布氏乳杆菌和甲酸对青藏高原不同物候期燕麦青贮饲料发酵品质和细菌群落的影响

为探讨布氏乳杆菌和甲酸对青藏高原不同物候期燕麦（Avena sativa L.）青贮饲料发酵品质和细菌群落的影响,本试验以开花期、乳熟期和蜡熟期燕麦为原料,设置对照、添加甲酸和添加布氏乳杆菌3个处理,青贮90 d后,测定其营养成分、发酵指标和细菌群落组成。结果表明：布氏乳杆菌和甲酸处理均改变不同物候期燕麦青贮饲料中细菌群落组成（P<0.05）,并提高其乳酸细菌相对丰富度;与对照相比,用布氏乳杆菌和甲酸处理不同物候期的燕麦青贮后,蜡熟期的燕麦pH值降低（P<0.05）,乙酸均增加9.7%,丙酸分别降低11.6%和8.6%,氨态氮分别降低11.3%和19.2%。综合细菌群落组成、发酵品质和营养成分来看,蜡熟期的燕麦添加布氏乳杆菌和甲酸后,其青贮品质较佳。     

Presence of Bacteria on the External Genitalia of Healthy Stallions and its Transmission to the Mare at the Time of Breeding by Live Cover

The current field study used thoroughbred stallions and mares from central Kentucky to investigate the occurrence of potentially pathogenic bacteria on the stallion's external genitalia, based on cultures, and investigated the occurrence of bacteria and type of isolate in the mare's uterus after breeding by live cover to stallions with or without positive bacterial cultures. Fifteen thoroughbred stallions and 206 mares from two central Kentucky thoroughbred farms were used during the 2010 and 2011 breeding seasons. Samples for bacteriological evaluation were taken from the prepuce and postejaculate urethra (n = 201) of stallions. Uterine swabs (n = 264) were collected 12-18 hours postbreeding. For statistical analyses, a chi-squared test was used to test the relationship between stallion culture results and postbreeding uterine culture results, as well as the effect of bacterial types found on the stallion cultures with bacterial types found on the postbreeding uterine cultures. Of stallion cultures, 22.4% were positive for potentially pathogenic bacteria, with Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (51.1%) being the most common isolate. Uterine cultures resulted in a 29.2% positive rate for potentially pathogenic bacteria, with S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus (90.9%) being the most common. There was no difference (P > .05) in the occurrence of bacteria or type of isolate found on uterine cultures after breeding stallions with or without positive cultures. In conclusion, potentially pathogenic bacteria found on the stallion's external genitalia did not affect the occurrence and type of bacterial isolate found in the mare's uterus after breeding by live cover.     

Pathological findings and probable causes of the death of Stejneger’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon stejnegeri) stranded in Japan from 1999 and 2011

One hundred and twenty stranding events of Stejneger’s beaked whales were reported in Japan between 1999 and 2011. The purpose of this study is to introduce pathological data and to discuss probable causes of death for 44 Stejneger’s beaked whales among them. The significant pathological findings were the pulmonary edema, parasitic granulomatous nephritis, emaciation, amyloidosis, suppurative bronchopneumonia and so on. The probable causes of death were categorized as noninfectious in 43 of the cases, which included drowning, starvation and secondary amyloidosis. One individual was diagnosed with septicemia, which was the only example of an infectious disease. Because we could not always perform advanced analyses, such as microbiology tests, biotoxin examinations or contaminant analyses, the finality of our findings may be impaired. However, the present study has broad implications on the causes of death of Stejneger’s beaked whales of the seas around Japan, which are valuable for the future studies and for the detection of emerging diseases.     

Detection of bacterial contamination and DNA quantification in stored blood units in 2 veterinary hospital blood banks

Blood transfusions in veterinary medicine have become increasingly more common and are now an integral part of lifesaving and advanced treatment in small and large animals. Important risks associated with transfusion of blood products include the transmission of various infectious diseases. Several guidelines suggest what infectious agents to screen for in canine and feline transfusion medicine. However, while the risk of bacterial contamination of blood products during storage and administration has not been documented in veterinary medicine, it has emerged as a cause of morbidity and mortality in human transfusion medicine. Clinical experience shows that the majority of blood component bacterial contaminations are caused by only a few species. Unlike other types of bacteria, psychrotolerant species like Pseudomonas spp. and Serratia spp. can proliferate during the storage of blood units at 4°C from a very low titer at the time of blood collection to a clinically significant level (> 10⁵ CFU/mL) causing clinical sepsis resulting from red blood cell concentrate transfusions in human medicine. The purpose of this report was to describe the detection and quantification procedures applied in 4 cases of bacterial contamination of canine and feline blood units, which suggest the need for further investigations to optimize patients’ safety in veterinary transfusion medicine.     

Immunoadjuvant effects of bacterial genomic DNA and CpG oligodeoxynucleotides on avian influenza virus subtype H5N1 inactivated oil emulsion vaccine in chicken

This study investigated the immunoadjuvant effects of three types of bacterial genomic DNA and CpG oligonucleotides (CpG ODN) on the avian influenza virus (AIV) subtype H5N1 inactivated oil emulsion vaccine under two immunization strategies. The genomic DNA extracted from Escherichia coli O₂, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis FQ68, and synthetic CpG ODN were used as adjuvants, and their effects on the AIV oil emulsion vaccine were examined in chickens. The results indicated that when administered separately from the vaccine, adjuvants induced lower haemagglutination inhibition (HI) titres and serum IgG titres but resulted in higher concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-10. In contrast, when combined with the oil emulsion vaccine prior to inoculation, CpG ODN induced higher HI, IgG titres and IFN-γ concentration but resulted in lower IL-10 concentration. These data suggest that, depending on the immunization approaches, adjuvants may exert distinct immune effects in chickens receiving AIV H5N1 oil emulsion vaccine: the prior incorporation of CpG ODN into the vaccine may augment both the humoral and Th1 type immune responses, while separate inoculation of adjuvants has not shown better adjuvanticity.     

