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Due to the use of antibiotics for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections in intensive poultry production, it is important to study the prevalence and resistance profile of gram-negative extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria. Among the several classes of antibiotics available, beta-lactam agents are the most widely used category in human and veterinary medicine. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the resistance profile and ESBL-producing capacity of strains isolated from broiler breeders. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated in selective media from a collection of 87 cloacal swabs, and they were identified by conventional biochemical methods and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and studied for antibiotic resistance, including ESBL production. Of the 87 samples, 52 gram-negative bacteria were isolated. There was high bacterial resistance to the main classes of antibiotics used in poultry: cephalosporins (74.2%), quinolones (73.8%) and penicillins (73.6%). A phenotype suggestive of ESBL production was also found in 42.31% of isolates, showing resistance to the beta-lactam antibiotics tested. The results demonstrate the need for the guidance of professionals working broiler breeders to reduce the presence of drug-resistant and ESBL-producing bacteria and to prevent their spread to the environment, fertile eggs and broilers, and consequently to chicken meat and humans.

ABSTRACT: Coturniculture has been promising, progressing from a subsistence to a technical activity due to its quick production, low breeding investment, and rapid economic return. After the restriction of antimicrobials as growth promoters, some studies aimed to evaluate alternative products that would make the farming of healthy birds viable without impacting their performance, with commercial Macleaya cordata extract being one of these substitutes. The functions of the gastrointestinal tract are coordinated mainly by the enteric nervous system, and the myenteric plexus is responsible for the reflex control of contractile activities of the external muscles. Thus, this study located and demonstrated the distribution of the myenteric plexus, quantifing the total population of myenteric neurons (Giemsa+) and the subpopulation of myenteric nitrergic neurons (NADPH-d+), and evaluated the effects of commercial Macleaya cordata extract on these populations of quail jejunum neurons. A total of 240 one-day-old female laying quails were distributed into four treatments, with four repetitions of 15 birds each. The test groups (T1, T2, and T3) were treated with commercial Macleaya cordata extract throughout the experimental period using the following doses: T1 - test group, basal diet added with 150 ppm of the extract in the feed; T2- test group, basal diet added with100 ppm of the extract in the feed; T3 - test group, basal diet added with 50 ppm of the extract in the feed; and T4 - control group, basal diet with no added extract. The study included histological analysis, Giemsa+, and NADPH-d+ myenteric neuron staining. The results showed that the myenteric plexus is located between longitudinal layer fibers and in the transition region between the longitudinal and circular layers of the muscular tunic, with the myenteric population organized into ganglia and isolated in the region of neuronal fiber bundles. The commercial Macleaya cordata extract showed no quantitative changes in the myenteric Giemsa+ population and myenteric NADPH-d+ subpopulation, however, the groups that consumed the extract showed greater NADPH-d+ neuron activity compared to the control group, implying that the food remained longer in the intestinal lumen, therefore, enabling greater nutrient use and resulting in increased productive performance.

A estabilidade e a qualidade de um alimento armazenado por um período prolongado requerem o uso de antioxidantes tanto sintéticos quanto naturais. No entanto, devido à crescente preocupação em adquirir hábitos alimentares saudáveis e o interesse em consumir produtos alimentícios sem uso de aditivos sintéticos, tornase necessária a pesquisa de fontes de antioxidantes naturais, tendo em vista que a carne é um alimento altamente susceptível à oxidação lipídica em função do teor de ácidos graxos insaturados na sua composição. Sendo assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar um levantamento de artigos publicados na base de dados da Scielo relacionados ao uso de antioxidantes naturais e sintéticos na carne ou derivados cárneos ou adicionados ração consumida pelos animais. Como estratégia de pesquisa dos dados, utilizou-se as seguintes palavras-chave: “carne e TBARS”, “meat and TBARS”, “carne e antioxidante”, “meat and antioxidant”. No total foram identificados 71 artigos oriundos do Brasil, África do Sul, Colômbia, Espanha, Chile, Cuba e Venezuela. No entanto, somente 12 artigos foram analisados, visto que o estudo focou em trabalhos que tivessem sido desenvolvidos com o uso de antioxidantes na carne ou ração dos animais. A utilização de antioxidantes proporciona na sua grande maioria uma melhor estabilidade das propriedades funcionais da carne e seus derivados por meio da diminuição da peroxidação lipídica, promovendo maior tempo de prateleira da carne. No entanto, atenção deve ser dada à legislação que regulamenta o uso dos antioxidantes conforme as suas concentrações limites, permitindo o controle dos processos oxidativos sem comprometer a segurança alimentar.