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The skin mucosal barrier of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) is weakened by exposure to potential aquaculture production related stressors
Get PDFVarious cleaner fish species, such as the lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.), are used in the sea cage production of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) as a control measure against the ectoparasitic salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis). However, during severe lice infestation, alternative treatments are required to control parasitic burden. The aim of this study was to gain insight into how lumpfish skin responds to different chemicals used to treat parasites. We collected skin from lumpfish from both research facilities (tank reared fish) and commercial production (cage reared fish), and used operational welfare indicators (OWIs), in vitro models, histology and transcriptomics to study how the skin responded to two anti-parasitic oxidative chemicals, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and peracetic acid (PAA). Lumpfish sampled from the farm were classified as clinically healthy or weak according to their morbidity status, and fish from each category were used to gain insight into how the therapeutics affect the skin barrier. Differences between healthy and weakened (moribund) fish, and between treated fish from each of the two groups, were observed. Histological examination showed an overall reduced skin quality in fish characterized as moribund, including different grades of exposed bony plates. In vitro oxidant-treated lumpfish skin had reduced migration capacity of keratocytes, a weakened epidermal barrier and altered gene transcription, changes that are known predisposing factors to secondary infections. Skin from non-treated, healthy fish sampled from commercial farms exhibited similar features and attributes to oxidant-exposed tank reared fish from a research facility, suggesting that apparently healthy cage-held lumpfish exhibited stress responses in the epidermal barrier. The results of the study outline the risks and consequences lumpfish can face if accidentally subjected to potential anti-parasitic oxidant treatments aimed at Atlantic salmon. It also strengthens the evidence behind the requirement that lumpfish should be removed from the cages before being potentially exposed to this type of treatment and outlines the potential risks of differing husbandry practices upon lumpfish health, welfare and resilience.The skin mucosal barrier of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) is weakened by exposure to potential aquaculture production related stressorspublishedVersio
Effect of the Application of Ultrasound to Homogenize Milk and the Subsequent Pasteurization by Pulsed Electric Field, High Hydrostatic Pressure, and Microwaves
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Mapping the Kitchen Microbiota in Five European Countries Reveals a Set of Core Bacteria across Countries, Kitchen Surfaces, and Cleaning Utensils
Get PDFThe residential kitchen is often heavily colonized by microbes originating from different sources, including food and human contact. Although a few studies have reported the bacterial composition in cleaning utensils and surface samples there is limited knowledge of the bacterial diversity across different sample types, households, and countries. As part of a large European study, we have identified the microbiota of 302 samples from cleaning utensils (sponges and cloths), kitchen surfaces (sinks, cutting boards, countertops, tap handles, and a pooled sample of other handles) in 74 households across 5 countries (France, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, and Romania). In total, 31 bacterial phyla were identified, with Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteria being the most abundant. Despite large variations in households with respect to kitchen standards, kitchen practices, cleaning regimes, and diet and considerable differences in bacterial diversity between samples, eight bacterial genera/families commonly associated with environmental sources were identified in most samples and defined as a core microbiota: Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Enhydrobacter, Enterobacteriaceae, Psychrobacter, Chryseobacterium, Bacillus, and Staphylococcus. These genera/families were also among the bacteria with the highest relative abundance across all samples, in addition to Yersiniaceae, Kocuria, Pantoea, and Streptococcus. Taxa associated with potential pathogens and fecal indicators were low in abundance but broadly distributed throughout the households. The microbial composition of surface samples indicated that the microbial composition on kitchen surfaces is more characteristic for the particular country than the object type, while the microbiota of cleaning utensils was similar across countries but differed between types (sponge or cloth).publishedVersio
Polychaete (Alitta virens) meal inclusion as a dietary strategy for modulating gut microbiota of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)
Get PDFRecent research has revealed the significant impact of novel feed ingredients on fish gut microbiota, affecting both the immune status and digestive performance. As a result, analyzing the microbiota modulatory capabilities may be a useful method for assessing the potential functionality of novel ingredients. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary polychaete meal (PM) from Alitta virens on the autochthonous and allochthonous gut microbiota of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Two diets were compared: a control diet with 25% fishmeal (FM) and a diet replacing 40% of fishmeal with PM, in a 13-week feeding trial with juvenile fish (initial weight of 14.5 ± 1.0 g). The feed, digesta, and mucosa-associated microbial communities in fish intestines were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene on the Illumina MiSeq platform. The results of feed microbiota analyses showed that the PM10 feed exhibited a higher microbial diversity than the FM diet. However, these feed-associated microbiota differences were not mirrored in the composition of digesta and mucosal communities. Regardless of the diet, the digesta samples consistently exhibited higher species richness and diversity than the mucosa samples. Overall, digesta samples were characterized by a higher abundance of Firmicutes in PM-fed fish. In contrast, at the gut mucosa level, the relative abundances of Mycobacterium, Taeseokella and Clostridium genera were lower in the group fed the PM10 diet. Significant differences in metabolic pathways were also observed between the FM and PM10 groups in both mucosa and digesta samples. In particular, the mucosal pathways of caffeine metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and sulfur relay system were significantly altered by PM inclusion. The same trend was observed in the digesta valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation and secretion pathways. These findings highlight the potential of PM as an alternative functional ingredient in aquafeeds with microbiota modulatory properties that should be further explored in the future.publishedVersio
A scoping review of personalized user experiences on social media: The interplay between algorithms and human factors
Get PDFNo social media user sees the same feed. These platforms are personalized to the individual with the aid of algorithms that filter and prioritize content based on users' demographic profiles and personal data. On the one hand, this personalization aids the user by making the service more relevant, for instance by curating information of interest. On the other hand, personalization introduces potential risks associated with privacy concerns, lack of autonomy and control, as well as limited diversity of information. This scoping review presents an overview of the current state of knowledge of social media personalization from different research domains, providing insight on social media users’ algorithmic awareness, their customization habits, their interactions with curated content, and the debate on how algorithms may create closed information outlets. It also provides a condensed overview of the different terminology used across domains, in the form of a glossary.A scoping review of personalized user experiences on social media: The interplay between algorithms and human factorspublishedVersio
Moving beyond agriculture and aquaculture to integrated sustainable food systems as part of a circular economy
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Assessment of ATP-Bioluminescence and Dipslide Sampling to Determine the Efficacy of Slaughterhouse Cleaning and Disinfection Compared with Total Aerobic and Enterobacterales Counts
Get PDFInadequate cleaning and disinfection (C&D) in slaughterhouses can cause bacterial contamination of meat, resulting in foodborne disease and reduced meat quality. Different methods for monitoring the efficacy of C&D procedures are available, but few studies have assessed their reliability. This study examined C&D efficacy in slaughterhouses and evaluated the diagnostic performance of methods for measuring surface hygiene. One red meat and one poultry slaughterhouse in Sweden were each visited on six occasions before and six occasions after C&D. Sampling points were sampled with: swabbing and plating for total aerobic bacteria (TAB) and Enterobacterales (EB); dipslides for total viable count; and ATP-bioluminescence tests. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the dipslide and ATP-bioluminescence methods, the results were compared with (TAB) as a reference. In total, 626 samples were collected. For the majority of samples, TAB was lower after than before C&D and EB were mainly detected before C&D, indicating C&D efficacy. Greater reductions in mean TAB were observed in processing areas (2.2 and 2.8 log CFU/100 cm2 in red meat and poultry slaughterhouse, respectively) than in slaughter areas (1.3 log CFU/100 cm2 in both slaughterhouses). Approximately half of all samples were assessed as non acceptably clean (52% for red meat and 46% for poultry slaughterhouse) according to previously published thresholds. Critical food contact surfaces that were insufficiently cleaned and disinfected were plucking fingers, shackles, and a post-dehairing table. Cleaning and disinfection of drains and floors were inadequate. The ATP-bioluminescence method showed low specificity compared with the reference (TAB) in both the red meat (0.30) and poultry slaughterhouses (0.64). The sensitivity of dipslides was low (0.26) in the red meat slaughterhouse compared with TAB. A combination of ATP-bioluminescence and dipslides could provide more accurate estimates of C&D efficacy.publishedVersio
Understanding the organisational structure of fisheries crime in well-regulated fisheries
Get PDFIllegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is recognised as a global environmental, economic, and social problem, taking place in all kinds of fisheries. Preventing it is however difficult and there is a continuous need to expand the knowledge base on how the issue can be addressed. In this article we study fisheries crime from an environmental criminology approach by conducting a crime script analyses to describe the organisational structure of unreported fishing in a well-regulated fishery. The approach gives detailed insights into the different steps in the crime commission process in the Norwegian coastal cod fisheries. The crime script technique is expanded to also include an analysis of the regulatory framework designed to prevent illegal fishing activities. The main MCS mechanisms to prevent illegalities are present but the diversity in the industry makes the implementation of universal prevention mechanisms difficult. The analysis highlights the fisher-buyer dialogue and interactions prior to misreporting as a core aspect to the organisation of the violations, and difficult to regulate. When linking regulations and guardianship to different steps of the crime we discuss the identified vulnerabilities in the resource control system and present some possible intervention points and prevention mechanisms to be considered by policymakers.publishedVersio