no plasmidic bla_ESBL/AmpC gene‐carrying isolates were found. In all analysed isolates, the same mutations in the promoter region of chromosomal ampC were detected. The results showed low occurrence of ESBL/AmpC‐producing E. coli in Finnish food‐producing animals. In pigs, plasmidic bla_ESBL/AmpC‐carrying E. coli was not detected at all.     

Feed intake and rumen motility in dwarf goats. Effects of some α-adrenergic agonists,prostaglandins and posterior pituitary hormones

The purpose of the present investigation was to test the hypothesis that drug-induced changes in rumen contractions influence feed intake in dwarf goats. Intravenous (i.v.) administration of clonidine (1 g kg^-1 min^-1 for 10 min), xylazine (1 g kg^-1 min^-1 for 10 min), and PGF-2 (10 g kg^-1 min^-1 for 15 min) caused bradycardia and inhibition of rumen contractions. However, no appetite-stimulating effect of these drugs was observed. Other clinical changes induced by the ₂-adrenergic agonists included slight sedation and a decrease in body temperature; all clinical effects of clonidine and xylazine were partly antagonized by tolazoline pretreatment (10 g kg^-1 min^-1 for 30 min). These results suggest that the CNS control of feeding differs in ruminants and monogastric species.In dwarf goats fasted for 2 h, i.v. administration of oxytocin (0.01 IU kg^-1 min^-1 for 15 min), vasopressin (0.01 IU kg^-1 min^-1 for 15 min), octapressin (0.003 IU kg^-1 min^-1 for 15 min) or PGE (0.8 g kg^-1 min^-1 for 15 min) did not change feeding behaviour during the two observation periods (0–30 min and 180–210 min after drug infusion, respectively). In previous studies, similar doses of these drugs induced changes in heart rate and inhibition of rumen contraction in goats. These findings demonstrate that drug-induced changes in forestomach contractions do not simply cause changes in feeding behaviour. The i.v. infusion of the PGF₂ analogues etiproston (10 g kg^-1 min^-1 for 15 min), luprostiol (30 g kg^-1 min^-1 for 15 min), cloprostenol (1 g kg^-1 min^-1 for 15 min) and tiaprost (1 g kg^-1 min^-1 for 15 min) induced hypophagic effects and stimulated intestinal propulsion.     

Comparison of ultrasonographic findings with clinical activity index (CIBDAI) and diagnosis in dogs with chronic enteropathies.

Intestinal wall thickness is neither a specific nor sensitive ultrasound parameter for detecting intestinal inflammation. We hypothesize that mucosal echogenicity, lymphadenomegaly, and secondary findings of the gastrointestinal tract would be more sensitive and specific markers for detecting and differentiating causes of chronic inflammatory bowel disease in dogs. Fifty-six client-owned dogs with chronic diarrhea and 10 control dogs were examined with two-dimensional, gray-scale ultrasound (time 0, 4, and 10 weeks post therapy) and small intestinal mucosal biopsies were performed at the 0- and 4-week time points. The clinical activity was assessed at each time point using the canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index (CIBDAI). Fifty-one dogs had inflammatory infiltration of the duodenal mucosa and were divided into three groups, food-responsive disease, idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease, and protein-losing enteropathy, based on their response to the different treatments and histology. Two different patterns of increased echogenicity of the mucosa were detected: hyperechoic speckles and hyperechoic striations. A normal, hypoechoic bowel mucosa in dogs with chronic diarrhea had a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 81% for the diagnosis of food-responsive disease. Hyperechoic striations had a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 96% for dogs with protein-losing enteropathy. Hyperechoic speckles were non-specific for diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease. There was a significant relationship between ultrasound score and CIBDAI at t0, but not following therapy. Mucosal echogenicity may be a better parameter for detecting inflammatory bowel disease than bowel wall thickness in dogs with chronic diarrhea.     

Visual and auditory cues facilitate cache pilferage of Siberian chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus) under indoor conditions

In the struggle for survival, scatter‐hoarding rodents are known to cache food and pilfer the caches of others. The extent to which rodents utilize auditory/visual cues from conspecifics to improve cache‐pilfering is unknown. Here, Siberian chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus) were allowed to search for caches of Corylus heterophylla seeds (man‐made caches and animal‐made caches) after experiencing cues from a conspecific's cache‐searching events. For each type of cache, 3 experimental scenarios were presented: (1) alone (control); (2) auditory/visual (hearing and seeing conspecific's cache‐searching events); and (3) auditory only (hearing conspecific's cache‐searching events only) with random orders. The subjects located man‐made caches faster, harvested more caches, and hoarded more seeds both in the auditory/visual and the auditory only treatments compared to the control, while scatter‐hoarding more seeds in the auditory/visual treatment but larder‐hoarding more seeds in the auditory only treatment. Compared to the control, the animals spent less time locating animal‐made caches, harvested more caches, ate fewer seeds, larder‐hoarded more seeds and hoarded more seeds in total both in the auditory/visual and the auditory only treatments, while eating more seeds and hoarded fewer seeds in total in the auditory only treatment than in the auditory/visual treatment. The results also show that females spent less time locating the animal‐made caches, but they scatter‐hoarded fewer seeds than males in the auditory/visual treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that visual and/or auditory cues of conspecifics improve cache‐pilfering and hoarding in rodents.     

