Dietary concoction of formic acid and thymol and its effects on zoo-technical performance, immunity, jejunal architecture and gut health in Turkey.

With increasing demand for improved protein-rich food, diverse poultry birds like turkey are gaining popularity in India. However, with the rising concerns of antibiotic residues and drug resistance, safe alternatives like formic acid (FA) and thymol (TH) have attracted the attention of researchers as effective replacer of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP). This experiment investigated the effects of combinations of FA and TH on growth performance, immunity, gut microflora and jejunal microstructures in turkey. A total of 240 turkey poults were reared in 6 treatment groups for a period of 16 weeks with standard management and feeding: T1 (basal diet only); T2 (AGP); T3 (FA@2.5 ml + TH@240 mg/kg); T4 (FA@2.5 ml + TH@360 mg/kg); T5 (FA@7.5 ml + TH@240 mg/kg) and T6 (FA@7.5 ml + TH@360 mg/kg). The results revealed that T5 group had the highest final body weight and best FCR while the feed consumption across the groups was comparable. The immune status of the turkey improved (p ≤ 0.05) in treatment groups compared to control with T4 and T5 group showcasing the best CBH response, antibody titres and relative immune organ weight index. A significant improvement (p ≤ 0.05) in jejunal microstructures was observed at 16th week in T5 group over control and AGP fed group. There was significant (p ≤ 0.001) reduction in total plate and coliform counts, but a positive shift was seen in Lactobacillus population in T5 group as compared to control and AGP fed group. In conclusion, the concoction of formic acid (7.5 ml/kg) + thymol (240 mg/kg) in-feed supplement improved the performance, immune status and gut health in turkey as an efficient alternative to AGPs.

Evaluation of in-feed supplementation of formic acid and thymol as non-antibiotic growth promoters and assessing their effect on antimicrobial resistant E.coli isolated in Turkey.

With the rampant usage of antibiotics as growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry sector, there has been alarming concerns of antimicrobial resistant microbes such as Escherichia coli. Diversification of poultry farming due to consumer demand for safer products with higher protein content, turkey production is gaining popularity. Feed additives such as formic acid (FA) and thymol (TH) are effectively replacing AGPs due to their antimicrobial action. This directed the researchers to find alternatives to antibiotics such as thymol and formic acid because of their strong antimicrobial, anti-oxidative, digestive-stimulating properties. To assess the efficacy of FA and TH as growth promoters and their effect on the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) load, the current study (0-12 weeks) was conducted in CARI VIRAT turkey poults (n = 256; unsexed) those were randomly distributed into eight treatment groups: control(T1), AGP (T2), graded levels of FA (T3 to T5) @ 2.5, 5 and 7.5 ml/kg and TH (T6 to T8) @ 120, 240 and 350 mg/kg. Cloacal swab samples were collected at 0, 4th, 8th and 12th week interval and processed further for isolation, identification and assessment of resistance profile of E. coli. The final body weight, cumulative gain and FCR were significantly (p < 0.05) better for birds under supplementation. The Total plate count (TPC) and coliforms showcased a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in the FA and TH supplement groups as compared to control and AGP group. The resistance profile indicated E. coli isolates from AGP group with significantly (p < 0.001) highest resistivity against antibiotics (viz. chloramphenicol, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, chlortetracycline) while isolates from FA (T5) and TH (T8) groups were the least resistant. blaAmpC gene was significantly (p < 0.001) harbored in T2 isolates whereas least detected in T5 and T8. It was inferred that formic acid (7.5 ml/kg) and thymol (360 mg/kg) can effectively replace AGPs and lower AMR burden in poultry.

Effects of dietary organic acids on performance, cecal microbiota, and gut morphology in broilers.

