Early exposure to pets can reduce allergy and obesity.

A new study by University of Alberta has shown that early exposure to pets can reduce allergy and obesity by altering gut bacteria in immune-boosting ways. This new study has showed that babies from families with pets of which 70% were dogs showed higher levels of two types of microbes associated with lower risks of allergic disease and obesity. The theory is that exposure to dirt and bacteria early in life from the dog's fur or from its paws can create early immunity.The study shed more light by understanding the connection and identifying that exposure to pets in the womb or up to three months after birth increases the abundance of two bacteria, Ruminococcus and Oscillospira, which have been linked with reduced childhood allergies and obesity, respectively. The numbers of the two bacteria were increased twofold when there was a pet in the house, meaning that the pet exposure was shown to affect the gut microbiome indirectly -from dog to mother to unborn baby -- during pregnancy as well as during the first three months of the baby's life. In other words, even if the dog had been given away for adoption just before the woman gave birth, the healthy microbiome exchange could still take place.

Sunflower seeds are sources of toxic mold and potent liver carcinogen.

Sunflower seeds traced as sources of toxic mold and potent liver carcinogen.Sunflower seeds are frequently contaminated with a toxin produced by molds and pose an increased health risk in many low-income countries worldwide, researchers at the Michigan State University have discovered. The study carried out in Tanzania and documented in PLoS ONE, the team of scientists documented frequent occurrence of aflatoxin -- a toxin produced by Aspergillus molds that commonly infect corn, peanuts, pistachios almonds and in sunflower seeds and their products. This is one of the first studies to associate aflatoxin contamination with sunflower seeds. Chronic exposure to aflatoxin causes an estimated 25,000-155,000 deaths worldwide each year, from corn and peanuts alone and it is one of the most potent liver carcinogens known. The aim of study was to detect and limit the presence of aflatoxin in sunflower seeds and their products could help save lives and reduce liver disease in areas where sunflowers and their byproducts are consumed. Smallholder farmers in Tanzania grow sunflowers for the seeds, which are sold to local millers who press the seeds for oil and sell it to local consumers for cooking. The remaining cakes are used as animal feed. When the seeds become infected by Aspergillus flavus or Aspergillus parasiticus, molds that produce aflatoxin, the feed spoilage caused by the growth of these undesirable molds will cause heating of feed. This thus reduces the energy, vitamins A, D3, E, K and thiamine available to the animal. These moldy feeds tend to be dusty reducing their palatability and causing respiratory distress in animals. Animals fed with moldy feed or in contact with heavily contaminated bedding are usually prone to abortions due to Mycotic placentitis. Infection by mold organisms that grow in the fetal membranes (mycotic placentitis) is a common cause of abortion in individual animals. The ingested mold localize in the cows’ intestinal tract and then spread to the placenta through the blood,and this condition is rampant during raining season.

Topical application of turmeric gel to treat burns and scalds.

In a recent research paper published in the open access journal BioDiscovery, researchers stress that use of topical curcumin gel for treating skin problems, like burns and scalds, is very different and appears to work more effectively, when compared to taking curcumin tablets by mouth for other conditions. Curcumin is an ingredient found in the common spice turmeric. Turmeric has been used as a spice for centuries in many Eastern countries and gives well known dishes. The turmeric gel appears to work much better when used on the skin because the gel preparation allows curcumin to penetrate the skin, inhibit phosphorylase kinase and reduce inflammation. The study shows that the use of curcumin after burns and scalds were found to reduce the severity of the injury, lessen pain and inflammation, and improve healing with less than expected scarring, or even no scarring, of the affected skin.

New antibiotic resistance gene found in milk.

New antibiotic resistance gene found in milk according to a new study by researchers in the University of Bern. A new antibiotic resistance gene has been found in bacteria from dairy cows. This gene confers resistance to all beta-lactam antibiotics including the last generation of cephalosporins used against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. A transfer to S. aureus which is likely according to the researchers would jeopardize the use of reserve antibiotics to treat human infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria in hospitals. Researchers of the Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology of the University of Bern have identified a new methicillin resistance gene in strains of M. caseolyticus isolated from milk. Macrococcus caseolyticus is a harmless bacterium naturally found on the skin of dairy cows which can spread to milk during the milking process. It can also be present in dairy products made from raw milk like e.g. cheese. The transfer of the gene to Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria found on the skin and mucosa of animals and humans, would have dramatic consequences for public health as experimental investigations of the "resistance island" showed that it also has the potential for integration into the chromosome of S. aureus. It is not impossible that this may happen in nature, since S. aureus and M. caseolyticus share the same habitats. This methicillin resistance gene would turn this bacteria into a hazardous methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which is known to cause difficult-to-treat infections in hospitals. M. caseolyticus containing the novel mecD gene has been so far mainly found in cattle but in one case it has been isolated from skin infection in a dog indicating that this bacteria has the potential to colonize different animal species.

Zika virus persists in the central nervous system and lymph nodes of rhesus monkeys.

