Determination of the alteration in fatty acid profiles, sensory characteristics and carcass traits of swine fed elevated levels of monounsaturated fats in the diet

The present study was designed to determine the effects of supplemental fat or oil rich in oleic acid on the fatty acid profiles (FAP) and physical and sensory traits of pork carcasses. Sixty barrows and gilts were equally distributed among five dietary treatments consisting of a control diet of corn and soybean meal and four similar test diets that contained 10% animal fat (45.3 oleic), safflower oil (72.1 oleic), sunflower oil (80.9 oleic) or canola oil (57.7 oleic). The pigs were slaughtered after being fed these diets for 90 d at about 100 kg live weight. Carcass traits, FAP and sensory properties were evaluated for each treatment. First-rib fat thickness, ham muscling score and longissimus muscle areas were not different (P less than .05), but last-rib fat thickness was increased (P less than .05) with the supplemental dietary fat or oils. No differences existed for marbling scores, lean color, firmness or texture scores between the controls and pigs supplemented with either animal fat or safflower oil. However, pigs supplemented with sunflower or canola oil had lower marbling scores, lean color, firmness and texture scores. Fat became softer and more oily (P less than .05) with the supplemental dietary safflower, sunflower and canola oils. Sensory evaluation (loin chops) showed no differences (P less than .05) in sustained juiciness, tenderness or flavor intensity evaluations among treatments. However, the pigs fed canola oil had lower (P less than .05) flavor quality scores or overall palatability evaluations. Chops from the pigs fed canola oil also had 46% more off-flavors than all other treatments.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Cystic thymoma in a cat with cholesterol-rich fluid and an unusual ultrasonographic appearance

A cystic thymoma was identified in an eight-year-old domestic longhair cat with a chronic cough. Radiographs indicated a large mass of soft tissue density in the anterior thorax. Ultrasonography revealed an echogenic mass occupying the cranial and mid-thorax with a slight swirling movement of the echoes. Subsequent drainage under ultrasound guidance yielded a cholesterol-rich fluid. The mass was resected at exploratory thoracotomy and the diagnosis of thymoma confirmed. There was no sign of recurrence one year postoperatively. The clinical features and unusual laboratory findings are presented and compared with previously reported cases of thymomata in the cat.     

Reasons for culling in French Holstein cows

The study describes the profiles of culled cows in order to assess the possible contribution to economic losses due to health disorders. Data regarding dates of birth, final calving and culling, parity at culling, milk yield at the two first test-days of the final lactation and reason(s) for culling were collected in a 5-year survey, carried out from 1989 to 1994 in 84 commercial Holstein farms in western France. Polytomous logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between parity, calving-to-culling interval, milk yield and eight groups of primary culling reasons (i.e. udder disorders; infertility or reproductive disorders; lameness or foot/leg defects; emergency culling reasons; other health disorders; low milk yield; sales for dairy purpose; and other voluntary culling reasons). Out of a total of 5133 culled cows, the proportions of culls, for each of these groups of reasons, were 12.4, 28.4, 2.7, 3.9, 4.6, 16.7, 5.9, and 25.4%, respectively. Cows culled for udder disorders left the herd earlier in lactation and were more frequently at parities 4–6 than cows culled for voluntary reasons. In contrast, cows culled for infertility were younger and culled later within lactation. They were also higher yielding cows than those culled for other reasons. Cows culled for lameness were similar to those of the voluntarily culling group. Cows culled for emergency reasons were more frequently younger cows in early lactation. Cows culled for other health disorders left the herd early in lactation, but at a higher parity than the voluntarily culled cows. These results suggest that most of the culls related to health could be contributing to economic loss. However, special priority should be given to reduce culling for reproductive problems, which is the most costly exit reason.     

Isolation of bovine ovarian inhibin, its immunoneutralization in vitro and immunolocalization in bovine ovary

A purification scheme involving gel permeation chromatography, anion exchange chromatography and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was used to isolate from bovine follicular fluid (FF) biologically-active inhibin of molecular weight 32 kDa. Chromatographic fractions were monitored for inhibin-like biological activity (ILA) using a simplified bioassay procedure in which a suppression of total basal FSH production by rat pituitary cells in monolayer culture indicates the presence of ILA. Approximately 3 mg protein having an ILA potency (ED50 value in in vitro bioassay) of 1.7 ng/ml was obtained from 4 1 crude bovine FF (260 g protein; ILA potency 3750 ng/ml) reflecting an approximate 2200-fold purification factor with an overall recovery of about 3%. The isolated material appeared as a single major UV absorbance peak on RP-HPLC and as a single band (32 kDa) when subjected to SDS-PAGE (15% gel) under non-reducing conditions. Under reducing conditions the molecule dissociated into 2 subunits of apparent molecular weight 22 and 14 kDa confirming that it is probably identical to the 31/32 kDa form of bovine ovarian inhibin previously reported by two other independent research groups. An antiserum raised in a chicken against the isolated material completely neutralized the suppressive effects of both 32 kDa inhibin and bovine FF on basal production of FSH by rat pituitary cells in vitro but only partially reversed the suppressive effects of both porcine and human FF. Immunohistochemical staining of sections of bovine ovary and of isolated preparations of bovine granulosa cells using this antiserum confirmed that granulosa cells are a major source of inhibin. The observation that specific immunostaining was not confined to these cells, however, suggests that they may not be the exclusive source of immunoreactive inhibin in the bovine ovary.     

