Survey evaluation of dog owners' feeding practices and dog bowls' hygiene assessment in domestic settings.

In-home pet food handling and food dish hygiene practices can have adverse health impacts for both humans and pets. Safe food and dish handling guidelines are not easily evidenced for pet owners. The study was designed to investigate dog owners' feeding habits and evaluate the impact of the Food and Drug Association (FDA) hygiene protocols on dog food dish contamination. Procedures and surveys were approved by North Carolina State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and Institutional Review Board. Pet feeding and food dish hygiene data were collected from 417 dog owner surveys and 68 food dish swabs. Total aerobic plate counts (APC) were performed on 68 dishes and randomly assigned into Group A (FDA pet food handling and dish hygiene guidelines), Group B (FDA pet and human food handling and dish hygiene guidelines), or Group C (no guidelines). Hygiene protocols were instituted in-home for 1 week, followed by a second APC and follow-up survey. Survey from dog owners-households indicated: 4.7% were aware of FDA pet food handling and dish hygiene guidelines; 36% have individuals ≤ 13 years old and/or immunocompromised; 43% stored dog food 0-5 feet from human food; 34% washed their hands after feeding; and 33% prepared their dog food on human food preparation surfaces. The hygiene protocols followed by Groups A and B resulted in significant decreases in food dish APC (p<0.001; 1.4; (0.9, 2.0); p<0.05; 0.604 (0.02, 1.2), respectively), as compared to Group C (p≥0.05). Hot water (>160° F or 71.1°C) washing decreased APC (p<0.01; 1.5 (0.4, 2.6)) over cold/lukewarm water. In the follow-up survey, 8% of Group A and B respondents reported likely to adhere to protocols long-term. This study suggests a need for pet food handling and dish hygiene guideline education to minimize bacterial contamination of dishes, especially for high-risk populations.

Maternal Dietary Choline Status Influences Brain Gray and White Matter Development in Young Pigs.

BACKGROUND: Choline is an essential nutrient that is pivotal to proper brain development. Research in animal models suggests that perinatal choline deficiency influences neuron development in the hippocampus and cortex, yet these observations require invasive techniques. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the effects of perinatal choline deficiency on gray and white matter development with the use of noninvasive neuroimaging techniques in young pigs. METHODS: During the last 64 d of the 114-d gestation period Yorkshire sows were provided with a choline-sufficient (CS) or choline-deficient (CD) diet, analyzed to contain 1214 mg or 483 mg total choline/kg diet, respectively. Upon farrowing, pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) were allowed colostrum consumption for ≤48 h, were further stratified into postnatal treatment groups, and were provided either CS or CD milk replacers, analyzed to contain 1591 or 518 mg total choline/kg diet, respectively, for 28 d. At 30 d of age, pigs were subjected to MRI procedures to assess brain development. Gray and white matter development was assessed through voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) to assess the effects of prenatal and postnatal dietary choline status. RESULTS: VBM analysis indicated that prenatally CS pigs exhibited increased (P < 0.01) gray matter in the left and right cortex compared with prenatally CD pigs. Analysis of white matter indicated that prenatally CS pigs exhibited increased (P < 0.01) white matter in the internal capsule, putamen-globus pallidus, and right cortex compared with prenatally CD pigs. No postnatal effects (P > 0.05) of choline status were noted for VBM analyses of gray and white matter. TBSS also showed no significant effects (P > 0.05) of prenatal or postnatal choline status for diffusion values along white matter tracts. CONCLUSIONS: Observations from this study suggest that prenatal choline deficiency results in altered cortical gray matter and reduced white matter in the internal capsule and putamen of young pigs. With the use of noninvasive neuroimaging techniques, results from our study indicate that prenatal choline deficiency greatly alters gray and white matter development in pigs, thereby providing a translational assessment that may be used in clinical populations.

Perinatal Dietary Choline Deficiency in Sows Influences Concentrations of Choline Metabolites, Fatty Acids, and Amino Acids in Milk throughout Lactation.

