1. The addition of yeast cell wall (YCW) mannan fractions or low concentrations of antibiotics to the diet of broilers positively affects gut health by improving intestinal cell morphology and improves feed efficiency and performance; however the exact mechanisms are unclear. Based on these production responses, the objective of this study was to compare the effects of supplementing YCW and bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) in the diet on mRNA levels in the jejunum of 6-week-old broilers.
2. Dietary treatments were a maize-soya control diet and the control diet with the addition of YCW or BMD. Birds (n = 7) from each dietary treatment were randomly selected and killed at d 42. Whole jejunum (with serosa) samples were collected for RNA isolation. Gene expression analysis was performed using the AffymetrixGeneChip Chicken Genome Array (Santa Clara, CA, USA).
3. Supplementation with YCW resulted in 928 genes that were significantly changed (456 down-regulated, 472 up-regulated) and supplementation with BMD resulted in 857 genes that significantly changed (408 down-regulated, 449 up-regulated). In addition, 316 genes were significantly changed by both YCW and BMD (146 down-regulated, 170 up-regulated).
4. BMD increased the expression of genes involved in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and decreased expression of genes associated with T-helper cell pathways. Gene expression profiles from birds fed on diets containing YCW showed changes on a genomic level that correspond to slower gut cell turnover and therefore increased energy preservation for growth.
5. In conclusion, supplementation with BMD or YCW had similar influences on the number of differentially expressed genes in the jejunum. Biological functions common to both YCW and BMD with positive activation scores included antiviral response and antimicrobial response. Genes that were affected by BMD or YCW classified into both different and common biological functions and pathways related to improved metabolism and health in the jejunum. 相似文献
The objective of the study was to determine farmers’ perceptions of the causes of low reproductive performance in Nguni cows
raised on communal rangelands in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Data were collected using participatory rural
appraisals and structured questionnaires that were administered to 551 randomly selected farmers from ten communities in the
Eastern Cape. Cattle herd sizes ranged from 3 to 11 and were mainly composed of cows. Cattle sales were ranked as the most
important use of cattle in all the villages. Tick-borne diseases and poor animal condition were reported as chief constraints
of cattle production in most communities. More than 60% of the interviewees reported that the age at puberty and age at first
calving for their cows varied between 18 and 36, and 24 and 48 months, respectively. About 95% of the respondents reported
long calving intervals and low bull numbers as major causes of low reproductive performance in cows in the communal areas.
It was concluded that farmers perceived delayed age at puberty and at first calving, long calving intervals and low bull numbers
as the major causes of low reproductive performance in Nguni cows raised on communal rangelands in South Africa. 相似文献
The ovicidal effect of the nematophagous fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia on eggs of Ascaris suum was tested under laboratory conditions. A. suum eggs were plated on 2% water–agar with seven fungal isolates (Isol. 5, Isol. 31, Isol. 1, VC1, Isol. 12, Isol. 22 and VC4)
and control without fungus. After 5, 7, 10, 14, 15 and 21 days of incubation, approximately 100 eggs were removed from the
plates and classified according to the following parameters: type 1, biochemical and physiological effect without morphological
damage to the eggshell, type 2, lytic effect with morphological alteration of the eggshell and embryo and type 3, lytic effect
with morphological alteration of eggshell and embryo showing hyphal penetration and internal egg colonization. The isolates
effectively destroyed A. suum eggs and all types of effects were observed during the experiment. There was no variation in ovicidal capacity (type 3 effect)
among the isolates (p > 0.05) throughout the experiment. After 21 days, isolate 5 showed the highest percentages of type 3 effect (58.33%). The
results indicated that P. chlamydosporia (Isol. 5, Isol. 31, Isol. 1, VC1, Isol. 12, Isol. 22 and VC4) can destroy A. suum eggs and is, therefore, a potential biological control agent of nematodes. 相似文献
Oxidative stress is an imbalance between radical-generating and radical-scavenging activity, resulting in oxidation products
and tissue damage. This study was aimed to evaluate the status of oxidative stress indices in blood of camels naturally infested
with S. scabiei. Forty-seven male camels (Camelus dromedaries) were divided according to the extent of the infested area with Sarcoptes scabiei into four groups, mild (MID, n = 12), moderate (MOD, n = 10), severely infested (SEV, n = 10) and healthy control group (n = 15). Blood was used for determination of red cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), serum nitric
oxide (NO•, a free radical), ascorbate and albumin concentrations, and erythrocytic values of malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker of lipid
peroxidation), protein carbonyls (PC, an indicator of protein oxidation), glutathione (GSH) superoxide dismutase (SOD) and
catalase (CAT). Decreased levels (P < 0.05) of RBC, Hb, PCV, albumin and ascorbate were noticed in MOD and SEV compared to controls with the lowest values (P < 0.05) in SEV except for ascorbate, where MOD did not differ from SEV. Compared to controls, NO• gradually increased (P < 0.05) in MID followed by MOD and SEV, whereas MDA and PC were higher (P < 0.05) in MOD and SEV. PC was higher (P < 0.05) in MOD than SEV. In addition, the antioxidants GSH, SOD and CAT were higher (P < 0.05) in MID and lower (P < 0.05) in MOD and SEV compared to controls. GSH was lower (P < 0.05) in SEV compared to MOD. Besides, Hb was negatively correlated with NO• (r = −0.68, P < 0.001), MDA (r = −0.53, P < 0.001) and PC (r = −0.73, P < 0.001). In conclusion, dromedary sarcoptosis is accompanied by a state of oxidative stress process, which increased by
increasing the area of infestation, and may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. 相似文献