Contribution of nitric oxide synthase from coagulase-negative staphylococci to the development of red myoglobin derivatives.

As part of the microbial community of meat or as starter cultures, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) serve several essential technological purposes in meat products, such as color development through the reduction of nitrate to nitrite. As the safety of nitrite as an additive has been questioned, we explored the potential of CNS to develop red myoglobin derivatives such as oxymyoglobin and nitrosomyoglobin. Nitrosoheme was extracted to evaluate NO production.

Staphylococcal ecosystem of kitoza, a traditional malagasy meat product.

Kitoza is a traditional meat product from Madagascar manufactured with strips of pork or beef. The process includes a first step of salting and mixing with spices followed by sun-drying or smoking step. As salting and drying select coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), our aim was to identify the CNS species in kitoza with the objective in the future of developing indigenous starters.

Biodiversity of indigenous staphylococci of naturally fermented dry sausages and manufacturing environments of small-scale processing units.

The staphylococcal community of the environments of nine French small-scale processing units and their naturally fermented meat products was identified by analyzing 676 isolates. Fifteen species were accurately identified using validated molecular methods. The three prevalent species were Staphylococcus equorum (58.

Identification of a variety of Staphylococcus species by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry.

Whole-cell fingerprinting by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in combination with a dedicated bioinformatic software tool (MALDI Biotyper 2.0) was used to identify 152 staphylococcal strains corresponding to 22 staphylococcal species. Spectra of the 152 isolates, previously identified at the species level using a sodA gene-based oligonucleotide array, were analyzed against the main spectra of 3,030 microorganisms.

Safety improvement and preservation of typical sensory qualities of traditional dry fermented sausages using autochthonous starter cultures.

Traditional dry fermented sausages are manufactured without addition of starter cultures in small-scale processing units, their fermentation relying on indigenous microflora. Characterisation and control of these specific bacteria are essential for the sensory quality and the safety of the sausages. The aim of this study was to develop an autochthonous starter culture that improves safety while preserving the typical sensory characteristics of traditional sausages.

Diversity of microorganisms in the environment and dry fermented sausages of small traditional French processing units.

Naturally fermented sausages produced in nine traditional French processing units and their environmental surfaces were characterised by microbial and physico-chemical analyses. Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus were not detected in the environment whereas Listeria monocytogenes was detected in four samples. Staphylococcus/Kocuria, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, yeasts/moulds and enterococci contaminated the surfaces of two processing units, indicating insufficient cleaning and disinfection procedures.

Seasonal variations of antioxidant imbalance in Cuban healthy men.

Objective: To determine the antioxidant imbalance in healthy Cuban men 2y after the end of the epidemic neuropathy (50 862 cases from 1991 to 1993) and to evaluate its change over 1 y.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: La Lisa health centres (Havana, Cuba).

Predictive markers in the late gestation period for retained placenta in black-pied dairy cows under field conditions in France.

A prospective ecopathogical survey was conducted in French commercial dairy herds located in Brittany. Previous production and reproduction data and blood parameters were used to identify predictive indicators of risk for retained placenta (RP) in Black-Pied cows. All the cows had delivered a single calf after a dry period of at least 30 d and had produced milk for at least 30 d.

Risk factors for stillbirth in Holstein heifers under field conditions in France: a prospective survey.

Risk factors for stillbirth, defined as birth of a dead calf or a calf dead within 24 h after parturition, were studied in Holstein heifers. Data came from an overall 4-yr prospective survey conducted in French dairy herds. Only heifers that delivered a single calf were included in the study.

Biological predictors for early clinical mastitis occurrence in Holstein cows under field conditions in France.

Individual risk factors for clinical mastitis within the first month of lactation (early clinical mastitis, ECM) were analyzed in 695 Holstein multiparous cows (561 ECM- and 134 ECM+) which were clinical mastitis-free during the previous lactation. They belonged to 44 herds from the French Brittany region and were surveyed for 4 years. Individual biological parameter levels during the last 2 months of gestation, production of the preceding lactation and calving conditions and health were the available explanatory variables.

Metabolic profiles and risks of diseases in camels in temperature conditions.

