Association between endotoxin levels in dust from indoor swine housing environments and the immune responses of pigs

Indoor animal husbandry environments are inevitably contaminated with endotoxins. Endotoxin exposure is associated with various inflammatory illnesses in animals. This cross-sectional study evaluated the relationship between the degree of endotoxin exposure and the cellular and humoral immune profiles of fattening pigs. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein of 47 pigs from ten pig farms in Korea. Whole blood cell counts and plasma immunoglobulin (Ig) classes were determined. Peripheral-blood mononuclear cells were stimulated in vitro with concanavalin A for 48 h, and cytokines released into culture supernatants were measured. The barns in which the pigs lived were assessed for endotoxin levels in the total and respirable dust by using the limulus amebocyte lysate kinetic QCL method. Low and high endotoxin exposures were defined as ≤ 30 and > 30 EU/m³, respectively. Compared to pigs with low endotoxin exposure (n = 19), highly exposed pigs (n = 28) had higher circulating neutrophil and lymphocyte (particularly B cells) counts, IgG and IgE levels, interferon-gamma (IFNγ) and interleukin (IL)-4 productions, and lower IgA levels and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) production. The IL-4, IFNγ, and TNFα levels significantly correlated with endotoxin level and/or pig age. Constant exposure of pigs to high levels of airborne endotoxins can lead to aberrant immune profiles.

Epizootiological characteristics of viable bacteria and fungi in indoor air from porcine, chicken, or bovine husbandry confinement buildings

Microorganisms found in bioaerosols from animal confinement buildings not only foster the risk of spreading diseases among livestock buildings, but also pose health hazards to farm workers and nearby residents. This study identified the various microorganisms present in the air of swine, chicken, and cattle farms with different kinds of ventilation conditions in Korea. Microbial air samples were collected onto Petri dishes with bacterial or fungal growth media using a cascade impactor. Endotoxin levels in total dust were determined by the limulus amebocyte lysate kinetic QCL method. Prevalent Gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus (S.) lentus, S. chromogenes, Bacillus (B.) cereus, B. licheniformis, and Enterococcus faecalis, while the dominant fungi and Gram-negative bacteria were Candida albicans and Sphingomonas paucimobilis, respectively. Considering no significant relationship between the indoor dust endotoxin levels and the isolation of Gram-negative bacteria from the indoor air, monitoring the indoor airborne endotoxin level was found to be also critical for risk assessment on health for animals or workers. The present study confirms the importance of microbiological monitoring and control on animal husbandry indoor air to ensure animal and worker welfare.

Relationship between spontaneous preterm birth and polymorphisms of Interleukin-1beta and Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in Korean women / 대한산부인과학회지

OBJECTIVE: Preterm birth is an important cause of infant death and morbidity but its pathophysiology still remains to be clear. The associations between preterm birth and the polymorphism of interleukin-1beta gene and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene have been suspected. And ethnic variations in the polymorphism of the genes were also reported. We decided to study polymorphisms of interleukin-1beta+3953 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in Korean pregnant women. METHODS: Patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 is the control group of 33 subjects with uncomplicated term delivery : group 2 is the case group of patients who had spontaneous preterm delivery. Polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: There were significant differences in gestational age and birth weight between two groups (P<0.001). No significant differences were found in genotypic frequencies and allelic frequencies in interleukin-1beta+3953 between two groups. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene had 5 alleles and the most frequent allele was IL1RN*1 (410bp), 66.7% in control group and 77.8% in case group. And significant differences were not found in genotypic frequencies and allelic frequencies between two groups, too. CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in polymorphisms in interleukin-1beta +3953 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist between term delivery group and preterm birth group.

Two Cases of Diabetic Gastropathy in Pregnant Diabetic Women / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Gastrointestinal complications of diabetes mellitus include diarrhea, constipation, small bowel bacterial overgrowth, and gastropathy. Diabetic gastropathy is well-described motility disorder probably caused by an automatic neuropathy of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Diabetic gastropathy is rarely discrbed in pregnant women. We have experienced two cases of diabetic gastropathy in pregnant diabetic women. We report these cases with a review of literatures.