Duck Intestine Research Articles

Echinostoma miyagawai Ishii, 1932 (Echinostomatidae) from Ducks in Aceh Province, Indonesia with Special Reference to Its Synonymy with Echinostoma robustum Yamaguti, 1935.

Adult echinostomes having 37 collar spines collected from the intestine of Pitalah ducks in Aceh Province, Indonesia in 2018 were morphologically and molecularly determined to be Echinostoma miyagawai Ishii, 1932 (Digenea: Echinostomatidae). Among 20 ducks examined, 7 (35.0%) were found to be infected with this echinostome, and the number of flukes collected was 48 in total with average 6.9 (1–17) worms per duck. The adult flukes were 7.2 (6.1–8.5) mm in length and 1.2 (1.0–1.4) mm in width (pre-ovarian or testicular level) and characterized by having a head collar armed with 37 collar spines (dorsal spines arranged in 2 alternating rows), including 5 end group spines, and variable morphology of the testes, irregularly or deeply lobed (3–5 lobes) at times with horizontal extension. The eggs within the worm uterus were 93 (79–105) μm long and 62 (56–70) μm wide. These morphological features were consistent with both E. miyagawai and Echinostoma robustum, for which synonymy to each other has been raised. Sequencing of 2 mitochondrial genes, cox1 and nad1, revealed high homology with E. miyagawai (98.6–100% for cox1 and 99.0–99.8% for nad1) and also with E. robustum (99.3–99.8% for nad1) deposited in GenBank. We accepted the synonymy between the 2 species and diagnosed our flukes as E. miyagawai (syn. E. robustum) with redescription of its morphology. Further studies are required to determine the biological characteristics of E. miyagawai in Aceh Province, Indonesia, including the intermediate host and larval stage information.

Мікроструктура підслизового нервового сплетення кишечника качок

There are presented the results of the experimental research of the histological structure of the submucosal nerve plexuses in the intestines of domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) of 9 age groups from diurnal to 1-year-old of the black White-Breasted breed. The definitions of topography, number, ganglia area, as well as density of neurons in them were determined on cross sections of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum and rectum. It is defined the nerve nodes and submucosal strands belonging to the enteric nervous system are located between the lamina muscularis mucosae and the inner layer of muscular tunic. In the cross section of the intestinal wall, the submucosal ganglia have the shape of narrow strips. In order to generalize the morphofunctional state of the nerve plexuses, there were determined two parameters: the average age indicator (AAI) of the intestine and intestine. AAI of a certain structure of each intestine was determined as the arithmetic mean of the values of its 9 age indicators. The AAI of a particular intestinal structure was determined as the arithmetic mean of the AAI quantities of the structure of all five intestines. The average number of submucosal ganglia did not increase with the age of the ducks, but changed with varying degrees of reliability in comparison with the previous age. In the intestines of diurnal to 1-day – 1-year-old ducks, the smallest number of submucosal ganglia was found in the cecum, and the largest was found in the rectum. The general pattern of the size dynamics of the submucosal ganglia in the intestines of ducks is an increase with age in their average area. There was found the smallest area of submucosal ganglia in the ileum in the group of ducks of different ages, and the largest was found in the duodenum and cecum. The lowest density of neurons in the submucosal ganglia is found in the cecum, the highest was found in the rectum. Changes in the morphometric parameters of the nerve plexuses ganglia in the intestines of ducks indicate the dynamic nature of changes in the morphofunctional state of the enteric nervous system.

The differences in intestinal growth and microorganisms between male and female ducks

There are great differences in physiological and biological functions between animals of different sexes. However, whether there is a consensus between sexes in duck intestinal development and microorganisms is still unknown. The current study used Nonghua ducks to estimate the effect of sex on the intestine by evaluating differences in intestinal growth indexes and microorganisms. The intestines of male and female ducks were sampled at 2, 5, and 10 wk from the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and cecum. Then, the intestinal length and weight were measured, the morphology was observed with HE staining, and the intestinal content was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that male ducks have shorter intestinal lengths with higher relative weights/relative lengths. The values of jejunal villus height (VH)/crypt depth (CD) of female ducks were significantly higher at 2 wk, whereas the jejunal VH/CD was significantly lower at 10 wk. There was obvious separation of microorganisms in each intestinal segment of ducks of different sexes at the 3 time periods. The dominant phyla at different stages were Firmicutea, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. The duodenal Chao index at the genus level of male ducks was significantly higher at 10 wk than that of female ducks. Significantly different genera were found only in the jejunum, and the abundances of Escherichia_Shigella, Pseudomonas, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Sphingomonas, and Desulfovibrio in male ducks were higher than those in female ducks, whereas the abundance of Rothia was lower, and the abundance of viral infectious diseases, lipid metabolism, metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides, parasitic infectious diseases, xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism, cardiovascular disease, and metabolism of other amino acids in male ducks were higher than that in female ducks, whereas gene folding, sorting and degradation pathways, and nucleotide metabolism were lower. This study provides a basic reference for the intestinal development and microbial symbiosis of ducks of different sexes.

