Utilisation of bacterial (Rubrivivax gelatinosus) biomass for egg yolk pigmentation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fiber fermentability effects on energy and macronutrient digestibility, fecal traits, postprandial metabolite responses, and colon histology of overweight cats

Considering the different potential benefits of divergent fiber ingredients, the effect of 3 fiber sources on energy and macronutrient digestibility, fermentation product formation, postprandial metabolite responses, and colon histology of overweight cats (Felis catus) fed kibble diets was compared. Twenty-four healthy adult cats were assigned in a complete randomized block design to 2 groups of 12 animals, and 3 animals from each group were fed 1 of 4 of the following kibble diets: control (CO; 11.5% dietary fiber), beet pulp (BP; 26% dietary fiber), wheat bran (WB; 24% dietary fiber), and sugarcane fiber (SF; 28% dietary fiber). Digestibility was measured by the total collection of feces. After 16 d of diet adaptation and an overnight period without food, blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride postprandial responses were evaluated for 16 h after continued exposure to food. on d 20, colon biopsies of the cats were collected under general anesthesia. Fiber addition reduced food energy and nutrient digestibility. of all the fiber sources, SF had the least dietary fiber digestibility (P < 0.05), causing the largest reduction of dietary energy digestibility (P < 0.05). The greater fermentability of BP resulted in reduced fecal DM and pH, greater fecal production [g/(cat x d); as-is], and greater fecal concentration of acetate, propionate, and lactate (P < 0.05). For most fecal variables, WB was intermediate between BP and SF, and SF was similar to the control diet except for an increased fecal DM and firmer feces production for the SF diet (P < 0.05). Postprandial evaluations indicated reduced mean glucose concentration and area under the glucose curve in cats fed the SF diet (P < 0.05). Colon mucosa thickness, crypt area, lamina propria area, goblet cell area, crypt mean size, and crypt in bifurcation did not vary among the diets. According to the fiber solubility and fermentation rates, fiber sources can induce different physiological responses in cats, reduce energy digestibility, and favor glucose metabolism (SF), or improve gut health (BP).

Fecal Sterols in Estuarine Sediments as Markers of Sewage Contamination in the Cubatao Area, São Paulo, Brazil

Sterol biomarkers serve as an alternative method for detecting sewage pollution. Sterols were extracted from samples of surface sediment collected in Cubato (the Vila dos Pescadores and Vila Esperan double dagger a communities) and quantified using GC-MS after Soxhlet extraction, cleanup, and derivatization. Fecal contamination was evaluated based on the concentration of coprostanol and the ratio of the selected sterols. The most abundant sterol was cholestanol, followed by coprostanol. The concentrations of coprostanol in surface sediments ranged from a minimum of 4.21 mu g g(-1) dry sediment (Vila dos Pescadores station) to a maximum of 8.32 mu g g(-1) dry sediment (Vila Esperan double dagger a station). A coprostanol concentration of about 10 mu g g(-1) was found, indicating areas of high sewage contamination. Coprostanol levels at sewage stations were higher than in other Brazilian coastal areas, which may be attributed to the fraction of the population without sanitation services.

Escherichia coli phylogenetic group determination and its application in the identification of the major animal source of fecal contamination

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Avaliação da carga parasitária de helmintos e protozoários em bezerros manejados em sistema orgânico

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of helminths eggs and protozoan oocysts elimination in calves' feces kept in organic system production. The study was conducted from January 2008 to December 2009. Coproparasitological examinations were carried biweekly of 18 calves in pastures rotating system on Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) Agrobiology. The egg counting average data had been submitted to the Kruskal Willis test and the larvae counting percentile values to the qui-square test. The average counting of eggs per gram of faces (EGF) varied of 250 the 800, characterizing low and moderate infection. Animals with inferior age the six months had presented superior results of EGF (P <.05) to the ones of between six and twelve months age. The biggest degrees of infection had been observed in the late spring and summer. In the fecal examinations was identified the following helminths: Haemonchus (73%), Trichostrongylus (24%) and Oesophagostomum (3%). The practical handling adopted in organic system production had been capable to keep the animals in moderate levels of infection, being indicated that it had helmintoses control in rotating system of pastures.

