Food-producing animals and their health in relation to human health

Occupational exposure in swine farm defines human skin and nasal microbiota

Anthropogenic environments take an active part in shaping the human microbiome. Herein, we studied skin and nasal microbiota dynamics in response to the exposure in confined and controlled swine farms to decipher the impact of occupational exposure on microbiome formation. The microbiota of volunteers was longitudinally profiled in a 9-months survey, in which the volunteers underwent occupational exposure during 3-month internships in swine farms. By high-throughput sequencing, we showed that occupational exposure compositionally and functionally reshaped the volunteers’ skin and nasal microbiota. The exposure in farm A reduced the microbial diversity of skin and nasal microbiota, whereas the microbiota of skin and nose increased after exposure in farm B. The exposure in different farms resulted in compositionally different microbial patterns, as the abundance of Actinobacteria sharply increased at expense of Firmicutes after exposure in farm A, yet Proteobacteria became the most predominant in the volunteers in farm B. The remodeled microbiota composition due to exposure in farm A appeared to stall and persist, whereas the microbiota of volunteers in farm B showed better resilience to revert to the pre-exposure state within 9 months after the exposure. Several metabolic pathways, for example, the styrene, aminobenzoate, and N-glycan biosynthesis, were significantly altered through our PICRUSt analysis, and notably, the function of beta-lactam resistance was predicted to enrich after exposure in farm A yet decrease in farm B. We proposed that the differently modified microbiota patterns might be coordinated by microbial and non-microbial factors in different swine farms, which were always environment-specific. This study highlights the active role of occupational exposure in defining the skin and nasal microbiota and sheds light on the dynamics of microbial patterns in response to environmental conversion.

Influence of Immune Parameters after Enterococcus faecium AL41 Administration and Salmonella Infection in Chickens

Immune response of day-old chicks infected with Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 and preventive administration of Enterococcus faecium AL41 were studied using hematology and flow cytometry of immunocompetent cells in blood, cecum, bursa and spleen for 11 days, and included 220 animals divided into four groups (n = 55). E. faecium AL41 was administered for 7 days to EF and EFSE groups and on day 4 SE and EFSE groups were infected with Salmonella Enteritidis. Values of monocytes at 4 dpi significantly increased in EFSE and lymphocytes at 7 dpi in EF groups. Blood CD3, CD4, CD8 and IgM lymphocytes improved in EF and EFSE groups and IgA in EF group at 4 dpi. Phagocytic activity of probiotic groups was improved in both samples. Cecal IEL and LPL lymphocytes showed at 7 dpi stimulation of CD3, CD4 and CD8 subpopulations in probiotic groups, especially in EFSE group, IgA IEL and IgA with IgM LPL in EF groups. Bursa Fabricii at 7 dpi presented overstimulation of IgG subpopulation in SE group, spleen CD3 and CD8 in EF and EFSE groups. E. faecium AL41 revealed the protective effect and positive influence on the local and systemic immune response in Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 infected chickens.

Potential Replacements for Antibiotic Growth Promoters in Poultry: Interactions at the Gut Level and Their Impact on Host Immunity

The chicken gastrointestinal tract (GIT) has a complex, biodiverse microbial community of ~ 9 million bacterial genes plus archaea and fungi that links the host diet to its health. This microbial population contributes to host physiology through metabolite signaling while also providing local and systemic nutrients to multiple organ systems. In a homeostatic state, the host-microbial interaction is symbiotic; however, physiological issues are associated with dysregulated microbiota. Manipulating the microbiota is a therapeutic option, and the concept of adding beneficial bacteria to the intestine has led to probiotic and prebiotic development. The gut microbiome is readily changeable by diet, antibiotics, pathogenic infections, and host- and environmental-dependent events. The intestine performs key roles of nutrient absorption, tolerance of beneficial microbiota, yet responding to undesirable microbes or microbial products and preventing translocation to sterile body compartments. During homeostasis, the immune system is actively preventing or modulating the response to known or innocuous antigens. Manipulating the microbiota through nutrition, modulating host immunity, preventing pathogen colonization, or improving intestinal barrier function has led to novel methods to prevent disease, but also resulted in improved body weight, feed conversion, and carcass yield in poultry. This review highlights the importance of adding different feed additives to the diets of poultry in order to manipulate and enhance health and productivity of flocks.