Gut microbes limit growth in house sparrow nestlings (Passer domesticus) but not through limitations in digestive capacity

Recent research often lauds the services and beneficial effects of host‐associated microbes on animals. However, hosting these microbes may come at a cost. For example, germ‐free and antibiotic‐treated birds generally grow faster than their conventional counterparts. In the wild, juvenile body size is correlated with survival, so hosting a microbiota may incur a fitness cost. Avian altricial nestlings represent an interesting study system in which to investigate these interactions, given that they exhibit the fastest growth rates among vertebrates, and growth is limited by their digestive capacity. We investigated whether reduction and restructuring of the microbiota by antibiotic treatment would: (i) increase growth and food conversion efficiency in nestling house sparrows (Passer domesticus); (ii) alter aspects of gut anatomy or function (particularly activities of digestive carbohydrases and their regulation in response to dietary change); and (iii) whether there were correlations between relative abundances of microbial taxa, digestive function and nestling growth. Antibiotic treatment significantly increased growth and food conversion efficiency in nestlings. Antibiotics did not alter aspects of gut anatomy that we considered but depressed intestinal maltase activity. There were no significant correlations between abundances of microbial taxa and aspects of host physiology. Overall, we conclude that microbial‐induced growth limitation in developing birds is not driven by interactions with digestive capacity. Rather, decreased energetic and material costs of immune function or beneficial effects from microbes enriched under antibiotic treatment may underlie these effects. Understanding the costs and tradeoffs of hosting gut microbial communities represents an avenue of future research.     

Strategies of behavior,energetic and thermogenesis of striped hamsters in response to food deprivation

The life history of many animals includes periods of food shortage. Two behavioral strategies are involved in small mammals in response to food shortage: an increase in activity behavior, representing the increased foraging or migratory behavior, and a decrease in activity level, serving as a mechanism for conserving energy. However, it is uncertain whether animals adopt both strategies in response to food shortage, and whether hormone and neuroendocrine mechanisms are involved in both strategies. In the present study, changes in behavior and metabolic rate were examined in food‐deprived striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis). The effects of leptin supplement on activity behavior, metabolic rate and hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression were also examined. The behavior of food‐deprived hamsters significantly changed with photoperiod phases: with increasing activity during the dark phase compared to those fed ad libitum, whereas decreasing activity and simultaneously increasing resting behavior during the light phase. Resting metabolic rate, body mass, and masses of fat depots and digestive tracts significantly decreased in food‐deprived hamsters compared with ad libitum controls. Leptin supplement tended to attenuate the increased activity in the dark phase. Gene expression of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) was significantly upregulated in food‐deprived hamsters, while was significantly attenuated by exogenous leptin. These findings suggest that both behavior strategies are important behavioral adjustments in free‐living animals to cope with food shortage. Leptin and hypothalamic NPY gene expression may be involved in the adjustments of physiology and behavior in animals demonstrating a hyperactivity strategy in response to food shortage.     

直链式食品供应链的运营特征与影响因素

以北京农业采摘园为样本,在问卷调查与SPSS分析的基础上,总结此类直链式食品供应链运营多样化、简化中间环节和高效潜力等特征,从业人员、设施、资金和季节等影响运营的因素。根据存在的问题与不足,提出采摘园应争取当地政府、银行等资源的支持,改进道路、公交等外部设施,完善园内道路、餐饮条件、停车条件、游乐环境等内部设施;通过技术下乡和一对一会诊等方式解决采摘园技术问题,通过继续教育和经验交流会等形式提高从业人员素质;运用个性化营销吸引不同类型消费者;并采用高科技和差异化种植及采摘园联盟等形式,降低季节性对运营的影响,提供一站式采摘的综合体验。     

粮食陈化的影响因素及延缓途径

介绍粮食储存过程中影响其品质的重要因素,以及造成粮食陈化的主要原因,最后提出了延缓粮食陈化、保持粮食品质的途径。     

肉鸡产业链中沙门菌流行情况及其耐药性

为了了解食源性病原沙门菌在肉鸡产业链中的流行情况及其耐药性现状。本研究从上海某肉鸡屠宰加工企业分别采集待宰肉鸡、屠宰胴体和市售鸡肉样品388、200、127份,并参照GB/T4789.4-2010和PCR法进行沙门菌的分离鉴定。结果显示,共获得沙门菌73株。待宰肉鸡、屠宰胴体和市售鸡肉分别获得沙门菌9、48和16株,分离率依次为2.32%、17.5%和8.66%。采用微量肉汤稀释法测定分离菌株对12种抗菌药物的敏感性。药敏结果显示,所有菌株至少耐两种药物。其中对复方新诺明和多西环素的耐药率最高,分别为100%和95.89%;头孢唑啉、阿莫西林/克拉维酸、氯霉素、氨苄西林、萘啶酸的耐药率也均超过了40%,而对头孢噻呋、头孢曲松、庆大霉素、美罗培南的耐药率相对较低。结果表明,该地区肉鸡源沙门菌的耐药情况较严重,亟需加强养禽业抗菌药物的合理应用;同时沙门菌流行情况也对改进肉鸡屠宰加工工艺,降低沙门菌的污染提出了要求。     

食品工艺学课程中应用CAI课件教学效果的对比

为了分析和探讨CAI课件对食品工艺学教学效果的影响,采用无记名笔试和问卷调查进行教学效果评价,结果显示,多媒体教学笔试平均成绩明显优于传统教学,多媒体教学法在形象直观、扩大信息量、激发学习兴趣等方面均优于传统教学法。