The Effects of Acute and Chronic Sleep Deprivation on the Immune Profile in the Rat.

BACKGROUND: Acute and chronic sleep deprivation present many health-related problems in modern societies, mainly concerning the immune system. Immune factors, particularly the interleukins, regulate sleep and, therefore, may be altered by sleep deprivation (SD). OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the possible effects of acute and chronic sleep deprivation on selected cytokines, including interleukins (IL-1ß, IL-9, IL-17, and IL-23) and tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-α). METHODS: The animals were grouped into acute sleep-deprived (SD; for 24 hours) and chronic sleep-deprived (8 hours a day for 10, 20, and 30-days). The SD was induced using the multipleplatforms model. The serum levels of cytokines were measured using commercially available ELISA. RESULTS: The serum levels of IL-1ß were significantly reduced after acute SD, whereas they were increased after 20-days of chronic SD. The IL-9 levels were reduced after acute SD, increased after 10-days of SD, and reduced again after 30-days of SD. Conversely, the levels of IL-23 were not changed after acute SD, reduced after 10 days of SD, and increased after 30-days of SD. Levels of TNF-α were not changed after acute SD, whereas they were increased after 20 and 30- days of SD. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, both acute and chronic SD distinctly disturb the immune profile, which might result in the emergence of various pathologies presented during sleep deprivation.

Conductometric Immunosensor for Escherichia coli O157:H7 Detection Based on Polyaniline/Zinc Oxide (PANI/ZnO) Nanocomposite.

A conductometric immunosensor was developed for the detection of one of the most common foodborne pathogens, Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7), by conductometric sensing. The sensor was built based on a polyaniline/zinc oxide (PANI/ZnO) nanocomposite film spin-coated on a gold electrode. Then, it was modified with a monoclonal anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibody as a biorecognition element. The fabricated nanostructured sensor was able to quantify the pathogens under optimal detection conditions, within 30 min, and showed a good detection range from 101 to 104 CFU/mL for E. coli O157:H7 and a minimum detection limit of 4.8 CFU/mL in 0.1% peptone water. The sensor efficiency for detecting bacteria in food matrices was tested in ultra-heat-treated (UHT) skim milk. E. coli O157:H7 was detected at concentrations of 101 to 104 CFU/mL with a minimum detection limit of 13.9 CFU/mL. The novel sensor was simple, fast, highly sensitive with excellent specificity, and it had the potential for rapid sample processing. Moreover, this unique technique for bacterial detection could be applicable for food safety and quality control in the food sector as it offers highly reliable results and is able to quantify the target bacterium.

Assessment of Immune Response and Efficacy of Essential Oils Application on Controlling Necrotic Enteritis Induced by Clostridium perfringens in Broiler Chickens.

Necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens is one of the most important enteric diseases in poultry. The antibacterial activity of two different essential oil (EO) blends against C. perfringens was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, the immunological response to EO treatment was assessed. In the in vitro study, the antibacterial activity of EO formulas and commonly used antibiotics was evaluated against C. perfringens using disk diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay, and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay. In the in vivo study, NE experimental infection was performed on 440 Ross broiler chicks at 19 days of age for 4 continuous days. The chicks were treated with either EOs or amoxicillin at 22 days of age for 5 continuous days. One day after the end of treatment, the birds' performance was evaluated by calculating the feed conversion ratio. Serum samples from 120 birds were collected to measure the levels of IL-1ß, IFN-γ, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-17. After that, all birds were slaughtered, and their small intestines were subjected to gross and histopathological evaluation. In addition, bacterial counts in the small intestines were evaluated. In the in vitro study, EOs showed higher antimicrobial activities in comparison with antibiotics against C. perfringens. In the in vivo study, birds treated with EOs showed a significant decrease in bacterial counts, a significant decrease in intestinal lesions, and a significant improvement in performance compared with untreated birds (p < 0.05). Moreover, treating birds with EOs directed the immune system toward an anti-inflammatory pathway. None of the treated birds died due to NE compared with the 10% mortality rate in untreated birds. In conclusion, EOs might be an effective and safe alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of chicken NE.

