Noise output of hens subjected to interrupted lighting regimens

1. Noise output from domestic hens subjected to an interrupted lighting regimen began before dawn of the apparent day. 2. Noise output did not cease during the scotoperiod(s) which interrupted the apparent day. 3. Differential noise outputs during the 30 min. 4 h and 10 h scotoperiods of a 1L:7(30D:30L):4D:2L:10D regimen indicated that the hen's interpretation of darkness, even within the apparent day, was complex and probably dependent on several factors. 4. Noise output data suggested that the intense feeding behaviour at the end of the apparent day, effected by the interrupted lighting regimen, appeared to prevent the pre-dusk reduction in activity observed in conventionally lighted birds. 5. Noise output was negligible during the scotoperiod which the hen interpreted as night.     

Responses of sexually-maturing pullets to self-selection feeding under different temperature and lighting regimens

1. Pullets allowed to self-select nutrients from a protein concentrate and either a separate complete diet or cereal-based, energy-rich mixture showed preferences for protein and energy which varied in relation to the time of their onset of lay. 2. The selected protein:metabolisable energy (ME) intake ratio increased from 14 g protein per MJ of ME 2 to 3 weeks before sexual maturity to approximately 19 g protein per MJ of ME at and after sexual maturity. 3. This response to self-selection feeding was consistent with different temperatures, lighting patterns and dietary manipulations. 4. Egg mass output was improved by self-selection feeding at hot (25 degrees to 35 degrees C) temperatures in experiments 1 and 2 and at ambient temperatures in experiment 3. No beneficial response in egg mass from self-selection feeding was observed at cold (6 degrees to 16 degrees C) temperatures in experiment 1. 5. Providing 2 h of additional light during the dark (cool) part of the day, with or without 2 h of darkness in the middle of the extended light (hot) period, had no effect on the egg mass output of pullets at hot (25 degrees to 35 degrees C) temperatures.     

Response of laying hens to asymmetrical interrupted lighting regimens: physiological aspects

1. There were no significant differences in the mean time of oviposition, distribution of ovipositions over the 24 h or proportion of eggs laid in the modal 8 h when conventionally-lit hens were compared with hens which received interrupted lighting with the same apparent daylength. 2. Intermittently-lit hens performed 25% less feeding activity than conventionally-lit hens, but without a significant reduction in mean food intake. There were genetic differences in response of feeding rate to interrupted lighting. 3. Intermittently-illuminated hens consumed about 20% of their food during the scotoperiods which interrupted the apparent day of a 1.5L:0.5D:10(0.5L:0.5D):4L:8D regimen, although there was significant genetic variation from 10 to 22%. None of the genotypes ate during the 8-h night. 4. Across 4 genotypes neither crop weight nor rate of crop emptying was affected by the lighting treatments, although a heavier mean crop weight under interrupted lighting approached significance in one breed (P less than 0.10). 5. Interrupted lighting did not cause any ocular disorders.     

Effects of interrupted lighting regimens on the feeding activity of the laying fowl

Segmentation of the main light period of an 8L:4D:2L:10D regimen into 30 min light, 30 min dark did not affect total feeding activity, rate of feeding or total intake of laying hens. When 15 min light and 45 min dark was provided each hour feeding activity and food intake were reduced, while rate of feeding and feeding during the dark periods increased. No feeding occurred in the 10 h 'night'. Hens subjected to interrupted lighting showed less feeding activity than those on a 14L:10D regimen. Insertion of a 4 h dark period in the 14 h subjective day of laying hens increased their rate of feeding, but reduced total intake. The pattern of feeding activity depended on the position of the 4 h dark period. The largest modification of feeding activity occurred on a 8L:4D:2L:10D regimen; 20% of activity occurred in the last 2 h of the apparent day. Feeding occurred during the 4 h dark period, but not during the 10 h 'night'.     

Association between avian necrotic enteritis and Clostridium perfringens strains expressing NetB toxin

A novel toxin, NetB, has recently been identified in virulent avian Clostridium perfringens isolates and shown to be an essential virulence factor in a clinical necrotic enteritis isolate. To assess whether NetB is more generally associated with avian necrotic enteritis isolates we have screened a range of C. perfringens strains from geographically diverse locations for both the presence and expression of the netB gene. Forty-four isolates were derived from necrotic enteritis disease cases from Australia, Belgium, Denmark and Canada and 55 isolates from healthy chickens from Australia and Belgium. The majority of strains isolated from necrotic enteritis-affected birds were netB positive (70%) and there was an absolute correlation between the presence of netB and in vitro expression of the NetB protein. Only two of the C. perfringens isolates from healthy chickens carried netB. Sequencing of the netB gene from 23 positive isolates showed that NetB is highly conserved, with only one predicted amino acid (A168T) difference, in six isolates, compared to the published sequence. This change did not alter the in vitro activity of the NetB toxin. The gene encoding the recently discovered TpeL toxin was also screened using PCR and only found in a small proportion of NetB-positive isolates from diseased birds. A selection of NetB-negative isolates, originating from diseased birds, was unable to cause disease in a necrotic enteritis induction model. This study provides further evidence that NetB is important in pathogenesis and advances our current understanding of C. perfringens virulence factors in avian necrotic enteritis.     

