Intestinal health of broilers challenged with Eimeria spp. using functional oil blends in two physical forms with or without anticoccidials.

This study aimed to assess the impact of a commercial blend of functional oils, specifically cashew nutshell liquid and castor oil (FO), in two physical forms (solid: P; liquid: S), in comparison to a combination of virginiamycin and anticoccidials on the gut health of broilers challenged with coccidiosis. A total of 1760 1-day-old male chicks were randomly distributed in a study design with eight treatments. The treatments included: a control group (without additive), OFS_0.75_kg/t (FO spray), OFP_1.0_kg/t (FO powder), OFP_1.5_kg/t (FO liquid spray), Sal (anticoccidials), Sal_Vir (virginiamycin and anticoccidials), Sal_OFS_0.5_ kg/t (anticoccidials plus FO spray), and Sal_OFP_1.0_kg/t (anticoccidials plus FO powder). All birds were challenged with Eimeria spp. at 14 days. The physical form of FO did not affect performance and intestinal health parameters. At 42 days, broilers from the control and OFS_0.75 treatments were the lightest, while those from the Sal_Vir and Sal_OFP_1.0 treatments were the heaviest (P < 0.05). FO reduced the presence of Clostridium perfringens. The individual phytogenic additives did not prevent weight loss in birds challenged with Eimeria, but they mitigated the effects of the infection by modulating the intestinal microbiota. A synergistic effect was observed between the FO and anticoccidials, yielding satisfactory results in substituting virginiamycin.

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of antibiotic resistance of Salmonella Heidelberg in the south of Brazil.

Salmonella is the main human pathogen present in the poultry chain. Salmonella Heidelberg is one of the most important serovars for public health since it has been frequently isolated in broiler chickens from different countries and may present multidrug resistance (MDR). This study was carried out with 130 S. Heidelberg isolates collected from pre-slaughter broiler farms in 2019 and 2020 in 18 cities from three Brazilian states to study relevant aspects regarding their genotypic and phenotypic resistance. The isolates were tested and identified using somatic and flagellar antiserum (0:4, H:2, and H:r), and an antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) was performed against 11 antibiotics for veterinary use. The strains were typed by Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus (ERIC)-PCR, and representatives of the main clusters of the identified profiles were sequenced by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). AST results showed that all isolates were resistant to sulfonamide, 54 % (70/130) were resistant to amoxicillin, and only one was sensitive to tetracycline. Twelve isolates (15.4 %) were MDR. The dendrogram obtained from the ERIC-PCR showed that the strains were grouped into 27 clusters with similarity above 90 %, with some isolates showing 100 % similarity but with different phenotypic profiles of antimicrobial resistance. Identical strains collected on the same farm on other dates were identified, indicating that they were residents. WGS identified 66 antibiotic-resistance genes. The sul2 (present in all sequenced samples) and tet(A) genes were highlighted and validated in the experimental analysis. The fosA7 gene was also identified in all sequenced samples, but resistance was not observed in the phenotypic test, possibly due to the heteroresistance of the S. Heidelberg strains evaluated. Considering that chicken meat is one of the most consumed meats in the world, the data obtained in the present study can corroborate the mapping of the origin and trends of antimicrobial resistance.

Emergence of Two Distinct SARS-CoV-2 Gamma Variants and the Rapid Spread of P.1-like-II SARS-CoV-2 during the Second Wave of COVID-19 in Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil.

The western mesoregion of the state of Santa Catarina (SC), Southern Brazil, was heavily affected as a whole by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2021. This study aimed to evaluate the dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreading patterns in the SC state from March 2020 to April 2021 using genomic surveillance. During this period, there were 23 distinct variants, including Beta and Gamma, among which the Gamma and related lineages were predominant in the second pandemic wave within SC. A regionalization of P.1-like-II in the Western SC region was observed, concomitant to the increase in cases, mortality, and the case fatality rate (CFR) index. This is the first evidence of the regionalization of the SARS-CoV-2 transmission in SC and it highlights the importance of tracking the variants, dispersion, and impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the public health systems.