Survey of the Microbiological Quality of Nonalcoholic Carbonated Beverages

The number and the main groups of microorganisms present in samples of different nonalcoholic carbonated beverages (lemon, orange and guaraná soft drinks) obtained from a small factory were analyzed. The samples were obtained at the end of the processing line. They were then divided into two lots: one was sent to immediate analysis, the other was stored at environmental temperature for 90 d thereafter it was submitted to the same analysis. Aliquots of 1 mL were drawn from the various samples and the corresponding decimal dilutions were prepared. They were then grown in culture media and counts of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, molds and yeasts, acid-producing bacteria, total and fecal coliforms were taken. It was observed that, of all the analyzed samples, at time 0 or after storage sample C (orange) was the best, since it conformed to the microbiological standards established by legislation. The guaraná type could also be consumed on day zero; the lemon type was inadequate for consumption of all the analyzed samples, the orange type was the only one that could be consumed within 3 months of storage.

Short communication: Resazurin reducing time as an indicator of Bradyrhizobium viable cell count

A method based on the use of resazurin (RSZ) is described to determine the number of viable Bradyrhizobium japonicum cells in culture medium. The observation of RSZ reduction can be done spectrophotometrically or visually. B. japonicum strains behaved differently when the reducing time was considered. This methodology can be used to determine the number of viable cells during the liquid culture stage of inoculant production.

Intestinal colonization of a human subject by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium

Objective: To study the ability of two strains of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium to colonize the human intestine. Methods: A single human subject ingested separately two strains of vancomycin-resistant E. faecium isolated from a pig and a chicken. The feces were cultured on selective medium. Prior to ingestion no vancomycin-resistant cocci were present in the feces. Ingestion of 10 4-10 5 CFU resulted in either no colonization or isolation only after enrichment. Ingestion of 10 7 CFU of one strain resulted in colonization for a period of nearly 3 weeks, with fecal counts at times in excess of 10 6 CFU/g. Ingestion of similar numbers of the other strain and reingestion of the first strain resulted in excretion in the feces for much shorter periods. When the fecal count of the ingested strains was greater than 10 4-10 5 CFU/g, the strains were isolated from swabs taken from perianal skin. Conclusions: Vancomycin-resistant E. faecium strains from pigs and poultry a re able to colonize the human gut and the perianal skin.

Effects of storage time on incubating egg gas pressure, thyroid hormones, and corticosterone levels in embryos and on their hatching parameters

Incubating eggs (1,800 total) produced by a commercial flock of Cobb broiler breeders were used to determine the effects of storage duration (3 and 18 d) on gas partial pressure, thyroid hormones, and hatching parameters. Partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) and carbon dioxide (pCO2) were measured on d 18 and at internal pipping (IP) during incubation. Blood samples were collected for determination of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and corticosterone concentrations in the embryos at IP and in newly hatched chicks. From 464 to 510 h of incubation, eggs were checked individually every 2 h to determine the timing and duration of IP, external pipping (EP), and total hatching time. At 18 d of incubation and at IP, pCO2 was greater in air cell of eggs stored for 3 d compared to those stored for 18 d (P < 0.05), but pO2 was greater in eggs stored for 18 d. At IP, T3 and corticosterone levels were higher in plasma of the embryos of eggs stored for 3 d compared to those stored for 18 d, but it was the reverse in newly hatched chicks (P < 0.05). Embryos from eggs stored for 18 d required more time to complete IP compared to embryos of eggs stored for only 3 d (P < 0.05), whereas the duration of EP was not affected by storage. The overall longer incubation was, however, not only due to prolonged IP but also to later occurrence of IP. It was concluded that prolonged IP as a result of long storage may be related to the late increase in corticosterone level, which may be a necessary stimulus for higher T 3/T4 ratio, late increase in pCO2 level, and decrease in pO2. The effect of long storage was a delay in hatching and a continuous increase in T3 due to higher corticosterone levels between IP and hatching, which may be an indication of the more stressful event of hatching of embryos from eggs stored longer. Differences in pCO2, pO2, T3, T4, and corticosterone levels in the incubating eggs may be manifestations of these changes culminating in altered hatching parameters and consequently differences in chick quality and growth potentials.