Irradiation technology: An effective and promising strategy for eliminating food allergens

Food allergies are one of the major health concerns worldwide and have been increasing at an alarming rate in recent times. The elimination of food allergenicity has been an important issue in current research on food. Irradiation is a typical nonthermal treatment technology that can effectively reduce the allergenicity of food, showing great application prospects in improving the quality and safety of foods. In this review, the mechanism and remarkable features of irradiation in the elimination of food allergens are mainly introduced, and the research progress on reducing the allergenicity of animal foods (milk, egg, fish and shrimp) and plant foods (soybean, peanut, wheat and nuts) using irradiation is summarized. Furthermore, the influencing factors for irradiation in the elimination of food allergens are analyzed and further research directions of irradiation desensitization technology are also discussed. This article aims to provide a reference for promoting the application of irradiation technology in improving the safety of foods.

Conjugal Transfer of Antibiotic Resistances in Lactobacillus spp

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a heterogeneous group of bacteria which are Gram-positive, facultative anaerobes and non-motile, non-spore forming, with varied shapes from cocci to coccobacilli and bacilli. Lactobacillus is the largest and most widely used bacterial species amongst LAB in fermented foods and beverages. The genus is a common member of human gut microbiome. Several species are known to provide benefits to the human gut via synergistic interactions with the gut microbiome and their ability to survive the gut environment. This ability to confer positive health effects provide them a status of generally recognized as safe (GRAS) microorganisms. Due to their various beneficial characteristics, other factors such as their resistance acquisition were overlooked. Overuse of antibiotics has made certain bacteria develop resistance against these drugs. Antibiotic resistance was found to be acquired mainly through conjugation which is a type of lateral gene transfer. Several in vitro methods of conjugation have been discussed previously depending on their success to transfer resistance. In this review, we have addressed methods that are employed to study the transfer of resistance genes using the conjugation phenomenon in lactobacilli.

Assessment of Fermented Soybean Meal on Salmonella typhimurium Infection in Neonatal Turkey Poults

Simple Summary

Fermented soybean meal (FSBM) improved the performance of neonatal turkey poults, and these changes were associated with morphometric changes in the intestinal mucosa, as well as reduction of leaky gut, within turkeys challenged with Salmonella typhimurium (ST) in two experimental infective models. Although the two strains used for the fermentation process showed in vitro activity against ST, no significant effect was observed in vivo. Nevertheless, FSBM reduced the severity of the ST infection in the therapeutic model. The fermentation with different beneficial bacteria and different inclusion rates of FSBM requires further investigation.

Abstract

This study’s objective was to evaluate the effect of the fermented soybean meal (FSBM) on Salmonella typhimurium (ST) to turkey poults using two models of infection. In the prophylactic model, one-day-old turkeys were randomly allocated to one of four different groups (n = 30 turkeys/group): (1) Control group, (2) FSBM group, (3) Control group challenged with ST (Control + ST), and (4) FSBM group challenged with ST (FSBM + ST). On day 9 of age, all poults were orally challenged with 10⁶ colony forming units (CFU) ST and 24 h post-inoculation, intestinal samples were collected to determine ST recovery and morphometric analysis. Blood samples were collected to evaluate serum fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-d). In the therapeutic model, a similar experimental design was used, but turkeys were orally gavaged 10⁴ CFU ST on day 1, and samples were collected at day 7. FSBM improved performance and reduced leaky gut in both experimental infective models. In the prophylactic model, FSBB induced morphology changes in the mucosa. Although the strains (Lactobacillus salivarius and Bacillus licheniformis) used for the fermentation process showed in vitro activity against ST, no significant effect was observed in vivo. The fermentation with different beneficial bacteria and different inclusion rates of FSBM requires further investigation.

Erysipelothrix Spp.: Past, Present, and Future Directions in Vaccine Research

Erysipelothrix spp. comprise a group of small Gram-positive bacteria that can infect a variety of hosts including mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and insects. Among the eight Erysipelothrix species that have been described to date, only Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae plays a major role in farmed livestock where it is the causative agent of erysipelas. E. rhusiopathiae also has zoonotic potential and can cause erysipeloid in humans with a clear occupational link to meat and fish industries. While there are 28 known Erysipelothrix serovars, over 80% of identified isolates belong to serovars 1 or 2. Vaccines to protect pigs against E. rhusiopathiae first became available in 1883 as a response to an epizootic of swine erysipelas in southern France. The overall vaccine repertoire was notably enlarged between the 1940s and 1960s following major outbreaks of swine erysipelas in the Midwest USA and has changed little since. Traditionally, E. rhusiopathiae serovar 1a or 2 isolates were inactivated (bacterins) or attenuated and these types of vaccines are still used today on a global basis. E. rhusiopathiae vaccines are most commonly used in pigs, poultry, and sheep where the bacterium can cause considerable economic losses. In addition, erysipelas vaccination is also utilized in selected vulnerable susceptible populations, such as marine mammals in aquariums, which are commonly vaccinated at regular intervals. While commercially produced erysipelas vaccines appear to provide good protection against clinical disease, in recent years there has been an increase in perceived vaccine failures in farmed animals, especially in organic outdoor operations. Moreover, clinical erysipelas outbreaks have been reported in animal populations not previously considered at risk. This has raised concerns over a possible lack of vaccine protection across various production species. This review focuses on summarizing the history and the present status of E. rhusiopathiae vaccines, the current knowledge on protection including surface antigens, and also provides an outlook into future directions for vaccine development.

