Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106580
Ling Tang , Rui Wang , Guimei He
The H1N1 influenza virus is a major pandemic and seasonal pathogen with a broad host range, posing a substantial threat to human health and underscoring the need for continuous surveillance. Wild birds, as natural reservoirs of avian influenza viruses (AIVs), carry H1N1 strains capable of reassorting with other influenza viruses, which can drive pandemic emergence. The global migration of wild birds facilitates the spread of these viruses, and their interactions with poultry increase the risk of cross-species transmission, further amplifying the public health threat. However, knowledge of H1N1 genetic diversity in wild birds remains limited. Database analysis shows 80% of avian-origin H1N1 isolates come from wild birds across over 40 countries, mainly in North America, Europe and Asia. This study characterized the molecular traits and genetic evolution of four H1N1 AIVs isolated from common teal and spot-billed ducks during 2019–2021. Phylogenetic and sequence analyses revealed these viruses cluster into distinct lineages, divergent from mammalian H1N1 strains, with complex genetic origins involving frequent recombination and high diversity. Frequent wild bird–poultry transmission elevates zoonotic risks. Our findings highlight wild birds’ critical role in H1N1 transmission and confirm their role as an H1N1 gene pool, emphasizing the need for sustained monitoring and research.
{"title":"Research note: Molecular characteristics and genetic evolution of H1N1 avian influenza virus from wild birds in Shanghai, China","authors":"Ling Tang , Rui Wang , Guimei He","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106580","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106580","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The H1N1 influenza virus is a major pandemic and seasonal pathogen with a broad host range, posing a substantial threat to human health and underscoring the need for continuous surveillance. Wild birds, as natural reservoirs of avian influenza viruses (AIVs), carry H1N1 strains capable of reassorting with other influenza viruses, which can drive pandemic emergence. The global migration of wild birds facilitates the spread of these viruses, and their interactions with poultry increase the risk of cross-species transmission, further amplifying the public health threat. However, knowledge of H1N1 genetic diversity in wild birds remains limited. Database analysis shows 80% of avian-origin H1N1 isolates come from wild birds across over 40 countries, mainly in North America, Europe and Asia. This study characterized the molecular traits and genetic evolution of four H1N1 AIVs isolated from common teal and spot-billed ducks during 2019–2021. Phylogenetic and sequence analyses revealed these viruses cluster into distinct lineages, divergent from mammalian H1N1 strains, with complex genetic origins involving frequent recombination and high diversity. Frequent wild bird–poultry transmission elevates zoonotic risks. Our findings highlight wild birds’ critical role in H1N1 transmission and confirm their role as an H1N1 gene pool, emphasizing the need for sustained monitoring and research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106580"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146137667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106564
Xinyu Han , Muhui Zhong , Yujia Yang , Shunyin Fang , Yuting Shi , Yaozhong Lin , Xinkui Zhang , Wenqi Wu , Qinglong Wang , Beibei Niu , Qiuhong Huang , Huifang Yin , Ming Liao , Weixin Jia
To assess the potential threat of the novel H3 subtype Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) to the poultry industry and human health, whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic tree and homology analysis were conducted on four H3N3 viruses and one H3N8 virus isolated from three different regions. Representative strains were selected for the study of pathogenicity and transmissibility in Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) chickens, BALB/c mice, and Hartley guinea pigs. Phylogenetic tree and homology analyses indicate that the eight gene segments of the four H3N3 viruses are derived from reassortments involving H3N8 virus (HA gene), H10N3 virus (NA gene), and H9N2 virus (internal genes). Additionally, the gene segments of one H3N8 strain are the result of reassortment between H3N8 virus (HA and NA genes) and H9N2 virus (internal genes). Multiple mammalian-adaptive mutations were detected in the gene fragments, including amino acid substitutions and alterations in glycosylation sites. Animal experimental results indicate that the B166 (H3N3) and K245 (H3N8) isolates were pathogenic to SPF chickens and BALB/c mice, and were also capable of infecting Hartley guinea pigs. Both strains transmitted among chickens, with B166 displaying slightly lower transmissibility than K245. However, only K245 was transmissible via direct contact in Hartley guinea pigs. This highlights the potential public health risks of H3 subtype viruses, posing a threat to the poultry industry and human health, which makes ongoing monitoring and further research crucial.
