scholarly journals An in-Depth Investigation of the Safety of Wooden Shelves Used for Traditional Cheese Ripening

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Settanni ◽  
Valeria Puccio ◽  
Gabriele Busetta ◽  
Giuseppe Licitra ◽  
Elena Franciosi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Cheese Ripening ◽  
Traditional Cheese ◽  
Staphylococcus Equorum ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Non Destructive ◽  
Coagulase Positive Staphylococci ◽  
Bacterial Groups

The main goal of this research was to characterize the bacterial diversity of wooden boards used for aging traditional Sicilian cheeses and to evaluate whether pathogenic bacteria are associated with these surfaces. Eighteen cheese dairy factories producing three traditional cheese typologies (PDO Pecorino Siciliano, PDO Piacentinu Ennese and Caciocavallo Palermitano) were selected within Sicily region. The wooden shelf surfaces were sampled by a destructive method to detach wood splinters as well as by a non-destructive brushing to collect microbial cells. Scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of almost continuous bacterial formations on the majority of the shelves analysed. Yeasts and fungal hyphae were also visualized, indicating a complexity of the plank communities. The amplicon library of the 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 region was pair-end sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq system allowing the identification of 14 phyla, 32 classes, 52 orders, 93 families and 137 genera. Staphylococcus equorum was identified from all wooden surfaces with a maximum abundance of 64.75%. Among cheese surface ripening bacteria, Brevibacterium and Corynebacterium were detected in almost all samples. Several halophilic ( Halomonas , Tetragenococcus halophilus , Chromohalobacter, Salimicrobium , Marinococcus , Salegentibacter , Haererehalobacter , Marinobacter and Idiomarinaceae) and moderately halophilic ( Salinicoccus , Psychrobacter and Salinisphaera ) bacteria were frequently identified. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were present at low percentages with the genera Leuconostoc , Lactococcus , Lactobacillus , Pediococcus and Streptococcus . The levels of wooden shelf viable microorganisms ranged between 2.4 and 7.8 log CFU/cm 2 . In some cases, LAB were counted at very high levels (8.2 log CFU/cm 2 ). Members of Enterobacteriaceae family were detected in a viable state only for six samples. Coagulase positive staphylococci, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected. Seventy-five strains belonged to Leuconostoc , Lactococcus , Pediococcus , Enterococcus , Lactobacillus and Weissella genera. IMPORTANCE This study provides evidence for the lack of pathogenic bacteria on the wooden shelves used to ripen internal bacterially ripened semi-hard and hard cheeses produced in Sicily. These three cheeses are non-inoculated on their surfaces and surface ripening is not considered to occur or, at least, not at the same extent of surface inoculated smear cheeses. Several bacterial groups identified from the wooden shelves are typically associated with smear cheeses strongly suggesting that PDO Pecorino Siciliano, PDO Piacentinu Ennese and Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese rind contributes to their final organoleptic profiles.

scholarly journals Retrospective study on the hygienic quality of fresh ricotta cheeses produced in Sicily, Italy

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Scatassa ◽  
Isabella Mancuso ◽  
Sonia Sciortino ◽  
Giusi Macaluso ◽  
Marisa Palmeri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Competent Authority ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Starter Cultures ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Salmonella Spp ◽  
Official Control ◽  
Traditional Cheese ◽  
Coagulase Positive Staphylococci

The present work was carried out to investigate the microbiological profile of Sicilian ewes’ ricotta cheeses during fifteen years of investigations (2002-2016). The samples were collected between those conferred to the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia (IZSSi) Adelmo Mirri, Palermo (Italy), by the competent authority during official control, by food business operator in HACCP systems and in research projects. Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) were found only in some samples. Bacillus cereus was detected in c.a. 16% of samples but the level of contaminations did not reach the threshold that leads to significant toxin production. Pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. and Brucella spp. were never detected. Furthermore, a total of 47 of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were identified at species level by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene, resulting in the identification of 10 species belonging to four genera Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus and Leuconostoc, commonly employed as starter and non starter cultures in different traditional cheese. Results of this study highlighted an improvement of the hygienic conditions of the Sicilian ewes’ ricotta cheeses during the last ten years of investigation. This observation was confirmed from reduction of undesired microorganisms such as Enterobacteriaceae, E.coli and CPS, used to define the process hygiene criteria. However, in order to improve the final quality of this product are needed further strategy such as the dairy makers training, with the aim to apply a good hygienic practices during the production.