Heat stress-induced mucosal barrier dysfunction is potentially associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis in pigs

Heat stress(HS)can be detrimental to the gut health of swine.Many negative outcomes induced by HS are increasingly recognized as including modulation of intestinal microbiota.In turn,the intestinal microbiota is a unique ecosystem playing a critical role in mediating the host stress response.Therefore,we aimed to characterize gut microbiota of pigs’exposure to short-term HS,to explore a possible link between the intestinal microbiota and HS-related changes,including serum cytokines,oxidation status,and intestinal epithelial barrier function.Our findings showed that HS led to intestinal morphological and integrity changes(villus height,serum diamine oxidase[DAO],serum D-lactate and the relative expressions of tight junction proteins),reduction of serum cytokines(interleukin[IL]-8,IL-12,interferongamma[IFN-g]),and antioxidant activity(higher glutathione[GSH]and malondialdehyde[MDA]content,and lower superoxide dismutase[SOD]).Also,16S rRNA sequencing analysis revealed that although there was no difference in microbial a-diversity,some HS-associated composition differences were revealed in the ileum and cecum,which partly led to an imbalance in the production of short-chain fatty acids including propionate acid and valerate acid.Relevance networks revealed that HS-derived changes in bacterial genera and microbial metabolites,such as Chlamydia,Lactobacillus,Succinivibrio,Bifidobacterium,Lachnoclostridium,and propionic acid,were correlated with oxidative stress,intestinal barrier dysfunction,and inflammation in pigs.Collectively,our observations suggest that intestinal damage induced by HS is probably partly related to the gut microbiota dysbiosis,though the underlying mechanism remains to be fully elucidated.     

Identification and quantification of amines in the equine caecum

Acute laminitis has been associated with the release of compounds, as yet unidentified, produced by hindgut fermentation which affect blood flow to the digit. The objectives of this study were to identify amine compounds in equine caecal and colonic contents, some of which are known to have vasoactive properties. In addition, the concentrations of amines in caecal contents of horses fed either grass or hay diets were compared. Fifteen amines were identified in equine hindgut contents in concentrations greater than 1 microM. The caecal concentrations of phenylethylamine, isoamylamine, cadaverine, diaminoheptane and spermidine were significantly higher in horses on spring/summer grass compared with those on winter grass or hay. These data show that many amines are present in the equine hindgut, some of which may have the potential to cause peripheral vasoconstriction if released into the circulation from the gastrointestinal tract.     

Microbial and nutritional aspects of feeding fermented feed (poultry by‐products) to pigs

Summary

Broiler by‐products (heads, feet, and viscera) mixed with 4% dextrose were pasteurized for 4 min at 90°C core temperature, cooled to 20°C, and fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum as starter culture. These fermented poultry by‐products were fed to 12 individually housed fattening pigs as part (17.6% of the dry matter) of their fattening ration, the remainder composed of compound pig feed. Control pigs received a compound pig feed only. Both groups of pigs were fed restrictively on the basis of body weight. The technical results of the pigs fed the experimental diet showed a significantly improved feed:gain ratio (2.46 vs 2.57), a significantly higher carcass weight (86.1 vs 81.8 kg), a lower meat percentage (50.9 vs 52.5%) and an increased backfat thickness (21.5 vs 18.7%). The bacterial flora in the intestinal tract of the pigs fed the experimental diet differed significantly from the control animals. Decreased colony counts of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, enterococci and lactobacilli were found in the rectal content and the prevalence of salmonella was lower.

It is suggested that the improved feed:gain ratio and the reduced bacterial activity of the measured groups of bacteria is a result of 1) the higher energy content of the diet, and(or) 2) an assumed enhanced digestibility of nutritional components in the diet, and(or) 3) the lower incidence of diarrhea in the pigs fed with fermented poultry by‐products. This resulted in a lower contamination level of enteropathogenic bacteria like, salmonella and Escherichia coli, in the gastro‐intestinal tract of the pigs fed fermented poultry by‐products.     

长期秸秆掩埋配施氮肥对土壤细菌群落特征的影响

为揭示典型潮土微生物群落及其生态网络对秸秆还田的响应机制,选择长期小麦-玉米轮作下不同秸秆还田处理的试验地为对象,应用高通量测序和生态网络等方法,阐明秸秆掩埋配施不同氮肥后土壤细菌群落组成、细菌网络共存关系以及与土壤养分的关联。结果表明：（1）与秸秆移除且不施氮肥处理相比,秸秆还田配合常规施肥处理显著降低土壤pH,提高了土壤全氮、有机碳、有效磷、速效钾和硝态氮含量（P < 0.05）。秸秆掩埋配施氮肥有利于增加土壤养分含量。（2）不同秸秆还田方式和氮肥施用量处理的细菌Alpha多样性无显著差异,而细菌群落结构差异显著。pH、SOC和TN等因子驱动了细菌群落结构变异。酸杆菌门、变形菌门、拟杆菌门和绿弯菌门是潮土细菌群落的主要优势菌门。（3）共现网络分析得到4个主要的生态集群,均与土壤养分有显著相关性。模块1中物种丰度与SOC、TN、TP、NO3- -N、AP和AK呈极显著负相关（P < 0.001）,与pH呈极显著正相关（P < 0.001）;模块2和模块3中物种丰度与大部分养分含量呈正相关,与pH呈负相关。因此秸秆还田配施氮肥可以通过调节细菌互作关系,从而调控土壤肥力。研究结果可为秸秆的资源化利用和土壤施肥管理提供科学依据。