Animal Diseases Commons^™

The Impacts Of Administering Metabolites Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae On Broiler Performance, Yields And Salmonella Content Of Component Portions, Bill Douglas Potter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The impacts of using health-promoting Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation metabolites in poultry production and processing can be measured in respect to multiple measures of success. Traditionally this yeast-based compound has been administered to poultry, livestock, poultry, and other species to improve animal performance and production volume output. In addition, Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation metabolites have also been shown in more recent research to reduce colonization of pathogenic bacteria in the host organism’s gastro-intestinal tract. In this dissertation, the impacts of administering a functional ingredient containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolites on broiler performance measures and pathogen reduction were measured. One of the studies in …

Microbiota Metabolic Product Deoxycholic Acid Prevents Campylobacter Jejuni Chicken Colonization Through Modulating Ceca Anaerobes, Bilal Ali Alrubaye

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Campylobacter jejuni is a prevalent infectious enteritis mainly foodborne from chickens. Despite of reducing C. jejuni food contamination dramatically decreases campylobacteriosis, few effective approaches are available for the bacterial reduction in chickens. The aim of this study was to use microbial metabolic product deoxycholic acid (DCA) to reduce C. jejuni chicken colonization. Broiler chicks were fed 0 or 1.5 g/kg DCA, lithocholic acid (LCA), or urodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in diets or orally gavaged with cholic acid (CA, 1.5g/kg body weight). Birds were also transplanted with DCA modulated anaerobes (DCA-Anearo) or aerobes (DCA-Aero). Birds were infected with 109 CFU/bird human clinical …

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment For Parts, Ground, And Msc Poultry Product Including Intervention Analysis And Exploration Of Enterobacteriaceae As An Indicator Organism In Poultry Processing, Leigh Ann Parette

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Samples collected at five different large bird poultry processing facilities over a period of 7 months from prescald to post debone locations were enumerated for Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella spp., and Campylobacter spp. and the results were used to create Quantitative Microbial Risk Analyses (QMRA) models for parts, ground, and mechanically separated chicken (MSC) products. Sensitivity analyses indicated the points in the process at which reductions would be most advantageous to the endpoint and simulation models were run to test reductions required to meet the current USDA performance standards.

These data were analyzed to determine the reductions from one node (location) to …

Molecular Survey For The Honey Bee Trypanosome Parasites Crithidia Mellificae And Lotmaria Passim, Mary-Kate Williams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Honey bee populations have been fluctuating within recent years. No one cause has been attributed to colony fluctuations due to the theory that multiple stressors interact with one another to impact colony health. Consequently, microorganisms such as internal parasites of honey bees have been understudied as a contributor to colony health decline.

Molecular diagnostics were utilized to detect the presence of two honey bee trypanosome parasites, Crithidia mellificae and Lotmaria passim, in managed and feral honey bee populations from eight states in the United States (USA). Because studies on trypanosome infections are lacking in the USA, it is important to …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Formaldehyde On Growth Parameters Of Broiler Chicks, Paula Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Formaldehyde has been used as a disinfectant in poultry hatching cabinets to aid in controlling key pathogenic organisms, such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli (E.coli). There is some evidence that prolonged exposure of chicks to formaldehyde can reduce tracheal ciliary function and thus reasons to believe that exposure to formaldehyde, in the absence of pathogen challenge, may reduce chick vitality. It has been found that elevated temperatures during incubation may adversely affect body weights of broiler chicks, as well as post-hatch environmental heat stress on performance in poultry. Post-hatch environmental heat stress has been shown to impact performance in poultry. …

Defending Wild Dogs: Population Dynamics And Disease In Endangered African Wild Dogs, Elizabeth Claire Arredondo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are endangered carnivores whose population is decreasing from habitat loss and fragmentation, interspecific competition, and disease. Survival rates are especially low in Kruger National Park (KNP), though it is unclear why. I estimated the abundance in KNP and survival rates over different time spans, six years and nine months, using public photographic survey data. In 2015, there were 298 (SE=12.1) individuals. Using a mark-recapture analysis in program R, I found that the survival rate between 2009-2015 was only 3.2%, and within the 9-month survey period (September 2014 – June 2015), monthly survival rates for the …

