• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2016

The intestinal environment plays a critical role in maintaining swine health. Many factors such as diet, microbiota, and host intestinal immune response influence the intestinal environment. Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) is an important apical brush border enzyme that is influenced by these factors. IAP dephosphorylates bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS), unmethylated cytosine-guanosine dinucleotides, and flagellin, reducing bacterial toxicity and consequently regulating toll-like receptors (TLRs) activation and inflammation. It also desphosphorylates extracellular nucleotides such as uridine diphosphate and adenosine triphosphate, consequently reducing inflammation, modulating, and preserving the homeostasis of the intestinal microbiota. The apical localization of IAP on the epithelial surface reveals its role on LPS (from luminal bacteria) detoxification. As the expression of IAP is reported to be downregulated in piglets at weaning, LPS from commensal and pathogenic gram-negative bacteria could increase inflammatory processes by TLR-4 activation, increasing diarrhea events during this phase. Although some studies had reported potential IAP roles to promote gut health, investigations about exogenous IAP effects or feed additives modulating IAP expression and activity yet are necessary. However, we discussed in this paper that the critical assessment reported can suggest that exogenous IAP or feed additives that could increase its expression could show beneficial effects to reduce diarrhea events during the post weaning phase. Therefore, the main goals of this review are to discuss IAP's role in intestinal inflammatory processes and present feed additives used as growth promoters that may modulate IAP expression and activity to promote gut health in piglets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.401-409
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• 2004

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of a complex Lactobacilli preparation on performance, resistance to E. coli infection and gut microbial flora of weaning pigs. In exp. 1, twelve pigs (7.65$\pm$1.10 kg BW), weaned at 28 d, were randomly allotted into 2 groups and placed in individual metabolic cages. During the first 7 d, one group of pigs was provided ad libitum access to water containing $10^5$ colony forming units (CFU) Lactobacilli per ml and the control group was provided tap water. The Lactobacilli preparation included Lactobacillus gasseri, L. reuteri, L. acidophilus and L. fermentum, which were isolated from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract mucosa of weaning pigs. On d 8, 20 ml of $10^8$ CFU/ml E. coli solution (serovars K99, K88 and 987P at the ratio of 1:1:1) was orally administered to each pig. Diarrhea scores and diarrhea incidence were recorded from d 7 to 14. On d 14, pigs were euthanized and digesta and mucosa from the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum and colon were sampled using aseptic technique to determine microflora by culturing bacteria in selective medium. The results showed that Lactobacilli treatment significantly decreased E. coli and aerobe counts (p<0.01) but increased Lactobacilli and anaerobe counts (p<0.01) in digesta and mucosa of most sections of the GI tract. A 66 and 69.1% decrease in diarrhea index and diarrhea incidence, respectively, was observed in the Lactobacilli treated group. In exp. 2, Thirty-six crossbred Duroc$\times$Landrace$\times$Yorkshire piglets, weaned at 28$\pm$2 days, were selected and randomly allocated into 2 groups. There were 18 piglets in each group, 3 piglets in one pen and 6 replicates in each treatment with 3 pens of barrow and 3 pens of female piglet in each treatment. Piglets had ad libitum access to feed and water. The initial body weight of piglet was 7.65$\pm$1.09 kg. Dietary treatments included a non-medicated basal diet with Lactobacilli ($10^5$ CFU/g diet) or carbadox (60 mg/kg) as control. On d 21, six pigs per group (one pig per pen) were euthanized. Ileal digesta was collected to determine apparent amino acid digestibility. Microflora content was determined similarly to exp.1. The results showed that Lactobacilli treatment significantly improved average daily feed intake (ADFI) of pigs compared to carbadox (p<0.05) during the first 2 wks after weaning and average daily gain (ADG) and ADFI increased significantly (p<0.05) from d 8 to 14. Nitrogen and total phosphorus digestibility also increased (p<0.05). Bacterial counts were similar to exp. 1. The results indicate that the complex Lactobacilli preparation improved performance for 2 wks after weaning, enhanced resistance to E. coli infection, and improved microbial balance in the GI tract.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.897-904
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• 1995