{"title":"Two kinds of novel reassortment H3 subtypes of avian influenza viruses: similar genetic composition, different mammalian transmission capabilities","authors":"Xinyu Han , Muhui Zhong , Yujia Yang , Shunyin Fang , Yuting Shi , Yaozhong Lin , Xinkui Zhang , Wenqi Wu , Qinglong Wang , Beibei Niu , Qiuhong Huang , Huifang Yin , Ming Liao , Weixin Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To assess the potential threat of the novel H3 subtype Avian Influenza Virus <strong>(AIV)</strong> to the poultry industry and human health, whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic tree and homology analysis were conducted on four H3N3 viruses and one H3N8 virus isolated from three different regions. Representative strains were selected for the study of pathogenicity and transmissibility in Specific Pathogen Free <strong>(SPF)</strong> chickens, BALB/c mice, and Hartley guinea pigs. Phylogenetic tree and homology analyses indicate that the eight gene segments of the four H3N3 viruses are derived from reassortments involving H3N8 virus (HA gene), H10N3 virus (NA gene), and H9N2 virus (internal genes). Additionally, the gene segments of one H3N8 strain are the result of reassortment between H3N8 virus (HA and NA genes) and H9N2 virus (internal genes). Multiple mammalian-adaptive mutations were detected in the gene fragments, including amino acid substitutions and alterations in glycosylation sites. Animal experimental results indicate that the B166 (H3N3) and K245 (H3N8) isolates were pathogenic to SPF chickens and BALB/c mice, and were also capable of infecting Hartley guinea pigs. Both strains transmitted among chickens, with B166 displaying slightly lower transmissibility than K245. However, only K245 was transmissible via direct contact in Hartley guinea pigs. This highlights the potential public health risks of H3 subtype viruses, posing a threat to the poultry industry and human health, which makes ongoing monitoring and further research crucial.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106564"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146132890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106528
Kuihao Liu, Hui Wang, Zhibin Niu, Shuying Zhu, Ruo Lv, Zhiyun Guo, Ning Li
Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) is a Gram-negative, motile opportunistic pathogen with a broad host range. It causes both community- and hospital-acquired infections and is increasingly detected in poultry and food chains, raising food-safety concerns. This study systematically evaluated the prevalence, antimicrobial-susceptibility profiles, and the distribution of resistance genes, virulence-associated genes (VAGs), and metal-tolerance genes in chicken-derived P. mirabilis in Hunan Province. From June 2022 to January 2025, 1,679 chicken cloacal swabs were collected in Hunan; 192 P. mirabilis isolates were recovered (prevalence 11.44%). Antimicrobial-susceptibility testing (AST) was performed on a simple random sample of 118 isolates (118/192, 61.5%) using CLSI-recommended disk diffusion. The results showed that the MDR rate was 72.0% (85/118). Resistance was most frequent to Trimethoprim - Sulfamethoxazole (SXT) (81.4%), Ampicillin (AMP) (79.7%), Ciprofloxacin (CIP) (78.0%), and Gentamicin (GEN) (75.4%), followed by Neomycin (NEO) (63.6%) and Chloramphenicol (CHL) (61.0%). Carbapenem resistance was detected in a subset of isolates, including meropenem (MEM) (6.8%) and imipenem (IPM) (11.0%). Resistance-gene screening identified high prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants qnrA 58.9% (113/192) and aac(6')-Ib-cr 59.9% (115/192). The carbapenemase gene blaNDM-1 was detected in 10.4% (20/192) of isolates, and 24.0% (46/192) were positive for vanA. Markers associated with class 1 integrons, including qacEΔ1 and the integrase intI1, were detected in 71.9% and 49.5% of isolates, respectively. Furthermore, copper-tolerance genes copB and pcoA were detected in 49.5% and 10.4% of isolates, respectively. In summary, poultry-derived P. mirabilis in Hunan demonstrated high MDR prevalence and frequent carriage of resistance-, virulence-, and environment-related markers. Our findings enrich the epidemiological data on Proteus mirabilis at the farm level and provide scientific guidance for the prevention and control of this disease.
