Potential bioavailability of protein and lipids in feed ingredients for the three‐spot cichlid Amphilophus trimaculatus: An in vitro assessment

For the commercial culture of the three‐spot cichlid (Amphilophus trimaculatus), it is important to have available a set of protein and lipid ingredients suitable for feed manufacturing, which allow to optimize the culture at affordable costs. The in vitro digestibility was evaluated with pH‐stat technique, using stomach and intestine multi‐enzymatic extracts from A. trimaculatus juveniles. The digestion of protein ingredients was taken place both in acid and in alkaline conditions, quantifying the total of free amino acids at the end of the hydrolysis, whereas the digestion of lipid ingredients was taken place only in alkaline conditions. The digestive enzymes of this species showed a better affinity to raw materials of animal origin such as beef meal, fish meal and premium chicken meal, which presented better digestibility. The best lipid ingredient that could be used is the fish oil. However, it is possible to use ingredients from the plant sources, such as soy or cereals, and vegetable oils such as olive, corn or soy oil. It is necessary to complement this study in vitro with the digestibility analysis in vivo, in order to determine the inclusion percentages in feeds and costs and therefore to develop an efficient feed formulation for the aquaculture of A. trimaculatus.     

Cichlasoma dimerus responds to refeeding with a partial compensatory growth associated with an increment of the feed conversion efficiency and a rapid recovery of GH/IGFs axis

Many fish species display compensatory growth (CG), a phenomenon by which fasted fish grow faster during refeeding. However, most studies use a group‐housed fish approach that could be problematic in social fish when interaction between individuals is not considered or eliminated. Additionally, the growth hormone (GH)/insulin‐like growth factors’ (IGF‐1 and IGF‐2) axis is implicated in postnatal growth in vertebrates, but its relevance in CG is not fully understood. Thus, the aim of this work was to determine whether CG occurs in a social fish, Cichlasoma dimerus, using an individually held fish approach and secondly, to evaluate the GH/IGFs expression profile during refeeding by 3 days and 3 weeks. C. dimerus showed partial CG. The feed conversion efficiency (FCE) was higher in three‐day‐refed fish, which presented higher GH plasma and mRNA levels than controls but shown no differences in liver and muscle GH receptors (GHR1 and GHR2) and IGFs mRNA levels. Surprisingly, three‐week‐refed fish exhibited GHR1 and IGF‐2 increments, but a reduction in GHR2 expression in muscle. These results show a strong association between GH levels, growth rate and FCE during refeeding, and a long‐lasting effect of refeeding on muscular expression of GHRs and IGF‐2.     

Accuracy of the composite somatic cell count to detect intra-mammary infection in dairy cows using latent class analysis

The somatic cell count (SCC) is considered an important indicator of intra-mammary infection (IMI). The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of both SCC and culture to detect IMI and their conditional dependence by means of latent class methods. This study involved 175 dairy cows from 2 herds with different udder infection prevalences. Quarter and composite milk samples were collected for SCC and bacteriological culture. Latent-class models using Bayesian methods were used to estimate test sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) and population prevalence. The models ran involved only major mastitis pathogens and composite SCC (CSCC). Five thresholds between 100,000 and 300,000 cells/mL were evaluated and the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was performed. Fifty-five percent of the cows had CSCC ≥200,000 cells/mL and 95.4% of the cows had at least one infected quarter either with minor or major pathogens. Considering a threshold of 150,000 cells/mL, the estimated Se and Sp for the CSCC were, 0.80 (95% CrI 0.71–0.88) and 0.57 (95% CrI 0.44–0.71), respectively. The estimated culture Se and Sp were 0.83 (95% CrI 0.73–0.93) and 0.89 (95% CrI 0.74–0.98), respectively. There was no evidence of dependence between CSCC and culture. The area under curve for CSCC was 0.72. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the CSCC accuracy to detect IMI for major pathogens considering the effect of culture misclassification. The estimates provided here could help to examine the performance of sampling schemes based on CSCC to manage udder health.     

Fructooligosaccharide supplementation in diets for tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus) juvenile: Effects on morphophysiology and intestinal barrier function

Supplementary fructooligosaccharides (FOS) were evaluated on growth, survival, gut morphology, digestive enzyme activity and expression of intestinal barrier genes in tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus). Four treatments were designed to include FOS (5, 10, 15 and 20 g/Kg) and were compared with a control (0 g/Kg) and the current commercial trout diet. Ten fish were stocked (0.25 ± 0.01 g and 4.2 ± 0.4 cm total length) per experimental unit by triplicate in a 45‐day experiment. Fish fed with 5 and 10 g/Kg of FOS had the highest average weight and total average length. Fish fed 5 g/Kg FOS showed the best growth indexes (absolute weight gain: 2.16; specific growth rate: 4.96; and feed conversion rate: 1.23) and survival (96.66%) and also had the highest acid protease, chymotrypsin and leucine aminopeptidase activities. Fish fed 5 g/Kg FOS had a high absorption area and accumulation of lipids in the liver. Finally, relative overexpression of occluding (occ), nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain‐2 (nod2) and mucin 2 (muc2) was detected in fish fed 10 and 15 g/Kg FOS. The supplementation between 5 and 10 g/Kg FOS in diets for A. tropicus juveniles could be beneficial for growth, digestive enzyme activities, gut morphology and intestinal barrier function.     

Close association of gonadotropin-releasing hormone fibers and gonadotropin, growth hormone, somatolactin and prolactin expressing cells in pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is any association between immunoreactive (ir) gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) fibers with different pituitary endocrine cell types in the pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis. Using a monoclonal antibody raised against mammalian GnRH (mGnRH) (LRH13), ir-GnRH fibers were observed passing through the pituitary stalk and reaching the three areas of the pituitary gland: rostral (RPD) and proximal pars distalis (PPD) and pars intermedia (PI). Double labeled immunocytochemistry showed ir-GnRH fibers in close association with prolactin (PRL)-producing cells in the RPD, growth hormone (GH)-producing cells in the PPD, gonadotropin (GtH)-producing cells in the PPD and the external border of the PI, and with somatolactin (SL)-producing cells in the PI. Our results show, direct morphological evidences of a close association of GnRH fibers with GH, PRL, GtH and SL-expressing cells. These results would suggest that GnRH has a broad role in the regulation of the secretion of different pituitary hormones.     

Changes in digestive enzyme activities during the early ontogeny of the South American cichlid (Cichlasoma dimerus)

Fish Physiology and Biochemistry - Cichlasoma dimerus is a neotropical cichlid that has been used as a biological model for neuroendocrinology studies. However, its culture is problematic in terms...