Monitoramento sanitário de um sistema integrado de tratamento de águas residuárias da suinocultura

Objective. To assess the potential for contamination of wastewaters from pig farming. Methods. Wastewaters from pig farming were stored in a tank. After 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days of hydraulic retention, they were added to lysimeters filled with argillaceous, sandy, or medium soil. Finally, these lysimeters were submitted to simulations of either a rainy season or a dry season. The number of colony-forming units (CFUs) of total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and fecal streptococci was measured in the effluents of the storage tank (for the various periods of hydraulic retention), in the percolate from the lysimeters, and in the three types of soil. The microbiological analyses were carried out using the membrane filter technique. The pH analyses were done potentiometrically. Results. For the three microorganisms, the largest decrease in bacterial counts in the storage tanks occurred with 90 or 120 days of retention. There was a marked decrease in the bacterial count in the percolates of the three soils. For the three soil types the greatest reduction in bacterial counts was found in medium soil, due to its acidity (pH < 7.0). Hydraulic retention was not sufficient to ensure the sanitary adequacy of the wastewaters and their use for irrigation, given that fecal coliform values were above 1 000 CFU per 100 mL. Therefore, adding the residues to the soil was considered a second stage of treatment. Conclusions. The retention of wastewaters followed by adding them to soil was effective in minimizing the contaminating effect of pig farming residues. The storage time for wastewaters from pig farming could be decreased from 120 to 90 days.

Effect of air humidity on the egg viability of predatory mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae, Stigmaeidae) common on rubber trees in Brazil

Rubber pest mites, Calacarus heveae and Tenuipalpus heveae, reach economic damage levels at the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the dry season in Brazil. Therefore, low humidity adaptation might be an important characteristic for predatory mites to successfully control pest organisms. This study determined the effect of the relative humidity (RH) levels of 30-100% on the hatching of larvae of Amblyseius acalyphus, Euseius citrifolius, Iphiseiodes zuluagai, Metaseiulus camelliae, Agistemus floridanus and Zetzellia malvinae at 25 ± 0.5°C. These predatory mites are common on rubber trees in the state of São Paulo and might be used for introduction in the major rubber tree production regions in the state of Mato Grosso. At 70% RH or higher, viability was 70% or higher for all species, indicating that their performance might be higher during the rainy season than during the dry season. Eggs of E. citrifolius and M. camelliae presented higher viability at the lower relative humidity levels than those of other species, indicating that these species might have higher chance to persist in the dry season. It is suggested that M. camelliae should be further evaluated for introduction in the state of Mato Grosso, considering that this mite is not yet present in that area. © Springer 2006.

Efficacy of homeopathic treatment against natural infection of sheep by gastrointestinal nematodes.

The efficacy of the homeopathic treatment with the Fator Vermes, administered according to the manufacturer's recommendations, was evaluated against gastrointestinal nematodes infections in sheep. The experiment was divided into two phases: in the first phase (January/06/2004 to April/30/2004), the animals of the treated (n=10) and control (n=10) groups were treated individually with conventional anthelmintics to avoid deaths. In the second phase (April/30/2004 to July/06/2004), the sheep from the group that received the Fator Vermes were treated as they had been in the previous phase, while the control group animals were treated with conventional anthelmintics at 14 day intervals. In the first phase of the experiment, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between group means regarding egg counts in feces (EPG), weight gain, or packed cell volume (PCV). Meanwhile, in the second phase, the control group sheep had a significantly higher weight gain, higher PCV values, and lower EPG counts. Infective larvae of Haemonchus spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Cooperia spp., and Oesophagostomum spp. were identified in the fecal cultures. After six months of daily treatment with the Fator Vermes, it was not possible to substantiate the product's benefits in both sheep health and productivity or in the prophylaxis of gastrointestinal nematode infections.

Broiler breeder behavior and egg production as function of environmental temperature

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Cryptosporidium SP in HIV-infected individuals attending a Brazilian university hospital

The aim of the current work was to evaluate the occurrence of Cryptosporidium sp in AIDS patients in a region of São Paulo State, Brazil. Patients were divided into groups according to CD4+ T lymphocyte count and use of potent antiretroviral treatment. Two hundred and ten fecal samples from 105 patients were fixed in 10% formalin and subjected to centrifuge formol-ether sedimentation. Slides were stained with auramine and confirmed by modified Ziehl-Neelsen. Cryptosporidiosis occurrence was 10.5% with no relationship among gender, age or the presence of diarrhea. The number of oocysts in all samples was small, independent of CD4+ T lymphocyte count, HIV plasma viral load, and presence of diarrhea. These results may be due to the reduced prevalence of opportunistic infections in AIDS individuals after the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy.