Animal Research and One Health最新文献

To meet the requirements of the modern chicken industry, high levels of productivity and efficient feed conversion are necessary. This can be partially accomplished by using particular feed additives. The prohibition of antibiotic usage has compelled researchers to explore alternative options to antibiotics. Organic acids and their salts are commonly employed in poultry farming as substitutes for antibiotic growth promoters. These compounds are distinguished by the presence of a carboxylic acid group and are classified as weak acids. They function as intermediates in the degradation of amino acids, sugars, and fatty acids. Organic acids encompass a wide range of chemical substances that are commonly found naturally as fundamental constituents of animal tissues, plants, and microorganisms. Organic acids decrease the pH of the intestinal tract, promoting the growth of beneficial microorganisms. This enhances the digestion of nutrients and increases immunity in chickens, eliminating the need for antibiotics. This review provides an overview of recent research findings regarding the antimicrobial effect of organic acids and the impact of organic acids on growth performance, intestinal health, and carcass and organ characteristics of broiler chickens.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in most parts of the world, and it is estimated that 1 billion people globally are trapped in an obesity pandemic, which has seriously compromised human health. Recently, there has been a flood of research into obesity as well as redox and lipid metabolism; however, our understanding of the pathways and specific molecular mechanisms by which obesity-induced oxidative stress affects female reproductive function remains limited. In this review, we discuss how the obesity pandemic has led to lower female fertility. We focus on multiple facets of obesity-mediated reproductive dysfunction, including follicular atresia, oocyte maturation, embryo implantation, reproductive aging, and discuss therapeutic interventions that have the potential to normalize reproductive function in obese females, such as targeting mitochondrial lipid metabolism and antioxidant pathways.

The conversion of various non-sugar substances, such as propionate and lactate, produced by rumen microbial fermentation into glucose by hepatic gluconeogenesis is the main way to ensure an adequate supply of glucose to the mammary gland of ruminants. Unlike monogastric animals, in ruminants, hepatic gluconeogenesis is a continuous and efficient physiological process. Some signaling pathways, transcription factors, and nutrients affect the expression of genes encoding for gluconeogenic rate-limiting enzymes, which in turn are involved in the regulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis. Although hepatic gluconeogenesis in ruminants has been researched for decades, it still needs to be clarified in depth. Therefore, this review summarizes the process, substrates, and regulatory mechanisms of hepatic gluconeogenesis in ruminants and establishes a theoretical basis for the development of precise nutritional regulation strategies to facilitate high-quality high-efficiency lactation. According to the research so far, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy kinase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, and glucose-6-phosphatase have been highlighted as the main rate-limiting enzymes that determine the efficiency of gluconeogenesis. With regard to the underlying mechanisms, protein kinase A, protein kinase B, adenosine 5′-monophosphate kinase, and mammalian target of rapamycin pathways have been found to regulate the expression of key gluconeogenic genes through transcription factors. Further, supplementation with propionate, certain amino acids, and micronutrients has shown beneficial effects in terms of improving efficiency of gluconeogenesis. Given the complexity of the metabolic pathways involved in hepatic gluconeogenesis in periparturient ruminants, further research is warranted on the regulatory mechanisms involved and the effects of supplementation with various nutrients on milk yield and animal health.

Pathogens have been documented to be transmissible between humans and non-human primates (NHPs), with NHPs demonstrating susceptibility to human viruses. Conducting surveillance for viruses in NHPs to identify potential zoonotic agents that may emerge or pose a high risk of spillover remains a critical strategy for preparing for and responding to future zoonotic events. This study employed viral metagenomic analysis on nine randomly selected NHPs from the Zoo in China to detect potential pathogens within captive environments. The analysis identified the presence of picornavirus Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), poxvirus (BeAn 58,058 virus, BAV), and retroviruses (human endogenous retrovirus, HERV and baboon endogenous virus, BaEV). These viruses exhibited significant genetic homology to established viral strains, with EMCV demonstrating close relatedness to a strain previously detected in the United States, and BAV beling newly identified in NHPs. The study suggests that zoo rodents, particularly rats, serve as the primary reservoirs for the viruses, thereby posing a potential threat to public health. Therefore, this underscores the imperative to enhance rodent control measures within zoological institutions and provides strategic recommendations for mitigating interspecies viral transmission.

Attitudes to the position of humans in the world, the status of nonhuman animals, and ideas about animal welfare have developed rapidly in recent years. This is partly because of a change in world economics, as consumers now have more power and dictate what they will buy, and partly because of advances in knowledge about the biology of all animals, including humans and the increasing damage to the world that is the result of human action [1].

The economic change is from a push economy, driven largely by producers, to a pull economy, driven largely by consumers. Consumers now wish to avoid products and actions that they consider to be morally wrong. More and more they are refusing to buy anything that is not sustainably produced. A system or procedure is sustainable if it is acceptable now and if its expected future effects are acceptable, particularly in relation to resource availability, consequences of functioning, and morality of action [2]. Modern consumers require transparency in commercial and government activities and take account of the ethics of production when they evaluate product quality. There are many components of sustainability and all should be taken into account but, for food products, many consumers in countries where surveys have been conducted consider the welfare of animals used in or affected by production to be a very important part of sustainability. For example, consumers are refusing to buy pig meat if the sows have been kept in stalls or tethers, eggs or egg products from hens in battery cages, or crop products if many bees, birds, or people have died as a result of herbicide or pesticide use.

