• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.197-200
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• 2019

Cryptosporidium is a common intestinal protozoan that can lead to diarrhea in humans and dogs. The predominant species of infection are C. hominis and C. parvum in humans, and C. canis in dogs. However, C. canis can infect immunocompromised humans. Considering the close contact with humans, dogs have the potential to be reservoirs for human cryptosporidiosis. Breeding kennels are the major supply source of puppies for pet shops. The present study is to determine the molecular prevalence and characteristics of Cryptosporidium spp. found in breeding kennel dogs. A total of 314 fecal samples were collected from young and adult dogs kept in 5 breeding kennels. A polymerase chain reaction targeting the small subunit rRNA gene was employed for the detection of Cryptosporidium spp. To determine the species, the DNA sequences were compared to GenBank data. Overall, 21.0% of the fecal samples were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. infection. Cryptosporidium spp. was detected in all 5 facilities. A sequencing analysis demonstrated that all isolates shared 99-100% similarity with C. canis. The results suggest that Cryptosporidium spp. infection is present at a high-level in breeding kennel dogs. However, because dominant species in this survey was C. canis, the importance of breeding kennel dogs as reservoirs for Cryptosporidium spp. transmission to humans is likely to be low in Japan.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.885-896
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• 2022

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of three different copper (Cu) sources (one inorganic and two organics) and levels (0, 50, and 100 mg/kg) on the growth performance, Cu digestibility, fecal mineral excretion, serum mineral concentration, jejunal morphology, and serum biochemical profile of growing pigs. A total of 42 male, growing pigs (31.08 ± 1.82 kg) were randomly assigned to seven treatments consisting of one negative control (0 mg/kg of added Cu level) and treatments with copper sulfate (CuSO4), Cu-amino acid complex (CuAA), and Cu-hydroxy-4-methylthio butanoate chelate complex (CuHMB) at 50 and 100 mg/kg each for 28 d. Pigs fed 50 or 100 mg/kg of Cu showed improved (p < 0.05) average daily gain and feed intake. Although Cu excretion decreased (p < 0.01) in pigs fed 100 mg/kg of organic Cu sources compared to those fed CuSO4, there was no difference between the Cu sources in pigs fed 50 mg/kg. However, the apparent total tract digestibility of Cu increased (p < 0.01) in pigs fed organic Cu sources compared with that in pigs fed CuSO4. The addition of CuHMB increased (p < 0.01) serum phosphorus and sulfur concentrations; however, there were no effects of source and level on jejunal morphology and serum biochemical profile. These results suggest that the inclusion (50 mg/kg) of organic Cu sources (CuAA and CuHMB) in the growing pig diet could be beneficial for growth performance and Cu availability and may reduce environmental pollution.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.120-127
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• 2024

Bats serve as vectors and natural reservoir hosts for various infectious viruses, bacteria, and fungi. These pathogens have also been detected in bat feces and can cause severe illnesses in hosts, other animals, and humans. Because pathogens can easily spread into the environment through bat feces, determining the bacterial communities in bat guano is crucial to mitigate potential disease transmission and outbreaks. This study primarily aimed to examine bacterial communities in the feces of insectivorous bats living in South Korea. Fecal samples were collected after capturing 84 individuals of four different bat species in two regions of South Korea, and the bacterial microbiota was assessed through next generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The results revealed that, with respect to the relative abundance at the phylum level, Myotis bombinus was dominated by Firmicutes (47.24%) and Proteobacteria (42.66%) whereas Miniopterus fuliginosus (82.78%), Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (63.46%), and Myotis macrodactylus (78.04%) were dominated by Proteobacteria. Alpha diversity analysis showed no difference in abundance between species and a significant difference (p < 0.05) between M. bombinus and M. fuliginosus. Beta-diversity analysis revealed that Clostridium, Asaia, and Enterobacteriaceae_g were clustered as major factors at the genus level using principal component analysis. Additionally, linear discriminant analysis effect size was conducted based on relative expression information to select bacterial markers for each bat species. Clostridium was relatively abundant in M. bombinus, whereas Mycoplasma_g10 was relatively abundant in R. ferrumequinum. Our results provide an overview of bat guano microbiota diversity and the significance of pathogenic taxa for humans and the environment, highlighting a better understanding of preventing emerging diseases. We anticipate that this research will yield bioinformatic data to advance our knowledge of overall microbial genetic diversity and clustering characteristics in insectivorous bat feces in South Korea.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.67-72
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• 2003

