Adult porcine (Sus scrofa) derived inner ear cells: Characteristics in in-vitro cultures.

There is a need for an animal model that closely parallels human cochlea gestational development. This study aims to document porcine inner ear anatomy, and in vitro porcine derived inner ear cell culture characteristics. Twenty-four temporal bone were harvested from 12 adult pigs (Sus scrofa).

Mucin Transiently Sustains Coronavirus Infectivity through Heterogenous Changes in Phase Morphology of Evaporating Aerosol.

Respiratory pathogens can be spread though the transmission of aerosolised expiratory secretions in the form of droplets or particulates. Understanding the fundamental aerosol parameters that govern how such pathogens survive whilst airborne is essential to understanding and developing methods of restricting their dissemination. Pathogen viability measurements made using Controlled Electrodynamic Levitation and Extraction of Bioaerosol onto Substrate (CELEBS) in tandem with a comparative kinetics electrodynamic balance (CKEDB) measurements allow for a direct comparison between viral viability and evaporation kinetics of the aerosol with a time resolution of seconds.

The dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity with changes in aerosol microenvironment.

Understanding the factors that influence the airborne survival of viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in aerosols is important for identifying routes of transmission and the value of various mitigation strategies for preventing transmission. We present measurements of the stability of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosol droplets (∼5 to 10 µm equilibrated radius) over timescales spanning 5 s to 20 min using an instrument to probe survival in a small population of droplets (typically 5 to 10) containing ∼1 virus/droplet. Measurements of airborne infectivity change are coupled with a detailed physicochemical analysis of the airborne droplets containing the virus.

Effects of nest-box environment on fledgling success rate and pathogen load.

Nest boxes have been used for many decades as tools for conservation and to study avian population dynamics. Plastic is increasingly used as a material for nest boxes, but no studies have investigated effects of this different material. Two consecutive studies were conducted to investigate effects of nest-box environment on nidicolous parasites, bacteria and fungi, as well as nest success, in blue tits and great tits .

Evidence that faecal carriage of resistant by 16-week-old dogs in the United Kingdom is associated with raw feeding.

We report a survey (August 2017 to March 2018) and risk factor analysis of faecal carriage of antibacterial-resistant (ABR) in 223 16-week-old dogs in the United Kingdom. Raw feeding was associated with the presence of fluoroquinolone-resistant (FQ-R) and those resistant to tetracycline, amoxicillin, and streptomycin, but not to cefalexin. Whole genome sequencing of 36 FQ-R isolates showed a wide range of sequence types (STs), with almost exclusively mutational FQ-R dominated by ST744 and ST162.

Factors influencing the detection of antibacterial-resistant Escherichia coli in faecal samples from individual cattle.

Aims: To investigate whether on-farm antibacterial usage (ABU), environmental antibacterial-resistant (ABR) Escherichia coli prevalence, sampling and sample handling methodologies are associated with ABR E. coli positivity in individual faecal samples from dairy heifers.

Methods And Results: Three hundred and sixty-four heifers from 37 farms were sampled via rectal or faecal pat sampling.

Limited phylogenetic overlap between fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli isolated on dairy farms and those causing bacteriuria in humans living in the same geographical region.

Background: Our primary aim was to test whether cattle-associated fluoroquinolone-resistant (FQ-R) Escherichia coli found on dairy farms are closely phylogenetically related to those causing bacteriuria in humans living in the same 50 × 50 km geographical region suggestive of farm-human sharing. Another aim was to identify risk factors for the presence of FQ-R E. coli on dairy farms.

Molecular Epidemiology of Escherichia coli Producing CTX-M and pAmpC β-Lactamases from Dairy Farms Identifies a Dominant Plasmid Encoding CTX-M-32 but No Evidence for Transmission to Humans in the Same Geographical Region.

Third-generation cephalosporin resistance (3GC-R) in is a rising problem in human and farmed-animal populations. We conducted whole-genome sequencing analysis of 138 representative 3GC-R isolates previously collected from dairy farms in southwest England and confirmed by PCR to carry acquired 3GC-R genes. This analysis identified (131 isolates encoding CTX-M-1, -14, -15, -and 32 and the novel variant CTX-M-214), (6 isolates), and (1 isolate).

The Mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol Significantly Alters the Function and Metabolism of Bovine Kidney Epithelial Cells In Vitro.

Bovine mycotoxicosis is a disorder caused by the ingestion of fungal toxins. It is associated with chronic signs, such as reduced growth rate and milk yield, and causes significant economic cost to the dairy industry. The mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN), and fumonisin B1 (FB1) are commonly found in grain fed to cattle.

Domestication of Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168.

