Tiberiu Iancu

The in vitro and ex vivo effect of Auranta 3001 in preventing Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum infection

BackgroundCryptosporidium is a major cause of diarrhea worldwide in both humans and farm animals with no completely effective treatment available at present. In this study, we assessed the inhibitory effect of different concentrations of Auranta 3001 (0.1, 0.5 and 1%), a novel natural feed supplement, on C. hominis and C. parvum invasion of human ileocecal adenocarcinoma (HCT-8), bovine primary cells and C. parvum invasion of HCT-8, bovine primary cells and bovine intestinal biopsies. The effect of the feed supplement on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-8 and INF-γ, the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, the expression of CpSUB1 protease gene during infection was also assessed by quantitative PCR (q-PCR). Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) was employed to measure the integrity of tight junction dynamics of the culture models.ResultsPre-treatment of intestinal cells or oocysts with the Auranta 3001 significantly reduced the invasiveness of C. hominis and C. parvum against HCT-8 and bovine primary cells in a dose dependent manner. The most pronounced reduction in the invasiveness of both parasites was observed when Auranta 3001 was present during infection. Levels of IL-8 were significantly reduced in both HCT-8 and bovine primary cells, while the levels of INF-γ and IL-10 showed opposite trends in the two cell lines during infection in the presence of Auranta 3001. CpSUB1 gene protease expression, which mediates infection, was significantly reduced suggesting that this enzyme is a possible target of Auranta 3001.ConclusionsAlthough, C. hominis and C. parvum use different invasion mechanisms to infect cells, the novel feed additive can significantly attenuate the entry of Cryptosporidium in HCT-8 cells, primary bovine cells and bovine intestinal biopsies and thus provide an alternative method to control cryptosporidiosis.

The antimicrobial effect of a commercial mixture of natural antimicrobials against Escherichia coli O157:H7

Ruminants are important reservoirs of E. coli O157:H7 and are considered as the major source of most foodborne outbreaks (e.g., 2017 outbreak in Germany, 2014 and 2016 outbreaks in United States, all linked to beef products). A promising strategy to reduce E. coli O157 is using antimicrobials to reduce the pathogen levels and/or virulence within the animal gastrointestinal tract and thus foodborne disease. The aim of the study was to determine the efficacy of a commercial mixture of natural antimicrobials against E. coli O157. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of the antimicrobial were quantitatively determined and found to be 0.5% and 0.75% (v/v) of the natural antimicrobial, respectively. Microbial growth kinetics was also used to determine the effect of the antimicrobial on the pathogen. The natural antimicrobial affected the cell membrane of E. coli O157, as demonstrated by the increase in relative electric conductivity and increase in protein and nucleic acid release. The antimicrobial was also able to significantly reduce the concentration on E. coli O157 in a model rumen system. Biofilm assays showed that subinhibitory concentrations of the antimicrobial significantly reduced the E. coli 0157 biofilm forming capacity without influencing pathogen growth. In addition, the natural antimicrobial was able to reduce motility and exopolysaccharide production. Subinhibitory concentrations of the antimicrobial had no effect on AI-2 production. These findings suggest that the natural antimicrobial exerts an antimicrobial effect against E. coli O157 in vitro and in a model rumen system and could be potentially used to control this pathogen in the animal gut. The results also indicate that subinhibitory concentrations of the antimicrobial effectively reduce biofilm formation, motility, and exopolysaccharide production.

Research Regarding Food Security in Georgia – Dynamics of Livestock, Animal Productions and Self-Sufficiency

Abstract Georgia, the country at the intersection of Europe and Asia, is an important actor on agricultural market, both from Europe and from Asia. The climate of Georgia makes it ideal for growing cereals for animal productions. This climate and the high quality of soil have made the agriculture one of the most important Georgian sectors. The mixed team of researchers from Georgia and Romania has analysed the dynamics of livestock and animal productions in Georgia in order to highlight their future trends and the level of food security in that country.

GROWTH SCENARIOS OF ORGANIC AREA IN ROMANIA UNTIL 2025

Organic farming uses management practices that would avoid the use of chemical inputs and minimizes damage to the environment and wildlife. Thus we are brought significant restrictions on synthetic chemicals used in obtaining food products. The method involves different practices aimed at protecting the environment, maintaining and enhancing soil fertility, obtaining unpolluted and high quality agricultural products, and at last, promoting sustainable agricultural development. Romania has a great opportunity for organic farming as a result of natural conditions. However, Romania is located behind other EU or world countries. The present study shows the empirically based growth rate, of organic agriculture needed by Romania to reach in year 2025 the level of other countries. For comparison and calculations were considered France (one of the major players in the market of organic products) and Lithuania (that also has a well-developed organic agriculture). The results show that the current growth is not enough to overcome the first half of the top EU countries and requires an acceleration of this process of transformation into organic. Keywords: organic agriculture, growth scenarios, Romania, forecast. Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2015.091

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ROMANIAN AND THE MAIN EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES’ NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEMS

In the European Union, forests and other wooded areas cover a total of 177.8 million hectares, which represents approximately 40% of the EU total area and an area similar to that used for agricultural purposes (183.9 million hectares). Germany, Spain, France, Finland and Sweden make up over three-fifths of the area covered by forests in the EU. Our paper shows the distribution of forested areas in the EU and their importance in comparison with the agricultural area of each Member State. In 2014, the EU represents about 12 % of global timber volume harvested timber from forests and woodlands on its surfaces rising to 392.9 million m 3 . Forestry, logging and related services covering timber production and extraction and harvesting of forest products that grow in the wild. In addition to industrial round wood, forests produce firewood, too. In some regions, non-timber forest products are also an important source of local income. In the research approach, we considered necessary and appropriate to perform a comparative analysis of the situation of Romanian forest similar to that of the main European Union countries, to identify measures that some of them have tried, and even managed to increase a rational exploitation of afforested areas forest resources. The results conducted to a comparative analysis of the National Forest and the main EU countries’ Systems, to identify possible starting points for grounding new sustainable development strategies, given their similar experience. Key words: economical, forest, management, exploitations, public and private property. Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2015.039

Marketing Management: Promoting Foodstuffs

Designing a proper marketing mix implies having an accurate idea about the market you are trying to conquer or to maintain. Therefore, appealing to the most widespread and accessed media to promote your products is the best way to reach your goals in marketing. A TV guide seems to be one of these media. Surprisingly, the study of such a medium shows that it is not always the case at least as far as foodstuff products are concerned.