Prophylactic and therapeutic effects of a novel granulated formulation of Artemisia extract on broiler coccidiosis

Purpose

Coccidiosis is an important parasitic disease in poultry industry. Owing to the development of drug resistance against Eimeria and concerns about drug residues, attentions toward the alternative compounds including herbal medicines have been increased. This study aimed to examine the prophylactic and therapeutic effects of a new formulation derived from Artemisia sieberi extract on avian coccidiosis.

Methods

The extract was obtained from A. sieberi using petroleum ether, and then, it was formulated into a wet granule. Three hundred and sixty 1-day-old broilers were divided into six groups, each with three replicates (n?=?20); the first group was chosen as the noninfected control group and the remainders were challenged by oral administration of 250,000 oocysts of Eimeria tenella per chick on day 21. Group 2 (as nontreated control) received no treatment, but group 3 (as prophylactic group) received 0.5 mg/kg artemisinin 10 days before challenging with E. tenella. However, groups 4, 5, and 6 received 1 mg/kg artemisinin on the next day and at 24 and 48 h after the challenge, respectively, for 5 days. Mortality rate, bloody diarrhea score, lesion score, and oocysts per gram (OPG) of feces were used to determine the anticoccidial effects of the formulation.

Results

The granule significantly (p?<?0.05) reduced mortality, diarrhea, and lesion score in the treated groups. The OPG output was also significantly (p?<?0.0001) reduced in the groups that received formulation. However, there was no significant difference between the prophylactic and therapeutic groups.

Conclusion

The results suggested that this new formulation is a promising herbal medicine that can be used as a prophylactic or therapeutic product to control avian coccidiosis.     

Analysis of polymorphisms of canine Cytochrome P 450-CYP2D15

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) proteins constitute a large ancient family of oxidative enzymes essential for the efficient elimination of a wide variety of clinically used drugs. Polymorphic variants of human CYP2D6 are associated with the conversion rate and efficacy of several drugs such as antidepressants. Polymorphisms of the canine orthologue CYP2D15 are of interest because these antidepressants are also used in dogs with behavioral problems and the outcome of the treatment is variable. However, the annotated CYP2D15 gene is incomplete and inaccurately assembled in CanFam3.1, hampering DNA sequence analysis of the gene in individual dogs. We elucidated the complete exon–intron structure of CYP2D15 to enable comprehensive genotyping of the gene using genomic DNA. We surveyed variations of the gene in four diverse dog breeds and identified novel polymorphisms in exon 2 in border collies. Further investigation to establish the impact of these canine CYP2D15 polymorphisms on interindividual variability in expression and function of this metabolizing enzyme is now feasible. Further knowledge of CYP pharmacogenetics will help individualize therapy and thereby increase therapeutic efficacy, especially in the use of antidepressants in veterinary behavioral medicine.     

Micromechanical approach to wood fracture by three-dimensional mixed lattice-continuum model at fiber level

To investigate the fracture behavior of wood, the porosity and heterogeneities of its microstructure should be taken into account. Considering these features of wood microstructure in a continuum-based model is still a difficult problem and the lattice model might be an alternative. In the developed mixed lattice-continuum model, the probable crack propagation volume was modeled by defining a three-dimensional lattice of different beam elements and the other regions were considered as continuum medium. Different beam elements of lattice represented the earlywood fibers, latewood fibers, ray cells and bonding medium between the fibers. The proposed model was used to investigate the mechanism of mode I fracture in a small notched wood specimen in RL orientation. The resulting pre-peak and softening curve and also the crack opening trajectory in both cross-section and longitudinal-section in model were in good agreement with the experimental observations. This model shows the importance of considering the three-dimensional and distributed propagation of microcracks and main cracks in fracture stability. It was also shown that in mode I fracture, RL orientation, the main crack propagates in the earlywood ring.     

Generation of hydroxyl radicals during ascites experimentally induced in broilers

Increased metabolic rates, pulmonary hypertension and cardiac dysfunction are the most important features of the ascites syndrome in broiler chickens. However, the mechanism of cell injury causing the pathogenesis of the syndrome is not clearly understood. Our study aimed to examine the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH*) in broiler chickens experiencing ascites. The hundred and fifty 1-d-old chickens were purchased from a local hatchery and reared in an open poultry house for 46 d. They were divided at random into three groups and ascites was induced in two groups by exposing them to low temperature or administration of triiodothyronine (T(3)). The third group served as control and was reared normally. Haematological, biochemical and pathological tests were used to determine the incidence of ascites: including total red blood cell (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), release of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) and ratio of right ventricular weight to total ventricular weight (RV/TV). A salicylate hydroxylation method was used to examine the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH*) in treated groups. TWo hydroxylated salicylic acid metabolites, 2,3- and 2,5-dihydroxy benzoic acid (2,3- and 2,5-DHBA), were measured by HPLC to detect the generation of OH*. An ascites syndrome was observed in T(3) and low-temperature treated groups, as shown by necropsy changes and increases in f RBC, PCV, ALT, AST and the ratio of RV/TV. Concentrations of 2,3- and 2,5-DHBA were increased in groups experiencing ascites compared to control group. It is suggested that reactive oxygen species that is OH* ions, may be involved in the pathogenesis of the ascites syndrome in broiler chickens.     

Twelve-year investigation of copper soil concentrations shows that vineyards are at risk

During the period 2004–2015, the upper soil layer (0–20?cm) was sampled in eight agricultural production areas in Slovenia. Overall, 53, 249, 169, 139, and 413 samples were respectively taken from vegetable fields, arable cropland, hop fields, orchards, and vineyards. Copper was measured in the aqua-regia extracts of these samples using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The minimum, maximum, average, and median concentrations were calculated for five land uses and for all eight production areas in Slovenia. Sample portions below and/or above the limit, warning, and critical concentrations of 60, 100, and 300?mg/kg, respectively, were calculated as well. The results were compared for different land uses and production areas and showed that the copper concentrations in the vegetable, arable crop, and hop fields and orchards did not exceed the critical concentration. In addition, the copper concentrations in the vineyards exceeded the critical concentration but the maximum copper concentration (508?mg/kg) was still lower than the concentrations reported from other vine-growing Mediterranean countries. Also, the copper concentrations in hop fields exhibited an increasing trend in the Celje (and Maribor) area(s).     

Development of latex agglutination test with recombinant NcSAG1 for the rapid detection of antibodies to Neospora caninum in cattle

Neospora caninum, an apicomplexan protozoan parasite, is recognized as a major cause of abortion in cattle. Surface antigen 1 of N. caninum (NcSAG1) is an important immunodominant candidate for the development of a diagnostic reagent for neosporosis. The present study describes the development and evaluation of a latex agglutination test (LAT) with recombinant NcSAG1 (rNcSAG1) for the detection of antibodies to N. caninum in cattle. The rNcSAG1 gene was cloned in pET-28a and protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Carboxylated latex particles were coated with rNcSAG1 and the degree of agreement between LAT and a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iscomELISA) was evaluated by using of 164 serum samples. Twenty-two (13.4%) and 23 (14.0%) of samples were positive for antibodies to N. caninum by LAT and ELISA respectively. Eighteen of 23 ELISA-positive samples were positive according to the LAT and a substantial agreement (κ=0.77) was found between the results of LAT and ELISA. The results indicated that the LAT with rNcSAG1 would be a rapid, simple, relatively inexpensive and suitable diagnostic test for detection of specific antibodies in N. caninum infection under field conditions. Improvement in purification of rNcSAG1 can reduce probable false positive reactions and so increase the degree of agreement between the LAT and ELISA.