Serological survey of Sarcoptes scabies var. suis infection using colostrum samples: preliminary results

Pig mange was investigated serologically in colostral samples with ELISA using Chekit Sarcoptest. This test has already been using to investigate sera samples from swine in veterinary practice. A total of 684 sow colostral samples were collected from 24 mange free breeding units and 6 units with clinical manifestation of mange infestation. The specificity of the test was more than 99% and the mean seroprevalence 30% (range 6% to 100%). This simple method will allow in the future not only the rapid and certain diagnosis of pig mange but also the screening of pig breeding units after eradication of the disease.     

Differential Expression of IGF Family Members in Heat‐Stressed Embryos Produced In Vitro from OPU‐Derived Oocytes of Nelore (Bos indicus) and Holstein (Bos taurus) Cows

The IGF system is related to embryo quality. We aim to determine the effect of the heat stress on the mRNA expression of IGF1 and IGF2, IGFR1 and IGFR2, IGFBP2 and IGFBP4, and PAPPA in in vitro production (IVP) blastocysts from Nelore and Holstein after ovum pick up (OPU) to better understand the differences between these breeds. Oocytes from four Nelore and seven Holstein were collected in six OPU sessions. Following in vitro maturation and fertilization using six Nelore or Holstein sires, embryos were divided into control (cultured at 39°C) and heat stress (HS; exposed to 41°C for 9 h). Blastocysts were submitted to RNA extraction. The IGF1 expression was higher in blastocysts under HS in both breeds, and the expression of IGFBP2 and IGFBP4 was higher in Holstein blastocysts under HS. The high PAPPA expression and the low expression of IGFBP2 and IGFBP4 are associated with a more efficient degradation of IGFBPs, which results in greater IGF bioavailability in Nelore blastocysts and may contribute to the superior HS tolerance in Nelore, when compared to Holstein.     

Freezing equine semen: the effect of combinations of semen extenders and glycerol on post-thaw motility

Objective   We evaluated combinations of two commercial semen extenders and three concentrations of glycerol to determine the combination that yielded the highest post-thaw sperm motility.
Design   A randomised 2 × 3 block design was used.
Procedure   Semen was collected from four stallions (6 collections per stallion). The sample was diluted with either a dried skim-milk glucose extender (EZ Mixin Original Formula) or a chemically defined, milk-free diluent (INRA 96), and each was used in combination with 2%, 3% or 4% glycerol in standard commercial freezing medium. Sperm motility was assessed by microscopy in fresh and post-thaw semen.
Results   There was a significant difference between the two extenders in the motility of spermatozoa after cryopreservation (48.9% for INRA 96; 38.6% for EZ Mixin OF; P < 0.0001). Glycerol at 4% in freezing medium yielded the highest post-thaw motility, significantly better than 2% ( P < 0.05). Three of four stallions had significantly higher post-thaw motility using INRA 96 relative to EZ Mixin OF ( P < 0.01), and two of four stallions had significantly higher post-thaw motility using 4% glycerol ( P < 0.05). The combination of INRA 96 and 4% glycerol in freezing medium gave the highest average post-thaw motility of 51.5%.
Conclusion   In this study, INRA 96 combined with 4% glycerol yielded an average recovery of progressively motile sperm consistently above the 35% target.