Legal regulations and practical implementation of inspection of slaughter animals and their meat, concerning fur-bearing game

Meat regulations also involve game inspection. This publication deals with the regulations concerning furred game intended for slaughter and furred game hunted for food.     

A test for interaction between brown trout (Salmo trutta) and inanga (Galaxias maculatus) in an artificial stream

Abstract –  The interaction between brown trout ( Salmo trutta ; fork length (FL) range 255–390 mm) and inanga ( Galaxias maculatus ; FL range 55–115 mm) was tested during summer through autumn in an artificial stream consisting of a single run-riffle-pool sequence with a natural food supply. Each experimental trial lasted for 15 days, and consisted of two brown trout and 50 inanga collected fresh from a nearby stream, with each species given prior residence in four replicate tests, totalling eight trials in all. In addition, two control trials (each 10 days), with 50 inanga in each, were run. Brown trout almost exclusively occupied the pool, whereas inanga occupied all habitat types, although in different proportions, when tested with and without brown trout. The proportion of inanga in the pool was appreciably lower in the experimental trials with brown trout than in the control trials with no brown trout; prior residence had no significant effect on inanga habitat use. Mortality of inanga attributable to predation by brown trout ranged from 0 to 40% with a mean of 14.5 ± 4.7%. The results suggest that habitat use and survival of inanga populations in small streams can be adversely affected by brown trout.     

The effects of straw disposal and depth of cultivation on the growth, nutrient uptake and yield of winter wheat on a clay and a silt soil

Abstract. Experiments were conducted for one year on two different soil types. On a clay soil straw was either (a) burnt, (b) baled leaving the stubble, or (c) chopped and spread. The soil was tine cultivated to depths of 5, 10 or 15 cm or ploughed to 20 or 30 cm before winter wheat was sown conventionally. In addition, a direct-drilled crop was sown after each straw treatment. On a silt loam soil the direct-drilled, tine cultivated to 15 cm and ploughed to 30 cm treatments following burning or chopping and spreading straw were repeated.
Tine cultivation incorporated less straw than ploughing, decreased plant establishment and early growth but did not decrease yield. Direct-drilling through chopped straw decreased yield on the silt loam but not on the clay soil. Short straw (< 5 cm) was easier to incorporate than longer straw. Ploughing was the most efficient method of straw incorporation because it inverts soil. Early effects on crop growth and nutrient uptake following straw incorporation were transient and associated with large amounts of straw in the seeded layer of soil.     

Phospholipid content of subcellular structures in skeletal muscles after halothane loading in Landrace swine in relation to mating variants and genotype

Membraneous phospholipids of subcellular structures were determined from the musculature of German Landrace pigs of the GDR, following exposure to halothane. Mating variants A (H+ male X H+ female), B (H+ male X H- female), and C (H- male X H+ female) were used for positive responders (MHS), while variants B, C, and D (H- male X H- female) were used for negative responders (MHN). Four phospholipid fractions were recorded from the muscle samples for mitochondria and microsomes (according to SR section). Differences between the MHS and MHN groups for the above fractions and without consideration of mating variants and genotype were not observed, although unambiguous responses were exhibited by all animals, either positive or negative to halothan. Significant differences with regard to the above phospholipid fractions were recordable only for variant A (MHS group) as compared to D (MHN), in other words, for the homozygous genotypes, once the above results had been rearranged within MHS and MHN along with different mating variants and genotypes. However, no unambiguous results were obtainable for the heterozygous genotypes of mating variants B and C. Possible underlying reasons are discussed in some detail. The results obtained from mating variants A and D are likely to confirm earlier findings and seem to suggest that the sarcoplasmic reticulum is the primary site of origin of susceptibility to halothane or malignant hyperthermia.     