scholarly journals Bacterial community associated with worker honeybees (Apis mellifera) affected by European foulbrood

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Erban ◽  
Ondrej Ledvinka ◽  
Martin Kamler ◽  
Bronislava Hortova ◽  
Marta Nesvorna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Melissococcus Plutonius ◽  
European Foulbrood ◽  
Bacterial Groups ◽  
V3 Region

BackgroundMelissococcus plutoniusis an entomopathogenic bacterium that causes European foulbrood (EFB), a honeybee (Apis melliferaL.) disease that necessitates quarantine in some countries. In Czechia, positive evidence of EFB was absent for almost 40 years, until an outbreak in the Krkonose Mountains National Park in 2015. This occurrence of EFB gave us the opportunity to study the epizootiology of EFB by focusing on the microbiome of honeybee workers, which act as vectors of honeybee diseases within and between colonies.MethodsThe study included worker bees collected from brood combs of colonies (i) with no signs of EFB (EFB0), (ii) without clinical symptoms but located at an apiary showing clinical signs of EFB (EFB1), and (iii) with clinical symptoms of EFB (EFB2). In total, 49 samples from 27 honeybee colonies were included in the dataset evaluated in this study. Each biological sample consisted of 10 surface-sterilized worker bees processed for DNA extraction. All subjects were analyzed using conventional PCR and by metabarcoding analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene V1–V3 region, as performed through Illumina MiSeq amplicon sequencing.ResultsThe bees from EFB2 colonies with clinical symptoms exhibited a 75-fold-higher incidence ofM. plutoniusthan those from EFB1 asymptomatic colonies.Melissococcus plutoniuswas identified in all EFB1 colonies as well as in some of the control colonies. The proportions ofFructobacillus fructosus,Lactobacillus kunkeei,Gilliamella apicola,Frischella perrara, andBifidobacterium coryneformewere higher in EFB2 than in EFB1, whereasLactobacillus melliswas significantly higher in EFB2 than in EFB0.Snodgrassella alviandL. melliventris,L. helsingborgensisand,L. kullabergensisexhibited higher proportion in EFB1 than in EFB2 and EFB0. The occurrence ofBartonella apisandCommensalibacter intestiniwere higher in EFB0 than in EFB2 and EFB1.Enterococcus faecalisincidence was highest in EFB2.ConclusionsHigh-throughput Illumina sequencing permitted a semi-quantitative analysis of the presence ofM. plutoniuswithin the honeybee worker microbiome. The results of this study indicate that worker bees from EFB-diseased colonies are capable of transmittingM. plutoniusdue to the greatly increased incidence of the pathogen. The presence ofM. plutoniussequences in control colonies supports the hypothesis that this pathogen exists in an enzootic state. The bacterial groups synergic to both the colonies with clinical signs of EFB and the EFB-asymptomatic colonies could be candidates for probiotics. This study confirms thatE. faecalisis a secondary invader toM. plutonius; however, other putative secondary invaders were not identified in this study.

scholarly journals Blastocystis Colonization Is Associated with Increased Diversity and Altered Gut Bacterial Communities in Healthy Malian Children

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aly Kodio ◽  
Drissa Coulibaly ◽  
Abdoulaye Kassoum Koné ◽  
Salimata Konaté ◽  
Safiatou Doumbo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Gastrointestinal Disease ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
Microbiota Diversity

