Research Publications (Food Safety)

Using a combination of extensive field sampling, highly accurate ensemble machine learning and tank‐based transmission experiments, we employ 16S rRNA gene surveys to identify two candidate pathogens likely causing white band disease in critically endangered staghorn and elkhorn corals.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Ahead of Print.

by Evelien Dierick, Chana Callens, Yehudi Bloch, Savvas N. Savvides, Sarah Hark, Stefan Pelzer, Richard Ducatelle, Filip Van Immerseel, Evy Goossens

by Zhaolei Wang, Haixia Du, Haofang Wan, Jiehong Yang, Haitong Wan

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in activity of group-housed, newly weaned, Duroc-sired crossbred commercial pigs exposed to a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. At weaning, pigs [n = 192, body weight (BW) = 5.73 ± 1.8 kg] were stratified by sex, litter, and weaning weight and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups (16 pigs/pen, 4 pens/treatment).

In swine production, using feed antibiotics as antimicrobial growth promotants has been reduced; thus, feed alternatives to manage gut health are required. Dietary fiber and similar carbohydrate structures such as resistant starch, oligosaccharides, and exopolysaccharides are nutritional tools that may enhance gut health in pigs.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of Brix in predicting sugar concentrations in fresh alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.; ALF) and orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.; OG) forages to be used as an inexpensive and rapid field-level assessment of relative energy in forages. In a 2-yr study, fresh forages samples from ALF and OG monoculture pastures in central Pennsylvania, U.S. were collected once monthly from May to September.

The need for alternative biomarkers of reproductive potential in the pork industry is apparent as the current selection approach for sow fertility is not keeping up with the improvement of other production-related traits. To date, the vaginal microbiome has been overlooked as a source of potential biomarkers of sow fertility status.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an opportunistic pathogen frequently associated with subclinical mastitis and accounts for a large proportion of the economic losses due to mastitis on Canadian dairy farms. Despite a plethora of investigations on the molecular mechanisms of mastitis, little information is available on the roles of regulatory noncoding RNAs (ncRNA).

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors determine the milk production of a dairy herd, which is affected by the reproductive efficiency of dairy farms. Infectious, nutritional, and management causes can negatively affect this efficiency. After parturition, dairy cows are sensible to clinical diseases since the physical barriers of the cervix, vagina, and vulva are compromised, allowing environmental bacteria to ascend, altering the vaginal microbiota.

Managing bacterial infections is of great importance in cattle production, particularly those caused by Salmonella enterica serovars Typhimurium or Dublin, which can impact both animal health and human food safety. Direct-fed microbial (DFM) can support gastrointestinal health and alleviate potential bacterial infections.

Zearalenone (ZEN) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) are mycotoxins highly prevalent worldwide and can impair the performance and health of pigs. Preventive solutions such as the use of dietary mycotoxin deactivators (MD) can help in reducing the exposure to ZEN and AFB1 in animals. The aim of this study was to perform a toxicokinetic study in pigs focusing on the plasma concentration-time profiles of these 2 toxins, alone or in combination with a MD.

Almost 100 yr ago, food safety concerns in Canadian livestock were very different than they are today. In the 1920s Brucella spp. which causes ‘undulant fever’ in humans was a major zoonotic pathogen. The main route of transmission of Brucella spp. was through consumption of unpasteurized milk, often from the family milk cow.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 and efficacy of control measures at a pork processing facility. Outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 associated with pork, though not common globally, have been reported multiple times in recent years in Alberta. Sampling at a commercial facility processing hogs was carried out at monthly intervals for 11 mo.

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization classifies probiotics as live microorganisms that have health benefits when fed to animals. While the original purpose of probiotic use in beef cattle was to enhance rumen health and to establish a healthy gastrointestinal tract microflora in young calves, probiotic use in finishing cattle has been steadily increasing.

Our objective was to evaluate hematological measurements that could be indicative of liver abscesses (LA) in weaned beef × dairy cross steers. Beef × dairy cross steers [n = 40; initial body weight (BW) = 120 ± 12 kg] were sourced from a local dairy calf ranch and transported 166 km to the USDA-ARS Livestock Issues Research Unit Liberty Farm near Lubbock, TX (d -16).

We evaluated the association of diet type, ruminal acidosis bout frequency, and intraruminal bacterial inoculum concentration on liver abscess (LA) development in steers. Beef × dairy steers [n = 40, initial body weight (BW) = 107 ± 11 kg] were assigned randomly to 1 of 5 treatments that included either a high-dose (HD; 1 × 109 and 1 × 109 CFU/mL) or a low-dose (LD; 1 × 106 and 1 × 106 CFU/mL) of Fusobacterium necrophorum subsp.