Effect of pelleting and beta-glucanase supplementation on the ileal and fecal digestibility of a barley-based diet in the pig

The influences of pelleting and beta-glucanase supplementation on the digestibility of dietary components in a barley-based diet were investigated in pigs fitted with cannulas in the terminal ileum. The diet contained 49.0% starch, 18.9% crude protein and 14.8% dietary fiber, with arabinoxylans (4.9%), mixed-linked beta-glucans (3.4%) and cellulose (3.3%) as the main fiber components. Pelleting increased mixed-linked beta-glucan solubility from 45 to 62%. Neither treatment influenced the ileal or fecal apparent digestibilities of dry matter (64 and 80%, respectively), energy (62 and 79%), crude protein (53 and 75%), crude fat (26 and 27%) or dietary fiber (58 and 72%). However, pelleting increased (P less than .01) the pre-ileal apparent digestibility of starch from 91.5 to 95.3% and decreased (P less than .03) that of ash from -10 to -23%, while increasing (P less than .005) the fecal apparent digestibility of starch from 98.6 to 99.7%. The solubility of mixed-linked beta-glucans in ileal digesta was lower (P less than .001) in pelleted (26%) than in unpelleted (58%) diets. beta-glucanase supplementation also increased (P less than .05) the ileal apparent digestibility of starch, from 92.6 to 94.3%, and of mixed-linked beta-glucans, from 95.7 to 97.1%. Significant between-pig differences in the apparent digestibility of dietary components were observed. In conclusion, treatments that disrupt the endosperm cell walls in barley can increase the proportion of the diet digested prior to the large intestine.     

P‐33 Poxvirus infection in two cats

A 3‐year‐old Burmese cat was presented with a history of nonresolving crusted and papular lesions of the face and prior treatment with prednisolone. Skin biopsies revealed typical pox lesions with hyperplasia and ulceration of the epidermis and eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in the epidermal cells. In the upper dermis there was prominent diffuse mast cell infiltration and mild neutrophilic and eosinophilic inflammation. Rare cytoplasmic inclusion bodies were also present in swollen endothelial cells of dermal venules, which showed no other degenerative changes. Histological diagnosis was confirmed by electron microscopic evidence of pox virus particles in inclusion bodies of epidermal cells. The lesions resolved within 6 weeks with systemic antibiotic therapy and supportive care. A 2‐year‐old domestic short‐haired cat was presented with multiple disseminated papular and ulcerative pox lesions with central eschar over the entire body. Histologically, large epidermal inclusion bodies (up to 6 μm in diameter) were present. Widespread haemorrhage and vascular wall necrosis was visible in the dermis and subcutis. Some subcutaneous vessels showed neutrophilic vasculitis. In addition to diffuse dermal neutrophilic and eosinophilic inflammation, a lymphohistiocytic panniculitis was also present. The cat died as a result of massive haemorrhage and lymphedema, despite supportive care. Funding: Self‐funded.     

Immunocytochemical study of tissues from clinically normal dogs and of neoplasms, using keratin monoclonal antibodies.

Three commonly used keratin monoclonal antibodies (MAB)--AE1:AE3, CAM 5.2, and MAK-6--were compared with routinely used cytokeratin antibody. The expression of these antibodies was analyzed in several tissues obtained from clinically normal dogs and in a variety of neoplasms from dogs. Using appropriate enzymatic digestion, paraffin-embedded tissues processed in routine manner retained their typical keratin expression. Differentiated and poorly differentiated epithelial neoplasms, lymphomas, and melanomas were studied by use of the avidin-biotin-peroxidase technique. All 4 of the aforementioned antibodies had similar staining profiles. Of 3 anaplastic carcinomas, 2 had positive reaction to all 4 antibodies. All lymphomas, plasma cell tumors, and amelanotic melanomas had negative reaction to MAK-6, CAM 5.2, AE1:AE3, and cytokeratin MAB. Three basal cell epitheliomas had positive reaction to all 4 antibodies, whereas 1 basal cell tumor with a solid pattern had negative staining reaction. Two carcinoids had negative reaction to all markers and 1 of 2 malignant chemodectomas and 1 transitional cell carcinoma had staining reaction to only AE1:AE3 MAB. Comparing the 4 antibodies, use of AE1:AE3 MAB produced the strongest staining intensity followed by cytokeratin, MAK-6, and CAM 5.2 MAB. All 4 antibodies had low background staining. In conclusion, AE1:AE3 and MAK-6 MAB are as useful as cytokeratin MAB for identification of poorly differentiated epithelial neoplasms in dogs and cats.