Fecal microbiome associated with egg production efficiency in laying hens.

Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGFs) and IGF-binding protein act as intra-ovarian regulators that modulate the proliferation and differentiation of the granulosa and theca cells. Moreover, the IGF system is involved in metabolism by modulating the synthesis and degradation of glycogen and protein in animals. However the effect of the IGF system on egg productivity or body growth in KNOC has not been studied in depth. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate differences of serum IGFs and binding protein expressions between two groups showing high and low egg production or body weight and to elucidate the relationship of IGFs with egg productivity and body growth. KNOCs were divided into high and low groups depending on their egg productivity or body growth, and sera were collected every 10 wk from 20 till 60 wk. Serum IGF-I and -II concentration were measured by RIA using human and mouse antiserum and chicken standards. IGFBP was detected by Western ligand blotting. IGF-I concentrations were significantly greater in the high egg production group compared with those in the low egg production group (30 wk, p<0.01; 20 and 40 wk, p<0.05). Also, differences in IGF-II amounts between the two groups were detected at 60 wk (p<0.05). But IGFBPs in the low egg production group were more intense than that in the high egg production group through the egg laying period. The correlation between IGF-I concentration and number of egg production is significantly positive (20 wk, r=0.2729: p<0.05; 40 wk, r=0.3500: p<0.01), while IGF-II shows no correlation with egg productivity. In male KNOC, IGF-I and -II concentrations in the high body weight group are lower than that in the low body weight group. Body weight also shows a negative correlation with the serum IGF-II concentration in male chickens (20 wk, r=-0.5901: p<0.01). Consequently, we suggest that IGFs and binding protein are (in)directly involved in the egg productivity and body growth in KNOC. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2003. Vol 16, No. 4 : 481-488)

Omnivory in the calanoid copepod Temora longicornis: feeding, egg production and egg hatching rates

Egg and faecal pellet production rates, and their functional response to food and temperature, were measured for the Antarctic copepod Metridia gerlachei during January 1996. The study area comprised the Gerlache and Bransfield Straits and Drake Passage. The highest rates of “in situ” egg and faecal pellet production were observed in Gerlache stations, coinciding with chlorophyll a concentrations approaching food saturation levels. In the Bransfield and Drake stations, with very low chlorophyll concentrations, the rates of egg production were either very low, or no eggs were produced. Egg production rates, although well correlated with “in situ” chlorophyll values, appeared to be independent of food concentration on a short time-scale (24-h incubations), while the production of faecal pellets was closely related to food abundance in the same experiments. In general, the rates of egg production were low, even at food saturation, with a very high individual variability. Although in the majority of Gerlache stations about 50% of total chlorophyll a corresponded to the phytoplankton size-fraction >10 μm, M. gerlachei feeds preferentially on the <10-μm fraction. Temperature had no clear effects on egg production rate but had a significant effect on pellet production rates, with maximum values at 2.5°C. These features appear to agree with the reproductive strategy attributed to the species, based on a relatively low rate of egg production extended over a long reproductive period.

Many suspension-feeding copepods show omnivorous feeding behavior. However, the relative contribution to egg production of herbivorous and heterotrophic feeding in copepods remains an open question. In this study, we quantified pigment ingestion rates and egg production rates of the planktonic calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa from July to November of 1986 in Long Island Sound, a large temperate estuary. Pigment ingestion and egg production rates were better correlated to the > 10-µm chlorophyll size fraction than total chlorophyll. Maximum pigment ingestion and egg production rates were observed during the fall bloom in September. Pigment ingestion and egg production rates were linearly related. However, pigment ingestion rates accounted for only 48% of the variance in egg production rates. If female A. tonsa had fed entirely as herbivores over the course of the season, the observed gross efficiency of egg production, K'1 = egg production rate/pigment ingestion rate, in terms of nitrogen, would have been 0.68. This growth efficiency is considerably higher than the expected value, K 1 = 0.38, for this species based on laboratory studies of herbivorous feeding. We suggest that the ratio H = K 1/K' 1 is a measure of the fraction of egg production that is due to herbivorous feeding. Thus, we infer that herbivory accounted for 56% (0.38/0.68) of egg production in A. tonsa in this study. The ratio H is an useful tool in examining the relative contribution to egg production of herbivorous and heterotrophic feeding in copepods.

