Samples Of Animal Origin Research Articles

Levels and congener distributions of PCDDs, PCDFs and non- ortho PCBs in Belgian foodstuffs : Assessment of dietary intake

Congener-specific analyses of 7 polychlorinated dibenzo- p-dioxins (PCDDs), 10 polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and 4 non- ortho (coplanar) polychlorinated biphenyls (cPCBs) were performed on 197 foodstuffs samples of animal origin from Belgium during years 2000 and 2001. All investigated matrices (except horse) present background levels lower than the Belgian non-commercialization value of 5 pg TEQ/g fat. Pork was the meat containing the lowest concentration of both PCDD/Fs and cPCBs. The mean background concentration of 2,3,7,8-TCDD toxicity equivalent in milk was 1.1 pg/g of fat, with a congener distribution typical of non-contaminated milk. The relative contribution of 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF to the PCDD/Fs TEQ was 85±7.9% for all investigated matrices. The cPCBs contribution to the total TEQ was 47±19.0% for products of terrestrial species and 69±20.0% for aquatic species. Once the contribution of cPCBs was added to the TEQ, few foodstuffs such as horse, sheep, beef, eggs and cheese presented levels above the future European guidelines that currently only include PCDD/Fs but will be re-evaluated later in order to include `dioxin-like' PCBs. Based on levels measured in the samples, the estimation of the dietary intake was 65.3 pg WHO-TEQ/day for PCDD/Fs only (1.00 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/day, for a 65 kg person) and 132.9 pg WHO-TEQ/day if cPCBs were included (2.04 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/day, for a 65 kg person). Meat (mainly beef), dairy products, and fish each account for roughly one third of the intake.

Detection of Salmonella in Foods Using Tecra Salmonella VIA and Tecra Salmonella UNIQUE Rapid Immunoassays and a Cultural Procedure

The presence of Salmonella in 200 raw food samples of animal origin was investigated by means of the rapid immunoassays Tecra Salmonella VIA and Tecra Salmonella UNIQUE (Tecra Diagnostics, Rosewille, New South Wales, Australia) and a cultural procedure. Forty-five samples (22.5%) were Salmonella positive by at least one of the three methods. The number of positive samples according to the analytical method was 34 (75.6%) for the cultural procedure, 29 (64.4%) for Tecra Salmonella VIA, and 27 (60.0%) for Tecra Salmonella UNIQUE. Tecra Salmonella UNIQUE detected three positive samples that were not detected by the two other methods. The cultural method also detected three positive samples that both rapid methods were unable to detect. McNemar's chi-square tests indicated that the differences between results given by the rapid immunoassays when compared with those of the cultural method were not significant (P > 0.05).

Determination of PCDDs and PCDFs in different animal feed ingredients

As result of a study to control feedstuff, analyses were carried out to evaluate the contamination caused by PCDDs and PCDFs in different animal feed ingredients. Thirty two samples were selected, including ingredients of animal and mineral origin. For samples of mineral origin, some additives widely employed as binder and anticaking agents, such as bentonite, damoline, kaolin, magnesite, sepiolite and zeolite were selected. And, for ingredients of animal origin, samples of hemoglobin, animal fat, fish oil, fish meal and meat and bone meal were analyzed. The levels ranged from 0.52 to 9.08 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat for samples of animal origin, and from 0.05 to 460.59 pg WHO-TEQ/g for samples of mineral origin. The higher concentrations were observed for the kaolin samples that presented high levels of dioxin contamination.

Production of an enterotoxin by a gastro-enteritis-associated Aeromonas strain.

