Research Publications (Food Safety)

Clostridium perfringens, a common environmental bacterium, is responsible for a variety of serious illnesses including food poisoning, digestive disorders, and soft tissue infections. Mastitis in lactating cattle...

This study evaluated the effects of a sulfate polysaccharide extracted from marine algae product on performance, intestinal lesion scores, and mRNA abundance of various tight junction proteins and immune response genes.

Several feed supplements have received interest for their potential to increase growth performance and health post weaning, including alternatives to high levels of zinc oxide (ZnO) such as short- and medium-chain fatty acids (SCFA, MCFA), and phytogenics. The objective of this study is to observe the growth performance and intestinal health effects from the supplementation of SCFA with and without the addition of MCFA and phytogenics.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of Scutellaria baicalensis and Lonicerae Flos (SL) extract on the growth performance and intestinal health of yellow-feather broilers following a Clostridium perfringens challenge.

Clostridium perfringens has been implicated in food poisoning outbreaks linked to cooked cured meat. Although there are regulatory requirements to prevent its growth during meat production, additional control measures may reduce the C. perfringens risk. This study examined the effect of sodium chloride (salt) and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) on the growth probability of C. perfringens in a cooked cured meat.

This study investigated the cross-contamination dynamics of biofilms preformed on stainless steel (SS) coupons on chicken skin and chicken meat by modeling surface-to-food transfer by contact and surface-to-food transfer in fluids. Additionally, mono-, dual-, and multi-species biofilms were examined to understand the effects of environmental conditions on biofilm-forming abilities.

Nisin (Ni) is a polypeptide bacteriocin produced by lactic streptococci (probiotics) that can inhibit the majority of gram-positive bacteria, and improve the growth performance of broilers, and exert antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study investigated the potential preventive effect of Nisin on necrotic enteritis induced by Clostridium perfringens (Cp) challenge.

Necrotic enteritis is a devastating disease to poultry caused by the bacterium Clostridium perfringens. As a novel approach to combating poultry necrotic enteritis, we identified and characterized several hundred single domain antibody fragments (or nanobodies) capable of binding either the NetB toxin or the collagen-binding adhesin (CnaA) of C. perfringens.

This study aimed to elucidate the distribution, transmission, and cross-contamination of Clostridium perfringens during the breeding and milking process from dairy farms. The prevalence of 22.3% (301/1351) yielded 494 C. perfringens isolates; all isolates were type A, except for one type D, and 69.8% (345/494) of the isolates carried atyp. cpb2 and only 0.6% (3/494) of the isolates carried cons. cpb2. C.

This study investigated the effects of the multi-probiotics consisting of Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium butyricum with varying doses (0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2%) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, meat quality, and cecal microbes of male broiler chickens. Seven hundred and twenty Ross 308, 1-day-old male broiler chicks were distributed into four dietary groups.

Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a poultry intestinal disease caused by virulent strains of the bacterium Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens).

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a predisposing factor for necrotic enteritis. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a DON and Clostridium perfringens (CP) challenge on the intestinal morphology, morphometry, oxidative stress, and immune response of broilers. Additionally, we evaluated the potential of a Lactobacillus spp. mixture as an approach to mitigate the damage induced by the challenge.

Alterations in intestinal microbiota can modulate the developing avian intestinal immune system and, subsequently, may impact on resistance to enteric pathogens. The aim was to demonstrate that early life exposure to Lactococcus lactis, could affect either susceptibility or resistance of broilers to necrotic enteritis (NE). L. lactis NZ9000 (rL.

In addition to oligosaccharides, proteins (e.g., immunoglobulins), lipids, vitamins, and other nutrients vital for piglet health, sow’s milk contains bacteria believed to be important in gut health. Therefore, certain sow milk isolates with potentially beneficial properties may be of interest for use as probiotic strains.

Gastrointestinal pathogens cause productive, health, welfare, and financial losses to the beef cattle herd. Among these pathogens, Clostridium perfringens type A is of interest given its prevalence, negative effects on intestinal health, and subsequent losses caused in beef animals. Based on this rationale, we hypothesized that a novel direct-fed microbial (DFM) formulation would support the gut barrier integrity upon a challenge with C. perfringens type A.

The objective of the present studies was to evaluate muramidase (MUR) supplementation in broilers under Eimeria and/or Clostridium perfringens challenge. For this, two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1. A total of 256 one-day old male Cobb 500 chicks were placed in battery cages in a completely randomized design, with 5 treatment groups, 7 replicate cages per treatment and 8 birds per cage.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a specialty energy source, which comprises of 28% fat and 55% corn-syrup solids (Solu-E; International Ingredient Corporation, Fenton, MO) on growth performance and fecal microbiota population of nursery pigs. Two hundred and eighty-eight (initial body weight = 5.91 kg) mixed gender pigs were assigned to 4 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design with body weight as a blocking factor.

Clostridium perfringens is one of the major foodborne pathogens in humans and animals. With the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant C. perfringens strains, bacteriophages and their endolysins have received considerable attention as promising alternatives to antibiotics. In this study, C. perfringens phage CPD2 was isolated from retail chicken samples. CPD2 belongs to the Podoviridae family and exhibits remarkable thermostability.

Recently, the hybrid Broussonetia papyrifera (BP) has been extensively cultivated and predominantly utilized in ruminants because of its high protein and bioactive compound content. In the present study, the effects of an ethanolic extract of BP leaves (BPE, 200 mg/kg) on mitigating 2% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced intestinal inflammation in mice were evaluated.

Phage-encoded peptidoglycanases (phage endolysins) are hydrolyzing enzymes that break peptidoglycan bonds within infected bacterial cell walls at the end of the lytic cycle. They are promising antibacterial agents capable of controlling major foodborne pathogens. Here, we cloned, overexpressed, and purified the phage-encoded protein LysCPQ7, a putative endolysin from the Clostridium perfringens phage CPQ7.

Background Cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) is one of the most common types of food allergy in infants. Faecal pathogen cultures showed that the positive rate of Clostridium perfringens was more than 30%, which was significantly higher than that for other bacteria. Therefore, it is speculated that Clostridium perfringens colonization may be one of the pathogenetic factors for CMPA in infants. We conducted a real-world evidence study.

Clostridium perfringens type A is the main cause of necrotic enteritis (NE) in chickens. Since the use of antibiotics in feed is withdrawn, it is imperative to find out suitable alternatives to control NE. Baicalin-aluminum complex is synthesized from baicalin, a flavonoid isolated from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. The present study investigated the effects of baicalin-aluminum on the virulence-associated traits and virulence genes expression of C.

Background The poultry industry needs effective antibiotic alternatives to control outbreaks of necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens. Methods The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with Macleaya cordata extract (MCE) on the immune function and gut microbiota of broilers with NE.

The use of yeasts as a feed supplement for cattle can promote animal development and performance. However, for the positive results to be consistent, strains with probiotic properties must be selected. The objective of this study was to isolate and identify yeasts present in the bovine feces and evaluate their probiotic potential together with strains previously isolated from the rumen (preliminary study).

Coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis negatively impact poultry production, making challenge model repeatability important for evaluating mitigation strategies.