{"title":"Poultry Proteus mirabilis in selected areas of Hunan, China: Resistance profiles and virulence genes.","authors":"Kuihao Liu, Hui Wang, Zhibin Niu, Shuying Zhu, Ruo Lv, Zhiyun Guo, Ning Li","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106528","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106528","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) is a Gram-negative, motile opportunistic pathogen with a broad host range. It causes both community- and hospital-acquired infections and is increasingly detected in poultry and food chains, raising food-safety concerns. This study systematically evaluated the prevalence, antimicrobial-susceptibility profiles, and the distribution of resistance genes, virulence-associated genes (VAGs), and metal-tolerance genes in chicken-derived P. mirabilis in Hunan Province. From June 2022 to January 2025, 1,679 chicken cloacal swabs were collected in Hunan; 192 P. mirabilis isolates were recovered (prevalence 11.44%). Antimicrobial-susceptibility testing (AST) was performed on a simple random sample of 118 isolates (118/192, 61.5%) using CLSI-recommended disk diffusion. The results showed that the MDR rate was 72.0% (85/118). Resistance was most frequent to Trimethoprim - Sulfamethoxazole (SXT) (81.4%), Ampicillin (AMP) (79.7%), Ciprofloxacin (CIP) (78.0%), and Gentamicin (GEN) (75.4%), followed by Neomycin (NEO) (63.6%) and Chloramphenicol (CHL) (61.0%). Carbapenem resistance was detected in a subset of isolates, including meropenem (MEM) (6.8%) and imipenem (IPM) (11.0%). Resistance-gene screening identified high prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants qnrA 58.9% (113/192) and aac(6')-Ib-cr 59.9% (115/192). The carbapenemase gene blaNDM-1 was detected in 10.4% (20/192) of isolates, and 24.0% (46/192) were positive for vanA. Markers associated with class 1 integrons, including qacEΔ1 and the integrase intI1, were detected in 71.9% and 49.5% of isolates, respectively. Furthermore, copper-tolerance genes copB and pcoA were detected in 49.5% and 10.4% of isolates, respectively. In summary, poultry-derived P. mirabilis in Hunan demonstrated high MDR prevalence and frequent carriage of resistance-, virulence-, and environment-related markers. Our findings enrich the epidemiological data on Proteus mirabilis at the farm level and provide scientific guidance for the prevention and control of this disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"106528"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12914789/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146182122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106566
Zeng Wang , Ruixue Li , Saimin Zhai , Huichao Gao , Keying Liu , Xia Yang , Jun Zhao , Xiaozhan Zhang
Eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs), a bunch of proteins that deeply involved in translation initiation of mRNA in eukaryotes, are closely associated with physiological and pathological processes. eIF3m, a core subunit in eIF3 complex, also played critical roles in virus infection. In this study, a co-immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry (Co-IP/MS) was performed to identify host factors that interacted with ORF1B, a unique non-structural protein of fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4). Among 2502 cellular proteins, eIF3m, especially its C-terminal part, was verified to interact with ORF1B and these two proteins co-localized in the cytoplasm. Importantly, overexpression of eIF3m promoted FAdV-4 replication in LMH cells, whereas knockdown eIF3m exerted an opposite effect. Collectively, these findings indicate that ORF1B hijacked eIF3m to positively participate in FAdV-4 infection.
{"title":"eIF3m promotes fowl adenovirus serotype 4 replication via interacting with ORF1B protein","authors":"Zeng Wang , Ruixue Li , Saimin Zhai , Huichao Gao , Keying Liu , Xia Yang , Jun Zhao , Xiaozhan Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106566","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106566","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs), a bunch of proteins that deeply involved in translation initiation of mRNA in eukaryotes, are closely associated with physiological and pathological processes. eIF3m, a core subunit in eIF3 complex, also played critical roles in virus infection. In this study, a co-immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry (Co-IP/MS) was performed to identify host factors that interacted with ORF1B, a unique non-structural protein of fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4). Among 2502 cellular proteins, eIF3m, especially its C-terminal part, was verified to interact with ORF1B and these two proteins co-localized in the cytoplasm. Importantly, overexpression of eIF3m promoted FAdV-4 replication in LMH cells, whereas knockdown eIF3m exerted an opposite effect. Collectively, these findings indicate that ORF1B hijacked eIF3m to positively participate in FAdV-4 infection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106566"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146119816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106558
Christian Vinueza-Burgos, José L Medina-Santana, Sofía de Janon, Fernando Villavicencio, David Ayala-Velastegui, Cristina Logacho, Nikki W Shariat
Salmonella enterica is a major foodborne pathogen associated with poultry, representing a critical challenge for food safety worldwide. Accurate identification of serovar diversity is essential for designing control strategies; however, conventional culture-based methods often underestimate this complexity. In this study, we report the first application of CRISPR-SeroSeq in Ecuador to characterize Salmonella serovar diversity in commercial broilers. A total of 76 flocks (one hose of one farm in different cycles) originated across 19 broiler farms were sampled. All flocks belonged to an integrated poultry company. From all samples, 77.6% tested positive for Salmonella. CRISPR-SeroSeq analysis revealed a clear dominance of serovar Infantis, even within mixed populations. Importantly, serovars of significant public health concern, including Enteritidis and Typhimurium, were detected at low frequencies that would likely be missed by conventional methods. These findings highlight the utility of high-resolution serotyping approaches, providing valuable insights for targeted interventions to improve poultry production biosecurity and food safety.
