The Impact of General Laboratory Animal Health on Experimental Models in Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Cairo University was the first academic institution in Egypt to establish an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), as mandated by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Animal-based research should be performed in accordance with international regulations to monitor the humane care and use of the laboratory animals. Until 2018, the formal training of researchers in the appropriate and correct methods of animal handling during sampling and administration, as well as their husbandry demands, was an uncommon practice in Egypt. In 2018, the Egyptian Association for Animal Research Advancement (EAARA) organised the first international course in laboratory animal science (LAS), in collaboration with Utrecht University (The Netherlands) and the Faculty of Science, Cairo University, to raise researchers’ awareness and increase their knowledge of the principles that govern the humane use and care of laboratory animals. A total of 26 researchers from a number of fields (veterinary medicine, dentistry, science, medicine, pharmacy and agriculture) enrolled in the course. In the responses to the post-course questionnaire, 24 (92.3%) participants stated that the principles of animal welfare (Three Rs) were well explained. In addition, 18 (69%) participants found that the course improved their skills in animal sampling and handling. Of the 26 participants, 22 (84.6%) became aware of their responsibility towards their experimental animals and agreed that the different methods of euthanasia were well explained. In conclusion, the general assessment of the course revealed a positive outcome regarding the culture of animal care; the course was repeated a year later, and several participants were enlisted as trainers in this second course.

Download Full-text

Оrganic Meat Production of Broiler Chickens Hubbard Redbro Cross

International Journal of Veterinary Science ◽

10.37422/ijvs/20.072 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Broiler Chickens ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Animal Health ◽

Meat Products ◽

Poultry Meat ◽

Meat Production ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Environmentally Safe ◽

The Impact

This article presents the results of studying the impact of housing and feeding conditions on broiler chickens of Hubbard RedBro cross, as well as the quality of products obtained when using floor and cage content, in a farm. It established that when receiving a mixed feed of own production using feed raw materials grown on a farm without the use of pesticides, a statistically significant decrease in potentially dangerous substances for animal health is recorded. Compared with factory feed, it has reduced the content of pesticides by 14 times, and mercury and arsenic by 24 times, cadmium by five times, and lead by ten times. The results of the study of economic indicators of growing Hubbard RedBro cross broiler chickens, as well as the chemical composition and quality of carcasses, indicated that there was no significant difference between the floor and cell conditions of keeping. Still, the use of a diet based on eco-feeds contributed to a statistically significant decrease in the concentration of toxic metals in the muscles of the poultry of the experimental groups. As a result, it found that the use of the studied compound feed in the diets of broiler chickens increased the indicators of Biosafety and ensured the production of environmentally safe ("organic") poultry meat products.

Download Full-text

BOARD INVITED REVIEW: The pig microbiota and the potential for harnessing the power of the microbiome to improve growth and health1

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz208 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (9) ◽

pp. 3741-3757 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Nirosh D Aluthge ◽

Dana M Van Sambeek ◽

Erin E Carney-Hinkle ◽

Yanshuo S Li ◽

Samodha C Fernando ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastrointestinal Tract ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Therapeutic Potential ◽

Animal Health ◽

Microbial Colonization ◽

Critical Importance ◽

Specific Host ◽

Microbiome Research ◽

Health And Disease ◽

The Impact

Abstract A variety of microorganisms inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of animals including bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, and viruses. Pioneers in gut microbiology have stressed the critical importance of diet:microbe interactions and how these interactions may contribute to health status. As scientists have overcome the limitations of culture-based microbiology, the importance of these interactions has become more clear even to the extent that the gut microbiota has emerged as an important immunologic and metabolic organ. Recent advances in metagenomics and metabolomics have helped scientists to demonstrate that interactions among the diet, the gut microbiota, and the host to have profound effects on animal health and disease. However, although scientists have now accumulated a great deal of data with respect to what organisms comprise the gastrointestinal landscape, there is a need to look more closely at causative effects of the microbiome. The objective of this review is intended to provide: 1) a review of what is currently known with respect to the dynamics of microbial colonization of the porcine gastrointestinal tract; 2) a review of the impact of nutrient:microbe effects on growth and health; 3) examples of the therapeutic potential of prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics; and 4) a discussion about what the future holds with respect to microbiome research opportunities and challenges. Taken together, by considering what is currently known in the four aforementioned areas, our overarching goal is to set the stage for narrowing the path towards discovering how the porcine gut microbiota (individually and collectively) may affect specific host phenotypes.