BACKGROUND: Choline is essential for synthesis of phospholipids, neurodevelopment, and DNA methylation. It is unknown whether dietary perinatal choline deficiency affects maternal milk composition. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether perinatal maternal dietary choline deficiency influences porcine-milk composition. METHODS: Yorkshire sows were fed choline-deficient (CD) or choline-sufficient (CS) gestation diets [544 or 1887 mg choline/kg dry matter (DM), respectively] from 65 d before to 48 h after parturition and then fed lactation diets (517 or 1591 mg choline/kg DM, respectively) through day 19 of lactation. Milk was collected from 7 sows fed each diet at days 0 (colostrum), 7-9 (mature milk), and 17-19 (preweaning) of lactation. Sow plasma was collected 65 d before and 19 d after parturition. Milk was analyzed for choline metabolite, fatty acid (FA), and amino acid composition. All outcomes were analyzed to assess main and interactive effects of choline intake and time. RESULTS: Plasma choline metabolites did not differ before treatment, but free choline, betaine, and dimethylglycine concentrations were lower in CD-fed than in CS-fed sows at day 19 of lactation (interaction; P < 0.05). Milk betaine concentrations responded similarly, with no differences due to choline intake at day 0 of lactation, but lower concentrations in CD-fed than in CS-fed sows at day 18 of lactation (interaction; P < 0.001). Certain milk long-chain FAs also exhibited no differences at day 0 of lactation but higher concentrations in CD-fed than in CS-fed sows at day 18 of lactation (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that, in pigs, dietary choline deficiency induces alterations in plasma choline metabolites that are evident at the end of lactation. Betaine and select FAs in milk are sensitive to maternal dietary choline deficiency and day of lactation. Alterations in concentrations of these nutrients may affect early-life neonatal development.

Porcine Milk Oligosaccharides and Sialic Acid Concentrations Vary Throughout Lactation.

BACKGROUND: Milk oligosaccharides (OSs) are bioactive components known to influence neonatal development. These compounds have specific physiological functions acting as prebiotics, immune system modulators, and enhancing intestine and brain development. OBJECTIVES: The pig is a commonly used model for studying human nutrition, and there is interest in quantifying OS composition of porcine milk across lactation compared with human milk. In this study, we hypothesized that OS and sialic acid (SA) composition of porcine milk would be influenced by stage of lactation. METHODS: Up to 250 mL of milk were collected from seven sows at each of three time points: day 0 (colostrum), days 7-9 (mature), and days 17-19 (weaning). Colostrum was collected within 6 h of farrowing and 3-day intervals were used for mature and weaning milk to ensure representative sampling. Milk samples were analyzed for OS profiles by Nano-LC Chip-QTOF MS, OS concentrations via HPAEC-PAD, and SA (total and free) was assessed by enzymatic reaction fluorescence detection. RESULTS: Sixty unique OSs were identified in porcine milk. Neutral OSs were the most abundant at each lactation stage (69-81%), followed by acidic-sialylated OSs (16-29%) and neutral-fucosylated OSs (2-4%). As lactation progressed, acidic OSs decreased (P = 0.003), whereas neutral-fucosylated (P < 0.001) and neutral OSs (P = 0.003) increased throughout lactation. Six OSs were present in all samples analyzed across lactation [lacto-N-difucohexaose I (LNDFH-I), 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL), lacto-N-fucopentaose I (LNFP-I), lacto-N-neohexaose (LNnH), α1-3,ß-4-d-galactotriose (3-Hex), 3'-sialyllactose (3'-SL)], while LDFT was present only in colostrum samples. Analysis of individual OS concentrations indicated differences (P = 0.023) between days 0 and 7. Conversely, between days 7 and 18, OS concentrations remained stable with only LNnH (P < 0.001) and LNDFH-I (P = 0.002) decreasing over this period. Analysis of free SA indicated a decrease (P < 0.001) as lactation progressed, while bound (P < 0.001) and total (P < 0.001) SA increased across lactation. CONCLUSION: Concentrations of OS differ between colostrum and mature milk in the pig, and SA concentrations shift from free to bound forms as lactation progresses. Our results suggest that although porcine milk OS concentration and the number of structures is lower than human milk, the OS profile appears to be closer to human milk rather than to bovine milk, based on previously published profiles.

