• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.401-410
• /
• 2006

Dental caries results from localized demineralization of tooth enamel by acids of bacterial origin produced from the fermentation of dietary sugars. A group of related oral bacteria, collectively known as mutans streptococci, are implicated as the primary etiological agents of human caries. Within this group, Streptococcus mutans has been known as a causative agent for dental caries. As well as acid production yielding the demineralization of tooth enamel, adherence and colonization of S. mutans to the teeth are also important for their virulence Cell-surface fibrillar proteins, which mediate adherence to the salivary pellicle are virulence components of mutans streptococci, and primary candidates for a human caries vaccine. Here we report that the AgI/II gene from S. mutans GS-5 were cloned by PCR amplification of the bacterial chromosomal DNA and the integrity of cloned genes were confirmed by nucleotide sequencing. Sequence analyses showed the sequence alignment of 280 nucleotides between the cloned AgI/II and the reported sequence of S. mutans GS-5 showed the perfect match The cloned genes which signal nucleotide was truncated, were transferred into bacterial expression vector and the recombinant proteins were purified as His-tag fusion proteins In order to generate polyclonal antibodies against the recombinant proteins, AgI/II mr, some $100{\mu}g$ of the proteins was injected into mice three times. It can be used for an effective vaccine production to prevent dental caries caused by pathogenic S. mutans.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.540-547
• /
• 2001

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of environmentally friendly agents (yucca extract, mineral feed additive, acidifier, nonspecific immunostimulating anionic alkali solution) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, nutrient excretion and carcass characteristics in growing-finishing pigs. A total of 125 pigs were allotted into 5 treatments with 5 replications, 5 pigs per pen in a completely randomized block design. Dietary treatments consisted of 1) control: basal diet, 2) YE: basal diet+120 mg/kg of yucca extract, 3) MFA: basal diet+50 mg/kg of mineral feed additive, 4) NIS: basal diet+3% of NIS (nonspecific immunostimulating anionic alkali solution), and 5) Acidifier: basal diet+0.5% of acidifier (organic acid complex). During the growing phase of the feeding trial, There were no significant differences in average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (F/G) among treatments, but the Acidifier group showed higher average daily gain (ADG) than the MFA group (p<0.05). During the finishing phase, there were no significant differences in growth performance among treatments, however YE supplementation increased ADG and F/G by 3.1 and 6.15%, respectively, when compared to control group. Proximate nutrients (dry matter, DM; crude protein, CP; crude ash, CA; crude fat, CF; gross energy, GE; calcium, Ca and phosphorus, P) digestibility did not show any significant differences among the treatments. And there were no significant differences in DM, N and P excretion as well. The supplementation of environmentally friendly agents tended to increase carcass weight compared to control group. Pigs fed MFA showed significantly heavier (p<0.05) carcass weight than those fed control or Acidifier diets. Addition of these agents except for NIS to diet for growing-finishing pigs caused a similar feed cost/kg weight gain than control group. Therefore, present study suggested that the optimum environmentally friendly agent would be yucca extracts, considering the effects on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, nutrient excretion, carcass characteristics and feed cost in growing-finishing pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.23 no.12
• /
• pp.1578-1586
• /
• 2010

This study estimated the effect of fermented persimmon (Diospros kaki L.) extract (FPE) supplement on feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen (N) balance, and rumen fermentation characteristics in sheep. Five male sheep (Corriedale${\times}$Polwarth) with average body weight of $48.6{\pm}1.3\;kg$ were housed in metabolism crates and assigned to a 5${\times}$5 Latin square design with five consecutive 20-d periods which consisted of 14-d adaptation and 6-d data collection. The sheep were fed ad libitum a diet containing concentrate and rice straw (3:7). The five treatments were FPE supplemented at 0 (Control), 5, 10, 20, and 30 g/kg of concentrate. Intakes of dry matter (DM, p<0.01), organic matter (OM, p<0.01), neutral detergent fiber (NDF, p<0.05), acid detergent fiber (ADF, p<0.05), and nitrogen-free extract (NFE, p<0.01) increased quadratically with increasing intake of FPE supplement and maximized (p<0.05) at 10 g/kg FPE. The digestibilities of DM (p<0.05), OM (p<0.05), crude protein (p<0.01), and NFE (p<0.01) increased quadratically with increasing amount of FPE supplement, and sheep fed 5 and 10 g/kg diets had greater (p<0.05) DM, OM, and NFE digestibilites than the Control treatment. By increasing FPE supplement concentration, N intake (p<0.01) and fecal N (p<0.05) increased linearly, whereas retained N (p<0.05) and retained N ratio (p<0.05) increased quadratically. The retained N was maximized (p<0.05) in sheep fed 5 and 10 g/kg diets. The mean rumen pH was not affected by FPE supplement, but there was a quadratic increase (p<0.05) of mean rumen ammonia N concentration and a linear increase (p<0.01) in mean rumen total volatile fatty acid (VFA) and acetate concentrations. The mean concentration of rumen propionate in sheep fed all FPE supplemented diets was greater (p<0.05) than the Control, but the mean ratios of rumen acetate to propionate in sheep fed 5 and 10 g/kg diets were lower (p<0.05) than that of Control sheep. In conclusion, FPE supplemented at 5-10 g/kg of concentrate improved feed intake, the digestibilites of OM and NFE, N metabolism, and rumen fermentation indices of sheep.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.11
• /
• pp.1617-1626
• /
• 2012