Two giant pandas, which come from China have been roared in Yong-in Farmland zoo since 1994. One of them, which is female and 2 years old showed anorexia, mucous diarrhea and severe abdominal pain. It revealed neutrophilia and hypokalemia which suggested inflammation and loss of electrolytes by diarrhea. The mucous material contained intestinal mucoid epithelim which was infected Gram negative bacilli and infiltrated with neutrophils. The antibacterial therapy with nafcillin and ampicillin was not successful. Yersinia entrocolitica was implicated as a causative organism in the occurrence of bacterial enteritis. This organism had resistance to ampicillin, chlorampenicol, cefalothin, tetracycline, trimetoprim-sul-famethoxazole, erythromycin, gentamicin, kanamycin, carbanicillin and danofloxacin. It responded to the simultaneous administration of cefopherazone, flunixin-meglumine, physiological saline, Lactate Rainger's solution, sodium bicarbonate, KCL and vitamins and recovered after a period of 30days.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.245-250
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• 2018

Lawsonia intracellularis is the pathogenic agent of porcine proliferative enteritis (PPE). The bacterial pathogen infects the intestinal crypt cells which causes hyperplasia of the infected cells and leads to the process of intestinal pathogenesis. PPE includes some clinical maninfestations, including acute hemorrhagic diarrhea with sudden death in growing pigs and porcine intestinal adenomatosis, to a chronic diarrhea with reduced productivity of the infected pigs. The purpose of the present studies were carried out to determine L. intracellularis in livestock transport car of slaughterhouse. Distribution of L. intracellularis in livestock transport car were conducted using real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) testing method, total 300 samples. Of 300 samples, 119 (39.7%) were detected as positive to L. intracellularis in livestock transport car. In seasonal analysis, 42 (28.0%) out of 150 samples in spring and summer season. 77 (51.3%) out of 150 sample in autumn and winter season. In regional analysis, 53 (88.3%) out of 60 cars and the detection ratio showed that regional variation in livestock transport car.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 2020

Purpose: Gastrointestinal symptoms are often related to antibiotic treatment. Their incidence, risk and protective conditions in children are not well defined and represent the aims of this study. Methods: We prospectively enrolled inpatient children submitted to antibiotic treatment. Indication, type, dose and duration of treatment, probiotic supplementation and gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded at recruitment, after two and four weeks. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) was defined as the presence of at least 3 loose/liquid stools within 14 days from antibiotic onset. Results: AAD occurred in 59/289 (20.4%) of patients, with increased risk in children younger than 3 years (relative risk [RR]=4.25), in lower respiratory (RR=2.11) and urinary infections (RR=3.67), intravenous administration (RR=1.81) and previous AAD episodes (RR=1.87). Abdominal pain occurred in 27/289 (9.3%), particularly in children >6 years (RR=4.15), with previous abdominal pain (RR=7.2) or constipation (RR=4.06). Constipation was recorded in 23/289 (8.0%), with increased risk in children having surgery (RR=2.56) or previous constipation (RR=7.38). Probiotic supplementation significantly reduced AAD (RR=0.30) and abdominal pain (RR=0.36). Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and L. reuteri significantly reduced AAD (RR=0.37 and 0.35) and abdominal pain (RR=0.37 and 0.24). Conclusion: AAD occurred in 20.4% of children, with increased risk at younger age, lower respiratory and urinary tract infections, intravenous treatment and previous AAD. LGG and L. reuteri reduced both AAD and associated abdominal pain.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.346-356
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• 2021