Perinatal choline deficiency delays brain development and alters metabolite concentrations in the young pig.

OBJECTIVES: Adequate choline supply during the perinatal period is critical for proper brain formation, when robust neurogenesis and neuronal maturation occur. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the impact of perinatal choline status on neurodevelopment. METHODS: Sows were fed a choline-deficient (CD) or choline-sufficient (CS) diet during the last half of the gestational period. At 2 days of age, piglets from sows within each prenatal treatment group were further stratified into postnatal treatment groups and provided either a CD or CS milk replacer, resulting in four treatment groups. At 30 days of age, piglets underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures to analyze structural and metabolite differences. RESULTS: Single-voxel spectroscopy (SVS) analysis revealed postnatally CS piglets had higher (P < 0.001) concentrations of glycerophosphocholine-phosphocholine than postnatally CD piglets. Volumetric analysis indicated smaller (P < 0.006) total brain volumes in prenatally CD piglets compared with prenatally CS piglets. Differences (P < 0.05) in the corpus callosum, pons, midbrain, thalamus, and right hippocampus, were observed as larger region-specific volumes proportional to total brain size in prenatally CD piglets compared with CS piglets. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) suggested interactions (P < 0.05) between prenatal and postnatal choline status in fractional anisotropy values of the thalamus and right hippocampus. Prenatally CS piglets had lower cerebellar radial diffusivity (P = 0.045) compared with prenatally CD piglets. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates that prenatal choline deficiency has profound effects by delaying neurodevelopment as evidenced by structural and metabolic MRI assessments.

Moderate Perinatal Choline Deficiency Elicits Altered Physiology and Metabolomic Profiles in the Piglet.

Few studies have evaluated the impact of dietary choline on the health and well-being of swine, and those pivotal papers were aimed at determining dietary requirements for sows and growing pigs. This is of importance as the piglet is becoming a widely accepted model for human infant nutrition, but little is known about the impacts of perinatal choline status on overall health and metabolism of the growing piglet. In the present study, sows were provided either a choline deficient (CD, 625 mg choline/kg dry matter) or choline sufficient (CS, 1306 mg choline/kg dry matter) diet for the last 65 d of gestation (prenatal intervention). Piglets were weaned from the sow 48 h after farrowing and provided either a CD (477 mg choline/kg dry matter) or CS (1528 mg choline/kg dry matter) milk replacer (postnatal intervention) for 29 ± 2 d, resulting in a factorial arrangement of 4 treatment (prenatal/postnatal) groups: CS/CS, CS/CD, CD/CS, and CD/CD. Piglet growth was normal for artificially-reared piglets, and was not impacted by perinatal choline status. Piglets receiving the postnatal CD treatment had lower (P < 0.01) plasma choline and choline-containing phospholipid concentrations and higher (P < 0.05) liver enzyme (alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase) values compared with piglets receiving the postnatal CS treatment. Hepatic lipid content of piglets receiving the postnatal CD treatment was higher (P < 0.01) compared with piglets receiving the postnatal CS treatment. Additionally, postnatally CD piglets had lower (P = 0.01) plasma cholesterol than postnatally CS piglets. Brain development was also impacted by perinatal choline status, with brains of piglets exposed to prenatal CD being smaller (P = 0.01) than those of prenatally CS piglets. These findings support the hypothesis that the piglet is a sensitive model for choline deficiency during the perinatal period. In the present study, piglets exhibited similarities in health markers and metabolomic profiles to rodents and humans when exposed to moderate choline deficiency.