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of A Candidate Turkey Dermatitis/Cellulitis Oil Emulsion Vaccine On Immune Response, Morbidity, And Mortality Under Laboratory And Commercial Conditions, Brittany Danielle Graham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alpha-toxigenic Clostridium septicum (CS), the cause of turkey cellulitis, results in devastating mortality with high costs for the industry. Various vaccinations have been evaluated to prevent this disease with moderate success. Ability of a CS bacterin-toxoid, in conjunction with adjuvants such as aluminum hydroxide, mannoslyated chitosan, or a water-in-oil Seppic Montanide 71 R VG adjuvant (OE) to induce immunity was evaluated in a 7-week study (Experiment 1). Poults (20/group) were vaccinated day-of-hatch, boosted at 5 weeks-of-age and compared to unvaccinated controls. Antibody titers were determined by ELISA for all experiments. In experiment 1, initial vaccination with OE resulted in significantly …

Immunostimulatory Effects Of Antigen-Conjugated Inp/Zns Quantum Dot Nanoparticles In An Avian Model, Christopher Lyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Due to their unique physicochemical and enhanced immunostimulatory properties, quantum dot (QD) nanoparticles have shown increasing promise in biomedical research applications including bioimaging, drug delivery, and as vaccine adjuvants. Toxicity, however, remains a concern for the use of QD in these applications and thus, there is an increased demand for effective in vitro and in vivo systems to measure the bioactivity of QD. In this study in vitro and in vivo chicken models were used to investigate the effects of QD on innate and adaptive immunity. Chicken macrophage cultures were treated in vitro with QD to measure macrophage activation and …

Economic Assessment Of A Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak In Washington And Benton Counties In Arkansas, Antonio Beitia

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) presents a substantial economic risk to the poultry industry. Domesticated fowl contract HPAI initially through exposure, direct or indirect with migratory waterfowl and outbreaks can result in significant economic losses to growers and the poultry industry at large. A HPAI outbreak occurred in Minnesota and Iowa and spread across over 13 other states in 2014 and 2015. This caused an estimated $1.6 billion in losses (CDC, 2016) and led to shortages of eggs and turkeys together with elevated prices (Anni et al. 2005). Even small outbreaks of HPAI inflict substantial damages as USDA-APHIS guidelines necessitate …

Efficacy Of A Novel Intranasal Zinc Solution On The Microbiome, Health, And Growth Performance Of High-Risk, Newly Received Stocker Cattle, Makenzie Foster

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine if using an intranasal zinc (Zn) solution would impact health and growth performance of high-risk stocker cattle. Male beef calves (n = 239; 3 arrival dates [block]; initial BW = 276 ± 2.4 kg) were stratified by arrival gender and BW and assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) treated with 3 ml of a Zn solution containing 36.24 mg of Zn administered intranasally, or 2) control, in which calves were not treated. Calves were observed daily and if exhibiting signs of morbidity and a rectal temperature ≥ 40° C they were …

Identification Of Biomarkers Associated With Rous Sarcoma Virus-Induced Tumors In Two Divergently Selected Chicken Lines, Ashley Hayden

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poultry has become especially important to genetic research due to breeding feasibility, short generation turnover, and ease of maintaining large populations. The discovery of virus induced cancer has paved the way for further genetic studies. Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) is a tumor-causing virus that infects poultry. While not prevalent today, it can serve as a model for virus-induced cancer in humans and create additional insight to marker assisted selection in poultry. Genetically selected Arkansas Progressor (AP) and Arkansas Regressor (AR) chicken lines have been established and maintained at the Arkansas Experimental Station (AES) in Fayetteville, AR. Previous research has investigated …

Comparisons Of Selected Household And Commercial Disinfectants Against Poultry Salmonella Isolates And A Survey Of Internal Parasites In Backyard Poultry In Arkansas, Kayleigh Moyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Backyard and exhibition poultry have been gaining in popularity and as such there has been a large increase in the number of small flocks. As the interaction with poultry has increased, so has the opportunity for diseases and parasites, for both birds and people. One of the major zoonotic illnesses is caused by the bacteria Salmonella, which can be found in commercial and small flocks. Salmonella is the number 2 contributor of foodborne illnesses so its prevalence in commercial flocks is of high concern. Despite improved cleaning, disinfection, and biosecurity practices, there is still potential for disease outbreaks and infections …

A Molecular Approach To Understanding The Effects Of Original-Xpc On The Modulation Of The Cecal Microbiota And The Survival Of Salmonella In The Poultry Host, Stephanie Roto

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella is a foodborne pathogen commonly associated with poultry products; the economic burden to the U.S. is estimated to be approximately $693 million (without factoring in contaminated eggs). Recently, there has been pressure to withdraw sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics (also known as antibiotic growth promoters; AGP) from poultry due to concern over antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreading to the human population. Therefore, various feed additives have been researched for their ability in providing protection against harmful pathogens and their potential growth promoting effects, both of which were attributes of poultry treated with AGP. This thesis consists of a comprehensive literature review that …

Investigations Into The Cross-Infectivity Of Nematode Parasites Of Cattle And Sheep, Eva Marie Wray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The existence of anthelmintic resistance is not singular in parasite species, host species or geographic region. It has become a problem of worldly stature, especially when considering sheep nematodes. Recommendations have been modified from chemical-based control to multipart, managerial intervention. Compared with nematodes of cattle, the worldwide resistance of sheep nematodes to anthelmintic remedies is much more pronounced and urgent. As the resistance to essentially all anthelmintic classes approaches a cautionary level, the implementation of non-chemical controls has grown increasingly essential. Six-6 to 8 month old Holstein steer calves, six-5 month old Katahdin ram lambs and eight-5 month old Suffolk …

Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli (Stec) Detection Strategies With Formalin-Fixed Stec Cells, Christopher Adam Baker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Certain pathogenic Escherichia coli known as Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are commensals in cattle, and typically cause bloody diarrhea in humans once the Stx toxin is secreted in invaded intestinal epithelial cells. Infections with STEC cells can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is commonly associated with kidney failure. Several STEC serogroups have been declared adulterants in raw, non-intact ground meat, and future regulations could potentially lead to a higher number of STEC serogroup detection strategies for these pathogenic microorganisms. Microbiological research laboratories may benefit from formalin-fixed STEC cells for periodic (daily, weekly, monthly, among others) instrument validation/calibration …

Intestinal Inflammation Model Inducing Gut Leakage By Different Methods In Broiler Chickens Using Fitc-D As A Marker, Eduardo Vicuna

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traditionally, antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) have been used in food animals to reduce enteric inflammation and maintain intestinal homeostasis, thus improving performance. Due to increasing restrictions regarding the use of AGP, precise and high throughput enteric inflammation models and markers to search for effective alternatives are urgently needed. Oral administration of fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-d) and its passage into blood can be used as a marker for tight junction permeability. FITC-d is a large molecule (3-5 kDa) which does not usually leak through the intact gastrointestinal tract barrier. However, when conditions disrupt the tight junctions between epithelial cells, the FITC-d …

Efficacy Of Beta-Resorcylic Acid To Reduce Campylobacter Jejuni In Pre-Harvest And Post-Harvest Poultry, Basanta Raj Wagle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Campylobacteriosis is one of the leading foodborne illnesses in United States, and is associated with the consumption of poultry and poultry products. Reducing Campylobacter in these species will reduce the burden of this disease. Unfortunately, most strategies employed to reduce Campylobacter in poultry have either not been successful or produced inconsistent results. One potential control strategy is the use of β-resorcylic acid (BR), a phytophenolic compound classified by the US FDA as "Everything Added to Food in the United States" (EAF 3045) and is therefore deemed safe for consumption. This compounds has antibacterial activity against Salmonella, however, its efficacy to …

Investigations Into The Incidence And Control Of Selected Parasites And Pathogens Which Infect Arkansas Horses, Stephanie Ann O'Berg Rainbolt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parasite control is an important aspect of health management of horses, particularly the control of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites. Recently, treatment recommendations have involved selective use of anthelmintics in horses with fecal egg counts (FEC) greater than a specified threshold. The objectives of this study were; (1) to determine the prevalence of helminths in our area by egg and L3 determinations, (2) to determine if certain horses maintained low FEC, therefore eliminating the need to treat them on a year-round basis and (3) to determine the effectiveness of four common treatments (moxidectin, ivermectin (pioneer and generic), fenbendazole and pyrantel tartrate) via …

