Studies on the mechanism of vaccinal immunity to Marek''s disease

Current knowledge of the nature of the antigens and of the host immune responses in vaccinal immunity to Marek's disease is reviewed. It is suggested that a two-step mechanism of resistance operates. The first step involves humoral and cell-mediated responses directed against viral antigens; the second step occurs after challenge with Marek's disease virus and consists of cellmediated responses directed against tumour cells.     

Growth and Apparent Absorption of Minerals in Broiler Chicks Fed Diets with Low or High Tannin Contents

Sorghum grains with low (0.28 per cent catechin equivalent (%CE) or high (1.36 %CE)) tannin contents were used to study the effect of tannin on growth and on the apparent absorption of Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Fe and Co by chickens. High-tannin sorghum caused a highly significant (p0.01) reduction in the weight gain and feed intake of broiler chicks compared to low-tannin sorghum and increased the feed conversion ratio (p0.01). The amount of tannin did not affect mortality. The apparent absorption of Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Fe and Co was reduced (p0.01) by feeding sorghum grains with a high tannin content.     

Poxviruses as vaccine vectors

The discovery of Jenner in 1798 founded the science of immunology and eventually led to smallpox eradication from the earth in 1980 after a world-wide vaccination campaign with vaccinia virus (another poxvirus) and paradoxically, despite the eradication of smallpox, there has been an explosion of interest in vaccinia virus in the eighties. This interest has stemmed in part from the application of molecular genetics to clone and express foreign genes from recombinant vaccinia viruses. Vaccinia is also gaining renewed interest due to bioterrorism.

These recombinant viruses have multiple applications in research and vaccinology and led to the development of vectored vaccines, such as the recombinant vaccinia rabies vaccine used to eliminate rabies in Western Europe and, more recently, in the United States. Secondly, alternative poxvirus vectors, such as avipox viruses, were proved to be even safer and efficacious non-replicating vectors (suiciole vectors) when used in non-avian species.     

New gene-based approaches for an AIDS vaccine

Vaccine approaches against AIDS have focused on inducing cellular immune responses, since many studies revealed the role of T cell responses in the control of human immunodeficiency virus or simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infections. The experimental infection of rhesus macaques with SIV or chimeric SHIV is routinely used as a model for AIDS. In such models, DNA immunization is a tool to elicit specific T cell responses and to study their protective efficacy. DNA immunogenicity in primates depends on parameters such as level of antigen expression, choice of the antigen among SIV proteins, use of fusion proteins, route of immunization, and addition of adjuvants. Recent results suggest that priming with DNA and boosting with attenuated recombinant viral vectors, each expressing corresponding SIV antigens, leads to improved specific immunity and, in some cases, affords protection against pathogenic challenge. After preclinical evaluations, DNA has entered clinical trials for a therapeutic or prophylactic gene-based AIDS vaccine.     

Estimates of Breed Average Direct,Maternal and Heterosis Effects for Some Pre-weaning Traits of Zebu Breeds and Their Crosses in Southeastern Mexico

Information on 936 birth weights (BW), adjusted weaning weights (AWW) and average daily gains (ADG) from Brahman (B), Indubrazil (I), Gyr (G) and commercial Zebu (C) cattle and their crosses were obtained from the records of a farm in the State of Yucatan, Mexico. Two statistical models were used to analyse the data: the first included the effects of year and season of birth, sex of the calf, cow's parity number and breed group. The other model included the same environmental effects as the previous model and the genetic components of breed group (breed additive, breed maternal and heterosis effects). Additive and maternal effects were expressed as deviations from those for the B breed. The means of BW, AWW and ADG for the B breed were 33.3 ± 0.64 kg, 204.0 ± 4.9 kg and 760.06 ± 19.24 g/day, respectively. Both models gave similar results in terms of the variance explained. Additive effects were significant (p < 0.05) for AWW and ADG but not for BW. The minor additive effect was for the C breed (−10.75 kg and −40.77 g for WW and ADG, respectively). Maternal and heterosis effects were not significant (p > 0.05) for any of the traits. The correlation between the breed group means and the means estimated by the prediction equation was r = 0.88. Finally, there was no significant genetic effect on pre-weaning calf performance among the genotypes evaluated. The genetic model can be used to predict the genotype means with a high degree of accuracy. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comparison of antibody values in sera of pigs vaccinated with a subunit or an attenuated vaccine against classical swine fever

