EFFECT OF GENOTYPE AND AGE ON A DEFINED MICROBIOTA IN GNOTOBIOTIC SCID PIGLETS.

Severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) individuals lack functional T and B lymphocytes, leading to a deficient adaptive immune system. SCID pigs are a unique large animal biomedical model as they possess many similarities to humans, allowing for the collection of translatable data in regenerative medicine, cancer, and other biomedical research topics. While many studies suggest early gut microbiota development is necessary for developing the intestinal barrier and immune system, these animals are often cesarian section derived, leaving them uncolonized for normal intestinal microflora.

Stage of infection with subsp. impacts expression of Rab5, Rab7, and CYP27B1 in macrophages within the ileum of naturally infected cows.

Introduction: Macrophages are the preferential target of (MAP), the etiologic agent of ruminant paratuberculosis. Uptake of pathogens by intestinal macrophages results in their trafficking through endosomal compartments, ultimately leading to fusion with an acidic lysosome to destroy the pathogen. MAP possesses virulence factors which disrupt these endosomal pathways.

An Overview of Equine Enteric Clostridial Diseases.

The understanding of the pathogenesis of equine enteric clostridial organisms is an active, evolving field. Advances will improve our knowledge both from the animal welfare and human health perspectives. The zoonotic nature of this group of diseases makes them relevant in the age of One health, as a significant amount of close human-equine interactions occurs for business and pleasure.

Vitamin D alters macrophage phenotype and endosomal trafficking markers in dairy cattle naturally infected with subsp. .

Macrophages are important host defense cells in ruminant paratuberculosis (Johne's Disease; JD), a chronic enteritis caused by subsp. (MAP). Classical macrophage functions of pathogen trafficking, degradation, and antigen presentation are interrupted in mycobacterial infection.

Corrigendum: Exogenous Vitamin D Modulates Response of Bovine Macrophages to subsp. Infection and Is Dependent Upon Stage of Johne's Disease.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.

Clostridioides difficile Infection Dysregulates Brain Dopamine Metabolism.

Gastrointestinal illnesses and dysbiosis are among the most common comorbidities reported in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. The manuscript reports that C. difficile infection (CDI), predisposed by antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis, causes significant alterations in dopamine metabolism in major dopaminergic brain regions in mice ( < 0.

Effects of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D on PBMCs From Dairy Cattle Naturally Infected With subsp. .

The role of vitamin D in modulating immune responses has been well-established for over two decades; however, its specific functions have not been extensively detailed in cattle, particularly cattle in different stages of infection with subspecies (MAP). Consistent with previous work in our lab, the present study showed that infected cattle in the clinical stage of disease have reduced serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. Additionally, effects of vitamin D on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from naturally infected dairy cattle in subclinical ( = 8) or clinical ( = 8) stages of infection were compared to non-infected control cows ( = 8).

Exogenous Vitamin D Modulates Response of Bovine Macrophages to subsp. Infection and Is Dependent Upon Stage of Johne's Disease.

subspecies (MAP), the causative agent of ruminant enteritis, targets intestinal macrophages. During infection, macrophages contribute to mucosal inflammation and development of granulomas in the small intestine which worsens as disease progression occurs. Vitamin D is an immunomodulatory steroid hormone with beneficial roles in host-pathogen interactions.

Gut dysbiosis following organophosphate, diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), intoxication and saracatinib oral administration.

Organophosphate nerve agents (OPNAs) act as irreversible inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase and can lead to cholinergic crisis including salivation, lacrimation, urination, defecation, gastrointestinal distress, respiratory distress, and seizures. Although the OPNAs have been studied in the past few decades, little is known about the impact on the gut microbiome which has become of increasing interest across fields. In this study, we challenged animals with the OPNA, diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP, 4mg/kg, s.

Neonatal Piglets Are Protected from Clostridioides difficile Infection by Age-Dependent Increase in Intestinal Microbial Diversity.

While Clostridioides difficile is recognized as an important human pathogen, it is also a significant cause of gastroenteritis and associated diarrhea in neonatal pigs. Since clinical disease is rarely diagnosed in piglets older than 1 week of age, it is hypothesized that natural resistance is associated with the increased complexity of the intestinal microbiota as the animals age. To test this, piglets were challenged with C.

Protective Effect of Baicalin against Infection in Mice.

This study investigated the prophylactic and therapeutic efficacies of baicalin (BC), a plant-derived flavone glycoside, in reducing the severity of infection (CDI) in a mouse model. In the prophylactic trial, C57BL/6 mice were provided with BC (0, 11, and 22 mg/L in drinking water) from 12 days before challenge through the end of the experiment, whereas BC administration started day 1 post challenge in the therapeutic trial. Both challenge and control groups were infected with 10 CFU/mL of hypervirulent BAA 1803 spores or sterile PBS, and the clinical and diarrheal scores were recorded for 10 days post challenge.

Prevalence, Colonization, Epidemiology, and Public Health Significance of in Companion Animals.

, previously , is a major cause of antibiotic-associated enteric disease in humans in hospital settings. Increased incidence of infection (CDI) in community settings raises concerns over an alternative source of CDI for humans. The detection of genetically similar and toxigenic isolates in companion animals, including asymptomatic pets, suggests the potential role of household pets as a source of community-associated CDI.

Triaditis: Truth and Consequences.

Clinical findings with triaditis and individual disease components overlap and may include hyporexia, weight loss, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, icterus, abdominal pain, thickened bowel loops, pyrexia, dyspnea, and shock. A definitive diagnosis of triaditis requires histologic confirmation of inflammation in each organ, but this may not be possible because of financial or patient-related constraints. Evidence-based data indicate that histologic lesions of triaditis are present in 30% to 50% of cats diagnosed with pancreatitis and cholangitis/inflammatory liver disease.

