Three parameters, body weight gain (BWG), intestinal lesion score (LS) and fecal oocyst shedding, were compared in broilers infected with major parasitic species; Eimeria acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella. First, two- and three-week-old chickens with Eimeria infection showed LS of approximately 3, but two-week-old chickens were more correlated with BWG. Second, significant differences in BWG were observed between male and female broilers challenged with Eimeria. Finally, E. maxima-infected broilers among three Eimeria species showed a higher relationship between BWG and LS, suggesting three considerations such as genders, age andEimeria species for Eimeria experiments.

Coccidiosis in chickens is an intestinal parasitic disease caused by protozoan parasites named Eimeria spp. In some Eimeria infections, intestinal lymphocytes are known to highly express chicken NK-lysin (cNK-lysin), an antimicrobial peptide with anticoccidial activity. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the expression of cNK-lysin in E. necatrix-infected chickens and its role in E. necatrix infection. The expression of cNK-lysin transcript was significantly increased in E. necatrix sporozoites-treated lymphocytes. In E. necatrix infection, cNK-lysin transcript was induced in intestinal lymphocytes but not in the spleen. The recombinant cNK-lysin exhibited anticoccidial activity against E. necatrix sporozoites as well as immunomodulatory activity on macrophages by inducing proinflammatory cytokines. These results indicated that E. necatrix infection induces high local expression of cNK-lysin and the secreted cNK-lysin helps protect coccidiosis.

Avian coccidiosis has a major economic impact on the poultry industry, it is caused by 7 species of Eimeria, and has been primarily controlled using chemotherapeutic agents. Due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains, alternative control strategies are needed. We assessed anticoccidial effects of berberine-based diets in broiler chickens following oral infection with 5 Eimeria species (E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. tenella, E. mitis, and E. praecox). When 0.2% berberine, a concentration that does not affect weight gain, was added to the diet, the 4 groups infected with E. acervulina, E. tenella, E. mitis, or E. praecox showed significant reductions in fecal oocyst shedding (P<0.05) compared to their respective infected and untreated controls. In chickens treated 0.5% berberine instead of 0.2% and infected with E. maxima, fecal oocyst production was significantly reduced, but body weight deceased, indicating that berberine treatment was not useful for E. maxima infection. Taken together, these results illustrate the applicability of berberine for prophylactic use to control most Eimeria infections except E. maxima. Further studies on the mechanisms underlying the differences in anticoccidial susceptibility to berberine, particularly E. maxima, are remained.

Avian coccidiosis has a major economic impact on the poultry industry, it is caused by 7 species of Eimeria, and has been primarily controlled using chemotherapeutic agents. Due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains, alternative control strategies are needed. We assessed anticoccidial effects of berberine-based diets in broiler chickens following oral infection with 5 Eimeria species (E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. tenella, E. mitis, and E. praecox). When 0.2% berberine, a concentration that does not affect weight gain, was added to the diet, the 4 groups infected with E. acervulina, E. tenella, E. mitis, or E. praecox showed significant reductions in fecal oocyst shedding (P<0.05) compared to their respective infected and untreated controls. In chickens treated 0.5% berberine instead of 0.2% and infected with E. maxima, fecal oocyst production was significantly reduced, but body weight deceased, indicating that berberine treatment was not useful for E. maxima infection. Taken together, these results illustrate the applicability of berberine for prophylactic use to control most Eimeria infections except E. maxima. Further studies on the mechanisms underlying the differences in anticoccidial susceptibility to berberine, particularly E. maxima, are remained.

Coccidiosis-causing Eimeria species are transmitted in poultry via the oral-fecal route and can lead to hemorrhagic diarrhea and mortality. This results in enormous economic losses in the poultry industry. Furthermore, its resistance to some currently used antibiotics is increasing. This has prompted the development of new alternative drug therapies that address the issue of chemical-free meat production. Effective management of infectious diseases in veterinary practice includes the induction of protective and adaptive immunity by treatment with an alternative agent. In this study, we evaluated the anticoccidial effects of dietary supplementation of Chosun University (CS) 32 compounds (0.1% and 1.0%) against Eimeria tenella, which was isolated and purified from the supernatant of culture broth of Bacillus strain (KCTC18250P), as well as its effect on the growth rate and feed efficiency in chickens. Overall, we observed a decrease in lesion scores and oocyte output in CS 32 compounds-treated chickens. We concluded that 0.1% CS 32 compounds displayed anticoccidial effects against E. tenella infection.

Brucellosis is an emerging infectious disease affecting humans and animals. In this study, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo effects of tannic acid (TA) against Brucella abortus infection. After infection, F-actin polymerization and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) (ERK 1/2 and p38α) phosphorylation were reduced in TA-treated cells compared with that in control cells. The mice were infected via an intraperitoneal route and were orally given TA or phosphate-buffered saline for 14 days. Spleen weights of the TA-treated and control mice were not different; however, splenic proliferation of B. abortus was significantly reduced in the TA-treated group. Immune response analysis showed that, compared with the control group, non-infected TA-treated mice displayed increased levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and interleukin-10 at 3 days post-infection and a further increase in IFN-γ and MCP-1 at 14 days post-infection. In contrast, compared with the control group, infected TA-treated mice displayed elevated levels of IFN-γ at 3 days post-infection, which continued to increase at 14 days post-infection, as was also observed for tumor necrosis factor. Taken together, the results showing TA activation of cytokine production and inhibition of bacterial proliferation in the host highlight a potential use of TA treatment in the control of Brucella infection.
Actins ; Animals ; Brucella abortus ; Brucella ; Brucellosis ; Chemokine CCL2 ; Communicable Diseases, Emerging ; Cytokines ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Interleukin-10 ; Mice ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; Phosphorylation ; Polymerization ; Polymers ; Spleen ; Tannins ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Weights and Measures

