Risk factors for post-weaning diarrhoea on piglet producing farms in Finland

Background

Post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) is a significant gastrointestinal disease in pigs. It is considered a multifactorial disease associated with proliferation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in the intestinal tract of affected pigs. The aim of this study was to analyse risk factors related to the occurrence of PWD on Finnish piglet producing farms.

Methods

The data of a follow-up study of 73 conventional piglet producing farms was used in the case-control study. The selection of the 41 PWD case and 28 control farms was based on the use of antimicrobials for treating diarrhoea in weaned pigs and the answers related to the occurrence of diarrhoea after weaning in the questionnaire. Four intermediate farms were excluded from the statistical analysis.Altogether 39 factors related to herd characteristics, weaner pig management and pig health were studied. The median number of sows was 59.0 (IQR = 44.0; 74.5) and 52.5 (IQR = 36.8; 61.5) on the case and the control farms, respectively.The significances of the univariable associations between the explanatory variables and the outcome variable were tested, and in the multivariate analysis quasibinomial generalized linear models were applied.

Results

An increased risk of PWD was associated with the regimen of twice a day feeding and feed restriction after weaning (P = 0.02; compared to feeding three or more meals a day or the use of ad libitum feeding) and with a higher number of sows on the farm (P = 0.02; risk increasing with increasing number of sows). Automatic temperature control was associated with a decreased risk of PWD (P = 0.03; compared to manual temperature control).

Conclusion

Twice a day feeding of newly-weaned pigs should be avoided if the amount of feed given is restricted. Variation in ambient temperature should be minimized in housing of newly-weaned pigs and this can be achieved by using automatic temperature control. With increasing number of sows in the herds the risk of PWD increases and more attention should be paid to prevention of post-weaning diarrhoea.     

Diagnostic evaluation and short-term outcome as indicators of long-term prognosis in horses with findings suggestive of inflammatory bowel disease treated with corticosteroids and anthelmintics

Background

Recurrent colic and unexplained weight loss despite good appetite and adequate feeding and management practices are common conditions in the horse. However, little information has been published on the systematic diagnostic evaluation, response to treatment, prognostic factors or outcome of either presentation. The aims of this study were to 1) identify possible prognostic indicators and 2) report the short- and long-term response to treatment with corticosteroid therapy of a variety of horses with a presumptive diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Thirty-six horses with a history of recurrent colic and/or unexplained weight loss were screened with a detailed clinical, clinicopathological and diagnostic imaging examination. Twenty horses were subsequently selected that had findings consistent with inflammatory bowel disease based on the fulfilment of one or more of the following additional inclusion criteria: hypoproteinaemia, hypoalbuminaemia, malabsorption, an increased intestinal wall thickness on ultrasonographic examination or histopathological changes in rectal biopsy. These 20 horses were treated with a standardized larvicidal anthelmintic regime and a minimum of three weeks of corticosteroid therapy.

Results

The initial response to treatment was good in 75% (15/20) of horses, with a 3-year survival rate of 65% (13/20). The overall 3-year survival in horses that responded to initial treatment (12/15) was significantly higher (P = 0.031) than in those that did not respond to initial treatment (1/5). The peak xylose concentration was significantly (P = 0.048) higher in survivors (1.36 ± 0.44 mmol/L) than non-survivors (0.94 ± 0.36 mmol/L).

Conclusions

The overall prognosis for long-term survival in horses with a presumptive diagnosis of IBD appears to be fair to moderate, and the initial response to anthelmintic and corticosteroid therapy could be a useful prognostic indicator. The findings of the present study suggest that a low peak xylose concentration in absorption testing is associated with a less favourable prognosis, supporting the use of this test.     

Rye phenolics in nutrition and health

Dietary intake of whole-grain foods is associated with a decreased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease. In addition to dietary fibre, various phytochemicals have been suggested to contribute to the health effects of whole grain products. This review focuses on phenolic compounds in rye (Secale cereale L.), which is one of the major bread grains in Europe. Data on phenolic concentrations in rye grain and foods, their bioavailability to tissues and effects in vivo, and their potential contributions to health are presented. Phenolic compounds in rye, such as phenolic acids, alkylresorcinols and lignans, are concentrated in the outer layers of the grain. Phenolic acids are the major phenolic compounds in whole grain rye (103–300 mg/100 g grain), ferulic acid being the most abundant. Rye lignans are present at concentrations of 2 mg/100 g grain and had been shown to be converted by the intestinal microflora to the mammalian lignans enterodiol and enterolactone in human intervention studies. Alkylresorcinols (36–320 mg/100 g grain), which have been found to be incorporated into human erythrocyte membranes, are of particular interest due to their potential use as biomarkers of the intake of rye and wheat.     