Analysis of miRNAs and their target genes associated with mucosal damage caused by transport stress in the mallard duck intestine.

Bowel health is an important factor for duck rearing that has been linked to feed uptake and growth and death rates. Because the regulatory networks associated with acute stress-mediated injury in the duck gastrointestinal tract have not clearly elucidated, we aimed to explore potential miRNA-mRNA pairs and their regulatory roles in oxidative stress injury caused by transport stress. Here, 1-day-old mallard ducklings from the same breeder flock were collected and transported for 8 h, whereas the control group was not being transported. Various parameters reflecting oxidative stress and the tissue appearance of the intestine were assessed. The data showed that the plasma T-AOC and SOD concentrations were decreased in the transported ducklings. The intestine of the transported ducklings also displayed significant damage. High-throughput sequencing of the intestine revealed 44 differentially expressed miRNAs and 75 differentially expressed genes, which constituted 344 miRNA-mRNA pairs. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the metabolic, FoxO signaling, influenza A and TGF-β signaling pathways were mainly involved in the mechanism underlying the induction of intestinal damage induced by simulated transport stress in ducks. A miRNA-mRNA pair, miR-217-5p/CHRDL1, was selected to validate the miRNA-mRNA negative relationship, and the results showed that miR-217-5p could influence CHRDL1 expression. This study provides new useful information for future research on the regulatory network associated with mucosal damage in the duck intestine.

Infection of Salmonella sp. in Gastrointestinal Tract of Magelang Duck Reared Intensively and Semi-intensively

The digestive tract is the main health center of an animal. When the balance of microflora in the digestive tract is disturbed, it becomes susceptible to be infected with pathogenic bacteria. This research was conducted to examine the effect of intensive and semi-intensive type of maintenance on the amount of Salmonella sp. on the profile of the Magelang duck digestive tract. Total contamination of Salmonella sp. and the total bacteria in the Magelang duck intestine were tested according to SNI 2897-2008. This research is a step that can be used to help farmer deal with the problem of pathogenic bacterial infections in a pattern of maintenance that is suspected to have high Salmonella contamination. Based on research that has been done, it can be concluded that neither the maintenance of intensive or semi-intensive ducks does not indicate the presence of Salmonella sp. From the two maintenance systems, it is obtained that the semi-intensive maintenance of Magelang ducks shows the number of digestive tract microflora which is higher than intensive maintenance. Keywords : Magelang duck, Salmonella sp.

High-temperature exposure alters the community structure and functional features of the intestinal microbiota in Shaoxing ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

The gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem that contributes to host nutrition and health. However, our current knowledge of the relationship between ambient temperature and gut microbiota of poultry is still limited. The objective of the present study was to characterize the intestinal microbiota of ducks exposed to high ambient temperature. Sixty 60-day-old Shaoxing ducks were allocated to control and heat-treated groups. The ducks in the control group were kept at 25°C, and the ducks in the heat treatment group were raised at 30–40°C, which simulated the temperature change of day and night in summer. After 15 D, the intestinal contents of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were obtained from 6 ducks of each group. Genomic DNA was extracted and amplified based on the V4–V5 hypervariable region of 16S rRNA. The results showed that Firmicutes was the dominant bacterial phylum with the highest abundance in the contents of the small intestine of ducks, and the relative abundance of the phylum Firmicutes in all 3 intestinal segments was increased by high temperature. At the genus level, Lactobacillus was found to be the most dominant bacterial genus across 3 gut segments, and its abundance was increased in ducks under heat treatment. Compared with the corresponding intestine segment of control ducks, a total of 36 genera in the duodenum, 19 genera in the jejunum, and 6 genera in the ileum of heat-treated ducks were found to be significantly different in the abundance (linear discriminant analysis score >3.0, P < 0.05). Functional prediction of gut microbiota revealed that high temperature caused changes in the abundance of metabolism and transcription-related pathways. It is noteworthy that most of the altered pathways are related to metabolism. In conclusion, high temperature induced remarkable taxonomic changes in the gut microbiome of ducks, which might be related to the negative effects of high temperature in ducks. Our present study provided an important theoretical ground for high-temperature intervention.

