球虫感染及药物对雏鸡血清矿物质含量的影响

将160只14日龄雏鸡随机分为未感染对照组(I)、感染对照组(Ⅱ)、中药组(Ⅲ)和球敌组(Ⅳ)。除I组外,其余每只鸡口服感染8.0×104个E.tenella孢子化卵囊,对球虫感染0、3、6、9、12 d时的血清钾、磷、钙、铁含量进行了测定。结果表明:与I组比较,Ⅱ组血清钾含量在感染后3、6 d分别显著提高了44.81%(P<0.05)和130.28%(P<0.01);磷含量于感染后3、9 d分别显著降低了26.36%(P<0.01)和34.07%(P<0.01);铁含量在感染后6、9 d分别显著降低了37.12%(P<0.05)和35.07%(P<0.05)。Ⅲ、Ⅳ组血清钾、铁含量虽然与Ⅱ组差异不显著,但在感染高峰期(6 d),钾含量分别降低了26.76%和35.28%;铁含量分别提高了39.64%和38.44%;磷含量于感染后9 d分别显著增加了45.00%(P<0.05)和61.11%(P<0.05),并与I组无显著差异。球虫感染及药物对血清钙含量无明显影响(P>0.05)。结果提示,中药和球敌能抵抗球虫感染,有助于保持血清矿物质含量的相对恒定。     

Antiviral activity of crude extracts from Commiphora swynnertonii against Newcastle disease virus in ovo

Studies were carried out to investigate the effect of crude extracts from resin, leaves, stem barks and root barks of Commiphora swynnertonii against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) using an in ovo assay. Nine-day-old embryonated chicken eggs were divided into seven groups (n?=?6) and received various treatments. Six groups were inoculated with velogenic NDV strain; five groups out of these were treated with different concentrations of the four extracts or a diluent, dimethylsulphoxide. The uninoculated and inoculated groups were left as negative and positive controls, respectively. Embryo survival was observed daily and embryo weights were measured day?5 post-inoculation; a few eggs from selected groups were left to hatch. Allantoic fluid from treated eggs and serum from hatched chicks were collected for hemagglutination and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests to detect NDV in the eggs and antibodies against NDV in the hatched chicks respectively. Results showed that embryo survival and mean embryo weight were significantly higher (p?<?0.001) in those groups which were treated with the crude extracts from C. swynnertonii than the positive control group. Also the extracts significantly (p?<?0.001) reduced virus titres, whereas no viruses were detected in the allantoic fluids of the resin-treated group at the highest concentration of 500???g/mL. Furthermore, the HI test results showed very low levels of antibodies against NDV in chicks hatched from resin and root bark extract-treated eggs suggesting that these plant materials were capable of destroying the NDV before stimulating the developing chick??s immunity. The current findings have clearly demonstrated that crude extracts especially that of resin from C. swynnertonii have strong antiviral activity against NDV in ovo. In vivo trials are needed to validate the use of resin from the tree in controlling Newcastle disease in chickens.     

Isolation of ureaplasmas from poultry and experimental infection in chickens

Ureaplasmas were isolated from the oropharynxes of 47 of 247 (19 per cent) Leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) and from five Japanese bantams but none was isolated from the oropharynx or cloaca of other poultry comprising 10 Japanese game, 75 common quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica), 17 turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) and 10 guinea fowls (Numida galeata). In apparently healthy chickens, ureaplasmas were found at various sites, including the conjunctiva, nasal cavity, oropharynx, upper and lower tracheas, but not from the air sac, lungs, yolk, oviduct, urine or cloaca. All the isolates were antigenically similar but had no serological relation to those isolated from man, monkey, cattle, goat, sheep, dog and cat. In chickens experimentally infected with an avian ureaplasma, the organisms infected the oropharynx and nasal cavity but none of the birds inoculated demonstrated any clinical signs or macroscopic lesions.     

甘草提取物对左氧氟沙星在鸡体内药动学的影响

将20只鸡随机分成对照组和试验组,对照组单剂量灌胃给予左氧氟沙星(levofloxacin,LVLX)10mg/kg;试验组左氧氟沙星10mg/kg与甘草提取物0.3g/kg合用。采用HPLC法测定血药质量浓度,并以DAS2.0软件计算并比较主要药动学参数。结果显示:对照组和试验组左氧氟沙星的主要药动学参数C_(max)分别为(1.415±0.116)、(1.321±0.165)mg/L,t_(max)分别为(1.983±0.172)、(2.365±0.325)h,AUC_(0~36h)分别为(8.659±0.852)、(9.415±1.176)mg·L~(-1)·h~(-1),t_(1/2)分别为(3.714±0.674)、(8.341±0.853)h,MRT_(0~36h)分别为(4.116±0.238)、(6.648±0.676)h,Vz/F分别为(3.154±0.296)、(3.315±0.436)L/kg。与对照组相比,试验组药动学参数C_(max)降低,AUC_(0~36h)、Vz/F增大,但差异均不显著(P0.05);t_(max)、t_(1/2)、MRT_(0~36h)均极显著增大(P0.01)。结果表明:合用甘草提取物和左氧氟沙星,甘草提取物能减慢左氧氟沙星在体内的吸收和消除速度,延长药物在体内的作用时间。     

