Immunostimulating and growth-promoting effects of sugar cane extract (SCE) in chickens

Polymorphonuclear cells of the peripheral blood in the chicken significantly increased their phagocytosis when cultured with sugar cane extract (SCE; 250-1,000 microg/ml) for 24 hr. Chickens orally administered SCE (500 mg/kg/day) for 3 or 6 consecutive days at 1 week of age showed significantly higher body weight and gain in body weight/day and a lower food conversion ratio within the growing period of 6 weeks than physiological saline-administered control chickens. Furthermore, oral administration of SCE also resulted in significantly higher immune responses against sheep red blood cells and Brucella abortus. These results suggest that SCE has immunostimulating and growth promoting effects in chickens.     

Growth performance and immune response of two commercial broiler strains fed diets containing Lactobacillus cultures and oxytetracycline under heat stress conditions

1. Hubbard x Hubbard (HH) and Shaver x Shaver (SS) chicks given a dietary supplement of either 50 mg/kg oxytetracycline (OTC) or 1 g/kg Lactobacillus culture (LC) were exposed to 36 +/- 1 degrees C for 3 h daily from day (d) 21 to 42. 2. Prior to heat treatment, body weight (d 21) and weight gain (d 1 to d 21) of OTC and LC birds were greater than those fed the control diet. Chicks given LC had the best food efficiency followed by OTC and control birds during d 1 to d 21. Body weight (d 1 and d 21) and weight gain (d 1 to d 21) were greater for HH tlhan SS chicks. 3. After 3 weeks of heat exposure, birds receiving the LC diet had greater body weight and weight gain, higher food intake and lower food efficiency than OTC and control chicks. 4. Antibody production against Newcastle discase vaccine on d 21 was not affected by strain or diet. On d 42, while diet had negligible effect on this variable among the SS broilers, HH birds fed LC had higher antibody production than those on the control diet. 5. Neither strain nor diet had a significant effect on mortality.     

Antibacterial effect of chloramphenicol, thiamphenicol and florfenicol against aquatic animal bacteria

The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was measured to evaluate the antibacterial activities of chloramphenicol (CP), thiamphenicol (TP) and florfenicol (FFC) against the aquatic bacterial isolates from soft-shell turtles, fish and shellfish. Amoxicillin (AMPC), oxytetracycline (OTC) and oxolinic acid (OA) were included to compare with above protein synthesis inhibitors. The results showed that the order of MIC range of the isolates from soft-shell turtles for tested drugs was OA>FFC, CP>TP> AMPC, OTC. The percentage of the resistant strains indicated that OA was the lowest (7.14%) and OTC was the highest (85.07%). The order of antibacterial activity against the isolates from fish was OA>FFC>CP>AMPC>OTC>TP. The percentage of the resistant strains revealed that OA (13.64%) and OTC (80.91%) were the lowest and the highest, respectively. For the isolates from shellfish, the order of antimicrobial activity was OA>CP, FFC>AMPC, OTC, TP. TP showed the greatest percentage of the resistant strains (58.7%), but that of OA was the lowest (4.35%). The most common resistant patterns of the isolates from turtles, fish and shellfish were AMPC-OTC, CP-TP-AMPC-OTC, and FFC-CP-TP-AMPC-OTC, respectively. There were partially-complete resistance of the resistant isolates among CP, TP and FFC. The findings indicated that previous treatment might affect the choice of drug to use for aquatic bacterial diseases.     

Anuretes grandis sp. n., a caligid copepod (Siphonostomatoida) parasitic on Diagramma pictum (Pisces) in Taiwan, with discussion of Anuretes Heller, 1865