A 56-year-old woman, who underwent cardiac surgery 3 months previously, presented to the emergency room with pulmonary artery rupture due to the cytotoxic effects of BioGlue (CryoLife Inc., Kennesaw, GA, USA). She was successfully treated with surgical management. Although surgical glue can be effectively used for hemostasis, it can induce delayed vascular complications. Therefore, surgical glue should be used cautiously.
Adhesives ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Rupture* ; Thoracic Surgery*

The prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter (C.) spp. in stray, breeding, and household dogs was 25.2, 12.0, and 8.8%, respectively. C. jejuni and C. upsaliensis were the predominant Campylobacter spp. from household dogs. cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC were detected by PCR in all isolates. Despite the high cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) gene prevalence, only 26 (31%) C. jejuni strains and one (15.3%) C. coli strain showed evidence of CDT production in HEp-2 cell cytotoxicity assays. Virulence-associated genes detected in the C. jejuni and C. coli isolates were cadF, dnaJ, flaA, racR, ciaB, iamA, pldA, virB11, ceuE, and docC. cadF, dnaJ, flaA, and ceuE were found in all C. jejuni and C. coli isolates. When detecting Guillain-Barre syndrome-associated genes (galE, cgtB, and wlaN), galE was identified in all isolates. However, cgtB and wlaN were more prevalent in C. jejuni isolates from humans than those from dogs. Adherence and invasion abilities of the C. jejuni and C. coli strains were tested in INT-407 cells. A considerable correlation (adjusted R2 = 0.678) existed between adherence and invasion activities of the Campylobacter spp. isolates.
Animals ; Breeding ; Busan* ; Campylobacter* ; Dogs* ; Family Characteristics ; Humans* ; Korea* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence* ; Virulence*

An antimicrobial susceptibility test was conducted to compare the resistance rates among Campylobacter spp. isolates from dogs (n = 50) raised under diverse conditions and humans (n = 50). More than 60% of Campylobacter (C.) jejuni from dogs and humans showed resistance to nalidixic acid, enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. C. jejuni isolates from humans showed higher resistance to tetracycline (83.3%) and ampicillin (91.3%) than those from dogs. None of the C. jejuni or Campylobacter coli isolates from humans or dogs were resistant to erythromycin. Overall, 85% of Campylobacter spp. isolates showed a multidrug resistant phenotype. Nucleotide sequencing analysis of the gryA gene showed that 100% of NA(R)/CIP(R) C. jejuni isolates from dogs and humans had the Thr-86th-Ile mutation, which is associated with fluoroquinolone resistance. flaA PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing to differentiate the isolates below the species level revealed 12 different clusters out of 73 strains. The human isolates belonged to eight different RFLP clusters, while five clusters contained dog and human isolates.
Ampicillin ; Animals ; Campylobacter coli ; Campylobacter* ; Ciprofloxacin ; DNA Gyrase ; Dogs* ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Epidemiological Monitoring* ; Erythromycin ; Humans ; Korea ; Nalidixic Acid ; Phenotype ; Point Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length* ; Tetracycline

The outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Brucella (B.) abortus have been extensively studied, but their immunogenicity and protective ability against B. abortus infection are still unclear. In the present study, B. abortus Omp28, a group 3 antigen, was amplified by PCR and cloned into a maltose fusion protein expression system. Recombinant Omp28 (rOmp28) was expressed in Escherichia coli and was then purified. Immunogenicity of rOmp28 was confirmed by Western blot analysis with Brucella-positive mouse serum. Furthermore, humoral- or cell-mediated immune responses measured by the production of IgG1 or IgG2a in rOmp28-immunized mice and the ability of rOmp28 immunization to protect against B. abortus infection were evaluated in a mouse model. In the immunogenicity analysis, the mean titers of IgG1 and IgG2a produced by rOmp28-immunized mice were 20-fold higher than those of PBS-treated mice throughout the entire experimental period. Furthermore, spleen proliferation and bacterial burden in the spleen of rOmp28-immunized mice were approximately 1.5-fold lower than those of PBS-treated mice when challenged with virulent B. abortus. These findings suggest that rOmp28 from B. abortus is a good candidate for manufacturing an effective subunit vaccine against B. abortus infection in animals.
Animals ; Antibodies, Bacterial/blood ; Blotting, Western/veterinary ; Brucella Vaccine/*immunology ; Brucella abortus/*immunology ; Brucellosis, Bovine/*immunology/microbiology/*prevention & control ; Cattle ; Cloning, Molecular ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel/veterinary ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary ; Female ; Immunization/veterinary ; Immunoglobulin G/blood ; Immunoglobulin Isotypes/blood ; Membrane Proteins/genetics/*immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Models, Animal ; Recombinant Proteins/genetics/immunology ; Vaccines, Subunit/immunology