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Two Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, non-motile, catalase-negative and facultative anaerobic strains, NCYUAS T and BCRC 18859 (=NRIC 1947), were isolated from cow manure of Taiwan and coconut juice of Philippines, respectively. Comparative sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene revealed that the novel strains were members of the genus Lactobacillus . These two strains had 100% of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity and 98.6% of average nucleotide identity (ANI) value based on whole genome sequences. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, the type strains of Lactobacillus casei (99.6% similarity), Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei (99.1%), L. paracasei subsp. tolerans (99.1%), Lactobacillus rhmnosus (99.0%) and ‘ Lactobacillus zeae ’ (99.7%) were the closest neighbors to these novel strains. The results of phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characterization, multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on the sequences of three housekeeping genes ( dnaK , pheS and yycH ), whole-genome sequence (WGS)-based comparison by ANI and in silico DNA–DNA hybridization ( is DDH), species-specific PCR and whole-cell MALDI-TOF MS spectral pattern analyses demonstrated that the novel two strains represented a single, novel species within the L. casei group, for which the name Lactobacillus chiayiensis sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is NCYUAS T (=BCRC 81062 T = NBRC 112906 T ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Changes in mastitis‐causing pathogens, pH and water content in composted manure solids (CMS) prepared from digested slurry were evaluated during turning at 2‐day intervals for 8 days (C1–C4). The numbers of streptococci, coagulase‐negative staphylococci and coliforms were 2.6 × 101, 1.7 × 102 and 1.0 × 101 colony‐forming units (cfu)/g in CMS (C4) (summer), and these counts were markedly lower (P < 0.05) than those in CMS (C0 and C1). The bacterial counts ranged from 101 to 1.7 × 102 cfu/g in CMS (C4) (summer) and were within approved levels, <1 × 106 cfu/g, indicating a minimal mastitis risk. The temperatures in CMS (C1–C4) increased to 63°C–74°C in summer and 67°C–70°C in winter. The mean pH values in CMS (C0–C4) were 9.2 in summer and 8.7 in winter, and water contents ranged from 61.7% to 69.6% in summer and 73.2% to 66.2% in winter. The significant decrease of pathogenic bacteria in CMS appears to be closely related to temperature >63°C for 8 days, pH 8.7–9.2, and water content 62% to 73%. This study demonstrates that prepared CMS has value as a recycled material with the potential to alleviate udder health issues in dairy cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic digestion can inactivate zoonotic pathogens present in cattle manure, which reduces transmission of these pathogens from farms to humans through the environment. However, the variability of inactivation across farms and over time is unknown because most studies have examined pathogen inactivation under ideal laboratory conditions or have focused on only one or two full-scale digesters at a time. In contrast, we sampled seven full-scale digesters treating cattle manure in Wisconsin for 9 mo on a biweekly basis (n = 118 pairs of influent and effluent samples) and used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to analyze these samples for 19 different microbial genetic markers. Overall, inactivation of pathogens and fecal indicators was highly variable. When aggregated across digester and season, log-removal values for several representative microorganisms--bovine Bacteroides, Bacteroidales-like CowM3, and bovine polyomavirus--were 0.78 ± 0.34, 0.70 ± 0.50, and 0.53 ± 0.58, respectively (mean ± SD). These log-removal values were up to two times lower than expected based on the scientific literature. Thus, our study indicates that full-scale anaerobic digestion of cattle manure requires optimization with regard to pathogen inactivation. Future studies should focus on identifying the potential causes of this suboptimal performance (e.g., overloading, poor mixing, poor temperature control). Our study also examined the fate of pathogens during manure separation and found that the majority of microbes we detected ended up in the liquid fraction of separated manure. This finding has important implications for the transmission of zoonotic pathogens through the environment to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To determine the fate of Escherichia coli on vegetables that were processed through commercial wash treatments and stored under simulated retail conditions at 4°C or wholesale at fluctuating ambient temperatures (0-25°C, dependent on season). Methods and Results Bovine slurry that was naturally contaminated with E. coli O145 was applied without dilution or diluted 1:10 using borehole water to growing