The use of n‐paraffin‐grown yeast as the main source of protein in diets for chicks

1. n‐Paraffin‐grown yeast and a mixture of soyabean meal and fish meal were compared in the net protein utilisation (NPU) test, and as protein supplements in diets for broilers up to 4 weeks of age.

2. The difference between the NPU values, 0.66 for yeast and 0.80 for the soyabean meal and fish meal mixture, could largely be attributed to the high nucleic acid content of the yeast.

3. Chicks given the diet containing yeast (190 g/kg) did not grow as rapidly as those given the soyabean meal and fish meal reference diet, and the reduced growth could only partly be explained by a marginal deficiency of methionine.

4. Food conversion efficiency with the yeast diet was improved by maize oil while responses to α‐tocopheryl acetate and sodium selenite were inconsistent.

5. Chicks grew well when yeast replaced fish meal in the mixture of soyabean meal and fish meal, and when fish meal (194 g/kg diet) was the sole protein supplement.     

Quality indices of Jew's mallow and spinach during frozen storage

In this study, Jew's mallow and spinach were heat treated and kept frozen, at –18°C, for 3 months. Analysis of some chemical components and enzymatic activities as well as a sensory evaluation were undertaken. At the end of the storage period, blanched spinach showed no PPO (polyphenyloxidase) activity at all, but still contained PO (peroxydase) and LO (lipoxygenase) activities. The untreated spinach stored under the same conditions showed high activities of PO, PPO and LO. The heat treated mallow still contained high enzyme activities which decreased slowly during frozen storage. Statistical analysis of the chemical composition and the sensory evaluation results indicated that heat treatments of mallow caused significant differences in total solids, pH, chlorophylla and total chlorophyll, while frozen storage, of samples of the same treatment for 3 months caused no significant differences in moisture, ash, oxalic acid, pH, chlorophylla and total chlorophyll. No significant differences could be noticed in the overall acceptability between mallow samples mixed with hot water and those mixed in the overall acceptability between mallow samples mixed with hot water and those mixed with a hot 0.1% MgCO₃ solution. Significant differences were found between the heat treated and the untreated mallow. Changes of the chemical composition and the overall acceptability of blanched spinach during frozen storage showed almost the same trend noticed for the Jew's mallow.     

Uninterrupted MCM2-7 function required for DNA replication fork progression

Little is known about the DNA helicases required for the elongation phase of eukaryotic chromosome replication. Minichromosome maintenance (MCM) protein complexes have DNA helicase activity but have only been functionally implicated in initiating DNA replication. Using an improved method for constructing conditional degron mutants, we show that depletion of MCMs after initiation irreversibly blocks the progression of replication forks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Like the Escherichia coli dnaB and SV40 T antigen helicases, therefore, the MCM complex is loaded at origins before initiation and is essential for elongation. Restricting MCM loading to the G(1) phase ensures that initiation and elongation occur just once per cell cycle.     

Potential Pb,Cd, Zn and B contamination of sandy soils after different irrigation periods with sewage effluent

Long-term use of sewage water for irrigation enhances the accumulation of trace elements in the soil and may contribute to contamination in low-lying areas. Therefore, this study investigated the extent of pollution introduced by Pb, Cd, Zn and B to the sandy soils of Abu Rawash and El-Gabal El-Asfar areas, Egypt, which have been irrigated with sewage water for up to 67 yr. Results revealed that prolonging the periods of irrigation was associated with significant increases in the total and available forms of Pb, Cd, Zn and B. These elements tended to accumulate in the surface layers, with the exception of B which increased at lower depths. The relative percentage of the available to total element forms reflected the low solubility and availability of both Pb and B compared with Cd and Zn. However, in all cases, the concentrations of these elements have not accumulated to toxic levels after 67 yr of sewage irrigation. Nevertheless, care and good management should be considered in the future with continuous use of sewage water for irrigation.     

A Probiotic Cocktail as a Growth Promoter in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The aim of this study was to evaluate Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae singly and in combination as probiotic supplements in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerling diets. All the probiotic-supplemented diets resulted in growth higher than the control. Best growth rate, food consumption, and food conversion (P < 0.05) were in the group fed a cocktail of the three bacteria. Feed cost, return on weight gain, and profit margin increased in fish groups fed diets inoculated with probiotics. Supplementation with Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifiduim, and the three-bacteria cocktail were most effective in eliminating mortality in an A. hydrophila challenge.     

Colostral antibody induced interference of inactivated bluetongue serotype-8 vaccines in calves

Since its introduction into northern Europe in 2006, bluetongue has become a major threat to animal health. While the efficacy of commercial vaccines has been clearly demonstrated in livestock, little is known regarding the effect of maternal immunity on vaccinal efficacy. Here, we have investigated the duration and amplitude of colostral antibody-induced immunity in calves born to dams vaccinated against bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) and the extent of colostral antibody-induced interference of vaccination in these calves. Twenty-two calf-cow pairs were included in this survey. The median age at which calves became seronegative for BTV was 84 and 112 days as assayed by seroneutralisation test (SNT) and VP7 BTV competitive ELISA (cELISA), respectively. At the mean age of 118 days, 13/22 calves were immunized with inactivated BTV-8 vaccine. In most calves vaccination elicited a weak immune response, with seroconversion in only 3/13 calves. The amplitude of the humoral response to vaccination was inversely proportional to the maternal antibody level prior to vaccination. Thus, the lack of response was attributed to the persistence of virus-specific colostral antibodies that interfered with the induction of the immune response. These data suggest that the recommended age for vaccination of calves born to vaccinated dams needs to be adjusted in order to optimize vaccinal efficacy.