The histological observations on the large intestine of the goose (Anser anser) during the pre- and post-hatching periods

The development of the cecum and colon in the goose was investigated during the period from the 15th to 28th day of the incubation and from 1 to 30 days of age after hatching by light microscopy. By day 15 of the incubation, in the cecum and colon, the lumen was surrounded by pseudostratified epithelium. The previllous ridges appeared at 15th and 17th days of the incubation in the colon and ceca, respectively. At the base of previllous ridges, the epithelium changed into a simple prismathic epithelium at 15th and 17th days of the incubation in the colon and cecum, respectively. The villi appeared at the 21st days of the incubation. The crypts and goblet cells appeared on the first day after hatching. In the pre-hatching period, the lamina muscularis mucosa was present only in the colon. The submucosa consisted of loosely aggregated connective tissue in the pre-hatching period. In the post-hatching period, it consisted of a very thin layer of connective tissue. Its presence was only obvious where the cells of the submucosal nerve plexus or occasional large blood vessels considerably increased its thickness. The nerve plexus corresponding to the Auerbach's plexus of the mammalian intestine and submucosal nerve plexus appeared by 15th days of the incubation. From the 15th to 28th day of incubation, the tunica muscularis consisted of circular smooth muscle cells in the ceca. On the 28th day of the incubation a thinner longitudinal muscle layer added to the circular muscle layer. In the colon there was an outer longitudinal and a thicker circular muscle layer.     

Campylobacter colonization in poultry: sources of infection and modes of transmission

Since its recognition as a human pathogen in the early 1970s, Campylobacter jejuni has now emerged as the leading bacterial cause of food-borne gastroenteritis in developed countries. Poultry, particularly chickens, account for the majority of human infections caused by Campylobacter. Reduction or elimination of this pathogen in the poultry reservoir is an essential step in minimizing the public health problem; however, farm-based intervention measures are still not available because of the lack of understanding of the ecological aspects of C. jejuni on poultry farms. Although Campylobacter is highly prevalent in poultry production systems, how poultry flocks become infected with this organism is still unknown. Many investigations indicate that horizontal transmission from environmental sources is the primary route of flock infections by Campylobacter. However, some recent studies also suggest the possibility of vertical transmission from breeder to progeny flocks. The transmission of the organism is not well understood, but it is likely to be through both vertical and horizontal transmission and may be affected by the immune status of the poultry host and the environmental conditions in the production system. Intervention strategies for Campylobacter infection in poultry should consider the complex nature of its transmission and may require the use of multiple approaches that target different segments of the poultry production system.     

Protective effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on rotenone-induced myocardial oxidative injury

Rotenone, an insecticide, causes toxicity through inhibition of mitochondrial electron transport chain at complex I and oxidative injury to the tissues. The aim of the present study was to determine in vivo effects of rotenone on myocardium and cardio-protective effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), an antioxidant agent, against rotenone toxicity in rats. The rats were divided into three groups: untreated control, rotenone (2.5 mg/kg/day for 60 days, i.p.) and rotenone + CAPE groups. CAPE was administrated i.p. 10 μmol/kg/day for 62 days started two days before first dose rotenone injection. The malondialdehyde, nitric oxide levels and xanthine oxidase activity of rotenone group was significantly higher than control and rotenone + CAPE groups (p < 0.05). However, catalase activity in the rotenone group was decreased in comparison with the other groups (p < 0.05). The superoxide dismutase activity of rotenone group was insignificantly decreased compared to the others. In conclusion, rotenone caused lipid peroxidation in myocardial tissue and CAPE treatment prevented this rotenone-induced lipid peroxidation in rats. CAPE might be a cardio-protective agent against myocardial toxicities.     

Prevalence of tetracycline-resistant Campylobacter in organic broilers during a production cycle

Tetracycline (tet) resistance in Campylobacter isolated from organically raised broilers was investigated in this study. Two hundred forty-five samples from an organic broiler farm were collected weekly from the first week to the end of the production cycle, and they were cultured for thermophilic Campylobacter. Tetracycline resistance of these Campylobacter isolates was identified by the agar dilution method, whereas DNA fingerprinting profiles of tet-susceptible and tet-resistant strains were determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). None of the Campylobacter isolates from the third and the fourth week of the production period were resistant to tetracycline, whereas 66.7% of the isolates from the fifth week were resistant to this antibiotic. Although the prevalence of tetracycline resistance reached 100.0% during the sixth and seventh week, less than 34.0% of the isolates from the 10th week were resistant to this antimicrobial agent. In addition, only 13.8% of Campylobacter isolates from the intestinal tracts of these organically raised broilers were resistant to tetracycline. The presence of the tet(O) gene was detected in 98.9% of tet-resistant Campylobacter isolates, and tet-susceptible and tet-resistant Campylobacter strains showed distinct PFGE genotypes. The results suggest that the Campylobacter strains isolated from the early stage of the production were susceptible to tetracycline, but they were subsequently displaced by tet-resistant Campylobacter.     