potatoes, leeks or carrots. Manure was applied 1 week prior to harvest to simulate a near-harvest contamination event by manure deposition or an application of contaminated water to simulate a flooding event or irrigation from a contaminated water source. At harvest, crops were contaminated at up to 2 log cfu g−1. Washing transferred E. coli into the water of a flotation tank used for potato washing and did not completely remove all traces of contamination from the crop. Manure-contaminated potatoes were observed to contain 0·72 cfu E. coli O145 g−1 after processing and retail storage. Manure-contaminated leeks harboured 0·73-1·55 cfu E. coli O145 g−1 after washing and storage. There was no cross-contamination when leeks were spray washed. Washing in an abrasive drum resulted in less than perfect decontamination for manure-contaminated carrots. There were five post-distribution isolations from carrots irrigated with contaminated water 24 h prior to harvest. Conclusions Standard commercial washing and distribution conditions may be insufficient to reliably control human pathogenic E. coli on fresh produce. Significance and Impact Previous speculation that the cause of a UK foodborne disease outbreak was soil from imperfectly cleaned vegetables is plausible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this experimental study was to evaluate the influence of anaerobic digestion and storage on indicator microorganisms in swine and dairy excreta. Samples were collected every 90 days for 15 months at eight farms, four pig, and four dairy farms, four of them having a biogas plant. Moreover, to evaluate storage effects on samples, 20 l of manure and slurry taken at each farm (digested manure only in farms with a biogas plant) were stored in a controlled climatic chamber at 18 °C, for 6 months. The bacterial load and the chemical-physical characteristics of excreta were evaluated at each sampling time, stored slurry, and manure were sampled and analyzed every 2 months. A high variability of the concentration of bacteria in the different excreta types was observed during the experiment, mainly depending on the type and time of treatment. No sample revealed either the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 or of Salmonella, usually linked to the temporary rearing of infected animals in facilities. Anaerobic digestion and storage affected in a significant way the reduction of indicator bacteria like lactobacilli, coliforms, and streptococci. Anaerobic digestion lowered coliforms in pig slurry (− 2.80 log, P < 0.05), streptococci in dairy manure (− 2.44 log, P < 0.001) and in pig slurry (− 1.43 log, P < 0.05), and lactobacilli in pig slurry (− 3.03 log, P < 0.05). Storage lowered coliforms and the other indicators counts, in particular in fresh wastes, while clostridia did not show a reduction in concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane is one of the major contributors to global warming. The rumen microbiota is directly involved in methane production in cattle. The link between variation in rumen microbial communities and host genetics has important applications and implications in bioscience. Having the potential to reveal the full extent of microbial gene diversity and complex microbial interactions, integrated metagenomics and network analysis holds great promise in this endeavour. This study investigates the rumen microbial community in cattle through the integration of metagenomic and network-based approaches. Based on the relative abundance of 1570 microbial genes identified in a metagenomics analysis, the co-abundance network was constructed and functional modules of microbial genes were identified. One of the main contributions is to develop a random matrix theory-based approach to automatically determining the correlation threshold used to construct the co-abundance network. The resulting network, consisting of 549 microbial genes and 3349 connections, exhibits a clear modular structure with certain trait-specific genes highly over-represented in modules. More specifically, all the 20 genes previously identified to be associated with methane emissions are found in a module (hypergeometric test, p < 10 −11 ). One third of genes are involved in methane metabolism pathways. The further examination of abundance profiles across 8 samples of genes highlights that the revealed pattern of metagenomics abundance has a strong association with methane emissions. Furthermore, the module is significantly enriched with microbial genes encoding enzymes that are directly involved in methanogenesis (hypergeometric test, p < 10 −9 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anaerobic co-digestion of bagasse with digested cow manure was operated in 3 l semi-continuous reactor under mesophlic temperature at 34 ± 1°C. Short hydraulic retention time and high organic loading rate applied were 10 days and 3.465 kg volatile solids (VS)/m3.day, respectively. Anaerobic co-digestion