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Poultry Science Mar 2021Probiotics are being developed as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of 2 novel strains of Bacillus pumilus...
Effects of novel probiotic strains of Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus subtilis on production, gut health, and immunity of broiler chickens raised under suboptimal conditions.
Probiotics are being developed as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of 2 novel strains of Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus subtilis on production, intestinal microbiota, gut health, and immunity of broilers raised under suboptimal conditions. Day-old chicks (Cobb 500, n = 2,073) were randomly assigned into 6 groups: Con group (group fed with basal diet), Ab group (group treated with virginiamycin), groups treated with 2 levels of B. pumilus (low dose: 3 × 10 cfu/kg of feed [BPL] and high dose: 1 × 10 cfu/kg [BPH]), and groups treated with 2 levels of B. subtilis (low dose: 3 × 10 cfu/kg [BSL] and high dose: 1 × 10 cfu/kg [BSH]). Production parameters were recorded weekly. Cecal tonsils and content as well as ileum samples were collected on day 14 and day 42. Cecal tonsils were used to sort T-regulatory cells (CD4+CD8-CD25+ and CD4+CD8+CD25+) to study expression of IL-10 and interferon gamma, whereas cecal content was used for bacterial culture. Ileum samples were used to measure gene expression of tight junction proteins, mucin, and cytokines. BW and feed intake increased in the Ab, BPL, BSL, and BSH groups compared with the Con group between day 35 and day 42. The CD4+CD8-CD25+ cells expressed high levels of IL-10 in the BSH group on day 14 and in the BPL, BSL, and BSH groups on day 42 and high levels of interferon gamma in the BPL, BSL, and BSH groups on day 14 and in the BSL and BSH groups on day 42. The expression of IL-10 and interferon gamma in CD4+CD8+CD25+ cells was higher only in the BSH group on day 14 and day 42. Cecal bacterial populations of genera, Lactobacillus (day 14 and day 42) and Clostridium (day 14), were higher in the BSH group. Expression of tight junction protein increased significantly in the ileum on day 14 in the BPL (occludin, zona occludens 1 [ZO-1]), BSL (occludin, ZO-1), and BSH (occludin, ZO-1, junctional adhesion molecule 2 [JAM-2]) groups compared with that in the Con group and declined in all groups except in the BSH group (occludin, ZO-1, JAM-2) on day 42. Expression of MUC2 and IL-17F increased in all groups on day 14 and remained high on day 42 in the BSL and BSH groups. Taken together, both Bacillus probiotics altered the intestinal and immune activities, particularly on day 14, suggesting beneficial influence of probiotics.
Topics: Animals; Bacillus pumilus; Bacillus subtilis; Chickens; Diet; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gastrointestinal Tract; Probiotics; Random Allocation
PubMed: 33516480
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.11.048 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Dec 2020This study investigated the effects of () use on growth performance, serum immunity, intestinal morphology, and microbiota as an antibiotic alternative in weaned...
This study investigated the effects of () use on growth performance, serum immunity, intestinal morphology, and microbiota as an antibiotic alternative in weaned piglets. Over the course of 28 days, 120 piglets were allocated to four treatments with six replicates of five piglets each. The treatments were: CON (basal diet); AGP (basal diet supplemented with 0.075 g/kg chlortetracycline, 0.055 g/kg kitasamycin, and 0.01 g/kg virginiamycin); CBN (basal diet supplemented with normal dosage of 2.5 × 10 CFU/kg ); and CBH (basal diet supplemented with high dosage of 2.5 × 10 CFU/kg ). Body weight (BW) and feed consumption were recorded at the beginning and on days 14 and 28 of the experiment, and representative feed samples and fresh feces were collected from each pen between days 26 and 28. Average fecal score of diarrhea was visually assessed each morning during the experimental period. On the morning of days 14 and 28, blood samples were collected to prepare serum for immune and antioxidant parameters measurement. One male piglet close to the average group BW was selected from each replicate and was slaughtered on day 21 of the experiment. Intestinal crypt villi, and colonic microbiota and its metabolites short-chain fatty acids were measured. Compared to the CON group, the CBN and AGP groups significantly decreased ( < 0.05) the ratio of feed to weight gain by 8.86% and 8.37% between days 1 and 14, 3.96% and 13.36% between days 15 and 28, 5.47% and 11.44% between days 1 and 28. Dietary treatment with and AGPs significantly decreased the average fecal score during the experimental period ( < 0.05). The apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and total carbohydrates in the CBH group were higher respectively at 3.27%, 2.90%, and 2.97%, than those in the CON or AGP groups ( < 0.05). Compared to the CON group, the CBH group significantly increased short-chain fatty acids in colon and villus height in the jejunum ( < 0.05). The CBN group had higher serum levels of immunoglobulins, interleukin 2 (IL-2), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity, but lower serum levels of IL-1β and IL-6, and a lower aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) activity ( < 0.05), while compared to the CON group. Dietary treatment with significantly increased the relative abundance of and ( < 0.05). In summary, diet with increased the growth performance and benefited the health of weaned piglets.