In vitro efficacy of sodium selenite in reducing toxin production, spore outgrowth and antibiotic resistance in hypervirulent Clostridium difficile.

Purpose: This study investigated the efficacy of the essential mineral, selenium (sodium selenite), in reducing the toxin production, spore outgrowth and antibiotic resistance of Clostridium difficile in vitro.

Methodology: Two hypervirulent C. difficile isolates were cultured in brain heart infusion broth with and without a sub-minimum inhibitory concentration (sub-MIC) of sodium selenite, and the supernatant and bacterial pellet were harvested for total toxin quantitation and RT-qPCR analysis of toxin-encoding genes, respectively.

Carvacrol reduces Clostridium difficile sporulation and spore outgrowth in vitro.

Purpose: Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic spore-forming pathogen that causes a serious toxin-mediated enteric disease in humans. Therapeutic agents that are capable of reducing C. difficile spore production could significantly minimize the transmission and relapse of C.

Effect of Dietary Minerals on Virulence Attributes of .

is a water-borne pathogen responsible for causing a toxin-mediated profuse diarrhea in humans, leading to severe dehydration and death in unattended patients. With increasing reports of antibiotic resistance in , there is a need for alternate interventional strategies for controlling cholera. A potential new strategy for treating infectious diseases involves targeting bacterial virulence rather than growth, where a pathogen's specific mechanisms critical for causing infection in hosts are inhibited.

Protective Effect of Carvacrol against Gut Dysbiosis and Associated Disease in a Mouse Model.

This study investigated the effect of carvacrol (CR), a phytophenolic compound on antibiotic-associated gut dysbiosis and infection in a mouse model. Five to six-week-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into seven treatment groups (challenge and control) of eight mice each. Mice were fed with irradiated feed supplemented with CR (0, 0.

Eugenol in combination with lactic acid bacteria attenuates Listeria monocytogenes virulence in vitro and in invertebrate model Galleria mellonella.

Listeria monocytogenes is a human enteric pathogen that causes severe foodborne illness in high-risk populations. Crossing the intestinal barrier is the first critical step for Listeria monocytogenes infection. Therefore, reducing L.

Inhibiting Microbial Toxins Using Plant-Derived Compounds and Plant Extracts.

Many pathogenic bacteria and fungi produce potentially lethal toxins that cause cytotoxicity or impaired cellular function either at the site of colonization or other locations in the body through receptor-mediated interactions. Various factors, including biotic and abiotic environments, competing microbes, and chemical cues affect toxin expression in these pathogens. Recent work suggests that several natural compounds can modulate toxin production in pathogenic microbes.

In-feed supplementation of trans-cinnamaldehyde reduces layer-chicken egg-borne transmission of Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis.

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis is a major foodborne pathogen in the United States, causing gastroenteritis in humans, primarily through consumption of contaminated eggs. Chickens are the reservoir host of S. Enteritidis.

Characterization of a multidrug resistant C. difficile meat isolate.

Clostridium difficile is a pathogen of significant public health concern causing a life-threatening, toxin-mediated enteric disease in humans. The incidence and severity of the disease associated with C. difficile have increased in the US with the emergence of hypervirulent strains and community associated outbreaks.

Efficacy of plant-derived compounds combined with hydrogen peroxide as antimicrobial wash and coating treatment for reducing Listeria monocytogenes on cantaloupes.

The efficacy of four plant-derived antimicrobials (PDAs), namely carvacrol, thymol, β-resorcylic acid, and caprylic acid, with or without hydrogen peroxide (HP), as antimicrobial wash and chitosan based coating for reducing Listeria monocytogenes (LM) on cantaloupes was investigated. Cantaloupe rind plugs inoculated with LM (10(7) CFU/cm(2)) were washed for 3, 6, 10 min at 25 °C or 1, 3, 5 min at 55 or 65 °C in water, or water containing 2% PDAs with or without 2% HP. Additionally, inoculated cantaloupes (10(8) CFU/fruit) washed with 2% PDA-HP combinations at 55 or 65 °C (5 min) were cut into rindless cubical pieces, stored at 4 °C for 7 days and sampled for LM.

Carvacrol and trans-cinnamaldehyde reduce Clostridium difficile toxin production and cytotoxicity in vitro.

Clostridium difficile is a nosocomial pathogen that causes a serious toxin-mediated enteric disease in humans. Reducing C. difficile toxin production could significantly minimize its pathogenicity and improve disease outcomes in humans.

Rapid inactivation of Salmonella Enteritidis on shell eggs by plant-derived antimicrobials.

Salmonella Enteritidis is a common foodborne pathogen transmitted to humans largely by consumption of contaminated eggs. The external surface of eggs becomes contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis from various sources on farms, the main sources being hens' droppings and contaminated litter. Therefore, effective egg surface disinfection is critical to reduce pathogens on eggs and potentially control egg-borne disease outbreaks.

Efficacy of plant-derived antimicrobials as antimicrobial wash treatments for reducing enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 on apples.

This study investigated the efficacy of 3 GRAS-status, plant-derived antimicrobials (PDAs), trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC), carvacrol (CR), and β-resorcylic acid (BR) applied as an antimicrobial wash for killing Escherichia coli O157:H7 on apples. "Red delicious" apples inoculated with a 5 strain mixture of E. coli O157:H7 were subjected to washing in sterile deionized water containing 0% PDA (control), 0.