Organic acids have exhibited great potential as an antibiotic replacement and as an additive work tremendously for health maintenance of broiler chicken. To explore more about organic acids, a total of 900 day-old broiler chicks (Cobb-500) were procured from a local hatchery and distributed into 9 treatment groups having 5 replicates of 20 birds each; duration of the biological trial was of 35 days. Group T1 served as control group without any dietary supplementation. Other groups T2 and T3 were boosted with different levels (125 g/ton and 250 g/ton) of enramycin (antibiotic), T4, T5, and T6 were supplemented with different levels (2 kg/ton, 3 kg/ton, and 4 kg/ton) of ammonium formate and ammonium propionate, and T7, T8, and T9 were fed with different levels (2 kg/ton, 3 kg/ton, and 4 kg/ton) of calcium formate and calcium propionate. The findings declared significant improvement (P < 0.05) in body weight gain and FCR in groups T3, T5, and T9 while feed intake was not affected. Carcass evaluation depicted significantly better (P < 0.05) dressed and eviscerated weight along with carcass yield (T5, T7, T8, T9). Broilers fed organic acid supplemented diet had significantly lower (P < 0.05) total bacterial count (T3, T5, T8, T9) and positively improved (P < 0.05) villi length (T5, T6, T9) as compared with control group. However, total protein, globulin, HDL, and LDL levels were determined to be non-significant (P > 0.05) among different organic acids treatments. Hence, organic acids can be utilized as a better replacement for antibiotics. Supplementation of organic acids at a dose rate of 3 kg/ton and 4 kg/ton is recommended for efficient performance of broilers.

Evaluation of the addition of organic acids in the feed and/or water for broilers and the subsequent recovery of Salmonella Typhimurium from litter and ceca.

Three separate broiler Salmonella Typhimurium challenge experiments were conducted evaluating efficacy of formic and propionic acid feed supplements to suppress environmental and cecal Salmonella Typhimurium prevalence. In experiment 1, broilers were provided feed with 1 kg/ton formic acid or 5 kg/ton propionic acid feed additives or a basal control diet. At the day of placement, half of the pens were inoculated with seeder chicks orally challenged with a marker strain of Salmonella Typhimurium and to yield challenged and adjacent nonchallenged pens. No differences in weekly litter samples or cecal Salmonella prevalence at 3 or 6 wk among feeding treatments were detected. In experiment 2, treatments were: 2 kg/ton propionic acid in feed, 1.0 mL/L formic acid in water, both propionic acid in feed and formic acid in water, and a basal control. Every pen was challenged with seeder chicks inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium. By 6 wk all pens maintained detectable litter Salmonella, and broilers provided both propionic acid in feed and formic acid in water had the lowest cecal recovery (35%), compared to the control (60%). In experiment 3, treatments were: formic acid at 4 or 6 kg/ton from wk 0 to 6 or for only the last wk, propionic acid at 5 or 10 kg/ton for only the last wk, and a basal control. Each pen was challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium inoculated seeder chicks. By 6 wk, broilers fed formic acid (4 kg/ton) for the entire growout had no Salmonella-positive ceca (0/30). All treatments that provided acid supplemented feed for only the last wk had 3-13% Salmonella-positive ceca. These experiments indicate that adding formic acid to broiler feed appears to prevent Salmonella colonization from challenge pens entering into the adjacent nonchallenge pens. Feeding formic acid (4 kg/ton) for 6 wk resulted in no recovery of Salmonella from ceca compared to the control prevalence of 17%.

Effects Induced by Organic Acids in a Human Lung Alveolar Carcinoma Cell Line A549.

The present study examined the effects of formic acid and acetic acid on human adenocarcinoma-derived alveolar basal epithelial A549 cells. The organic acids were administered either individually or in combination, into either the culture medium (aqueous phase) or the gaseous phase of an air-liquid interface. When either of the acids was administered into the aqueous phase, cell proliferation was inhibited at doses of 1-10 mg/mL. In contrast, when the acids were administered either individually or in combination, into the gaseous phase of the air-liquid interface, cell proliferation was not altered. Under the gaseous phase administration, acetic acid and mixed acids caused a slight increase, decrease and increase on the interleukin-8 production, the mRNA expression of the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene and the HO-1 production, respectively, at one or more time points. The results therefore indicated that organic acids might be less reactive in the gaseous phase than in the aqueous phase. However, acetic acid in the gaseous phase either individually or in combination with formic acid exerts some effects on A549 cells.

Effects of dietary acidifiers on growth, hematology, immune response and disease resistance of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus.

