The effect of biological isolation and a molt-inducing regimen on the recovery of Mycoplasma gallisepticum from commercial Leghorn hens

Two trials were conducted to determine the effect of induced molt on the reisolation of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) from commercial leghorn hens that had been eyedrop-inoculated with MG at 10 weeks of age. Chickens were maintained in a conventional floored chicken house on dry litter through 100 weeks of age. At age 64 weeks, 4 days (Trial 1), and at 100 weeks (Trial 2), hens were swabbed and cultured for MG and then molted in biological isolation units. Swabs were again taken at the end of each molt. No difference was observed in the number of MG isolations between molted hens and controls that did not undergo molting. However, a significant decrease in MG isolations was observed in both trials from swabs obtained when hens were housed on dry litter floors as compared with swabs taken from the same hens after 18 days (Trial 1) or 21 days (Trial 2) of confinement in isolation units.     

Production of Lambs After the Transfer of Fresh and Cryopreserved in vitro Produced Embryos from Prepubertal Lamb Oocytes and Unsorted and Sex-sorted Frozen-thawed Spermatozoa

Cumulus-oocyte complexes from hormone-stimulated 3-4-week-old (n=43) and 6-7-week-old (n=12) prepubertal lambs were matured in vitro and incubated with unsorted, or X- or Y-spermatozoa separated with a high-speed cell sorter (SX MoFlo)frozen-thawed. Presumptive zygotes were then cultured to the blastocyst stage, and transferred to recipients fresh or after cryopreservation (frozen). Oocyte cleavage was higher (p <0.05) with unsorted (515/926, 55.6%) than X- or Y-spermatozoa (261/672, 38.8% and 229/651, 35.2%, respectively) and blastocyst formation (% zygotes) by Day 9 of in vitro culture was lower (p <0.05) for X- (102/261, 39.1%) than unsorted spermatozoa (249/515, 48.3%), but did not differ between Y-spermatozoa (103/229, 45.0%) and unsorted spermatozoa, or between X- and Y-spermatozoa (p >0.05). For fresh embryos, survival to term was 50.0% (3/6) for unsorted, 0.0% (0/6) for X- and 16.7% (1/6) for Y-spermatozoa-derived embryos (p >0.05), and for frozen embryos was 4.0% (2/50) for unsorted, 9.1% (2/22) for X- and 2.9% (1/34) Y-spermatozoa-derived embryos (p >0.05). Of the two lambs born from X-spermatozoa-derived embryos, one was female (50%), and from the two Y-spermatozoa-derived lambs, both were male (100%), demonstrating that lambs can be produced after the transfer of fresh and cryopreserved IVP embryos derived from prepubertal lamb oocytes and frozen-thawed sex-sorted sperm.     

Effects of an S6 strain of Mycoplasma gallisepticum challenge at onset of lay on digestive and reproductive tract characteristics in commercial layers

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), a reproductive/respiratory pathogen in poultry, has been implicated in suboptimum egg production and decreased hatchability. Commercial layer hens raised in a controlled environment were inoculated with the S6 strain of MG at 20 wk of age. The S6 inoculation had no effect on bird weight, egg production, digestive tract weight and length, or histopathologic lesion scores, although significant differences were noted in the lengths and weights of various portions of the reproductive tract. This study shows that S6MG inoculation does not detrimentally affect layer hen performance when in the absence of environmental stressors customary to a caged layer facility.     

Mycoplasma gallinarum infection in commercial layers and onset of fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome

Fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) was observed in each of three trials in which commercial layers were utilized to determine the effect of Mycoplasma gallinarum (MGn) on egg and eggshell quality parameters and egg production. In each of three trials, FLHS occurred 31-54 days later in MGn-inoculated hens as compared with the Mycoplasma-clean (control) hens. In trials 1 and 2, no therapeutic intervention was initiated to ameliorate FLHS. In trial 3, therapeutic intervention was instituted and consisted of the addition of 1 pound of choline chloride/ton of feed. Total mortality recorded throughout the duration of each trial and attributable to FLHS was not significantly different between the control and the MGn-inoculated treatment. However, FLHS-associated mortality in each of the three trials was numerically greater for the control treatment.     

Development and evaluation of a rapid absorbed enzyme immunoassay test for the diagnosis of Johne''s disease in cattle

An absorbed enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test for Johne's disease in cattle was developed in which absorption of cross-reacting antibodies occurred as a rapid reaction in solution rather than overnight with whole organisms and a subsequent centrifugation step. Total test time was reduced to less than 2 h with a minimum of manipulations. The test was evaluated in cattle herds from Johne's disease-endemic and Johne's disease-free regions of Australia. Specificity was 99.8%. Calculations of sensitivity were affected by the history of the herd under test. However, the EIA detected in excess of 80% of animals before onset of clinical disease and 65% of faecal shedders were EIA positive on, or before, first detection of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in their faeces. The test should aid epidemiological studies and be a useful tool in the management and control of Johne's disease.     

Identification of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. synoviae by flow cytometry

Immunofluorescence and flow cytometric methods were examined to detect and distinguish Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. synoviae. The procedure employed 24-hr broth cultures of each organism, direct immunofluorescence staining with either homologous or heterologous antiserum, and analyses by flow cytometry. The organisms were distinguishable on the basis of fluorescent profiles when stained with the appropriate antiserum.     

A self-propelled, constant-speed spray vaccinator for commercial layer chickens

Vaccination of commercial layer chickens is labor intensive and often results in poor rates of seroconversion, which, in turn, generally correlate with decreased flock uniformity and performance. Attempts to improve the vaccination process include numerous variations of individual shop-built vaccinators in use by the layer sector of the poultry industry. Each of these vaccinators has limitations that contribute to poor vaccinations. Major problems include the nonuniform speed of the applicator system and pressure fluctuations at the spray nozzles, which contribute to sporadic dispersion of the vaccine as the vaccinator is pushed or carried past the cages. A battery-powered, self-propelled, constant-speed vaccinator was designed and constructed that operates with constant nozzle pressure. In field use, this vaccinator has resulted in both labor savings (reduction of manpower from five to one to vaccinate 75,000 chickens) and time savings (from 45 min to 7.5 min/poultry house) as well as improved vaccination results (higher positive seroconversion rates) against the poultry pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), a bacterium associated with losses of 15.7 eggs/hen over a 45-wk laying period in MG-infected layers as compared with layers maintained free from infection with MG.