Safety of mapping the motor networks in the spinal cord using penetrating microelectrodes in Yucatan minipigs.

Objective: The goal of this study was to assess the safety of mapping spinal cord locomotor networks using penetrating stimulation microelectrodes in Yucatan minipigs (YMPs) as a clinically translational animal model.

Methods: Eleven YMPs were trained to walk up and down a straight line. Motion capture was performed, and electromyographic (EMG) activity of hindlimb muscles was recorded during overground walking.

Commensal Strains of Bovine Origin Competitively Mitigated O157:H7 in a Gnotobiotic Murine Intestinal Colonization Model with or without Physiological Stress.

Cattle are a primary reservoir of enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) O157:H7. Currently, there are no effective methods of eliminating this important zoonotic pathogen from cattle, and colonization resistance in relation to EHEC O157:H7 in cattle is poorly understood. We developed a gnotobiotic EHEC O157:H7 murine model to examine aspects of the cattle pathogen-microbiota interaction, and to investigate competitive suppression of EHEC O157:H7 by 18 phylogenetically distinct commensal strains of bovine origin.

Fungal Rhinosinusitis Caused by a sp. Infection in a Female Sumatran Orangutan: A Case Report.

Mycotic nasal cavity and paranasal sinus infections in non-human primates (NHPs) are relatively uncommon diseases of the upper respiratory tract. This case study describes the clinical and pathological features as well as the diagnostic techniques and interventions applied to treat the associated disease. A 23-year-old primiparous female Sumatran orangutan residing at Perth Zoo in Western Australia developed intermittent episodes of right-sided epistaxis.

Microbiota Transplantation in Day-Old Broiler Chickens Ameliorates Necrotic Enteritis via Modulation of the Intestinal Microbiota and Host Immune Responses.

A microbiota transplant (MT) originating from mature adult chicken ceca and propagated in bioreactors was administered to day-old broiler chicks to ascertain the degree to which, and how, the MT affects ()-incited necrotic enteritis (NE). Using a stress predisposition model of NE, birds administered the MT and challenged with showed fewer necrotic lesions, and exhibited a substantially higher α- and β-diversity of bacteria in their jejunum and ceca. Birds challenged with and not administered the MT showed decreased and increased 1 in the jejunum.

Enteric O157:H7 in Cattle, and the Use of Mice as a Model to Elucidate Key Aspects of the Host-Pathogen-Microbiota Interaction: A Review.

Enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) serotype O157:H7 is responsible for foodborne disease outbreaks, typically associated with the consumption of undercooked foods contaminated with cattle manure containing the bacterium. At present, effective mitigations do not exist. Many of the factors regulating enteric colonization by O157:H7 in cattle, and how cattle respond to the bacterium are unknown.

A stress-induced model of acute necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens using dietary corticosterone administration.

Mounting evidence indicates that stress can predispose chickens to disease. The objective of the current study was to develop a method that utilized physiological stress to predispose Ross 308 broiler chickens to acute necrotic enteritis (NE). Stress was mediated through the administration of the stress hormone, corticosterone.

Comparison of Strategies for Isolating Anaerobic Bacteria from the Porcine Intestine.

The isolation of bacteria that represent the diversity of autochthonous taxa in the gastrointestinal tract is necessary to fully ascertain their function, but the majority of bacterial species inhabiting the intestines of mammals are fastidious and thus challenging to isolate. The goal of the current study was to isolate a diverse assemblage of anaerobic bacteria from the intestine of pigs as a model animal and to comparatively examine various novel and traditional isolation strategies. Methods used included long-term enrichments, direct plating, a modified ichip method, as well as ethanol and tyndallization treatments of samples to select for endospore-forming taxa.

The absence of murine cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide impacts host responses enhancing Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection.

Background: Cathelicidins are a class of antimicrobial peptide, and the murine cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide (mCRAMP) has been demonstrated in vitro to impair Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium proliferation. However, the impact of mCRAMP on host responses and the microbiota following S. Typhimurium infection has not been determined.