{"title":"Research note: High-resolution detection of Salmonella serovar diversity in broilers from Ecuador using CRISPR-SeroSeq.","authors":"Christian Vinueza-Burgos, José L Medina-Santana, Sofía de Janon, Fernando Villavicencio, David Ayala-Velastegui, Cristina Logacho, Nikki W Shariat","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106558","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106558","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Salmonella enterica is a major foodborne pathogen associated with poultry, representing a critical challenge for food safety worldwide. Accurate identification of serovar diversity is essential for designing control strategies; however, conventional culture-based methods often underestimate this complexity. In this study, we report the first application of CRISPR-SeroSeq in Ecuador to characterize Salmonella serovar diversity in commercial broilers. A total of 76 flocks (one hose of one farm in different cycles) originated across 19 broiler farms were sampled. All flocks belonged to an integrated poultry company. From all samples, 77.6% tested positive for Salmonella. CRISPR-SeroSeq analysis revealed a clear dominance of serovar Infantis, even within mixed populations. Importantly, serovars of significant public health concern, including Enteritidis and Typhimurium, were detected at low frequencies that would likely be missed by conventional methods. These findings highlight the utility of high-resolution serotyping approaches, providing valuable insights for targeted interventions to improve poultry production biosecurity and food safety.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"106558"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12892053/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146126448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106563
Valentina Caputi
Like mammals, the avian intestinal epithelium is innervated by three neuronal pathways: vagal and sympathetic terminals, which originate from ganglia outside the gut wall and send information to the brain to modulate visceral sensitivity, appetite, and gut homeostasis; and the enteric nervous system (ENS), a complex network embedded within the gut wall that functions independently from the brain. The ENS coordinates essential GI physiological functions, such as intestinal motility, peristalsis, digestion, and absorption of nutrients and water. Recent studies conducted in mammals have shown that enteric neurons can orchestrate the intestinal immune response and reduce Salmonella colonization in the GI tract. However, such neuronal-mediates defense mechanisms have not yet been explored in the poultry gut. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of the avian ENS, highlighting similarities and differences with the well-known mammalian ENS. Additionally, particular focus will be given on ENS-dependent neuroimmune interactions that could reveal novel biomolecular mechanisms to mediate health, disease susceptibility, behavior, and other aspects as affected by the chicken GI tract.
{"title":"Functional role of the enteric nervous system in poultry intestinal health and production","authors":"Valentina Caputi","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106563","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106563","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Like mammals, the avian intestinal epithelium is innervated by three neuronal pathways: vagal and sympathetic terminals, which originate from ganglia outside the gut wall and send information to the brain to modulate visceral sensitivity, appetite, and gut homeostasis; and the enteric nervous system (ENS), a complex network embedded within the gut wall that functions independently from the brain. The ENS coordinates essential GI physiological functions, such as intestinal motility, peristalsis, digestion, and absorption of nutrients and water. Recent studies conducted in mammals have shown that enteric neurons can orchestrate the intestinal immune response and reduce <em>Salmonella</em> colonization in the GI tract. However, such neuronal-mediates defense mechanisms have not yet been explored in the poultry gut. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of the avian ENS, highlighting similarities and differences with the well-known mammalian ENS. Additionally, particular focus will be given on ENS-dependent neuroimmune interactions that could reveal novel biomolecular mechanisms to mediate health, disease susceptibility, behavior, and other aspects as affected by the chicken GI tract.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106563"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146132782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106549
Tanmay Debnath , Peter Wilson , Ricardo Pong-Wong , Lindsey Plenderleith , Björn Andersson , Matthias Schmutz , Ian Dunn , James G.D. Prendergast
Bone damage is an important welfare issue in the poultry industry, yet large-scale phenotyping of chicken bone strength currently relies on time-consuming manual annotation of X-rays or destructive post-mortem testing. To address this, an end-to-end deep-learning pipeline was developed that automatically (i) segments the chicken tibiotarsus from lateral X-ray images (U-Net, Dice = 0.91) and (ii) predicts its breaking strength from pixel intensities alone. Using 916 curated bone images, the predictor achieved moderately high correlation with measured breaking strength (maximum Pearson’s correlation of 0.74), exceeding the performance of a previous labour-intensive manual annotation method. Image-derived predictions were moderately heritable (h² ≈ 0.16) and exhibited an exceptionally high genetic correlation with the physical trait, indicating that selection on the model-derived phenotype is a good proxy to select for bone strength. The workflow therefore provides a potential rapid, non-invasive and genetically informative alternative to post-mortem testing, paving the way for the routine incorporation of bone-quality traits into commercial breeding programmes and improved poultry welfare at scale.
