Age Dependent Resistance to Transmissible Gastroenteritis of Swine (TGE) I. Clinical Signs and Some Mucosal Dimensions in Small Intestine

Pigs were exposed to transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) virus when three days old or when 21 days old. Diarrhea was earliest in onset, most frequent, most profuse and most prolonged in the youngest group. Pigs exposed when three days old also had a higher case fatality rate than those exposed when 21 days old. The histological response of both groups to exposure was atrophy of villi and hyperplasia of crypts in jejunum and ileum. However, from days three to seven post-exposure, when most fatalities occurred in the younger group, atrophy of villi was both more intensive and extensive in the younger group. Hyperplasia of crypts was also greater and more prolonged in the younger group. Regeneration of atrophic villi was more rapid in jejunum than ileum in both groups. Results were interpreted to indicate two populations, with different rates of regeneration, in the 21-day old group. Based on this interpretation, regeneration of villi was more rapid in one population from the 21-day old group than in the three-day old group.

The length of villi and depth of crypts in control pigs varied longitudinally (i.e. from site to site) in the intestine, within each age group. Length of villi and depth of crypts in control pigs also varied with age.

     

A study of the heterogeneity of isolates of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae from sheep in New Zealand.

To investigate the heterogeneity of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, sixty isolates from three sheep on each of twenty farms were examined by restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) and SDS-PAGE. All were found to be different except for three isolates obtained from one farm. The protein and REA patterns of individual isolates were both highly reproducible and remained unchanged following long term passage (approximately 400 generations) in vitro. No plasmids were detected in the twelve strains which were examined and when two isolates were co-cultured in vitro, no genetic interchange, as judged by changes in REA patterns were detected. Since the heterogeneity of M. ovipneumoniae when examined by SDS-PAGE is too great to allow groups to be recognised, it could be advantageous for this purpose if only surface proteins were compared. As a preliminary step to this end we have identified several surface proteins of M. ovipneumoniae and found that some are common to all strains, one surface protein was shared by five of the eight strains examined and another was unique to one strain. This approach has the potential to allow the recognition of grouping of M. ovipneumoniae isolates.     

The pyrethrins and related compounds; Part XXIII:Kinetic control in the formation of pyrethroidal estersb

The unequal amounts of the two diastereomers of (RS)-1-(3-phenoxyphenyl)ethyl (RS)-2-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-methylbutyrate, obtained from equimolar proportions of the alcohol and acyl chloride under normal conditions, imply stereoselectivity in the reaction. The extent to which this depends on the nature of the α-substituent for arange of 3-phenoxybenzyl esters, on the nature of the acid, and on the method of esterification is investigated. Selectivity arises from kinetic, rather than thermodynamic control.     

Evaluation of multiple reticulorumen selenium pellets as a health risk in growing Hereford steers.

Five groups of Hereford steers were monitored for 293 days. One group of 3 was not given selenium supplementation; the other 4 groups of 3 steers each were given 2, 4, 6, or 8 reticulorumen selenium pellets. Health, body weight, and blood selenium concentration were monitored during the study. At the finish, steers were slaughtered, and various tissues from the carcasses were analyzed for selenium content. Initial blood selenium concentration did not differ significantly among groups. However, significant (alpha = 0.01) difference among means was detected during the early period of rapid increase in blood selenium concentration in steers of supplemented groups. Means of maximal blood selenium concentration also differed among groups; however, even the highest value, 0.253 micrograms/g, was lower than the 3 micrograms/ml reported in chronic clinical cases of toxicosis in the literature. Carcass analysis indicated significant (alpha = 0.05) differences in selenium concentrations among treatment groups for almost all tissues tested. Only kidney samples (7.9 micrograms/g) from steers of the 8-pellet treatment group exceeded published normal values (7.6 micrograms/g). Health variables for most dates were not significantly different among groups, and selenium toxicosis was not evident in any steer. Analysis did not indicate risk to human beings consuming tissues from these steers.     

Effect of dietary L-carnitine on growth performance and body composition in nursery and growing-finishing pigs.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of dietary L-carnitine on growth performance and carcass composition of nursery and growing-finishing pigs. In Exp. 1,216 weanling pigs (initially 4.9 kg and 19 to 23 d of age) were used in a 35-d growth trial. Pigs were blocked by weight in a randomized complete block design (six pigs per pen and six pens per treatment). Four barrows and four gilts were used to determine initial carcass composition. L-Carnitine replaced ground corn in the control diets to provide 250, 500, 750, 1,000, or 1,250 ppm. On d 35, three barrows and three gilts per treatment (one pig/block) were killed to provide carcass compositions. L-Carnitine had no effect (P > 0.10) on growth, percentages of carcass CP and lipid, or daily protein accretion. However, daily lipid accretion tended to decrease and then return to values similar to those for control pigs (quadratic P < 0.10) with increasing dietary L-carnitine. In Exp. 2, 96 crossbred pigs (initially 34.0 kg BW) were used to investigate the effect of increasing dietary L-carnitine in growing-finishing pigs. Pigs (48 barrows and 48 gilts) were blocked by weight and sex in a randomized complete block design (two pigs/pen and eight pens/treatment). Dietary L-carnitine replaced cornstarch in the control diet to provide 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 ppm in grower (34 to 56.7 kg; 1.0% lysine) and finisher (56.7 to 103 kg; 0.80% lysine) diets. At 103 kg, one pig/pen was slaughtered, and standard carcass measurements were obtained. Dietary L-carnitine did not influence growth performance (P > 0.10). However, increasing dietary carnitine decreased average and tenth-rib back-fat (quadratic, P < 0.10 and 0.05), and increased percentage lean and daily CP accretion rate (quadratic, P < 0.05). Break point analysis projected the optimal dosage to be between 49 and 64 ppm of L-carnitine for these carcass traits. It is concluded that dietary carnitine fed during the nursery or growing-finishing phase had no effect on growth performance; however, feeding 49 to 64 ppm of L-carnitine during the growing-finishing phase increased CP accretion and decreased tenth-rib backfat.