The expanding spectrum of disease due to salmonella: an international perspective

Phytogenic feed additives as alternatives to antibiotics in poultry production: A review

The overuse of antimicrobials in food-producing animals, particularly poultry, has led to growing concerns about multidrug microbial resistance, posing significant risks to both animal and human health. Subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics have traditionally been used to enhance growth and improve economic efficiency in poultry farming. However, these practices have facilitated the emergence of resistant microbial strains, threatening global health security and prompting a search for sustainable alternatives. This review highlights the significance of phytogenic as feed additives (PFAs) as promising substitutes for antibiotic as feed additives (AFAs) in poultry production. PFAs, derived from plant-based compounds, exhibit multiple beneficial properties, including antimicrobial, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulatory effects. Moreover, they offer the potential to produce high-quality organic poultry products while reducing the likelihood of microbial resistance. Despite these advantages, inconsistent results among studies underscore the importance of standardized approaches to maximize their efficacy. This review aims to evaluate the current status of antibiotic use in poultry farming globally, explore the properties and mechanisms of PFAs, and assess their potential as viable alternatives to antibiotics. By consolidating available knowledge, this review provides insights into the benefits and challenges associated with PFAs, offering guidance for future research and practical applications in sustainable poultry production.

Macleaya cordata extract improves growth performance, immune responses and anti-inflammatory capacity in neonatal piglets

Macleaya cordata was a kind of traditional herbal medicine, which may a potential substitute for antibiotics. However, the effects of Macleaya cordata on neonatal piglets have rarely been reported. In this study, three groups were designed, including normal saline (Control group, CON), 8 mg/mL Macleaya cordata extract (MCE group, MCE) and 5 mg/mL Chlortetracycline Hydrochloride (CCH group, CCH), to investigate the effects of MCE on growth performance, blood parameters, inflammatory cytokines, regenerating islet-derived 3 gamma (REG3γ) expression and the transcriptomes of neonatal piglets. The results showed that, compared with the control group, MCE significantly increased the average daily gain (p < 0.01); spleen index (p < 0.05) contents of IL-10, TGF-β, IgG in serum and sIgA in the ileum mucus of neonatal piglets at 7 d and 21 d (p < 0.01). The diarrhoea incidence and serum TNF-α and IFN-γ contents of neonatal piglets at 7 d and 21 d were significantly decreased (p < 0.01). In addition, MCE significantly increased the mRNA expression of TGF-β, IL-10, and REG3γ (p < 0.01) and significantly decreased the mRNA expression of IL-33, TNF-α and IFN-γ in the ileal mucosa of neonatal piglets at 21 d (p < 0.01). The differentially expressed genes and the signal pathways, related to cytokine generation and regulation, immunoregulation and inflammation were identified. In conclusion, MCE can significantly improve growth performance, reduce diarrhoea incidence, relieve inflammation, improve immune function, and improve disease resistance in neonatal piglets. MCE can be used as a potential substitute for antibiotics in neonatal piglets.

Revisiting Persistent Salmonella Infection and the Carrier State: What Do We Know?

One characteristic of the few Salmonella enterica serovars that produce typhoid-like infections is that disease-free persistent infection can occur for months or years in a small number of individuals post-convalescence. The bacteria continue to be shed intermittently which is a key component of the epidemiology of these infections. Persistent chronic infection occurs despite high levels of circulating specific IgG. We have reviewed the information on the basis for persistence in S. Typhi, S. Dublin, S. Gallinarum, S. Pullorum, S. Abortusovis and also S. Typhimurium in mice as a model of persistence. Persistence appears to occur in macrophages in the spleen and liver with shedding either from the gall bladder and gut or the reproductive tract. The involvement of host genetic background in defining persistence is clear from studies with the mouse but less so with human and poultry infections. There is increasing evidence that the organisms (i) modulate the host response away from the typical Th1-type response normally associated with immune clearance of an acute infection to Th2-type or an anti-inflammatory response, and that (ii) the bacteria modulate transformation of macrophage from M1 to M2 type. The bacterial factors involved in this are not yet fully understood. There are early indications that it might be possible to remodulate the response back towards a Th1 response by using cytokine therapy.

