Oral fowlpox vaccination in chickens.

Chickens were given various fowlpox vaccines on food pellets--a commercial vaccine (strain M), and the same strain after a single passage on chorio-allantoic membrane or in chicken embryo fibroblasts. All three oral vaccines induced antibodies at levels similar to those induced by commercial strain M administered to the wingweb. The oral vaccine derived from chorio-allantoic membrane gave protection similar to that obtained with vaccine administered by the wingweb, but this required a thousandfold more virus.     

Simulation analysis of relative yield advantage of barley and wheat in an eastern Mediterranean climate

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) are similar crops that can be grown in the arid regions of southwestern Asia. Generally, barley is favored over wheat in drier areas. However, the quantitative basis for the relative advantage of each crop under differing growing conditions has not been resolved. This study was undertaken to compare the two crops using the same model structure. A wheat model developed for southwestern Asia was readily adapted to simulate barley. Simulations of barley crops proved to be robust over a range of environments. Comparison of simulated yields in a number of environments showed that the critical difference between species was the cumulative effect of plant development traits that allowed barley to mature much earlier than wheat. Consequently, early maturity of barley in contrast to wheat often allowed barley to complete its growing cycle before water-deficit conditions developed in the spring. There was, however, little or no yield advantage for barley in seasons of high rainfall. Also, rare seasons with significant rainfall after barley matured allowed wheat to actually produce the greater yield. These simulation results indicated that development traits are crucial in the interaction between crop yield and exposure to water deficits at the end of the growing season.     

Observations on the use of feeding space in a commercial broiler chicken house

1. Observations were made on the use of food pans and food trays by commercially grown broiler chickens.

2. Birds fed by going inside the feeders on top of the food or from standing around the outside of the feeders. The feeding times of birds inside feeders were significantly longer than those of birds outside. Different reasons to account for this are proposed for the 2 types of feeder.

3. The total number of birds able to feed together from a tray or pan changed as the birds grew. With trays this change in the number of birds was a steady decline. With pans the change was non‐linear and reflected a changing ratio of birds eating in to birds eating out. This ratio was influenced by pan design features and by competition for feeding space.

4. The data suggest that a linear measure of feeding space, as used in research trials and Codes of Practice for Welfare, does not adequately describe birds’ access to and use of feeding space. Implications for both research and the commercial industry are discussed.     

Utilizing the accuracy of estimated breeding values to improve selection response

SUMMARY: Stochastic simulation was used to evaluate the increase in selection response by incorporating accuracies of estimated breeding values (ebvs) in an index to form indexed breeding values (ibvs). Simulations were made using a standard population with a selected proportion of 5%, with 10 000 selection candidates and an average accuracy of breeding value determination, r? = 0.4 with variance, σ(r) (2) = 0.075(2) . In the standard population, candidates selected on ibvs showed an 8.4 % increase in average true breeding values (tbvs) compared to selection using ebvs. Using the same standard population, but changing the proportion selected to 1.0 % and 10 %, the relative increase in the average tbvs from ibv selection was 13.5 % and 5.5 % respectively. Similarly, changing r? to 0.22, 0.32 and 0.55, the relative increase from ibv selection was 48 %, 19 % and 1.3 % respectively. As σ(r) was changed to 0.025 and 0.125, the relative increase from ibv selection was 0.6 % and 24 % respectively. In general, the average accuracy in candidates chosen for selection using ibvs was lower than that from selection using ebvs. In the standard population the accuracy was 0.38 from ibv selection and 0.43 from ebv selection. As a result the increase in inbreeding will be lower with ibv than with ebv selection. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Verwendung von Genauigkeiten gesch?tzter Zuchtwerte zur Verbesserung des Selektionserfolges Durch stochastische Simulation wurde Steigerung des Selektionserfolges durch Einschlu? von Genauigkeiten gesch?tzter Zuchtwerte (ebvs) in einen Index indizierter Zuchtwerte (ibvs) untersucht. Simulationen wurden mit einer Standardpopulation 5% selektierter von 10 000 Kandidaten und einer durchschnittlichen Genauigkeit der Zuchtwertsch?tzung r = 0.4; σ(r) (2) = 0.075(2) durchgeführt. In der Standardpopulation hatten Kandidaten, mit ibvs selektiert, eine Steigerung des durchschnittlichen wahren Zuchtwertes (tbvs) von 8.4 % verglichen mit Selektion auf ebvs-Basis. Bei Verwendung derselben Standardpopulation, aber Remontierung von 1 % bzw. 10 %, war der relative Zuwachs im durchschnittlichen tbvs bei ibvs-Selektion 13.5 und 5.5%. Die relative Zunahme von der ibvs-Selektion, mit r von 0.22, 0.32 oder 0.55, war 48 %, 19 % und 1.3 %. Bei Ver?nderungen von σ(r) auf 0.25 und 0.125 betrug die relative Zunahme 0.6 und 24 %. Im allgemeinen waren die durchschnittlichen Genauigkeiten bei Selektionskandidaten auf der Basis von ibvs geringer als bei Verwendung von ebvs. In der Standardpopulation waren diese Genauigkeiten 0.38 bei ibvs und 0.43 bei ebvs. Daher sollte die Zunahme der Inzucht mit ibvs geringer sein als mit ebvs.     