Organic acids or their salts can be used as feed additives in aquaculture. This study was conducted to evaluate the use of a mixture of formic acid, propionic acid and calcium propionate compared with oxytetracycline (OTC). A total of 720 apparently healthy Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings with an average body weight of 28.8 ± 0.14 g (mean ± SE) were randomly divided into four equal groups (G1, G2, G3and G4). G1 was fed a basal diet with no additive as the control group, while G2 and G3 were fed a formic and propionic acid/salt mixture in 1 and 2 g/kg, respectively. G4 was fed OTC (0.5 g/kg). Each group was subdivided into tow subgroups A and B (30 fish/subgroup) in triplicate. The first subgroup was used to evaluate growth performance, hematology and body composition for 60 d. The second subgroup was used to examine immunity, gut microbiota and resistance to infection for 30 d. At the end of the feeding period (60 d), G3 had significant improvements in final body weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and food conversion ratio (FCR) compared with other groups. The total erythrocyte count, hemoglobin content, platelet count, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and total leukocyte count were significantly increased in G3 and G2 compared with G1 and G4. Mean corpuscular volum, lymphocyte and neutrophil percentages had the highest significant improvement in G3. There were no significant differences among the groups in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and monocyte percentage. The protein and fat contents of the whole body were the highest in G3. The widest inhibition zones against Aeromonas sobria were at the 30, 40 and 50% concentrations of acidifiers, which were equivalent to OTC (30 µg). G3 showed the lowest total gastrointestinal bacterial counts, followed by G2. After 15 and 30 d, G3 had the highest serum killing, lysozyme and nitric oxide activities. Serum lysozyme activity and nitric oxide assay had no significant difference between G1 and G2 after 30 d. The lowest immune parameters were recorded in G4. After 30 d, the highest expression of interleukin-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the liver and kidney were found in G3. The best protection against challenged Aeromonas sobria was in G3, followed by G2 and G4. Dietary supplementation with a combination of formic acid, propionic acid and calcium propionate improves the performance of Nile tilapia.

Rearing conditions affected responses of weaned pigs to organic acids showing a positive effect on digestibility, microflora and immunity.

Three experiments were conducted to assess the response of weaned pigs to organic acid SF3, which contains 34% calcium formate, 16% calcium lactate, 7% citric acid and 13% medium chain fatty acids. Dietary treatments had no effect on growth performance of piglets (21-day weaning) fed the commercial prestart diet for 1 week before receiving the experimental diets supplemented with SF3 at 0, 3 or 5 g/kg diet (Exp. 1), whereas diarrhea frequency averaged across a week was decreased by SF3 supplementation (5 g/kg diet) in piglets fed the experimental diets immediately after weaning (Exp. 2). In Exp. 3, piglets (28-day weaning) were fed the control (containing pure colistin sulfate and enramycin, respectively, at 20 mg/kg diet) for 1 week and then were fed the control or SF3-supplemented (5 g/kg diet) diet for 2 weeks. The SF3-fed piglets had greater apparent ileal digestibility of calcium and dry matter, while also demonstrating greater overall gross energy, up-regulated jejunal expression of sodium-glucose cotransporter-1 and transforming growth factor-ß, down-regulated jejunal expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, higher ileal Lactobacillus, with lower total bacteria content, lower plasma TNF-α but higher IgG levels than the control-fed piglets. Collectively, SF3 consumption improved diarrhea resistance of weaned pigs by improving nutrient digestibility, piglet immunity and intestinal bacteria profile. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Influence of an organic acid blend and essential oil blend, individually or in combination, on growth performance, carcass parameters, apparent digestibility, intestinal microflora and intestinal morphology of broilers.

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of an organic acid (OA) and essential oil (EO) blends, individually or in combination, on growth performance, carcass parameters, apparent digestibility, intestinal microflora and intestinal morphology of broilers. A total of 480 one-d-old male Ross 308 chicks were randomly assigned to 4 treatments consisting of 4 replicates each (n = 30 birds in each replicate). Dietary treatments consisted of a basal diet (control), and basal diet supplemented with 2 g/kg OA blend (OAB), 300 mg/kg EO blend (EOB), or with 2 g/kg OA and 300 mg/kg EO blend (OAB-EOB) for 42 d. The dietary supplementation with EO blend or in combination with OA blend increased body weight gain and improved feed efficiency as compared to control. Dietary treatments had no significant effects on feed consumption or relative organ weights of broilers. The OAB diet increased carcass yield compared to the control diet but the lowest carcass yield occurred with the OAB-EOB combination. Birds fed on EOB and OAB-EOB diets had lower ileum Escherichia coli counts than birds fed on the control diet. There was no significant effect of treatments on apparent digestibility at 16-21 d but the EOB and OAB-EOB diets increased apparent digestibility of dry matter and crude protein during the finisher period (d 37-42) compared to the control diet. Birds fed on the EOB and OAB-EOB diets had greater villus height in the ileum at 21 and 42 d of age and had lower crypt depth in the ileum at 42 d of age than birds given the control diet. In conclusion, beneficial effects of the use of EO blend individually or in combination with the OA blend were observed but the OA blend alone was ineffective. Furthermore, the use of the combination of OA and EO was more effective, in some respects, than their individual use.