TOTAL BAKTERI ASAM LAKTAT DAN COLIFORM USUS ITIK CIHATEUP YANG DIBERI PAKAN MENGANDUNG KOMBINASI TEPUNG KULIT MANGGIS DAN KUNYIT (Total Lactic Acid Bacteria and Coliform of Cihateup Ducks Intestine that Given Feed Containing the Combination of Mangosteen Peel and Turmeric Flour)

The number of beneficial microbial populations (lactic acid bacteria/LAB) and pathogens (coliform) in the digestive tract of ducks is one indicator of duck health status. Healthy ducks have a beneficial microbial population more than pathogenic bacteria. The addition of herbal ingredients such as mangosteen peel and turmeric flour is thought to improve the health of ducks by increasing the LAB population. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the combination of mangosteen peel flour and turmeric flour on the total lactic acid bacteria and coliform of small intestine and caecum of Cihateup duck. The study was conducted experimentally using 60 male Cihateup ducks grouped into 5 feed treatments which contains a combination of mangosteen peel and turmeric flour at different levels as follows: 0.5% (R1); 1.0% (R2); 1.5% (R3); 2.0% (R4); and 2.5% (R5), respectively. The variables studied were total lactic acid and coliform bacteria in the small intestine and caecum of Cihateup ducks. The results showed that the treatments of feed significantly (P&lt;0.05) affected the total lactic acid bacteria (except caecum) and coliform bacteria. The population of lactic acid bacteria tended to increase along with the increasing dose of combination treatment of mangosteen peel and turmeric flour. In contrast, the total population of coliform bacteria in the small intestine and caecum of ducks showed a tendency to decrease with increasing treatment doses. The use of a combination of mangosteen peel and turmeric flour at higher levels (2.0 – 2.5%) can increase the total LAB and decrease coliform bacteria in the small intestine and cecum of Cihateup duck.

The First Detection of Koi Herpesvirus (CyHV3) in Migratory Wild Ducks in North America.

A viromics study on the intestinal contents of migratory wild ducks of the genera Anas, Mareca, Spatula, and Oxyura during their winter stay in Mexico showed the presence of the virus family Alloherpesviridae. The genus Cyprinivirus is part of this family and includes cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV3). This is the etiological agent of the lethal disease known as koi herpesvirosis, which affects different strains of Common Carp Cyrprinus carpio. In this study, samples of the contents of 87 wild duck intestines were analyzed by endpoint PCR, of which 7 samples were positive for the amplification of the TK gene fragment corresponding to CyHV3. These results contribute to the knowledge about the spread of this virus to other species of aquatic animals in areas where fish and ducks coexist.

Pb, Cd, and Cu Play a Major Role in Health Risk from Contamination in Duck Meat and Offal for Food Production in Thailand.

Zinc, Pb, Cd, Mn, Fe, Cr, and Cu levels in duck meat from large-scale farms have been found to be significantly higher than those from free-grazing duck farms. Zinc, Co, Mn, Cr, and Cu contamination levels in duck liver from large-scale farms were significantly higher than those from free-grazing farms; only Cd in duck liver from free-grazing farms was higher than in liver samples from large-scale farms at P < 0.05. Lead, Cd, Fe, and Cr levels in duck intestine samples from free-grazing farms were higher than large-scale farms at P < 0.001. Moreover, the average concentrations of Pb in duck meat and liver samples from large-scale farms and Cd levels in duck liver samples from free-grazing farm also exceeded the FAO/WHO and Codex Alimentarius limits by 100% (55/55), 100% (54/54), and 67.6% (23/34), respectively. PCA analysis showed a strong positive relationship between the eight metals in meat, liver, and intestine was > 0.69, > 0.69, and > 0.72, in order. The relationship of the liver combined with the intestine was > 0.65. This study indicated that consumers may incur health risks from long-term consumption of duck due to high Pb and Cd concentrations from both types of farms, particularly from large-scale duck farms.