Veterinary informatics: forging the future between veterinary medicine, human medicine, and One Health initiatives-a joint paper by the Association for Veterinary Informatics (AVI) and the CTSA One Health Alliance (COHA)

Objectives

This manuscript reviews the current state of veterinary medical electronic health records and the ability to aggregate and analyze large datasets from multiple organizations and clinics. We also review analytical techniques as well as research efforts into veterinary informatics with a focus on applications relevant to human and animal medicine. Our goal is to provide references and context for these resources so that researchers can identify resources of interest and translational opportunities to advance the field.

Methods and Results

This review covers various methods of veterinary informatics including natural language processing and machine learning techniques in brief and various ongoing and future projects. After detailing techniques and sources of data, we describe some of the challenges and opportunities within veterinary informatics as well as providing reviews of common One Health techniques and specific applications that affect both humans and animals.

Discussion

Current limitations in the field of veterinary informatics include limited sources of training data for developing machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms, siloed data between academic institutions, corporate institutions, and many small private practices, and inconsistent data formats that make many integration problems difficult. Despite those limitations, there have been significant advancements in the field in the last few years and continued development of a few, key, large data resources that are available for interested clinicians and researchers. These real-world use cases and applications show current and significant future potential as veterinary informatics grows in importance. Veterinary informatics can forge new possibilities within veterinary medicine and between veterinary medicine, human medicine, and One Health initiatives.

Muscle characteristics in chicks challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis and the effect of preventive application of the probiotic Enterococcus faecium

The present study was conducted to assess the effects of the probiotic Enterococcus faecium AL41 (EF) and of the enteric pathogen Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 (SE) on the development of posthatch pectoralis major muscle (PM) of broiler chicks. The four experimental groups were control (CON), EF, SE, and EF+SE (EFSE). EF and SE were given per os from days 1 to 7 and at day 4 posthatch, respectively. Muscle samples from 6 chicks per group were taken at day 8 (D8) and day 11 (D11) to evaluate PM myofiber growth, capillarization, DNA, RNA, and protein content, as well as enzyme activities (isocitrate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase). PM growth rate was 7.45 ± 2.7 g/d in non-SE groups (CON, EF) and 5.10 ± 1.82 g/d in SE-infected groups (P < 0.02). Compared with group CON, application of bacteria (groups EF and SE) reduced the fiber cross-sectional area (246 and 262 vs. 347 ± 19 μm2) and the number of myonuclei per fiber (0.66 and 0.64 vs. 0.79 ± 0.03). At D11, hypertrophic myofiber growth normalized in the EF group, but negative effects persisted in SE and EFSE birds contributing to lower daily PM gain. In addition, SE infection strongly disturbed PM capillarization. Negative effects on capillary cross-sectional area and on the area (%) covered by capillaries persisted until D11 in the SE group, whereas pre-feeding of EF restored capillarization in the EFSE group to control levels. We conclude that supplementation of the probiotic bacteria EF AL41 had positive effects on PM capillarization and, thus, on delivery of O2, supply of nutrients, and removal of metabolites. Supplementation of probiotic bacteria might therefore reduce energetic stress and improve muscle health and meat quality during SE infection.

Antibiotic Use in Agriculture and Its Consequential Resistance in Environmental Sources: Potential Public Health Implications

Due to the increased demand of animal protein in developing countries, intensive farming is instigated, which results in antibiotic residues in animal-derived products, and eventually, antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is of great public health concern because the antibiotic-resistant bacteria associated with the animals may be pathogenic to humans, easily transmitted to humans via food chains, and widely disseminated in the environment via animal wastes. These may cause complicated, untreatable, and prolonged infections in humans, leading to higher healthcare cost and sometimes death. In the said countries, antibiotic resistance is so complex and difficult, due to irrational use of antibiotics both in the clinical and agriculture settings, low socioeconomic status, poor sanitation and hygienic status, as well as that zoonotic bacterial pathogens are not regularly cultured, and their resistance to commonly used antibiotics are scarcely investigated (poor surveillance systems). The challenges that follow are of local, national, regional, and international dimensions, as there are no geographic boundaries to impede the spread of antibiotic resistance. In addition, the information assembled in this study through a thorough review of published findings, emphasized the presence of antibiotics in animal-derived products and the phenomenon of multidrug resistance in environmental samples. This therefore calls for strengthening of regulations that direct antibiotic manufacture, distribution, dispensing, and prescription, hence fostering antibiotic stewardship. Joint collaboration across the world with international bodies is needed to assist the developing countries to implement good surveillance of antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance.

