Life Sciences Commons^™

Examining The Effect Of Varying Dilutions Of Octopamine On The Gut Microbiome Of Lab-Raised And Wild Acheta Domesticus By Brandon Nelson University Of Puget Sound Biology, Brandon Nelson

Summer Research

For my research I am comparing the gut microbiome of lab raised A. Domesticus that are given various levels of Octopamine, a stress hormone, and comparing that to the gut microbiome of wild cricket types. Crickets are a widely used organism across the world for various experiments as both subject and feed. Knowing how the gut microbiome of these crickets is affected by various levels of stress will allow us to better take care of these crickets. This could also help us determine if there are any diseases that lab raised crickets may be susceptible to. A large part of …

A Checklist Of Parasites Of Peromyscus Maniculatus In North America, John Ubelaker, Gábor R. Rácz

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

This document represents a summary of parasites, in the broadest sense of the term, reported from Peromyscus maniculatus from throughout its range in North America. The document provides data from work ranging from paleontological findings to relatively current reports of parasites and parasitism from P. maniculatus and covers viruses, bacteria sensu lato, protists, helminths, and ectoparasites.

Reproductive Ecology And Microbial Communities From Wood Duck Nest Boxes In Georgia And Florida, Jake Shurba

All Theses

Wood ducks (Aix sponsa) are an important game species throughout the Atlantic Flyway that was nearly extirpated by the early 20^th century due to overhunting and the loss of habitat. Wood ducks are secondary cavity-nesters that utilize artificial nest boxes and natural cavities. It is reported that the use of nest boxes is likely what led to re-establishment of the species in North America. Where boxes are numerous, overuse of boxes by multiple hens throughout a nesting season can occur and result in a buildup of bacteria, parasites and other potentially detrimental pathogens that can impact egg …

An Investigation Of The Novel Use Of Bacteriophages To Diagnose And Treat Johne's Disease In Cattle, Max Kevane-Campbell

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Johne’s disease is a scourge to dairy farmers all over the world. It is an infectious disease that causes chronic inflammation and lesions along the inside of the small intestine of, primarily, ruminant animals (i.e., cattle and sheep). It is an incurable disease and urgently requires new and radical intervention strategies. Apart from careful on-site farm management practices, little can be offered to farmers to reduce the risk of infection, and nothing short of livestock culling is effective once an animal becomes infected. Currently, there are no vaccines licensed in Ireland or antibiotic treatment strategies available for Johne’s disease. This …

Evaluation Of Selected Nuproxa Feed Additives For Protection Against Lameness And Improving The Wellbeing Of Broilers In A Lameness Challenge Model, Jaren Hernandez

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

A common concern in commercial industries profiting from broiler chickens is their inability to yield a completely healthy flock. Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis poses a threat to these companies by impairing the birds' proximal and distal tibial and femoral heads. In 2000, roughly 17.3% of broiler chickens were affected by Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis which caused a substantial economic loss in the industry (McNammee et al., 2000). BCO cannot be tied to a particular bacterial species; this experiment focuses on evaluating the efficacy of certain commercial feed additives while determining the bacterial species causing BCO in this set of the …

Effects Of Protein Concentration And Beta-Adrenergic Agonists On Ruminal Microbial Communities In Finishing Beef Heifers, Alison P. Pfau

Masters Theses

To improve animal performance and modify growth by increasing lean tissue accretion, beef cattle production has relied on use of growth promoting technologies such as beta-adrenergic agonists. These synthetic catecholamines, combined with the variable inclusion of rumen degradable (RDP) and undegradable protein (RUP), may improve feed efficiency and rate of gain in finishing beef cattle. However, research about the impact of beta-adrenergic agonists and protein level and source on the ruminal microbiome is limited. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different protein concentrations and beta-adrenergic agonist (ractopamine hydrochloride; RAC usage) on ruminal bacterial communities in …

All Living Organisms Are Sentient, Arthur S. Reber, Frantisek Baluska, William B. Miller Jr.