BOVINE HERPESVIRUS 1 - INFECTION OF THE UPPER ALIMENTARY TRACT OF CATTLE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH A SEVERE MORTALITY

SUMMARY A severe cattle mortality in which 132 out of 340 animals died on a property in southern Queensland was investigated. Clinical signs shown by affected animals included fever, inappetance, depression, lethargy, salivation, diarrhoea, ataxia, and ulceration of the oral cavity. The most common lesions seen at autopsy of 6 affected animals were ulceration of the tongue, gums, dental pad and buccal mucosa, linear ulceration of the caudal third of the oesophagus, mild catarrhal enteritis and necrosis of lymph nodes draining areas of ulceration. Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV 1) was isolated from 3 out of 5 animals from which virus isolation was attempted. BHV 1 was recovered from oesophageal ulcers, retropharyngeal lymph nodes, blood clot, and swabs from ulcers in the oral cavity but not from spleen, liver or mesenteric lymph node. Serum neutralising (SN) antibody to BHV 1 was detected in 4 out of 12 affected animals in the second of paired serum samples but not in the first. Mucosal Disease (MD) virus was not recovered from any of 17 animals from which isolation was attempted but moderate MD SN titres, without a rise on paired sera, were detected in affected animals. Fever, depression, inappetance, ulceration of the upper alimentary tract, and adrenal necrosis were produced in 2 susceptible animals following inoculation with third passage cell culture fluid containing BHV 1. A serological response to BHV 1, but not to MD virus was detected in one of the cattle infected experimentally.     

THE USE OF FLUFF COUNTS IN A STUDY OF HYGIENE IN QUEENSLAND HATCHERIES

During 1972, 333 fluff samples were tested from 13 Queensland hatcheries and assessed according to the English standards for total count, coliforms and fungi. They were also assessed as being "standard" or "substandard", using a combination of the criteria of the English system. All hatcheries had at least 2 substandard samples and all the samples from 2 hatcheries were substandard.     

Application of nox-restriction fragment length polymorphism for the differentiation of Brachyspira intestinal spirochetes isolated from pigs and poultry in Australia.

Sixty-nine intestinal spirochetes isolated from pigs and poultry in eastern Australia were selected to evaluate the effectiveness of a species-specific PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the Brachyspira nox gene. For comparative purposes, all isolates were subjected to species-specific PCRs for the pathogenic species Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Brachyspira pilosicoli, and selected isolates were examined further by sequence analysis of the nox and 16S ribosomal RNA genes. Modifications to the original nox-RFLP method included direct inoculation of bacterial cells into the amplification mixture and purification of the PCR product, which further optimized the nox-RFLP for use in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory, producing sufficient product for both species identification and future comparisons. Although some novel profiles that prevented definitive identification were observed, the nox-RFLP method successfully classified 45 of 51 (88%) porcine and 15 of 18 (83%) avian isolates into 5 of the 6 recognized species of Brachyspira. This protocol represents a significant improvement over conventional methods currently used in veterinary diagnostic laboratories for rapid specific identification of Brachyspira spp. isolated from both pigs and poultry.