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Influenza viruses are contagious zoonotic pathogens that belong to the Orthomyxoviridae family, which consists of 4 genera: Alphainfluenzavirus (influenza A virus), Betainfluenzavirus (influenza B virus), Gammainfluenzavirus (influenza C virus [ICV]), [...]

Co-products from the ethanol industry, such as distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), can provide alternative protein sources for pet food. Corn fermented protein (CFP) is produced using postfermentation technology to split the protein and yeast from fiber prior to drying. This results in a higher protein ingredient compared to DDGS, increasing its appeal for pet food. In addition, the substantial yeast component, at approximately 20% to 25%, may promote gut health through modulation of the microbiome and the production of short-chain fatty acids. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of CFP on the fecal microbiome of cats. The 4 experimental diets included a control with no yeast (T1) and diets containing either 3.5% brewer's dried yeast (T2), 2.5% brewer's dried yeast plus 17.5% DDGS (T3), or 17.5% CFP (T4). All diets except T1 were formulated to contain 3.5% yeast. Diets were fed to adult cats (n  = 11) in an incomplete 4 × 4 replicated Latin square design. Cats were adapted to diet for 9 d followed by a 5-d total fecal collection. During each collection period, fresh fecal samples from each cat were collected and stored at −80 °C until analysis. Fresh fecal samples (n  = 44) were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Raw sequences were processed through Mothur (v.1.44.1). Community diversity was evaluated in R (v4.0.3). Relative abundance was analyzed within the 50 most abundant operational taxonomic unitsusing a mixed model of SAS (v9.4, SAS Institute, Inc. Cary, NC). Diet was the fixed effect and cat and period were random effects. Results were considered significant at P  < 0.05. Alpha-diversity indices (Observed, Chao1, Shannon, Simpson) and beta-diversity metric (principal coordinate analysis) were similar for all treatments. Predominant phyla were Firmicutes (66%), Bacteroidetes (25%), Actinobacteria (8%), Proteobacteria (0.64%), and Desulfobacteria (0.54%). The relative abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria was lower (P  < 0.05) for T3 compared to T4 and T2, respectively. On a more specific phylogenic level, 17 genera resulted in differences (P  < 0.05) among dietary treatments. Overall, this data indicates that compared to traditional yeast and distillers dried grains, CFP did not alter the overall diversity of the fecal microbiome of healthy adult cats over a 14-d period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different food processing parameters may alter starch granule structure and its cooking degree. With lower thermomechanical energy, more resistant starch (RS) is retained in the food, which may benefit gastrointestinal (GI) health. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of food processing on dietary utilization and dog gut health. Experimental diets containing 56% corn as the sole starch source were produced through pelleting, baking, and extrusion and compared to a baked control diet in which the corn was replaced with dextrose. The extruded diet resulted in the highest level (P  < 0.05) of in vitro starch cook and lowest RS, while baked was intermediate and pelleted had the lowest starch cook and highest RS. To evaluate the in vivo effects of these treatments, 12 dogs were adapted to foods for 9 d, and feces were collected for 5 d in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design. Feces were scored for consistency using an ordinal scale, and parametric data included apparent digestibility (ATTD), parameters indicative of gut health, and the microbial composition, which was centered log-ratio transformed before operational taxonomic unit (OTU) analyses. Fecal scores were analyzed by ordinal logistic regression, and parametric data were analyzed as mixed models. Overall ATTD was greater (P  < 0.05) in extruded, followed by baked and pelleted. Dogs fed the control had osmotic diarrhea, whereas dogs fed the other treatments had mostly acceptable fecal scores, with extrusion leading to the best fecal quality. The control also led to high fecal pH and low SCFAs, indicating dysbiosis. All corn foods had similar (P  > 0.05) fecal SCFAs and extruded tended (P  = 0.055) to promote higher fecal butyrate than baked and pelleted. The microbiome of dogs fed the corn foods had similar α diversity indices, and OTUs at the species and phyla levels were mostly alike and different from the control. In conclusion, the higher levels of in vitro RS did not translate into a better in vivo fermentation profile, and extruded kibble performed best regarding fecal quality, ATTD, and fecal SCFAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) remains one of the most economically devastating diseases in swine population in the United States of America. Due to high mutation rate of the PRRS virus (PRRSV) genome, it is difficult to develop an accurate diagnostic assay with high strain coverage. Differentiation of field strains from the four vaccines that have been used in the USA, namely Ingelvac PRRS MLV, Ingelvac ATP, Fostera PRRS and Prime Pac PRRS, adds an additional challenge. It is difficult to use current real‐time PCR systems to detect and differentiate the field strains from the vaccine strains. Luminex xTAG technology allows us to detect more molecular targets in a single reaction with a cost similar to a single real‐time PCR reaction. By analysing all available 678 type 2 PRRSV (PRRSV‐2) complete genome sequences, including the 4 vaccine strains, two pairs of detection primers were designed targeting the conserved regions of ORF4‐ORF7, with strain coverage of 98.8% (670/678) based on in silico analysis. The virus strains sharing ≥98% identity of the complete genomes with the vaccine strains were considered vaccine or vaccine‐like strains. One pair of primers for each vaccine