Isolation and genetic characteristics of Novel H4N1 Avian Influenza viruses in ChongQing, China.

BACKGROUND: Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) constitute significant zoonotic pathogens encompassing a broad spectrum of subtypes. Notably, the H4 subtype of AIVs has a pronounced ability to shift hosts. The escalating prevalence of the H4 subtype heightens the concern for its zoonotic potential, signaling an urgent need for vigilance. METHODS: During the period from December 2021 to November 2023, we collected AIV-related environmental samples and assessed them using a comprehensive protocol that included nucleic acid testing, gene sequencing, isolation culture, and resequencing. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 934 environmental samples were assessed, revealing a remarkably high detection rate (43.66%, 289/662) of AIV in the live poultry market. Notably, the H4N1 subtype AIV (cs2301) was isolated from the live poultry market and its complete genome sequence was successfully determined. Subsequent analysis revealed that cs2301, resulting from a reassortment event between wild and domesticated waterfowl, exhibits multiple mutations and demonstrates potential for host transfer. CONCLUSIONS: Our research once again demonstrates the significant role of wild and domesticated waterfowl in the reassortment process of avian influenza virus, enriching the research on the H4 subtype of AIV, and emphasizing the importance of proactive monitoring the environment related to avian influenza virus.

Effects of puerarin as a feed additive on the laying performance, egg quality, endocrine hormones, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology of aged laying hens.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of puerarin (Pue), a phytoestrogen, on the production performance, egg quality, endocrine hormones, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology in aged laying hens. A total of 180 Hy-Line Brown hens aged 480 d were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 45 per group) and fed 0, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg of Pue (Con, L-Pue, M-Pue, and H-Pue, respectively) during a 42-d experiment. Compared with the Con treatment, supplementation with H-Pue improved laying performance and egg quality by significantly increasing egg production, average egg weight, albumen height, yolk weight, and Haugh unit (P < 0.05) while decreasing the feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05). A diet supplemented with H-Pue significantly decreasing serum total triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.05), and significantly increasing serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and progesterone (P < 0.05). Antioxidant activity was improved by significantly increasing the activity of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase and catalase but decreasing malondialdehyde levels in serum, jejunum, and ileum (P < 0.05), and superoxide dismutase activity exhibited a significantly increase in the jejunum and ileum (P < 0.05). Villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (P < 0.05) were significantly increased in the jejunum and ileum. In the jejunal and ileal mucosa, the three treatment groups increased the mRNA expression levels of Claudin-1 and Claudin-2 compared with Con (P < 0.05), and no significant effect was observed on the expression of Occludin and ZO-1. The results showed that dietary supplementation with Pue could improve the laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, hormonal profile, and intestinal morphology of aged laying hens.

Effects of dietary supplement with licorice and rutin mixture on production performance, egg quality, antioxidant capacity, and gut microbiota in quails (Turnix tanki).

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of licorice and rutin on production performance, egg quality, and mucosa antioxidant levels in Chinese yellow quail. A total of 240 Chinese Yellow Quail (400-day-old) were randomly distributed into 5 groups: the Control group, fed with a basic diet; the LR1 group, fed with basal diet supplemented with 300 + 100 mg licorice and rutin mixture/kg diet; the LR2 group, fed with basal diet supplemented with 300 + 200 mg licorice and rutin mixture/kg diet; the LR3 group, fed with basal diet supplemented with 600 + 100 mg licorice and rutin mixture/kg diet and the LR4 group, fed with basal diet supplemented with 600 + 200 mg licorice and rutin mixture/kg diet. Compared with the control, supplementation with the licorice and rutin mixture improved the laying rate and eggshell thickness whereas decreased the feed conversion ratio of quails. Moreover, dietary supplementation with the licorice and rutin mixture improved the antioxidant capacity by increasing the activity of the superoxide dismutase (SOD) level and decreasing the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the jejunal mucosa. The licorice and rutin mixture altered the composition of intestinal microbiota by influencing the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Bacteroides. The relative abundances of the Bacteroidetes were significantly related to the laying rate of quails. In addition, the mixture of licorice and rutin was also effective in reducing the relative abundance of intestinal Proteobacteria and Enterobacter in quails, reducing the accumulation of antibiotic-resistance genes. The results revealed that supplementation of licorice and rutin mixture to the diet improved production performance, egg quality, and antioxidant capacity and modified the composition of intestinal microbiota in quails. This study provides a reference for Chinese herbal additives to promote production performance by modulating quail gut microbes.