Response of laying hens to asymmetrical interrupted lighting regimens: reproductive performance, body weight and carcase composition

1. The performance of brown egg laying hens was compared under conventional and asymmetrical interrupted-lighting conditions. 2. Egg numbers and mean weight were similar under the two conditions, provided the apparent day perceived by the hen was the same under both lighting treatments. 3. Daily food intakes of intermittently-illuminated hens were not significantly lower than those of conventionally-lit birds. However, the reductions were of the magnitude reported in the literature and observed under commercial conditions. 4. Shell quality was unaffected by interrupted lighting in the period up to 60 weeks of age in two of the 4 genotypes studied. All breeds had lower shell weights under interrupted lighting in the last three months of lay. 5. Intermittently-lit hens had lower body weights, which approached significance, and significantly less carcase fat. There were no differences in ash, protein (N x 6.25) or water contents of the carcases, or in fat content at a given body weight. 6. There were no significant differences in the production responses of the 4-brown-egg hybrids to interrupted lighting. 7. Diets with differing concentrations of energy and protein were included in both trials, but there was no evidence of interaction between these nutritional treatments and the lighting treatments.     

Comparison of two lighting regimens and drinker cleaning programmes on the performance and incidence of leg abnormalities in turkey males

Turkey males subjected to a low intensity step-down (LISD) lighting programme showed significantly heavier body weights after 20 weeks of age and significantly better feed conversions after 14 weeks of age compared with males reared in a high intensity step-up lighting (HISU) programme. Although both nonchilled and chilled carcase weights were higher, the dressing percentages were lower for males of the LISD lighting regimen. Males of the HISU lighting programme had significantly fewer leg abnormalities, shorter tarso-metatarsi, lighter drumstick weights, and lighter tibia weights. Males on the HISU lighting programme from 15 to 19 weeks of age had larger testes; however, after 20 weeks of age they were larger in males on the LISD lighting regimen. Cleaning and disinfecting the drinking troughs daily rather than weekly had no effect on any production variable measured.     

表达H5亚型禽流感病毒HA基因重组火鸡疱疹病毒的构建

为构建表达禽流感病毒(AIV)血凝素(HA)基因的重组疱疹病毒(HVT),本研究将AIV A/Goose/Guangdong/3/96(H5N1)的HA基因克隆于真核表达质粒中,构建了转移载体pUAB-gpt-HA。通过同源重组及霉酚酸筛选技术,将HA基因表达盒插入到HVT US10基因区,构建了一株表达H5亚型AIV HA基因的重组病毒HVT(rHVT-US10-HA)。经PCR、间接免疫荧光、western blot及红细胞凝集试验鉴定,重组病毒能稳定表达具有生物学活性的HA蛋白。rHVT-US10-HA的构建为禽流感基因工程病毒活载体疫苗的研究奠定了基础。     

禽流感及其分子生物学诊断研究进展

禽流感(简称AI),俗称真性鸡瘟或欧洲鸡瘟,是由A型流感病毒(简称AIV)引起的全身性或呼吸器官性传染病,该病毒隶属正粘病毒科流感病毒属,鸡、火鸡、鸭和鹌鹑等家禽及野鸟、水禽、海鸟等均可感染,而对家养的鸡和火鸡引起的危害最为严重,甚至威胁着人类的健康。     

表达H5亚型禽流感病毒HA蛋白的重组禽痘病毒的构建

为构建表达H5亚型禽流感病毒(AIV)A/Duck/Anhui/1/06(H5N1)(简称AH/06)HA蛋白的重组禽痘病毒,本研究利用感染-转染的方法通过转移载体pSY681-gfp-gpt将AIV株AH/06的HA基因同源重组到禽痘病毒(FPV)中,并利用gfp和gpt双重筛选标记在鸡胚成纤维细胞中经过多轮筛选,得到纯化的重组禽痘病毒(rFPV-gfp-gpt-AHHA)。通过PCR、序列测定和western blot的方法对rFPV-gfp-gpt-AHHA进行鉴定和抗原活性分析。结果表明AH/06的HA基因稳定的重组到rFPV-gfp-gpt-AHHA中,其表达的HA蛋白能够与AH/06的阳性血清反应,显示出了良好的抗原性。同时病毒的生长曲线也显示外源HA基因的插入并没有影响亲本病毒的复制。这些结果为进一步的免疫效力研究奠定了基础。     

