In-depth characterization of a selection of gut commensal bacteria reveals their functional capacities to metabolize dietary carbohydrates with prebiotic potential.

Unlabelled: The microbial utilization of dietary carbohydrates is closely linked to the pivotal role of the gut microbiome in human health. Inherent to the modulation of complex microbial communities, a prebiotic implies the selective utilization of a specific substrate, relying on the metabolic capacities of targeted microbes. In this study, we investigated the metabolic capacities of 17 commensal bacteria of the human gut microbiome toward dietary carbohydrates with prebiotic potential.

Sex-specific transcriptome of the chicken chorioallantoic membrane.

Dimorphism between male and female embryos has been demonstrated in many animal species, including chicken species. Likewise, extraembryonic membranes such as the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) are likely to exhibit a sex-specific profile. Analysis of the previously published RNA-seq data of the chicken CAM sampled at two incubation times, revealed 783 differentially expressed genes between the CAM of male and female embryos.

Thermal conditioning of quail embryos has transgenerational and reversible long-term effects.

Background: In the current context of global warming, thermal manipulation of avian embryos has received increasing attention as a strategy to promote heat tolerance in avian species by simply increasing the egg incubation temperature. However, because of their likely epigenetic origin, thermal manipulation effects may last more than one generation with consequences for the poultry industry. In this work, a multigenerational and transgenerational analysis of thermal manipulation during embryogenesis was performed to uncover the long-term effects of such procedure.

Comparative Genome Analysis of Enterococcus cecorum Reveals Intercontinental Spread of a Lineage of Clinical Poultry Isolates.

Enterococcus cecorum is an emerging pathogen responsible for osteomyelitis, spondylitis, and femoral head necrosis causing animal suffering and mortality and requiring antimicrobial use in poultry. Paradoxically, E. cecorum is a common inhabitant of the intestinal microbiota of adult chickens.