The Zika virus persists in the central nervous system and lymph nodes of rhesus monkeys as the virus was seen in tissue weeks after it cleared from blood. A study published online in Cell,reveals that Zika virus can persist in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), lymph nodes and colorectal tissue of infected rhesus monkeys for weeks after the virus has been cleared from blood, urine and mucosal secretions. The researchers infected 20 rhesus monkeys with Zika virus and noted that although virus was cleared from peripheral blood within 7-10 days, it was detected in CSF for up to 42 days and in lymph nodes and colorectal tissue for up to 72 days. Immunologic data showed that the emergence of Zika virus-specific neutralizing antibodies correlated with the rapid control of the virus in plasma. However, Zika-specific antibodies were not detected in CSF, which could be why the virus remained there longer. These findings suggest that persistent virus in the central nervous system may contribute to the neurological issues associated with Zika virus infection in people.

Management of infectious bursal disease virus( IBDV) in broilers.

The management of infectious bursal disease virus( IBDV) in broilers for most farmer is to ensure a strict and vaccination regime for their breeders. The maternal immunity passed on to chicks will usually help protect them until they are 3 to 4 weeks of age. This projection of conferred immunity sometimes does not work out like planned due to certain factors; 1) Efficacy of some vaccines. 2) Vaccine failure or break. 3) Early infection of flock before 2 weeks of age leading to permanent immune suppression despite maternal immunity. When IBDV infection in broiler flocks occurs after 3 to 4 weeks of age , when maternal immunity has waned it can result in reduced feed efficiency, slowed growth rate and uneven size of flocks. This will also lead to temporary immune suppression with a higher risk of secondary infections, which often become more critical in antibiotic-free production. The prevention of the damaging effects of IBDV by farmers can be initiated by simulating active immunity in their flocks. Live, attenuated vaccines used in layers with high success rate can also help prevent IBDv in broilers. Farmers have turned to in-ovo vaccination at hatchery at day 1 to forestall any disease occurrence. The common vaccines are the recombinant herpesvirus of turkey HVT- IBDV and immune-complex (IC) vaccines. . The efficacy of HVT-IBDV vaccines has been demonstrated as these vaccines have been shown to induce protection against multiple IBDV strains with no risk of bursa damage. The key to effective use of HVT-IBDV is that it should be the only recombinant vaccine used in the flock to prevent interference. Combining recombinant HVT-IBDV vaccines with other recombinant HVT vaccines e.g for Newcastle disease or infectious laryngotracheitis is not recommended because viral interference can occur between the HVT viruses. In cases where an HVT recombinant vaccine is needed to manage either of the respiratory diseases, an alternative to the HVT-IBDV vaccine is recommended. The immune-complex vaccines (IC) contain a mixture of modified-live vaccine virus and anti-IBDV antibody. The antibodies in these products bind to the IBDV vaccine virus. These antibodies greatly reduces the ability of the vaccine virus to replicate early in the broiler’s life ,thus damage to the bursa and immune suppression are minimal and often undetected. This ability to act early in the of the broiler makes the IC-IBDV vaccines a safe alternatives to HVT-IBDV vaccines. Vaccinating with an IC-IBDV vaccine in the presence of maternal antibodies to IBDV seems counter intuitive or counter-productive but these vaccines have been shown to stimulate active immunity to IBDV, even when maternal antibody titers are relatively high.

The challenge of feeding diseased livestock.

The challenge of feeding diseased livestock is worthy of note because nutrient requirements for fighting disease are quite different from those required for productive purposes. The efforts exercised by researchers, nutritionists and veterinarians,to have a clear understanding of how to feed animals under disease stress is paying off in terms of different intervention techniques. Presently the aim is to prevent disease mostly through nutrition and by a mild veterinary intervention scheme that focuses on hygiene and soft medicinal solutions. Sick animals are treated with invasive medical methods and the nutrition of such animals remains unchanged as the same feed is offered to healthy or sick animals,this is where the problem lies. There is a need to establish clear nutritional guidelines for treating animals that are stressed because of disease both clinically and even sub clinically. Sick / diseased animals exhibit anorexia, or they simply don’t eat much or even at all, which is usually the most common sign if not the key pointer that something is wrong. The question now is what is anorexia and what is its role in disease management? Anorexia is a response exhibited by a diseased animals as they attempt to reduce the metabolic burden from feed and switches focus from productivity such as growth, eggs, milk, pregnancy and maintenance but towards fighting the disease. Anorexia is a method with which the animal tends to stem tide of infection or limit the activity of pathogens by boosting the immune system. The challenge of feeding diseased livestock is significant to animal health because of the role of anorexia in diseased animals or stressed animals. When an animal is off-feed or anorectic,reduction of nutrient ingestion limits the extent of pathogen proliferation especially in the case of gut bacteria. The pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract that hitherto had unlimited access to nutrients from feed, are starved limiting the rate of proliferation and if the digestive system is impaired as is often the case with gastrointestinal disorders,this is a double plus for the benefit of anorexia. The feed intake reserves more energy for immune system functions,and such energy is derived from body fat reserves.The prolonged dependence on these stores emaciates animals,though at the onset, it is actually beneficial for the animal to draw on reserves. When the animal is off feed glucagon production is enhanced and the immune system response is thus enhanced in turn creating an environment to rid body of pathogen. The challenge of feeding diseased livestock is that although anorexia is beneficial at onset of disease,prolonged anorexia results in profound emaciation from which recovery may be prolonged.Another challenge of feeding diseased livestock is that diseased animals require more nutrients than healthy animals,the twist is that force-feeding sick animals results in increased mortality and reduced survival time. The challenge of feeding diseased livestock now is that since the role of anorexia to curtail the infection is understood,and the danger of prolonged anorexia is also known then the time of intervention and type of intervention is the key to successful treatment.