{"title":"Deep learning can automate chicken tibia-breaking strength quantification to improve animal welfare","authors":"Tanmay Debnath , Peter Wilson , Ricardo Pong-Wong , Lindsey Plenderleith , Björn Andersson , Matthias Schmutz , Ian Dunn , James G.D. Prendergast","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106549","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106549","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bone damage is an important welfare issue in the poultry industry, yet large-scale phenotyping of chicken bone strength currently relies on time-consuming manual annotation of X-rays or destructive post-mortem testing. To address this, an end-to-end deep-learning pipeline was developed that automatically (i) segments the chicken tibiotarsus from lateral X-ray images (U-Net, Dice = 0.91) and (ii) predicts its breaking strength from pixel intensities alone. Using 916 curated bone images, the predictor achieved moderately high correlation with measured breaking strength (maximum Pearson’s correlation of 0.74), exceeding the performance of a previous labour-intensive manual annotation method. Image-derived predictions were moderately heritable (h² ≈ 0.16) and exhibited an exceptionally high genetic correlation with the physical trait, indicating that selection on the model-derived phenotype is a good proxy to select for bone strength. The workflow therefore provides a potential rapid, non-invasive and genetically informative alternative to post-mortem testing, paving the way for the routine incorporation of bone-quality traits into commercial breeding programmes and improved poultry welfare at scale.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106549"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146119772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106559
Anna Maria Korves-Wilm, Mirjam Grobbel, Bernd-Alois Tenhagen
We examined the antimicrobial resistance of commensal Escherichia coli and occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-/AmpC-producing E. coli in organic meat chicken flocks of three different fattening types using a longitudinal study design. Fourteen German small scale meat chicken farms fattening either slow-growing broiler, dual-purpose cockerels or male layer hybrids were sampled between 2023 and 2025. Throughout the fattening period, four consecutive flocks per farm were sampled five times each. Three isolates per sampling time point were picked from MacConkey agar (MCA). Additionally, MCA + 1mg/L cefotaxime (MCA+CTX) was used to selectively screen for ESBL-/AmpC-producing E. coli. In total, 696 commensal E. coli from MCA and 51 ESBL-/AmpC-producing E. coli from MCA+CTX were isolated. Antimicrobial resistance was determined using broth microdilution and minimum inhibitory concentrations were evaluated using epidemiological cut-off values. Throughout the fattening period, most commensal E. coli were susceptible in slow-growing broilers (63.0-80.0%), male layer hybrids (76.9-97.6%) and dual-purpose cockerels (69.0-89.6%). Resistance to ampicillin (11.1%; 77/696), ciprofloxacin (9.9%; 69/696), tetracycline (9.5%; 66/696), and nalidixic acid (8.3%; 58/696) was overall most prevalent in resistant commensal isolates regardless of sampling time point and fattening type. Whole genome sequencing revealed a diverse population among resistant commensal E. coli, with most resistant strains belonging to ST10 or ST155. Clonal dissemination of resistant strains was shown both within flocks or between subsequent flocks of a farm and between different farms. The providing hatchery was shown to have an influence (p < 0.001) on the recovery of resistant isolates. Only 27.5% of all flocks were positive for ESBL-/AmpC-producing E. coli for at least one sampling time point, with none of the flocks being positive throughout the whole fattening period and a high diversity of sequence types. blaCTX-M-1 (29.2%, 7/24) was the most prevalent ESBL gene identified. This study is the first to describe antimicrobial resistance in different organic meat chicken fattening types in Germany in a longitudinal approach.
