The effects of supplementing piglets’ feed with pure cellulose on their health condition, rearing results and some features of the alimentary tract was determined on 207 piglets allocated to 4 experimental groups. All piglets were fed the same feed mixture which was supplemented with different amounts of cellulose. Groups I, II, III, IV received mixtures with 0, 1.5 or 2.0% of cellulose, respectively. Feed mixtures were available ad libitum since day 7 of age. At day 35 the piglets were weaned and fed restricted amounts of feed. Between days 52 and 58, 4 piglets from each group were slaughtered and fragments of the small intestine were extracted for morphological measurements. Microbiological tests were made on small intestine and caecum digesta and the content of volatile fatty acids was estimated. The experiment was completed on day 84 of the piglets’ life. It was found that cellulose improved piglets’ health and performance indices. There were 25 cases of diarrhea noted in the control group and only 8 cases in the group receiving 2% of cellulose. Body weight gains in these groups during the whole experiment were 256 and 274 g per day, respectively. The lowest number of E. coli and Clostiridium was observed in the digesta of the small intestine and caecum of piglets receiving the highest supplement of pure cellulose. The total amount of all estimated volatile fatty acids was lower in the control group when compared with the experimental ones. The ratio of the villus height/crypt depth was 0.842 in control animals and 1.119 in groups III and IV. It was concluded that even a small amount (1.5-2.0%) of insoluble fiber in piglets’ feed can improve their health and performance, which may be due to changes in the gut morphology, digesta acidity and lower number of harmful bacteria present in the intestine.
Analiza szczepów Propionibacterium acnes izolowanych z treści ropnej zmian trądzikowych w latach 2000 - 2002 wykazała zróżnicowanie w obrębie typów, biotypów, właściwości lipolitycznych i obrazu lekowrażliwości.
The aim of this study was to optimize storage conditions of a microbial community used for degradation of petroleum-derived environmental contaminants. Microorganisms were either freeze-dried or directly frozen (-20°C) in the presence of four stabilizers: trehalose, sucrose, glycerol and DMSO. It was found that preincubation with trehalose and sucrose had a positive impact on cell viability for both tested storage techniques. Disaccharide-stabilized consortia were more biodiverse than control samples (untreated with any protectants) and they retained high xenobiotic biodegradation capabilities. The effect of glycerol and DMSO was unexpectedly poor, contradicting other findings on the protective action of these compounds on monocultures. Higher cell survival was achieved only upon short-term (7 days) freezing, whereas DMSO proved to be lethal in the case of freeze-dried communities. Taking into account practical and economic reasons, the use of sucrose rather than the more expensive trehalose appears as the most efficient method for microbial consortia biostabilization during long-term storage. The experimental work provides some important data concerning the problem of elaboration of improved methods for preserving robust microbial communities to be used in environmental biotechnology practice.
We have reported a bacterial infection in a dog with progressive dysplasia of the hips. Orthopedic surgery was performed. Seven weeks prior to the surgery, the patient was bitten by another dog. The postimplantation wound exuded for four days after the surgery. Microbiological analysis performed by standard identification techniques showed the presence of Staphylococcus intermedins, but an additional molecular analysis indicated S. pseudintermedius. This was followed by an evaluation of antibiotic susceptibility of the strain which showed cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, doksycycline, erythromycin, and gentamicin resistance. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for selected antibiotics were reported. Resistance for cefoxitin indicates that methicillin resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) strains were present in individual macroorganisms, but they can expand and persist the colonization of other hosts.