Loss of core fucosylation suppressed the humoral immune response in Salmonella typhimurium infected mice

BACKGROUND

The humoral immune response is pivotal to protect the host from Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) infection. Previously, we found that core fucosylation catalyzed by core fucosyltransferase (Fut8) could regulate the immune responses. However, the role of core fucosylation during S. typhimurium infection remains unclear.

METHODS

To demonstrate the role of Fut8 in S. typhimurium infection, we infected Fut8^+/+ and Fut8^-/- mice using S. typhimurium. The production of antiserum against the S. typhimurium was detected. The expression of T and B cell activation-related genes during S. typhimurium infection was analyzed. The role of core fucosylation on CD4⁺ T-B cell interaction and B cell generation was investigated during S. typhimurium infection. The production of sIgA was compared between Fut8^+/+ and Fut8^-/- mice.

RESULTS

Compared to Fut8^+/+ mice, the number of S. typhimurium colonized in the cecum was markedly increased in Fut8^-/- mice. The production of the IgG and sIgA specific for S. typhimurium was significantly decreased in Fut8^-/- mice. Moreover, loss of Fut8 decreased the induction of Th2-type cytokines from splenic cells of Fut8^-/- mice during S. typhimurium infection. In addition, we found that the core fucosylation regulated the interaction between B and T cells in the lipid raft formation.

CONCLUSION

Core fucosylation plays important roles in host defence against S. typhimurium infection.

Clinical-associated characteristics and microbiological features of bloodstream nontyphoidal salmonella infection in adult patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Bloodstream nontyphoidal salmonella (NTS) infection is rare, but its associated characteristics and microbiological features in immunocompromised patients are worth paying attention to, particularly for those receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT). No studies so far have analyzed post-transplant bloodstream NTS infection. Therefore, we reviewed 423 adult patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic SCT from 2003 to 2014. Nine out of four hundred twenty-three patients (2.13%) developed post-transplant bloodstream NTS infection, including two patients who had subsequent or combined metastatic infections. The median age at SCT was 35 years (interquartile range, 29-46) among the nine patients with bloodstream NTS infection. Male patients were predominant (78%). The median onset of bloodstream NTS infection was at 315 days after SCT (range, 207-629). Multivariate analysis revealed that extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (OR 8.054, p = 0.003) and nonmyeloablative transplant conditioning (OR 4.604, p = 0.037) were significant associated characteristics for NTS infection. Currently, there are no published data analyzing and exploring post-transplant bloodstream NTS infections in adult allogeneic hematopoietic SCT. Our study determined the associated characteristics and microbiological features for this infection.

Antibacterial potential of a small peptide from Bacillus sp. RPT-0001 and its capping for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles

Infirmity and death from diseases caused by unsafe food are a continual hazard to communal health safety and socio-economic growth throughout the world. Chemical preservatives are associated with health hazards and toxicity issues. In the study reported here, 200 soil isolates from Western Himalayan region in India were screened for potential antibacterial activity against food-borne pathogens. This study led to the isolation of a bacterial strain belonging to the Genus Bacillus and was designated as RPT-0001. The associated antibacterial activity was sensitive to pronase E treatment. Bioassay-guided fractionation using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) led to isolation of the antibacterial peptide designated as RPT-0001. The molecular weight of RPT-0001 was determined by electro-spray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS) as 276.9 Da. RPT-0001 was inhibitory to both Gram-negative and Grampositive food-borne bacteria tested. The characteristics of RPT-0001 do not match with that of any other known antibacterial peptides produced by Bacillus sp. or related genera. Purified RPT-0001 was successfully used in synthesis of silver nanoparticles effective against food-borne pathogenic bacteria. The antibacterial peptide and silver nanoparticles synthesized utilizing it as a capping and reducing agent hold promising potential in food preservation, in packaging material and as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of foodborne infections.

Salmonella require the fatty acid regulator PPARδ for the establishment of a metabolic environment essential for long-term persistence

Host-adapted Salmonella strains are responsible for a number of disease manifestations in mammals, including an asymptomatic chronic infection in which bacteria survive within macrophages located in systemic sites. However, the host cell physiology and metabolic requirements supporting bacterial persistence are poorly understood. In a mouse model of long-term infection, we found that S. typhimurium preferentially associates with anti-inflammatory/M2 macrophages at later stages of infection. Further, PPARδ, a eukaryotic transcription factor involved in sustaining fatty acid metabolism, is upregulated in Salmonella-infected macrophages. PPARδ deficiency dramatically inhibits Salmonella replication, which is linked to the metabolic state of macrophages and the level of intracellular glucose available to bacteria. Pharmacological activation of PPARδ increases glucose availability and enhances bacterial replication in macrophages and mice, while Salmonella fail to persist in Pparδ null mice. These data suggest that M2 macrophages represent a unique niche for long-term intracellular bacterial survival and link the PPARδ-regulated metabolic state of the host cell to persistent bacterial infection.