Animal Sentience

We argue that all living organisms, from the simplest unicellular prokaryotes to Homo sapiens, have valenced experiences—feelings as states of preference—and are capable of cognitive representations. Bacteria can learn, form stable memories, and communicate, hence solve problems. Rowan et al.'s statement that "Subjective feelings are just that — subjective — and are available only to the animal (or human) experiencing them" is true but irrelevant. When we see a fish flopping about in the bottom of a boat we immediately recognize suffering without having a glimpse of the nature of piscine distress. Some controlled anthropomorphism can go a …

Sickness Behaviors Across Vertebrate Taxa: Proximate And Ultimate Mechanisms, Patricia C. Lopes, Susannah S. French, Douglas C. Woodhams, Sandra A. Binning

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

There is nothing like a pandemic to get the world thinking about how infectious diseases affect individual behavior. In this respect, sick animals can behave in ways that are dramatically different from healthy animals: altered social interactions and changes to patterns of eating and drinking are all hallmarks of sickness. As a result, behavioral changes associated with inflammatory responses (i.e. sickness behaviors) have important implications for disease spread by affecting contacts with others and with common resources, including water and/or sleeping sites. In this Review, we summarize the behavioral modifications, including changes to thermoregulatory behaviors, known to occur in vertebrates …

The Effects Of Urbanization On The Avian Gut Microbiome, Mae Berlow

Doctoral Dissertations

The gut microbiome influences and is influenced by the host, and can affect the host organism by contributing to health, development and immunity. Similarly, the host can influence this community; it’s makeup can vary with host species, locality, diet, social stressors, and environmental stressors. Some of these environmental stressors have arisen due to human-induced rapid environmental change, like urbanization. The physiology and behaviors of organisms that are able to persist in urban environments are often different from their non-urban congeners. Nutrition, development, and immunity—all of which are affected by the gut microbiome—are important factors that can determine survival in urban …

Characterization Of The Rumen Bacterial Communities Of Bison Heifers Fed A Grass-Based Diet Vs A Grain-Based Free-Choice Diet, Anlly Miley Fresno Rueda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A century ago, the North American grasslands and prairie ecosystems were dominated by bison. At least 30 million bison roamed the Great Plains when the first explorers arrived. By 1900, there were little over a thousand bison remained in the United States and Canada. Recovery efforts has been made since the 20th century to reestablish the herds and increase the bison population. Today, over 500,000 bison are distributed across North America, with more than 90% of the existing bison population under commercial production. Modern conservation strategies are made via the collaborative efforts of conservationist, producers, and researchers, resulting in increased …

Engineered Nanoparticles For Site-Specific Bioorthogonal Catalysis: Imaging And Therapy, Riddha Das

Doctoral Dissertations

Bioorthogonal catalysis offers a strategy for chemical transformations complementary to bioprocesses and has proven to be a powerful tool in biochemistry and medical sciences. Transition metal catalysts (TMCs) have emerged as a powerful tool to execute selective chemical transformations, however, lack of biocompatibility and stability limits their use in biological applications. Incorporation of TMCs into nanoparticle monolayers provides a versatile strategy for the generation of bioorthogonal nanocatalysts known as “nanozymes”. We have fabricated a family of nanozymes using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as scaffolds featuring diverse chemical functional groups for controlled localization of nanozymes in biological environments, providing unique strategies for …

Identification And Genomic Characterization Of Candidate Starch And Lactate Utilizing Bacteria From The Rumen Of Beef Cattle, Venkata Bandarupalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rumen functions as an anaerobic fermentation chamber where microbial communities ferment feedstuffs into SCFAs. These SCFAs are critical to the ruminant host since they fulfill 70% of its energy requirements. In intensive management systems, ruminants are fed with grain-rich diets, which contain high levels of starch that help meet the energy demands of high producing animals. When grain-based diets are fed to ruminants, ruminal amylolytic and lactate metabolizing bacteria predominate. Grain overload can cause rapid production and accumulation of lactate, resulting in proliferation of amylolytic bacteria and death of lactate metabolizing bacteria. Consequently, high lactate levels result in a …

Evaluation Of Various Barley Processing Methods On Rumen Microbial Population,Histomorphometry, And Fermentation Characteristics In Fattening Lambs, Mohammad Hosseini Zangneh, Masihollah Forouzmand, Mokhtar Khajavi, Shima Hosseinifar, Reza Naghiha

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Barley deserves a top place in the farm for feeding livestock. It is irreplaceable by any other grain in sheep diets for producing capacious rumen microbial yields. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of different methods of barley processing on a number of microbes, fermentation parameters, and the rumen tissue characteristics of fattening lambs. For this purpose, 20 fattening male lambs with a mean weight of 25 ± 1.1 kg were tested for 80 days based on a completely randomized design with four treatments (GRB: ground barley, SRB: steam-rolled barley, GEB: germinated barley, SOB: soaked barley) and …

