Evaluating the liver abscess microbiota of beef cattle during a reduction in tylosin supplementation shows differences according to abscess size and fraction.

Liver abscesses (LA) resulting from bacterial infection in cattle pose a significant global challenge to the beef and dairy industries. Economic losses from liver discounts at slaughter and reduced animal performance drive the need for effective mitigation strategies. Tylosin phosphate supplementation is widely used to reduce LA occurrence, but concerns over antimicrobial overuse emphasize the urgency to explore alternative approaches. Understanding the microbial ecology of LA is crucial to this, and we hypothesized that a reduced timeframe of tylosin delivery would alter LA microbiomes. We conducted 16S rRNA sequencing to assess severe liver abscess bacteriomes in beef cattle supplemented with in-feed tylosin. Our findings revealed that shortening tylosin supplementation did not notably alter microbial communities. Additionally, our findings highlighted the significance of sample processing methods, showing differing communities in bulk purulent material and the capsule-adhered material. Fusobacterium or Bacteroides ASVs dominated LA, alongside probable opportunistic gut pathogens and other microbes. Moreover, we suggest that liver abscess size correlates with microbial community composition. These insights contribute to our understanding of factors impacting liver abscess microbial ecology and will be valuable in identifying antibiotic alternatives. They underscore the importance of exploring varied approaches to address LA while reducing reliance on in-feed antibiotics.

Investigation of tylosin in feed of feedlot cattle and effects on liver abscess prevalence, and fecal and soil microbiomes and resistomes1.

Liver abscesses in feedlot cattle are detrimental to animal performance and economic return. Tylosin, a macrolide antibiotic, is used to reduce prevalence of liver abscesses, though there is variable efficacy among different groups of cattle. There is an increased importance in better understanding the etiology and pathogenesis of this condition because of growing concern over antibiotic resistance and increased scrutiny regarding use of antibiotics in food animal production. The objective of this study was to compare the microbiomes and antimicrobial resistance genes (resistomes) of feces of feedlot cattle administered or not administered tylosin and in their pen soil in 3 geographical regions with differing liver abscess prevalences. Cattle (total of 2,256) from 3 geographical regions were selected for inclusion based on dietary supplementation with tylosin (yes/no). Feces and pen soil samples were collected before harvest, and liver abscesses were identified at harvest. Shotgun and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing were used to evaluate the soil and feces. Microbiome and resistome composition of feces (as compared by UniFrac distances and Euclidian distances, respectively) did not differ (P > 0.05) among tylosin or no tylosin-administered cattle. However, feedlot location was associated with differences (P ≤ 0.05) of resistomes and microbiomes. Using LASSO, a statistical model identified both fecal and soil microbial communities as predictive of liver abscess prevalence in pens. This model explained 75% of the variation in liver abscess prevalence, though a larger sample size would be needed to increase robustness of the model. These data suggest that tylosin exposure does not have a large impact on cattle resistomes or microbiomes, but instead, location of cattle production may be a stronger driver of both the resistome and microbiome composition of feces.

Evaluation of active dried yeast in the diets of feedlot steers. II. Effects on rumen pH and liver health of feedlot steers1.

The objective of this trial was to determine the benefits of supplementing active dried yeast (ADY; 3 × 1010 CFU/d of Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in diets of growing and finishing steers on ruminal pH and liver health, and evaluate the relationship of these variables with performance traits. Growing beef steers (n = 120) were blocked by weight (i.e., heavy and light) and allocated to 1 of 4 pens in an automated feed intake monitoring system. Steers were fed either control (CON; no ADY) or ADY supplemented in 4 sequential diets: grower diet from days 0 to 70, 2 step up diets (STEP1 and STEP2) for 7 d each, and finishing diet from days 85 to 164. Indwelling rumen boli were administered to monitor rumen pH during days 56 to 106 during the dietary transition. An exchange of pen assignment, within block, occurred on day 70 resulting in 4 final treatment (TRT) assignments: steers fed CON before and after the exchange (CC; n = 30), steers fed CON before and ADY after the exchange (CY; n = 30), steers fed ADY before and CON after the exchange (YC; n = 30), and steers fed ADY (YY; n = 30). Ruminal parameters were analyzed as a randomized complete block design with repeated measures of day, diet and TRT as fixed effects, and block as random effects, using 2 approaches: preliminary analysis of the means or drift analysis (DA; units change from basal values over time). Ruminal pH duration (DUR) below 6.0 (P = 0.05) and 5.8 (P = 0.05) was greater for CY steers than CC steers. Acidosis bout prevalence (pH < 5.6 for 180 consecutive minutes; P < 0.01) and bout DUR (P = 0.05) were greater for CY than other TRT groups. The DA indicated that the ruminal pH variables range, variance, and amplitude of steers in the YC group drifted further from basal pH values than CY and YY steers during the dietary transition (P ≤ 0.02), indicating that removing ADY during the dietary transition was not favorable, but including ADY may reduce ruminal fluctuation. Steers with fewer days experiencing bouts (DEB) had numerically greater ADG (P = 0.11) and tended to have greater G:F (P = 0.06). Liver abscess severity negatively affected ADG (P = 0.04). However, liver abscess severity was not affected by DEB (P = 0.90). There is evidence to suggest that the addition of the specific ADY strain in the diets of beef cattle during the dietary transition may aid in ruminal stabilization, but our study did not find evidence that acidosis bouts were related to abscess prevalence or severity.

Thiazolidinediones and reduced risk of incident bacterial abscess in adults with type 2 diabetes: A population-based cohort study.

AIM: Previous research has suggested that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) may play an important role in immunomodulation. We aimed to examine the association between thiazolidinediones, PPAR-γ agonists and incidence of bacterial abscess among patients with type 2 diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study between 2000 and 2010 included 46 986 propensity (PS)-matched patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We compared the incidence of bacterial abscess, including liver and non-liver abscesses, between patients treated with metformin plus a thiazolidinedione (M + T, N = 7831) or metformin plus a sulfonylurea (M + S, N = 39 155). Data were retrieved from a population-based Taiwanese database. We applied Cox proportional hazard regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), comparing M + T and M + S after PS matching. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 4.5 years, the incidence rate of bacterial abscess was lower with M + T than with M + S treatment (1.89 vs 3.15 per 1000 person-years) in the PS-matched cohort. M + T was associated with a reduced risk of bacterial abscess (HRs after PS matching, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.42-0.80 for total bacterial abscess; 0.54; 95% CI, 0.28-1.07 for liver abscess; 0.59; 95% CI, 0.41-0.85 for non-liver abscess). Results did not change materially after accounting for unmeasured confounding factors using high-dimenional PS matching and differential censoring between regimen groups. Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, in combination with metformin, produced similar reductions in risk of all abscess outcomes. CONCLUSION: We found that M + T may provide a protective benefit in reducing the incidence of bacterial abscesses. These findings merit further investigation.

Hepatic and biliary damage after transarterial chemoembolization for malignant hepatic tumors: incidence, diagnosis, treatment, outcome and mechanism.

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of recent studies on transarterial chemoembolization-related hepatic and biliary damage (TRHBD) in patients with malignant hepatic tumors (MHT) and to explore the reasons for TRHBD. METHODS: Literature on the treatments for MHT by TACE was sought in PubMed and the related information was summarized. RESULTS: TRHBD is found to occur in the hepatic parenchymal cells, biliary tree and blood-vascular system. The damage is mainly due to ischemia resulting from embolic materials such as gelatin sponge and lipiodol. In addition, clinicians' skill levels in non-superselective catheterization, the health condition of the patients, and the chemical agents used may also be related to the damage. Most of the deterioration can be reversed if the patients are diagnosed and treated properly and promptly. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the mechanisms of TRHBD more comprehensively is helpful in developing effective methods for prevention and treatment.

Liver abscess after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinomas: frequency and risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to clarify the frequency and risk factors of liver abscess formation after percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a 4-year period, 603 patients with 831 hepatocellular carcinomas measuring 5 cm or less in maximum diameter who underwent a total of 751 percutaneous radiofrequency ablation procedures were enrolled in this study. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and analyzed the overall frequency of liver abscess, risk factors for abscess, and clinical features of the patients. The relationships between liver abscess and potential risk factors were analyzed using either generalized estimating equations or multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Liver abscess developed in 14 tumors of 13 patients after 13 (13/751 [1.7%]) ablation procedures. Generalized estimating equations and multiple logistic regression analysis of various potential risk factors revealed that preexisting biliary abnormality prone to ascending biliary infection (p = 0.0088), tumor with retention of iodized oil from previous transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (p = 0.040), and treatment with an internally cooled electrode system (p = 0.016) were associated with a significant risk of liver abscess formation. No patient died of liver abscess, and all successfully recovered from liver abscess with parenteral antibiotics and percutaneous clearance of pus. CONCLUSION: Although liver abscess formation was infrequent in patients who underwent percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma, the patients with significant risk factors-preexisting biliary abnormality prone to ascending biliary infection, tumor with retention of iodized oil, and treatment with an internally cooled electrode system-for liver abscess formation should be closely monitored after treatment.