{"title":"Antimicrobial resistance of commensal and extended-spectrum ß-lactamase/AmpC-producing Escherichia coli in organic meat chicken farms.","authors":"Anna Maria Korves-Wilm, Mirjam Grobbel, Bernd-Alois Tenhagen","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106559","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106559","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We examined the antimicrobial resistance of commensal Escherichia coli and occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-/AmpC-producing E. coli in organic meat chicken flocks of three different fattening types using a longitudinal study design. Fourteen German small scale meat chicken farms fattening either slow-growing broiler, dual-purpose cockerels or male layer hybrids were sampled between 2023 and 2025. Throughout the fattening period, four consecutive flocks per farm were sampled five times each. Three isolates per sampling time point were picked from MacConkey agar (MCA). Additionally, MCA + 1mg/L cefotaxime (MCA+CTX) was used to selectively screen for ESBL-/AmpC-producing E. coli. In total, 696 commensal E. coli from MCA and 51 ESBL-/AmpC-producing E. coli from MCA+CTX were isolated. Antimicrobial resistance was determined using broth microdilution and minimum inhibitory concentrations were evaluated using epidemiological cut-off values. Throughout the fattening period, most commensal E. coli were susceptible in slow-growing broilers (63.0-80.0%), male layer hybrids (76.9-97.6%) and dual-purpose cockerels (69.0-89.6%). Resistance to ampicillin (11.1%; 77/696), ciprofloxacin (9.9%; 69/696), tetracycline (9.5%; 66/696), and nalidixic acid (8.3%; 58/696) was overall most prevalent in resistant commensal isolates regardless of sampling time point and fattening type. Whole genome sequencing revealed a diverse population among resistant commensal E. coli, with most resistant strains belonging to ST10 or ST155. Clonal dissemination of resistant strains was shown both within flocks or between subsequent flocks of a farm and between different farms. The providing hatchery was shown to have an influence (p < 0.001) on the recovery of resistant isolates. Only 27.5% of all flocks were positive for ESBL-/AmpC-producing E. coli for at least one sampling time point, with none of the flocks being positive throughout the whole fattening period and a high diversity of sequence types. bla<sub>CTX-M-1</sub> (29.2%, 7/24) was the most prevalent ESBL gene identified. This study is the first to describe antimicrobial resistance in different organic meat chicken fattening types in Germany in a longitudinal approach.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"106559"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12925275/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146202439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106557
Aftab Shaukat , Irfan Shaukat , Mohammed Al-Rasheed , Rizwan Shukat , Ghadeer M. Albadrani , Amany A. Sayed , Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim , Ren-Wei Su , Zhiwen Wu
Cadmium (Cd) induces oxidative stress and inflammation, leading to hepatotoxicity in animals. Honokiol (HNK) has gained much attention owing to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and may offer protection against liver diseases. However, whether HNK can improve Cd-induced ultrastructural and functional variation in hepatocytes is largely unknown. In this study, day-old broiler were divided into four treatment groups including control/untreated group Cd (50mg/L), HNK (50mg/kg), and Cd+HNK (50mg/L+50mg/kg) for 42 days, respectively. In Silico analysis was conducted to reveal the potential interaction of HNK with Bax and Bcl-2 proteins to determine how HNK affected these two protein targets to mediate the effects of Cd toxicity. Results revealed that Cd exposure caused significant damage to the ultrastructure and functional activity of hepatocytes compared to the control group. Notably, HNK treatment helped recover and maintain the integrity of the nucleus and mitochondrial cristae in hepatocytes. In addition, HNK reduced oxidative stress with the increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the liver tissue. The HNK prevented lipid accumulation in the liver tissue induced by cadmium toxicity. Furthermore, HNK decreased the expression of apoptotic protein and gene expression of Caspase-3, and increased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 by immunohistochemistry and qPCR. In conclusion, findings of the present study revealed the potential of HNK to alleviate Cd-induced ultrastructural and functional perturbations that cause hepatotoxicity in chicken, making it a promising therapeutic agent for Cd poisoning in animals.