A survey of 65 female camels has been conducted over a 1-year period in France to determine their metabolic profiles and to study the correlations between this profile and the feeding and health status in temperate conditions. The following parameters were measured: protein (albumin, globulin, total protein), urea, glucose, free fatty acid, liver enzymes (GLDH, GGT, GOT), minerals (Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn) and ceruloplasmin. The values obtained were similar to those reported in desert areas throughout the world, but the standard deviation was generally higher.

[Nutritional factors and mammary inflammatory infection in the dairy cow. Ecopathological approach during the peripartum period].

The relationships between nutrition and udder inflammation/infection were studied in the dairy cow using an ecopathological approach. The study ('enquête écopathologique Bretagne') was performed over 4 yr in French herds with high-lactating cows. A long distribution time of Italian ryegrass silage and a low quantity of dietary cereal-based concentrates in the first 2 months of lactation was linked with low milk leukocyte counts, probably due to a high dietary energetic level or to a polyunsaturated fatty acid imbalance and a subsequent decrease in the synthesis of leukotriene LTB4.

[Markers of nutritional risk for placental retention: use of blood analysis at the end of gestation].

A sample of 1,225 calvings was used to detect predictors for retained placenta before parturition: 300 with retention, 925 without. Biochemical analyses showed an increased energy mobilization, hypocalcemia, and lower levels of circulating amino acids and monocytes within the last 2 weeks of gestation in cows with a retained placenta. The results agree with the reported smaller quantity of concentrates supplied to these cows before parturition.

[How does one detect biological imbalance and health disorders in the dairy cow within the framework of ecopathological research?].

The methods of detection of health and biological imbalances in the dairy cow, which can be performed in ecopathological studies, are presented. Mastitis, metritis, liver disorders, nutritional imbalances, reproductive disorders, stress, specific diseases and non-specific inflammations are reviewed. The possible future evolutions are analyzed.

[Automated micro-determination by transfer analyzer of circulating alpha-amino nitrogen].

An automated method for the determination of plasma free amino groups is described. The analysis is performed on a discrete computerized analyzer after plasma deproteinization using trichloracetic acid. The method is based on the formation of a complex between terminal NH2 radicals and 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonate (TNBS).

[Continuing eco-pathological survey: 8. Epidemiological approach to postpartum mastitis in the dairy cow: discriminating biochemical parameters].

To discriminate two groups of dairy cows (with or without post-partum mastitis), with blood parameters, we used discriminant analysis on two samples of dairy cows: one sample where blood was collected around parturition (15 days before and 15 days after calving); one sample where blood was collected at any time of the lactation, but with the same mean interval calving-blood collection in the two groups of animals. Blood parameters which differenciate the two groups (ill and safe) are essentially parameters of energetic metabolism i.e.

[Continuing eco-pathological survey: 6. Influence of zootechnical and space-time factors on some biochemical variables in the dairy cow].

Several hundred of blood samplings were performed on dairy cows in four French departments, from 1978 to 1982. They were used to analyse the effect of eight factors on the physiological variations of twelve biochemical variables. Only the blood withdrawal date related to calving date or milk production were able to explain more than 15% of the variance of free or total cholesterol or phospholipids.

[Automated micro-determination of bovine plasma 3-hydroxybutyrate without deproteinization].

An automated method for the determination of plasma 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-HB) is described. The enzymatic principle of Williamson and Mellanby is applied to a discrete computerized analyzer (Isamat, Isa-Biologie, 94230 Cachan, France). Using this method, a single operator can determine each day the 3-HB content of 500-600 bovine plasma samples, without perchloric acid precipitation and without adding hydrazine.

[Automated microanalysis of plasma ceruloplasmin for the measurement of oxidase activity in cattle and sheep].

An automated method for the determination of plasma ceruloplasmin in bovine and ovine species is described. The analytic principle of Holmberg and Laurell (1951), based on protein oxidase activity, has been applied to a discrete computerized analyzer (Isamat, Isa Biologie, 94230 Cachan, France). Using this method a single operator can determine the oxidase activity of 500 plasma ceruloplasmin samples per day.