The influence of animal species, gender and tissue on the structural, biophysical, biochemical and biological properties of collagen sponges

peer-reviewedAlthough collagen type I is extensively used in biomedicine, no study to-date has assessed how the properties of the produced scaffolds are affected as a function of species, gender and tissue from which the collagen was extracted. Herein, we extracted and characterised collagen from porcine and bovine, male and female and skin and tendon tissues and we subsequently fabricated and assessed the structural, biophysical, biochemical and biological properties of collagen sponges. All collagen preparations were of similar purity and free-amine content (p > 0.05). In general, the porcine groups yielded more collagen; had higher (p < 0.05) denaturation temperature and resistance to enzymatic degradation; and lower (p < 0.05) swelling ratio and compression stress and modulus than the bovine groups of the same gender and tissue. All collagen preparations supported growth of human dermal fibroblasts and exhibited similar biological response to human THP-1 monocytes. These results further illustrate the need for standardisation of collagen preparations for the development of reproducible collagen-based devices

Evaluation of in-field efficacy of dietary ferric tyrosine on performance, intestinal health and meat quality of broiler chickens exposed to natural Campylobacter jejuni challenge

Campylobacter is an important pathogen commonly found in chickens that can cause severe acute gastroenteritis in humans. Despite intensive efforts to inhibit food-borne transmission of Campylobacter no effective strategy exists to reduce Campylobacter loads in farmed broilers. This study examined the capacity of a novel feed additive to lower Campylobacter jejuni populations and to improve growth efficiency of broiler chickens. A total of 384 male one-day-old broiler chicks were used in a 42-day trial. Birds were randomly allocated into four treatments with six replicates of sixteen chicks per pen. Three groups were fed the basal diets further supplemented with TYPLEX™ chelate (ferric tyrosine) at various concentrations (0.02, 0.05 and 0.20 g/kg, groups T2-T4, respectively). Control group (T1) was fed basal diets in mash form that did not contain added ferric tyrosine. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. At 20 days of age, broilers were exposed to natural C. jejuni challenge by introducing contaminated litter from a commercial farm. At day 25, pen litter samples analysed positive for C. jejuni, and the infection intensity was homogeneous among pens. At the end of the study C. jejuni counts in bird caeca were significantly reduced, by 2 log10 in the T4 group, compared to the T1 Control and T3 groups (p = 0.004). During this study, a natural infection with Eimeria tenella occurred at days 26-29. For animal welfare reasons all birds were treated with an anti-coccidial drug as recommended, for two consecutive days. At day 42, diarrhoea was observed on the litter in only 1 of 6 pens in the T4 group, but in 5 of 6 pens in the T1 Control group. In addition, autopsies showed that the T4 group had the highest percentage of birds with normal intestinal tracts. The T1 group had the lowest percentage of birds with infection-free tracts, and higher incidence of coccidiosis and bloody diarrhoea. At 42 days of age all birds were slaughtered and samples collected for further analysis. Birds in the T4 group tended to exhibit improved weight gain and feed efficiency, a result that warrants further investigation. Collectively, our data suggest that addition of ferric tyrosine at 0.20 g/kg exerts a protective effect against C. jejuni and coccidiosis

Environmental conditions, potential heat-stress state and their relations in a sheep barn under hot climate

The aim of this study was to examine climate conditions, air quality, potential heat stress and their relations in a sheep barn under Greek hot weather conditions. Hourly averaged values of temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and coarse and fine airborne Particulate Matter (PM) concentration recorded inside and outside a naturally ventilated sheep barn during July, August and September of 2015 were used. Indoors potential heat-stress levels were assessed by means of the Temperature Humidity Index (THI). Descriptive statistics were presented and relations between the environmental parameters and the THI values were investigated. The results showed that inside the sheep barn, THI was positively correlated (p &lt; 0.0001) with temperature and wind speed and negatively correlated with relative humidity. Additionally, inside the sheep barn, the concentration of coarse PM was positively and negatively correlated (p &lt; 0.0001) with temperature and relative humidity, respectively, whereas the opposite was observed for the concentration of fine PM. Measures that could be applied to alleviate animals’ heat-stress were proposed

The effects of plant extracts on lipid metabolism of chickens — A review

The fat deposition is an important factor affecting chicken meat quality, which is closely related to lipid metabolism of chickens. Therefore, it is important to regulate the lipid metabolism of chickens to improve the chicken meat quality. Plant extracts have special regulatory effects on animal’s growth and health and have been widely used in chicken breeding. Some plant extracts have been reported to have functions of changing the fatty acid composition, reducing abdominal fat percentage, and enhancing the intramuscular fat content of chickens by improving the antioxidant capacity, regulating the expression of genes, enzymes, and signaling pathways related to lipid metabolism, modulating intestinal microbiota, affecting hormones level, and regulating DNA methylation. This paper reviewed the application and mechanism of plant extracts on regulating lipid metabolism of chickens to provide a reference for the further application of plant extracts in chicken breeding

Biodiversity and Microbial Resistance of Lactobacilli Isolated From the Traditional Greek Cheese Kopanisti.

Kopanisti is a Greek artisan cheese produced from raw milk in the island of Mykonos, Greece. The milk is left to rest for 12-24 h and then the rennet is added. After its formation the curd is left to drain for 2-3 days and is ready either for consumption (as tyrovolia fresh cheese), or with the addition of extra salt, the curd is left to ripen through further fermentation and surface development of Penicillium fungi, aprocess leading to the production of the traditional Greek cheese Kopanisti. From 120 samples of kopanisti, 574 javax.xml.bind.JAXBElement@2077a29b strains were isolated, distributed in 17 species (16 of them isolated from tyrovolia as well). Strains from 15 species were found resistant or multiresistant against 15 antimicrobial agents, representing all categories of antibiotics. Analysis revealed that the resistance was moderated during ripening of the curd from tyrovolia to Kopanisti. Resistance against penicillin G, ampicillin/sulbactam, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, trimethoprim, metronidazole, vancomycin, teichoplanin, and quinupristin/dalvopristin was significantly enhanced, while the resistance against ampicillin, erythromycin, oxytetracycline, gentamycin, and fucidic acid was significantly reduced. These changes during ripening suggest that resistance to antimicrobials is a dynamic process subjected to environmental factors. The biodiversity of isolated javax.xml.bind.JAXBElement@1dccd3b5 strains is impressive and explains the exquisite sensorial characteristics of the cheese. However, the extent of the resistance is alarming

Potential Use of Wheat Straw, Grape Pomace, Olive Mill Wastewater and Cheese Whey in Mixed Formulations for Silage Production

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the chemical and fermentative characteristics of by-product-mixed silages consisting of wheat straw (WS), grape pomace (GP), olive mill wastewater (OMWW) and cheese whey (CW) at 7, 30 and 90 days. The silage formulations were based on a ratio of 60% solids (WS + GP) and 40% liquids (CW + OMWW), with the addition of water (W) where necessary to achieve 40% of liquids. In experiment 1, the effects of the inclusion of GP or CW in a mixture of WS and OMWW were studied according to two silage formulations: SIL-A, WS40% + OMWW5% + GP20% + W35%; SIL-B, WS60% + OMWW5% + CW35%. In experiment 2, the effects of two levels of CW and the inclusion of OMWW in mixed silages based on WS, GP, and CW were studied according to four silage formulations: SIL-C, WS40% + GP20% + CW20% + W20%; SIL-D, WS40% + GP20% + CW20% + OMWW5% + W15%; SIL-E, WS40% + GP20% + CW35% + W5%; SIL-F, WS40% + GP20% + CW35% + OMWW5%. In experiment 1, the silage formulation affected the chemical composition showing a greater (p p p > 0.05) in the chemical characteristics of the silages were found. In both of the experiments, the chemical composition and total phenol content did not change (p > 0.05) during the ensiling period. Fermentative characteristics were not affected (p > 0.05) by the by-product combination nor the ensiling period and proved to be adequate for good-quality silages. The Flieg’s scores at D30 and D90 were greater than a 100 score in all the experimental silages, leading to the conclusion that WS, GP, OMWW and CW can be effective for producing silage

Effects of Oregano, Attapulgite, Benzoic Acid and their Blend on Chicken Performance, Intestinal Microbiology and Intestinal Morphology

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of oregano, attapulgite, benzoic acid and their combination on broiler performance, microflora composition of jejunum and cecum, intestinal architecture and breast and thigh meat composition. A total of 400 one-day-old broiler chicks were used in a 42-day trial. They were randomly distributed into five treatments with four replicates of twenty chickens per pen: Control group; Attapulgite group; Oregano essential oil group; Benzoic acid group; Mixed group. At the end of the trial, total counts of bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Lactobacilli, and Clostridium perfringens were enumerated by real time PCR at both jejunum and cecum. Intestinal morphology was carried out in duodenum, jejunum and ileum, for villus height and crypt depth. Cell proliferation was also evaluated in the small intestine and the cecum. The results showed that oregano and benzoic acid improved some growth performance parameters. The combined use of the examined substances increased enterobacteria counts in the jejunum, and cell proliferation in the duodenum and the jejunum. Benzoic acid improved intestinal wall morphology in the ileum. In conclusion, the combined dietary supplementation with oregano, attapulgite and benzoic acid can be a novel tool to beneficially modulate broiler chickens performance

Identification by MALDI-TOF MS and Antibiotic Resistance of <i>Riemerella anatipestifer</i>, Isolated from a Clinical Case in Commercial Broiler Chickens

The Gram-negative bacterium Riemerella anatipestifer (RA) is known to cause clinical disease with severe economic impacts primarily in ducks and less frequently in geese and turkeys. RA was isolated and identified in broiler chickens, from a clinical case in a commercial broiler farm located in the southwest mainland of Greece. The morbidity and the mortality in the broiler house were estimated at 10% and 5% respectively. The observed clinical signs appeared at the age of 30 to 42 days with respiratory distress (dyspnea), white fluid feces and stunting. Post-mortem examinations displayed serositis, pericarditis, perihepatitis and airsacculitis. Edematous swelling around the tibio-tarsal joints was observed in some birds. Tissue samples from lesions were streaked on selective media. Three bacterial isolates were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Moreover, an antibiogram analysis was performed for the three RA strains, using a pattern of 16 common antibiotics to advocate the most effective drugs for a proper treatment. All the RA isolates were sensitive to ceftiofur, sulphamethoxazole–trimethoprim and amoxicillin, whereas all were resistant to gentamicin, tylosin, tetracyclin, colistin sulphate, spectinomycin, lincomycin and oxytetracycline