Deep Full Thickness Burn to a Finger from a Topical Wart Treatment.

We present a case of a deep full thickness burn from topical formic acid. Our patient developed a burn over her proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) of her finger, secondary to inappropriate application of an anti-wart treatment. The burn required extensive deridement, and the resultant defect was reconstructed using a subcutaneous flap from the adjacent finger (a reverse cross finger flap). She was reviewed six months post-surgery, and overall she has a sub-optimal result. This incident was referred to the Irish Medicine's Board who have since reviewed the case and ordered the manufacturer to alter their usage instructions.

Deletion of Mthfd1l causes embryonic lethality and neural tube and craniofacial defects in mice.

Maternal supplementation with folic acid is known to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) by as much as 70%. Despite the strong clinical link between folate and NTDs, the biochemical mechanisms through which folic acid acts during neural tube development remain undefined. The Mthfd1l gene encodes a mitochondrial monofunctional 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate synthetase, termed MTHFD1L. This gene is expressed in adults and at all stages of mammalian embryogenesis with localized regions of higher expression along the neural tube, developing brain, craniofacial structures, limb buds, and tail bud. In both embryos and adults, MTHFD1L catalyzes the last step in the flow of one-carbon units from mitochondria to cytoplasm, producing formate from 10-formyl-THF. To investigate the role of mitochondrial formate production during embryonic development, we have analyzed Mthfd1l knockout mice. All embryos lacking Mthfd1l exhibit aberrant neural tube closure including craniorachischisis and exencephaly and/or a wavy neural tube. This fully penetrant folate-pathway mouse model does not require feeding a folate-deficient diet to cause this phenotype. Maternal supplementation with sodium formate decreases the incidence of NTDs and partially rescues the growth defect in embryos lacking Mthfd1l. These results reveal the critical role of mitochondrially derived formate in mammalian development, providing a mechanistic link between folic acid and NTDs. In light of previous studies linking a common splice variant in the human MTHFD1L gene with increased risk for NTDs, this mouse model provides a powerful system to help elucidate the specific metabolic mechanisms that underlie folate-associated birth defects, including NTDs.

A fundamental regulatory role of formate on thuringiensin production by resting cell of Bacillus thuringiensis YBT-032.

In this work, a fundamental regulatory role of formate on thuringiensin production by resting cell of Bacillus thuringiensis YBT-032 was investigated. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) production and formate dehydrogenase activity increased with formate addition from 0.5 to 2.0 g/L, respectively. However, with the formate addition of 1.5 g/L, the activities of pyruvate kinase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase reached a peak and increased by 316 and 150% relative to those of the control, respectively. In addition, intracellular production of pyruvate, aspartate, citrate and adenine were significantly enhanced by 75, 66, 32 and 78% as well. An improvement (90%) of thuringiensin production was also successfully obtained. Interestingly to point out, thuringiensin yield was closely correlative with adenine production, and the linear relationship was also observed. The results suggest that appropriate formate addition did act as a modulator and facilitate carbon flux in glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway to synthesize adenine and thuringiensin via intracellular NADH availability.

Feed physical form and formic acid addition to the feed affect the gastrointestinal ecology and growth performance of growing pigs.