Effects Of Oregano (Oreganum Onites L.) Aromatic Water On Rumen Microbialfermentation Of Holstein Calves, Serkan Özkaya, Ozan Emre Almali, Yavuz Ayan, Sabri̇ Erbaş, Taylan Aksu

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The study aimed to determine the effects of the addition of aromatic oregano water (AOW) on rumen fermentation of Holstein calves. For this purpose, 20 Holstein calves were divided into four groups (n = 5) and fed with three different doses of AOW (1, 1.5, and 2%). The experimental groups were formed as follows; the control group (CNT): milk + starter; G1: 1% AOW supplemented milk + starter; G2: 1.5% AOW supplemented milk + starter; G3: 2% AOW supplemented milk + starter. The rumen fluid was taken from the oesophagus at 60 days of age with the aid of a …

Testing Protocols For Surveying Captive Limulus Polyphemus Microbiomes, Fabian Leija, Sean A. Neiswenter Dr.

LSAMP Poster Presentations

Limulus polyphemus, the Atlantic horseshoe crab, is a marine arthropod that primarily resides in the shallow intertidal zone of brackish water, water where high salinity seawater meets fresh water. The ecological niche that horseshoe crabs reside in makes them an ideal animal to be placed in an aquarium touch-tank, only needing a shallow pool of water to live comfortably as well as having a tough chitin carapace that won’t be easily damaged by visitors touching them. However, the implications of these human-animal interactions are severely unexplored with limited research being conducted regarding touch-tanks. In contrast, the consequences and hygienic practices …

Occurrence Of Aflatoxin And Zearalenone In Concentrate Feeds And Milk Contamination With Aflatoxin M1 And Bacterial Pathogens In Malawi, Chunala Alexico Njombwa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Multiple studies were conducted in Malawi to: 1) evaluate knowledge and perception of dairy farmers towards molds, mycotoxins and associated adverse effects; 2) evaluate dairy farmers’ knowledge and perception on milk contamination, proper milk handling practices and adverse health effects associated with raw milk consumption; 3) determine levels of aflatoxins and zearalenone (ZEN) in concentrate feedstuffs; 4) assess prevalence and levels of aflatoxin M₁(AFM₁) in raw milk, dietary exposure and estimate HCC risks to children and adults; 5) assess Salmonella and E. colicontamination in raw and processed milk from selected small scale farms and major …

Fermentation Of Prebiotics In Whole Food Powders By Probiotic Bacteria Strains, Michaela Brubaker, Sumira Phatak

Research on Capitol Hill

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Modification of the gut microbiome offers potential for CRC prevention.

Investigation Of Bacterial Taxa As Biomarkers Of Fescue Toxicosis And Heat Stress In Grazing Beef Cows, Sarah Katherine Chewning

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fescue toxicosis in grazing beef cattle is caused by consumption of Ergot alkaloids associated with tall fescue (toxic fescue) and is responsible for substantial economic loss to the U.S. beef industry. Cattle consuming toxic fescue suffer adverse physiological responses, such as: hyperthermia, increased respiration rate (RR), poor reproduction and growth performance. Other adverse responses to fescue toxins include the retention of a winter hair coat and vasoconstriction in the extremities, which can lead to tissue necrosis. Identifying cattle with reduced susceptibility to fescue toxins would allow for efficient use of fescue pastures; thus, the objectives of this thesis was to: …

A New Age In Aquamedicine: Unconventional Approach In Studying Aquatic Diseases, Michael Gotesman, Simon Menanteau-Ledouble, Mona Saleh, Sven M. Bergmann, Mansour El-Matbouli

Publications and Research

Background

Marine and aquaculture industries are important sectors of the food production and global trade. Unfortunately, the fish food industry is challenged with a plethora of infectious pathogens. The freshwater and marine fish communities are rapidly incorporating novel and most up to date techniques for detection, characterization and treatment strategies. Rapid detection of infectious diseases is important in preventing large disease outbreaks.

Main text

One hundred forty-six articles including reviews papers were analyzed and their conclusions evaluated in the present paper. This allowed us to describe the most recent development research regarding the control of diseases in the aquatic environment …

Influence Of Developmental Stage, Habitat, And Captivity On Thecutaneous Bacterial Communities Of Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis Alleganiensis) In West Virginia, Rachel Fern Arrick

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Microbes inhabit virtually all surfaces of multicellular animal hosts, with microbial cells outnumbering the hosts’ own cells 10:1. Symbiont microbes, collectively referred to as the microbiome, can have profound impacts on the metabolism, development, behavior, and disease resistance of their multicellular hosts. Because the community structure of symbiont bacteria can influence host health, the characterization of amphibian microbiomes is becoming an increasingly important tool for future conservation in the face of global amphibian declines. Eastern hellbenders are good candidates for a microbiome study because they have seen substantial declines in recent decades and learning more about the environmental and physiological …

Determining The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration Of Medium Chain Fatty Acids For Generic Escherichia Coli, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, And Campylobacter Coli, R. A. Cochrane, R. G. Amachawadi, S. E. Remfry, A. B. Lerner, T. G. Nagaraja, J. C. Woodworth, S. S. Dritz, M. D. Tokach, M. C. Niederwerder, C. K. Jones

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Research has demonstrated that medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) can serve as reduction strategies for bacterial and viral pathogens in animal feed and ingredients. However, it is unknown how the type or level of MCFA impact bacteria growth. This can be tested through a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) benchtop assay, which identifies the lowest concentration of a chemical that prevents visible growth of a bacterium. The objective of this study was to 1) determine the MCFA MIC of C6:0, C8:0, C10:0, and C12:0 for genericEscherichiacoli, EnterotoxigenicEscherichia coli,SalmonellaTyphimurium,Campylobactercoli, andClostridium perfringens; 2) …

The Use Of Probiotics To Control The Microbial Load Present In Commercial Broiler Chicken Hatch Cabinets As An Alternative To Formaldehyde Fumigation, Lucas Elzie Graham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Formaldehyde has been used for decades as a disinfectant in the poultry hatchery. Hatch cabinets are treated with formaldehyde to control the microbial bloom that occurs inside of the hatch cabinet as the hatch progresses. Even with formaldehyde being a known human carcinogen and the detriment that it has on living creatures millions of chicks are exposed to formaldehyde in the hatch cabinet. In these experiments we tested a lyophilized probiotic spray inside of the hatch cabinets from day nineteen to day twenty one to control the microbial bloom that occurs. Hatch cabinet environments were sampled in six experiments. Media …

Consciousness Is Not Inherent In But Emergent From Life, Jon Mallatt, Todd E. Feinberg

Animal Sentience

Reber’s theory of the cellular basis of consciousness (CBC) is right to emphasize that we should study consciousness (sentience) in its simplest form, taking its evolution into account. However, not enough evidence is presented to support CBC’s unorthodox claim that even simple, one-celled organisms are conscious. As pointed out by other commentators, the CBC seems to be based on outdated ideas about evolution and does not acknowledge that consciousness could be an evolutionary novel feature. Such emergent features are abundant in living organisms. We review our own emergentist solution, in which consciousness evolved in the elaborating nervous systems of the …

Dredging Land Reclamation Causing Mucus Development In Massive Spherical Corals In The Spratly Islands, South China Sea: The Effects On China’S Fishing Industry, Tiffany K. Ho

Undergraduate Research Posters

Images from Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative depicted huge masses of white coral mucus secreted from coral reefs in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, an area where several land reclamation projects are occurring. The purpose of this research was to understand how increased sedimentation levels from the dredging land reclamation method affects mucus development in massive corals, such as Acropora, located in these reefs. Journal articles that focused on the biology of coral mucus, bacterial communities associated with coral tissue, mucus, and seawater, coral mortality from different environment impacts, coral coverage of reefs in Spratly Islands, and symbiotic …

Bacteria And The Cellular Basis Of Consciousness, Michael L. Woodruff

Animal Sentience

According to Reber’s theory, the Cellular Basis of Consciousness (CBC), sentience originates as bio-sensitivity in unicellular organisms. For this reason, Reber regards sentience as evolutionarily foundational. Many bacteria show chemotaxis and, thus, according to CBC, they are sentient. Analysis of the genetic mechanisms underlying bacterial chemotaxis indicates that sentience has no explanatory power in this case. Genetic analysis also fails to show species continuity underlying bio-sensitivity in bacteria and bio-sensitivity in species with nervous systems, so it does not seem that sentience is evolutionary foundational. CBC is rejected on these grounds.