Blastocystis is the most common protozoan colonizing the gut of vertebrates. It modulates the human digestive microbiota in the absence of inflammation and gastrointestinal disease. Although it has been associated with human diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, its pathogenicity remains controversial. This study aimed to assess the influence of Blastocystis on the gut bacterial communities in healthy children. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 147 Blastocystis-colonized and 149 Blastocystis-noncolonized Malian children, with Blastocystis colonization assessed by real-time PCR and gut microbial communities characterized via 16S rRNA gene (Illumina MiSeq) sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. The gut microbiota diversity was higher in Blastocystis-colonized compared to Blastocystis-noncolonized children. The phyla Firmicutes, Elusimicrobia, Lentisphaerae, and Euryarchaeota were higher in Blastocystis-colonized children, whereas Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, unassigned bacteria, and Deinococcus–Thermus were higher in Blastocystis-noncolonized children. Moreover, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (family Ruminococcaceae) and Roseburia sp. (family Lachnospiraceae) abundance was higher in Blastocystis-colonized children. We conclude that Blastocystis colonization is significantly associated with a higher diversity of the gut bacterial communities in healthy children, while it is not associated with the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria in the human gut.

scholarly journals PSII-24 Towards a better understanding of the gut microbiome functions in the swine production: extensive cultivation of the swine gut microbiome from different growth stages

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 242-243
Author(s):  
Xiaofan Wang ◽  
Xiaoyuan Wei ◽  
Feilong Deng ◽  
Tsungcheng Tsai ◽  
Charles V Maxwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Positive Control ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Swine Production ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Different Growth Stages

Abstract Substantial progress has been made in the culture-omics of the human gut microbiota. However, little is known about the culture-omics of the swine gut microbiota, despite recent reports of their significant roles in swine health and production. To fill this knowledge gap in research, we tested 52 bacterial cultivation methods with different media and gas combinations. Fresh fecal samples (0.2g/sample) were collected from three pigs at the end of four growth stages: lactation, nursery, growing and finishing and were mixed with a stomacher in 20 mL saline. Aliquots of 50 uL microbial suspensions were then spread onto different media plates and incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions at 37C for up to 5 days. An additional aliquot of each sample was subjected to direct DNA extraction as a positive control. Bacterial colonies from each plate were collected and DNA was extracted from these samples using the Powersoil DNA isolation kit and sequenced with an Illumina Miseq sequencer targeting the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Sequences were analyzed with the Deblur algorithm in the QIIME2 package. A total of 378, 482, 565, and 555 bacterial features were observed from microbial solutions at the end of lactation, nursery, growing and finishing. Our culturing methods recovered 415, 675, 808, and 823 features correspondingly, representing 45.2%, 54.8%, 53.3%, and 56.4% of total features observed in microbial solutions. The top ten most easily cultured genus were Escherichia, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, Megasphaera, Acidaminococcus, Bacillus, Mitsuokella, Enterococcus and Prevotella. Non-parametric permutational multivariate analysis of variance shows that the main factors driving the swine culture-omics included medium, age and oxygen condition. This study identifies the cultivable bacteria from fecal samples collected at different growth stages of pigs and provides a guidance to cultivate potential beneficial or pathogenic bacteria of interests and validate their functions in swine production.

scholarly journals Applications of Blocker Nucleic Acids and Non-Metazoan PCR Improves the Discovery of the Eukaryotic Microbiome in Ticks

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1051
Author(s):  
Yurie Taya ◽  
Gohta Kinoshita ◽  
Wessam Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed ◽  
Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed Moustafa ◽  
Shohei Ogata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleic Acids ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
18S Rrna Gene ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Miseq Platform ◽  
Pcr Method ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Tick Microbiome ◽  
Generation Sequencing