Development Of A Turkey Coccidiosis Vaccine Candidate: An Attenuated Line Of The Protozoan Parasite, Eimeria Meleagrimitis, Thilakar Rathinam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coccidiosis is an economically important enteric disease of poultry caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Eimeria. Drugs are most commonly used to control coccidiosis. Widespread usage of anticoccidial drugs in the field has resulted in development of drug resistant strains and consequently decreased drug efficacy. An alternative control strategy using attenuated vaccines is desired. A series of experiments was designed to identify, isolate and attenuate a strain of a common and pathogenic species of Eimeria of turkeys, E. meleagrimitis.

Sensitivity of field isolates of turkey coccidia to the anticoccidials drugs amprolium, clopidol, diclazuril, and monensin was investigated. A …

Identification And The Significance Of Selective Proteins In Bile And Plasma Of Normal And Health-Compromised Chickens, Balamurugan Packialakshmi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During the last 50 years, animal breeding programs in commercial poultry have made significant progress in the bodyweight gain of broilers but led to several metabolic and skeletal disorders. Lameness associated with proximal femur known as femoral head separation (FHS) or femoral head necrosis (FHN) is one of the major metabolic disorders in poultry industry. In order to select for healthy chickens, markers that can distinguish between healthy and affected birds are required. Biomarkers from blood represent an ideal and rich source of markers which can be obtained using minimally invasive methods. The biomarkers were explored in an experimental model …

The Efficacy Of Probiotic Bacterial Isolates In Reducing Cecal Camylobacter Colonization In Broiler Chickens, Komala Arsi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Campylobacter is the leading cause of foodborne illness worldwide and human illnesses are often associated with consumption of poultry or poultry products. Many strategies have been tried to eliminate Campylobacter from poultry with limited success. One of the strategies to reduce Campylobacter colonization in poultry is by use of probiotics. We conducted 2 separate studies to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics against Campylobacter in broiler chickens. For our first study, GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) bacteria were isolated from healthy chickens and tested their efficacy against Campylobacter in vitro. Twenty six isolates with in vitro anti-Campylobacter activity were …

Identification Of Biomarkers Associated With Ascites Incidence In Broilers, Kaylee Rowland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poultry is key in genetic research due to breeding feasibility, relatively short generation interval, and distinct phenotypes. It is estimated that 8% of broiler deaths annually can be attributed to ascites, an economically important disease that has been challenging the industry for the past 2 decades. Genetically selected ascites resistant (RES) and susceptible (SUS) chicken lines have been established and maintained by the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Intensive research efforts have been made to reveal physiological and biochemical characteristics for the incidence of ascites. Since the whole genome of the major ancestral chicken, the Red Jungle Fowl, has been sequenced, …

Characterization Of Host Immune Responses To Eimeria Adenoeides Infection In Turkey Poults, Ujvala Deepthi Gadde

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coccidiosis is a common enteric disease of turkeys that is caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Eimeria. There are about seven species of Eimeria that affect turkeys and of these E. adenoeides is the most pathogenic and commonly recognized. Infection with Eimeria is known to induce a long lasting protective immunity in chickens, but nothing is known regarding the acquisition of immunity to Eimeria in turkeys. The experiments reported here were aimed at investigating the biological and cellular immune response to E. adenoeides in turkey poults under different conditions of exposure. In experiment 1 (Chapter II), 20 …

Comparison Of Potential Salmonella Portals Of Entry And Tissue Distribution Following Challenge Of Poultry, Gopala Krishna Kallapura Sheshagiri

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following studies evaluated our hypothesis that transmission by the fecal-respiratory route may be a viable portal of entry for Salmonella and could explain some clinical impressions of relatively low-dose infectivity under field conditions in relation to the requisite high oral challenge dose that is typically required for infection of poultry through the oral route in laboratory studies. Initial field reports indicating tracheal sampling to be a sensitive tool for monitoring Salmonella infection in commercial flocks, suggested that tracheal contamination could be a good indicator of Salmonella infection under commercial conditions. Further, a usual assumption regarding airborne Salmonella reaching the …