Analysis of Campylobacter jejuni Subtype Distribution in the Chicken Broiler Production Continuum: a Longitudinal Examination To Identify Primary Contamination Points.

Significant knowledge gaps exist in our understanding of contamination of the poultry production continuum. Microbiological surveillance and genotypic characterization were undertaken on isolates longitudinally recovered from three poultry farms (weekly samples), the abattoir at which birds were processed, and at retail over a 542-day period in southwestern Alberta, Canada, as a model location. Subtypes were compared to concurrent isolates from diarrheic humans living in the study region.

Physiological Stress Mediated by Corticosterone Administration Alters Intestinal Bacterial Communities and Increases the Relative Abundance of in the Small Intestine of Chickens.

A model of physiological stress mediated by the administration of corticosterone (CORT) was used to investigate the impact of stress on the intestinal microbiota of chickens. Birds were administered CORT in their drinking water at 0, 10 (low dose CORT; LDC), and 30 (high dose CORT; HDC) mg/L. Digesta from the small intestine and ceca were examined after 1, 5, and 12 days post-initiation of CORT administration by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Temporally Modulates the Enteric Microbiota and Host Responses To Overcome Colonization Resistance in Swine.

serovar Typhimurium is a prevalent incitant of enteritis in human beings and nonhuman animals. It has been proposed that host defense responses incited by allow the bacterium to overcome colonization resistance. Piglets ( = 24) were orally inoculated with serovar Typhimurium DT104 or buffer alone, and the host and microbial responses were temporally examined at the acute (2 days postinoculation [dpi]), subacute (6 dpi), and recovery (10 dpi) stages of salmonellosis.

Host responses to challenge in a chicken model of chronic stress.

Background: This study utilized a chicken model of chronic physiological stress mediated by corticosterone (CORT) administration to ascertain how various host metrics are altered upon challenge with . Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a disease of the small intestine of chickens incited by , which can result in elevated morbidity and mortality. The objective of the current study was to investigate how physiological stress alters host responses and predisposes birds to subclinical NE.

Application of culturomics to characterize diverse anaerobic bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chickens in relation to environmental reservoirs.

Characterization of the microbiota of chickens is of current interest. The goals of the current study were to apply anaerobic isolation methods to comprehensively isolate and identify bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract of chickens and their environment. Bacterial communities within the drinking water were dominated by , whereas communities in litter were more representative of the cecum.

Corticosterone-mediated physiological stress modulates hepatic lipid metabolism, metabolite profiles, and systemic responses in chickens.

The impact of physiological stress on lipid metabolism, the metabolome, and systemic responses was examined in chickens. To incite a stress response, birds were continuously administered corticosterone (CORT) in their drinking water at three doses (0 mg/L, 10 mg/L, and 30 mg/L), and they were sampled 1, 5, and 12 days after commencement of CORT administration. Corticosterone administration to birds differentially regulated lipogenesis genes (i.

Brachial Artery Catheterization in Swine.

The video describes in detail the catheterization of the distal brachial artery in swine. This technique enables researchers to measure arterial blood pressure continuously and collect arterial blood samples to assess arterial blood gas measurements. Arterial blood pressures and arterial blood gases are important physiological parameters to monitor during experimental procedures.

Effect of anesthesia on motor responses evoked by spinal neural prostheses during intraoperative procedures.

Objective: The overall goal of this study was to investigate the effects of various anesthetic protocols on the intraoperative responses to intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS). ISMS is a neuroprosthetic approach that targets the motor networks in the ventral horns of the spinal cord to restore function after spinal cord injury. In preclinical studies, ISMS in the lumbosacral enlargement produced standing and walking by activating networks controlling the hindlimb muscles.

Housing Gnotobiotic Mice in Conventional Animal Facilities.