Вікові особливості топографії і кількості ендокриноцитів кишечника свійської качки

The aim of the study was to determine the features of the topography and the number of the total population of endocrinocytes and enterochromaffin cells in the intestines of ducks during the first year of the postnatal period of ontogenesis. The experiments were performed on domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) of black white-breasted breed (n = 5) 9 groups: 1-, 3-, 7-, 14-, 21-days-old, 1-, 2-, 6-month-old and 1-year-old. Determination of the total population of endocrine cells (argyrophilic) and enterochromaffin (argentaffin) was performed on histological specimens made from cross-sections of the middle section of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum and rectum, stained by Masson and Grimelius. The endocrine cells of 1- and 3-days-old ducks had a «superficial» location due to insufficient formation of crypts and villi. In older birds, in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, both argyrophilic and argentaffin APUD cells were localized mainly in crypts, and in the cecum and rectum, they were also in the epithelial layer of the villi. During the entire observation period, the highest content of both argyrophilic and argentaffin endocrinocytes in all intestines were found in 21-days-old ducks. Already at 3-days-old age, the total number of endocrine cells in various intestines corresponded to those of an adult bird. The highest number of argyrophilic and argentaffin endocrinocytes was found in the ileum and cecum, less in the rectum and jejunum, and the smallest number was in the duodenum. Enterochromaffin cells are the most common type of endocrinocytes in the ducks’ intestines, their relative content ranged from 40.1 to 97.5%. The highest relative content of argentaffin cells at 1-, 3- and 7-day-old was observed in the duodenum, at 14-day-old – in the duodenum and colon, at 21-day-old – in the rectum, at 1- and 2-month-old in jejunum, at the age of 6 month – in the duodenum, jejunum and caecum, and at the age of 1-year-old – in the ileum and cecum. In addition to argyrophilic endocrinocytes, which were located in the epithelium, other cells were found in the loose connective tissue of the villi base, the cytoplasm of which was also intensively impregnated with silver nitrate. Such cells were smaller and mostly oval in shape. Their cytoplasm was impregnated almost evenly around the nucleus and had no polarity in the location of the granules. Probably those were mast cells, which also contain bioamines, and, as well as enteroendocrinocytes, are found in the argyrophilic reaction.

Формування імунних структур тонкої кишки мускусних качок (Cairina moschata)

Формування імунних структур тонкої кишки мускусних качок (Cairina moschata)

Dietary curcumin enhances intestinal antioxidant capacity in ducklings via altering gene expression of antioxidant and key detoxification enzymes.

The study investigated the effects of dietary curcumin supplementation on tissue distribution of curcumin and its metabolites, intestinal antioxidant capacity, and expression of detoxification-related genes in ducks. A total of 720 one-day-old male Cherry Valley Pekin ducklings (initial BW 58.6 ± 0.1g) were randomly assigned to 4 dietary groups each with 6 replicates of 30 ducks using a single factorial arrangement design. Ducks in the control group were fed a basal diet and the remainder were fed the basal diet supplemented with 200, 400, or 800mg/kg curcumin. The experiment lasted for 21 D. Curcumin was present at 13.12 to 16.18mg/g in the cecal digesta, 75.50 to 575.40μg/g in jejunal mucosa, 35.10 to 73.65μg/g in liver, and 7.02 to 7.88μg/mL in plasma. The jejunal and hepatic contents of curcumin increased significantly (P < 0.05) in response to supplementation with 400 and 800mg/kg of curcumin respectively, compared with 200mg curcumin/kg group. There was a linear (P < 0.001) effect of dietary curcumin on relative abundance of SOD1, GPX1, CAT, HO-1, and Nrf2 transcripts, and a quadratic (P < 0.001) increase in the activities of GSH-Px and T-AOC in jejunal mucosa. The expression of CYP1A4, CYP2D17 increased and CYP1B1, CYP2A6 decreased linearly (P < 0.001) with dietary curcumin concentrations. In addition, dietary curcumin increased gene expression of GST, MRP6, and ABCB1 in jejunal mucosa. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 200 to 800mg/kg curcumin enhanced the accumulation of curcumin and its metabolites in jejunum as well as increasing the antioxidant capacity and detoxification potential, which play major roles in the protection of duck intestines against damage.

Changes in morphology and miRNAs expression in small intestines of Shaoxing ducks in response to high temperature.