Purpose: Campylobacter species are currently the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis. In Lebanon, Campylobacter infection occurrence is underdiagnosed owing to the lack of specific culture and rapid test kits, particularly among children. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, laboratory findings, and clinical characteristics of Campylobacter infection in hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis in South Lebanon. Methods: We conducted a 6-month retrospective cohort study between January and June 2018, including 291 children aged between 1 month and 12 years, who were admitted to a tertiary healthcare center in South Lebanon. The medical files of the patients were reviewed to retrieve the required clinical information, including clinical and laboratory data. Results: The prevalence of campylobacteriosis agents in pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis is 12.02%. Patients infected with Campylobacter had more severe acute gastroenteritis than Campylobacter-negative patients and often presented with high-grade fever, diarrhea episodes more than six times per day, diarrhea lasting for more than five days, and dehydration. Indeed, children with high-grade fever (≥38.5℃) were five times more likely to test positive for Campylobacter than those with low-grade fever. In addition, the results showed a higher Vesikari score for the majority of Campylobacter-positive patients with severe acute gastroenteritis compared to a moderate profile for Campylobacter-negative patients. Conclusion: The present study findings highlight that Campylobacter infection is frequent among children with acute gastroenteritis. Therefore, the detection of Campylobacter should be carried out for the diagnosis of human gastroenteritis in Lebanon, along with the detection of routine enteropathogens.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.93-112
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• 2019

Calf diarrhea is a common disease in young claves and is still a major cause of productivity and economic loss in livestock farms. Fecal samples from Korean native cattle (n=100) with diarrhea from 64 farms in Gwangju area, Korea from september 2017 to December 2018 were examined for shedding of important protozoan parasitic, viral and bacterial pathogens using culture, rapid test kit and PCR methods. Of 57 (89.1%) of the 64 Korean native cattle farms examined had samples infected with at least one of the investigated pathogens. Among 100 fecal samples, 88 samples were positive for at least one the twelve pathogens and 51 samples were simultaneously positive for two or more pathogens by culture and PCR assay. Bovine group A rotavirus (BRV) was the most common pathogen, found in 43/100 (43.0%) samples on 32/64 (50.0%) farms. Subsequently, kobuvirus (30.0%), pathogenic E. coli (29.0%), bovine parvovirus (17.0%), Giardia spp. (13.0%), Eimeria spp. (10.0%), Clostridium perfringens type A (8.0%), bovine torovirus (8.0%), bovine viral diarrhea virus (6.0%), bovine coronavirus (5.0%), bovine norovirus (2.0%) and Cryptosporidium spp. (2.0%) were detected. Nebovirus, kırklareli virus, bovine adenovirus, Salmonella spp. and intestinal parasites were not detected. Of the 72 calves sampled in this age group, 64 (88.9%) samples were positive for at least one enteropathogen. BRV was identified in 34/72 (47.2%) samples from 27/48 (56.3%) farms. Subsequently, pathogenic E. coli (30.6%), kobuvirus (29.2%), BPaV (22.2%), Giardia spp. (15.3%), Eimeria spp. (9.7%), BVDV (6.9%), Cl. perfringens type A (6.9%), BCoV (4.6%) and Cryptosporidium spp. (2.8%) were detected in fecal samples. A total of ninety-six strains of E. coli were isolated from one hundred fecal samples collected from Korean native cattle with diarrhea. The presence of stx1, stx2, eaeA, LT, STa, STb, ehxA, saa, F4, F5(K99), F6, F17, F18 and F41 genes in the isolates was investigated by PCR. Out of ninety-six E. coli isolates screened for specific genes, 30 strains E. coli were identified to harbor shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) 7 (7.3%), enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) 8 (8.3%), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) 6 (6.3%), enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) 2 (2.1%) and STEC/ETEC hybrid 7 (7.3%). This study provides epidemiological estimates of the prevalence of Korean native cattle's enteropathogens in Gwangju area, Korea, which would be used for cattle farmers and veterinarians to select appropriate therapeutic method.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.500-506
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• 2017

