Comparative analysis of gut microbial community in healthy and tibial dyschondroplasia affected chickens by high throughput sequencing.

Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) is a common skeletal problem of avian species. The cause and etiology of this disorder is still not clear. The intestinal bacterial community is a complex ecosystem and plays very important role in healthy life of human and animals. Many researchers have made the connection between diseases and alteration of gut microbiota. However, little is know about the role of gut microbiota in TD. The objective of this study was to explore the diversity and composition of small and large intestinal bacterial communities of TD chickens. The intestinal contests were collected from healthy and TD chickens at day 18 of the trail. The V3-V4 region of 16S rDNA was amplified and sequenced by high-throughput sequencing. Our results indicated that healthy chickens had higher abundance and diversity of gut microbiota than TD chickens but there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) among the gut microbiota of small and large intestine. However, the composition of bacterial communities were significantly different (P < 0.05) between healthy and TD chickens. The occurrence of gut pathogens associated with immunity and inflammation were much higher in the intestinal contests of TD chickens as compared to healthy ones. In summary, our results showed an interesting difference of gut microbiota between healthy and TD chickens, which provided a new thought about the pathogenesis of TD.

Tracheal botryomycosis in a patient with tracheopathia osteochondroplastica.

Tracheal botryomycosis has never been reported in the literature. A 68 year old man presented with progressive dyspnoea and an exophytic mass below the vocal cords was found by bronchoscopy. Pathological study of the mass showed tracheal botryomycosis probably associated with Peptostreptococcus spp infection. The patient was given intravenous penicillin for six weeks. Tracheal obstruction necessitated tracheal resection and the surgical specimen revealed typical findings of tracheopathia osteochondroplastica without residual lesions of botryomycosis.

[Surinfected osteo-chondroplastic bronchopathy. Apropos of a case]. / Bronchopathie ostéo-chondroplastique surinfectée. A propos d'un cas.

We report a new case of tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica revealed by bronchopulmonary infections. The review of the literature enables us to summarize the clinical, endoscopic, morphological features, as well as pathogenic hypotheses.

Elevated plasma glycosaminoglycans in chickens with tibial dyschondroplasia induced by a Fusarium oxysporum isolate.

Chicken plasma glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were isolated and digested. Their building block molecules, namely, glucosamine and galactosamine, were quantified by gas chromatography. The levels of these two amino sugars were elevated in broiler chickens with tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) induced by culture material of Fusarium oxysporum (FO), a mold isolated from corn originated from the endemic region of Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD) in China. As the TD severity score changed from 1 (healthy) to 2, 3, and 4, glucosamine increased by 10%, 33%, and 57% and galactosamine by 9%, 13% and 48%, respectively. The elevated plasma GAGs correlated to TD severity but not to the amount of FO material in the diets. This correlation of plasma GAGs to TD in chickens parallels the reported correlation of urinary GAGs to KBD in humans. The possibility of TD as an animal model for KBD is discussed.

Induction of tibial dyschondroplasia and suppression of cell-mediated immunity in chickens by Fusarium oxysporum grown on sterile corn.

An isolate of Fusarium oxysporum from corn associated with Kaschin-Beck disease in humans was tested for its ability to induce tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) and toxicity in chicks. Both leghorn and broiler chicks were fed diets in which corn was replaced with varied amounts (0% to 50%) of the F. oxysporum culture grown on sterile corn, or with known TD-inducing agents. F. oxysporum did not affect body weight in either type of chicks. In leghorn chicks, neither F. oxysporum nor the known TD-inducing agents (F. equiseti, 4%; tetramethylthiuram disulfide [Thiram], 35 ppm) caused TD. However, F. oxysporum at high levels (50%) and the two known TD-inducing agents reduced interdigital cutaneous response to phytohemagglutinin-P challenge. In addition, Thiram also reduced body-weight gain by more than 17%. In female broiler chicks (Cornish Rock), F. oxysporum not only decreased cell-mediated cutaneous response to phytohemagglutinin-P but also increased TD incidence; these same effects were observed with F. equiseti and Thiram. Histological examinations revealed similar pathological changes among dyschondroplastic lesions induced by F. oxysporum, F. equiseti, and Thiram. Results of this experiment indicate that the isolate of F. oxysporum from the region in which Kaschin-Beck disease is endemic can induce TD in broiler chicks and that it is immunosuppressive.

Age-related changes in the incidence of tibial dyschondroplasia in turkeys.

Age-related changes in the incidence and severity of tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) and its relationship to body weight and other bone pathologies were studied in turkeys from ages 2 through 15 wk. A steady increase in the incidence and severity of TD was observed from 11 wk onwards. Whereas there was no correlation between the body weight and TD in early ages, during Weeks 14 and 15 the turkeys with severe TD had significantly higher body weight relative to those without or with mild lesions. Starting from Week 13, hemorrhage was evident in the base of TD-affected growth plates of many turkeys, which increased linearly during the following weeks. Histological examination of these areas revealed mild necrosis with erosion in TD tissues accompanied by occasional bone formations, fibrosis, and the presence of multinucleate chondroclasts and large number of erythrocytes adjacent to lesions. Sporadic rod-like bacterial colonies were discernible in TD tissues and cartilage canals. These studies show 1) whereas the onset of TD may have an independent etiology, the severity of the disease may be influenced by a higher body weight; and 2) subepiphyseal hemorrhages possibly facilitate a healing-type response that leads to replacement of TD tissue by way of resorption, bone formation, and fibrosis, but simultaneously makes the tissue accessible to bacteria.

Immune and bone properties of chicks consuming corn contaminated with a Fusarium that induces dyschondroplasia.

A study was conducted to contrast the dyschondroplasia-inducing capability of several species of Fusarium with that of the natural fungi found in poultry diets and litter. Day-old broiler chicks were fed pure corn cultures of specific fungal isolates for 3 weeks. Humoral immunity to sheep red blood cells (SRBC), body weight, valgus and varus leg deformities, incidence of dyschondroplasia, and mechanical properties of the tibiotarsi were examined. F. equiseti #15 was the only fungal isolate to induce dyschondroplasia to any significant degree, which confirmed previous work in Minnesota. This isolate also suppressed growth rate and humoral immunity, although dyschondroplasia sometimes did occur without associated immunosuppression and growth depression. Bone strength of the tibiotarsal diaphysis was normal, and gross lesions of valgus and varus leg deformities did not appear to be related to the incidence of dyschondroplasia in the 3-week-old chicks.

[Involvement of bone tissue in chicken infected with the myeloblastic MAV 2-0 virus. Generalized cortical hyperostosis]. / Atteinte du tissu osseux des Poulets infectés par le virus myéloblastique MAV 2-0. Hyperostose corticale généralisée.

An affection of osseous tissue appears in chicken have been injected at the embryonic state with retrovirus myeloblastic MAV 2-0 in solution. The structural lesions are different from these examined in human or murine osteopetrosis, considered to be an general cortical hyperostosis.