Effect of diet on the coupling of ingestion and egg production in the ubiquitous copepod, Acartia tonsa

Prorocentrum minimum(clone Exuv) is nutritionally insufficient, but not toxic to the copepod Acartia tonsa

We measured ingestion rate (IR), egg production rate (EPR) and egg hatching success (EHS) at increasing prey concentrations and calculated egg production efficiency (EPE) and maintenance rate (MR) in the estuarine copepod Acartia tonsa fed three different algal diets. EPR and EHS were relatively more affected by prey species than by prey concentration. EPEs were constant among carbon concentrations (C) on a diet of Rhodomonas baltica (0.202 ± 0.055, mean ± SD) and Dunaliella tertiolecta (0.034 ± 0.015), but decreased significantly from 0.371 ± 0.062 (mean of two lowest prey concentrations) to 0.200 ± 0.019 at the highest concentration of Thalassiosira weissflogii. In general it seems that other requirements than C demand limit EPE and EHS in A. tonsa. The MR (IR when EPR = 0) was significantly higher on D. tertiolecta, which also yielded the lowest EPEs, and it seems that variations in maintenance requirements may have been instrumental in evoking EPE variations as well.

Measurements of hydrography, water transparency, chlorophyll (Chl)<it>a</it> and egg production rates (EPRs) by females of<it>Calanus marshallae</it> Frost, <it>Calanus pacificus</it> Brodsky, <it>Eucalanus californicus</it> Johnson, <it>Epilabidocera longipedata</it> Sato,<it>Pseudocalanus mimus</it> Frost, <it>Centropages abdominalis</it> Sato, <it>Acartia longiremis</it> Lilljerborg and <it>Paracalanus parvus</it> (Claus) were estimated at weekly intervals between 17 July and 2 September 1997. Production of eggs was determined in 24 h incubations to examine the effects of environmental variability on EPR, to detect the possibility of food limitation of EPR, and to evaluate the hypothesis that growth rates of females are size dependent. During the study, an anomalous downwelling event occurred, possibly in response to the 1997 El Ni&ntilde;o, which allowed us to determine how El Ni&ntilde;o events affect EPRs of coastal copepods. The larger copepods <it>Calanus marshallae, Calanus pacificus</it> and <it>Centropages abdominalis</it> showed the highest egg production and specific growth rates during the period of active upwelling (18 July-13 August, water temperatures 8-13<IMG SRC="/math/deg.gif">C, Chl <it>a</it> concentration 4.7-16.2 <IMG SRC="/math/mu.gif"> l^-1 and water transparency 3-5 m). After 27 August, the 1997-98 El Ni&ntilde;o arrived off Oregon, creating a downwelling situation. Upwelling winds ceased, the thermocline intensified, temperature and transparency increased (to &gt;18&deg;C and 16 m), and Chl<it>a</it> declined to &lt;2 &mgr;g l^-1. Densities of the common coastal species declined greatly as well. <it>Paracalanus parvus</it> became the dominant species, and <it>Eucalanus californicus, Epilabidocera longipedata</it> and <it>Corycaeus anglicus</it> became common in our samples. EPRs for the larger boreal copepods (<it>Calanus</it> and <it>Centropages</it>) declined greatly during El Ni&ntilde;o;; the smaller copepods,<it>Pseudocalanus mimus, A.longiremis</it> and<it>Paracalanus parvus</it>, showed low but relatively constant egg production and specific growth rates during both upwelling and downwelling events. Over the entire study period, only three species produced eggs at its maximum rate (24-28 eggs female^-1 day^-1),<it>Pseudocalanus mimus</it> which averaged 4 eggs day^-1. All other species had EPRs that were two or five times below their maximum EPR. Thus, EPRs were not related to body size, contrary to our expectations. Hatching success was variable among species. Values as low as 20-40% were found for all species at least once during the study period, suggesting that occasionally a substantial portion of egg production may not be viable.

ObjectiveRecent evidence points to the gut microbiome’s involvement in postoperative outcomes, including after gastrectomy. Here, we investigated the influence of gastrectomy for gastric cancer on the gut microbiome and metabolome,...

BackgroundChangshun green-shell laying hens are unique to Guizhou Province, China, and have high egg quality. Improving egg production performance has become an important breeding task, and in recent years, the development of high-throughput sequencing technology provides a fast and exact method for genetic selection. Therefore, we aimed to use this technology to analyze the differences between the ovarian mRNA transcriptome of low and high-yield Changshun green-shell layer hens, identify critical pathways and candidate genes involved in controlling the egg production rate, and provide basic data for layer breeding.ResultsThe egg production rates of the low egg production group (LP) and the high egg production group (HP) were 68.00 ± 5.56 % and 93.67 ± 7.09 %, with significant differences between the groups (p < 0.01). Moreover, the egg weight, shell thickness, strength and layer weight of the LP were significantly greater than those of the HP (p < 0.05). More than 41 million clean reads per sample were obtained, and more than 90 % of the clean reads were mapped to the Gallus gallus genome. Further analysis identified 142 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and among them, 55 were upregulated and 87 were downregulated in the ovaries. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis identified 9 significantly enriched pathways, with the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway being the most enriched. GO enrichment analysis indicated that the GO term transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase activity, and the DEGs identified in this GO term, including PRLR, NRP1, IL15, BANK1, NTRK1, CCK, and HGF may be associated with crucial roles in the regulation of egg production.ConclusionsThe above-mentioned DEGs may be relevant for the molecular breeding of Changshun green-shell laying hens. Moreover, enrichment analysis indicated that the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway and receptor protein tyrosine kinases may play crucial roles in the regulation of ovarian function and egg production.

