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The olive tree is crucial to the Mediterranean agricultural economy but faces significant threats from climate change and soil-borne pathogens like Verticillium dahliae . This study assesses the dual role of an onion extract formulation, rich in organosulfur compounds, as both biostimulant and antifungal agent. Research was conducted across three settings: a controlled climatic chamber with non-stressed olive trees; an experimental farm with olive trees under abiotic stress; and two commercial olive orchards affected by V. dahliae . Results showed that in the climatic chamber, onion extract significantly reduced MDA levels in olive leaves, with a more pronounced reduction observed when the extract was applied by irrigation compared to foliar spray. The treatment also increased root length by up to 37.1% compared to controls. In field trials, irrigation with onion extract increased the number of new shoots by 148% and the length of shoots by 53.5%. In commercial orchards, treated trees exhibited reduced MDA levels, lower V. dahliae density, and a 26.7% increase in fruit fat content. These findings suggest that the onion extract effectively reduces oxidative stress and pathogen colonization, while enhancing plant development and fruit fat content. This supports the use of the onion extract formulation as a promising, sustainable alternative to chemical treatments for improving olive crop resilience.

Olive pulp (Olea europaea) inclusion in the diet of Iberian sows (Sus scrofa) is interesting due to fiber and bioactive compounds content and because both productions are located in the same area. The aim of this trial was to study the effect of olive pulp inclusion at 100 g/kg in Iberian sow’s diet on performance, immunoglobulin and serum parameters, antioxidant status, and fecal microbiota. Forty multiparous Iberian sows (body weight (BW) = 149.6 ± 20.2 kg) were assigned either a control diet (CON) or an experimental diet (PUL) with olive pulp at 100 g/kg. The BW and backfat thickness in sows were measured at post-insemination days 42 and 107, and litter performance was measured on the farrowing day. Blood and fecal samples were collected at gestation day 107. In piglets, blood was sampled when they were 10 days old for immunoglobulin analysis. Albumin, total protein, triglyceride, creatinine, urea, glucose, and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity in serum were higher (p < 0.05) in PUL sows than in CON sows. The Enterobacteriaceae, Bifidobacterium spp., and Lactobacillus spp. fecal counts were increased (p < 0.05) with olive pulp supplementation compared with the CON sow group. Olive pulp added to gestating Iberian sow’s diet at 100 g/kg has beneficial effects on the fecal microbiota and antioxidant status, without penalizing other gestation parameters.

A total of 70 male growing non-castrated pigs (Large White), with a 23.07 ± 2.87 kg average body weight (BW), were randomly allocated to three treatments in a 103 day trial: a CONTROL diet and two experimental diets, ALLIUM (5 g/kg of Allium spp. extract) and OLIVE (100 g/kg of olive pulp). Animals were slaughtered at 115 kg live body weight. Meat and fat quality were analyzed. Animals fed ALLIUM and OLIVE had higher water holding capacity (WHC) than those fed the control diet. No significant differences were observed between groups for cooking loss, drip losses and color CIELab. No antioxidant effect was observed on an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) test. Animals fed OLIVE presented a more unsaturated fatty acid profile than CONTROL and ALLIUM. Meat from ALLIUM group and OLIVE showed her values of brightness and meat odor than CONTROL. Mean scores of sensory analyses (color, odor, flavor and juiciness) of cooked samples were similar for the three treatments, with the meat samples from the ALLIUM and OLIVE treatments being less hard. Consumers did not reflect a preference for any of the treatments. Both by-products could be used for pork production.

A total of 96 Trueperella pyogenes isolates, an opportunistic pathogen of food-producing ruminants, obtained from cattle (n = 34), sheep (n = 35) and goats (n = 27), and identified by Real Time PCR (qPCR), were analysed to determine the susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials commonly used in livestock, using a broth microdilution. The Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) distribution was unimodal for half of the antimicrobials tested with the exception of apramycin, gentamicin, streptomycin, oxytetracycline, tylosin, and erythromycin all of which showed bimodal MIC distributions. Low MIC 90 values for penicillin, amoxicillin, ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, and gentamicin (<1 μg/ml) were obtained, suggesting that these antimicrobials would be the most effective first line empiric treatment for T. pyogenes infections in livestock. Furthermore, according to the specific T. pyogenes breakpoints for penicillin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and erythromycin, 93.7 % of isolates were susceptible to penicillin and 77.2 % to erythromycin, whereas 92.7 % were non-susceptible to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. Significant differences were observed in the MIC distribution of almost all antimicrobials, except enrofloxacin, tylosin and erythromycin against cattle, sheep or goat isolates, although all antimicrobials showed similar MIC 90 values, except apramycin and oxytetracycline that showed higher values when tested against cattle isolates. These data provide interesting information on the antimicrobials of choice for the treatment of infections caused by T. pyogenes in ruminants., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Paratuberculosis (PTB) is a chronic, enteric wasting disease of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), with a worldwide distribution. Andalusia, located in southern Spain, is one of the European regions with the highest goat census and the highest milk production; however, current data on the prevalence of MAP in this species are not available., Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with PTB in dairy goat flocks from southern Spain. A total of 3312 serum samples were collected from 48 flocks located in three different geographical areas. Health and productive parameters were surveyed during the visit to the herds., Results: A total of 511 goats were seropositive, with overall true seroprevalence of 22.54 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval (CI 95 ) 21.12-23.97). Of the goat herds, 87.50 per cent (CI 95 78.14-96.98) were seropositive. The intraherd seroprevalence was 25.43±31.71, distributed as follows: 22 flocks with a seroprevalence under 10 per cent; 18 flocks between 10 per cent and 50 per cent; and eight flocks with a frequency over 50 per cent. Multivariate logistic regression showed significant association between PTB seropositivity and the following variables: intensive production system , lack of management by batches , inappropriate ventilation and seropositivity to c aprine a rthritis e ncephalitis v irus ( CAEV ) ., Conclusions: The results indicate a widespread PTB infection in goat herds in southern Spain. Thus, control programmes must include management and sanitary measures to reduce the prevalence. Further experimental studies are necessary to determine the influence of CAEV-PTB coinfection on immune status., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© British Veterinary Association 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Bulk tank milk from 58 dairy goat and sheep flocks located in southern Spain was examined to determine the prevalence and distribution of Staphylococci . A total of 45 isolates were obtained and characterized to determine the species, antimicrobial resistance profile, and genetic similitude by pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using Sma I. Staphylococcus aureus isolates were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of nuc , and resistance to methicillin was determined by PCR analysis of mec A. A total of 10 different staphylococcal species were identified, 22.2% and 77.8% of which were coagulase positive and negative, respectively. Twenty-two (48.89%) isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent. Higher antimicrobial resistance values were obtained against tetracycline (28.9%) and penicillin (22.2%). Two isolates ( S. aureus and Staphylococcus lentus ) were resistant to cefoxitin; however, none of the 45 isolates harbored mec A. Thirty pulsotypes were detected by PFGE. Interestingly, some isolates of S. aureus , S. lentus , Staphylococcus simulans , and Staphylococcus caprae showed high genetic similarity (>80%). These data suggest that genetically similar staphylococcal isolates circulate among goat and sheep dairy herds, and their different resistance patterns could be influenced by the management systems used.

Trueperella pyogenes is an opportunistic pathogen associated with a variety of diseases and responsible for important economic losses for pig production. Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) typing analysis were used to determine the MIC distribution and to genetically characterize a total of 180 T. pyogenes isolates obtained from slaughtered pigs reared under intensive (TpIN, n = 89) and extensive (TpEX, n = 91) farming practices. Low MIC 90 values for penicillin and amoxicillin (0.008 and 0.06 μg/ml, respectively), ceftiofur, gentamicin and enrofloxacin (1 μg/ml, respectively) were obtained, so they could be of choice for the empiric treatment of T. pyogenes infections. Except for the penicillin, amoxicillin and ceftiofur, a statistically significant difference was observed in the MIC distribution of all antimicrobials analysed between TpIN and TpEX isolates. Also, MIC 90 values were higher in TpIN than in TpEX isolates for neomycin and streptomycin (32 μg/ml vs 8 μg/ml), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (30.4/1.6 μg/ml vs 1.90/0.10 μg/ml) and tylosin (≥1024 μg/ml vs 1 μg/ml). A relatively lower genetic diversity was detected in TpIN in comparison with TpEX isolates (GD 0.42 and GD 0.47, respectively). All isolates were distributed in three clusters (A, B, C). TpIN isolates were statistically associated with cluster A (P = 0.0002; OR 3.21; CI 95 1.74-5.93), whereas the TpEX were distributed throughout the dendrogram, showing more genetic diversity. These data suggest that the antimicrobial susceptibility and genetic variability of the T. pyogenes isolates could be influenced by the management systems., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The presence and genetic diversity of Clostridium difficile and C. perfringens along the slaughtering process of pigs reared in a free-range system was assessed. A total of 270 samples from trucks, lairage, slaughter line and quartering were analyzed, and recovered isolates were toxinotyped and genotyped. C. difficile and C. perfringens were retrieved from 14.4% and 12.6% of samples, respectively. The highest percentage of positive samples for C. difficile was detected in trucks (80%) whereas C. perfringens was more prevalent in cecal and colonic samples obtained in the slaughter line (85% and 45%, respectively). C. difficile isolates (n = 105) were classified into 17 PCR ribotypes (including 010, 078, and 126) and 95 AFLP genotypes. C. perfringens isolates (n = 85) belonged to toxinotypes A (94.1%) and C (5.9%) and were classified into 80 AFLP genotypes. The same genotypes of C. difficile and C. perfringens were isolated from different pigs and occasionally from environmental samples, suggesting a risk of contaminated meat products., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To determine the distribution of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of essential oils (EOs) of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), clove (Eugenia caryophyllata), oregano (Origanum vulgare), common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), and red thyme (Thymus zygis) against Salmonella enterica, double serial dilutions of each EO were challenged with 85 Salmonella strains belonging to 23 serotypes of animal origin. The results showed the bactericidal character of the EOs tested against S. enterica, highlighting the oregano with MIC 50 and MBC 50 of 3.12 × 10 -4  g/mL, and MIC 90 and MBC 90 of 6.25 × 10 -4  g/mL. When comparing the Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis serotypes susceptibility, we observed a significantly higher sensitivity of Typhimurium to clove and Enteritidis to cinnamon. In addition, Typhimurium isolates with significantly higher MIC and MBC values for all the EOs tested were found, suggesting the existence of a possible resistance profile. The results of this study provide relevant data for the potential of EOs as antibacterials, although they highlight the need to continue bacterial sensitivity distribution studies and consider the differences detected for future in vivo studies.