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding essential oils to the diet of weaned pigs on performance, nutrient utilization, immune response and intestinal health. A total of 96 weaning pigs ($8.37{\pm}1.58$ kg) were allotted to one of three dietary treatments. The treatments consisted of an unsupplemented basal diet (negative control, NC) or similar diets supplemented with 0.01% of an essential oil product which contained 18% thymol and cinnamaldehyde (EOD) as well as a diet supplemented with 0.19% of an antibiotic mixture which provided 150 ppm chlortetracycline, 80 ppm colistin sulfate and 50 ppm kitasamycin (positive control, PC). Each treatment was provided to eight pens of pigs with four pigs per pen. Over the entire 35 d experiment, ADG and fecal score were improved (p<0.05) for pigs fed the PC and EOD compared with the NC. Dry matter and crude protein digestibility as well as lymphocyte proliferation for pigs fed the PC and EOD diets were increased significantly compared with NC (p<0.05). IGF-I levels in plasma were significantly increased (p<0.05) in pigs fed the PC diet compared with pigs fed the NC diet. Interleukin-6 concentration was lower (p<0.05) and the tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ level was higher (p<0.05) in the plasma of pigs fed the EOD diet than the NC diet. Plasma total antioxidant capacity level increased (p<0.05) in pigs fed the EOD diet compared with pigs fed the NC. Villus height to crypt depth ratio in the jejunum was greater (p<0.05) in pigs fed the PC and EOD diets than the NC. The numbers of E. coli in the cecum, colon and rectum were reduced (p<0.05) in pigs fed the PC and EOD diets compared with the control. In the colon, the ratio of Lactobacilli to E. coli was increased (p<0.05) in pigs fed the EOD diet compared with NC diet. Total aerobe numbers in the rectum were decreased (p<0.05) in pigs fed the PC and EOD diets compared with the control. Collectively, these results indicate that blends of essential oils could be a candidate for use as an alternative to traditional antibiotics in weaning pig diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.11
• /
• pp.1546-1552
• /
• 2012

A feeding experiment with 40 lactating Holstein cows and 4 dietary treatments was conducted to investigate supplementation with different levels of alcohol fermented feed to the TMR on lactating performance, blood metabolites, milk fatty acid profile and cholesterol concentration of blood and milk. Forty Holstein lactating cows ($106{\pm}24$ d post-partum; mean${\pm}$SD) were distributed into four groups and randomly assigned to one of four treatments with each containing 10 cows per treatment. The treatment supplemented with TMR (DM basis) as the control (CON), and CON mixed with alcohol-fermented feeds (AFF) at a level of 5%, 10% and 15% of the TMR as T1, T2 and T3, respectively. Dry matter intake and milk yield were not affected by supplementation of AFF. An increased 4% FCM in the milk occurred in cows fed T3 diet compared with CON, while T1 and T2 diets decreased 4% FCM in a dose dependent manner. Supplementation of AFF increased the concentration of albumin, total protein (TP), ammonia, and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol in serum compared with CON. In contrast, supplementation with AFF clearly decreased concentration of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and total cholesterol (TC) compare with CON. AFF supplementation increased the proportion of C18:1n9 and C18:2n6 compared to CON. A decrease in the concentration of saturated fatty acid (SFA) for T1, T2 and T3 resulted in an increased unsaturated fatty acid (USFA) to SFA ratio compared to CON. Concentration of cholesterol in milk fat was reduced in proportion to the supplemental level of AFF. Feeding a diet supplemented with a moderate level AFF to lactating cows could be a way to alter the feed efficiency and fatty acid profile of milk by increasing potentially human consumer healthy fatty acid without detrimental effects on feed intake and milk production. A substantially decreased cholesterol proportion in milk induced by supplementation AFF suggests that alcohol fermented feed may improve milk cholesterol levels without any negative effects in lactating cows.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.8
• /
• pp.1132-1137
• /
• 2012

Objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of partial substitution of barley grain with bread by-product (BB) on performance of Awassi ewes and their lambs. Forty Awassi ewes rearing single lambs were randomly allotted into four experimental diets containing various levels of BB. The experimental diets contained 0 (BB0), 10 (BB10), 15 (BB15), and 20% (BB20) of BB on dietary dry matter (DM). The study lasted for eight weeks, in which the first week was used as an adaptation period and seven weeks of data collection. Ewes and their lambs were penned individually where they were fed their lactating diets ad libitum. Ewes and lambs body weights were measured at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. However, milk production and composition were evaluated biweekly. Feeding BB had no effect (p>0.05) on dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and crude protein (CP) intakes. However, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) intake was the lowest (p<0.05) for the BB20 and BB15 diets followed to BB10 diet (i.e., 640, 677, 772 g/d, respectively) while the highest NDF intake was for the BB0 diet (i.e., 825 g/d). Similarly, NDF intake decreased linearly (p<0.001) as the BB content increased. Acid detergent fiber (ADF) intake was highest (p<0.05) for the BB0 and BB10 diets (425 and 416 g/d, respectively) followed by the BB15 and BB20 diets (359 and 342 g/d, respectively). Moreover, a linear (p<0.001), quadratic (p = 0.04), and cubic (p = 0.04) effects were observed in ADF intake among diets. Nutrient digestibility was similar among different diets. Bread by-product had no effect (p>0.05) on ewes body weight change and on lamb performance (i.e., weaning body weight and average daily gain). Similarly, no differences (p>0.05) were observed either in milk production or composition by the BB substitution. Inclusion of BB reduced feed cost by 9, 14, and 18% for the BB10, BB15, and BB20 diets, respectively. No differences were observed in milk efficiency (DM intake: milk production; p>0.05) among diets. However, cost of milk production ($US/kg milk) was the lowest (p<0.05) in the diet containing BB20. Results of the present study indicate that feeding bread by-product up to 20% of the diet DM had no effect on performance of Awassi ewes and their lambs and reduced feed cost.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.8
• /
• pp.1124-1131
• /
• 2012

Four Thai - rumen fistulated male swamp buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), about four years old with $400{\pm}20kg$ liveweight, were randomly assigned according to a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design to receive dietary treatments. The treatments were: ground corn cob (GCC) replacement for cassava chip (CC) in concentrate at 0% (T1); GCC replacement at 33% (T2); GCC replacement at 67% (T3); and GCC replacement at 100% (T4), respectively. During the experiment, concentrate was offered at 0.5% BW while 5% urea-treated rice straw was given at ad libitum. The result revealed that there was no effect of GCC replacement on DMI among treatments. In addition, digestibilities of DM, OM and CP were not different while aNDF linearly increased with an increasing level of GCC replacement. However, GCC replacement did not affect rumen fermentation such as ruminal pH, $NH_3$-N and VFA concentration; except C3 proportion which was the highest at 33% replacement while the lowest was at 100% replacement. All replacements of GCC resulted in similar protozoal and bacterial populations and microbial protein synthesis (MPS). Purine derivatives (PD) concentration in urine and PD to creatinine (PDC) index were varied with time of urination and among treatments at 0 to 8 and 8 to 16 h post feeding and higher values were shown among the GCC replacement groups. However at 16 to 24 h-post feeding, it was untraceable. In addition, creatinine concentration was similar among all treatments at every sampling time. Based on the above results, GCC can be used as an energy source for swamp buffalo fed with rice straw. Spot sampling of urine can be used for purine derivatives determination.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.672-682
• /
• 2017