Ticks serve as important vectors of a variety of pathogens. Recently, the viral and prokaryotic microbiomes in ticks have been explored using next-generation sequencing to understand the physiology of ticks and their interactions with pathogens. However, analyses of eukaryotic communities in ticks are limited, owing to the lack of suitable methods. In this study, we developed new methods to selectively amplify microeukaryote genes in tick-derived DNA by blocking the amplification of the 18S rRNA gene of ticks using artificial nucleic acids: peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) and locked nucleic acids (LNAs). In addition, another PCR using non-metazoan primers, referred to as UNonMet-PCR, was performed for comparison. We performed each PCR using tick-derived DNA and sequenced the amplicons using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Almost all sequences obtained by conventional PCR were derived from ticks, whereas the proportion of microeukaryotic reads and alpha diversity increased upon using the newly developed method. Additionally, the PNA- or LNA-based methods were suitable for paneukaryotic analyses, whereas the UNonMet-PCR method was particularly sensitive to fungi. The newly described methods enable analyses of the eukaryotic microbiome in ticks. We expect the application of these methods to improve our understanding of the tick microbiome.

scholarly journals Formation and Characterization of Early Bacterial Biofilms on Different Wood Typologies Applied in Dairy Production

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margherita Cruciata ◽  
Raimondo Gaglio ◽  
Maria Luisa Scatassa ◽  
Giovanna Sala ◽  
Cinzia Cardamone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cheese Ripening ◽  
Traditional Cheese ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Dairy Equipment ◽  
Forestry Resources ◽  
Coagulase Positive Staphylococci ◽  
Cheese Production

ABSTRACTThe main hypothesis of this work was that Sicilian forestry resources are suitable for the production of equipment to be used in cheese making and indigenous milk lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are able to develop stable biofilms providing starter and nonstarter cultures necessary for curd fermentation and cheese ripening, respectively. Hence, the present work was carried out with deproteinized whey to evaluate LAB biofilm formation on different woods derived from tree species grown in Sicily. Microbiological and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed minimal differences in microbial levels and compositions for the neoformed biofilms. The specific investigation ofSalmonellaspp.,Listeria monocytogenes,Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS), and sulfite-reducing anaerobes did not generate any colony for all vats before and after bacterial adhesion. LAB populations dominated all vat surfaces. The highest levels (7.63 log CFU/cm2) were registered for thermophilic cocci. Different colonies were characterized physiologically, biochemically, and genetically (at strain and species levels). Six species within the generaEnterococcus,Lactobacillus,Lactococcus, andStreptococcuswere identified. The species most frequently present wereLactobacillus fermentumandLactococcus lactis. LAB found on the surfaces of the wooden vats in this study showed interesting characteristics important for dairy manufacture. To thoroughly investigate the safety of the wooden vat, a test of artificial contamination on new Calabrian chestnut (control wood) vats was carried out. The results showed that LAB represent efficient barriers to the adhesion of the main dairy pathogens, probably due to their acidity and bacteriocin generation.IMPORTANCEThis study highlights the importance of using wooden vats for traditional cheese production and provides evidence for the valorization of the Sicilian forest wood resources via the production of dairy equipment.

scholarly journals Epizootic ulcerative syndrome causes cutaneous dysbacteriosis in hybrid snakehead (Channa maculata♀ × Channa argus♂)

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhifei Li ◽  
Guangjun Wang ◽  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Wangbao Gong ◽  
Ermeng Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Infected Fish ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Illumina Miseq Sequencing ◽  
Miseq Sequencing ◽  
Host Health ◽  
Channa Argus ◽  
Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome ◽  
The 16S Rrna Gene