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) in goats and sheep in northern Jordan.

This cross-sectional study aimed to study animal, farm, and within-farm seroprevalence of C. burnetii and to identify associated risk factors in goat and sheep farm in northern Jordan. Questionnaire was developed to collect information about risk factors and farms management practices. Blood samples from 730, ≥ 1-year-old females (goat n = 250; sheep n = 480) were randomly collected from 20 goat herds and 40 sheep flocks. IDEXX ELISA Kit was used to detect C. burnetii antibodies. The overall goat and sheep seroprevalence level was 32.5% (237/730) and was significantly higher in goats (43.3%, 108/250; 95% CI 37-49.6) than sheep (27%, 129/480; 95% CI 29.1-36.2) (χ2 test, p ≤ 0.001). Eighty percent (16/20) of goat herds and 60% (24/40) of sheep flocks had at least one seropositive animal (p ≥ 0.05). The average within goat herds and sheep flock seroprevalence were 36.4% (ranged: 0-91%) and 23.4% (ranged: 0-82%), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression model revealed that seroprevalence increased 1.79 times in goat herds compared with sheep flocks, 3.2 times more in farms containing ≥ 100 animals, and 1.7 times higher in farms with their animals that were ≥ 2 years of age than in farms with their animals that are < 2 years of age. In addition, seroprevalence significantly increased 1.52 times in farms loaning bucks or rams during breeding season and 1.63 times in farms containing cats on premises (p ≤ 0.05). Farm biosecurity measures are essential to prevent introduction and minimize transmission of C. burnetii infection to humans and animals.

Potential antimicrobial effect of plant essential oils and virulence genes expression in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial efficacy of eight commercially available essential oil (EO) blends and characterize the effect on the expression of some virulence genes against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial effects of oils against MRSA was performed using the disk diffusion method and by measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The EOs (A-F) were contained (ß-pinene, carvacrol, carvone, dimethyl trisulfide, linalool, limonene, menthol, monoterpene hydrocarbons, and thymol) in different amounts. In addition, a real-time polymerase chain reaction was also used to determine the gene expression of the virulence genes (intercellular adhesion cluster [ica]-9, ica-15, and RNA III) against MRSA (ATCC 43300) after treatment with selected oils. RESULTS: Among the eight EOs evaluated, EO (D), (E), and (A) showed, in general, the greatest antimicrobial activity against MRSA. EO at 1/3 MIC has effectively down-regulated ica-9 and ica-15 of MRSA by 17.83 and 4.94 folds, respectively. Meanwhile, EO (A) has effectively down-regulated RNAIII by 3.74 folds. Our results indicated that some of the EOs exhibit promising antimicrobial effects against MRSA isolates. Moreover, the results of the analyzed virulence genes related to the pathogenicity of MRSA were down-regulated at the sub-MIC concentrations of EOs, indicated that EOs could be successfully used to suppress the virulence factors and, consequently, decreased the pathogenicity of MRSA. CONCLUSION: These encouraging results indicate that some of the EOs used in this study can be utilized as a natural antibiotic for the treatment of MRSA disease.

Sulfamethazine contamination level and exposure assessment in domestic and imported poultry meats in Jordan.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Sulfamethazine (SMZ) is an important and widely used antibiotic in poultry industry due to its high efficacy in fighting diseases and promoting growth. In addition, SMZ is a possible human carcinogen and has been found in many food types including poultry meat. Accordingly, this study aimed to survey the contamination level and estimated daily intake (EDI) of SMZ in domestic and imported poultry meat samples in Jordan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 120 samples; 60, 30, and 30 of fresh and frozen domestic and frozen imported poultry samples, respectively, were collected from different cities in Jordan. Poultry samples were analyzed for SMZ incidence rate and contamination level using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. EDI values were calculated from the SMZ concentration, average poultry daily consumption rate, and adult body weight (b.w.). RESULTS: Of the 120 surveyed samples, 20 samples (16.7%) were SMZ violative positive and exceeded the European Union maximum limit (100 µg/kg) and accordingly were unfit for human consumption. Whereas, 51 samples (42.5%) were with SMZ concentrations of 10-100 µg/kg. The average SMZ concentration was 235.58 µg/kg, with a range of 11.47-800 µg/kg poultry meat. It is also noteworthy the high EDI of SMZ by Jordanian adults, 0.286 µg SMZ/kg b.w./day. Moreover, results prevailed that the highest SMZ incidence rate and contamination level were for imported poultry samples followed by domestic poultry samples, which may indicate that SMZ contamination in poultry meat is an international issue. CONCLUSION: The current study prevailed high SMZ incidence rate, contamination level, and EDI values, which is likely due to indiscriminate use of SMZ in poultry production. Results also prevailed the high risk that consumers in Jordan may expose due to SMZ residues. Therefore, more strict program and good agricultural practices should be applied to monitor antibiotic withdrawal periods in animals used for human consumption to ensure the legal residue requirements of these antibiotics.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 association with a Mannheimia haemolytica infection in sheep.

