Dataset Information

Dietary probiotics have different effects on the composition of fecal microbiota in farmed raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and silver fox (Vulpes vulpes fulva).

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:The abuse of antibiotics in animal husbandry imposes a serious threat to both animal health and the environment. As a replacement for antibiotics, probiotic products have been widely used in livestock farming to promote growth of animals. However, no products specifically developed for farmed raccoon dogs and foxes are commercially available at the moment. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of mixed probiotics on farmed raccoon dogs and foxes. RESULTS:Two feeding trials on farmed raccoon dogs and foxes were performed. A mixed probiotic preparation composed of Bifidobacterium bifidum, Clostridium butyricum, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis was fed to these two canine species in order to assess whether such a mixed probiotics can be an alternative to antibiotics (control group). The body weight of raccoon dogs exhibited an increasing tendency with mixed probiotics administration, while that of foxes did not. The serum antioxidant activity was evaluated, and a significantly increase of total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC) was observed in both species. Illumina MiSeq was used for the sequencing of 16S rRNA genes to compare the composition of fecal microbiota between the control and mixed probiotics groups. Although ?-diversity did not change, ?-diversity of the fecal microbiota showed a distinct dissimilarity between the control and probiotics groups of both raccoon dogs and foxes. Dietary mixed probiotics increased the abundance of the genus Bifidobacterium in the fecal samples of raccoon dogs, and the genus Bacillus in the fecal samples of foxes. The different responses of raccoon dogs and foxes to probiotics might be the result of differences in the composition of the native gut microbiota of the two species. CONCLUSIONS:The mixed probiotics preparation composed of Bifidobacterium bifidum, Clostridium butyricum, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis could be an effective feed additive for the improvement of the health of farmed raccoon dogs, but it may not be suitable for foxes.

SUBMITTER: Peng Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6534910 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Dietary probiotics have different effects on the composition of fecal microbiota in farmed raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and silver fox (Vulpes vulpes fulva).

Peng Yongjia Y Shi Qiumei Q Wang Yujie Y Zhang Fan F Ji Zhixin Z Zhang Jin J

BMC microbiology 20190524 1

<h4>Background</h4>The abuse of antibiotics in animal husbandry imposes a serious threat to both animal health and the environment. As a replacement for antibiotics, probiotic products have been widely used in livestock farming to promote growth of animals. However, no products specifically developed for farmed raccoon dogs and foxes are commercially available at the moment. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of mixed probiotics on farmed raccoon dogs and foxes.<h4>Results</h4>T ...[more]

PMID: 31126241

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Project description:Anthropogenic landscape changes contributed to the reduction of availability of habitats to wild animals. Hence, the presence of wild terrestrial carnivores in urban and peri-urban sites has increased considerably over the years implying an increased risk of interspecies spillover of infectious diseases and the transmission of zoonoses. The present study provides a detailed characterisation of the health status of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), stone marten (Martes foina) and raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in their natural rural and peri-urban habitats in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany between November 2013 and January 2016 with focus on zoonoses and infectious diseases that are potentially threatening to other wildlife or domestic animal species. 79 red foxes, 17 stone martens and 10 raccoon dogs were collected from traps or hunts. In order to detect morphological changes and potential infectious diseases, necropsy and pathohistological work-up was performed. Additionally, in selected animals immunohistochemistry (influenza A virus, parvovirus, feline leukemia virus, Borna disease virus, tick-borne encephalitis, canine adenovirus, Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii and Listeria monocytogenes), next-generation sequencing, polymerase chain reaction (fox circovirus) and serum-neutralisation analysis (canine distemper virus) were performed. Furthermore, all animals were screened for fox rabies virus (immunofluorescence), canine distemper virus (immunohistochemistry) and Aujeszky's disease (virus cultivation). The most important findings included encephalitis (n = 16) and pneumonia (n = 20). None of the investigations revealed a specific cause for the observed morphological alterations except for one animal with an elevated serum titer of 1:160 for canine distemper. Animals displayed macroscopically and/or histopathologically detectable infections with parasites, including Taenia sp., Toxocara sp. and Alaria alata. In summary, wildlife predators carry zoonotic parasitic disease and suffer from inflammatory diseases of yet unknown etiology, possibly bearing infectious potential for other animal species and humans. This study highlights the value of monitoring terrestrial wildlife following the "One Health" notion, to estimate the incidence and the possible spread of zoonotic pathogens and to avoid animal to animal spillover as well as transmission to humans.

Project description:BackgroundApicomplexan parasites of the genus Sarcocystis have an obligate two-host life-cycle and comprise about 200 species, which infect different cold- and warm-blooded hosts, including humans. Recently, morphological and molecular studies of sarcocysts in broadly spread carnivore hosts have been on the rise. The description of muscular tissues infection by Sarcocystis in the raccoon dog and the common raccoon from the Czech Republic is herein presented.MethodsDuring January-August 2019, 15 raccoon dogs and 1 common raccoon were examined from 5 districts (Česká Lípa, Liberec, Mladá Boleslav, Trutnov and Ústí nad Labem) of the Czech Republic. Muscle parts (diaphragm, forearm, hind-limb, tongue and heart) were examined in wet preparations under compression by light microscopy. After finding Sarcocystis sp., morphological characteristics and molecular analyses of 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS1 and cox1 loci were used to identify the species.ResultsSarcocysts were detected and identified in 1 out of 15 raccoon dogs and in the single common raccoon. Preferential infection sites were diaphragm and tongue, followed by forearm and hind limb. To our knowledge, this is the first identification of microscopic sarcocysts by multi-locus genetic analysis from both host species. Molecular analyses revealed 100% similarity at 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and cox1 genes with S. lutrae for both hosts and 98-100% identity at the ITS1 region of the isolate from the common raccoon.ConclusionsBoth widely distributed non-indigenous wild carnivores represent new intermediate host records for S. lutrae and the first report of this parasite in a member of the family Procyonidae, but still with an unknown natural definitive host. Molecular data revealed that this parasite species appears more closely related to the Sarcocystis spp. using raptorial birds as definitive hosts. Therefore, further studies aimed at its identification, including the complete life-cycle, remain necessary.

Dataset Information

Dietary probiotics have different effects on the composition of fecal microbiota in farmed raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and silver fox (Vulpes vulpes fulva).

Publications

Dietary probiotics have different effects on the composition of fecal microbiota in farmed raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and silver fox (Vulpes vulpes fulva).

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