Cutaneous microbiota play an important role in protecting fish against pathogens. Aphanomyces infection causes epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS) in fish, and by perturbing the integrity of the cutaneous microbiota, increases the potential for infection by pathogenic bacteria. However, whether the composition of the cutaneous microbiota is altered in fish with EUS, and if so, which species are changed and how this might influence infected fish, is still largely unclear. Considering the importance of cutaneous microbiota in maintaining host health, we hypothesized that Aphanomyces infection significantly enhances the presence of certain bacterial pathogens in the cutaneous microbiota and causes cutaneous dysbacteriosis. To test this hypothesis, we compared the cutaneous microbiota compositions of hybrid snakehead (Channa maculata♀ × Channa argus♂) with and without Aphanomyces infection using Illumina Miseq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Our results showed that the cutaneous microbiota of hybrid snakehead were significantly altered subsequent to EUS infection and that the numbers of potentially pathogenic bacteria classified into the genera Anaerosinus, Anaerovorax, Dorea, and Clostridium were significantly enhanced in the cutaneous microbiota of hybrid snakehead with EUS, whereas bacteria classified into the genera Arthrobacter, Dysgonomonas, Anoxybacillus, Bacillus, Solibacillus, Carnobacterium, Lactococcus, Streptococcus, Achromobacter, Polynucleobacter, Vogesella, and Pseudomonas were significantly reduced. These results imply that treatment for EUS should not only take into consideration the control of Aphanomyces reproduction but should also focus on regulating the cutaneous microbiota of infected fish.

scholarly journals Effect of flavophospholipol on fecal microbiota in weaned pigs challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saranya Nair ◽  
Vahab Farzan ◽  
J Scott Weese ◽  
Zvonimir Poljak ◽  
Robert M Friendship
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Salmonella Typhimurium ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Safety Concern ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Fecal Microbiota ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Weaned Pigs

Abstract Background The heightened prevalence of Salmonella Typhimurium remains a public health and food safety concern. Studies have reported antibiotic, flavophospholipol, may have the ability to reduce Salmonella in swine, as well as alter the gut microbiota in favour of beneficial bacteria by inhibiting pathogenic bacteria. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the fecal microbiota of weaned pigs receiving in-feed flavophospholipol and challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium.Results Twenty-one weaned pigs were fed either a diet containing 4 ppm of flavophospholipol (treatment group) or a non-medicated feed (control group) for 36 days post-weaning (Day 1 to Day 36). The pigs were orally challenged with a 2 mL dose of 108 CFU/mL of S. Typhimurium at Day 7 and Day 8. Community bacterial DNA extracted from fecal samples collected at Day 6 (before challenge) and Day 36 (28 days after challenge) were used to assess the fecal microbiota using the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene with Illumina MiSeq next-generation sequencing. Sequencing data were visualized using mothur and analyzed in JMP and R software. The fecal microbiota of pigs in the treatment group had differences in abundance of phyla (Firmicutes, Proteobacteria) and genera (Lactobacillus, Roseburia, Treponema, unclassified Ruminococcaceae, Blautia, Streptococcus, Megasphaera, Dorea, Sporobacter, Peptococcus, unclassified Firmicutes, Clostridium IV and Campylobacter) when compared to pigs that were controls, 28 days after challenge with Salmonella (P<0.05). Specifically, results demonstrated a significant increase in phylum Proteobacteria (P=0.001) and decrease in Firmicutes (P=0.012) and genus Roseburia (P=0.003) in the treated pigs suggestive of possible microbial dysbiosis. An increased abundance of genera Lactobacillus (P=0.012) was also noted in the treated group in comparison to the control.Conclusion Based on these findings, it is difficult to conclude whether treatment with 4 ppm of flavophospholipol is promoting favorable indigenous bacteria in the pig microbiota as previous literature has suggested.

scholarly journals Effect of flavophospholipol on fecal microbiota in weaned pigs challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saranya Nair ◽  
Vahab Farzan ◽  
J Scott Weese ◽  
Zvonimir Poljak ◽  
Robert M Friendship
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Salmonella Typhimurium ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Safety Concern ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Fecal Microbiota ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Weaned Pigs