{"title":"Honokiol antagonizes cadmium-induced ultrastructural nuclear variation and mitochondrial dysfunction of hepatocytes through targeting Bax protein","authors":"Aftab Shaukat , Irfan Shaukat , Mohammed Al-Rasheed , Rizwan Shukat , Ghadeer M. Albadrani , Amany A. Sayed , Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim , Ren-Wei Su , Zhiwen Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106557","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106557","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cadmium (Cd) induces oxidative stress and inflammation, leading to hepatotoxicity in animals. Honokiol (HNK) has gained much attention owing to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and may offer protection against liver diseases. However, whether HNK can improve Cd-induced ultrastructural and functional variation in hepatocytes is largely unknown. In this study, day-old broiler were divided into four treatment groups including control/untreated group Cd (50mg/L), HNK (50mg/kg), and Cd+HNK (50mg/L+50mg/kg) for 42 days, respectively. <em>In Silico</em> analysis was conducted to reveal the potential interaction of HNK with Bax and Bcl-2 proteins to determine how HNK affected these two protein targets to mediate the effects of Cd toxicity. Results revealed that Cd exposure caused significant damage to the ultrastructure and functional activity of hepatocytes compared to the control group. Notably, HNK treatment helped recover and maintain the integrity of the nucleus and mitochondrial cristae in hepatocytes. In addition, HNK reduced oxidative stress with the increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the liver tissue. The HNK prevented lipid accumulation in the liver tissue induced by cadmium toxicity. Furthermore, HNK decreased the expression of apoptotic protein and gene expression of Caspase-3, and increased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 by immunohistochemistry and qPCR. In conclusion, findings of the present study revealed the potential of HNK to alleviate Cd-induced ultrastructural and functional perturbations that cause hepatotoxicity in chicken, making it a promising therapeutic agent for Cd poisoning in animals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106557"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146143242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pre-slaughter fasting is an important practice in the poultry industry that reduces microbial contamination. However, fasting-induced skeletal muscle proteolysis can occur, which may influence meat quality because it increases the concentration of free amino acids that contribute to the umami taste during postmortem aging. In a previous study, we found that antemortem proteolysis levels induced by pre-slaughter fasting (0, 8, 16, and 24 h) were positively correlated with the free glutamic acid (Glu) content in the pectoralis major muscle after 48 h of aging. In this study, we investigated the relationship between individual differences in antemortem proteolysis levels and meat quality, especially free amino acids content and taste sensor value, in the pectoralis major muscle subjected to the same duration of 16-h pre-slaughter fasting, and the mechanisms of muscle free Glu accumulation during postmortem aging in broiler chickens. Antemortem skeletal muscle proteolysis levels, evaluated as changes in plasma Nτ-methylhistidine concentrations, ranged from −1.0 to 12.7 nmol/mL (mean ± SD: 3.6 ± 3.01). Free Glu content in the pectoralis major muscle after 48 h of postmortem aging ranged from 9.7 to 45.8 mg/100 g (18.0 ± 7.34). A significant positive correlation was observed between antemortem proteolysis levels and postmortem free Glu content in the pectoralis major muscle after 48 h of aging (r = 0.42, P < 0.01). Postmortem free Glu content was positively correlated with the mRNA expression of ATP-independent proteolytic enzymes, including Calpain 11 (r = 0.27, P < 0.1), Calpain 2 (r = 0.45, P < 0.01), Cathepsin L-like (r = 0.55, P < 0.0001), and Cathepsin H (r = 0.35, P < 0.05). We measured the levels of troponin-T (TnT), which releases free Glu upon degradation, to investigate the cause of free Glu accumulation during aging. However, no correlation was observed between TnT and postmortem free Glu content. In contrast, specific low-molecular-weight proteins (approximately 12–15 kDa) exhibited associations with antemortem skeletal muscle proteolysis levels and postmortem free Glu acid content in the pectoralis major muscle. These findings suggest that individual pre-slaughter proteolysis levels influence postmortem muscle-free Glu accumulation by enhancing the expression of specific proteolytic enzymes or myofibrillar protein degradation.