strain were designed targeting the nsp2 region. In silico analysis showed the assay matched 94.7% (54/57) of Ingelvac PRRS® MLV (MLV) strain and the MLV‐like strains, and 100% of the other three vaccine strains. Analytical sensitivity of the Luminex assay was one to two logs lower than that of the reverse transcription real‐time PCR assay. Evaluated with 417 PRRSV‐2 positive clinical samples, 95% were detected by the Luminex assay. Compared to ORF5 sequencing results, the Luminex assay detected 92.4% (73/79) of MLV strains, 78.3% (18/23) of Fostera strains and 50% (2/4) of ATP strains. None of the 472 samples were the Prime Pac strain tested by either ORF5 sequencing or the Luminex assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identified influenza C virus (ICV) in samples from US cattle with bovine respiratory disease through real-time PCR testing and sequencing. Bovine ICV isolates had high nucleotide identities (≈98%) with each other and were closely related to human ICV strains (≈95%). Further research is needed to determine bovine ICV's zoonotic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viruses belonging to the genus Bocaparvovirus(BoV) are a genetically diverse group of DNA viruses known to cause respiratory, enteric, and neurological diseases in animals, including humans. An intestinal sample from an alpaca (Vicugna pacos) herd with reoccurring diarrhea and respiratory disease was submitted for next-generation sequencing, revealing the presence of a BoV strain. The alpaca BoV strain (AlBoV) had a 58.58% whole genome nucleotide percent identity to a camel BoV from Dubai, belonging to a tentative ungulate BoV 8 species (UBoV8). Recombination events were lacking with other UBoV strains. The AlBoV genome was comprised of the NS1, NP1, and VP1 proteins. The NS1 protein had the highest amino acid percent identity range (57.89–67.85%) to the members of UBoV8, which was below the 85% cut-off set by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. The low NS1 amino acid identity suggests that AlBoV is a tentative new species. The whole genome, NS1, NP1, and VP1 phylogenetic trees illustrated distinct branching of AlBoV, sharing a common ancestor with UBoV8. Walker loop and Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) motifs that are vital for virus infectivity were identified in NS1 and VP1 proteins, respectively. Our study reports a novel BoV strain in an alpaca intestinal sample and highlights the need for additional BoV research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a non-steroidal estrogen mycotoxin produced by several Gibberella and Fusarium species. Accumulating evidence has indicated that ZEA strongly stimulates cell proliferation. However the detailed molecular and cellular mechanisms of ZEA-mediated induction of cell proliferation have not yet been completely explained. The aim of this study was to detect the role of miRNAs in ZEA-mediated induction of cell proliferation. The effects of ZEA on cell proliferation were assessed using a cell counting kit assay and xCELLigence system. Micro-RNA sequencing was performed after treatment of TM3 cells with ZEA (0.01 μmol/L) for different time periods (0, 2, 6 and 18 h). Cell function and pathway analysis of the miRNA target genes were performed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). We found that ZEA promotes TM3 cell proliferation at low concentrations. miRNA sequenceing revealed 66 differentially expressed miRNAs in ZEA-treated cells in comparison to the untreated control ( p < 0.05). The miRNA sequencing indicated that compared to control group, there were 66 miRNAs significant change ( p < 0.05) in ZEA-treated groups. IPA analysis showed that the predicated miRNAs target gene involved in cell Bio-functions including cell cycle, growth and proliferation, and in signaling pathways including MAPK and RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK pathways. Results from flow cytometry and Western Blot analysis validated the predictions that ZEA can affect cell cycle, and the MAPK signaling pathway. Taking these together, the cell proliferation induced ZEA is regulated by miRNAs. The results shed light on the molecular and cellular mechanisms for the mediation of ZEA to induce proliferation., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The insect cuticle is a composite biomaterial made up primarily of chitin and proteins. The physical properties of the cuticle can vary greatly from hard and rigid to soft and flexible. Understanding how different cuticle types are assembled can aid in the development of novel biomimetic materials for use in medicine and technology. Toward this goal, we have taken a combined proteomics and transcriptomics approach with the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, to examine the protein and gene expression profiles of the elytra and hindwings, appendages that contain rigid and soft cuticles, respectively. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis revealed distinct differences in the protein profiles between elytra and hindwings, with four highly abundant proteins dominating the elytral cuticle extract. MALDI/TOF mass spectrometry identified 19 proteins homologous to known or hypothesized cuticular proteins (CPs), including a novel low complexity protein enriched in charged residues. Microarray analysis identified 372 genes with a 10-fold or greater difference in transcript levels between elytra and hindwings. CP genes with higher expression in the elytra belonged to the Rebers and Riddiford family (CPR) type 2, or cuticular proteins of low complexity (CPLC) enriched in glycine or proline. In contrast, a majority of the CP genes with higher expression in hindwings were classified as CPR type 1, cuticular proteins analogous to peritrophins (CPAP), or members of the Tweedle family. This research shows that the elyra and hindwings, representatives of rigid and soft cuticles, have different protein and gene expression profiles for structural proteins that may influence the mechanical properties of these cuticles.