Ten pigs, aged 85 days, were vaccinated with a subunit vaccine containing 32 g of classical swine fever virus glycoprotein E2 (gp E2) (group 1), and a further 10 pigs were vaccinated with a C strain vaccine (10^4±0.15 TCID₅₀/ml), produced by amplification in minipig kidney (MPK) cell culture (group 2). Nine non-vaccinated pigs served as a control group (group 3). Serum samples were collected before (day 0) and at 4, 10, 21 and 28 days after vaccination and were analysed by two commercially available enzyme immunoassays and by a neutralizing peroxidase-linked assay (NPLA). At the same times, peripheral blood was taken for determining the total leukocyte count and the body temperature was taken daily. Antibodies were not detected in serum samples collected before vaccination (day 0), and no side-effects that could be connected with vaccination were observed during the trial. Ten days after vaccination 6/10 pigs vaccinated with the subunit vaccine were seropositive. On days 21 and 28, the ratios of serologically positive to vaccinated pigs were 9/10 and 10/10, respectively. Four of the ten pigs that were vaccinated with the C strain vaccine were positive on day 21 and 9/10 on day 28. However, the results of the NPLA showed that only 4/10 pigs had an antibody titre >1:32 at the end of the trial in both the vaccinated groups, even though the subunit vaccine initiated an earlier and higher level of neutralizing antibodies than the vaccine produced from the C strain. Challenge was performed 28 days after vaccination on four randomly selected pigs from both vaccinated groups. The pigs survived the challenge without showing any clinical signs of classical swine fever (CSF), while two nonvaccinated control pigs died on the 10th and 12th days after infection.     

The effects of low doses of Senna occidentalis seeds on broiler chickens

The effects of 0.5%, 0.3% and 0.1% w/w concentrations of Senna occidentalis (So) seed mixed with commercial ration were studied in 18 groups of 32 broiler chicks each, from 1 day to 49 days of age. Three groups were fed one of the rations throughout their lives (TL). Three other groups were fed one of the rations from the 1st to the 28th day of life (starter phase, SP), and the final 3 groups were fed one of the rations from the 29th to 49th day (finisher phase, FP). Each experimental group was matched by a control group fed the same diet over the same period but without the inclusion of So. All the animals were killed at 49 days of age, and blood was collected from 10 birds in each group for biochemical studies (ALT, AST, GGT, LDH, UA). A complete necropsy was performed on 3 birds from each group. No significant differences in the biochemical parameters in the serum were found between the control and experimental chicks, but animals treated with 0.5% So in groups FP and TL, gained less weight and chicks that received 0.3% So or 0.5% So in the ration throughout life (TL) had a larger feed conversion ratio. Besides this, degenerative changes were found in the striated skeletal muscle in the chest, in the myocardium and in the liver in the animals that received the higher concentrations of So seeds.     

The Effects of Replacing Dicalcium Phosphate with Busumbu Rock Phosphate on Performance and the Mechanical Properties of Bone in Growing Chicks

Three hundred, day-old broiler chicks, with an average initial weight of 41.8±1.79 g, were used in a 15-day study (10 birds per battery cage) to characterize their performance and fluorine status when dicalcium phosphate (DCP) was replaced by Busumbu rock phosphate (BRP) as the source of phosphorus in the chicks' ration. The treatments comprised a standard ration with BRP replacing 0, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of DCP. Replacing DCP with BRP significantly reduced the final weight of the chicks (p<0.01), feed intake (p<0.01), weight gains (p<0.01) and dry matter digestibility (p<0.05) but increased (p<0.05) the feed-to-gain ratio. True phosphorus absorption and the percentage of phosphorus in the tibia were not affected by increasing amounts of BRP in the diet. Increasing levels of BRP in the diet linearly reduced (p<0.01) the percentage bone ash, calcium, Ca:P ratio, ultimate breaking force, bending moment, stress, and modulus of elasticity. Leg stiffness, lameness, reduced feed intake, and a decline in general health were recorded in 10–40% of the chicks on 75% and 100% BRP, respectively. These results suggest that excessive ingestion of fluorine from the BRP caused the reduction in the chicks' performance.     

Efficacy of Sarafloxacin in Broilers after Experimental Infection with Escherichia coli

Infections of chickens with Escherichia coli serotypeO78 can be treated with the antibiotic sarafloxacin. Three experiments were conducted on the administration of this drug to chickens that had been experimentally infected with E. coli. The birds were monitored for 10 days after infection for their average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), and the post-mortem pathology was assessed. In the first experiment, sarafloxacin (20 mg/L, equivalent to 5 mg/kg live weight per day), given in the drinking water for 3 days after infection, led to a reduction in the mortality from 75% to 27%, but the ADG of the treated birds was still less than that of the uninfected controls. In the second experiment, when the sarafloxacin was administered at the same dose in the water but over only 2 h, there was also a considerable reduction in mortality, and the ADG and the FCR also improved significantly. In the third experiment, the dose dependence of the drug was tested. The birds were given 5 and 10 mg/kg per day sarafloxacin in each group, starting within 2 h after infection. This rapid administration of the drug completely prevented mortality, while the ADG and FCR were similar to those of the uninfected controls.     

Immune Responses to Intermediate Strain IBD Vaccine at Different Levels of Maternal Antibody in Broiler Chickens

Tropical Animal Health and Production -