A simple way to reduce heat stress in laying hens as judged by egg laying, body weight gain and biochemical parameters

This study was designed to test the effects of feed withdrawal and darkening on the performance, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and some blood serum metabolite and mineral concentrations of laying hens reared at high ambient temperatures ranging from 25 to 35 degrees C. Ninety, 16-week-old hens (Ross Brown) were divided into 3 groups, 30 hens each. The first group was used as control. Hens in the second group (feed withdrawal) were subjected to feed removal from 14:00 to 18:00, and hens in the third group (darkening) were subjected to light restriction from 14:00 to 18:00 using black curtains. Liveweight, feed intake, and egg production were higher (P < 0.01) in the feed withdrawal and darkening groups, particularly in the darkening group, than in the control. Water intake was higher in the control group compared with the feed withdrawal and darkening groups (P < 0.01). T3, T4, and TSH concentrations in the serum were higher (P < 0.01), whereas ACTH serum concentration was lower (P < 0.01) in the feed withdrawal and darkening groups compared with the control. The haematocrit was higher in the feed withdrawal and darkening groups compared with the control (P < 0.01). Darkening and feed withdrawal treatments increased serum glucose, urea-N, uric acid, albumin, triglyceride, cholesterol, Ca, P, Na, and K concentrations, also the activities of amylase and alkaline phosphatase, but did not influence the activities of serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT). The present study found that feed withdrawal and darkening, particularly darkening, at high temperatures during the summer months offer a good management practice to reduce heat stress related depression in feed intake and egg production in laying hens.     

Variations in mineral element concentrations of poultry manure biochar obtained at different pyrolysis temperatures,and their effects on crop growth and mineral nutrition

The effect of pyrolysis temperature on the nutritional quality of agricultural biochar is unclear, so better understanding of its properties and how it affects soil nutrient availability and plant growth is needed. Biochars obtained at different pyrolysis temperatures (250, 300, 350 and 400 °C) were characterized by thermogravimetric analyser and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Biochars were applied at a rate of 10 g/kg to find out their effects on the mineral nutrition and growth of lettuce. The experimental results suggested that high biochar temperatures caused oxidation of the mineral elements, breaking of C–C and C–H bonds and removal of aliphatic and peptide groups from the pyrolysed materials. The total concentrations of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and boron (B) were increased by increasing pyrolysis temperatures, although water‐soluble concentrations of those elements were greatly reduced (with the exception of K and B). Compared to the control, dry weights of lettuce and maize crops were significantly increased by the biochar treatments obtained at 300 and 350 °C. Biochar treatments significantly increased the P and K concentrations of both plants compared to the control, while concentrations of Ca and Mg in lettuce plants were decreased. Iron, Mn and B concentration of the lettuce plants were reduced and Zn concentration of maize increased by the biochar treatments. It was concluded that in terms of an agricultural product, biochars produced at low temperature are better.     

Yield response of wheat and barley to inoculation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria at various levels of nitrogen fertilization

The yield response of a wheat (Kirik) and a barley (Tokak 157/37) cultivar to inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense Sp246 and Bacillus sp. OSU‐142 was studied in relation to three levels of N fertilization (0, 40, and 80 kg ha^–1) under field conditions in Erzurum, Turkey, in 1999 and 2000. Seed inoculation with A. brasilense Sp246 significantly affected yield and yield components, both in wheat and barley. On average of years and N doses, inoculation with A. brasilense Sp246 increased spike number per m², grain number per spike, grain yield, and crude protein content by 7.2, 5.9, 14.7, and 4.1 % in wheat and by 6.6, 8.1, 17.5, and 5.1 % in barley, respectively, as compared to control. Inoculation with Bacillus sp. OSU‐142 significantly increased kernel number per spike in wheat, but no significant effect was determined in the other characteristics. Grain yields and yield components were also higher at all levels of nitrogen fertilizer in the inoculated plots as compared to the control. However, these increases diminished at high fertilizer levels. These results suggest that application of the growth promoting bacteria A. brasilense Sp246 may have the potential to be used as a biofertilizer for spring wheat and barley cultivation in organic and low‐N input agriculture.     

Immunochemical screening and liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric confirmation of drug residues in edible tissues of calves injected with a therapeutic dose of the synthetic glucocorticoids dexamethasone and flumethasone

A field study was performed to assess the drug residue level in edible tissues after a therapeutic application of the synthetic glucocorticoids dexamethasone and flumethasone. Three diseased calves were injected intramuscularly with a commercial batch of dexamethasone esters and slaughtered 72 h after treatment. Another three calves were injected intramuscularly with an aqueous flumethasone preparation and slaughtered 24 h later. Residues of synthetic glucocorticoids in liver, muscle, kidney, and urine were assessed by competitive enzyme immunoassay. All dexamethasone concentrations exceeded the maximal residue level of 0.75 microg/kg in muscle and kidney and 2 microg/kg in the liver. The presence of both dexamethasone and flumethasone in the liver was confirmed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). These results indicate that liver tissue provides a suitable matrix to monitor the presence of illegal residues of synthetic glucocorticoids in slaughtered animals.