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of germanium biotite on the growth performance, blood composition , fecal NH$_3$-N and volatile fatty acid(VFA) in broiler chicks. Two hundred forty broiler chicks were randomly allocated into five treatments with four replicates for five weeks. Dietary treatments included 1) Control, 2) GB1(basal diet + 200 mesh 0.5%), 3) GB2(basal diet + 325 mesh 0.5%), 4) GB3(basal diet + 200 mesh 1.0%) and 5) GB4(basal diet +325 nesh 1.0%) For overall period, weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion were not significantly different among treatments (P>0.05). Digestibilities of nutrients were not affected by adding GB(P>0.05). No differences occurred in red blood cell(RBC), white blood cell(WBC), hematocrit(HCT), hemoglobin(Hb), lymphocyte, monocyte and platelet of blood among the treatments (P>0.05). Fecal NH$_3$-N concentration of chicks fed GB1.0 diets(GB3 and GB4) was lower(P<0.03) than chicks fed GB0.5 diets(GB1 and GB2). Propionic acid and butyric acid in feces of chicks fed GB diets were lower(P<0.04) than in chicks fed control diet. GB diets reduced fecal acetic acid significantly compared to control (P<0.01). Also, acetic acid of feces in chicks fed GB1.0 diets(GB3 and GB4) was lower(P<0.02) than GB 0.5 diets(GB1 and GB2) treatments. In conclusion, dietary germanium biotite was an effective means of decreasing fecal NH$_3$-N and volatile fatty acid(VFA) emission.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.390-405
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• 2020

Purpose: The effect of prebiotics intake after administration of a synbiotics mixture (a probiotic, Bifidobacterium longum, and a prebiotic, xylooligosaccharide containing sugar [XOS]) on human intestinal microflora and defecation characteristics was investigated in a randomized controlled trial. Methods: Twenty-five healthy young volunteers (11 males and 14 females) were randomly assigned to 2 groups (BL2XO2 and BL2XO6). The synbiotics mixture was orally administered to both groups for 2 weeks, and the prebiotics were subsequently administered to the BL2XO6 group for 4 additional weeks. The daily dose of the synbiotics mixture comprised 10¹⁰ colony-forming unit of Bifidobacterium longum and 10 g of XOS, and during the prebiotics period, the daily dose of prebiotics comprised only 10 g of XOS. The fecal pH, microflora, and defecation characteristics were analyzed at baseline and at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6. Results: The counts of B. longum and Bifidobacterium spp. in the BL2XO6 group exhibited a steady, increasing trend during the synbiotics and prebiotics periods, whereas those of the BL2XO2 group exhibited considerable variation in each week of the study period. Although there was no significant difference, the counts of fecal Bifidobacterium in the BL2XO6 group tended to be higher than those of the BL2XO2 group at week 6. The growth of Lactobacillus spp. exhibited a time-dependent variation, peaking at week 6 in both groups. Low counts of Clostridium spp. were observed after treatment with the synbiotics and prebiotics in the BL2XO6 group (p < 0.05) throughout the study, whereas the inhibitory effect on Clostridium spp. was maintained only during the synbiotics period in the BL2XO2 group. The defecation characteristics did not differ between the two groups. Conclusion: Administration of XOS after a synbiotics mixture containing B. longum and XOS can exert a prebiotic effect in healthy young volunteers by stimulating Bifidobacteriun spp. growth and inhibiting growth of Clostridium spp.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.761-772
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• 2007

This study was conducted to evaluate effects of dietary pine cone meal on growth performance, blood characteristics, carcass quality and fecal noxious gases compounds in finishing pigs. The total of sixty [(Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc] pigs(86.01±0.25kg in average initial body weight) were used in 35 days assay. Dietary treatments included 1) T1(2% cottonwood sawdust), 2) T2(1% cottonwood sawdust+1% pine cone meal) and 3) T3(2% pine cone meal). There were three dietary treatments with five replicate pens per treatment and four pigs per pen. During the overall periods, there were no significant differences in ADG(Average daily gain), ADFI(Average daily feed intake) and gain/feed ratio among treatments (P>0.05). Also, Nutrient digestibilities and blood characteristics were not affected by dietary treatments. At the end of this experiment, a*-value of logissimus dorsi muscle color and sensory evaluation color were higher in T3 treatment than T1 treatment(P<0.05). In fatty acid contents of lean, C18:1 and total MUFA were significantly lower in T1 treatment than other treatments(P<0.05). However, total ω6 and total PUFA were higher in T1 treatment than T2 treatment(P<0.05). In fatty acid contents of fats, total SFA was significantly higher in T2 treatment than T3 treatment(P<0.05). C18:1 was higher in T2 treatment than T1 treatment(P<0.05). There were no significant differences in fecal noxious gas compounds among the treatments. In conclusion, the results of the experiment was affected by dietary supplementation of pine cone meal on meat color and fatty acid composition of pork in finishing pigs.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.207-210
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• 2016

The efficacy of extracts of oat (Avena sativa L.) bran in loperamide-induced constipation in SD rats was evaluated. The rats were divided into six groups of five rats each. The animals in Group 1 (control) and Group 2 (constipated control) were administered with distilled water orally. Groups 3, 4 and 5 comprised of constipated rats administered 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight per day of extract of oat (Avena sativa L.) bran respectively while Group 6 were constipated rats administered bisacodyl (0.25 mg/kg body weight). Constipation was induced by oral administration of loperamide. The feeding characteristics, body weight, fecal properties were monitored. The results show that oats (Avena sativa L.) bran possesses laxative effects in loperamide-induced constipated rats.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1969-1974
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and associated factors regarding colorectal cancer screening among university students in Malaysia. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle practice and knowledge of colorectal screening. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 students ($21.3{\pm}1.4$ years old). The majority of the participants were Malay with a monthly family income of less than 5,000 Ringgit Malaysia (equal to 1,700 USD) (67.0% and 76.0%, respectively). Regarding their lifestyle practices, the majority were non-smokers and had never consumed alcohol (83.7%, and 88.0%, respectively). The majority of the participants had no knowledge of digital rectal examination, colonoscopy, barium enema and fecal occult blood screening (63.3%, 60.7%, 74.0% and 62.3%, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that their age and the discipline which the students were studying significantly influenced their level of knowledge about colorectal screening. The present study results indicate that education campaigns about colorectal cancer should be promoted.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 1997

Lactobacillus acidophilus 223, 606, and NCFM-F among 21 isolated from fecal contents of humans demonstrated inhibitory activity attributed to bacteriocin(s). The bacteriocin(s) were heat stable and nondialyzable proteinous compounds and exhibited narrow inhibitory spectra of activity. Neither hydrogen peroxide nor pH were responsible for inhibitory action. All of the producer strains were resistant to their own bacteriocin(s). The bacteriocin(s) were purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel chromatography and ion exchange chromatography for further characterization. The bacteriocin(s) of human origin exhibited similar characteristics.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.205-214
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• 2018

The order Mucorales, the largest in number of species within the Mucoromycotina, comprises typically fast-growing saprotrophic fungi. During a study of the fungal diversity of undiscovered taxa in Korea, two novel mucoralean strains, CNUFC-GWD3-9 and CNUFC-EGF1-4, were isolated from specific habitats including freshwater and fecal samples, respectively. On the basis of their morphological characteristics and sequence analyses of internal transcribed spacer and large subunit ribosomal DNA, the CNUFC-GWD3-9 and CNUFC-EGF1-4 isolates were confirmed to be Gilbertella persicaria and Pilobolus crystallinus, respectively. It is ecologically, pathologically, and mycologically significant to find such rare zygomycetous fungi in such specific habitats.