UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Development of a Multilocus Sequence Typing Scheme for Avibacterium paragallinarum(2023) Harris, Alyssa Meihua; Ghanem, Mostafa; Veterinary Medical Science; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Avibacterium paragallinarum (A. paragallinarum), the causative agent of the respiratory disease Infectious Coryza (IC) in chickens, has seen a rising incidence in the United States. Current strain differentiation is inadequate for detailed epidemiological analysis. The objective of this study was to develop a Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for A. paragallinarum for outbreak investigations and to offer a better tool for strain differentiation. By evaluating whole genome sequences and clinical samples, we designed PCR amplicons for eighteen gene segments, selected six genes for their nucleotide diversity and discrimination potential. The MLST was used to differentiate seventy-five samples. Our MLST showed greater discriminatory power than existing HPG2-based methods, aligning closely with adhoc core genome MLST in 75 tested sample. Our newly developed MLST scheme enables more accurate strain differentiation, allowing for better understanding of A. paragallinarum epidemiology and population structure to help prevention and control efforts worldwide.Item The Effects of Tryptophan and Probiotic Treatment on Behavior and Production Parameters of Laying Hens(2021) Bonilla Carrero, Paola Ivette; Dennis, Rachel L; Animal Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Dietary supplementation can impact behavior expression through microorganism’s activity in the gut microbiome and influence productivity in animal husbandry. Adding supplements to production animals’ diet can impact behaviors and productivity via gut-brain axis activity. We investigated the effects of either probiotic or antibiotic supplementation in addition to the effects of additional tryptophan (Trp) on overall behavior and production parameters. White Leghorn chickens (n=12) were supplemented with six dietary treatments in a 2 x 3 factorial design: probiotics (1 x 109 CFU/L) or the antibiotic erythromycin (125 mg/L) in combination with either normal (0.16%) or high (0.48%) Trp in drinking water. Results indicate that probiotics with tryptophan increased locomotion (P = 0.04), social (P = 0.04), and eating behavior (P = 0.02). Antibiotics with tryptophan increased fat pad (P = 0.04) and heart weight (P = 0.04). Supplementation affected behavioral expression of normal, comfort, and pecking behavior, potentially impacted by metabolic competition at the level of the gut microbiome.Item QUANTIFICATION OF IONOPHORE ANTIMICROBIALS ASSOCIATED WITH POULTRY LITTER AND THEIR DYNAMICS IN THE SOILS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC USA(2014) Biswas, Saptashati; McGrath, Joshua M; Sapkota, Amir; Environmental Science and Technology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Anticoccidants, biochemically known as ionophores are added to poultry feed for growth promotion, prophylactic and therapeutic purposes to better sorb nutrients and against coccidiosis caused by parasite Eimeria sp. Ionophores belong to the class of emerging contaminants, as they are not regularly monitored in the environment and not specifically treated in the effluents. Potentially, this can cause ionophores to enter into the environment freely. There is little information regarding the dynamics of ionophores in the environment. This has been related to the lack of reliable, sensitive and robust methods that can measure their trace levels from complex environmental matrices like soil, natural water and animal manure. Studies show ionophore toxicity exhibited in flora and fauna, even reported in humans above the dose of 1 mg kg-1. Hence accumulation of ionophores in the environmental can be detrimental. Our multi-scale investigation of ionophores involved, a) method development for trace analysis of ionophores in poultry manure using liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-–MS/MS), b) batch equilibrium studies of ionophores using soils from mid-Atlantic region of the USA and c) influence of soil physico-chemical parameters on dynamics of ionophores in soil-water systems. Our HPLC-–MS/MS method was successful in quantifying ionophores ranging from (19.19 ±± 6.6) µg kg-1 to (97.86 ±± 19.19) µg kg-1 with concentrations of monensin being the highest. This method was further used to investigate partitioning of monensin in soil-ndash;water systems relevant to the occurrence of ionophores in the natural environment. Sorption and desorption isotherms were developed and influence of soil physico-chemical parameters on the sorption-desorption processes were analyzed. C-–type linear isotherms were generated with partition coefficients ranging from (6.41±± 1.34) to (343.83 ±± 5.68) LKg-1. Soil parameters such as cation exchange capacities, pH, organic matter, sand and silt content were found to correlate with sorption in different conditions. A major focus of this dissertation was to develop novel methodologies and design experiments to execute our research objectives.