Lactic acid bacteria as probiotics are intensively used in human and animal species. These probiotic properties of LABs were variable according to bacterial strain and species. However, there was limited information on probiotic properties of monkey origin LABs. In this study, we investigated the antibacterial activity of monkey and human origin LABs against monkey origin enteric bacteria by the agar disc diffusion test and broth culture inhibition assay. All LABs represented enough tolerance to pepsin (0.3%) and bile acid (pH = 2). To 50% of Clostridium perfringens and 20% of Escherichia coli, monkey origin LABs showed statistically higher antibacterial activity compared to human origin LABs (p < 0.05). Also, distinct antibacterial activity was verified among some bacteria species and strains. Higher antibacterial activity against enteric bacteria except for C. perfringens was verified in Lactobacillus johnsonii strains compared to Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus salivarius. Statistically different antibacterial activity against C. perfringens was verified among strains within L. reuteri and L. johnsonii. In conclusion, we prove the higher probiotic properties of monkey origin LABs against homogenous enteric bacteria although humans and monkeys were phylogenetically similar species. For non-human primates, homogenous LABs should be used as probiotics, not human origin LABs. Furthermore, it was confirmed among monkey origin LABs, L. johnsonii showed a high antibacterial activity on various enteric pathogenic bacteria and was an appropriate lactic acid strain for inhibiting C. perfringens.

Naturally occurring left ventricular hyperplasia is a rare but lethal disease. There are very few reports of this cardiac disease in captive nonhuman primates. In a colony of Macaca mulatta (Rhesus monkey) at California National Primate Research Center, a large number of rhesus macaques were diagnosed by autopsy with naturally occurring left ventricular hypertrophy without obvious underlying diseases over a 22-year period. The confirmatory diagnosis of ventricular hypertrophy was based on findings of notable left ventricular concentric hypertrophy with reduced left ventricular lumen, which is very similar to human ventricular hypertrophy cases. This report discusses an 11-year-old Macaca fascicularis monkey (Cynomolgus monkey, crab-eating macaque), weighing 2.95 kg, that was presented for enrollment in a pharmacokinetic (PK) study. During the PK experiment, the monkey died following a sudden decrease in percutaneous oxygen saturation and heart rate. Gross and histological examinations of the heart were performed. On gross pathology, the left ventricular wall was thickened, and the chamber lumen was reduced. In histopathological examination using hematoxylin- eosin and Masson-trichrome stains, fibrosis and myocyte disarray were not observed, but an increased cell density, compared to the normal heart, was confirmed. The autopsy results confirmed left ventricular hyperplasia as the major cause of death.

Fowl adenovirus serotype-4 (FAdV-4) infection, also known as hydropericardium-hepatitis syndrome (HHS), is one of the most prevalent diseases in the Korean poultry industry. Therefore, an effective vaccination against FAdV-4 should be developed for prevention of HHS infection. However, a standard animal model with significant pathologic characteristics has not been established for evaluation of HHS vaccine efficacy. In this study, we comparatively evaluated FAdV-4 pathogenicity from specific- pathogen-free (SPF) chickens using FAdV-4 strain (ADL091024) isolated in laying chickens in Korea according to chicken age, passage number and virus titers. In brief, FAdV-4 passaged four times in yolk sac of SPF eggs with the highest viral titers could induce the most severe clinical signs in 1-day-old chickens, similar to natural HHS outbreaks. Furthermore, the efficacy of a newly developed attenuated live FAdV-4 vaccine candidate was successfully determined using the established 1-day-old SPF chickens. There was no significant pathogenicity based on the criteria such as mortality, body weight, gross lesions, histological lesions and virus detection rates in the vaccination and non-challenge control groups. However, the challenge group without vaccination showed significant pathogenicity including hepatic necrosis, histological lesion scores in the liver and heart, virus replication and decreased body weight gain. In conclusion, the chicken challenge model established in this report was proposed for consistent and reliable evaluation of FAdV- 4 vaccine efficacy.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is considered the major cause of mortality in the world. Tremendous animal studies are performed to develop novel therapeutics, and this study aimed to induce porcine myocardial infarction model by using polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Coronary guidewire was placed in left anterior descending artery (LAD). The balloon angioplasty catheter was inserted at the back of the PET. The balloon catheter was carefully pushed forward, until the balloon marker was located in mid-LAD. Coronary angiography was performed pre- and post-occlusion at 28 days by C-arm. Histologic analysis of heart tissue was performed 28 days after inducing AMI. Thirty three pigs were anesthetized and underwent percutaneous coronary catheterization. All pigs were successfully embolized in mid-LAD by PET. Fifteen pigs died due to ventricular fibrillation during post-anesthetic recovery time, and overall experiment mortality was 45.5%. In 2,3,5- triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining, gross finding of the ischemic heart lesion showed firm and white area of infarction associated with the apex and left ventricular posterior wall. Infarct on H&E-stained sections demonstrated a region without myocytes and rich with cardiomyocyte with atypical nuclei. Successful induction of AMI by using PET may provide the pathophysiological information of ischemic heart disease and improvement of therapy development for AMI.

The use of non-therapeutic antibiotics as animal feed additives has raised public health concerns due to the increasing resistance of pathogens to antibiotics. It is therefore required to develop safe and effective alternative feed additives to replace non-therapeutic antibiotics. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the multiherbal compound, KIOM-C, on growth performance and immune response of growing-to-finishing pigs under farm conditions. The experimental trials were performed in a Korean commercial swine growing-to-finishing complex, and a total of 70-day-old 160 pigs were selected. Eighty pigs were treated with KIOM-C at the level of 2 kg/tonne until slaughter age (KT group), while another 80 pigs were not treated with KIOM-C (NT group). All animals were vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at 60 and 110 days of age. During the trial period, average daily weight gain (ADWG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), survival rates, and average slaughter ages were measured. The serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and IgA were also evaluated. In order to evaluate specific humoral immune responses, the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype O-specific antibody was measured. The ADWG, ADFI, and FCR of the KT group were significantly greater than those of the NT group (p<0.05). Serum concentrations of IgA in the KT group was statistically higher than the NT group. The antibody levels of the KT group against FMDV serotype O was higher than the NT group, and 86.67% of the KT group tested positive for anti-FMDV antibodies. Overall, these findings suggest that KIOM-C improves growth performance and immune response of pigs under growing-to-finishing farm conditions, and implies that the herbal compound may be used as a suitable alternative feed additive.