屠宰前禁食是禽业减少微生物污染的重要做法。然而，禁食诱导的骨骼肌蛋白水解可能会发生，这可能会影响肉的品质，因为它会增加游离氨基酸的浓度，而游离氨基酸在死后老化过程中有助于鲜味。在之前的研究中，我们发现屠宰前禁食（0、8、16和24 h）诱导的死前蛋白水解水平与衰老48 h后胸大肌中游离谷氨酸（Glu）含量呈正相关。本研究旨在研究屠宰前禁食16 h的肉仔鸡胸大肌中蛋白水解水平的个体差异与肉品质，特别是游离氨基酸含量和味觉传感器值的关系，以及死后衰老过程中肌肉游离谷氨酸积累的机制。死前骨骼肌蛋白水解水平，通过血浆n τ-甲基组氨酸浓度的变化来评估，范围从- 1.0到12.7 nmol/mL（平均±SD: 3.6±3.01）。死后48 h胸大肌游离谷氨酸含量为9.7 ~ 45.8 mg/100 g（18.0±7.34）。衰老48 h后，死前蛋白水解水平与死后胸大肌游离谷氨酸含量呈显著正相关（r = 0.42, P < 0.01）。死后游离谷氨酸含量与atp非依赖性蛋白水解酶calpain11 （r = 0.27, P < 0.1）、calpain2 （r = 0.45, P < 0.01）、Cathepsin L-like （r = 0.55, P < 0.0001）和Cathepsin H (r = 0.35, P < 0.05) mRNA表达量呈正相关。我们测量了肌钙蛋白- t （TnT）的水平，它在降解时释放游离谷氨酸，以研究衰老过程中游离谷氨酸积累的原因。然而，TnT与死后游离谷氨酸含量之间没有相关性。相反，特定的低分子量蛋白（约12-15 kDa）与死前骨骼肌蛋白水解水平和死后胸大肌游离谷氨酸含量相关。这些发现表明，个体屠宰前蛋白水解水平通过增强特定蛋白水解酶或肌纤维蛋白降解的表达来影响死后无肌谷氨酸的积累。
{"title":"Individual pre-slaughter muscle proteolysis levels correlated with postmortem taste-related amino acid concentrations in broiler chickens","authors":"Sachi Katsumata , Minori Egawa , Koki Yoshino , Ayumi Katafuchi , Saki Shimamoto , Akira Ohtsuka , Daichi Ijiri","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106553","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106553","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pre-slaughter fasting is an important practice in the poultry industry that reduces microbial contamination. However, fasting-induced skeletal muscle proteolysis can occur, which may influence meat quality because it increases the concentration of free amino acids that contribute to the umami taste during postmortem aging. In a previous study, we found that antemortem proteolysis levels induced by pre-slaughter fasting (0, 8, 16, and 24 h) were positively correlated with the free glutamic acid (Glu) content in the pectoralis major muscle after 48 h of aging. In this study, we investigated the relationship between individual differences in antemortem proteolysis levels and meat quality, especially free amino acids content and taste sensor value, in the pectoralis major muscle subjected to the same duration of 16-h pre-slaughter fasting, and the mechanisms of muscle free Glu accumulation during postmortem aging in broiler chickens. Antemortem skeletal muscle proteolysis levels, evaluated as changes in plasma N<sup>τ</sup>-methylhistidine concentrations, ranged from −1.0 to 12.7 nmol/mL (mean ± SD: 3.6 ± 3.01). Free Glu content in the pectoralis major muscle after 48 h of postmortem aging ranged from 9.7 to 45.8 mg/100 g (18.0 ± 7.34). A significant positive correlation was observed between antemortem proteolysis levels and postmortem free Glu content in the pectoralis major muscle after 48 h of aging (<em>r</em> = 0.42, <em>P</em> < 0.01). Postmortem free Glu content was positively correlated with the mRNA expression of ATP-independent proteolytic enzymes, including Calpain 11 (<em>r</em> = 0.27, <em>P</em> < 0.1), Calpain 2 (<em>r</em> = 0.45, <em>P</em> < 0.01), Cathepsin <span>L</span>-like (<em>r</em> = 0.55, <em>P</em> < 0.0001), and Cathepsin H (<em>r</em> = 0.35, <em>P</em> < 0.05). We measured the levels of troponin-T (TnT), which releases free Glu upon degradation, to investigate the cause of free Glu accumulation during aging. However, no correlation was observed between TnT and postmortem free Glu content. In contrast, specific low-molecular-weight proteins (approximately 12–15 kDa) exhibited associations with antemortem skeletal muscle proteolysis levels and postmortem free Glu acid content in the pectoralis major muscle. These findings suggest that individual pre-slaughter proteolysis levels influence postmortem muscle-free Glu accumulation by enhancing the expression of specific proteolytic enzymes or myofibrillar protein degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 5","pages":"Article 106553"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146154265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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