Control of E. coli and Salmonella in growing-finishing pigs through the use of potassium diformate (KDF) – European case studies

Control of pathogenic bacteria has a high priority in European pork production. They can be a significant cause of zoonotic diseases and cause major economic losses in the pork production chain, through reduced productivity, increased veterinary and hygiene control costs. Preventing the spread of E. coli and Salmonella to the consumer requires special control measures during slaughter and processing. The extra cost of these controls is increasingly being transferred back to the producer in the form of financial penalties or the loss of the market for contaminated pigs. Improving gut health has been shown to be effective against intestinal pathogens, a strategy that has only really been made possible through the removal of antibiotic growth promoters in feed. Creating and maintaining a healthy intestinal environment has become essential to productivity and food safety programmes alike

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in Nrf2 knock out mice is associated with cardiac hypertrophy, decreased expression of SERCA2a, and preserved endothelial function

AbstractIncreased production of reactive oxygen species and failure of the antioxidant defense system are considered to play a central role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. The transcription factor nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is a key master switch controlling the expression of antioxidant and protective enzymes, and was proposed to participate in protection of vascular and cardiac function. This study was undertaken to analyze cardiac and vascular phenotype of mice lacking Nrf2. We found that Nrf2 knock out (Nrf2 KO) mice have a left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, characterized by prolonged E wave deceleration time, relaxation time and total diastolic time, increased E/A ratio and myocardial performance index, as assessed by echocardiography. LV dysfunction in Nrf2 KO mice was associated with cardiac hypertrophy, and a downregulation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a) in the myocardium. Accordingly, cardiac relaxation was impaired, as demonstrated by decreased responses to β-adrenergic stimulation by isoproterenol ex vivo, and to the cardiac glycoside ouabain in vivo. Surprisingly, we found that vascular endothelial function and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-mediated vascular responses were fully preserved, blood pressure was decreased, and eNOS was upregulated in the aorta and the heart of Nrf2 KO mice. Taken together, these results show that LV dysfunction in Nrf2 KO mice is mainly associated with cardiac hypertrophy and downregulation of SERCA2a, and is independent from changes in coronary vascular function or systemic hemodynamics, which are preserved by a compensatory upregulation of eNOS. These data provide new insights into how Nrf2 expression/function impacts the cardiovascular system

Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate administration during early life: effects on performance, immunity and microbial community of European sea bass yolk-sac larvae

The reliable production of marine fish larvae is one of the major bottlenecks in aquaculture due to high mortalities mainly caused by infectious diseases. To evaluate if the compound poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) might be a suitable immunoprophylactic measure in fish larviculture, its capacity to improve immunity and performance in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) yolk-sac larvae was explored. PHB was applied from mouth opening onwards to stimulate the developing larval immune system at the earliest possible point in time. Larval survival, growth, microbiota composition, gene expression profiles and disease resistance were assessed. PHB administration improved larval survival and, furthermore, altered the larva-associated microbiota composition. The bacterial challenge test using pathogenic Vibrio anguillarum revealed that the larval disease resistance was not influenced by PHB. The expression profiles of 26 genes involved e.g. in the immune response showed that PHB affected the expression of the antimicrobial peptides ferritin (fer) and dicentracin (dic), however, the response to PHB was inconsistent and weaker than previously demonstrated for sea bass post-larvae. Hence, the present study highlights the need for more research focusing on the immunostimulation of different early developmental stages for gaining a more comprehensive picture and advancing a sustainable production of high quality fry

Investigations on the feeding behavior of juvenile milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskål) in brackishwater lagoons on South Tarawa, Kiribati

This study evaluated the feeding behavior of the milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskål) in extensively managed brackishwater lagoons on South Tarawa, Kiribati (Central Pacific) in August 1998. Feed intake, dietary overlap, fish condition and morphometric intestine parameters were determined. The daily ration of fish was estimated using the ”modified Bajkov model”. Fish stomach content did not differ significantly between samples from day and night, but prey preferences showed significant differences (p < 0.05). Results were compared with a data set of juvenile milkfish from the Philippines raised under similar conditions

Control of E. coli and Salmonella in growing-finishing pigs through the use of potassium diformate (KDF) – European case studies

Control of pathogenic bacteria has a high priority in European pork production. They can be a significant cause of zoonotic diseases and cause major economic losses in the pork production chain, through reduced productivity, increased veterinary and hygiene control costs. Preventing the spread of E. coli and Salmonella to the consumer requires special control measures during slaughter and processing. The extra cost of these controls is increasingly being transferred back to the producer in the form of financial penalties or the loss of the market for contaminated pigs. Improving gut health has been shown to be effective against intestinal pathogens, a strategy that has only really been made possible through the removal of antibiotic growth promoters in feed. Creating and maintaining a healthy intestinal environment has become essential to productivity and food safety programmes alike.</p

Survey on the use of natural food and supplemental feed in commercial milkfish farms on Panay, Philippines

This study evaluated the feed intake of the milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskål) in commercial brackishwater ponds under different management regimes. Feed intake and growth were compared between a rather intensive culture management in a fish farm of 1 ha pond size and a semi-intensive one, with a total pond area of 30 ha. The data suggested a direct consumption of only 12 % of the supplemental feed in the intensive farm, leading to a wastage of high quality fish feed and a significantly lower specific and metabolic growth rate (P< 0.001) than in the semi-intensive system without any supplementation and only relying on abundant natural food through fertilization. These results suggest that a heavy reduction in, or even the abandonment of the use of, supplemental feed for milkfish culture would be more cost-effective