This study was aimed at mapping the tissue distribution of some inflammatory parameters associated with a Mannheimia haemolytica (M. haemolytica) infection in sheep. The M. haemolytica was isolated and characterized from the affected lungs of slaughtered animals. Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-10, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, as well as the acute-phase protein, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), were identified in the lung tissues, the serum, and the lymph nodes of M. haemolytica infected sheep, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). NGAL and IGF-1 pointed to an innate immune response, and epithelial cell repairing, respectively. The adaptive immune response was identified through the type of cytokines present in the affected sheep, as TNF-α represents the pro-inflammatory cytokines, and IL-10 represents the anti-inflammatory cytokines. M. haemolytica isolates were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequences. There was a significant difference in the concentrations of NGAL, IGF-1, TNF-α, and IL-10, as observed in the affected sheep when compared to the healthy sheep. This study, for the first time, closely describes the distribution of some key and new inflammatory parameters in the tissue homogenate of affected lungs.

Distribution and characterization of the Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin (STa) receptor throughout the intestinal tract of newborn camels (Camelus dromedaries).

Heat-stable enterotoxin (STa) secretion from Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is crucial for the pathogenesis of diarrhea in both animal and human. The goal of this study was to investigate the distribution of the STa-specific receptors in the newborn camel's enterocytes and brush border membrane vesicles (BBMVs). Flow cytometric analysis was used to investigate the density of STa-receptors on enterocytes and BBMVs prepared from anterior jejunum, posterior jejunum, ileum, and colon. Strong density and affinity of STa-receptors was present on enterocytes and BBMVs of the ileum compared to that in the other intestinal segments. It was concluded that the ileum is the major target for STa action in newborn camels.

Clinical and histopathological evaluation of MDP/collagen induced arthritis rat model (MCIA) after treatment with Urtica dioica, plantago major and Hypericum perforatum L herbal mixture.

This study was done to assess the effects of Urtica dioica, Plantago major and Hypericum perforatum L herbal mixture in the MCIA rat model. In addition, a new pathological and clinical arthritis lesion assessment was developed. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were immunized with bovine type II collagen and muramyl dipeptide (MDP). Commercial herbal extracts were administered daily to the rats after the immunization for the course of experiment (90 days). Rats were boosted with a second collagen-MDP emulsion 60 days after the first immunization. Paws were daily evaluated macroscopically for redness, swelling, distortion, or ankylosis of the joints. On the day of sacrifice, rat paws were assessed for histopathologic changes. Herbal mixture administration decreased the clinical lesion manifestation in the MCIA rat model and led to development of similar or slightly more severe histopathological lesions compared to rats that did not receive the treatment. The clinical arthritis signs appeared as early as 13 days after the first MDP/collagen injection and with peak incidence at 20 days post-immunization. Histopathologically, animals showed changes ranging from mild to very severe. Administration of the herbal mixture used in this study had a clinical therapeutic effect on the course of the clinical manifestations in the MCIA model, but the herbal treatment had no such effect on the histopathological lesion development and even led to slightly more severe lesions. Rats in the MCIA model developed prominent clinical and histopathological changes that were comparable to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) lesions in humans.