Download Full-text

Beneficial effect of retigabine on memory in rats receiving ethanol

Pharmacological Reports ◽

10.1007/s43440-020-00205-z ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ewa Zwierzyńska ◽

Agata Krupa-Burtnik ◽

Bogusława Pietrzak

Keyword(s):

Beneficial Effect ◽

Fear Conditioning ◽

Morris Water Maze ◽

Water Maze ◽

Experimental Models ◽

Male Rats ◽

Ethanol Administration ◽

Free Access ◽

Oral Gavage ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Retigabine belongs to the novel generation of antiepileptic drugs but its complex mechanism of action causes that the drug might be effective in other diseases, for instance, alcohol dependence. It is known that ethanol abuse impaired the function of brain structures associated with memory and learning such as the hippocampus. In our previous study, retigabine reduced hippocampal changes induced by ethanol in the EEG rhythms in rabbits. This study is focused on the impact of retigabine on memory processes in male rats receiving alcohol. Methods Memory was evaluated in various experimental models: Morris water maze, Contextual, and Cued Fear Conditioning tests. Retigabine was administered for 3 weeks directly to the stomach via oral gavage at a dose of 10 mg/kg. Rats received also 20% ethanol (5 g/kg/day in two doses) via oral gavage for 3 weeks and had free access to 5% ethanol in the afternoon and at night. Morris water maze was performed after 1 and 3 weeks of ethanol administration and after 1 week from the discontinuation of ethanol administration. Contextual and Cued Fear Conditioning tests were carried out after 24 h and 72 h of alcohol discontinuation. Results The drug significantly decreased ethanol-induced memory disturbances during alcohol administration as well as slightly improved learning processes after the discontinuation of ethanol administration. Conclusions This beneficial effect of retigabine-ethanol interaction on memory may be a relevant element of the drug’s impact on the development of addiction.

Download Full-text

The RUMA Alliance targets: an overview

Livestock ◽

10.12968/live.2021.26.4.176 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 176-179

Author(s):

Chris Lloyd

Keyword(s):

Task Force ◽

Animal Health ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Codes Of Practice ◽

The Government ◽

The Uk ◽

Ongoing Support ◽

The Impact ◽

Insight Into ◽

Roll Out

The Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) was established to promote the highest standards of food safety, animal health and animal welfare in the British livestock industry. It has a current focus to deliver on the Government objective of identifying sector-specific targets for the reduction, refinement or replacement of antibiotics in animal agriculture. The creation and roll out of sector specific targets in 2017 through the RUMA Targets Task Force, has helped focus activity across the UK livestock sectors to achieve a 50% reduction in antibiotic use since 2014. This has been realised principally through voluntary multi-sector collaboration, cross sector initiatives, codes of practice, industry body support and farm assurance schemes. This article provides an overview of RUMA's work to date providing insight into the methods used to create the targets, why they are so important, the impact they are having and how ongoing support and robust data are vital components in achieving the latest set of targets.

Download Full-text

Effect of Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) on the Inflammatory Response in Rumen Epithelial Cells (REC) and the Impact of LPS on Claw Explants

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11072058 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 2058

Author(s):

Nicole Reisinger ◽

Dominik Wendner ◽

Nora Schauerhuber ◽

Elisabeth Mayer

Keyword(s):

Epithelial Cells ◽

Inflammatory Response ◽

Structural Integrity ◽

Animal Health ◽

Lipoteichoic Acid ◽

Local Inflammatory Response ◽

Tissue Integrity ◽

Separation Force ◽

The Impact ◽

Rumen Epithelial Cells

Endotoxins play a crucial role in ruminant health due to their deleterious effects on animal health. The study aimed to evaluate whether LPS and LTA can induce an inflammatory response in rumen epithelial cells. For this purpose, epithelial cells isolated from rumen tissue (RECs) were stimulated with LPS and LTA for 1, 2, 4, and 24 h. Thereafter, the expression of selected genes of the LPS and LTA pathway and inflammatory response were evaluated. Furthermore, it was assessed whether LPS affects inflammatory response and structural integrity of claw explants. Therefore, claw explants were incubated with LPS for 4 h to assess the expression of selected genes and for 24 h to evaluate tissue integrity via separation force. LPS strongly affected the expression of genes related to inflammation (NFkB, TNF-α, IL1B, IL6, CXCL8, MMP9) in RECs. LTA induced a delayed and weaker inflammatory response than LPS. In claw explants, LPS affected tissue integrity, as there was a concentration-dependent decrease of separation force. Incubation time had a strong effect on inflammatory genes in claw explants. Our data suggest that endotoxins can induce a local inflammatory response in the rumen epithelium. Furthermore, translocation of LPS might negatively impact claw health.

Download Full-text

Detection of Rickettsia raoultii in Dermacentor reticulatus and Haemaphysalis inermis ticks in Slovakia

Biologia ◽

10.1007/s11756-021-00789-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Basma Ouarti ◽

Basma El Hamzaoui ◽

Michal Stanko ◽

Maureen Laroche ◽

Oleg Mediannikov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Potential Role ◽

Animal Health ◽

Molecular Study ◽

Dermacentor Reticulatus ◽

Experimental Models ◽

Molecular Tools ◽

Future Studies ◽

Rickettsia Raoultii ◽

Pathogenic Agents ◽

Transmission Models

AbstractTicks are vector arthropods responsible for the transmission of several pathogenic agents that affect both human and animal health worldwide. In this study our objective was to analyse, using molecular tools, the bacterial community of Dermacentor reticulatus and Haemaphysalis inermis ticks collected in south-eastern Slovakia. Using real-time PCR, we identified the presence of Rickettsia spp. DNA at levels of 14/59 (23.72 %) and 29/173 (16.76 %) in D. reticulatus and H. inermis, respectively. In addition, using standard PCR and sequencing, we identified the presence of Rickettsia raoultii DNA in 13 ticks belonging to the two investigated species. Rickettsia raoultii blast results revealed an average identification percentage of 99.62 %. Following the results of this molecular study there is a possibility that D. reticulatus and H. inermis play a potential role in the transmission of R. raoultii. To prove the possibility of validity of this hypothesis, we suggest performing experimental models in future studies. Our results can serve as preliminary data for future transmission models.