Incidence, clinical presentation, and antimicrobial resistance trends in Salmonella and Shigella infections from children in Yucatan, Mexico

BACKGROUND

Salmonella and Shigella cause significant morbidity and mortality among children worldwide. Increased antimicrobial resistance results in greater burden of disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From 2005 to 2011, Salmonella and Shigella isolates collected from ill children at a major hospital in Yucatan, Mexico, were subjected to serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disk diffusion and agar dilution. The identification of bla CTX, bla CMY, bla SHV, bla TEM, and bla OXA and qnr resistance genes was conducted by PCR and sequencing.

RESULTS

Among 2344 children with acute gastroenteritis, salmonellosis decreased from 17.7% in 2005 to 11.2% in 2011 (p < 0.001). In contrast, shigellosis increased from 8.3% in 2010 to 12.1% in 2011. Compared to children with Salmonella, those with Shigella had significantly more bloody stools (59 vs 36%, p < 0.001), dehydration (27 vs 15%, p = 0.031), and seizures (11 vs 3%, p = 0.03). In Salmonella (n = 365), there was a significant decrease in resistance to ampicillin (43 to 16%, p < 0.001), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (44 to 26%, p = 0.014), and extended-spectrum cephalosporins (27 to 10%, p = 0.009). Reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin in Salmonella rose from 30 to 41% (p < 0.001). All ceftriaxone-resistant isolates harbored the bla CMY-2 gene. qnr genes were found in 42 (36%) of the 117 Salmonella isolates with a ciprofloxacin MIC ≥ 0.125 μg/ml. Four were qnrA1 and 38 were qnrB19. Resistance to ampicillin (40%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (58%) was common in Shigella (n = 218), but isolates remained fully susceptible to ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin.

CONCLUSION

Illness from Salmonella has decreased while severe Shigella infections have increased among children with gastroenteritis in the Yucatan Peninsula. While Shigella resistance to clinically important antibiotics remained unchanged, resistance to most of these, except ciprofloxacin, declined in Salmonella. bla CMY-2 and qnr genes are common in Salmonella isolates.

A mouse model of Salmonella typhi infection

Salmonella spp. are gram-negative flagellated bacteria that can cause food- and waterborne gastroenteritis and typhoid fever in humans. We now report that flagellin from Salmonella spp. is recognized in mouse intestine by Toll-like receptor 11 (TLR11). Absence of TLR11 renders mice more susceptible to infection by S. Typhimurium, with increased dissemination of the bacteria and enhanced lethality. Unlike S. Typhimurium, S. Typhi, a human obligatory pathogen that causes typhoid fever, is normally unable to infect mice. TLR11 is expressed in mice, but not in humans, and remarkably, we find that tlr11(-/-) mice are efficiently infected with orally administered S. Typhi. We also find that tlr11(-/-) mice can be immunized against S. Typhi. Therefore, tlr11(-/-) mice represent a small-animal model for the study of the immune response to S. Typhi and for the development of vaccines against this important human pathogen.

Nontyphoidal Salmonella infection among recipients of hematopoietic SCT

The incidence of nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS) infections is rising worldwide and several outbreaks have been reported recently. Immunosuppressed patients are particularly vulnerable to NTS infections. We retrospectively examined the clinical features and outcomes of 18 recipients of hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) who were diagnosed with NTS infection at our institution during a 15-year period. Bacteremia was the most common presenting feature and occurred in 67% of cases. Diarrhea was absent in one-third of cases. Among 12 recipients of allogeneic HSCT, 8 presented with bacteremia and only 6 had diarrhea. A total of 9 of these 12 patients had chronic GVHD. Metastatic disease was distinctly rare and occurred in only two patients, whereas one patient died of NTS sepsis. Food safety practices to prevent NTS infection are important in HSCT recipients, particularly for those who have chronic GVHD after allogeneic HSCT.