禽副粘病毒2型对SPF鸡免疫功能的影响

7日龄 SPF鸡经滴鼻、点眼感染 PMV- 2 ,可引起轻微的呼吸道症状 ,病理组织学观察可见气管黏液分泌亢进和轻微的淋巴细胞浸润 ;感染 PMV- 2后的 1天 ,2天 ,3天… 11天 ,定位采取气管、肺、肝、脾、肾、心、大脑、法氏囊、盲肠扁桃体等组织 ,检查病毒的分布规律 ,结果表明 ,PMV- 2在法氏囊、气管、肺、胸腺、脾、肾、大脑中均有分布 ;SPF雏鸡感染 PMV - 2后 ,接种鸡新城疫克隆 30疫苗 ,免疫后 5 - 30天 ,每 5天 1次检测血清中 ND的 HI抗体效价 ,结果表明 ,PMV- 2感染组比对照组的 HI抗体效价平均低 2 log2 ,统计结果显示差异极显著。雏鸡感染 PMV - 2后对新城疫疫苗的免疫应答有影响 ,从而可能抑制机体的免疫功能 ,危害养鸡生产。     

Immunostimulating and growth-promoting effects of sugar cane extract (SCE) in chickens

Polymorphonuclear cells of the peripheral blood in the chicken significantly increased their phagocytosis when cultured with sugar cane extract (SCE; 250-1,000 microg/ml) for 24 hr. Chickens orally administered SCE (500 mg/kg/day) for 3 or 6 consecutive days at 1 week of age showed significantly higher body weight and gain in body weight/day and a lower food conversion ratio within the growing period of 6 weeks than physiological saline-administered control chickens. Furthermore, oral administration of SCE also resulted in significantly higher immune responses against sheep red blood cells and Brucella abortus. These results suggest that SCE has immunostimulating and growth promoting effects in chickens.     

Anthelmintic activity of ivermectin against experimental Ascaridia galli infection in chickens

The efficacy of ivermectin against Ascaridia galli infection was evaluated in chickens under controlled laboratory conditions in two separate experiments. In each experiment 22 White Leghorn chicks were randomly assigned to three groups of 10 (infected-treated), 9 (infected-control) and 3 (uninfected-control) birds. Each bird in the former two groups was orally infected with 1,500 embryonated A. galli eggs. The chicks in the treated group were subcutaneously injected with ivermectin at a dose of 0.3 mg kg-1 body weight on Day 10 (Experiment 1) and Day 35 post-infection (Experiment 2) for immature and adult infections, respectively. The treated birds had 0.9% (Experiment 1) and 0.4% (Experiment 2) worm recovery compared with 8.7 and 8% in the infected-untreated controls of the respective experiments. The fall in post-treatment faecal egg counts was 81 and 92% in birds treated on Days 10 and 35, respectively. The drug was found to be 90 and 95% effective against immature and adult worms, respectively. The lower lesion score and post-treatment near-normal haematobiochemical picture in treated birds confirmed these observations. The treated birds also had a better growth rate than the untreated chickens. The mature worms in the intestinal lumen of the host were more sensitive to the treatment than the immature stages of the parasite in the tissue phase.     

Effect of different levels of dietary sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) peel extract on humoral immune system responses in broiler chickens

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) peel extract (SOPE) on humoral immune system responses in broiler chickens. Three hundred 1‐day broilers (Ross‐308) were randomly allocated to treatments varying in supplemental SOPE added in the drinking water. The experimental groups consisted of three treatments fed for 42 days as follows: a control treatment without feed extract, a treatment containing 1000 ppm of SOPE and a treatment containing 1250 ppm of SOPE. All treatments were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Broilers were vaccinated with Newcastle disease virus (NDV), avian influenza (AI), infectious bursal disease (IBD) and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccines. Antibody titer response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) was higher in the group fed 1250 ppm of SOPE (P < 0.05) as well as for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM. Similarly, antibody titer responses to all vaccines were constantly elevated (P < 0.05) by SOPE enrichment in a dose‐dependent manner. Relative weights of spleen and bursa of Fabricius were unaffected by treatments. Dietary SOPE supplementation may improve the immune response and diseases resistance, indicating that it can constitute a useful additive in broiler feeding. Thus, supplying SOPE in rations may help to improve relative immune response in broiler chickens.     

