Prevalence and Characterization of Salmonella Isolates from Poultry Farms in Ilorin, Nigeria

Poultry birds are very important source of essential proteins in developing countries, but also play an important role in transmission of Salmonella to human and nonhuman. Exposure to this pathogen also occurs through use of poultry droppings as manure for crop and vegetable production. This study investigated prevalence of Salmonella in feces of poultry farms in Ilorin, Nigeria. Salmonella isolated were further characterized by molecular method. Fecal samples were cultured in pre-enrichment medium, Selenite F medium and finally sub-cultured on Salmonella-Shigella agar. None lactose fermenting colonies with black center were picked for presumptive identification using biochemical tests and confirmed by serological test by method previously described. Molecular characterization was carried out using 16S rRNA gene sequencing following standard procedure. Out of 170 samples collected and examined, 8 (4.7%) gave biochemical characteristics that resembled Salmonella, but only 6 (3.5%) were confirmed as Salmonella by polyvalent antisera. Molecular characterization revealed that serovars isolated were Salmonella Enteritidis 3 (1.8%) and Salmonella Paratyphi 3 (1.8%). Phylogenetic tree constructed by neighbor-joining method as derived from analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed close relationship to Salmonella Paratyphi strain FB0015 16S ribosoma RNA gene partial sequence to our Salmonella Paratyphi isolates. The detection of 3.5% prevalence rate of Salmonella serovar from feces of laying poultry birds my serve as potential source of transmission of this pathogen to human through chicken meat, egg or use of poultry dropping as manure in crop or vegetable production

Increasing sustainability in pork production by using high inclusion levels of co-products distillers dried grains with solubles, wheat middling and canola meal doesn’t affect pig growth performance and meat quality but reduces boar taint

Objective The present study is to examine the effect of high inclusion of co-products in pig diets (referred to as an alternative diet) during the finishing stage on pig growth performance, meat quality and boar taint compounds. Methods Growing pigs were fed an alternative diet made with distillers dried grains with solubles (25%), canola meal (20%), and wheat middling (15%) or a control diet based on barley and soybean meal to investigate the impact of co-products on pig performance and meat quality. Sixteen female and sixteen entire male Duroc×(Large White×Landrace) pigs (22.6±2.07 kg, body weight±standard error) were equally allocated to the diets. Results Pigs fed the alternative diet had a lower feed intake; however, growth rate and feed conversion efficiency were unaffected by diet. A diet by sex interaction was found for gain:feed whereby males fed the alternative diet had the best feed conversion (p<0.01). Pork from pigs fed the alternative diet had lower a* and Chroma and protein % (p<0.05), while other meat quality characteristics were unaffected. The alternative diet reduced backfat skatole levels (p<0.001). Conclusion A diet containing high inclusion levels of co-products can be fed to pigs during the finishing stage without detrimental effects on pig performance or meat quality and with the potential to enhance pork flavour. This finding suggests a solution to increase the sustainable development of pig production

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals &lt;1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Effect of Herdsmen and Farmers' Crises on Food Security in Nigeria

The study investigated the effects of herdsmen and farmers’ crisis on food security in Nigeria. Specifically, the study examined the factors influencing herdsmen and farmers crisis in Nigeria. The study also determined the effects of herdsmen and farmers crisis on food security in Nigeria. Lastly, the study analyzed the socio-economic implications of herder/farmers clashes on Nigeria. Qualitative data and secondary source of data was adopted to gather data for the study. The movements of herdsmen to new grazing area where culture, language, belief, religion, land tenure system etc. are not familiar to them are seen as one of the source of the clash between the herdsmen and farmers. The study also revealed that the unfriendly and conflictual relationship between the two parties in the conflict has greatly impacted on food security especially food for immediate consumption. Based on the findings, it was recommended that tackling desertification through reforestation and irrigation farming should be encouraged. It was also recommended that a large expanse of land set aside primarily for grazing should be declared as ranching zone. This should be made available across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria

Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc), a potential threat to China’s potato industry

The potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae) has recently emerged as a serious pest of potatoes and other solanaceous crops. It causes direct feeding damage and also vectors Candidatus Liberibacter solanaceaerum (CLso), a pathogen that causes zebra chip disease in potatoes and which potentially costs growers millions of dollars each year. Such producers rely on frequent sprays of pesticides for psyllid control but the results are unsatisfactory and there are negative side effects. The psyllid has spread beyond its native range in southwest US and northern Mexico to Canada, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua via medium to long range dispersal flights perhaps aided by wind currents, and through anthropogenic means. It was accidentally introduced into New Zealand in 2006 and most recently Australia, most likely through the importation of infested plant material. This review summarizes information from studies on the biology, impact and management of B. cockerelli, and highlights the imminent risk of this insect and its associated pathogen invading China, the world’s largest producer of fresh potatoes. Development of risk maps leading to increased surveillance, could prevent or delay an incursion and facilitate early detection or eradication should this occur. Long-term management with Lso-tolerant potato cultivars and psyllid control using the parasitic wasp Tamarixia triozae and other natural enemies should be pursued, rather than depending on synthetic pesticides

Migration and the risk of animal trypanosomiasis on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria

Until recently, the Jos Plateau in north central Nigeria was considered free of tsetse flies, vectors of human and animal trypanosomiasis in Africa. This disease severely limits livestock production in a large part of Africa but was of little relevance on the Plateau. Recent studies, however, show animal trypanosomiasis to be increasingly prevalent, leading to significant agricultural losses. Seasonal migration by Fulani pastoralists and their cattle is one of the reasons suggested for this increase. Once limited to the dry season (November-March), migration is now practiced during the wet season (April-October) as access to grazing and water is limited by expanding crop production on the Plateau. To improve our understanding of the epidemiology of the disease and design effective interventions, it is important to determine the risk that this practice poses to livestock on the Plateau. In this work, a migrant herd was followed from June 2013 to February 2014. Captured tsetse flies and cattle blood samples were screened for trypanosomes using ITS-1 PCR. Results show that cattle infection was almost zero between June and September but rose to 16.7% (12/72, 95%CI 9.8-26.9%) by the end of November. The infection rate in tsetse was 21.3% (17/80, 95%CI 13.7-31.4%) with Trypanosoma vivax the predominant species in both cattle and flies. We conclude that animals moving through this route to the base of the Plateau are subject to a higher trypanosomiasis challenge than on the Plateau and may bring these infections back to the Plateau when they return

Initiation of prostate cancer in mice by Tp53R270H: evidence for an alternative molecular progression

SUMMARY Tp53 mutations are common in human prostate cancer (CaP), occurring with a frequency of ∼30% and ∼70% in localized and metastatic disease, respectively. In vitro studies have determined several common mutations of Tp53 that have specific gain-of-function properties in addition to loss of function, including the ability to promote castration-resistant (CR) growth of CaP cells in some contexts. To date, a lack of suitable mouse models has prohibited investigation of the role played by Tp53 mutations in mediating CaP progression in vivo. Here, we describe the effects of conditional expression of a mutant Tp53 (Tp53R270H; equivalent to the human hotspot mutant R273H) in the prostate epithelium of mice. Heterozygous “Tp53LSL-R270H/+” [129S4(Trp53tm3Tyj)] and “Nkx3.1-Cre” [129S(Nkx3-1tm3(cre)Mms)] mice with prostate-specific expression of the Tp53R270H mutation (p53R270H/+ Nkx3.1-Cre mice) were bred onto an FVB/N background via speed congenesis to produce strain FVB.129S4(Trp53tm3Tyj/wt); FVB.129S(Nkx3-1tm3(cre)Mms/wt) and littermate genotype negative control mice. These mutant mice had significantly increased incidences of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) lesions, and these appeared earlier, compared with the Nkx3.1 haploinsufficient (Nkx3.1-Cre het) littermate mice, which did not express the Tp53 mutation. PIN lesions in these mice showed consistent progression and some developed into invasive adenocarcinoma with a high grade, sarcomatoid or epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype. PIN lesions were similar to those seen in PTEN conditional knockout mice, with evidence of AKT activation concomitant with neoplastic proliferation. However, the invasive tumor phenotype is rarely seen in previously described mouse models of prostatic neoplasia. These data indicate that the Tp53R270H mutation plays a role in CaP initiation. This finding has not previously been reported. Further characterization of this model, particularly in a setting of androgen deprivation, should allow further insight into the mechanisms by which the Tp53R270H mutation mediates CaP progression