Toxicity assay for deoxynivalenol using Caenorhabditis elegans.

The progeny production and development rates of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans when treated with deoxynivalenol (DON) were examined. Both purified DON and a crude extract from Fusarium graminearum cultured on rice were tested on C. elegans wild-type (Bristol N2) and a mutant strain (AU1).

Use of Caenorhabditis elegans for preselecting Lactobacillus isolates to control Salmonella Typhimurium.

Host-specific probiotics have been used to control enteric pathogens, including foodborne pathogens, in food animal production. However, evaluation of the efficacy of these probiotics requires costly in vivo assays in the target animal. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been used for prescreening of antimicrobial agents and for studies of host-pathogen interactions.

Microencapsulation of bacteriophage felix O1 into chitosan-alginate microspheres for oral delivery.

This paper reports the development of microencapsulated bacteriophage Felix O1 for oral delivery using a chitosan-alginate-CaCl(2) system. In vitro studies were used to determine the effects of simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and bile salts on the viability of free and encapsulated phage. Free phage Felix O1 was found to be extremely sensitive to acidic environments and was not detectable after a 5-min exposure to pHs below 3.

Efficacy and pharmacokinetics of bacteriophage therapy in treatment of subclinical Staphylococcus aureus mastitis in lactating dairy cattle.

Bovine mastitis is an inflammation of the udder caused by microbial infection. Mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus is a major concern to the dairy industry due to its resistance to antibiotic treatment and its propensity to recur chronically. Growing concerns surrounding antibiotic resistance have spurred research into alternative treatment methods.

Influence of the genotype of Staphylococcus aureus, determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, on dry-period elimination of subclinical mastitis in Canadian dairy herds.

By combining information from 2 databases, we investigated the possibility of an association between the genotype of Staphylococcus aureus causing bovine intramammary infection and dry-period cure of subclinical infection. The 1st database contained bacteriologic and cow data from a field study evaluating the efficacy in such infections of a new intramammary dry-cow therapy (DCT) containing tilmicosin phosphate, in comparison with a commercially available DCT containing benzathine cloxacillin. Isolates of S.