Feed presentation options in Swine early fattening mitigates Salmonella shedding and specifically modulates the faecal microbiota.

AIMS: The object of this study was to determine the impact of only modifying the processing and/or particle size of pig feed on Salmonella shedding and faecal microbiota. METHODS AND RESULTS: Pigs were fed a diet that varied only by their processing (pellet or mash) and their particle size (500, 750 or 1250 µm) for 21 days. Salmonella detection in faeces and seroconversion were determined. Faecal microbiota was assessed by Ion Torrent amplicon sequencing and real-time PCR. Significantly fewer pigs (P < 0·05) shed Salmonella in the groups fed mash 500 (1) and mash or pellet 1250 (5 each) compared to the commercial reference group (15) fed pellet 500. Both mash processing and large particle size raised the proportion and number of bacteria from the Bifidobacterium genus in the faecal microbiota of the pigs. Thirteen other taxa significantly varied (P < 0·0005) with feed presentation. CONCLUSION: Mash processing and/or large particle size in pig feed reduces Salmonella shedding prevalence and promotes beneficial populations of digestive microbiota. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study is the first to demonstrate a difference in Salmonella shedding through only modifying pig feed presentation and is the first to extensively describe modifications of faecal microbiota.

Impact of mash feeding versus pellets on propionic/butyric acid levels and on total load in the gastrointestinal tract of growing pigs.

Feed characteristics may influence the bacterial community composition and metabolic activities in the pig gastrointestinal tract, known to be associated with positive effects on the gut. Use of mash feed is associated with reduced excretion, but little is known of its effect on the population or of the mechanism of action. Our objectives were to assess the effect of feed texture combined with feed particle size on VFA profiles and levels, total count, and the presence of genes encoding virulence factors of pathogenic strains in the digestive tract along with their impact on pig performance of fattening pigs. Pigs ( = 840) on a commercial farm received mash or pellet diets of different particle sizes during the fattening period. Caecal and colon contents from 164 pigs were sampled at the slaughterhouse for enumeration of by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and for VFA quantification by capillary gas chromatography. The gene was used to enumerate total . Improved pig performances associated with pellet texture and a 500-µm size were observed. Caecal ( = 0.02) and colon ( < 0.01) propionic acid concentrations were lower for pigs receiving pellet rather than mash feed. Similarly, caecal ( = 0.01) and colon ( < 0.001) butyric acid concentrations were also lower for pigs receiving pellet rather than mash feed, as determined by capillary gas chromatography. Moreover, caecal ( = 0.03) and colon ( < 0.001) butyric acid concentrations were higher for pigs receiving a feed with a 1,250-µm particle size rather than a 500-µm particle size. On the other hand, total caecal and colon levels were higher for pigs receiving pellet feed than for those receiving mash feed. For total enumeration, caecal ( < 0.01) and colon ( < 0.01) gene copies were higher for pigs receiving pellet rather than mash feed. No effect of particle size on fatty acid concentrations or on numbers was observed. Virulence gene quantification revealed no trend. Taken together, results showed that mash feed is associated with lower growth performance but with favorable intestinal changes linked to VFA levels and reduction in the intestine.

Release of intact, monomeric cytochrome c from apoptotic and necrotic cells.

Cytochrome c (Cyt c) has been shown to translocate from mitochondria to the cytoplasm of cells early in apoptosis. In this study sandwich ELISAs for Cyt c were used to determine if Cyt c is ultimately released from apoptotic and necrotic cells. Gel-filtration and cation-exchange chromatographies, in conjunction with immunoreactivity in ELISA, and Western blotting were employed to examine the integrity of the released Cyt c. The results show that Cyt c is released from both apoptotic and necrotic cells in an intact, monomeric form. The release of Cyt c from apoptotic splenocytes began within 2 h following apoptotic insult, while Cyt c was immediately released following induction of necrosis by heat shock. These findings may be relevant to understanding how Cyt c becomes a target for antibody production in some patients with systemic autoimmune diseases.

Psychiatric status of adolescents who had extreme temperaments at age 7.

Two temperamentally extreme (extremely easy and extremely difficult) subgroups of children were selected at the age of 7 years from a large random sample of the general population of Quebec City. The clinical status, family functioning, IQ, and academic performance of these children were reassessed at 12 and 16 years of age. Findings suggest that extreme temperament at age 7 predicts psychiatric status in preadolescence and adolescence only when family functioning is also taken into account. The adolescents who had been temperamentally difficult children and who were living in families with dysfunctional behavior control displayed more clinical disorders.

Value of difficult temperament among 7-year-olds in the general population for predicting psychiatric diagnosis at age 12.

The authors assessed the predictive value of "difficult" temperament, as defined in the New York Longitudinal Study, in 12-year-old children from the general population of Quebec City whose temperaments had been determined to be difficult or easy at age 7. The difficult and easy temperament groups were balanced for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. The authors used many convergent measuring devices and were blind to the temperament scores of the children at age 7. Temperamentally difficult children had more clinical disorders at age 12 that qualified for a DSM-III diagnosis. An association with family dysfunction in terms of behavior control seemed to increase this risk: there was a lower rate of clinical disorders among children in superior functioning families than among those in dysfunctional families.