The concepts of one biology, one health, and one welfare emphasize that each of these words mean the same whether the subject of the biology, health, or welfare is human or nonhuman [3, 4]. Moral action is not just about humans but concerns all sentient animals, and to some extent, all living beings. In the introduction to her book, Rebeca Garcia Pinillos emphasizes these points and says “One Welfare is a concept that encompasses, in a multidimensional way, a number of areas, including: the problems of animal production, workers and the impact on the environment of livestock farms; the reduction of violence across the world; and the connection between poor animal and human welfare states and how improved animal welfare can help improve human welfare.” Monique Eloit, Director General of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), in a foreword to this book, has emphasized that the book develops further the “now well accepted” concept of One Health and “with the adoption of the OIE Global Animal Welfare Strategy during the 85th OIE General Session in May 2017, the OIE has specifically acknowledged the importance of multi-stakeholder and interdisciplinary approaches to animal welfare, and integrated this into our work”.

The extent to which scientific studies of welfare

Hemp forage (HF) seems a suitable forage for ruminants for its high nutritional value and rich phytochemicals that exert health and growth-promoting activities. We investigated the effects of hemp-related phytochemicals on rumen and plasma metabolism using metabolome when partially substituting alfalfa hay with HF in goat diets. Numbers of differential metabolites linearly increased with increasing HF substituting rate, approximately 50% of which were phytochemicals. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis showed that the inclusion of HF greatly promoted steroid hormone biosynthesis, one carbon pool by folate, and retinol metabolism pathways in both rumen and plasma, which are beneficial for promoting animal health and well-being and enhancing the quality of animal products. Some phytochemicals showed inhibitory activities on the growth of certain ruminal bacteria; meanwhile, the detected intermediate metabolites indicated degradation of the phytochemicals by ruminal microbes. These phytochemicals work individually and synergistically to alter ruminal and plasma metabolic pathways, thus exerting benefits in promoting the health and well-being of animals.

Circular RNA (circRNA), a stable ring-shaped RNA molecule found in eukaryotic cells, plays significant roles in biological regulation, particularly by interfering with transcription factor binding or enhancing gene expression. Using transcriptomic sequencing, we identified differentially expressed circRNAs in bovine muscle at various time points. Specifically, circDYRK1A was discovered and shown to enhance differentiation while suppressing proliferation of adult myoblasts. Rescue experiments further demonstrated that circDYRK1A regulates the KLF5 gene expression by interacting with miR21-5p, thus exerting its influence at the transcriptional level. This study marks the first identification of circDYRK1A in cattle and elucidates its role in bovine myoblast development through the circDYRK1A-miR21-5p-KLF5 regulatory axis. These findings contribute novel insights into molecular breeding of cattle and advance fundamental research on beef cattle breeding and muscle development.

Zoonotic diseases remain a persistent threat to global public health. Many major zoonotic pathogens exhibit seasonal patterns associated with climatic variations. Quantifying the impacts of environmental variables such as temperature and humidity on disease transmission dynamics is critical for improving prediction and control measures. This review synthesizes current evidence on the relationships between temperature and humidity and major zoonotic diseases, including malaria, dengue, rabies, anisakiasis, and influenza. Overall, this review highlighted some overarching themes across the different zoonotic diseases examined. Higher temperatures within suitable ranges were generally associated with increased transmission risks, while excessively high or low temperatures had adverse effects. Humidity exhibited complex nonlinear relationships, facilitating transmission in certain temperature zones but inhibiting it in others. Heavy rainfall and high humidity were linked to vector-borne disease outbreaks such as malaria by enabling vector breeding. However, reduced incidence of some diseases like dengue fever was observed with high rainfall. To address existing knowledge gaps, future research efforts should prioritize several key areas: enhancing data quality through robust surveillance and the integration of high-resolution microclimate data; standardizing analytical frameworks and leveraging advanced methodologies such as machine learning; conducting mechanistic studies to elucidate pathogen, vector, and host responses to climatic stimuli; adopting interdisciplinary approaches to account for interacting drivers; and projecting disease impacts under various climate change scenarios to inform adaptation strategies. Investing in these research priorities can propel the development of evidence-based climate-aware disease prediction and control measures, ultimately safeguarding public health more effectively.

The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of iron homeostasis and the ferroptosis pathway for yolk sac atrophy during late embryogenesis. To study the mechanism of yolk sac atrophy, 100 eggs were used. Further, 500 eggs were randomly divided into five treatments and in ovo feeding with different iron sources, such as FeSO₄, ferrous glycinate (Fe-Gly), or deferoxamine (DFO), to study the effects of free iron content on hatching quality and embryonic development. The results showed that total iron content of yolk decreased, but yolk sac increased from embryonic(E)13 to E19 (p < 0.05). Comparison of gene expression of iron transport systems showed that free iron accumulation and dysfunction occurred in the yolk sac. Yolk sac metabolites at E19 compared to E13 were more enriched in histidine and sulfur pathways, suppressing glutathione synthesis and resulting in oxidative stress damage in the yolk sac. Combined analysis of differential metabolites and gene expression in ferroptosis pathway at E13 and E19 revealed the activation of the yolk sac during late embryogenesis was probably through up-regulation of ACSL4 expression and down-regulation of GPX4 expression. Furthermore, in ovo feeding FeSO₄ shortened the incubation time compared to CON, while Fe-Gly or DFO delayed the hatching peak and increased hatching weight with less residual yolk. Collectively, it can be concluded that yolk sac atrophy during late embryogenesis may be mediated by iron disorders and provides a novel insight to modulate yolk sac nutrition, and hatching efficiency in chickens.