Impacts From The Use Of Antibiotics In Livestock: Methods Of Transmission Of Antibiotic Resistance From Livestock To Humans, Kristin M. Walden

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Antibiotic use in livestock production has been around since the 1950s. Antibiotic feed is used in livestock and other meat producing animals for three reasons: illness prevention, illness treatment, and growth promotion. Unfortunately, since the time that antibiotics were first invented, antibiotic resistant bacteria have become a threat to public health. There are many studies showing methods of transmission of antibiotic resistance from livestock to humans. Antibiotic resistance can spread from livestock to soil, water, insects, and food, which ultimately comes into contact with humans. A proposed study to measure antibiotic resistance when eliminating antibiotic feed will provide a hypothesis …

High Throughput Genomic Sequencing Of Bioaerosols In Broiler Chicken Production Facilities, Kate M. O’Brien, Michael S. Chimenti, Morgan Farnell, Tom Tabler, Thomas Bair, Joey Lynn Bray, Matthew W. Nonnenmann

Faculty Publications

Chronic inhalation exposure to agricultural dust promotes the development of chronic respiratory diseases among poultry workers. Poultry dust is composed of dander, chicken feed, litter bedding and microbes. However, the microbial composition and abundance has not been fully elucidated. Genomic DNA was extracted from settled dust and personal inhalable dust collected while performing litter sampling or mortality collection tasks. DNA libraries were sequenced using a paired-end sequencing-by-synthesis approach on an Illumina HiSeq 2500. Sequencing data showed that poultry dust is predominantly composed of bacteria (64–67%) with a small quantity of avian, human and feed DNA (< 2% of total reads). Staphylococcus sp. AL1, Salinicoccus carnicancri and Lactobacillus crispatus were the most abundant bacterial species in personal exposure samples of inhalable dust. Settled dust had a moderate relative abundance of these species as well as Staphylococcus lentus and Lactobacillus salivarius. There was a statistical difference between the microbial composition of aerosolized and settled dust. Unlike settled dust composition, aerosolized dust composition had little variance between samples. These data provide an extensive analysis of the microbial composition and relative abundance in personal inhalable poultry dust and settled poultry dust.

Aeromonas Hydrophila In Amphibians: Harmless Bystander Or Opportunistic Pathogen, Zachary P. Rivas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

For several decades amphibian populations have been declining. Historically, the bacterium A. hydrophila (Ah) was hypothesized to be the causal factor in amphibian disease and population declines. However, with the discovery of a chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in 1998, which was identified on the skin of amphibians during documented mortality events, Ah research became of minor interest as focus shifted to Bd. Recent studies into the immunocompromising abilities of Bd, however, have opened new questions about its relationship with Ah and their combined effects on a host.

In this study, I explore the …

Bacteria Associated With Clinical Postpartum Dysgalactia Syndrome In Farmed Sows In The Republic Of Macedonia, Branko Angjelovski, Aleksandar Cvetkovikj, Slavcho Mrenoshki, Miroslav Radeski, Iskra Cvetkovikj, Marija Ratkova, Toni Dovenski

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The objective of this study was to gather information about the prevalence of bacterial species in farmed sows, with special focus on the clinical manifestation of postpartum dysgalactia syndrome (PDS). One hundred and sixteen sows from 5 pig farms in the Republic of Macedonia were clinically examined for PDS 12?24 h after farrowing. Milk samples and vaginal swabs for bacteriological testing were taken from PDS-affected (PDSA, n = 30) and PDS-unaffected (PDSU, n = 86) sows. Escherichia coli, staphylococci, and streptococci were the predominant bacteria isolates. Escherichia coli was the most frequently found isolate, with a prevalence of 73.3% in …

Rare Occurrences Of Free-Living Bacteria Belonging To Sedimenticola From Subtidal Seagrass Beds Associated With The Lucinid Clam, Stewartia Floridana, Aaron M. Goemann

Masters Theses

Lucinid clams and their sulfur-oxidizing endosymbionts comprise two compartments of a three-stage, biogeochemical relationship among the clams, seagrasses, and microbial communities in marine sediments. A population of the lucinid clam, Stewartia floridana, was sampled from a subtidal seagrass bed at Bokeelia Island Seaport in Florida to test the hypotheses: (1) S. floridana, like other lucinids, are more abundant in seagrass beds than bare sediments; (2) S. floridana gill microbiomes are dominated by one bacterial operational taxonomic unit (OTU) at a sequence similarity threshold level of 97% (a common cutoff for species level taxonomy) from 16S rRNA genes; …