Effects of feeding diets containing low crude protein and coarse wheat bran as alternatives to zinc oxide in nursery pig diets

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of crude protein (CP) level in diets containing coarse wheat bran (CWB) with or without pharmacological levels of Zn (provided by zinc oxide: ZnO) on growth performance and fecal DM of nursery pigs. In experiment 1, 360 barrows (Line 200 × 400, DNA, Columbus, NE, initially 5.6 kg) were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments from d 0 to 21 after weaning with 5 pigs per pen and 12 pens per treatment. Treatments included a positive control diet (21% CP) with 3,000 mg/kg Zn in phase 1 and 2,000 mg/kg in phase 2; negative control (21% CP) with 110 mg/kg added Zn, and 4 diets containing 4% CWB and 110 mg/kg added Zn formulated to contain 21%, 19.5%, 18%, or 16.5% CP. The 2 control diets and 21% CP CWB diet contained 1.40% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys in phase 1 and 1.35% SID Lys in phase 2, while the 19.5%, 18%, and 16.5% CP diets contained 1.33, 1.25 and 1.20% Lys, respectively, in both phases. Pigs fed the positive control diet containing pharmacological ZnO had increased (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F compared with the negative control and the 21% CP CWB diet. Reducing CP (concurrently with SID Lys) in diets containing CWB decreased ADG and G:F (linear, P = 0.002); however, fecal DM increased (linear, P = 0.005). In experiment 2, two groups of 300 and 350 pigs, initially 7.0 and 6.2 kg, respectively, were used with 5 pigs per pen and 26 pens per treatment. The objective was to determine if adding back essential AA would improve growth performance of pigs fed the low CP diets. All dietary treatments were fed for 13 days, contained 4% CWB, and consisted of: (1) positive control with 2,000 mg/kg of Zn and 21% CP (1.35% SID Lys); (2) no ZnO and 21% CP; and 3 diets with no ZnO formulated to 18% CP and (3) 1.2% SID Lys; (4) 1.35% SID Lys by the addition of feed grade amino acids (AA), and (5) diet 4 with non-essential amino acids (NEAA; Gly and Glu). Pigs fed 21% CP with ZnO had increased (P = 0.001) ADG compared to those fed 18% CP (1.35% SID Lys) with high levels of feed grade amino acids or those fed the reduced SID Lys (1.2%) diet. Overall, G:F was improved (P < 0.001) for pigs fed 21% CP diets and those fed the 18% CP diet with NEAA compared to pigs fed 1.2% SID Lys and pigs fed high levels of feed grade amino acids. Fecal DM was increased for pigs fed the reduced SID Lys diet. In summary, pharmacological levels of Zn improve pig growth performance, but reducing CP (and subsequently SID Lys) decreased nursery pig growth performance.     

SARS-CoV-2 natural infection in animals: a systematic review of studies and case reports and series

COVID-19 pandemic is essentially a zoonotic disease. In this context, early in 2020, transmission from humans to certain animals began reporting; the number of studies has grown since. To estimate the pooled prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 natural infection in animals and to determine differences in prevalence between countries, years, animal types and diagnostic methods (RT-PCR or serological tests). A systematic literature review with meta-analysis using eight databases. Observational studies were included but analyzed separately. We performed a random-effects model meta-analysis to calculate the pooled prevalence and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for prevalence studies and case series. After the screening, 65 reports were selected for full-text assessment and included for qualitative and quantitative analyses. A total of 24 reports assessed SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-PCR, combining a total of 321,785 animals, yielding a pooled prevalence of 12.3% (95% CI 11.6%–13.0%). Also, a total of 17 studies additionally assessed serological response against SARS-CoV-2, including nine by ELISA, four by PRTN, one by MIA, one by immunochromatography (rest, two studies, the method was not specified), combining a total of 5319 animals, yielding a pooled prevalence of 29.4% (95% CI 22.9%–35.9%). A considerable proportion of animals resulted infected by SARS-CoV-2, ranking minks among the highest value, followed by dogs and cats. Further studies in other animals are required to define the extent and importance of natural infection due to SARS-CoV-2. These findings have multiple implications for public human and animal health. One Health approach in this context is critical for prevention and control.     

Use of an absorbable haemostatic gauze product to control bleeding in 20 horses

The objective of this study was to report our experience with an absorbable haemostatic gauze product in 20 horses with traumatic or surgical haemorrhage. The product is made from oxidised, regenerated cellulose (ORC) and is approved for external use and currently being studied to control internal bleeding in surgical settings in human subjects. Treated horses were from both practice and university settings. Signalment, anatomic location, underlying cause of bleeding and outcome were recorded in the medical record. The size of gauze, approximate time until bleeding stopped, and pre- and post-ORC adjunctive treatments were also recorded. The ORC was used in a variety of anatomic locations, including castration site, foot, flank incisions, distal limb, tooth extraction sites and the perineal region. The bleeding stopped or slowed dramatically within 90 s in 15 of 20 cases. There were no recorded complications in any of the cases. While this clinical report does not attempt to prove efficacy of the product in horses, it does show that this ORC product, which has been approved for use as a haemostatic agent in human subjects, is safe and of practical value, and may be a useful and viable option for the control of haemorrhage in a variety of equine clinical settings.     