During summer days the extreme heat may cause damage to the integrity of animal intestinal barrier. Little information is available concerning morphological changes in the duck intestines in response to high temperature. And the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of high temperature-induced intestinal injury remain undefined. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to play key roles in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression that influences various biological processes. The purpose of this study was to explore the changes in morphology and miRNA expression profiles of the three intestinal segments (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) of ducks in response to high temperature. Sixty female Shaoxing ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), 60days old, were allocated in two groups, including control ducks kept at 25°C, and ducks subjected to high ambient temperatures of 30-40°C for 15 successive days, which mimicked the diurnal temperature variations experienced in hot seasons. Three ducks from each group were executed at the end of feeding experiment, and the samples of three intestinal segments were collected for morphological examination and Illumina deep sequencing analyses. Histopathological examination of the intestinal mucous membrane was performed with HE staining method. The results demonstrated that varying degrees of damage to each intestinal segment were found in heat-treated ducks, and there were more severe injuries in duodenum and jejunum than those in ileum. Illumina high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic methods were employed in this study to identify the miRNA expression profile of three different intestinal tissues in control and heat-treated ducks. A total of 75,981,636, 88,345,563 and 100,179,422 raw reads were obtained from duodenum, jejunum and ileum, respectively, from which 74,797,633 clean reads in duodenal libraries, 86,406,445 clean reads in jejunal libraries, and 98,518,858 lean reads in ileal libraries were derived after quality control, respectively. And a total of 276 known and 182 novel miRNAs were identified in the three intestinal segments of ducks under control and heat-treated conditions. By comparing the same tissues in different conditions, 16, 18 and 15 miRNAs were found to be significantly differentially expressed between control and heat-treated ducks in duodenum, jejunum and ileum, respectively, of which 1 miRNA was expressed in both the duodenum and jejunum, 2 miRNAs were expressed in both the duodenum and ileum, and 3 miRNAs were found to be expressed in both the jejunum and ileum. In addition, two differentially expressed miRNAs in each comparison were randomly selected and validated by quantitative qRT-PCR. Gene Ontology annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis indicated that the differentially expressed miRNAs may be involved in the high temperature-induced intestinal injury in ducks. Our work provides the comprehensive miRNA expression profiles of small intestines in the normal and heat-treated ducks. These findings suggest the involvement of specific molecular mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulation to explain the high temperature-induced changes in the duck small intestine.

In vitro fermentation of arabinoxylan from oat (Avena sativa L.) by Pekin duck intestinal microbiota.

Arabinoxylan (AX) is abundant in cereal grains used as feed for ducks. However, the duck intestinal microbes responsible for the degradation of AX are not fully understood. In this study, oat AX was degraded and utilized by different duck intestinal microbiota in vitro. Changes in short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), branch-chain fatty acids, and the pH resulted from a 72-h AX fermentation in intestinal samples were measured. The addition of AX increased the concentration of isobutyric acid and decreased the concentrations of SCFAs. The pH values decreased significantly in the intestinal samples. Gut microbiota were assessed using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene, and the results indicated that AX stimulated the growth of Megamonas and Bifidobacterium species, with Megamonas exhibiting the greatest stimulation. Overall, the results suggest that oat AX is utilized by specific bacteria in duck intestines, providing the theoretical basis for the impacts of AX on animal health.

UJI VIABILITAS BAKTERI ASAM LAKTAT DARI USUS YANG DIPREPARASI DALAM RANSUM UNGGAS

The aim of this study is to know the viability of Lactic Acid Bacteria isolates on ration and combination of ration with molasses. This study used a mixture of lactic acid bacteria isolates from the duck intestine (B4, B7, B8). The third bacterial isolates were inoculated on two different treatment media, on rantion media (R1), and combination of rantion + molasses (R2). The study was arranged by randomized block design (RAK) 6x2 factorial treatment pattern. Factor A is the incubation time of 0 hours, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours and 10 hours. Factor B is two types of growing media of lactic acid bacteria, is ransum media, and combination of ransum + molasses. Each treatment was repeated 3 times. This research uses pour plate method with the calculation of the colony using colony counter. Data analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the addition of 1.6% molasses (R2) maintains the number of LAB population at 4th hour with the cell number 7,36 x 105 CFU / g. While on the ration medium (R1) can maintain the amount of LAB at 6th hour with the cell number of 6,20 x 105 CFU / g. LAB population viability on feed medium with addition of molases 1.6% (R2) has increased on storage time at 4th hour with cell number 7,36 x 105 CFU / g, while on feed medium (R1) decreased cell count 6,08 x 105 CFU / g. Keywords: Viability, Lactic Acid Bacteria, Ransum, Molase.

