A study on the effectiveness of a defined microbial consortium to enhance the microbiological safety of cattle manure
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
Authors: Liu, Guoxia; Mamode Ally, Nooreen; Dooly, Daminee Devi; Li, Yin; Boodhoo, Kamleshwar; Neetoo, Hudaa
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal manure frequently harbors pathogenic microorganisms such as Salmonella spp. and diarrheagenic Escherichia coli. A defined microbial consortium such as effective microorganisms (EM) can potentially be used as a biocontrol against manure-borne human pathogens such as Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli. The objective of the study was to investigate the efficacy of EM to decontaminate cattle manure. RESULTS EM was first characterized by enumeration and identification of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeasts, actinomycetes and phototrophic bacteria (PB). The population density of LAB, yeasts, actinomycetes and presumptive PB was 6.9, 5.2, 5.9 and 3.9 log CFU g(-1) respectively. LAB and yeast isolates were molecularly confirmed as Lactobacillus plantarum and L. casei (LAB) and Yarrowia lipolytica, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Picha manshurica (yeasts) respectively. Culture-independent molecular analysis revealed the presence of additional species including L. parabuchneri and Enterococcus faecium (LAB) and bacterial spore-formers Bacillus cereus and Clostridium spp. Application of EM to fresh cattle manure, inoculated with similar to 5-6 log CFU g(-1) of antibiotic-resistant strain of indicator organism E. coli ATCC 25922, resulted in complete elimination of the organism in 20 days, while survivors were still detected in the untreated counterpart. CONCLUSION EM can potentially be used for sustainable pathogen control in cattle manure for enhanced food safety and environmental health. (c) 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Clinical characteristics and predictors of community-acquired pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis and nontyphoidal salmonella sepsis in infants: A matched Case-Control study
PEDIATRICS AND NEONATOLOGY
Authors: Kung, Yin-Hsiang; Yeh, Yi-Chun; Kuo, Kuang-Che
Abstract
Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS) species may cause enteric illness with sepsis in infancy. The clinical predictors distinguishing the two pathogens have not been comprehensively evaluated in this population in Taiwan. Methods: A retrospective matched case-control study was conducted in a teaching hospital in southern Taiwan from January 1, 2003 to January 30, 2019. The patients with community-acquired P. aeruginosa sepsis were matched at a ratio of 1:2 by age and gender with controls (who developed NTS sepsis). Results: A total of 21 infants with community-acquired P. aeruginosa sepsis were identified; of these, 12 (57.1%) were male, and the mean I standard deviation of age was 6.95 +/- 12.47 months. Two independent predictors indicative of P. aeruginosa sepsis, as identified by multivariate analysis using conditional logistic regression, were hemoglobin level (Hb) (matched odds ratio [mOR], 0.155; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.027-0.900; p = 0.038) and platelet count (mOR, 0.988, 95% CI, 0.976-1.000; p = 0.049). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of Hb and platelet count for P. aeruginosa sepsis prediction were 0.855 and 0.803, respectively. With cut-off values for Hb of 10.7 g/dL and platelet count of 173,000/mu L, the predictors had maximal diagnostic accuracy. Conclusion: Most patients with P. aeruginosa sepsis are less than one year old. A lower hemoglobin level and a lower platelet count are significant predictors of P. aeruginosa sepsis. These findings should help to reshape the policy of empirical antibiotics in infants with sepsis. Copyright (C) 2020, Taiwan Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.