The potential of motile Aeromonas species to cause human gastrointestinal infections has been recognised recently. Considerable worldwide epidemiological, microbiological and clinical investigations have shown that some strains of the different motile aeromonads are of increasing enteropathogenic significance, especially in children, the elderly and in immunocompromised individuals. Some of the diarrhoeal symptoms of Aeromonas-associated gastro-enteritis have been attributed to enterotoxins. In this study, 15 Aeromonas isolates from clinical and non-clinical sources, representing the three motile aeromonads commonly associated with gastro-enteritis (A. caviae, A. hydrophila and A. veronii biovar sobria), were tested for their ability to cause fluid accumulation in infant mice by the suckling mouse technique. Eight isolates were found to produce enterotoxin. Of these, an A. veronii biovar sobria strain (AS15), isolated from lamb kidney, was found to produce the highest enterotoxin score. An enterotoxin of c. 40 kDa produced by A. veronii biovar sobria AS15 was purified by Sephacryl S-100 gel filtration and high-performance liquid chromatography. This enterotoxin caused marked fluid accumulation in infant mice by the suckling mouse technique. The purified enterotoxin cross-reacted with cholera toxin antibodies and was readily inactivated by heating at 56 degrees C for 10 min. The production of a 'cholera-like' enterotoxin by Aeromonas isolates from samples of animal origin suggests that these organisms could be of public health significance in food products.

Analysis of carnitine, betaine, γ-butyrobetaine, and separate short-chain acylcarnitines in pigeon plasma, crop milk and tissues by HPLC coupled with UV-detection

Carnitine, betaine, γ-butyrobetaine and separate carnitine esters are determined in blood plasma, crop milk, liver, heart and breast muscle of pigeons (Columba livia domestica) by means of HPLC with photometric detection at 245 nm. The method can be generally applied for samples of animal origin.

Oncology nursing

Two hundred food samples of animal origin confiscated from passengers arriving on flights from non-European countries at the International Airport of Bilbao (Spain) were tested for the presence of four main bacterial foodborne pathogens (Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp.) during 2012 and 2013. Overall, 20 samples were positive for L. monocytogenes (10%) and 11 for Salmonella spp. (5.5%), whereas Campylobacter spp. and E. coli O157:H7 were not detected in any sample. The positive isolates were widely clustered: 14 and 7 different pulsotypes for L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. isolates, respectively. Nine sequence types (ST) were detected for L. monocytogenes: ST2 (45%), ST9 (15% isolates), ST8 and ST87 (10%), and ST308, ST37, ST155 and ST378 (5%). The Salmonella spp. isolates belonged to seven serovars: monophasic serovar 4,12:d:− (3; 27.3%), Rauform (2; 18.2%), Anatum (2; 18.2%), Oranienburg, Enteritidis, Newport and Typhimurium (1; 9.1% each). Antibiotic resistance among L. monocytogenes isolates was high, especially for clindamycin and daptomycin (more than 95% of the isolates). These results indicate that food samples imported by travelers in their personal luggage may harbor the most prevalent L. monocytogenes genotypes and Salmonella spp. serovars responsible for foodborne outbreaks worldwide. Consequently, international travel can play an important role in the prevalence and dissemination of successful clones of foodborne pathogenic bacteria, and continuous monitoring of international movements is of importance to better understand clonal evolution and emergence and dissemination of successful lineages.

Levels of PCDDs and PCDFs in food-stuffs from the Federal Republic of Germany

107 food samples collected in the Federal Republic of Germany have been analyzed for residues of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The results indicate that there is a remarkable difference between PCDD and PCDF levels in samples of animal and plant origin, respectively. While specimens of plant origin only contain very low levels near the detection limit all samples of animal origin show typical patterns of PCDDs and PCDFs. Common characteristic of all congeners identified is 2,3,7,8-chlorine substitution. When calculating toxic equivalents and taking consumption habits into account the average daily intake amounts to 85 pg TCDD-equivalents/person/day or 1.2 pg/kg body weight/day. From this it becomes evident that food-stuffs, especially of animal origin contribute to a considerable amount to the body burden of man.

False-positive results in the radioimmunoassay detection of stilbene derivatives after administration of fluorinated corticosteroids to animals

During routine inspections, indications were found that the therapeutic use of fluocortolone or dexamethasone can cause false-positive results in the detection of stilbene derivatives by radio-immunoassay (RIA) in samples of animal origin. After experimental application of the fluorinated corticosteroids to rabbits or calves, the assumed false-positive RIA results were confirmed. The kinetics after application of dexamethasone were concomitant with the elimination of radioactive [ 3H]dexamethasone. Furthermore, it could be demonstrated that [ 3H]dexamethasone was transformed in the faeces of rabbits and calves. The metabolites formed were not completely separated by the extraction procedure used for the RIA and seemed to be responsible for the false-positive results.

