BackgroundProbiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host, are now accepted as suitable alternatives to antibiotics in the control of animal infections and improving animal production. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with remarkable functional properties have been evaluated in different studies as possible probiotic candidates. The purpose of this study was to isolate, characterize and assess the potentials of LAB from poultry gastrointestinal tract as potential poultry probiotics.ResultsPotential LAB probiotics were isolated from broilers, characterized and evaluated for probiotic properties including antagonistic activity (against Escherichia coli, E. coli O157: H7, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes), survivability in simulated gastric juice, tolerance to phenol and bile salts, adhesion to ileum epithelial cells, auto and co-aggregation, hydrophobicity, α–glucosidase inhibitory activity, and antibiotic susceptibility tests. Most promising LAB strains with excellent probiotic potentials were identified by API 50 CHL and 16S rRNA sequencing as Lactobacillus reuteri I2, Pediococcus acidilactici I5, P. acidilactici I8, P. acidilactici c3, P. pentosaceus I13, and Enterococcus faecium c14. They inhibited all the pathogens tested with zones of inhibition ranging from 12.5 ± 0.71 to 20 ± 0 mm, and competitively excluded (P < 0.05) the pathogens examined while adhering to ileum epithelial cells with viable counts of 3.0 to 6.0 Log CFU/ml. The selected LAB strains also showed significant (P < 0.005) auto and co-aggregation abilities with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity ranging from 12.5 to 92.0%. The antibiotic susceptibility test showed 100.00% resistance of the LAB strains to oxacillin, with multiple antibiotic resistance indices above 0.5.ConclusionThe selected LAB strains are ideal probiotic candidates which can be applied in the field for the improvement of poultry performance and control of pathogens in poultry, hence curtailing further transmission to humans.

Raw milk contains wide microbial diversity, composed mainly of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which are used as probiotics in both human and animal husbandry. We isolated, characterized, and evaluated LAB from indigenous Bangladeshi raw milk to assess probiotic potential, including antagonistic activity (against Escherichia coli O157: H7, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Listeria monocytogenes), survivability in simulated gastric juice, tolerance to phenol and bile salts, adhesion to ileum epithelial cells, auto-and co-aggregation, hydrophobicity, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, and antibiotic susceptibility tests. The 4 most promising LAB strains showed probiotic potential and were identified as Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum (which produced plantaricin EF), Lactobacillus fermentum, and Lactobacillus paracasei. These strains inhibited all pathogens tested at various degrees, and competitively excluded pathogens with viable counts of 3.0 to 6.0 log cfu/mL. Bacteriocin, organic acids, and low-molecular-weight substances were mainly responsible for antimicrobial activity by the LAB strains. All 4 LAB strains were resistant to oxacillin and 3 were resistant to vancomycin and streptomycin, with multiple antibiotic resistance indices >0.2. After further in vivo evaluation, these LAB strains could be considered probiotic candidates with application in the food industry.

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Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis that normally affects animals, especially ruminants (such as cattle, goats, sheep, and horses) and humans. This study was planned to characterize the morphology of anthrax vaccine bacteria by using Gram’s stain, polychrome methylene blue stain, culture on nutrient agar and nutrient broth media and to determine the immunological status of this vaccine by indirect ELISA and slide agglutination test in cattle. Antibiotic sensitivity test of vaccine strain of bacteria was also done. This study provided evidence that vaccine strain of Bacillus anthracis was gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria appeared as single to short-chained bacilli with blunted ends. Serum from anthrax vaccinated cattle agglutinated anthrax antigen on Day 30 (+++ within 5 min and ++ within 7 min at 1:100 dilution of test sera) and Day 90 (+++ within 5 min at 1:100 dilution of test sera) of post immunization. Immunization of cattle with anthrax vaccine generated high level of anti-anthrax IgG antibody response at Day 30 (0.789}0.014) of post immunization and reached its peak at Day 90 (0.991}0.047). This study also provided evidence that anthrax vaccine bacteria were sensitive to penicillin, streptomycin, amoxicillin and kenamycin. It may be recommended that the anthrax vaccine currently in use in Bangladesh is proved to be effective in term of morphology of Bacillus antharis and raising anti anthrax IgG antibody response in cattle with no side effect. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v11i1.17732 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2013). 11 (1): 43-49

This study was attempted to measure and compare resource use efficiency and relative productivity of farming under different tenure conditions in an area of Bhola district. A random sampling technique was used in the study. Sample farmers were classified as owner, crop share tenant and cash tenant farmers. A total of 90 samples, 30 from each class were selected on the basis of random sampling technique. The study explored the difference in the efficiency and productivity among owner, cash tenant and crop share tenant. Total cash expenses as well as total gross costs for producing HYV Boro rice was highest in owner farms and lowest in crop share tenant's farm. When individual inputs were concerned it was observed that expenses on human labor shared a major portion of expenses in the production of HYV Boro rice where owner operators used more hired labor in compare to other groups. However, the cash tenant farmers were more efficient than owner and crop share tenant farmers. Due to poor resource base the crop share tenants were unable to invest on modern farm inputs. It may be mentioned that in Bangladesh the predominant tenancy arrangement is share cropping, which is an inefficient form of tenure arrangement in compare to cash tenancy.