Liver abscess after transcatheter oily chemoembolization for hepatic tumors: incidence, predisposing factors, and clinical outcome.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence of, predisposing factors for, and clinical outcome of liver abscess developing in patients with hepatic tumors after transcatheter oily chemoembolization (TOCE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: During the past 6-year period, 2,439 patients with hepatic tumors underwent a total of 6,255 TOCE procedures. With a retrospective review of medical records, the authors evaluated the occurrence of liver abscess, the statistical significance of potential predisposing factors including portal vein obstruction, metastatic tumors, biliary abnormalities (type 1, simple biliary obstruction; type 2, status prone to ascending biliary infection), malignant gastrointestinal mucosal lesions, and additional gelatin sponge particle embolization in liver abscess formation, and the clinical outcome of abscess. RESULTS: Fifteen liver abscesses occurred in 14 patients (0.2%). Liver abscesses developed in three of 987 (0.3%) TOCE procedures for portal vein obstruction, three of 114 (2.6%) procedures for metastatic tumors, one of 49 (1.8%) for type 1 biliary abnormality, four of 55 (7.4%) for type 2 biliary abnormality, two of 18 (11.1%) for malignant gastrointestinal mucosal lesion, and nine of 2,108 (0.4%) for additional gelatin sponge particle embolization. Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis showed that type 2 biliary abnormality was a significant predisposing factor. The mortality related to liver abscess occurred in two patients (13.3%). Thirteen liver abscesses were successfully treated with parenteral antibiotics and percutaneous catheter drainage. However, irreversible deterioration of liver function occurred in two patients. Two of nine further TOCE procedures in three patients caused recurrent septicemia and liver abscess. CONCLUSION: The biliary abnormality prone to ascending biliary infection was the most important predisposing factor to the development of liver abscess after TOCE. Postembolic liver abscess could be effectively managed with percutaneous catheter drainage.

Absceso hepático piógeno: estudio retrospectivo; Hospital San Juan de Dios, 1989-1993 / Pyogenic liver abscess: a retrospective study; Hospital San Juan of Dios, 1989-1993

Se revisaron 18 casos de abscesos hepáticos piógenos diagnosticados y tratados en el Hospital San Juan de Dios entre 1989 y 1993. El 50 por ciento de loa pacientes presentaron un acausa probable de origen, destacando la patología biliar subyacente en el 33,3 por ciento . Los síntomas y signos más relevantes fueron el dolor abdominal (38,3 por ciento ), la fiebre (61 por ciento ) y la ictericia (44,4 por ciento ). El diagnóstico se confirmó a través de punción percutánea bajo visión ecográfica en el 50 por ciento ; examen de imagen seguido de cirugía en el 33,3 por ciento y hallazgo intraoperatorio en el 16,7 por ciento de los casos. El estudio microbiológico fue positivo en el 61,1 por ciento de los casos, destacando el alto rendimiento de la punción percutánea, con un 90,9 por ciento de positividad. Los gérmenes más frecuentemente aislados fueron: Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus y Bacteroides sp. En todos los casos se realizó tratamiento médico-quirúrgico con cirugía y antibióticos(40 por ciento ), drenaje percutáneo y antibióticos (36,4 por ciento ) y drenaje percutáneo y antibióticos seguidos de cirugía (22,7 por ciento ). Tres pacientes presentaron schok séptico con falla orgánica múltiple, de los cuales fallecieron dos (11,1 por ciento ). Se discuten los hallazgos microbiológicos y las alternativas terapéuticas disponiblñes en la actualidad

Factors affecting in-transit shrink and liver abscesses in fed steers.

Live weight loss (shrink) and liver conditions (abscesses) were determined on 3,570 crossbred steers of predominantly British breeding over a 5-yr period. Starting in November 1979, steers were placed on feed at bimonthly intervals and provided one of three housing treatments: no shelter, access to overhead shelter or confinement. All steers were implanted with Synovex during the first 3 yr and Compudose the last 2 yr and fed a diet consisting of high-moisture corn grain, which provided 85% of the energy, and corn silage, along with a protein, vitamin and mineral supplement. Cattle were processed into beef after a feeding period of approximately 160 d. Year affected shrink (P less than .001), and month on feed and housing type tended to alter shrink. Cattle marketed during summer and fall and those outside without overhead shelter tended to shrink more. Year, month on feed and housing type affected liver condition (P less than .01). Cattle started on feed in November and January and cattle housed in confinement or outside without overhead shelter had higher incidences of liver abscesses and slower average daily gains (P less than .01). Daily gains for steers with normal and abnormal livers were not different (P greater than .19) for any month started on feed or housing treatment. These results indicate that under the conditions of this study a 2 or 3% weight loss should be expected during the marketing of finished steers and a 16% incidence of liver abscesses should be anticipated, with some modification of the latter due to time of year and housing. The presence of liver abscesses at the time of processing steers into beef did not reduce feedlot performance.