Transcriptome Profiling Identifies Differentially Expressed Genes in Skeletal Muscle Development in Native Chinese Ducks.

China boasts a rich diversity of indigenous duck species, some of which exhibit desirable economic traits. Here, we generated transcriptome sequencing datasets of breast muscle tissue samples from 1D of four groups: Pekin duck pure breeding group (P), Jinling White duck breeding group (J), P ♂ × J ♀ orthogonal group (PJ) and J ♂ × P ♀ reciprocal-cross group (JP) (n = 3), chosen based on the distinctive characteristics of duck muscle development during the embryonic period. We identified 5053 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the four groups. Network prediction analysis showed that ribosome and oxidative phosphorylation-related genes were the most enriched, and muscular protein-related genes were found in the 14-day-old embryonic group. We found that previously characterized functional genes, such as FN1, AGRN, ADNAMST3, APOB and FGF9, were potentially involved in muscle development in 14-day-old embryos. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that genes that participated in molecular function and cell component and key signaling pathways (e.g., hippo, ribosome, oxidative phosphorylation) were significantly enriched in the development of skeletal muscle at 14 days of embryonic age. These results indicate a possible role of muscle metabolism and myoglobin synthesis in skeletal muscle development in both duck parents and hybrids.

Transcriptome Analysis of Granulosa Cells Reveals Regulatory Mechanisms Related to Chicken Follicle Development.

In this study, we aimed to better understand the difference between the functions of the two types of granulosa cells and sought to discover more key genes involved in follicle development and follicle selection. Herein, we separately collected pre-hierarchical follicle granulosa cells (PHGCs) and preovulatory follicle granulosa cells (POGCs) for RNA extraction; the transcriptomes of the two groups were compared via RNA-seq. A total of 5273 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the PHGCs and POGCs; 2797 genes were up-regulated and 2476 were down-regulated in the PHGCs compared with the POGCs. A qPCR analysis confirmed that the expression patterns of 16 randomly selected DEGs were highly consistent with the RNA-seq results. In the POGCs, many of the genes with the most significant increase in expression were related to steroid hormone synthesis. In addition, the genes with the most significant decline in expression, including AMH and WT1, were related to the inhibition of steroid hormone synthesis. These results suggest that steroid hormones play a key role in follicle development. Furthermore, a Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that these DEGs were mainly involved in the primary metabolic process, the carbohydrate metabolic process, the cellular process, ribosomes, the cytoplasm, and intracellular processes. A Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in steroid biosynthesis, the cell cycle, ribosomes, the TGF-beta signaling pathway, focal adhesion, and so on. We also observed the morphology of the follicles at different developmental stages, and the results showed that the thickness of the granular layer of the small yellow follicles (SYFs) decreased significantly with further development. In addition, we also found that the thickness of the granulosa layer of hens over 300 days old was significantly lower than that of 200-day-old hens. In short, these data indicate that the tissue morphology and function of granulosa cells change throughout follicle development.

Evaluation of the reproductive system development and egg-laying performance of hens infected with TW I-type infectious bronchitis virus.

The prevalence of TW I-type infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) has been increasing rapidly, and it has become the second most common genotype of IBV in China threatening the poultry industry. In this study, 1-day-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens infected with TW I-type IBV were continuously observed for 200 days. TW I-type IBV affected the respiratory, urinary, and female reproductive systems, resulting in a mortality rate of 10% as well as a decrease in egg quantity and an increase in inferior eggs. During the monitoring period, serious lesions occurred in the female reproductive system, such as yolk peritonitis, a shortened oviduct, and cysts of different sizes with effusion in the degenerated right oviduct. The infective viruses persisted in vivo for a long time, and due to the stress of laying, virus shedding was detected again after the onset of egg production. Our findings suggest that TW I-type IBV is deadly to chickens and could cause permanent damage to the oviduct, resulting in the poor laying performance of female survivors and decreasing the breeding value and welfare of the infected flock.