Performance and Intestinal Profiles of Tegal Duck Fed Ration Supplemented with Prebiotics.

This research was aimed to determine the effects of prebiotics on performance and gastrointestinal profiles of Tegal ducks. One hundred two-month-old male Tegal ducks were distributed into 5 treatment groups; R0= control; R1= FOS; R2= MOS; R3= Inulin; and R4= natural prebiotic (water hyacinth/Eichhornia crassipes). The prebiotics were given at 0.2% of the total feed (w/w). The observed variables were performances and gastrointestinal profiles. This study used a completely randomized design and continued with honestly significant difference test. Performance (live weight, body weight gain, and feed intake) and intestinal profile (percentage weights of intestine, gizzard, crop, and pancreas) of ducks were not significantly affected by prebiotic supplementation in feed. FOS prebiotic and natural prebiotic from water hyacinth showed increased (P<0.05) the percentage of carcass and cecum weight compared to the other treatments. In conclusion, the use of different prebiotics resulted in relatively similar performances and digestive tract profiles except the percentage of carcass and cecum weight that increased by 4.5% and 36.67%, respectively, with the supplementation of either FOS or water hyacinth.

Особливості локалізації лімфоїдної тканини в імунних утвореннях стінки кишечнику, дивертикулі меккеля і сліпокишкових дивертикулах качок

Mucous associated lymphoid tissue has a special place in the immune system, forming the first protective barrier against antigens that enter the body with food and air. In birds 70% of lymphoid tissue that forms the parenchyma of peripheral immune organs localized in the mucosa of tubular digestive organs. Recently, in the literature there have been reports that lymphoid tissue in tubular digestive organs of waterfowl (geese, musk ducks) can not be localized only in the mucosa, but also in muscularis. In this context, the aim of the study was to determine the features of lymphoid tissue localization in immune formations (Peyer’s patches) of the intestine wall of ducks, Meckel diverticulum and apical diverticula in postnatal period ontogenesis. Established that lymphoid tissue in Peyer’s patches of duck intestine, Meckel’s diverticulum and apical diverticula located in the mucosa and muscularis of the wall. From the one-day age of duck, the lymphoid tissue is found in the mucosa of all investigated structures and in the muscularis of the apical diverticula, and in the muscularis of Peyer’s patches of the intestine and the Meckel’s diverticulum – from 10–20-days of age.The complete morphofunctional maturity of the lymphoid tissue of mucosa Peyer's patches of intestine is reached in the 15 days-age of duck, the lymphoid tissue of the mucosa of the Meckel diverticulum – in 20-day age, and in the apical diverticula – in 10-day age. The complete morphofunctional maturity of the lymphoid tissue of muscularis Peyer's patches of intestine is reached in the 15–25 days-age of duck, the lymphoid tissue of the muscularis of the Meckel diverticulum – in 25-day age, and in the apical diverticula – in 10-day age.Area of lymphoid tissue in the mucosa of duodenal and ileum Peyer’s patches increased to 210-day-old ducks and jejunum – to 150-day-old age. Lymphoid tissue occupies the largest area in 150-day ducks in the muscularis of these structures. Area of lymphoid tissue in the mucosa of cecal Peyer’s patches increased to 90-day-old ducks, and in the muscularis – to 240-day-old age.Lymphoid tissue in the mucosa of Meckel’s diverticulum takes up the largest area in 20-day-old ducks, in apical diverticula – in 180-day-old. In the muscularis of these structures, lymphoid tissue occupies the largest area in 150-day ducks.