Effects of leucocyte extract, levamisole and sulphadimidine on natural coccidial infections (Eimeria spp.) in young lambs

The efficacy of leucocyte extract (LE) and sulphadimidine in preventing coccidiosis in naturally infected lambs on pasture was evaluated in 3 separate experiments, whereas the prophylactic effect of levamisole was studied in 1 of the experiments. LE prepared from ewes immune to coccidia (Eimeria spp.) was administered either intravenously or intraperitoneally to young lambs 7, 5, or 2 days before they were turned out on pastures contaminated with coccidia. In all experiments, LE failed to transfer protective immunity to the lambs against the first coccidial infection on pasture. The LE preparations used apparently had an immunosuppressive effect, which resulted in more severe clinical signs of coccidiosis in the recipients. The lambs given LE showed a higher incidence of diarrhoea, a poorer weight gain, a higher mortality, and a higher oocyst output than the untreated control lambs. In lambs treated with sulphadimidine at 200 mg/kg on days 12, 13, and 14 after turnout there was a reduced severity of the coccidial infections in all experiments. The sulphadimidine-treated lambs had better weight gains and passed fewer oocysts than the controls during the third and fourth week after turnout, but some of them developed diarrhoea. Lambs treated with levamisole at 2 mg/kg 2 days before turnout, at turnout, and 2 days after turnout were more severely affected by the first coccidial infection on pasture than the controls.To study the lambs’ immunity against a heavy challenge infection with coccidia as compared with their immunity against the natural reinfection on pasture, some of the lambs from the original groups (untreated, sulphadimidine-treated, LE-treated) were each inoculated with 2 mill. Eimeria spp. oocysts about 6 weeks after turnout. The oocyst counts of the challenged lambs, except the LE-treated lambs, increased to a new peak 19–20 days after challenge. The challenge infection caused a softening of the faeces and a marked depression in weight gain in all challenged groups of lambs, mainly between days 10 and 17 after challenge. The lambs were thus only partially immune to coccidia after the first coccidial infection on pasture. The lambs treated with either LE or sulphadimidine in connection with the first coccidial infection on pasture were not appreciably more susceptible to the challenge infection than the untreated lambs.     

Effect of clinoptilolite on performance of broiler chickens during experimental aflatoxicosis

1. The amelioration of aflatoxicosis in broiler chickens was examined by feeding 2 concentrations of natural zeolite (clinoptilolite). Clinoptilolite (CLI), incorporated into the diet at 15 and 25 g/kg, was evaluated for its ability to reduce the deleterious effects of 2.5 mg total aflatoxin (AF; 76.40% AFB1, 16.12% AFB2, 6.01% AFG1 and 1.47% AFG in diet on growing broiler chicks from 1 to 21 d of age. A total of 360 broiler chicks were divided into 6 treatment groups (6 replicates of 10 broilers each): control, AF, CLI (15 g/kg), AF plus CLI (15 g/kg), CLI (25 g/kg), and AF plus CLI (25 g/kg). 2. Compared to controls, the treatment had significantly decreased body weight gain from week 1 onwards. The adverse effect of AF on food consumption (8.0%) and food conversion ratio (8.3%) was also shown over the entire 21-d feeding period. 3. The addition of CLI (15 g/kg) to an AF-containing diet significantly reduced the deleterious effects of AF on food consumption and body weight gain. Food conversion ratio was also slightly improved by adding CLI (15 g/kg) to AF-containing diets. Food consumption, body weight gain and food conversion ratio values were rendered numerically intermediate between AF and control groups by the addition of CLI (25 g/kg) to the AF-containing diet. 4. The addition of CLI (both 15 and 25 g/kg) to the AF-free diet did not produce any significant changes compared with the controls, except for decreased total food consumption in the CLI (25 g/kg)-alone group. 5. These results suggest that CLI (15 g/kg) addition effectively diminished the detrimental effects of AF on the values investigated. Also, the lower dietary concentration of CLI (15 g/kg) was more effective than the greater concentration against the adverse effects of AF on the variables investigated in this study.     

Serological and bacteriological observations on experimental infection with Salmonella hadar in chickens

Over the past 3 years the frequency of Salmonella hadar infections has increased in Belgium in both poultry and humans. Therefore, the course of infection with S. hadar in poultry was investigated. One day-old and 4 week-old specific pathogen-free chickens were orally infected with one of two S. hadar strains, SH1 or SH2. Mortality was 6% (SH1) and 17% (SH2) in birds infected at 1 day-old. Chickens infected at 1 day-old with SH2 showed a mild diarrhoea. The S. hadar faecal excretion in birds infected at 1 day-old remained high throughout the experiment until 12 weeks post-inoculation (pi). Faecal excretion was lower in older birds. Antibodies to S. hadar were observed from 2 weeks pi (SH2, infected at 1 day-old) or 4 weeks pi (SH1, both groups; SH2, chickens infected at 4 weeks of age). The percentage of chickens with antibodies was higher after infection at 1 day-old than after infection at 4 weeks of age. In a second experiment 1 day-old chicks were infected with SH1 and autopsied at regular intervals until 42 days pi. SH1 was isolated from the caeca from 3 h pi onwards and from the liver and spleen from 18 h until 14 days pi. Serous typhlitis and omphalitis were the main lesions. The number of macrophages in the lamina propria of the caecal tonsils was slightly increased from 18 h until 2 weeks pi. In the liver, inflammation was observed in the portal triads and in the sinusoids. This study indicates that infections with S. hadar lead to intense colonisation of the gut and extensive faecal shedding. It may also cause invasive infections in 1 day-old chickens.