Improving the reproductive,immunity and health status of rabbit does using honey bee venom

The aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term effect of using bee venom (BV) on the reproductive performance, immune, and health status of rabbit does and its effect on their litters. Sixty mature does, from Spanish V-line rabbit stock, were randomly assigned to four homogeneous groups with 15 does each. The 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd groups were injected twice weekly under the neck skin with 0.1 ml solution contains 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mg BV/rabbit respectively. The 4^th group served as a control group. From the results, litter size at birth, litter weight and survival rate at weaning age as well as milk yield were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased in BV groups than in the control group. Serum estradiol 17-β (E2) was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher (15%) in the rabbit does treated with BV compared to the control group. The treated does with BV at any study doses showed a gradual and significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease (12%) in serum progesterone levels (P4) compared to the control. They also showed a significant (p≤0.05) increase in conception (17%) and fertility rates (10%) compared to the control does. Treatment of rabbit does with BV caused a gradual and significant (p ≤ 0.05) reduction in both aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (16%) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (37%) liver enzyme activities. Additionally, results have shown that BV resulted in a gradual and significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in total antioxidant capacity (TAC), antioxidative enzymes such as glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), serum IgG, IgM and IgA levels with significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in BV groups compared to the control group. Results suggest that BV can be used in rabbit farming as an effective and safe alternative to artificial chemical drugs (sexual-stimulants) to improve certain reproductive traits, immune response and health.     

Bio-efficacy of certain chitin synthesis inhibitors on dipterous flies and mites inhabiting dung of farm animals

Dipterous flies are considered among the most important pests for man and domestic animals health. The efficacy of four insect growth regulators on dipterous larvae and mites inhabiting dung of two farm anaimals (buffalo and sheep) are compared. Also, their effectiveness on the predacious mites are discussed. Data indicated that the toxicity of the four tested IGRs, i. e., Dimilin, XRD, IKI and CME, to the dung survivors (dipterous larvae and mites) differed according to the source of dung and the occurrence of survivors themselves. In buffalo dung, Dimilin and XRD appeared to be the most toxic to the dipterous larvae and mites, respectively. While IKI gave the minimum toxicity to both survivors. On the other hand, with sheep dung an inverse trend was observed i. e., IKI and Dimilin were the most toxic to mites and dipterous larvae, respectively. Whilst, the least toxicity were obtained when CME and XRD were used on dipterous larvae and mites, respectively.     

Effect of dietary protein-energy levels and fish initial sizes on growth rate, development and production of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus L.

The effects of dietary protein‐energy levels on the growth rate, proximate composition and production were examined in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, at two starting weights (22.9 and 39.8 g) reared in concrete ponds for 180 days. The highest weight gain (183.1 g) was obtained with fish fed a 30% protein and 10.5 kJ g^?1 diet for the small initial size and 180.2 g for a diet containing 25% protein and 12.6 kJ g^?1 for the large initial size. Dressed yields (edible mass) and fillets increased to 56.9% and 52.5% in fish fed diet with 25% protein and 10.5 kJ g^?1 at the initial size of 22.9 g, while fish started at 39.8 g exhibited the best values (56.5% and 52.1%) when fed the 30% protein and 10.5 kJ g^?1 diet. Proximate composition of soft tissue (wet weight basis) in small fish was significantly influenced by dietary protein‐energy levels. Protein was 26.1±0.3% in fish fed the high protein (30%) and low energy (10.5 kJ g^?1 diet), while lipid content was 6.4±0.3% at diet containing 20% protein and 14.7 kJ g^?1 diet. Large initial size fish fed the diet with 25% protein and 14.7 kJ g^?1 had the highest body protein (32.0±0.4%) and lowest lipid content (2.2±0.3%). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and protein efficiency ratio varied with different dietary protein‐energy levels and initial fish sizes. Feed conversion ratio increased with increasing protein and decreasing energy level in the diet, and values in small fish were higher than values in large fish. Protein efficiency ratio decreased with increasing dietary protein level and decreasing energy level. The maximum total production (7.6 tons feddan^?1) was with dietary high protein (30%) and low energy (10.5 kJ g^?1) for small‐sized fish, while large initial fish had the highest production (3.7 tons feddan^?1) when fed the 25% protein and 12.6 kJ g^?1 diet energy. Starting with 22.9 g fish was more advantageous than the initial size of 39.8 g for rearing Nile tilapia. Small fish required a high‐protein and low‐energy diet, whereas large fish required a low‐protein and high‐energy diet to achieve highest production.     

Intraspezifische Konkurrenz in der Populationsdynamik vonBracon hebetor Say (Hym., Braconidae)

The female parasite,Bracon bebetor is not able to distinguish the host that she or other female of its species attacked. Thus, a host larva ofG. mellonella bearing numerous eggs of this parasite most probably was superparasitized. This phenomenon induces obvious decreases in the length of the parasite developmental period and its progeny and increases the rate of mortality in immature stages and number of males in the progeny. Individuals parasitising the host earlier are always survivors and those attacking it later are losers. Losers are either devoured early by the older larvae or die, later, under the state of starvation when the host individual provides insufficient supply of food for all attacking larvae.