Efficacy Of Probiotics For Reducing The Incidence Of Lameness In Broilers Grown On Wire Flooring, John Matthew Stark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growing broilers on wire flooring provides an excellent experimental model for reproducibly triggering significant levels of lameness. In Pilot Study #1 using broilers from Line C grown on wire flooring, adding the Biomin probiotic PoultryStar® to the feed reduced the percentage of lameness by half when compared with broilers that received the control diet alone. In Pilot Study # 2 using broilers from Line B grown on wire flooring, adding the PoultryStar® probiotic reduced the percentage of lameness to 8% when compared with 28% lameness in broilers that received the control diet alone. The objective of this study was to …

Efficacy Of Selected Disinfectants Against Salmonella Isolates From Broiler Breeders, Arslan Aslam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella have been causing huge losses in the poultry industry and have been a major cause food borne illness for many years. Salmonella infections in humans from poultry have been increasing. Good hygiene and biosecurity measures can reduce the incidence of Salmonella infections at poultry farms. Disinfection is a most important measure taken to prevent Salmonellosis in poultry. This research was conducted to determine the efficacy of 12 disinfectants against seven Salmonella isolates in the presence and absence of organic matter. A bacterial solution of a specific optical density value was prepared and .05x, .1x and .2x concentrations of disinfectants …

Evaluating The Formation Of Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis In Broilers Raised On Portable Wire Floor Models, Alex David Gilley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rearing birds on wire flooring has proven to be an effective method for consistently triggering significant levels of lameness in broilers, and while the wire flooring model has been proven effective, more mobile wire floor models have been developed to compliment the facility management conditions within commercial genetic selection programs. The mobile wire floor models have been titled "speed bumps", and through previous evaluation have resulted in significantly higher levels of lameness in broilers compared to litter floor shavings. The current experiment contains two studies (studies 1 and 2). Both studies involved comparing leg weakness between broiler strains; while in …

Development Of A Predictive Modeling System For Validation Of The Cumulative Mirobial Inactivation Of The Salmonellae In Pepperoni Utilizing A Non-Pathogenic Surrogate Microorganism (Enterococcus Faecalis), Scott Donald Stillwell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonellosis is the most frequently occurring bacterial foodborne illness in the United States and the human case rate has not improved for the past two decades. The federal agency responsible for oversight of meat and poultry processors has announced the intent to extend existing pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella spp. to cover all classes of products including fermented sausages that are currently produced under HACCP plans that are validated for control of Escherichia coli O157:H7. The proposed regulatory modifications will require processors to revalidate HACCP plan controls to achieve either a 6.5 or a 7.0 log10 inactivation of the …

Genetic Analysis Of The Promoter Region Of The Serotonin Receptor 5ht2b And Its Contribution To Pulmonary Hypertension Syndrome In Broiler-Type Chickens, Khaloud Awada Alzahrani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a sever disorder characterized by high pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance along with specific histological changes. Idiopathic PAH is a human disease of unknown origin that showed common characteristics to PHS/ascites in chicken. PHS/ascites is a condition found in broilers causing right ventricular hypertrophy, valvular insufficiency, increased venous pressure, variable liver changes, accumulation of fluids in the abdominal cavity, and finally lung and heart failure. Currently, there is no acceptable animal model for human PAH. Our group has been validating the chicken as the medical animal model for human PAH, thus we have …

Molecular Diagnosis Of Metabolic Fast Growth Related Diseases In Broiler, Adnan Ali Khalaf Al-Rubaye

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pulmonary Hypertension Syndrome (PHS) and lameness are important metabolic diseases that affect rapidly growing broilers. The research reported in the first section of this dissertation focused on developing qPCR assays to identify differences in the expression levels of four candidate genes possibly associated with PHS: angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1): urotensin receptor 2D (UTS2D); serotonin receptor/transporter type 2Bn (HTR2B); and angiotensinogen cleaving enzyme (ACE). Expression levels of these candidate genes were examined in four different tissues. We established ribosomal protein S14 (RPS14) and RNA polymerase subunit 2B (RP2B) as suitable reference genes because they showed the most consistent deltaCt …