Research Publications (Food Safety)

Probiotic feed additive use in the swine industry has become increasingly popular as a substitute for antibiotic feed additives. This is due to the overuse of antibiotics in swine diets that has led to antibiotic residues in animal products and bacterial resistance. For this reason, we decided to feed a probiotic to prevent illnesses associated with the transition from the nursery to finisher phase.

This study evaluated the effects of bioactive feed ingredients on fecal microbiome of weaned pigs subjected to F18 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) challenge. Two blocks of weaned pigs [n = 72; Yorkshire/Landrace/Duroc; initial body weight (BW) = 6.62 ± 1.37 kg] were balanced by gender and litter and randomly allocated to one of the six treatments with 12 pens/block and 6 pigs/pen.

The sheep rumen microbiome contains a vast wealth of known and unknown members, whose metabolic processes impact nutrient acquisition as well as gut and overall health of the animal. Based on previous research from our group on investigating the impact of a change in diet on the composition of the rumen microbiome in lambs, further insights into the metabolic functions of novel bacterial species represented by three Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were pursued.

Methane is a natural product of rumen fermentation and emissions from ruminant livestock represent a major environmental concern. Methane is not only a potent greenhouse gas but also represents a loss of energy efficiency for the host. The objective of this study was to perform in vitro screening of a range of compounds with potential anti-methanogenic activity, including polyphenols, flavonoids, fatty acids, amino acids, and salts.

This study evaluated the effects of a sulfate polysaccharide extracted from marine algae product on performance, intestinal lesion scores, and mRNA abundance of various tight junction proteins and immune response genes.

Mycotoxin contamination in pig feed is a recurring problem leading to chronic exposure of the animals, even when mycotoxin levels are below official guidance (FDA, EFSA). Deoxynivalenol (DON) and its derivates are among the main mycotoxins impacting pig production in the United States.

Several feed supplements have received interest for their potential to increase growth performance and health post weaning, including alternatives to high levels of zinc oxide (ZnO) such as short- and medium-chain fatty acids (SCFA, MCFA), and phytogenics. The objective of this study is to observe the growth performance and intestinal health effects from the supplementation of SCFA with and without the addition of MCFA and phytogenics.

Poultry feed is often contaminated with several mycotoxins that can impair animal health and performance, even at levels below the official guidance. The incorporation of mycotoxin decontaminants in the feed can limit these adverse effects. It is necessary to test the efficacy of these supplementations in vivo, but this requires specific experimental setups.

The activation of the immune system reduces the nutrient availability for growth and increases the variability among pigs. Functional amino acids (AA) supplementation can reduce the negative effects of immune activation. Additionally, providing daily tailored diets using individual precision feeding (IPF) was shown to account for individual variability.

Various types and levels of mycotoxins are present in feed ingredients, thus negatively impacting swine health and productivity. Appropriate sampling and frequent testing of feed ingredients are recommended to assess the risk of mycotoxins in feed and to determine mitigation strategies for mycotoxin control. However, monitoring plans do not guarantee feed will be free of mycotoxins, so in-feed mitigation strategies are implemented to minimize production losses.

Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites which may affect animal health, reproduction, and performance. These naturally occurring toxic metabolites are found in a variety of feedstuffs worldwide. Classic signs of mycotoxicosis in livestock can include reduced feed intake, diarrhea, and vomiting.

The objective of the experiment was to evaluate a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (SCFP; NaturSafe, Dimond V, Cedar Rapids, IA) on performance, plasma metabolites, rumen parameters, and fecal pathogen shedding in feedlot steers. Crossbred steers (n = 61; 271 ± 48.1 kg) were sourced from 3 different research units at Oklahoma State University and assigned to 1 of 3 experimental treatments in a randomized complete block design.

Sustainability is a ‘buzzword’ often used within and outside of the agriculture industry. Southeastern beef cow-calf and stocker operations often utilize management practices which embody the core definition of sustainability to improve land resource, economic, and social viability. In forage-based production systems, year-round management practices are generally viewed by the scientific community in terms of production and economic responses.

Cotton serves as a vital economic driver within the agricultural sector of Mississippi. The seeds of cotton are rich in fat and protein content, making them a cost-effective alternative to soybean meal and other expensive protein sources. Additionally, cottonseed is the primary source of gossypol, a phenolic compound with significant potential for natural parasite control.

Nisin (Ni) is a polypeptide bacteriocin produced by lactic streptococci (probiotics) that can inhibit the majority of gram-positive bacteria, and improve the growth performance of broilers, and exert antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study investigated the potential preventive effect of Nisin on necrotic enteritis induced by Clostridium perfringens (Cp) challenge.

Most research surrounding liver abscesses involves post-hoc evaluation of naturally occurring abscesses in production settings. Few studies have been designed to experimentally induce abscesses with the purpose of identifying a time course, causality, and associated physiological implications.

The objective of this study was to develop a model for liver abscesses (LA) in Holstein steers by using an acidotic diet or acidotic diet plus intraruminal inoculation of Fusobacterium necrophorum, Salmonella enterica serotype Lubbock, and Truperella pyogenes.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most pressing threats to public health. It contributes to over a million deaths a year currently and by 2050 it is expected to cause more annual death than cancer. The swine industry has taken important steps to address the AMR crisis by phasing out the use of antimicrobial growth promoters.

Immune system activation redirects dietary nutrients to defense mechanisms, thereby impairing growth performance of pigs. Supplementing pigs with functional amino acids (AA) such as Met, Thr and Trp was shown to support the immune system and reduce the negative effects on growth. However, pigs respond differently to immune stressors which increase herd variability.

In addition to oligosaccharides, proteins (e.g., immunoglobulins), lipids, vitamins, and other nutrients vital for piglet health, sow’s milk contains bacteria believed to be important in gut health. Therefore, certain sow milk isolates with potentially beneficial properties may be of interest for use as probiotic strains.

We applied metabolomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine the metabolic pathway and ruminal bacterial taxa associated with divergent residual body weight (BW) gain phenotype in crossbred beef steers. A group of 108 crossbred growing beef steers (average BW = 282.87 ± 30 kg) were fed a forage-based diet for a period of 56 d in a confinement dry lot equipped with GrowSafe intake nodes to determine their residual body weight gain (RADG) phenotype.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of hemp varieties and cannabidiol (CBD) concentrations on in vitro ruminal microbiota diversity and abundance relative do alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Two ruminally cannulated Angus steers were used as inoculum donors for in vitro incubation.

The aim of this survey was to compare the occurrence and contamination levels of six major mycotoxin categories found in corn and corn by-product feed ingredients harvested in the United States from 2018 through 2022. Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites that can negatively impact animal health and performance and have been routinely found in a variety of feedstuffs including, but not limited to, cereal grains, by-products, silages, dry hays and pasture grasses.

Liver abscesses (LA) are a polymicrobial infection and the causative agents include two subspecies of Fusobacterium necrophorum, necrophorum and funduliforme, and Trueperella pyogenes. Nucleic acid-based analysis of the purulent material of LA has indicated that Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla, next to phylum Fusobacteria. The sporadic isolations of bacterial species of the Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes in LA have been reported.

Staphylococcus chromogenes (SC), a frequent non-aureus staphylococcus on Canadian herds causes both clinical and subclinical forms of mastitis and contributes to large economic losses on Canadian farms. However, little research attention has been directed to uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying SC mastitis pathogenesis, including the roles of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs).