水产动物益生菌及其对肠道菌群影响的研究进展

随着水产动物肠道微生态学的发展,人们已逐步意识到益生菌对水产动物肠道发挥的重要作用,益生菌可通过调节肠道菌群平衡、改善肠道菌群组成等提高水产动物的免疫功能。本文综述了水产动物益生菌及其对肠道菌群的影响。     

Oxidants and antioxidants in disease: oxidative stress in farm animals

Important infectious diseases in farm animals, such as pneumonia and enteritis, are thought to be associated with the so-called oxidative stress, i.e. a chemical phenomenon involving an imbalance in the redox status of the individual animal. The specifics of oxidative stress and how it may result in disease or be prevented are complex questions with no simple answers. However, the considerable literature on the subject suggests that many researchers consider oxidative stress-related mechanisms to be important early events in disease development. A particularly intriguing aspect is that, at least theoretically, oxidative stress should be easily prevented with antioxidants yet the use of antioxidants as therapy remains controversial. The present knowledge on oxidative stress in farm animals is the topic of this review.     

Design standards for experimental and field studies to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of tests for infectious diseases in aquatic animals

Design and reporting quality of diagnostic accuracy studies (DAS) are important metrics for assessing utility of tests used in animal and human health. Following standards for designing DAS will assist in appropriate test selection for specific testing purposes and minimize the risk of reporting biased sensitivity and specificity estimates. To examine the benefits of recommending standards, design information from published DAS literature was assessed for 10 finfish, seven mollusc, nine crustacean and two amphibian diseases listed in the 2017 OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals. Of the 56 DAS identified, 41 were based on field testing, eight on experimental challenge studies and seven on both. Also, we adapted human and terrestrial‐animal standards and guidelines for DAS structure for use in aquatic animal diagnostic research. Through this process, we identified and addressed important metrics for consideration at the design phase: study purpose, targeted disease state, selection of appropriate samples and specimens, laboratory analytical methods, statistical methods and data interpretation. These recommended design standards for DAS are presented as a checklist including risk‐of‐failure points and actions to mitigate bias at each critical step. Adherence to standards when designing DAS will also facilitate future systematic review and meta‐analyses of DAS research literature.     

海洋SOD抗疲劳作用动物实验方法初探

超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)具有防止细胞过度氧化的生理功能,从海洋生物中提取的SOD,可用于清除运动产生的自由基,起到抗疲劳作用.本文探讨了SOD抗疲劳作用的动物实验方法,为验证SOD抗疲劳效果建立技术平台.     

组合式分娩栏对母猪活动和躺卧的影响

为了研究不同型式分娩哺育栏对母猪行为的影响,该试验设计了组合式分娩哺育栏,并进行了饲养试验,同时与普通矩形分娩哺育栏进行了比较。分别记录母猪在哺乳期的采食量以及仔猪的日增质量。在母猪哺乳期的第9、11、14、18天,采用监控设备对8头母猪的行为进行了录像。试验结果表明：组合式和矩形分娩哺育栏内母猪的站立时间分别占各种行为发生时间的22.74%和6.73%,坐立时间分别占2.22%和7.72%,躺卧行为分别占72.50%和84.55%,组合式分娩哺育栏内母猪走动时间占1.13%,矩形分娩哺乳栏内母猪不发生走动行为。组合式分娩哺育栏组母猪的姿势转换次数高于矩形分娩哺育栏组,每天平均数分别为99次和53次。组合式分娩哺育栏组和矩形分娩哺育栏组每头母猪的采食量分别为5.92 kg/d和5.24 kg/d,仔猪日增质量分别为229.93 g/d和224.85 g/d。组合式分娩哺育栏增加了母猪的活动空间,减少了对母猪身体的限制,母猪可以自由的表达各种行为,母猪的活动量增加,提高了母猪的福利状况,母猪的采食量和仔猪的日增质量因此而得到提高,提高了母猪的生产性能。     

Modeling genetic differences of combined broiler chicken populations in single-step GBLUP

The introduction of animals from a different environment or population is a common practice in commercial livestock populations. In this study, we modeled the inclusion of a group of external birds into a local broiler chicken population for the purpose of genomic evaluations. The pedigree was composed of 242,413 birds and genotypes were available for 107,216 birds. A five-trait model that included one growth, two yield, and two efficiency traits was used for the analyses. The strategies to model the introduction of external birds were to include a fixed effect representing the origin of parents and to use unknown parent groups (UPG) or metafounders (MF). Genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) were obtained with single-step GBLUP using the Algorithm for Proven and Young. Bias, dispersion, and accuracy of GEBV for the validation birds, that is, from the most recent generation, were computed. The bias and dispersion were estimated with the linear regression (LR) method,whereas accuracy was estimated by the LR method and predictive ability. When fixed UPG were fit without estimated inbreeding, the model did not converge. In contrast, models with fixed UPG and estimated inbreeding or random UPG converged and resulted in similar GEBV. The inclusion of an extra fixed effect in the model made the GEBV unbiased and reduced the inflation. Genomic predictions with MF were slightly biased and inflated due to the unbalanced number of observations assigned to each metafounder. When combining local and external populations, the greatest accuracy can be obtained by adding an extra fixed effect to account for the origin of parents plus UPG with estimated inbreeding or random UPG. To estimate the accuracy, the LR method is more consistent among scenarios, whereas the predictive ability greatly depends on the model specification.     

Infection, immunity and the neuroendocrine response

The Central Nervous (CNS) and Immune Systems (IS) are the two major adaptive systems which respond rapidly to numerous challenges that are able to compromise health. The defensive response strictly linking innate to acquired immunity, works continuously to limit pathogen invasion and damage. The efficiency of the innate response is crucial for survival and for an optimum priming of acquired immunity. During infection, the immune response is modulated by an integrated neuro-immune network which potentiates innate immunity, controls potential harmful effects and also addresses metabolic and nutritional modifications supporting immune function. In the last decade much knowledge has been gained on the molecular signals that orchestrate this integrated adaptive response, with focus on the systemic mediators which have a crucial role in driving and controlling an efficient protective response. These mediators are also able to signal alterations and control pathway dysfunctions which may be involved in the persistence and/or overexpression of inflammation that may lead to tissue damage and to a negative metabolic impact, causing retarded growth.This review aims to describe some important signalling pathways which drive bidirectional communication between the Immune and Nervous Systems during infection. Particular emphasis is placed on pro-inflammatory cytokines, immunomodulator hormones such as Glucocorticoids (GCs), Growth hormone (GH), Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), and Leptin, as well as nutritional factors such as Zinc (Zn).Finally, the review includes up-to-date information on this neuroimmune cross-talk in domestic animals. Data in domestic animal species are still limited, but there are several exciting areas of research, like the potential interaction pathways between mediators (i.e. cytokine-HPA regulation, IL-6-GCS-Zn, cytokines-GH/IGF-1, IL-6-GH-Leptin and thymus activity) that are or could be promising topics of future research in veterinary medicine.