Gnotobiotic mice are an established, robust model utilized in current research to study host-microbiota interactions. For years isolators have been used to rear germ-free and gnotobiotic mice. However, isolators can be costly and the segregation of treatments within the same isolator is problematic.

Pea-protein alginate encapsulation adversely affects development of clinical signs of Citrobacter rodentium-induced colitis in mice treated with probiotics.

The efficacy of two strains of Lactobacillus probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and Lactobacillus helveticus R0052) immobilized in microcapsules composed of pea protein isolate (PPI) and alginate microcapsules was assessed using a mouse model of Citrobacter rodentium-induced colitis. Accordingly, 4-week-old mice were fed diets supplemented with freeze-dried probiotics (group P), probiotic-containing microcapsules (group PE) (lyophilized PPI-alginate microcapsules containing probiotics), or PPI-alginate microcapsules containing no probiotics (group E). Half of the mice (controls, groups P, PE, and E) received C.

Non-invasive spinal vibration testing using ultrafast ultrasound imaging: A new way to measure spine function.

Ultrafast ultrasound imaging is used to capture driven spinal vibrations as a new method for non-invasive spinal testing in living subjects. Previously, it has been shown that accelerometer-based vibration testing in cadaveric models can reveal the presence, location and magnitude of spinal pathology. However, this process remains an invasive procedure as current non-invasive sensors are inadequate.

Therapeutic administration of enrofloxacin in mice does not select for fluoroquinolone resistance in Campylobacter jejuni.

Enrofloxacin is registered for therapeutic use in beef cattle to treat bovine respiratory disease in Canada. A murine model was used to experimentally examine the impact of therapeutic administration of enrofloxacin on fluoroquinolone resistance development in Campylobacter jejuni. Administration of enrofloxacin to mice via subcutaneous injection or per os routes resulted in equivalent levels of bioactive enrofloxacin within the intestine, but bioactivity was short-lived (<48 h after cessation).

Molecular basis of an agarose metabolic pathway acquired by a human intestinal symbiont.

In red algae, the most abundant principal cell wall polysaccharides are mixed galactan agars, of which agarose is a common component. While bioconversion of agarose is predominantly catalyzed by bacteria that live in the oceans, agarases have been discovered in microorganisms that inhabit diverse terrestrial ecosystems, including human intestines. Here we comprehensively define the structure-function relationship of the agarolytic pathway from the human intestinal bacterium Bacteroides uniformis (Bu) NP1.

Removal of the cecum affects intestinal fermentation, enteric bacterial community structure, and acute colitis in mice.

The murine cecum is a major site of fermentation of dietary materials, and production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). To examine the role that the cecum plays in acute bacterial infection in mice, the cecum was surgically removed, and changes in bacterial communities and production of SCFAs were analyzed relative to surgical sham animals. To incite bacterial colitis, mice were orally challenged with Citrobacter rodentium.

Butyrate Supplementation at High Concentrations Alters Enteric Bacterial Communities and Reduces Intestinal Inflammation in Mice Infected with .

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid by-product of the microbial fermentation of dietary fermentable materials in the large intestine; it is the main energy source for enterocyte regeneration, modulates the enteric microbial community, and contributes to increasing host health via mechanisms that are relatively poorly defined. Limited research has examined the therapeutic potential of butyrate using models of enteric inflammation incited by pathogenic organisms. We used to incite acute Th1/Th17 inflammation to ascertain the impact of butyrate on the host-microbiota relationship.

Determining the Localization of Carbohydrate Active Enzymes Within Gram-Negative Bacteria.

Investigating the subcellular location of secreted proteins is valuable for illuminating their biological function. Although several bioinformatics programs currently exist to predict the destination of a trafficked protein using its signal peptide sequence, these programs have limited accuracy and often require experimental validation. Here, we present a systematic method to fractionate gram-negative cells and characterize the subcellular localization of secreted carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes).