scholarly journals On the Variability of Microbial Populations and Bacterial Metabolites within the Canine Stool. An in-Depth Analysis

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 225
Author(s):  
Carlo Pinna ◽  
Carla Giuditta Vecchiato ◽  
Costanza Delsante ◽  
Monica Grandi ◽  
Giacomo Biagi

Canine faecal microbial populations and metabolome are being increasingly studied to understand the interplay between host and gut microbiome. However, the distribution of bacterial taxa and microbial metabolites throughout the canine stool is understudied and currently no guidelines for the collection, storage and preparation of canine faecal samples have been proposed. Here, we assessed the effects that different sampling points have on the abundance of selected microbial populations and bacterial metabolites within the canine stool. Whole fresh faecal samples were obtained from five healthy adult dogs. Stool subsamples were collected from the surface to the inner part and from three equally sized areas (cranial, central, caudal) along the length axis of the stool log. All samples were finally homogenised and compared before and after homogenisation. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Clostridium cluster I, Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp. and Enterococcus spp. populations were analysed, as well as pH, ammonia and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) concentrations. Compared to the surface of the stool, inner subsamples resulted in greater concentrations of SCFA and ammonia, and lower pH values. qPCR assay of microbial taxa did not show any differences between subsamples. Homogenisation of faeces does not affect the variability of microbial and metabolome data. Although the distribution patterns of bacterial populations and metabolites are still unclear, we found that stool subsampling yielded contradictory result and biases that can affect the final outcome when investigating the canine microbiome. Complete homogenisation of the whole stool is therefore recommended.

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3408
Author(s):  
Samar Y. Ahmad ◽  
James Friel ◽  
Dylan Mackay

Non-nutritive artificial sweeteners (NNSs) may have the ability to change the gut microbiota, which could potentially alter glucose metabolism. This study aimed to determine the effect of sucralose and aspartame consumption on gut microbiota composition using realistic doses of NNSs. Seventeen healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 45 years who had a body mass index (BMI) of 20–25 were selected. They undertook two 14-day treatment periods separated by a four-week washout period. The sweeteners consumed by each participant consisted of a standardized dose of 14% (0.425 g) of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for aspartame and 20% (0.136 g) of the ADI for sucralose. Faecal samples collected before and after treatments were analysed for microbiome and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). There were no differences in the median relative proportions of the most abundant bacterial taxa (family and genus) before and after treatments with both NNSs. The microbiota community structure also did not show any obvious differences. There were no differences in faecal SCFAs following the consumption of the NNSs. These findings suggest that daily repeated consumption of pure aspartame or sucralose in doses reflective of typical high consumption have minimal effect on gut microbiota composition or SCFA production.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1032
Author(s):  
Prabin Bhusal ◽  
Pawan Karki ◽  
Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi

In a bid to address growing timber demand, irregular shelterwood system-based scientific forestry gained momentum in Nepal in 2000. While timber production, in general, is said to have witnessed an increase, the outcomes linked to equitable distribution among users remain unclear, suggesting the need for context-specific studies on the performance of scientific forestry in terms of timber distribution among users. Taking the case of the Western Terai Region of Nepal, this paper provides an in-depth analysis of the patterns and implications of timber distribution under community forestry systems where scientific forest management (SciFM) is practiced. The study deployed focus group discussions (n = 4), key informant interviews, and a review of timber distribution processes for the past six fiscal years (2013–2019), the periods before and after the implementation of SciFM. For data analysis, a deductive approach was used; analytical themes were framed along the lines of timber-harvesting trends, timber distribution structure and processes, and timber distribution patterns based on wellbeing. The study revealed a substantial increase in timber harvesting; considering the base year, harvest increased by 45% in the second year and by 56% in the third year. This was, however, characterized by a 40% decrease in the average volume of timber for users within the community forest user group. Ninety-seven percent of the timber produced in this system was distributed among middle- and high-class groups, with only 3% available for poor households—this puts to question the intended objective of providing sufficient timber, especially to poor users. The paper concludes that technocentric efforts linked to increasing timber sufficiency (e.g., through SciFM) have failed to address the needs of the poorest of the poor, as elite capture prevails. We also call for future studies to explore pathways to deal with the hydra-headed nature of elite capture.