of bagasse with digested cow manure obtained higher biogas yield (69 ml/g VS) compared with the anaerobic digestion of digested cow manure alone (20.42 ml/g.VS). Kinetic assessment revealed that the maximum specific growth rate, the maximum rate of substrate consumption, halfvelocity constant, endogenous decay constant and microbial growth yield obtained were 3.917 day-1, 870.309 mg/mg, 15.09 mg/l, 8.1518 day-1 and 0.0193 mg/mg, respectively. This result indicated that a longer retention time was required to allow the bacterial growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradation of toluene in a batch system by mixed microbial culture isolated from cow dung compost was investigated. Batch biodegradation of toluene was carried out at various initial concentrations ranging from 50 to 500 mg l −1 at room temperature (28 °C) with initial a pH value of 6.85 maximum observed specific growth rate was 0.062 h −1 and maximum removal efficiency of toluene was 84% at 100 mg l −1 . Biochemical characterizations were carried out by different sugar fermentation tests to identify the microorganisms responsible for biodegradation of toluene. Pseudomonas species, Bacillus species and Escherichia coli were found to be dominant strains among the mixed culture. The effect of pH and inoculum size on biodegradation of toluene at initial concentration of 100 mg l −1 was also studied. Different substrate inhibition models (Haldane, Edwards and Levenspiel) were fitted with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escherichia coli 0157 and six non-0157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotypes (026, 045, 0103, 0111, 0121, and 0145, colloquially referred to as the "big 6") have been classified as adulterants of raw nonintact beef products in the United States. While beef cattle are a known reservoir for the prototype STEC serotype, E. coli 0157, less is known about the dissemination of non-0157 STEC serotypes in Australian cattle. In the present study, 1,500 fecal samples were collected at slaughter from adult (n = 628) and young (n = 286) beef cattle, adult (n = 128) and young (n = 143) dairy cattle, and veal calves in = 315) across 31 Australian export-registered processing establishments. Fecal samples were enriched and tested for E. coli 0157 and the big 6 STEC serotypes using BAX System PCR and immunomagnetic separation methods. Pathogenic STEC (pSTEC; isolates that possess stx, eae, and an O antigen marker for 0157 or a big 6 serotype) were isolated from 115 samples (7.7%), of which 100 (6.7%) contained E. coli 0157 and 19 (1.3%) contained a big 6 serotype. Four of the 115 samples contained multiple pSTEC serotypes. Among samples confirmed for big 6 pSTEC, 15(1%) contained E. coli 026 and 4 (0.3%) contained E. coli Ol 11. pSTEC of serotypes 045, 0103, 0121, and 0145 were not isolated from any sample, even though genes indicative of E. coli belonging to these serotypes were detected by PCR. Analysis of animal classes revealed a higher pSTEC prevalence in younger animals, including veal (12.7%), young beef (9.8%), and young dairy (7.0%), than in adult animals, including adult beef (5.1%) and adult dairy (3.9%). This study is the largest of its kind undertaken in Australia. In contrast to E. coli 0157 and consistent with previous findings, this study reports a relatively low prevalence of big 6 pSTEC serotypes in Australian cattle populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A greenhouse research experiment was conducted. The experiment was arranged in factorial layout based on a completely randomized design. The mother corm size (0.1-4 g, 4.1-8 g and 8-12 g), organic fertilizers (cattle manure 15 t ha-1, vermicompost 10 t ha-1, chamomile compost 10 t ha-1 and control) and micronutrients (Fe-EDTA and Zn-EDTA) in two levels (foliar application and no application) were assigned as the first, second and third experimental factors, respectively. Based on the results, with increasing mother corm size, formation of small corms (0.1-4 g) decreased, whereas the percentage of medium (4.1-8 g) or large size (more than 8 g) corms increased. The highest corm yield was observed when cattle manure was applied. Moreover, foliar application increased daughter corm yield in medium and larger size corms. Phosphorus and nitrogen concentration in daughter corms increased with increasing the size of mother corms. Organic fertilizers significantly increased phosphorus and nitrogen concentration in all size of corms: phosphorus content in large daughter corms increased five times on account of cattle manure application. Proper nutrient management during the first vear of saffron propagation could improve corm number than rather corm weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND The fate and effect of hormone and antimicrobial residues in the manure of therapeutically treated cattle is of considerable concern because of the adverse effects of environmental loading of these chemicals. The