The occurrence of Fusarium varieties and their mycotoxins in silo corn. 2. The formation of zearalenone in the field by artificial infection of silo corn with Fusarium culmorum (W. G. Smith) Sacc

The formation of zearalenone in a maize plot artificially infected with Fusarium culmorum was studied. The zearalenone concentration steeply increased only in the 8th week after inoculation and reached a maximum value of ca. 7 ppm, whereas zearalenone could not be detected in the control variants. The crude nutrient and dry matter content was not significantly influenced by the fungal infection. The infected crop showed average ear dry weights distinctly lower than that of the control variants (P less than or equal to 0.001). Apart from zearalenone, the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol was qualitatively detected in the infected maize. The toxicological relevance of the ascertained zearalenone content with regard to the health of dairy cattle and pigs was discussed.     

Leukoencephalomalacia in a horse induced by fumonisin B1 isolated from Fusarium moniliforme

Each of two horses was dosed by stomach tube with culture material on maize of Fusarium moniliforme MRC 826. One horse developed severe hepatosis and mild oedema of the brain after 6 doses of 2.5 g of culture material/kg body mass/day in 7 days. The second horse, in a similar experiment but at a dosage rate of 1.25 g/kg/day, developed mild hepatosis and moderate oedema of the brain. In both animals the brain oedema was particularly noticeable in the medulla oblongata. The mycotoxin fumonisin B1 was extracted and purified from the culture material of F. moniliforme MRC, 826 which contained approximately 1 g/kg of this compound. A horse was injected intravenously 7 times from Day 0-Day 9 with 0.125 mg of fumonisin B1/kg body mass/day. Clinical signs of neurotoxicosis, which appeared on Day 8, included nervousness followed by apathy, a wide-based stance, trembling, ataxia, reluctance to move, paresis of the lower lip and tongue, and an inability to eat or drink. Euthanasia was performed on the horse on Day 10 while the animal was in a tetanic convulsion. The principal lesions were severe oedema of the brain and early, bilaterally symmetrical, focal necrosis in the medulla oblongata. This report provides experimental evidence that fumonisin B1, produced by F. moniliforme, causes equine leukoencephalomalacia.     

Two-dimensional echocardiography for diagnosis of dirofilariasis in nine dogs

Two-dimensional echocardiography (real-time ultrasonography) of the heart was used to detect adult Dirofilaria immitis in the right ventricle and atrium of a 2-year-old Labrador Retriever with occult heartworm disease and in 8 microfilaremic dogs. Adult worms were easily identified as parallel echogenic lines separated by a hypoechoic region. Images of worms fixed in formalin after recovery from dogs with experimentally induced heartworm infection had an identical appearance. The sensitivity of this imaging procedure was tested on the 8 dogs with naturally acquired infection, and worms were observed in the right ventricle of 7 of the dogs. Two-dimensional echocardiography appears to be a sensitive noninvasive procedure, which can be used in combination with thoracic radiography and serotests to improve accuracy of diagnosis of canine occult heartworm disease.     

Neodymium:yttrium, aluminum, and garnet laser energy delivered transsclerally to the ciliary body of dogs

Using a hand-held optical fiber, a surgical neodymium:yttrium, aluminum, and garnet laser was used transsclerally on the left ciliary body of 25 dogs. Dogs were assigned to groups and were given low (100 J) and high (238 J) energy levels. In 12 dogs given 100-J energy, the intraocular pressure decreased a mean value of 6 mm of Hg below that in the untreated right eye. However, intraocular pressure returned to the pretreatment value 1 week after treatment. Intraocular lesions were not found by histologic examination 28 days later. In the second group of 13 dogs treated with 238-J energy, 6 were euthanatized 7 days after treatment and 7 were euthanatized 28 days after treatment. A mean decrease in intraocular pressure of 10 mm of Hg in the treated left eye, relative to the untreated right eye, persisted throughout the evaluation period. In eyes examined histologically 7 days after treatment, ciliary hemorrhage and necrosis were prominent. Other histologic changes were minimal and consisted principally of iris stromal hemorrhage. Of 7 dogs examined for 28 days after treatment, 6 remained sighted; in 1 dog, extensive intraocular hemorrhage occurred, eventually resulting in phthisis bulbi. Ciliary atrophy and fibrosis were the important histologic lesions observed 28 days after treatment. Laser energy delivered transsclerally by this optical system effectively induced ciliary necrosis and may be an effective treatment for canine glaucoma.