To investigate the potential applications of bacterial heme, aminolevulinic acid synthase (HemA) was expressed in a Corynebacterium glutamicum HA strain that had been adaptively evolved against oxidative stress. The red pigment from the constructed strain was extracted and it exhibited the typical heme absorbance at 408 nm from the spectrum. To investigate the potential of this strain as an iron additive for swine, a prototype feed additive was manufactured in pilot scale by culturing the strain in a 5 ton fermenter followed by spray-drying the biomass with flour as an excipient (biomass: flour = 1:10 (w/w)). The 10% prototype additive along with regular feed was supplied to a pig, resulting in a 1.1 kg greater increase in weight gain with no diarrhea in 3 weeks as compared with that in a control pig that was fed an additive containing only flour. To verify if C. glutamicum-synthesized heme is a potential electron carrier, lactic acid bacteria were cultured under aerobic conditions with the extracted heme. The biomasses of the aerobically grown Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus rhamosus, and Lactobacillus casei were 97%, 15%, and 4% greater, respectively, than those under fermentative growth conditions. As a potential preservative, cultures of the four strains of lactic acid bacteria were stored at $4^{\circ}C$ with the extracted heme and living lactic acid bacterial cells were counted. There were more L. lactis and L. plantarum live cells when stored with heme, whereas L. rhamosus and L. casei showed no significant differences in live-cell numbers. The potential uses of the heme from C. glutamicum are further discussed.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.388-393
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• 2023

Background: Differentiating between bacterial and nonbacterial colitis remains a challenge. We aimed to evaluate the value of serum procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in differentiating between bacterial and nonbacterial colitis. Methods: Adult patients with three or more episodes of watery diarrhea and colitis symptoms within 14 days of a hospital visit were eligible for this study. The patients' stool pathogen polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing results, serum PCT levels, and serum CRP levels were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were divided into bacterial and nonbacterial colitis groups according to their PCR. The laboratory data were compared between the two groups. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. Results: In total, 636 patients were included; 186 in the bacterial colitis group and 450 in the nonbacterial colitis group. In the bacterial colitis group, Clostridium perfringens was the commonest pathogen (n=70), followed by Clostridium difficile toxin B (n=60). The AUC for PCT and CRP was 0.557 and 0.567, respectively, indicating poor discrimination. The sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing bacterial colitis were 54.8% and 52.6% for PCT, and 52.2% and 54.2% for CRP, respectively. Combining PCT and CRP measurements did not increase the discrimination performance (AUC, 0.522; 95% confidence interval, 0.474-0.571). Conclusion: Neither PCT nor CRP helped discriminate bacterial colitis from nonbacterial colitis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.576-584
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• 2017

Objective: To generate recombinant Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) engineered for expression of porcine ${\beta}-defensin-2$ (pBD-2) and cecropin P1 (CP1) fusion antimicrobial peptide and investigate their anti-bacterial activity in vitro and their growth-promoting and disease resisting activity in vivo. Methods: The pBD-2 and CP1 fused gene was synthesized using the main codons of B. subtilis and inserted into plasmid pMK4 vector to construct their expression vector. The fusion peptide-expressing B. subtilis was constructed by transformation with the vector. The expressed fusion peptide was detected with Western blot. The antimicrobial activity of the expressed fusion peptide and the recovered pBD-2 and CP1 by enterokinase digestion in vitro was analyzed by the bacterial growth-inhibitory activity assay. To analyze the engineered B. subtilis on growth promotion and disease resistance, the weaned piglets were fed with basic diet supplemented with the recombinant B. subtilis. Then the piglets were challenged by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli). The weight gain and diarrhea incidence of piglets were measured after challenge. Results: The recombinant B. subtilis engineered for expression of pBD-2/CP1 fusion peptide was successfully constructed using the main codons of the B. subtilis. Both expressed pBD-2/CP1 fusion peptide and their individual peptides recovered from parental fusion peptide by enterokinase digestion possessed the antimicrobial activities to a variety of the bacteria, including gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Haemophilus parasuis) and grampositive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). Supplementing the engineered B. subtilis to the pig feed could significantly promote the piglet growth and reduced diarrhea incidence of the piglets. Conclusion: The generated B. subtilis strain can efficiently express pBD-2/CP1 fusion antimicrobial peptide, the recovered pBD-2 and CP1 peptides possess potent antimicrobial activities to a variety of bacterial species in vitro. Supplementation of the engineered B. subtilis in pig feed obviously promote piglet growth and resistance to the colibacillosis.