Abstract Background The heightened prevalence of Salmonella Typhimurium remains a public health and food safety concern. Studies have reported antibiotic, flavophospholipol, may have the ability to reduce Salmonella in swine, as well as alter the gut microbiota in favour of beneficial bacteria by inhibiting pathogenic bacteria. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the fecal microbiota of weaned pigs receiving in-feed flavophospholipol and challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium. Results Twenty-one weaned pigs were fed either a diet containing 4 ppm of flavophospholipol (treatment group) or a non-medicated feed (control group) for 36 days post-weaning (Day 1 to Day 36). The pigs were orally challenged with a 2 mL dose of 10 8 CFU/mL of S. Typhimurium at Day 7 and Day 8. Community bacterial DNA extracted from fecal samples collected at Day 6 (before challenge) and Day 36 (28 days after challenge) were used to assess the fecal microbiota using the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene with Illumina MiSeq next-generation sequencing. Sequencing data were visualized using mothur and analyzed in JMP and R software. The fecal microbiota of pigs in the treatment group had differences in abundance of phyla (Firmicutes, Proteobacteria) and genera ( Lactobacillus, Roseburia , Treponema, unclassified Ruminococcaceae, Blautia , Streptococcus , Megasphaera , Dorea , Sporobacter , Peptococcus , unclassified Firmicutes, Clostridium IV and Campylobacter) when compared to pigs that were controls, 28 days after challenge with Salmonella ( P <0.05). Specifically, results demonstrated a significant increase in phylum Proteobacteria ( P= 0.001) and decrease in Firmicutes ( P =0.012) and genus Roseburia ( P =0.003) in the treated pigs suggestive of possible microbial dysbiosis. An increased abundance of genera Lactobacillus ( P =0.012) was also noted in the treated group in comparison to the control. Conclusion Based on these findings, it is difficult to conclude whether treatment with 4 ppm of flavophospholipol is promoting favorable indigenous bacteria in the pig microbiota as previous literature has suggested.

scholarly journals Effect of flavophospholipol on fecal microbiota in weaned pigs challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saranya Nair ◽  
Vahab Farzan ◽  
J Scott Weese ◽  
Zvonimir Poljak ◽  
Robert M Friendship
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Salmonella Typhimurium ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Safety Concern ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Fecal Microbiota ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Weaned Pigs

Abstract Background The heightened prevalence of Salmonella Typhimurium in nursery pigs remains a public health and food safety concern. Studies have reported antibiotic, flavophospholipol, may have the ability to reduce Salmonella in swine, as well as alter the gut microbiota in favour of beneficial bacteria by inhibiting pathogenic bacteria. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the fecal microbiota of weaned pigs receiving in-feed flavophospholipol and challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium. Results Twenty-one weaned pigs were fed either a diet containing 4 ppm of flavophospholipol (treatment group) or a non-medicated feed (control group) for 36 days post-weaning (Day 1 to Day 36). The pigs were orally challenged with a 2 mL dose of 10 8 CFU/mL of S. Typhimurium at Day 7 and Day 8. Community bacterial DNA extracted from fecal samples collected at Day 6 (before challenge) and Day 36 (28 days after challenge) were used to assess the fecal microbiota using the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene with Illumina MiSeq next-generation sequencing. Sequencing data were visualized using mothur, and analyzed in JMP and R. The fecal microbiota of pigs in treatment group had significant differences in abundance of phyla (Firmicutes, Proteobacteria) and genera ( Lactobacillus, Roseburia , Treponema, unclassified Ruminococcaceae, Blautia , Streptococcus , Megasphaera , Dorea , Sporobacter , Peptococcus , unclassified Firmicutes, Clostridium IV and Campylobacter) when compared to pigs that controls 28 days after challenge with Salmonella ( P <0.05). Specifically, results demonstrated a significant increase in phylum Proteobacteria ( P= 0.001) and decrease in Firmicutes ( P =0.012) and genus Roseburia ( P =0.003) in the treated pigs suggestive of possible microbial dysbiosis. An increased abundance of genera Treponema ( P =0.012) and Lactobacillus ( P =0.012) was also noted in the treated group in comparison to the control. Conclusion Based on these findings, it is difficult to conclude whether treatment with 4 ppm of flavophospholipol is aiding in reducing Salmonella and promoting favorable indigenous bacteria in the pig microbiota as previous literature has suggested.

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