Reference and type strains of well-known bacteria have been a cornerstone of microbiology research for decades. The sharing of well-characterized isolates among laboratories has run in parallel with research efforts and enhanced the reproducibility of experiments, leading to a wealth of knowledge about trait variation in different species and the underlying genetics. Campylobacter jejuni strain NCTC 11168, deposited at the National Collection of Type Cultures in 1977, has been adopted widely as a reference strain by researchers worldwide and was the first Campylobacter for which the complete genome was published (in 2000).

Distinct Salmonella Enteritidis lineages associated with enterocolitis in high-income settings and invasive disease in low-income settings.

An epidemiological paradox surrounds Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. In high-income settings, it has been responsible for an epidemic of poultry-associated, self-limiting enterocolitis, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa it is a major cause of invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella disease, associated with high case fatality. By whole-genome sequence analysis of 675 isolates of S.

Pancreatic amylase is an environmental signal for regulation of biofilm formation and host interaction in Campylobacter jejuni.

Campylobacter jejuni is a commensal bacterium in the intestines of animals and birds and a major cause of food-borne gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. Here we show that exposure to pancreatic amylase leads to secretion of an α-dextran by C. jejuni and that a secreted protease, Cj0511, is required.

Effect of noradrenaline on the virulence properties of campylobacter species.

Campylobacter species cause a spectrum of illnesses in humans. The type of illness and the outcome is dependent on the virulence of the infecting pathogen strain and host immune status. Acute stress can seriously compromise host immunity and increase susceptibility to infection.

Extensive microbial and functional diversity within the chicken cecal microbiome.

Chickens are major source of food and protein worldwide. Feed conversion and the health of chickens relies on the largely unexplored complex microbial community that inhabits the chicken gut, including the ceca. We have carried out deep microbial community profiling of the microbiota in twenty cecal samples via 16S rRNA gene sequences and an in-depth metagenomics analysis of a single cecal microbiota.

The effect of growth temperature on the pathogenicity of Campylobacter.

Control of Campylobacter in the food chain requires a better understanding of the behaviour of the bacteria in relevant environments. Campylobacter species are largely non-pathogenic in poultry, the body temperature of which is 42 °C. However, the bacteria are highly pathogenic in humans whose body temperature is 37 °C.

Identification and characterisation of an iron-responsive candidate probiotic.

Background: Iron is an essential cofactor in almost all biological systems. The lactic acid bacteria (LAB), frequently employed as probiotics, are unusual in having little or no requirement for iron. Iron in the human body is sequestered by transferrins and lactoferrin, limiting bacterial growth.

Campylobacter jejuni is associated with, but not sufficient to cause vibrionic hepatitis in chickens.

Vibrionic hepatitis is a disease of poultry which is characterised by the presence of focal lesions in the liver, usually 1-2mm in size and greyish-white in colour. The cause of the disease remains unclear, as do the reasons for its recent re-emergence. We examined the livers of commercial broiler chickens taken during processing and found Campylobacter spp.

A double-chamber rotating bioreactor for the development of tissue-engineered hollow organs: from concept to clinical trial.

Cell and tissue engineering are now being translated into clinical organ replacement, offering alternatives to fight morbidity, organ shortages and ethico-social problems associated with allotransplantation. Central to the recent first successful use of stem cells to create an organ replacement in man was our development of a bioreactor environment. Critical design features were the abilities to drive the growth of two different cell types, to support 3D maturation, to maintain biomechanical and biological properties and to provide appropriate hydrodynamic stimuli and adequate mass transport.

Clinical transplantation of a tissue-engineered airway.

Background: The loss of a normal airway is devastating. Attempts to replace large airways have met with serious problems. Prerequisites for a tissue-engineered replacement are a suitable matrix, cells, ideal mechanical properties, and the absence of antigenicity.

Role of outer membrane lipopolysaccharides in the protection of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium from desiccation damage.

The ability to survive desiccation between hosts is often essential to the success of pathogenic bacteria. The bacterial outer membrane is both the cellular interface with hostile environments and the focus of much of the drying-induced damage. This study examined the contribution of outer membrane-associated polysaccharides to the survival of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in air-dried blood droplets following growth in high and low osmolarity medium and under conditions known to induce expression of these polysaccharides.

Campylobacter and IFNgamma interact to cause a rapid loss of epithelial barrier integrity.

Background: The intestinal epithelium is a single layer of polarized cells and is the primary barrier separating foreign antigen and underlying lymphoid tissue. IFNgamma alters epithelial barrier function during inflammation by disrupting tight cell junctions and facilitating the paracellular transport of luminal antigens. The aim of this work was to determine whether Campylobacter infection of cells exposed to IFNgamma would lead to greater disruption of cell monolayers and hence increased bacterial translocation.