Development of an Antigen Capture Lateral Flow Immunoassay for the Detection of Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Early diagnosis is essential for the successful management of Burkholderia pseudomallei infection, but it cannot be achieved by the current gold standard culture technique. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) targeting B. pseudomallei capsular polysaccharide. The development was performed by varying nitrocellulose membrane reaction pads and chase buffers. The prototype LFIA is composed of Unisart CN95 and chase buffer containing tris-base, casein, and Surfactant 10G. The assay showed no cross-reactivity with E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and P. acne. The limit of detections (LODs) of the prototype LFIA was 107 and 106 CFU/mL B. pseudomallei in hemoculture medium and artificial urine, respectively. These LODs suggest that this prototype can detect melioidosis from positive hemoculture bottles but not straight from urine. Additionally, these LODs are still inferior compared to Active Melioidosis Detect (AMDTM). Overall, this prototype holds the potential to be used clinically with hemoculture bottles. However, further improvements should be considered, especially for use with urine samples.

Multi-locus sequence analysis of Anaplasma bovis in goats and ticks from Thailand, with the initial identification of an uncultured Anaplasma species closely related to Anaplasma phagocytophilum-like 1.

Ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TTBP) pose a serious threat to animal and human health globally. Anaplasma bovis, an obligatory intracellular bacterium, is one of the more recent species of the Family Anaplasmaceae to be formally described. Owing to its diminutive size, microscopic detection presents a formidable challenge, leading to it being overlooked in laboratory settings lacking advanced equipment or resources, as observed in various regions, including Thailand. This study aimed to undertake a genetic analysis of A. bovis and determine its prevalence in goats and ticks utilizing three genetic markers (16S rRNA, gltA, groEL). A total of 601 goat blood and 118 tick samples were collected from 12 sampling sites throughout Thailand. Two tick species, Haemaphysalis bispinosa (n = 109), and Rhipicephalus microplus (n = 9) were identified. The results herein showed that 13.8 % (83/601) of goats at several farms and 5 % (1/20) of ticks were infected with A. bovis. Among infected ticks, A. bovis and an uncultured Anaplasma sp. which are closely related to A. phagocytophilum-like 1, were detected in each of H. bispinosa ticks. The remaining R. microplus ticks tested positive for the Anaplasma genus. A nucleotide sequence type network showed that A. bovis originated from Nan and Narathiwat were positioned within the same cluster and closely related to China isolates. This observation suggests the potential dispersal of A. bovis over considerable distances, likely facilitated by activities such as live animal trade or the transportation of infected ticks via migratory birds. The authors believe that the findings from this study will provide valuable information about TTBP in animals.

Effects of water-soluble curcuminoid-rich extract in a solid dispersion form (CRE-SD) on the sperm characteristics, longevity and casein kinase II catalytic subunit alpha protein stability in chilled goat semen.

The present study evaluated the effects of water-soluble curcuminoid-rich extract in a solid dispersion form (CRE-SD) on goat sperm qualities and sperm protein CSNK2A2 expression during liquid storage. Semen was collected from five fertile goats, using an artificial vagina. Ejaculates with a motility above 70% were cooled to 4 °C using TRIS-citric acid-fructose diluent with 10% egg yolk containing various concentrations of CRE-SD (0, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 µg/mL). Chilled sperm were evaluated for sperm characteristics, casein kinase II catalytic subunit alpha (CSNK2A2) protein level and oxidative status up to 15 days. After 12 days of preservation, sperm motility, viability, acrosomal integrity and mitochondrial activity were significantly higher in the group preserved with 10 µg/mL CRE-SD as compared with the control group. Supplementation of CRE-SD at this concentration was also able to conserve the CSNK2A2 a significantly higher than that in control group until 9 days of cold storage, possibly by reducing oxidative stress. The molecular mass of the sperm CSNK2A2 protein detected in this study was 37 kDa; it was mostly located in the post-acrosomal region, midpiece and flagellum. These results demonstrate the possibility to use the CRE-SD as a natural antioxidant during liquid semen storage in goats.

Improving the quality of barbecued culled-dairy-goat meat by marination with plant juices and sodium bicarbonate.

Meat from dairy goats is less tender than that from meat goats since generally they are of an older age when culled. The objective of this study was to improve the quality of barbecued culled-dairy-goat by using juices (ginger and pineapple) and sodium bicarbonate (SB). The optimum time (30, 60, 90 min) for marinating the goat meat with ginger and pineapple juices was evaluated. Then, the optimum levels of SB (0, 1, 3, 5%) and the optimum marinating procedure for the application of SB was studied. The results showed that the ginger-marinated samples had a lower cooking loss than the pineapple-marinated samples. The optimum time for marinating the samples with plant juices was 60 min indicated by the lower hardness and chewiness as compared to those of the samples marinated with plant juices for 30 and 90 min. The cooking loss and L* values of the marinated samples significantly decreased with increasing concentrations of SB. The lowest hardness were observed in the samples marinated with pineapple juice containing 3% SB and ginger juice containing 5% SB. The samples marinated with pineapple juice for 60 min and then marinated with a barbecue sauce containing 3% SB for 60 min had a lower cooking loss and hardness as well as higher scores for all sensory attributes compared to the non-juice-marinated meat with SB and the ginger-marinated meat. The results indicate that pineapple juice and SB (3%) can improve the quality of culled dairy-goat-meat, and in particular its texture.

Carcass Characteristics and Meat Quality of Betong Chicken Fed with Diets Supplemented with Crude Glycerin.

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of crude glycerin inclusion in the diets of Betong chicken on the characteristics of their carcasses, internal organs, meat quality, lipid oxidation, and fatty acid profiles. One hundred 1-day-old chicks were raised for 8 weeks. Subsequently, the birds were sexed based on their morphological features, and weighed. Forty-eight male chickens, with comparable body weights, were randomly allotted to receive any of the three experimental diets, containing 0, 50 or 100 g crude glycerin/kg feed, on an as fed basis until they were 20 weeks old. A total of 24 chickens were slaughtered and their carcass characteristics and meat quality were studied. Results showed that carcass characteristics and internal organ parameters were not affected by crude glycerin supplementation (P>0.05). After chilling for 24 h, pH of the meat decreased in all groups (P>0.05), while shear force and cooking loss were not affected (P>0.05). Furthermore, crude glycerin did not affect the parameters such as crude protein, ether extract, ash, moisture and proportions of different fatty acid contents of meat of the Betong chicken (P>0.05). However, breast meat color and lipid oxidation were influenced by crude glycerin in diet (P<0.05). These results suggest that crude glycerin can be used at concentrations up to 10% in Betong chicken diet from 8 to 20 weeks of age. Nevertheless, its effect on breast meat color and lipid oxidation need to be considered.