A new species of caligid copepod (Siphonostomatoida), Anuretes grandis sp. n., parasitic on the painted sweetlips [Diagramma pictum (Thunberg)] in Taiwan is described. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by having: (1) free margin of cephalothorax not covering fourth pediger, (2) large genital complex longer than 2/3 of the cephalic shield, (3) no maxillary whip, (4) leg 3 with 9 setae on the terminal segment of exopod and 8 plumose setae on the terminal segment of endopod, and (5) armature of I,III on leg 4 exopod. Genus Anuretes Heller, 1865 is reviewed and redefined. Based on the new diagnosis three species (A. chelatus Prabha et Pillai, A. fedderni Price and A. parvulus Wilson) were transferred to Pseudanuretes, and two species (A. furcatus Capart and A. renalis Heegaard) were transferred to Lepeophtheirus. In addition, the following three species of caligids were transferred to Anuretes: Lepeophtheirus fallolunulus Lewis, Heniochophilus indicus Pillai, and Lepeophtheirus rotundigenitalis Prabha et Pillai. The latter is renamed Anuretes occultus nom. n. due to the homonym encountered through this transfer. "Anuretes plectorhynchi Yamaguti" reported by Prabha and Pillai (1986) is renamed Anuretes similis sp. n. and Anuretes yamagutii Prabha et Pillai is relegated to the synonym of Anuretes anomalus Pillai. A key to the 18 species of Anuretes is provided.     

Disseminated transmissible venereal tumor in a dog.

Transmissible venereal tumor (TVT) is a well-documented transplantable tumor in dogs, with no breed or sex predilection and a low metastatic rate. In this report, a 2-year-old intact female Mastiff that had numerous, rapidly growing masses throughout the subcutis mainly at the dorsal body plane, the caudal half of the ventral abdomen, and around the vulva was euthanized due to poor prognosis. Neoplastic nodules similar to those seen in the subcutis were also noted in the lung, anterior mediastinum, liver, spleen, kidney, and superficial and deep lymph nodes in both abdominal and thoracic cavities. The neoplastic nodules from the subcutis as well as metastatic foci revealed similar cytologic and histologic features, which were consistent with canine TVT. By immunohistochemical staining, the neoplastic cells were positive for lysozyme and vimentin but were negative for cytokeratin, desmin, CD3, and CD79a. The diagnosis of the TVT was further supported by the identification and analysis of long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE) from paraffin-embedded tumor tissue. This case is a rare example of TVT with multiorgan metastasis. In this case, the polymerase chain reaction technique was useful in differential diagnosis of canine round cell tumors because this technique can be applied in retrospective as well as future study.     

Nitrogen balance in barrows fed low-protein diets supplemented with essential amino acids

This study was conducted to determine the effect of addition of essential amino acids (EAA) to low-protein diets on N balance in barrows. Thirty barrows (Duroc × Yorkshire) with an initial BW of 36 kg were fed 5 corn- and soybean meal-based diets containing 13.6 to 18.2% crude protein (CP) for 10 d in a randomized complete block design. The 18.2% CP diet was formulated without addition of EAA (Lys, Met or Thr). The other diets contained 13.6 to 16.5% CP and were supplemented with EAA to provide 0.83% true digestible lysine equal to that in the 18.2% CP diet. Fecal, urinary, and total N excretion as well as N retention (g/d) decreased with decreasing dietary CP level (P < 0.01). The apparent digestibility of N was almost the same for the 18.2 and 16.5 CP diets, but the value was 2% higher (P = 0.07) than that for the 13.6% CP diet. These findings indicate that, compared with the 18.2% CP diets, supplementation with three EAA to the lowest-protein diets (13.6 CP) is inadequate for maximum intestinal protein digestion, amino acid absorption, or tissue protein deposition in growing barrows.     

铜川市耀州区农户肉羊农牧生态系统能量流动规律的研究

运用生态学的系统分析方法,以铜川市耀州区金圣生态养羊示范基地农户肉羊农牧生态系统为研究对象,对系统的能量流动规律、种植业与养殖业的生态效率进行分析.分析表明三种规模养殖农户种植亚系统能量产投比与结构调整前相比分别提高了39.40%、39.50%和30.40%,向养殖亚系统输入的总能量占养殖亚系统需能总量的96.61%,88.45%和80.55%;养殖亚系统的能量转化效率分别达到7.35%、8.00%和8.39%,输入到种植亚系统的粪尿能水平分别是调整前粪尿能输入水平(37.64×103 MJ/hm2)的1.57倍、1.84倍和2.07倍.整个系统的经济投入与产出比分别达到1.73、1.83和1.98,三种规模农户的纯收益比调整前分别增加1132.5元、2392.8元和3913.5元.表明农户肉羊生产系统是一个高投入、高产出的农牧生态系统,有较好的生态效益和经济效益.