金刚烷胺在禽流感病毒M2基因原核表达中的作用

禽流感病毒(Avian Influenza virus，AIV)为正粘病毒科A型流感病毒，其基因组是由8个分节段的单股负链RNA组成，分别编码8个不同功能的蛋白，PB1、PB2、PA、HA、NP、NA、M1和M2及非结构蛋白NSl1和NS2。M2基因位于AIV基因组的第7个节段上，包含14～39和728～995两个部分，其初始转录产物在剪切40～727位的内含子后，拼接成成熟的mRNA后翻译成M2蛋白。M2蛋白是禽流感病毒的跨膜蛋白，具有H^ 离子通道的功能，     

表达H9N2亚型禽流感病毒HA蛋白重组乳酸杆菌的构建

H9N2亚型禽流感病毒的血凝素(HA)基因经树突状细胞靶向肽(DCpep)与异亮氨酸拉链(GCN4)基因修饰后,插入到穿梭表达载体p SIP409中,将质粒电转化至乳酸杆菌内。结果表明,该重组乳酸杆菌经诱导后,能够表达大小约为63 000且具有反应原性的蛋白,为进一步探讨重组乳酸杆菌在激发黏膜免疫反应过程中,DC调控黏膜免疫应答的机制及研制抗禽流感口服疫苗奠定基础。     

Comparison of two commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and conventional methods for avian serology

Sera tested for hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) activity against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and virus-neutralizing (VN) activity against infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) and viral arthritis (VA) virus were collected from a wide variety of accessions into the Diagnostic Services Laboratory, Poultry Disease Research Center, University of Georgia. The sera were then segregated according to HI or VN titer to NDV, IBV, IBDV, or VA virus and stored frozen at -20 C until tested by two commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). There was good correlation of mean Flockchek ELISA titers or EIA Systems sample-to-positive (S/P) ratios with specific HI or VN titers. Flockchek ELISA profile group 3 and EIA Systems mean S/P ratio of 1.12 corresponded to what were considered in our lab to be minimum protective titers for each antigen against virulent challenge in our area.     

Immunization of turkeys with a DNA vaccine expressing either the F or N gene of avian metapneumovirus

In this study we compared protection by DNA vaccination with the F (pCMV-F) or N (pCMV-N) gene from avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) in turkeys. One-week-old turkey poults received two intramuscular injections 2 wk apart. Birds were challenged with a turkey-embryo-adapted aMPV at 5 wk of age. Birds vaccinated with pCMV-F had decreased clinical signs of disease as well as significantly reduced virus load in tracheal swabs compared with birds vaccinated with pCMV-N or unvaccinated control birds. Serum neutralizing antibodies were significantly higher in birds receiving pCMV-F compared with all other groups. These results indicate that DNA vaccination with the F, but not N, gene of aMPV can induce significant protection against aMPV infection.     

不同方法提取高致病性禽流感及新城疫病毒RNA效果的比较分析

高致病性禽流感以及新城疫对禽养殖户危害巨大,应用荧光RT-PCR方法对高致病性禽流感、新城疫病毒进行检测在病原学检测中占据优势。而荧光RT-PCR检测的核心是核酸物质的提取。本文将离心柱内硅基质膜提取法（柱膜法）与磁珠法作比较,探讨更适合基层兽医实验室的核酸提取方式。     

表达禽流感病毒NP和M2融合基因重组乳酸菌的构建及鉴定

为了在乳酸菌中表达H9N2亚型禽流感病毒（AIV）NP和M2基因并检测其反应原性,先以pMD19-T-M2质粒作为模板,采用PCR方法克隆M2全长基因,然后将M2基因亚克隆入pSIP409-pgsA′-NP质粒中,构建重组质粒pSIP409-pgsA′-NP-M2。并将重组质粒pSIP409-pgsA′-NP-M2通过电转化的方法转入植物乳杆菌Lb.plantarum NC8中,制备重组菌NC8-pSIP409-pgsA′-NP-M2。诱导表达NC8-pSIP409-pgsA′-NP-M2重组乳酸菌,并通过流式细胞术、免疫荧光和免疫印迹技术验证。结果表明,重组菌NC8-pSIP409-pgsA′-NP-M2能够经诱导表达NP-M2融合蛋白,并且与兔源NP单克隆抗体和抗M2的小鼠血清具有反应原性。这为后续研究禽流感广谱口服疫苗奠定基础。