Simple SummaryLow-pressure systems frequently occur during the summer in coastal areas and can be detrimental to commercial poultry houses. The effects of air temperature and humidity vary across different periods. Throughout the generation of low-pressure systems, landfall, and disappearance, air temperature and humidity changes can interfere with the housing environment. However, farmers often overlook the impact of low-pressure systems on large-scale poultry houses, which may impair the production of laying hens. This study investigated the effects of the different low-pressure systems on the housing environment and egg production in large-scale poultry houses in China. The results indicated that a single low-pressure system reduced the laying performance, whereas a sustained low-pressure system mitigated the impact on egg production. This study aimed to determine the effect of low-pressure systems on the environment and the laying performance of large-scale poultry houses during the summer and to provide a basis for farmers to adjust their environmental control strategies under extreme weather conditions.Low-pressure systems (LPSs) are among the most critical weather systems, producing excessive precipitation that causes air temperatures to drop and rise considerably. Acute temperature changes directly affect poultry feed intake (FI) and laying performance. To explore the effects of LPSs on hens, the parameters of air temperature, relative humidity, egg production, and feed utilization efficiency were evaluated during different LPSs in three houses. Results indicated that about 2.8 ± 0.7 d, 2.4 ± 0.5 d, and 2.4 ± 0.5 d before the LPS landfall in houses 1, 2, and 3, respectively, the indoor air temperature started to decrease, with the average decreases being 1.7 °C ± 0.4 °C, 2.4 °C ± 0.6 °C, and 1.8 °C ± 0.4 °C, respectively. Significant differences were observed between different LPSs for reducing indoor air temperature (p < 0.05) in the three houses. In house 1, the egg production rates (EPRs) were decreased by 6.6% and 1.1% when LPSs 1 and 2 landed. The average egg weight (AEW) and FI during the LPS landfall were significantly higher than those before the LPS landfall (p < 0.01). Under successive LPSs landfall in the three houses, the EPRs initially reduced by 3.9%, 4.0%, and 0.5%, respectively, but the second LPS event increased the EPRs by 1.8%, 5.3%, and 1.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the LPS landfall increased the feed conversion ratio (FCRe) in the three houses, all above 2.00. In conclusion, LPSs can reduce heat stress, lower the EPRs, and lead to higher FI, FCRe, and AEW.

To investigate the effect of Eimeria tenella (E. tenella) infection on the cecal microbiota, resistant and susceptible families were screened out based on the coccidiosis resistance evaluation indexes after E. tenella infection. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of cecal microorganisms among control, resistant, and susceptible groups as well as between different periods following the E. tenella challenge was conducted using metagenomic sequencing technology. The results showed that the abundance of opportunistic pathogens, such as Pantoea, Sporomusa, and Pasteurella in the susceptible group and Helicobacter and Sutterella in the resistant group, was significantly higher on day 27 post-inoculation (PI) (the recovery period) than on day 5 PI (the infection period). Additionally, the abundance of Alistipes, Butyricicoccus, and Eubacterium in the susceptible group and Coprococcus, Roseburia, Butyricicoccus, and Lactobacillus in the resistant group showed a significant upward trend during the infection period compared with that in the recovery period. On day 5 PI, the abundance of Faecalibacterium and Lactobacillus was decreased in both the resistant and susceptible groups when compared with that in the control group and was greater in the resistant group than in the susceptible group, while Alistipes in the susceptible group had a relatively higher abundance than that in other groups. A total of 49 biomarker taxa were identified using the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) method. Of these, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus aviarius, Lactobacillus salivarius, Roseburia, and Ruminococcus gauvreauii was increased in the resistant group, while Bacteroides_sp__AGMB03916, Fusobacterium_mortiferum, Alistipes_sp__An31A, and Alistipes_sp__Marseille_P5061 were enriched in the susceptible group. On day 27 PI, LDA scores identified 43 biomarkers, among which the relative abundance of Elusimicrobium_sp__An273 and Desulfovibrio_sp__An276 was increased in the resistant group, while that of Bacteroides_sp__43_108, Chlamydiia, Chlamydiales, and Sutterella_sp__AM11 39 was augmented in the susceptible group. Our results indicated that E. tenella infection affects the structure of the cecal microbiota during both the challenge and recovery periods. These findings will enhance the understanding of the effects of changes in the cecal microbiota on chickens after coccidia infection and provide a reference for further research on the mechanisms underlying how the intestinal microbiota influence the growth and health of chickens.