The effect of feeding a coarsely ground meal (COARSE) and a finely ground pelleted diet with 1.8% (as-fed basis) added formic acid (ACID) was compared with feeding a standard finely ground pelleted diet (STD) on the gastrointestinal ecology of growing pigs at different intervals after feeding. One hundred five castrated male growing-finishing pigs (initial BW 27 kg) were used. At a BW of 63 kg, 60 pigs were killed 0.5, 2.5, 4.5, 6.5, and 8.5 h after feeding, and samples from the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) were obtained. The remaining 45 pigs were kept on the experimental diets to a BW of 99 kg. Feeding the three diets resulted in a similar pattern of gastric pH with time, (i.e., highest pH values 0.5 h after feeding and decreasing values at the following sampling times, to reach a value of 2.12 at 8.5 h after feeding). The pH of the gastric digesta of pigs fed the ACID diet was below 4 at all sampling times, whereas the digesta from the other two dietary groups had values above pH 4 at the first sampling times. Feeding the ACID diet decreased the counts of total anaerobes in the proximal GIT (P < or = 0.007), and of lactic acid bacteria (P < or = 0.001), enterobacteria (P < or = 0.02), and yeasts (P < or = 0.01) along the GIT compared with feeding the other two diets. Feeding the COARSE diet stimulated the growth of total anaerobes and lactic acid bacteria in the stomach and distal small intestine increased the microbial diversity mainly in the stomach (P = 0.001), compared with feeding the other two diets (P < or = 0.09), and decreased the number of enterobacteria in the cecum compared with the STD diet (P = 0.03), with the same tendency in the mid-colon (P = 0.07). The concentration of lactic acid in the stomach was highest in the pigs fed the COARSE diet compared with the other two groups (P < 0.05). The concentration of formic acid was highest in the stomach and all segments of the small intestine of the pigs fed the ACID diet compared with those fed the STD and COARSE diets (P < 0.05). The results from this study suggest that feeding a coarsely ground diet and a finely ground diet with added formic acid affect the gastrointestinal ecology of pigs mainly by changing the environment in the proximal GIT. The presence of organic acids in the proximal GIT is a crucial factor contributing to the decrease in the number of enterobacteria along the GIT. The time after feeding at which samples are taken to measure characteristics describing the gastrointestinal ecology affects the results from the stomach and small intestine.

Ocular changes after intravitreal injection of methanol, formaldehyde, or formate in rabbits.

We evaluated the effects of intravitreal injection of methanol, formaldehyde, or formate on rabbit eyes. One hundred microl of 1% methanol, 1% or 0.1% formaldehyde, or 1% formate was injected in the vitreous cavity of the right eyes of rabbits. The eyes were examined by biomicroscopy and ophthalmoscopy weekly. One month after injection, the eyes were enucleated and examined histologically. One week after treatment the animals that received 0.1% formaldehyde showed retinal vessel dilation, and the rabbits that received 1% formaldehyde showed mild posterior subcapsular cataract and retinal vessel dilation and haemorrhages. One month after treatment, the animals that received 0.1% or 1% formaldehyde developed mild posterior subcapsular cataract and retinal lesions. Animals that received 1% methanol or 1% formate showed nearly normal optical media and fundi. Histologically disorganized retina and optic nerve were seen in eyes that received 0.1% or 1% formaldehyde. Eyes that received 1% methanol or 1% formate appeared histologically normal. Our findings indicate that intravitreal injection of formaldehyde causes retinal and optic nerve damage, while methanol and formate are not or less toxic to ocular tissues.

Ensilado de pescado a partir de la fauna de acompañamiento del camarón: I. Elaboración y evaluación biológica / Fish silage from shrimp by catch fish: I. Preparation and biological evaluation

Se elaboró un ensilado de pescado con algunas de las especies que conforman la fauna de acompañamiento del camarón capturadas en Golfo Triste, Estado Carabobo. Las mismas se molieron en su totalidad hasta un tamaño de partícula tal que garantizara el proceso de licuefacción. El proceso fue acelerado mediante la incorporación de una mezcla de ácido fórmico concentrado, ambos mezclados en la proporción de 1:4. El proceso transcurrió espontáneamente a temperatura ambiente por espacio de 17 días. Se realizaron análisis químicos, físicos y microbiológicos a fin de caracterizar la materia prima y el producto terminado. La materia prima utilizada acusó niveles adecuados de frescura, por lo que se consideró apta para su empleo y procesamiento, produciéndose de esta forma, un ensilado de pescado adecuado. Se llevó a cabo una primera evaluación biológica en ratas, a fin de estimar la calidad proteínica del ensilado de pescado mediante los siguientes parámetros biológicos: razón de eficiencia proteínica (PER), razón proteínica neta (NPR) y porcentaje (%) de digestibilidad aparente de la proteína. Los resultados del primer período experimental demostraron que la proteína del ensilado de pescado es de óptima calidad, en virtud de que el mismo tuvo una respuesta biológica en ratas, similar a la del grupo "control" de caseína