Prevalence and characteristics of Escherichia albertii in Zigong, China

Objective To study the prevalence and characteristics of a new pathogen Escherichia albertii in human, animal-derived food, poultry and birds in Zigong city, Sichuan province. Methods Samples of beef, mutton, pork, chicken, duck, chicken intestine, duck intestine and birds′ droppings were collected from markets and stool samples of diarrheal patients and their close contacts were collected from hospitals. The samples were enriched with EC broth and tested for the presence of eae gene by PCR. Each eae-positive enrichment culture was streaked on MacConkey agar. The eae-positive non-lactose fermenting strains were identified as Escherichia albertii by 16S rDNA sequencing and housekeeping genes analysis. Those strains were further analyzed by intimin and cdtB subtyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results Fifty-one strains were identified as Escherichia albertii, including 19 from duck intestines, 18 from chicken intestines, 3 from diarrheal patients, 3 from close contacts, 1 from egret excrement, 3 from chicken meat, 2 from duck meat, 1 from pork and 1 from mutton. Six intimin subtypes (sigma, rho, iota2, epsilon3, nu and N5) were harbored by those strains. All 51 strains carried the Ⅱ/Ⅲ/Ⅴ subtype group of cdtB and among them, 3 strains possessed another copy of Ⅰ/Ⅳ subtype group. Results of PFGE showed high genetic diversity with 40 different band patterns. Conclusion It is the first time that Escherichia albertii was identified in diarrheal patients, close contacts, egret, poultry and animal-derived food in China. It is practically important for understanding the etiology and epidemiology of Escherichia albertii in China. Key words: Escherichia albertii; Animal-derived food; eae; cdtB; MLST; PFGE; 16S rDNA

A morphological and molecular study of Pseudocorynosoma Aznar, Pérez Ponce de León and Raga 2006 (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) from Mexico with the description of a new species and the presence of cox 1 pseudogenes

Pseudocorynosoma tepehuanesi n. sp., is described from the intestine of the ruddy duck Oxyura jamaicensis Gmelin, 1789 from single locality from northern Mexico. The new species is mainly distinguished morphologically from the other five described species of Pseudocorynosoma from the Americas (P. constrictum, type species, P. peposacae, P. anatarium, P. enrietti and P. iheringi) associated with waterfowl species by possessing a proboscis with 15 longitudinal rows with 7–8 hooks each, a trunk expanded anteriorly and by having smaller lemniscus. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox 1) and the large subunit (LSU) of ribosomal DNA including the domains D2+D3 were used independently to corroborate the morphological distinction between the new species and other two congeneric species (P. constrictum and P. anatarium) from North America. The genetic divergence estimated among the new species and the other two species ranged from 15 to 18% for cox 1 and from 3.2 to 4% for LSU. The cox 1 alignment shows 24 sequences from P. anatarium with abnormalities, which were defined as pseudogenes due the presence of insertions, deletions and premature stop codons. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses with each data set showed that the acanthocephalans from ruddy duck represent an independent clade with strong bootstrap support and posterior probabilities. The phylogenetic tree inferred with cox 1 gene placed all the pseudogenes from P. anatarium in single clade suggesting that those genes arose after speciation process within genus Pseudocorynosoma. The morphological evidence, plus the monophyly in both phylogenetic analyses indicate that the acanthocephalans collected from intestine of the ruddy duck from northern Mexico represent a new species.

Characterization of antimicrobial substance from Lactobacillus salivarius KL-D4 and its application as biopreservative for creamy filling.

Lactobacillus salivarius KL-D4 isolated from duck intestine produced bacteriocin which was stable at high temperature and a wide pH range of 3–10. Its cell free supernatant at pH 5.5 exhibited wide inhibitory spectrum against both G+ and G− bacteria. The highest bacteriocin production was obtained in MRS broth supplemented with 0.5 % (w/v) CaCO3 at 6 h by gentle shaking. PCR walking using specific primers at the conserved region of class-II bacteriocin resulted in 4 known genes of kld1, kld2, kld3 and kld4 with 100 % similarity to genes encoding for salivaricin α, β, induction peptide and histidine protein kinase of Lb. salivarius GJ-24 which did not previously report for bacteriocin characterization, while showing 94, 93, 59 and 62 % to other salivaricin gene cluster, respectively. The high activities of 25,600 AU/ml indicated a strong induction peptide expressed by kld3 which has low similarity to previous inducer reported. Based on operon analysis, only kld1, kld3 and kld4 could be expressed and subsequently elucidated that only salivaricin α like bacteriocin was produced and secreted out of the cells. Using protein purification, only a single peptide band obtained showed that this strain produced one bacteriocin which could be salivaricin α namely salivaricin KLD showing about 4.3 kDa on SDS-PAGE. Partial purification by 20 % ammonium sulfate precipitation of the product was tested on the artificial contamination of creamy filling by Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Staphylococcus sp. and Stenotrophomonas sp. resulting the growth inhibitory efficiency of 4.45–66.9, 11.5–100, 100, 0–28.1 and 5–100 % respectively. Therefore, salivaricin KLD can be a tentative biopreservative for food industry in the future.