Ovarian Structure in Mice Lines Selected for Weight

Selection for body weight at 49 day of age ( s and h , downward selected lines; s' and h' , upward selected lines) affected reproductive traits in CF1 mice lines. The objective of this study was to compare ovarian structures in females of these lines, as well as in unselected controls (Line t ). The number of ovarian follicles ( N ), follicle diameter (FD), number of corpora lutea (CL), litter size (LS), and body weight ( W ), were recorded. There were significant differences among lines for N , FD, CL, LS and W ; means values for the lines with the greatest difference for post-pubertal females were: N _s  = 19.3 and N _s'  = 32.7; FD _h'   = 161.7 and FD _s'  = 178.2; CL _h  = 10.3 and CL _s'  = 21.9; LS _s  = 6.0 and LS _h'  = 11.1; W _h  = 18.9 and W _s'  = 32.4. There were also differences between positive lines; Line s' had a higher proportion of large follicles in pre-pubertal females, a greater capacity to convert these follicles into CL, but a lower capacity to maintain embryos until term than Line h' . For negative lines, Line h apparently had a reduced incidence of embryonic loss when compared with Line s . In conclusion, selection for body weight modified ovarian structure, as well as reproductive efficiency.     

Effects of hypertonic saline infusion on the adrenocortical response to thiopental-halothane anesthesia in sheep after premedication with acepromazine

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether hypertonic saline infusion would prevent hypotension and pituitary-adrenocortical axis activation during halothane anesthesia after acepromazine premedication and thiopental induction in sheep. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized crossover study. ANIMALS: Six Welsh Mountain ewes weighing 40+/-2 kg and aged 2 to 3 years. METHODS: The sheep were studied on two occasions with 2 weeks between anesthetics. After acepromazine premedication, anesthesia was induced with thiopental and maintained for 120 minutes with halothane. During the first 15 minutes of anesthesia, 7.5% saline (4 mL/kg) was infused intravenously (HS group), but no infusion was given in the control (CONT) group. Sequential blood samples were taken for blood gas, cortisol, adenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), glucose, and lactate assay. RESULTS: Hypotension developed in both treatments; blood pressure decreased to a nadir of 58+/-5 mm Hg in the HS group and to 63+/-4 mm Hg in the CONT group (P>.05). Plasma cortisol increased significantly in both groups, reaching a peak of 420+/-130 nmol/L in HS and 483+/-157 nmol/L in CONT (P>.05). ACTH increased similarly in both groups, reaching 128+/-64 pmol/L in HS and 134+/-55 pmol/L in CONT (P>.05). pH was slightly higher in CONT, but no other differences were detected between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertonic saline did not ameliorate the adrenocortical response during anesthesia; this may be a result of its failure to prevent the hypotension.     

Which zoonosis is it?]

Starting from the definition for zoonoses according to EU directive 92/117 EEC a brief and mainly tabulated summary is given on the occurrence of zoonoses worldwide and in Germany and related factors.     

Development and evaluation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of the trypanocidal drug homidium in serum of treated cattle

Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for the determination of homidium in serum of treated cattle have been developed and evaluated. One is a direct competition (Assay 1) and the other an indirect competition assay (Assay 2). Both assays are highly sensitive with a limit of detection of 0.1 ng homidium per mL serum. Homidium levels were measurable in serum of cattle for over 2 months following administration of a single intramuscular (i.m.) dose at 1 mg/kg bodyweight. The level of sensitivity afforded by these assays makes them potentially useful tools in the pharmacokinetic evaluation of homidium and for investigating drug resistance or causes of drug failure. Assay 2 was chosen as being most suitable for further studies.     

Characterization of antibody response to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus ORF5 product following infection and evaluation of its diagnostic use in pigs.

The sensitivity and specificity of recombinant open reading frame 5 products used in the Western blotting assay for confirmation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) serologic status were evaluated. The recombinant antigen-based assays were specifically compared with a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for PRRSV antibodies using 1) PRRSV antibody-negative reference sera (n = 30), 2) naturally infected pig sera (n = 40), 3) sequential sera obtained from 24 experimentally infected pigs, and 4) sera submitted to 3 state diagnostic laboratories (n = 200). The recombinant antigen assay yielded an average increased sensitivity of 10% over the commercial PRRSV ELISA. The negative controls (group 1 sera) showed no difference between the 2 assays. This comparison confirmed that the recombinant antigen-specific assay was more sensitive than the commercial ELISA and is well suited for routine confirmation of the presence of PRRSV antibodies.