Antimicrobial Resistance: Its Surveillance, Impact, and Alternative Management Strategies in Dairy Animals

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one among the most common priority areas identified by both national and international agencies, is mushrooming as a silent pandemic. The advancement in public health care through introduction of antibiotics against infectious agents is now being threatened by global development of multidrug-resistant strains. These strains are product of both continuous evolution and un-checked antimicrobial usage (AMU). Though antibiotic application in livestock has largely contributed toward health and productivity, it has also played significant role in evolution of resistant strains. Although, a significant emphasis has been given to AMR in humans, trends in animals, on other hand, are not much emphasized. Dairy farming involves surplus use of antibiotics as prophylactic and growth promoting agents. This non-therapeutic application of antibiotics, their dosage, and withdrawal period needs to be re-evaluated and rationally defined. A dairy animal also poses a serious risk of transmission of resistant strains to humans and environment. Outlining the scope of the problem is necessary for formulating and monitoring an active response to AMR. Effective and commendably connected surveillance programs at multidisciplinary level can contribute to better understand and minimize the emergence of resistance. Besides, it requires a renewed emphasis on investments into research for finding alternate, safe, cost effective, and innovative strategies, parallel to discovery of new antibiotics. Nevertheless, numerous direct or indirect novel approaches based on host-microbial interaction and molecular mechanisms of pathogens are also being developed and corroborated by researchers to combat the threat of resistance. This review places a concerted effort to club the current outline of AMU and AMR in dairy animals; ongoing global surveillance and monitoring programs; its impact at animal human interface; and strategies for combating resistance with an extensive overview on possible alternates to current day antibiotics that could be implemented in livestock sector.

Addressing the Antibiotic Resistance Problem with Probiotics: Reducing the Risk of Its Double-Edged Sword Effect

Antibiotic resistance is a global public health problem that requires our attention. Indiscriminate antibiotic use is a major contributor in the introduction of selective pressures in our natural environments that have significantly contributed in the rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant microbial strains. The use of probiotics in lieu of antibiotic therapy to address certain health conditions in both animals and humans may alleviate these antibiotic-mediated selective pressures. Probiotic use is defined as the actual application of live beneficial microbes to obtain a desired outcome by preventing diseased state or improving general health. Multiple studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of probiotic use in the health of both livestock and humans. As such, probiotics consumption is gaining popularity worldwide. However, concerns have been raised in the use of some probiotics strains that carry antibiotic resistance genes themselves, as they have the potential to pass the antibiotic resistance genes to pathogenic bacteria through horizontal gene transfer. Therefore, with the current public health concern on antibiotic resistance globally, in this review, we underscore the need to screen probiotic strains that are used in both livestock and human applications to assure their safety and mitigate their potential in significantly contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in our natural environments.

[Enteric microbiocenotic modifiers and ways of enhancing their efficacy]

Efficient recovery of enteric microbiocenosis is one of the central problems not only in gastroenterology, but also in a number of related areas. This problem becomes particularly pressing after antibiotic treatment. The combined modifiers of enteric microbiocenosis are most effective among other symbiotic drugs. Bion-3 apart from symbionts contains a vitamin/mineral complex and acts as an adaptogen.

Gut Microbiota: A Modulator of Brain Plasticity and Cognitive Function in Ageing

Gut microbiota have recently been a topic of great interest in the field of microbiology, particularly their role in normal physiology and its influence on human health in disease. A large body of research has supported the presence of a pathway of communication between the gut and the brain, modulated by gut microbiota, giving rise to the term “microbiota-gut-brain” axis. It is now thought that, through this pathway, microbiota can affect behaviour and modulate brain plasticity and cognitive function in ageing. This review summarizes the evidence supporting the existence of such a connection and possible mechanisms of action whereby microbiota can influence the function of the central nervous system. Since normalisation of gut flora has been shown to prevent changes in behaviour, we further postulate on possible therapeutic targets to intervene with cognitive decline in ageing. The research poses various limitations, for example uncertainty about how this data translates to broad human populations. Nonetheless, the microbiota-gut-brain axis is an exciting field worthy of further investigation, particularly with regards to its implications on the ageing population.