objective of this study was to determine the depletion of tylosin ( TYL), chlortetracycline ( CTC), sulfamethazine ( SMZ) and megestrol ( MEG) using thermophilic anaerobic digestion ( TAD). RESULTS Quantitative methods using HPLC-DAD-MS/ MS analysis were developed to monitor the hormone and antimicrobials, spiked into manure obtained from unmedicated cattle. These manure samples were incubated for a 28-day period, during which hormone and antimicrobial depletion, and biogas production, was determined. Significant depletion of TYL, CTC, SMZ and MEG was demonstrated using TAD. Both TYL and CTC underwent complete depletion, while SMZ and MEG were each 80% depleted by the 28th day of incubation. The presence of antimicrobials had no negative effects on process stability and caused no significant reduction in total methane production. CONCLUSION This process has demonstrated value in reducing the hormone and antimicrobial load to the environment, while not compromising economic value of the biogas production, and allowing use of post-digested biosolids as a regenerated fertilizer. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Registration of veterinary medical products includes the provision that field tests may be required to assess potential nontarget effects associated with the excretion of product residues in dung of treated livestock (phase II, tier B testing). However, regulatory agencies provide no guidance on the format of these tests. In the present study, the authors report on the development of a standardized field test method designed to serve as a tier B test. Dung was collected from cattle before and up to 2 mo after treatment with a topical application of a test compound (ivermectin). Pats formed of dung from the different treatments were placed concurrently in the field to be colonized by insects. The abundance, richness, and diversity of insects developing from egg to adult in these pats were compared across treatments using analysis of variance tests. Regression analyses were used to regress abundance, richness, and diversity against residue concentrations in each treatment. Results of the regression were used to estimate mean lethal concentration (LC50) values. The robustness of the method and the repeatability of its findings were assessed concurrently in 4 countries (Canada, France, Switzerland, and The Netherlands) in climatically diverse ecoregions. Results were generally consistent across countries, and support the method's formal adoption by the European Union to assess the effects of veterinary medical product residues on the composition and diversity of insects in dung of treated livestock. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1934-1946. © 2015 Crown in the right of Canada. Published by Wiley Periodicals Inc., on behalf of SETAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cattle treated with the veterinary parasiticide ivermectin fecally excrete residues. The authors report the exposition and dissipation characteristics of these residues in dung of ivermectin-treated cattle and in soil beneath this dung on pastures in Canada, France, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. Residues were quantified for dung collected from cattle after 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, and 28 d posttreatment and subsequently exposed in the field for up to 13 mo. The authors optimized a high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection method to detect ivermectin residues in dung and soil matrices. They showed that a solid phase extraction and purification step generally can be eliminated to reduce the time and cost of these analyses. They also found that the addition of water to relatively dry samples improves the extraction efficiency of residues. They then analyzed the field samples to document differences in ivermectin dissipation in cattle dung among sites, with 50% dissipation times of up to 32 d and 90% dissipation times >396 d. They further showed that the dissipation characteristics of residues are comparable between dung of ivermectin-treated cattle and dung to which ivermectin has been added directly. Lastly, they report the first use of a desorption electrospray ionization-high-resolution-mass spectrometric method to detect residues of metabolites in a dung matrix. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1924-1933. © 2016 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The isolation and quantification of non-0157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) from cattle feces are challenging. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of selected agar media in an attempt to identify an optimal medium for the detection and quantification of non-0157 STEC in cattle feces. Comparison studies were performed using CHROMagar STEC, Posse differential agar (Posse), Posse modified by the reduction or addition of antimicrobials, STEC heart infusion washed blood agar with mitomycin C (SH1BAM), and SHIBAM modified by the addition of antimicrobials. Fourteen STEC strains, two each belonging to serogroups 026, 045, 0103, O il 1, 0121, 0145, and 0157, were used to test detection in inoculated fecal suspensions at concentrations of 10² or 10³ CFU/g. One STEC strain from each of these seven serogroups was used to estimate the concentration of recovered STEC in feces inoculated at 10³, 104, or 105 CFU/g. Significantly more suspensions (P < 0.05) were positive for STEC when plated on Posse containing reduced concentrations of novobiocin and potassium tellurite compared with SHIBAM, but not SHIBAM modified by containing these same antimicrobials at the same concentrations. Numerically, more suspensions were positive for STEC by using this same form of modified Posse compared with Posse, but this difference was not statistically significant. More suspensions were positive for STEC cultured on CHROMagar STEC compared with those on Posse (P < 0.05) and on modified Posse (P = 0.05). Most inoculated fecal suspensions below 104 CFU/g of feces were underestimated or not quantifiable for the concentration of STEC by using CHROMagar STEC or modified Posse. These results suggest that CHROMagar STEC performs better than Posse or SHIBAM for detection of STEC in bovine feces, but adjustments in the concentrations of novobiocin and potassium tellurite in the latter two media result in significant improvements in their performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical, physical and microbial properties of thermophilic composts and vermicomposts were compared using the same municipal green waste-based feedstocks: (i) municipal green waste alone, (ii) 75 % municipal green waste/25 % green garden waste and (iii) 75 % municipal green waste/25 % cattle manure. Temperatures reached 37 °C during composting of municipal green waste alone but when garden waste or cattle manure were added, temperatures reached 47 and 52 °C, respectively. At the end of vermicomposting (using Eisenia fetida), the number of earthworms present was greater than that added for the cattle manure-amended feedstock but much less for both the garden waste and municipal green waste alone treatments. The products formed in all treatments generally fell within suggested maturity indices for composts. Greater organic matter decomposition occurred during composting than vermicomposting resulting in composts having a significantly lower organic C content and a greater content of total N, extractable Mg, K, Na, P, and mineral N, a higher EC and a lower C/N ratio than the vermicomposts. For all three feedstocks, vermicomposts had a lower bulk density and greater total porosity and macroporosity than composts. For the garden waste- and cattle manure-amended feedstocks, vermicomposts had a higher microbial biomass C than the composts and for all three feedstocks, basal respiration and metabolic quotient were greatest for vermicomposts. It was concluded that composting is a robust process suitable for treatment of a range of organic wastes but, because of the nutritional requirements of the earthworms, vermicomposting is a much less robust and was only suitable for the cattle manure-amended feedstock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthrax outbreaks in livestock have social, economic and health implications, altering farmer's livelihoods, impacting trade and posing a zoonotic risk. Our study investigated the survival of Bacillus thuringiensis and B. anthracis spores sporulated at 15, 20, or 37°C, over 33 days of composting. Spores (~7.5 log10 CFU g-1) were mixed with manure and composted in laboratory scale composters. After 15 days, the compost was mixed and returned to the composter for a second cycle. Temperatures peaked at 71°C on day 2 and remained ≥55° C for an average of 7 days in the first cycle, but did not exceed 55°C in the second. For B. thuringiensis, spores generated at 15 and 21° C exhibited reduced (P < 0.05) viability of 2.7 and 2.6 log10 CFU g-1 reduction for those generated at 37°C. For B. anthracis, sporulation temperature did not impact spore survival as there was a 2.5, 2.2, and 2.8 log10 CFU g-1 reduction after composting for spores generated at 15, 21, and 37°C, respectively. For both species, spore viability declined more rapidly (P < 0.05) in the first as compared to the second composting cycle. Our findings suggest that the duration of thermophilic exposure (≥55°C) is the main factor influencing survival of B. anthracis spores in compost. As sporulation temperature did not influence survival of B. anthracis, composting may lower the viability of spores associated with carcasses infected with B. anthracis over a range of sporulation temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indirect transmission of Mycobacterium bovis , the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), between wildlife and livestock is thought to occur by inhalation or ingestion of environmental substrates contaminated through animal shedding. The role of the soil fauna, such as earthworms, in the circulation of M. bovis from contaminated animal feces is of interest in the epidemiology of bTB. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of earthworm activity on M. bovis transfer from animal dung to castings and the surrounding soil. For this purpose, microcosms of soil containing the anecic eathworms Lumbricus terrestris were prepared and covered with cattle feces spiked with the M. bovis BCG strain Pasteur to carry out two separate experiments. The dissemination, the gut carriage and the excretion of M. bovis were all monitored using a specific qPCR-based assay. Our results showed that the earthworm L. terrestris was able to rapidly disseminate M. bovis from the contaminated cattle feces to the surrounding soil through casting egestion. Moreover, contaminated earthworms were shown to shed the bacteria for 4 days when transferred to a M. bovis -free soil. This study highlights for the first time the possible role of earthworms in the dissemination and the persistence of M. bovis in soils within bTB endemic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial fibrinolytic enzymes find great applications to treat and prevent cardiovascular diseases. The novel fibrinolytic enzymes from food grade organisms are useful for thrombolytic therapy. This study reports fibrinolytic enzyme production by Bacillus sp. IND7 in solid-state fermentation (SSF). In this study, cow dung was used as the cheap substrate for the production of fibrinolytic enzyme. Enzyme production was primarily improved by optimizing the nutrient and physical factors by one-variable-at-a-time approach. A statistical method (two-level full factorial design) was applied to investigate the significant variables. Of the different variables, pH, starch, and beef extract significantly influenced on the production of fibrinolytic enzyme (p < 0.05). The optimum levels of these significant factors were further investigated using response surface methodology. The optimum conditions for enhanced fibrinolytic enzyme production were 1.23% (w/w) starch and 0.3% (w/w) beef extract with initial medium pH 9.0. Under the optimized conditions, cow dung substrate yielded 8,345 U/g substrate, and an overall 2.5-fold improvement in fibrinolytic enzyme production was achieved due to its optimization. This is the first report of fibrinolytic enzyme production using cow dung substrate from Bacillus sp. in SSF. The crude enzyme displayed potent activity on zymography and digested goat blood clot completely in in vitro condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to compare bacterial counts of environmental mastitis pathogens in composted recycled manure solids bedding with those in fresh recycled manure solids. Eighteen Holstein cows were housed in 1 pen with 18 stalls. One row of 9 freestalls included mattresses and was bedded weekly with composted recycled manure solids. The second row of 9 freestalls included mattresses and was bedded weekly with fresh recycled manure solids. The back one-third of stalls toward the alleyway was covered in 25 to 50 mm of bedding. Samples were taken from the back one-third of 4 stalls for both treatments on d 0, 1, 2, and 6 of each week. After 3 wk, bedding treatments were switched between rows, making the total duration 6 wk. Mean total gram-negative bacterial counts were approximately 0.5 log10 cfu/g of dry matter lower in the composted recycled manure solids on d 0 compared with fresh recycled manure solids. Klebsiella species, coliform, and Streptococcus species counts were at least 1.0 log10 cfu/g of dry matter lower in composted compared with fresh recycled manure solids on d 0. Only gram-negative bacterial counts on d 1 were reduced in composted recycled manure solids compared with fresh recycled manure solids. Differences were not observed between treatments in gram-negative bacterial, coliform, Klebsiella species, or Streptococcus species counts on d 2 and 6. Ash content was higher in composted recycled manure solids compared with fresh recycled manure solids on d 0, 1, 2, and 6. Despite the increase in ash after composting, bacterial counts of mastitis pathogens in composted recycled manure solids were comparable with those in fresh recycled manure when used as freestall bedding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis on 16S rRNA gene sequences of bovine fecal origin that are publicly available in the RDP database. A total of 13,663 sequences including 603 isolate sequences were identified in the RDP database (Release 11, Update 1), where 13,447 sequences were assigned to 10 phyla, 17 classes, 28 orders, 59 families, and 110 genera, while the remaining 216 sequences could not be assigned to a known phylum. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the first and the second predominant phyla, respectively. About 41 % of the total sequences could not be assigned to a known genus. The total sequences were assigned to 1252 OTUs at 97 % sequence similarity. A small number of OTUs shared among datasets indicate that fecal bacterial communities of cattle are greatly affected by various factors, specifically diet. This study may guide future studies to further analyze fecal bacterial communities of cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging environmental spread of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) and their subsequent acquisition by clinically relevant microorganisms is a major threat to public health. Animal manure has been recognized as an important reservoir of ARGs; however, the dissemination of manure-derived ARGs and the impacts of manure application on the soil resistome remain obscure. Here, we conducted a microcosm study to assess the temporal succession of total bacteria and a broad spectrum of ARGs in two contrasting soils following manure application from cattle that had not been treated with antibiotics. High-capacity quantitative PCR detected 52 unique ARGs across all the samples, with β-lactamase as the most dominant ARG type. Several genes of soil indigenous bacteria conferring resistance to β-lactam, which could not be detected in manure, were found to be highly enriched in manure-treated soils, and the level of enrichment was maintained over the entire course of 140 days. The enriched β-lactam resistance genes had significantly positive relationships with the relative abundance of the integrase intI1 gene, suggesting an increasing mobility potential in manure-treated soils. The changes in ARG patterns were accompanied by a significant effect of cattle manure on the total bacterial community compositions. Our study indicates that even in the absence of selective pressure imposed by agricultural use of antibiotics, manure application could still strongly impact the abundance, diversity and mobility potential of a broad spectrum of soil ARGs. Our findings are important for reliable prediction of ARG behaviors in soil environment and development of appropriate strategies to minimize their dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To acquire a thermostable xylanase, that is suitable for xylooligosaccharide production from pretreated corncobs, the metagenomic method was used to obtain the gene from an uncultured environmental microorganism. Results: A thermostable xylanase-encoding gene ( xyn10CD18) was cloned directly from the metagenomic DNA of cow dung compost. When xyn10CD18 was expressed in Bacillus megaterium MS941, extracellular xylansae activity at 106 IU/ml was achieved. The purified recombinant Xyn10CD18 was optimally active at pH 7 and 75 °C as measured over 10 min. It retained over 55 % of its initial activity at 70 °C and pH 7 after 24 h. Its action on birchwood xylan for 18 h liberated xylooligosaccharides with 2°-4° of polymerization, with xylobiose and xylotetraose as the main products. When pretreated corncobs were hydrolyzed by Xyn10CD18 for 18 h, the xylooligosaccharides (DP 2-4) products increased to 80 % and the xylose was just increased by 3 %. Conclusion: Xyn10CD18 is a thermostable endoxylanase and is a promising candidate for biomass conversion and xylooligosaccharide production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the current research was to investigate the influence of organic and conventional farming on certain bacteria (nitrifiers, denitrifiers and azotobacteria) involved in the soil nitrogen cycle. During 2007-2013, field experiments were performed in Central-Estonia (58°33' N, 25°34' E) on a sandy loam Albeluvisol (AB) in a five-field crop rotation (winter rye → potato → oats → barley with undersowing → red clover). The following treatments were carried out: organic without manure, organic with cattle manure, and conventional where manure, mineral fertilizers and pesticides were used. In the treatments, solid cattle manure (60 t ha-1) was applied for potato. In 2007-2013, soil samples for microbiological tests were taken from the two fields of the crop rotation from 0-20 cm layer. All soil samples were examined for the total number of bacteria, azotobacteria, denitrifying and nitrifying bacteria using the plate-count method. In the organic farming, the application of cattle manure significantly (P < 0.05) increased the total bacteria communities. Also the nitrifying bacteria responded greatly to the soil nutritional status. Their abundance in the organic without manure treatment was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that in the other treatments. There were no significant (P < 0.05) differences in the counts of denitrifying bacteria between the treatments. The repeated application of fungicides and insecticides for potato protection decreased the number of azotobacteria as direct effect by 2.7 times and had a harmful aftereffect on these sensitive bacteria also in succeeding years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to identify and estimate