Effect of selenate supplementation on glycoalkaloid content of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) supplemented with increasing amounts of sodium selenate were analyzed for glycoalkaloid (GA) content. GAs were extracted with 5% acetic acid from freeze-dried tubers of two potato cultivars, Satu and Sini, harvested 10 weeks after planting as immature. The GAs alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine were quantified by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with diode array detection. Two independent experiments were performed. In the first experiment, the total GA concentration +/- standard error of the tubers ranged between 105 +/- 9 and 124 +/- 10 mg kg(-1) fresh weight in Satu and between 194 +/- 26 and 228 +/- 10 mg kg(-1) fresh weight in Sini. The ratio of alpha-solanine to alpha-chaconine was 0.2 in Satu and 0.5-0.6 in Sini. In the second experiment, the total GA concentration +/- standard error was 75 +/- 4 to 96 +/- 11 mg kg(-1) fresh weight, and the ratio of alpha-solanine to alpha-chaconine was 0.3-0.4 in Satu. A high sodium selenate supplementation (0.9 mg of Se kg(-1) quartz sand) slightly decreased the GA content in Satu, but this decrease was not statistically significant. Furthermore, at this addition level the Se concentration increased to a very high level of 20 microg g(-1) dry weight, which cannot be recommended for human consumption. In both experiments, the Se concentration in tubers increased with increasing sodium selenate application levels. Our results show that acceptable application levels of selenate did not have an effect on the GA concentration in immature potato tubers.     

Epidemiology of Gyrodactylus salaris (Monogenea) in the River Tornionjoki, a Baltic wild salmon river

The occurrence of Gyrodactylus salaris in the River Tornionjoki was investigated in 2000-2004. Infection of salmon parr, Salmo salar, was common in the uppermost reach of the river system but decreased downstream and was rare in the lowermost reach. This pattern was consistent across the study period regardless of varying water temperatures. The oldest age groups of parr were more often infected than younger ones throughout the river system, irrespective of their origin (wild or stocked). Parasite-free hatchery-reared 1-year-old parr became infected during their first summer in the wild. Downmigrating salmon smolts had a high prevalence of infection, but their role in the distribution of infection seemed unimportant. On grayling, Thymallus thymallus, we observed only the grayling-specific clade of Gyrodactylus. We found no indication of grayling participating in the epidemiology of infection on salmon. The salmon parr and smolt population in the Tornionjoki has been at its height during the late 1990s and 2000s. Our results indicate that G. salaris infection in this Baltic river has no devastating effects on the salmon population as it has had in salmon rivers flowing into the North Atlantic and White Sea.     

Neither hippurate-negative Brachyspira pilosicoli nor Brachyspira pilosicoli type strain caused diarrhoea in early-weaned pigs by experimental infection

A hippurate-negative biovariant of Brachyspira pilosicoli (B. pilosicolihipp-) is occasionally isolated in diarrhoeic pigs in Finland, often concomitantly with hippurate-positive B. pilosicoli or Lawsonia intracellularis. We studied pathogenicity of B. pilosicolihipp- with special attention paid to avoiding co-infection with other enteric pathogens. Pigs were weaned and moved to barrier facilities at the age of 11 days. At 46 days, 8 pigs were inoculated with B. pilosicolihipp- strain Br1622, 8 pigs were inoculated with B. pilosicoli type strain P43/6/78 and 7 pigs were sham-inoculated. No signs of spirochaetal diarrhoea were detected; only one pig, inoculated with P43/6/78, had soft faeces from day 9 to 10 post inoculation. The pigs were necropsied between days 7 and 23 after inoculation. Live pigs were culture-negative for Brachyspira spp., but B. pilosicolihipp- was reisolated from necropsy samples of two pigs. The lesions on large colons were minor and did not significantly differ between the three trial groups. In silver-stained sections, invasive spirochaetes were detected in colonic mucosae of several pigs in all groups. Fluorescent in situ hybridisation for genus Brachyspira, B. pilosicoli and strain Br1622 was negative. However, in situ detection for members of the genus Leptospira was positive for spirochaete-like bacteria in the colonic epithelium of several pigs in both infected groups as well as in the control group. L. intracellularis, Salmonella spp., Yersinia spp. and intestinal parasites were not detected. The failure of B. pilosicoli strains to cause diarrhoea is discussed with respect to infectivity of the challenge strains, absence of certain intestinal pathogens and feed and management factors.     

Antioxidant activity of steryl ferulate extracts from rye and wheat bran

Antioxidant activity of steryl ferulates from other sources than rice have not yet been studied much, despite the fact that rice steryl ferulates (gamma-oryzanol) have been shown to possess good antioxidant activity. In this study, steryl ferulate extracts from wheat or rye bran were studied for their capability to inhibit hydroperoxide formation in bulk methyl linoleate and methyl linoleate emulsion. Further, their activity to scavenge DPPH radicals was analyzed. The activities were compared to synthetic steryl ferulates, rice steryl ferulates, ferulic acid, and alpha-tocopherol. Nonrice cereal extracts of steryl ferulates exhibited good antioxidant activity, especially in the bulk lipid system. The radical scavenging activity was similar to that of nonesterified ferulic acid, indicating that the ferulic acid moiety is responsible for the antioxidant properties. This study illustrates a new aspect to the health-promoting properties of rye and wheat.