In Egypt, several highly pathogenic infectious bursal disease isolates were reported to break through high levels of maternal immunity in commercial flocks. This study investigated viral tropism and immune profiling of circulating very virulent strains in broiler farms. Samples from 19 suspected outbreaks were collected. RT-PCR was conducted for genetic differentiation between very virulent strains and other circulating strains. Immunohistochemical staining applied on positive samples for describing the topographic distribution of viral antigens in bursa of Fabricius, thymus and spleen. Anti-chicken CD3 and CD79A markers were used to study the immune profiling of B and T cells. Among 19 flocks, 78.9% came out positive with RT-PCR. 57.9% were very virulent strains, 15.8% were classical or vaccinal strains, and 5.2% were coinfected. Viral antigens were most prevalent in bursa, followed by the spleen but not in thymic tissue. B cell significantly reduced in moderate and severe lesion scored bursae, while increased number of intra-bursal T cells was observed. In thymic cells, depletion of lymphocytes was obvious, although it was not associated with viral detection. Thymic sections revealed significant reduction in T-cells in moderate and severe lesion scores. However, mild affected tissue showed significant increase in T cells. In spleen, significant decrease in T and B cells was observed in moderate and severe scored samples. Very virulent isolates induced similar pathogenicity to typical UK661 strain. Providing detailed information on immune response against circulating strains may increase our understanding about the ability of the virus to frequently break through vaccination control.

The aim of this study was to examine if synbiotics can function as alternatives to antibiotics in broiler production under heat stress (HS). Day-old broiler chicks (528 birds) were randomly placed in floor pens within 2 identical temperature-controlled rooms (11 birds/pen and 24 pens/room). The pens of each room were evenly divided among 3 treatments (n = 8): basal diet (CON), the basal diet mixed with 50 ppm of bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) or a synbiotic (50 ppm of PoultryStar me^US, SYN). From d 15, room 2 was under thermoneutral (TN) conditions (TN-CON, TN-BMD, and TN-SYN), while HS was applied to room 1 at 32^oC for 9 hrs/d (0800 to 1700) (HS-CON, HS-BMD, and HS-SYN). Treatment effects on footpad dermatitis and gait score were measured on 5 birds/pen, and latency to lie (LTL) test was measured on 2 birds/pen at d 27 and d 41; and 1 broiler/pen was sampled on d 28 and d 42, respectively. Body, liver, and spleen weight were determined. Plasma levels of interleukins (IL), heat shock protein 70, immunoglobulin (Ig)Y, liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzyme activities were examined. Heat stress suppressed BW and IgY concentrations on both d 28 and d 42, while suppressed plasma IL-6 concentrations, SOD activities, and LTL duration on d 28 only (P < 0.05). Among all treatments, SYN birds had the best foot and skeletal health scores on both d 27 and d 41 (P < 0.05). On d 42, SYN increased BW, and TN-SYN birds had higher relative spleen weight than both TN-BMD and TN-CON birds (P < 0.05). Antibiotic BMD increased BW (P < 0.05) but decreased SOD activities (P < 0.05) on d 42. These results indicate that the SYN supplementation decreases HS negative effect on broilers by improving BW, foot, and skeletal health, while BMD improves BW but also increases oxidative stress in broilers. The data suggest that synbiotic supplement may function as an alternative to antibiotics in broiler production during summer seasons, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions.

The LC-MS-based method has emerged as the preferred approach for quantifying food allergens. However, the preparation of a traditional calibration curve (MSCC) is labor-intensive and error-prone. Here, a sensitive and robust LC-MS/MS method for quantifying 10 major food allergens was developed and validated, where the one-sample multipoint external calibration curve (OSCC) was employed instead of MSCC. By employing the multiple isotopologue reaction monitoring (MIRM) technique with only one spiked level in the blank, OSCC can be effectively established. Results demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits excellent performance in selectivity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision, comparable to that of the traditional MSCC. Additionally, this strategy allows for isotope sample dilution by monitoring the less abundant MIRM channel. Moreover, the developed method was successfully applied to investigate the contamination of 10 food allergens in commercial food products. With its high throughput and robustness, the MIRM-OSCC-LC-MS/MS methodology has many potential applications, especially in the MS-based protein quantification analysis.

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a hepatotoxic metabolite that naturally occurs during some cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic waterbodies, and irrigation of edible plants with MC-LR-contaminated water causes bioaccumulation of the toxin. However, sufficient information about accumulation and depuration mechanics in hydroculture-grown herb plants is still lacking. This work aimed at 1) investigating bioaccumulation and depuration of MC-LR in basil, 2) verifying the possible MC-LR detoxification mechanisms in the plant, and 3) detecting the natural occurrence of MC-LR in basil (n = 50) collected from the Belgian market. Basil plants grown in a hydroculture were exposed to MC-LR (5, 20, and 50 μg L⁻¹) spiked in a Hoagland solution for seven days. MC-LR depuration was also studied by transferring the plants to a non-contaminated Hoagland solution after exposure to MC-LR for another seven days. MC-LR concentrations in Hoagland solution, basil leaves, and roots were quantified using a validated UHPLC–MS/MS method. In addition, ELISA and LC–HRMS (only basil leaves) were used for confirmation. The results showed an increase in the accumulated levels of MC-LR at higher exposure doses, with higher MC-LR levels in roots than in leaves for all the treatment conditions. For MC-LR depuration, significant reductions were observed in all the treatment conditions for roots only. No MC-LR conjugates, potentially related to metabolism, were detected by LC–HRMS. Finally, MC-LR was detected in one store-bought basil sample, representing the first occurrence of cyanotoxins in an edible crop from Belgium.

The pseudobranch is a gill-like structure that exhibits great variations in structure and function among fish species, and therefore, it has remained a topic of investigation for a long time. This study was conducted on adult Molly fish (Poecilia sphenops) to investigate the potential functions of their pseudobranch using histological, histochemical, immunohistochemical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The pseudobranch of Molly fish was of embedded type. It comprised many rows of parallel lamellae that were fused completely throughout their length by a thin connective tissue. These lamellae consisted of a central blood capillary, surrounded by large secretory pseudobranch cells (PSCs). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed the expression of PSCs for CD3, CD45, iNOS-2, and NF-κB, confirming their role in immunity. Furthermore, T-lymphocytes-positive CD3, leucocytes-positive CD45, and dendritic …

The adrenal gland is a vital endocrine gland that secretes many important hormones
in everyday bird life. The adrenal gland of the Japanese quail is grossly located ventromedially
the corresponding kidney and has a creamy to yellow color. The quail
gland is surrounded by a capsule and contains some ganglionic cells, and the capsule
is characterized by the presence of chromaffin cells. The adrenal gland is subdivided
into three concentric zones: subcapsular, peripheral, and central. The parenchyma
consists of interrenal tissue, chromaffin islets, and blood sinusoids. The interrenal
cells contain lipid droplets, are arranged in cords, and rest on the basement membrane.
Chromaffin cells are categorized as two types: epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine
(NE) cells. These cells contain the granules, and are characterized by the
presence of lipid droplets. In this study, the interrenal tissue was found to have a
higher proportion of chromaffin cells in quail as compared with other birds, which is
attributed to the fact that the Japanese quail is a migratory bird. Therefore, the present
investigation aims to provide a detailed study on the adrenal gland in the Japanese
quail to help physiologists understand the gland's function and the pathologist
to determine the implications for the differential diagnosis of adrenal gland tumors.