PubMed: 33287332
DOI: 10.3390/ani10122287 -
Frontiers in Nutrition 2021() as in-feed probiotics is a potential alternative for antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in the poultry industry. The current study investigated the effects of on the...
() as in-feed probiotics is a potential alternative for antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in the poultry industry. The current study investigated the effects of on the performance, immunity, gut microbiota, and intestinal barrier function of broiler chickens. A 42-day feeding trial was conducted with a total of 600 1-day-old Arbor Acres broilers with similar initial body weight, which was randomly divided into one of five dietary treatments: the basal diet (Ctrl), Ctrl + virginiamycin (AGP), Ctrl + A (BSA), Ctrl + B (BSB), and Ctrl + A + B (1:1, BSAB). The results showed significantly increased average daily gain in a step-wise manner from the control, , and to the AGP groups. The mortality rate of the group was significantly lower than the AGP group. The concentrations of serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G (IgG), IgA, and IgM in the and AGP groups were higher than the control group, and the groups had the highest content of serum lysozyme and relative weight of thymus. Dietary increased the relative length of ileum and the relative weight of jejunum compared with the AGP group. The villus height (V), crypt depth (C), V/C, and intestinal wall thickness of the jejunum in the and AGP groups were increased relative to the control group. Dietary increased the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-1, the same as AGP. The contents of lactic acid, succinic acid, and butyric acid in the ileum and cecum were increased by dietary . Dietary significantly increased the and in the ileum and cecum and decreased the and in the cecum. The improved performance and decreased mortality rate observed in the feeding trial could be accrued to the positive effects of on the immune response capacity, gut health, and gut microflora balance, and the combination of two strains showed additional benefits on the intestinal morphology and tight junction protein expressions. Therefore, it can be concluded that dietary A and B could be used as alternatives to synthetic antibiotics in the promotion of gut health and productivity index in broiler production.
PubMed: 34917643
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2021.786878 -
Poultry Science Jul 2020Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of functional oils containing cashew nutshell and castor oil on turkey performance and intestinal morphology. In...
Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of functional oils containing cashew nutshell and castor oil on turkey performance and intestinal morphology. In experiment 1, 585 hatchlings were randomly placed in 15 replicate floor pens, (13 poults/pen) with recycled litter and provided feed and water ad libitum. Birds were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments from 1 to 12 wk: nonmedicated control, 0.15% functional oils, and 66-ppm monensin. From wk 13 to 20, each initial treatment group was further divided into 3 treatments-control (no additive), 0.15% of functional oils, or 20 ppm of virginiamycin to produce 9 different treatments, 5 replicate pens per treatment. Data on feed weights were collected weekly, and body weight bi-weekly. At termination (20 wk), birds were euthanized, and their meat was processed to determine mass of carcass sections and meat quality, while intestinal samples were collected for histology. In experiment 1, toms fed monensin or functional oils were 10.5 and 4.5% heavier (P < 0.05), respectively, than the controls at 12 wk. Birds fed monensin had a 4% improvement (P < 0.05) in feed conversion as compared to the other treatments. Neither virginiamycin nor the functional oils affected bird performance when fed from 13 to 20 wk. The jejunum villi surface area at 3 wk was most enhanced (P < 0.05) for the poults fed monensin. Supplementation with functional oils significantly reduced leg yield and thiobarbituric-acid reactive substances of white meat after 7 D of storage (P < 0.05). There were no effects on performance or carcass characteristics in experiment 2. While additional confirmatory studies are needed, functional oils in the diet of turkey toms may be a viable alternative to antibiotic growth promotants.
Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Diet; Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; Intestines; Male; Meat; Turkeys
PubMed: 32616271
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.03.050 -
Nature Oct 2020Natural products serve as chemical blueprints for most antibiotics in clinical use. The evolutionary process by which these molecules arise is inherently accompanied by...
Natural products serve as chemical blueprints for most antibiotics in clinical use. The evolutionary process by which these molecules arise is inherently accompanied by the co-evolution of resistance mechanisms that shorten the clinical lifetime of any given class of antibiotics. Virginiamycin acetyltransferase (Vat) enzymes are resistance proteins that provide protection against streptogramins, potent antibiotics against Gram-positive bacteria that inhibit the bacterial ribosome. Owing to the challenge of selectively modifying the chemically complex, 23-membered macrocyclic scaffold of group A streptogramins, analogues that overcome the resistance conferred by Vat enzymes have not been previously developed. Here we report the design, synthesis, and antibacterial evaluation of group A streptogramin antibiotics with extensive structural variability. Using cryo-electron microscopy and forcefield-based refinement, we characterize the binding of eight analogues to the bacterial ribosome at high resolution, revealing binding interactions that extend into the peptidyl tRNA-binding site and towards synergistic binders that occupy the nascent peptide exit tunnel. One of these analogues has excellent activity against several streptogramin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, exhibits decreased rates of acetylation in vitro, and is effective at lowering bacterial load in a mouse model of infection. Our results demonstrate that the combination of rational design and modular chemical synthesis can revitalize classes of antibiotics that are limited by naturally arising resistance mechanisms.
Topics: Acetylation; Acetyltransferases; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Load; Binding Sites; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Drug Design; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Female; In Vitro Techniques; Mice; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Models, Molecular; RNA, Transfer; Ribosomes; Staphylococcus aureus; Streptogramin Group A; Virginiamycin
PubMed: 32968273
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2761-3 -
Poultry Science Apr 2016This study evaluated the effect of yeast-derived products on innate and antibody mediated immune response in broiler chickens following immunization with sheep red blood...
Effect of yeast-derived products and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) on antibody-mediated immune response and gene expression of pattern recognition receptors and cytokines in broiler chickens immunized with T-cell dependent antigens.
This study evaluated the effect of yeast-derived products on innate and antibody mediated immune response in broiler chickens following immunization with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). One-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross-308) were randomly assigned to 6 dietary treatments of 9 replicate cages of 5 birds each per treatment. Dietary treatments consisted of a Control diet without antibiotic, and diets containing 11 mg/kg of virginiamycin, 0.25% of yeast cell wall (YCW), 0.2% of a commercial product Maxi-Gen Plus containing processed yeast and nucleotides, 0.05% of nucleotides, or a diet containing 10% of DDGS. On days 21 and 28 post-hatching, 5 birds per treatment were immunized intramuscularly with both SRBC and BSA. One week after each immunization, blood samples were collected. Serum samples were analyzed by hemagglutination test for antibody response to SRBC, and by ELISA for serum IgM and IgG response to BSA. On d 35, 5 birds per treatment were euthanized and the tissue samples from the cecal tonsils were collected to assess the gene expression of toll-like receptors TLR2b, TLR4, and TLR21, monocyte mannose receptor (MMR), and cytokines IL-10, IL-13, IL-4, IL-12p35, and IFN-γ. The results for gene expression analysis demonstrated that the diet supplemented with YCW increased the expression of TLR2b and T-helper type 2 cytokines IL-10, IL-4, and IL-13 relative to the Control; and the expression of TLR4 and IL-13 was upregulated in the nucleotide-containing diet. However, the diets containing antibiotics or Maxi-Gen Plus downregulated the expression of IFN-γ compared to the control. The primary antibody response to SRBC was not affected by diets. However, the diet containing YCW increased the secondary antibody response to SRBC compared to the antibiotic treatment. Neither primary nor secondary IgG and IgM response against BSA were affected by diets. In conclusion, supplementation of the diet with YCW stimulated Th2 cell-mediated immune response indicating the immunomodulatory activities of these products following immunization with non-inflammatory antigens.
Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Avian Proteins; Chickens; Cytokines; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Edible Grain; Erythrocytes; Gene Expression Regulation; Immunity, Innate; Immunization; Random Allocation; Receptors, Pattern Recognition; Serum Albumin, Bovine; Sheep; Yeast, Dried
PubMed: 26787921
DOI: 10.3382/ps/pev449 -
Journal of Medical Microbiology Jun 2020The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has taken humanity off guard. Following an outbreak of SARS-CoV in 2002, and MERS-CoV about 10 years later, SARS-CoV-2 is the third...
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has taken humanity off guard. Following an outbreak of SARS-CoV in 2002, and MERS-CoV about 10 years later, SARS-CoV-2 is the third coronavirus in less than 20 years to cross the species barrier and start spreading by human-to-human transmission. It is the most infectious of the three, currently causing the COVID-19 pandemic. No treatment has been approved for COVID-19. We previously proposed targets that can serve as binding sites for antiviral drugs for multiple coronaviruses, and here we set out to find current drugs that can be repurposed as COVID-19 therapeutics. To identify drugs against COVID-19, we performed an virtual screen with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), a critical enzyme for coronavirus replication. Initially, no RdRP structure of SARS-CoV-2 was available. We performed basic sequence and structural analysis to determine if RdRP from SARS-CoV was a suitable replacement. We performed molecular dynamics simulations to generate multiple starting conformations that were used for the virtual screen. During this work, a structure of RdRP from SARS-CoV-2 became available and was also included in the virtual screen. The virtual screen identified several drugs predicted to bind in the conserved RNA tunnel of RdRP, where many of the proposed targets were located. Among these candidates, quinupristin is particularly interesting because it is expected to bind across the RNA tunnel, blocking access from both sides and suggesting that it has the potential to arrest viral replication by preventing viral RNA synthesis. Quinupristin is an antibiotic that has been in clinical use for two decades and is known to cause relatively minor side effects. Quinupristin represents a potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic. At present, we have no evidence that this drug is effective against SARS-CoV-2 but expect that the biomedical community will expeditiously follow up on our findings.
Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Drug Synergism; Humans; Molecular Conformation; Pandemics; Phylogeny; Pneumonia, Viral; RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase; Rifampin; SARS-CoV-2; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, Protein; Virginiamycin; Virus Replication
PubMed: 32469301
DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001203 -
Anais Da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias 2020The aim was to evaluate the use of mixture of microencapsulated carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde as a replacement for growth-promoting antibiotics in broiler diets on...
The aim was to evaluate the use of mixture of microencapsulated carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde as a replacement for growth-promoting antibiotics in broiler diets on performance, intestinal quality, organ development, carcass yields and cuts, and meat quality. In the trial were used 600 male chicks, allocated in a completely randomized design, with five treatments and eight replicates of 15 birds, reared up to 41 days of age. The treatments were: Negative Control (NC), Positive Control (PC) 30 mg/kg of virginiamycin, NC+100 mg/kg of essential oils, NC+200 mg/kg of essential oils and NC+400 mg/kg of essential oils. Essential oils were composed by a micro-encapsulated blend, with of 60% cinnamaldehyde, 30% carvacrol and 10% carrier. Birds received essential oils achieved performance equivalent to those birds received PC diets, having better development than NC broilers. No differences were found on relative organ weight, intestinal mucosa and meat quality parameters, however, higher villus:cript ratio was found in PC, NC+200 and NC+400 groups. Meat crude protein and yellowness were influenced by inclusion of carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde. It was concluded microencapsulated carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde can replace growth-promoting antibiotic in broiler diets, ensuring performance, intestinal integrity and broiler meat quality.
Topics: Acrolein; Animal Feed; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chickens; Cymenes; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Male; Meat
PubMed: 33331397
DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202020200343 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2019Using data from the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS), we aimed to describe trends in antimicrobial use (AMU) in broiler...