the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cattle fecal samples in northwest of Iran, using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In this study, cattle fecal samples were collected from an abattoir in Tabriz, Iran. After enrichment, isolation was carried out on CT-SMAC culture and afterwards, the identification of E. coli O157 was achieved on colorless sorbitol negative colonies. Then, one of these colonies was analyzed by PCR to identify genes coding for verotoxin 1 and 2 (vt1 and vt2), intimin (eceAO157), and H7 flagella antigen (fliCh7). Of 200 samples, 22 were positive by CT-SMAC culture. Of the 22 sorbitol- negative samples investigated by PCR, two isolates were identified as E. coli O157:H7. Three isolates carried eaeAO157 specific locus (non-VTEC E.coli O157) and one or both the verotoxin genes (vtx1 and vtx2) only (non-O157 VTEC). Low prevalence rates of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle feces as an important animal reservoir of the mentioned bacterium should be added to the variety of factors mentioned for the low prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protothecae are algal pathogens, capable of causing bovine mastitis, that are unresponsive to treatment; they are believed to have an environmental reservoir. The role of bedding management in control of protothecal mastitis has not been studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the growth of either environmental or mastitis-associated Prototheca genotypes in dairy bedding materials that are commonly used in Maine. Prototheca zopfii genotypes 1 and 2 (gt1 and gt2) were inoculated into sterile broth only (control ), kiln-dried spruce shavings, "green" hemlock sawdust, sand, or processed manure-pack beddings with broth, and incubated for 2 d. Fifty microliters of each isolate was then cultured onto plates and the resulting colonies counted at 24 and 48 h postinoculation. Shavings were associated with significantly less total Prototheca growth than other bedding types. Growth of P. zopfii gt1 was significantly higher than that of gt2 in the manure-pack bedding material. Spruce shavings, compared with manure, sand, or sawdust, may be a good bedding type to prevent growth of Prototheca. Based on these in vitro findings, bedding type may affect Prototheca infection of cattle in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dairy wastewaters from storage ponds are commonly land applied to irrigate forage crops. Given that diverse microbial populations are associated with cattle feces, the objective of this study was to use a culture-independent approach to characterize bacteria and archaea in dairy wastewaters. Using domain-specific primers, a region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified from pooled DNA extracts from 30 dairy wastewaters and subsequently used to create a clone library. A total of 152 bacterial clones were examined and sequence matches were affiliated with the following groups: Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Synergistetes. Firmicutes was identified as the largest phylum, representing up to 69% of the clone sequences. Of 167 clones representing Archaea, seven genera were found to be closely related (91-100% sequence similarity) to isolates obtained from sediments and feces. Most of the putative sequence matches (98%) represented members from the class Methanomicrobia. With respect to the archaeal clones, only one of the putative sequence matches was affiliated with a methanogenic bacterium known to inhabit the rumen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on wet distillers grains diets influence on beef cattle fecal bacterial community structure. A total of 127,530 high quality 16S operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were utilized in the analysis. The total abundance observed for OTUs and their associated centroids distributed across treatments are indicated in box plots depicting beta diversity.

For the control of environment pollution caused by livestock and poultry manure, four microbial strains conducive to aerobic composting were selected and mixed into four compound microbial agents, and effects of different compound microbial agents on aerobic composting of cow manure were studied from aspects of changes in temperature, pH, water content and C/N during the composting process. The results show that microbial agent M2 has the best effect for aerobic composting of cow manure, so microbial agent M2 has broad popularization and application prospect in livestock and poultry farms in low-temperature areas of Northeast China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on the behavior of the yeasts Sporobolomyces salmonicolor and Sakaguchi dacryoidea and the mixed bacterial culture Bulab 5733 in cattle manure. The study aimed to verify whether the treated wastewater undergo a biological attack aimed to reduce the pollution load. It also described slurries obtained from the ammonia nitrogen removal.