2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Kerr ◽  
S. E. Dowd ◽  
K. S. Swanson

AbstractExtruded cat foods differ greatly in macronutrient distribution compared with wild-type diets (i.e. small mammals, reptiles, birds and insects). Based on the literature, this variability likely impacts faecal microbial populations. A completely randomised design was utilised to test the impacts of two dietary treatments on faecal microbial populations: (1) chicken-based extruded diet (EXT; n 3 cats) and (2) raw 1–3-d-old chicks (CHI; n 5 cats). Cats were adapted to diets for 10 d. Bacterial DNA was isolated from faecal samples and amplicons of the 16S rRNA V4–V6 region were generated and analysed by 454 pyrosequencing. Faeces of cats fed CHI had greater (P < 0·05) proportions of the following bacterial genera: unidentified Lachnospiraceae (15 v. 5 %), Peptococcus (9 v. 3 %) and Pseudobutyrivibrio (4 v. 1 %). Faeces of cats fed EXT had greater (P < 0·05) proportions of Faecalibacterium (1·0 v. 0·2 %) and Succinivibrio (1·2 v. < 0·1 %). Five genera, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, were present in a majority of samples (two to three out of three) from cats fed EXT, but were not detected in the samples (zero of five) for cats fed CHI. These shifts in faecal bacterial populations compared with feeding a whole-prey diet may impact the functional capacities of the microbiota and its interaction with the host. Further research is warranted to determine the impacts of these shifts on long-term health of domestic cats.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom O. Delmont ◽  
A. Murat Eren

AbstractCombining well-established practices from comparative genomics and the emerging opportunities from assembly-based metagenomics can enhance the utility of increasing number of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). Here we used protein clustering to characterize 48 MAGs and 10 cultivars based on their entire gene content, and linked this information to their environmental distribution patterns to better understand the microbial response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico coastline. Our results suggest that while most oil-associated bacterial populations originated from the ocean, a few actually emerged from the sand rare biosphere. These new findings suggest that there are considerable benefits to employ approaches from comparative genomics to study the whole content of newly identified genomes, and the investigation of emerging patterns in the environmental context can augment the efficacy of assembly-based metagenomic surveys.


2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Petersen ◽  
A. Bergström ◽  
J. Andersen ◽  
M. Hansen ◽  
S. Lahtinen ◽  
...  

Certain indigestible carbohydrates, known as prebiotics, are claimed to be beneficial for gut health through a selective stimulation of certain gut microbes including bifidobacteria. However, stimulation of such microbes does not necessarily imply a preventive effect against pathogen infection. We recently demonstrated a reduced resistance to Salmonella infection in mice fed diets containing fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) or xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS). In the present study, faecal and caecal samples from the same mice were analysed in order to study microbial changes potentially explaining the observed effects on the pathogenesis of Salmonella. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed that the microbiota in faecal samples from mice fed FOS or XOS were different from faecal samples collected before the feeding trial as well as from faecal profiles generated from control animals. This difference was not seen for caecal profiles. Further analysis of faecal samples by real-time PCR demonstrated a significant increase in the Bacteroidetes phylum, the Bacteroides fragilis group and in Bifidobacterium spp. in mice fed FOS or XOS. The observed bifidogenic effect was more pronounced for XOS than for FOS. The Firmicutes phylum and the Clostridium coccoides group were reduced by both FOS and XOS. Surprisingly, no significant differences were detected between faecal samples collected before and after pathogen challenge in any of the groups. Furthermore, no effect of diets on caecal concentrations of short-chain fatty acids was recorded. In conclusion, diets supplemented with FOS or XOS induced a number of microbial changes in the faecal microbiota of mice. The observed effects of XOS were qualitatively similar to those of FOS, but the most prominent bifidogenic effect was seen for XOS. An increased level of bifidobacteria is thus not in itself preventive against Salmonella infection, since the same XOS or FOS-fed mice were previously reported to be more severely affected by Salmonella than control animals.


Author(s):  
Anda David ◽  
Mohamed Ali Marouani

This chapter focuses on the external effects of emigration on non-migrants, and particularly on the interactions with labor market outcomes in Tunisia before and after the revolution. Using the new Tunisia Labor Market Panel Survey (TLMPS), we conduct an in-depth analysis of the structure and dynamics of migration, including the profile of migrants and their origin households, mainly in terms of skills and spatial composition. We investigate transition matrices, employment status, income for current migrants and returnees, and the evolution of remittances. Our analysis confirms the role of emigration as a safety valve for the Tunisian labor market. Moreover, origin households of migrants have a significantly higher wealth index. Our analysis also tends to confirm the effects of remittances on labor supply of non-migrants, which can have a negative impact on Tunisia’s unemployment rate when a crisis in destination countries affects the remittance rate negatively.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Tsukuda ◽  
Kana Yahagi ◽  
Taeko Hara ◽  
Yohei Watanabe ◽  
Hoshitaka Matsumoto ◽  
...  

AbstractInfant gut microbiota development affects the host physiology throughout life, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are promising key metabolites mediating microbiota-host relationships. Here, we investigated dense longitudinally collected faecal samples from 12 subjects during the first 2 years (n = 1048) to identify early life gut SCFA patterns and their relationships with the microbiota. Our results revealed three distinct phases of progression in the SCFA profiles: early phase characterised by low acetate and high succinate, middle-phase characterised by high lactate and formate and late-phase characterised by high propionate and butyrate. Assessment of the SCFA–microbiota relationships revealed that faecal butyrate is associated with increased Clostridiales and breastfeeding cessation, and that diverse and personalised assemblage of Clostridiales species possessing the acetyl-CoA pathway play major roles in gut butyrate production. We also found an association between gut formate and some infant-type bifidobacterial species, and that human milk oligosaccharides (HMO)-derived fucose is the substrate for formate production during breastfeeding. We identified genes upregulated in fucose and fucosylated HMO utilisation in infant-type bifidobacteria. Notably, bifidobacteria showed interspecific and intraspecific variation in the gene repertoires, and cross-feeding of fucose contributed to gut formate production. This study provides an insight into early life SCFA–microbiota relationships, which is an important step for developing strategies for modulating lifelong health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Purwanto Purwanto ◽  
Sugeng Utaya ◽  
Budi Handoyo ◽  
Syamsul Bachri ◽  
Ike Sari Astuti ◽  
...  

In this research, we analyzed COVID-19 distribution patterns based on hotspots and space–time cubes (STC) in East Java, Indonesia. The data were collected based on the East Java COVID-19 Radar report results from a four-month period, namely March, April, May, and June 2020. Hour, day, and date information were used as the basis of the analysis. We used two spatial analysis models: the emerging hotspot analysis and STC. Both techniques allow us to identify the hotspot cluster temporally. Three-dimensional visualizations can be used to determine the direction of spread of COVID-19 hotspots. The results showed that the spread of COVID-19 throughout East Java was centered in Surabaya, then mostly spread towards suburban areas and other cities. An emerging hotspot analysis was carried out to identify the patterns of COVID-19 hotspots in each bin. Both cities featured oscillating patterns and sporadic hotspots that accumulated over four months. This pattern indicates that newly infected patients always follow the recovery of previous COVID-19 patients and that the increase in the number of positive patients is higher when compared to patients who recover. The monthly hotspot analysis results yielded detailed COVID-19 spatiotemporal information and facilitated more in-depth analysis of events and policies in each location/time bin. The COVID-19 hotspot pattern in East Java, visually speaking, has an amoeba-like pattern. Many positive cases tend to be close to the city, in places with high road density, near trade and business facilities, financial storage, transportation, entertainment, and food venues. Determining the spatial and temporal resolution for the STC model is crucial because it affects the level of detail for the information of endemic disease distribution and is important for the emerging hotspot analysis results. We believe that similar research is still rare in Indonesia, although it has been done elsewhere, in different contexts and focuses.


1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine S. Alles ◽  
Joseph G. A. J. Hautvast ◽  
Fokko M. Nagengast ◽  
Ralf Hartemink ◽  
Katrien M. J. Van Laere ◽  
...  

There is a need for studies on colonic fermentation in order to learn more abouthealth and diseases of the colon. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the fate of twodifferent doses of fructo-oligosaccharides (5 and 15 g/d) v. glucose in the intestine of healthy men. Twenty-four volunteers participated in a 5-weekstudy. The study was a completely balanced multiple crossover trial using an orthogonal Latin-square design for three periods, with supplement periods of 7 d and two 7 d wash-out periods. Breath samples and faecal samples were collected. There was a clear gaseous response to the consumption of fructo-oligosaccharides. The highest dose significantly increased 24 h integratedexcretion of breath H2 (P < 0·05). Breath H2 excretion after ingestion of 5 g fructo-oligosaccharides was higher than control, but did not reach significance. No effects on the total concentration of short-chain fatty acids in faeces were observed, no modification of the molar proportions of the various short-chain fatty acids was observed. The faecal pH did not change. No changes in faecal weight were observed. No fructo-oligosaccharides were recovered in faeces. We conclude that fructo-oligosaccharides added to the diet of young Western subjects are fully metabolized in the large intestine. The level of fermentation seems to be dose-dependent.


1973 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. S. Juffs

SummaryA study is reported of the effect of preincubation of raw and laboratory pasteurized bulk milk samples on the tyrosine value (TV) of milk and its relationship with bacterial populations. For raw samples, mean TVs before and after preincubation for 20±2 h at both 25 and 30 °C differed (P < 0·001). After preincubation at 30 °C, the TV of 47 % of raw samples exceeded that considered to represent the upper limit of variation in the TV of a normal bulk milk supply. At this temperature, however, there was no indication that proteolytic psychrotrophs were a major contributor to increased TV. With preincubation of raw samples at 25 °C, an increase to above the upper limit of variation occurred in only 20 % of samples; however, proteolytic psychrotrophs appeared more active at this temperature. In similar samples preincubated after laboratory pasteurization, large increases occurred in TV after 20 ±2 h at 30 °C, while at 25 °C the increases were much smaller and of the order found for preincubated raw samples. The results showed, however, that nonpsychrotrophic bacteria were also the principal source of proteinase giving rise to increased TVs in laboratory pasteurized samples.


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