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic with and without feed restriction on broilers performance, blood parameters, carcass characteristics, and feed cost of production from 1 to 56 days of age. Methods: Two hundred and forty unsexed one day-old chicks of Arbor Acres breed were used. Two trials, I and II, were conducted, with 120 birds in both. Each trial was divided into 4 equal groups. The birds in trial I were fed ad libitum throughout the experiment, while the chicks in trial II were fed ad libitum during the first week of age, then subjected to 5 hours/d of feed restriction from the beginning of the second week up to the end of the experiment. In both trials, the birds in group 1 were fed on a control diet while the other groups were given the same control diet supplemented either with a probiotic in group 2, prebiotic in group 3, or synbiotic in group 4. Results: It was found that chicks fed diets supplemented with probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic (with and without feed restriction) exhibited higher body weight and feed efficiency than chicks fed the control diets. The feed additives in both trials did not affect hemoglobin, serum total protein, albumin, globulin, glucose, and total cholesterol, except the packed cell volume which was increased in the additive treatments with restriction at the end of the experiment. Moreover, the dietary treatments did not influence the carcass yield. However, the relative weights of liver, gizzard and proventriculus, small intestine and bursa of fabricius were found to be increased. The additives decreased the visible fat in the carcass, with more decreasing effect in the additive groups with restriction. The lowest feed cost per kg of weight gain was observed in the birds fed diets supplemented with synbiotic, probiotic and prebiotic. Feed restriction improved the feed conversion ratio, economic return, but decreased the feed intake, serum total cholesterol and visible fat in comparison with non-restricted groups. Conclusion: The biological feed additives could be routinely added to broiler diets, especially when a feed restriction program is followed. Finally, it can be recommended to restrict feed, and add probiotic or synbiotic to increase weight, improve feed conversion rate and reduce feed cost of production.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.9
• /
• pp.1458-1463
• /
• 2018

Objective: This study was done to evaluate the effect of sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL) supplementation in a total mixed ration (TMR) on the lactation performance, blood parameters, and economic efficacy of mid-lactation Holstein cows. Methods: Twenty-four cows (body weight $647{\pm}11.7kg$) were randomly divided into 4 treatment groups, with six cows per group. The dietary treatments were as follows: basal diet (CON); CON+17.5 g of top dressed SSL (treatment [TRT] 0.05); CON+35 g of SSL (TRT 0.1); and CON+70 g of SSL (TRT 0.2) per 35 kg TMR. Results: The highest level of SSL supplementation (TRT 0.2) significantly improved milk yield during the second period compared to the TRT 0.05 group (5 to 8 wks; 33.28 vs 31.09 kg/d), during the third period compared to both the CON and TRT 0.05 groups (p<0.05) (9 to 13 wks; 32.59 vs 30.64 and 30.01 kg/d) and during the overall experimental period compared to both the CON and TRT 0.05 groups (p<0.05) (1 to 13 wks; 33.43 vs 32.06 and 31.40 kg/d), respectively. No negative effects on hematological or biochemical parameters were observed due to SSL supplementation. Considering both the milk fat and protein content, the total milk price was set at 1,073.60 (TRT 0.05), 1,085.60 (TRT 0.1), 1,086.10 (TRT 0.2), and 1,064.20 (CON) won/L, with consequent total milk profits of -1.7%, 5.4%, and 3.5% for the TRT 0.05, TRT 0.1, and TRT 0.2 diet, respectively, compared to those in the CON diet. Conclusion: The milk sales revenue related to SSL supplementation of the TRT 0.1 diet was increased by up to 5.4% compared to the milk sales revenue of the CON diet. Therefore, 0.1% SSL supplementation might be effective and profitable during the mid-lactation period of cows, without producing adverse effects.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.9
• /
• pp.1444-1454
• /
• 2020

Objective: Cold stress induces oxidative damage and impairs energy status of broilers. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) exhibits antioxidant properties and modulates energy metabolism of animals. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of NAC on energy status and antioxidant capacity of heart and liver in the cold-stressed broilers. Methods: The experiment consisted of 4 treatments in a 2×2 factorial arrangement with two diets (basal diet or plus 0.1% NAC) and two ambient temperatures (thermoneutral [conventional ambient temperature] or cold stress [10℃±1℃ during days 15 to 42]). Results: No ascites were seen in cold-stressed broilers. NAC did not attenuate the impaired growth performance of stressed birds. However, NAC decreased plasma asparagine but increased aspartate levels in cold-stressed birds (p<0.05). NAC reduced hepatic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) but elevated adenosine diphosphate contents in unstressed birds (p<0.05). The hepatic ratio of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to ATP was increased in birds fed NAC (p<0.05). NAC decreased plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) level and cardiac total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity in unstressed birds, but increased hepatic activities of T-SOD, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in stressed birds (p<0.05). NAC down-regulated hepatic AMP-activated protein kinase but up-regulated cardiac heme-oxigenase mRNA expression in stressed birds, and decreased expression of hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor coactivator-1α as well as hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in liver and heart of birds. Conclusion: Dietary NAC did not affect energy status but enhanced the hepatic antioxidant capacity by increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes in cold-stressed broilers.