The high mortality of neonatal piglets due to porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection has caused huge economic losses to the pig industry. The intestinal microbiota is an important barrier against invaders entering the gastrointestinal route. In this study, we examined the differences between intestinal microbiota of PEDV-infected and healthy piglets. According to the viral copy numbers, 16 crossbred (Landrace-Yorkshire) piglets were divided into three groups: uninfected, low virus load, and high virus load groups. Next, 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to determine the microbiota composition in jejunal content and jejunal mucosal samples from the three groups. PEDV infection induced an imbalance in the microbiota of both jejunal content and jejunal mucosa. The abundance of phylum Firmicutes was higher in uninfected piglets than in infected piglets, whereas the abundance of Proteobacteria was lower in uninfected piglets. Principal coordinate analysis showed significant separation of jejunal microbiota between different groups. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) identified Lactobacillus salivarius as a potential biomarker among three groups at the level of species. Then, in vitro, L. salivarius was able to suppress the infection of PEDV to IPEC-J2 cells and decreased the expression of GRP78 (Glucose-regulating protein 78). In addition, we detected the mRNA expression of genes involved in the FAK/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. When IPEC-J2 cells were treated with L. salivarius before PEDV infection, the mRNA expression levels of ITGA1, ITGA5, ITGB5, FAK, PIK3R1, PIK3CA and AKT1 were significantly higher than those in the control cells (without treatment) at different times post-infection, indicating that L. salivarius may upregulate the FAK/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in IPEC-J2 cells to resist PEDV infection. In summary, PEDV infection altered microbial communities in both jejunal content and jejunal mucosa. L. salivarius has a protective effect against PEDV infection in IPEC-J2 cells. This study provides a potentially effective strategy to prevent the occurrence and control the spread of PED in the pig production.

Egg production and development rates of Centropages typicus (Kroyer) were studied in the laboratory under carying food and temperature conditions. Egg production rates in the laboratory ranged from 0 to 124 eggs female-1 d-1 and increased with food concentration up to a critical food concentration (Pc) above which egg production was constant. Egg production rates were influenced by temperature, with more eggs being produced at 15°C than at 10°C. Thalassiosira weisflogii and Prorocentrum micans were determined to be equally capable of supporting egg production at concentrations above Pc at 15°C. Rate of egg production was independent of adult female size when food and temperature were constant. Egg production rates of freshly captured females ranged from 0 to 188 eggs female-1 d-1 and were higher in April and May than in June or July. Hatching rates of eggs increased with increased temperature; 95% of the eggs at 15°C hatched within 48 h, while only 8% of the eggs at 10°C hatched within 48 h. Development rates, determined at 10°C in excess concentrations of T. weisflogii, were 23.0 d from egg release to copepodid state I, 27.0 d to stage II, 29.5 d to stage III, 32.2 d to stage IV, 38.5 d to stage V and 49 d to adulthood based on the average time required for 50% of the organisms in an experiment to attain a given stage. Adult males were usually observed 2 to 4 d before adult females, and therefore have a slightly faster rate of development. The effects of temperature, food type and food concentration on egg production and the seasonal appearances of diatoms in the New York Bight may account for the observed seasonal cycles in abundance of C. typicus in these coastal waters.

Recent studies have revealed that microbes play an important role in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases in various animal species, but only limited data is available about the microbiome in cats with GI disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fecal microbiome in cats with diarrhea. Fecal samples were obtained from healthy cats (n = 21) and cats with acute (n = 19) or chronic diarrhea (n = 29) and analyzed by sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, and PICRUSt was used to predict the functional gene content of the microbiome. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) revealed significant differences in bacterial groups between healthy cats and cats with diarrhea. The order Burkholderiales, the families Enterobacteriaceae, and the genera Streptococcus and Collinsella were significantly increased in diarrheic cats. In contrast the order Campylobacterales, the family Bacteroidaceae, and the genera Megamonas, Helicobacter, and Roseburia were significantly increased in healthy cats. Phylum Bacteroidetes was significantly decreased in cats with chronic diarrhea (>21 days duration), while the class Erysipelotrichi and the genus Lactobacillus were significantly decreased in cats with acute diarrhea. The observed changes in bacterial groups were accompanied by significant differences in functional gene contents: metabolism of fatty acids, biosynthesis of glycosphingolipids, metabolism of biotin, metabolism of tryptophan, and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, were all significantly (p<0.001) altered in cats with diarrhea. In conclusion, significant differences in the fecal microbiomes between healthy cats and cats with diarrhea were identified. This dysbiosis was accompanied by changes in bacterial functional gene categories. Future studies are warranted to evaluate if these microbial changes correlate with changes in fecal concentrations of microbial metabolites in cats with diarrhea for the identification of potential diagnostic or therapeutic targets.