Using data from the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS), we aimed to describe trends in antimicrobial use (AMU) in broiler chickens and turkeys, to compare AMU across species, to compare with trends in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and to assess the effects of various AMU/AMR units of measurement (metrics and indicators) on data integration. Data on AMU and AMR in enteric bacteria, collected from 2013 to 2017 from broiler chickens ( = 143 flocks) and turkeys ( = 145) were used. In broiler chickens, the total AMU in milligrams/population correction unit (mg/PCU) decreased by 6%, the number () of defined daily doses for animals using Canadian standards (nDDDvetCA) per 1,000 broiler chicken-days decreased by 12%, and nDDDvetCA/PCU decreased by 6%. In turkeys, the mg/PCU decreased by 1%, whereas the nDDDvetCA/1,000 turkey-days and the nDDDvetCA/PCU increased by 1 and 5%, respectively. The types of antimicrobial classes used in both species were similar. Using the frequency of flocks reporting use (i.e., number of flocks reporting use/number of flocks participating) as a measurement, the use of certain antimicrobials changed over time (e.g., Broilers, decreased cephalosporin use, virginiamycin use, emerging use of lincomycin-spectinomycin, and avilamycin; Turkeys: increased trimethoprim-sulfonamides and macrolide use). The trends in resistance to specific antimicrobials paralleled the frequency and quantity of use (e.g., ceftriaxone use decreased-ceftriaxone resistance decreased, and gentamicin use increased-gentamicin resistance increased) in some situations, but not others (decreased fluoroquinolone use-increased ciprofloxacin resistance). AMR data were summarized using the AMR indicator index (AMR Ix). The most notable AMR Ix trend was the decrease in ceftriaxone AMR Ix among (0.19 to 0.07); indicative of the success of the poultry industry action to eliminate the preventive use of third generation cephalosporins. Other trends observed were the increase in ciprofloxacin AMR Ix among r from 0.23 to 0.41 and gentamicin AMR Ix among from 0.11 to 0.22, suggestive of the persistence/emergence of resistance related to previous and current AMU not captured in our surveillance timeframe. These data highlight the necessity of multiple AMU and AMR indicators for monitoring the impact of stewardship activities and interventions.
PubMed: 31131285
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00131 -
Heliyon Feb 2024The seaweeds are in focus for their immunity and gut health-stimulating potentials in humans and farm animals, but their potential as a gut health-promoting agent and...
The seaweeds are in focus for their immunity and gut health-stimulating potentials in humans and farm animals, but their potential as a gut health-promoting agent and performance booster to replace antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in broiler chicken-feed remains to be evaluated. feeding experiments were conducted on commercial broiler chickens (1-42 days post-hatch) to evaluate dried aqueous exact of red seaweed (referred to as PBD 5). Each of the three test diets (basal diet with three dosing regimens of PBD5, 0.25 g kg for 0-6 weeks, 0.25 g kg for 0-4 weeks or 1.0 g kg for 0-2 weeks), along with an AGP supplemented diet (Virginiamycin (V), 20 ppm in basal diet), and a control diet was fed to 13 pen replicates of five chicks in each. PBD5 at 1.0 g kg diet for 0-2 weeks improved (P < 0.05) cumulative feed efficiency (4.65 % improvement at 28 d, and 3.74 % at 35 d) than the control and comparable to the V group and the trend in improvement persisted up to 42 d. The group fed with PBD5 @ 1.0 g kg for 0-2 weeks had significantly (P < 0.05) higher serum IgG level, glutathione peroxidase levels, fat digestibility, and expression of occludin and avian beta-defensin 4 gene in the gut and a trend of increased expression of growth hormone receptor gene in the liver as compared to the control with no significant effect on body weight, phytohemagglutinin response or haemagglutination inhibition titer. At d 25 of age, fecal count was significantly (P < 0.01) lower in the seaweed extract groups and the V group as compared to the control. It can be concluded that dried aqueous extract of at 1 g kg diet for 0-2 weeks can be used as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoter in broiler chickens to improve feed efficiency and reduce gut pathogen load, and the improved performance was associated with increased expression of gut immunity and growth hormone receptor genes.
PubMed: 38333794
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25219