Prediction of metabolizable energy for pigs on the basis of crude nutrients in the feeds

A number of correlation and regression analyses were performed on data from digestibility and N-balance experiments with growing pigs (carried out during the years 1966–1982), in order to investigate whether the metabolizable energy content of pig feeds could be estimated with a reasonable degree of accuracy on the basis of their crude nutrient content (chemical analysis). The data comprise 321 diets varying widely in chemical composition and 331 feedstuff samples including 92 different feedstuff sources. Three or more proximate analyses and usually five or more digestibility and N-balance experiments were conducted with each feed sample. The statistical analyses were performed on average values of proximate analyses and average metabolizable energy values from the repeated digestibility and N-balance experiments. Crude fibre accounted for 74 and 62% of the variation in the digestability of gross energy in diets and feedstuffs, respectively. Stepwise regression analyses showed that metabolizable energy in the diets could be estimated on basis of crude fibre and gross energy with R 2 = 0.75 and CV = 5.2. The best prediction ( R 2 = 0.77 CV = 5.0) was obtained including crude protein, crude fibre, NFE substances and organic matter. A common regression analysis with the intercept fixed at zero showed that metabolizable energy could be estimated on the basis of crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre and NFE substances with R 2 = 0.77 and CV = 5.0. Estimation of metabolizable energy in the individual feedstuffs on basis of crude fibre and organic matter was much poorer ( R 2 = 0.73, CV = 10.5). The best prediction ( R 2 = 0.87, CV = 7.2) was obtained by including crude protein, crude fibre, NFE substances, NDF, gross energy and organic matter. Deleting 31 feedstuff samples of animal origin improved the accuracy of the prediction equation ( R 2 = 0.86, CV = 6.6).

A micromethod for the determination of selenium in tissues and biological fluids by single-test-tube fluorimetry

A sensitive single-test-tube procedure for the fluorimetric determination of ng quantities of selenium with diaminonaphthalene, from small samples of animal origin is described. Several parameters related to the nitric/perchloric/sulphuric acid digestion, subsequent reduction and piazselenol formation are studied using blood as the matrix. The detection limit is 0.45 ng Se. The within-series precision for blood and heart tissue is 4.2% and 2.3% and between series is 5.0% and 3.6%, respectively. Recovery of added selenite and selenomethionine to blood, heart tissue and urine ranges from 98–101%. The correlation coefficient between the proposed and an electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric method for serum samples is 0.997. This procedure is especially suitable for serial operation with a daily (8-h) throughput of 25 samples in duplicate.

Salmonelose humana e animal em Araraquara, S. Paulo: prevalência de Shigella em casos humanos

Admitida uma baixa freqüência de Salmonella com base em verificações anteriores em casos de diarréia aguda na cidade de Araraquara, S. Paulo, realizou-se uma investigação com um esquema ampliado para o isolamento de Salmonella a partir de 47 casos de gastroenterite infantil, 51 amostras de fezes de animais e 50 amostras de carnes e vísceras de animais destinados a alimentação. Foram isoladas Salmonella em 6,3% dos casos de gastroenterite, 5,8% de fezes de animais e 8,0% de amostras de alimentos, nesse último caso verificando-se a contaminação exclusivamente em fígado de porco, senão negativos todos os resultados de carne e vísceras de bovinos. Os sorotipos isolados corresponderam, em ordem decrescente de freqüência a S. anatum, S. derby e S. daytona. Nas gastroenterites infantis a freqüência de Shigella (12,7%) foi duas vezes superior à de Salmonella (6,3%).

Improved Extraction Procedure for Dimetridazole as Applied to Assay of Samples of Animal Origin

Abstract A method for extraction of dimetridazole is described which affords high percentage recoveries of the drug from samples of animal origin. Samples are homogenized with benzene in the presence of just enough aqueous base to insure conversion of all the drug to the free base form and yet obtain a single phase liquid extract. Polarographic analyses of samples spiked with 267 and 33.3 ppm drug showed average recoveries, respectively, of 88.2% (range, 70.5–99.2%) and 87.8% (range, 78.6–101%). The average coefficient of variation for detection of these levels of drug was 3.33%. Under assay conditions, 1 ppm dimetridazole in tissues could not be detected. Factors affecting extent of drug extraction are discussed.