Download Full-text

Application of Stereolithographic Custom Models for Studying the Impact of Biofilms and Mineral Precipitation on Fluid Flow

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.71.12.8721-8728.2005 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 71 (12) ◽

pp. 8721-8728 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

D. L. Stoner ◽

S. M. Watson ◽

R. D. Stedtfeld ◽

P. Meakin ◽

L. K. Griffel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biomass Accumulation ◽

Time Lapse ◽

Experimental Models ◽

Microbial Colonization ◽

Bacillus Pasteurii ◽

Flow Paths ◽

Flow Models ◽

Fracture Apertures ◽

Internal Configuration ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT Here we introduce the use of transparent experimental models fabricated by stereolithography for studying the impacts of biomass accumulation, minerals precipitation, and physical configuration of flow paths on liquid flow in fracture apertures. The internal configuration of the models ranged in complexity from simple geometric shapes to those that incorporate replicated surfaces of natural fractures and computationally derived fracture surfaces. High-resolution digital time-lapse imaging was employed to qualitatively observe the migration of colloidal and soluble dyes through the flow models. In this study, a Sphingomonas sp. and Sporosarcina (Bacillus) pasteurii influenced the fluid dynamics by physically altering flow paths. Microbial colonization and calcite deposition enhanced the stagnant regions adjacent to solid boundaries. Microbial growth and calcite precipitation occurred to a greater extent in areas behind the fabricated obstacles and less in high-velocity orifices.

Download Full-text

Stereoscopically Observed Deformations of a Compliant Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Model

Journal of Biomechanical Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.4005416 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 133 (11) ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Clark A. Meyer ◽

Eric Bertrand ◽

Olivier Boiron ◽

Valérie Deplano

Keyword(s):

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm ◽

Aortic Aneurysm ◽

Computational Models ◽

Imaging System ◽

Strain Differences ◽

Cyclic Strain ◽

Experimental Models ◽

Body Motion ◽

Abdominal Aortic ◽

The Impact

A new experimental setup has been implemented to precisely measure the deformations of an entire model abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). This setup addresses a gap between the computational and experimental models of AAA that have aimed at improving the limited understanding of aneurysm development and rupture. The experimental validation of the deformations from computational approaches has been limited by a lack of consideration of the large and varied deformations that AAAs undergo in response to physiologic flow and pressure. To address the issue of experimentally validating these calculated deformations, a stereoscopic imaging system utilizing two cameras was constructed to measure model aneurysm displacement in response to pressurization. The three model shapes, consisting of a healthy aorta, an AAA with bifurcation, and an AAA without bifurcation, were also evaluated with computational solid mechanical modeling using finite elements to assess the impact of differences between material properties and for comparison against the experimental inflations. The device demonstrated adequate accuracy (surface points were located to within 0.07 mm) for capturing local variation while allowing the full length of the aneurysm sac to be observed at once. The experimental model AAA demonstrated realistic aneurysm behavior by having cyclic strains consistent with reported clinical observations between pressures 80 and 120 mm Hg. These strains are 1–2%, and the local spatial variations in experimental strain were less than predicted by the computational models. The three different models demonstrated that the asymmetric bifurcation creates displacement differences but not cyclic strain differences within the aneurysm sac. The technique and device captured regional variations of strain that are unobservable with diameter measures alone. It also allowed the calculation of local strain and removed rigid body motion effects on the strain calculation. The results of the computations show that an asymmetric aortic bifurcation created displacement differences but not cyclic strain differences within the aneurysm sac.

Download Full-text

Experimental Models to Study COVID-19 Effect in Stem Cells

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10010091 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 91

Author(s):

Rishi Man Chugh ◽

Payel Bhanja ◽

Andrew Norris ◽

Subhrajit Saha

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Drug Efficacy ◽

Cell Loss ◽

Experimental Models ◽

Model Systems ◽

Virus Infectivity ◽

Ex Vivo Model ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The Impact

The new strain of coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) emerged in 2019 and hence is often referred to as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This disease causes hypoxic respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and is considered as the cause of a global pandemic. Very limited reports in addition to ex vivo model systems are available to understand the mechanism of action of this virus, which can be used for testing of any drug efficacy against virus infectivity. COVID-19 induces tissue stem cell loss, resulting inhibition of epithelial repair followed by inflammatory fibrotic consequences. Development of clinically relevant models is important to examine the impact of the COVID-19 virus in tissue stem cells among different organs. In this review, we discuss ex vivo experimental models available to study the effect of COVID-19 on tissue stem cells.

Download Full-text