Effects of continuous low dose infusion of lipopolysaccharide on inflammatory responses,milk production and milk quality in dairy cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of continuous low dose infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on inflammatory responses and milk production and quality in lactating dairy cows. Eight Holstein cows were assigned to two treatments in a cross‐over experimental design. Cows were infused intravenously either with saline solution or with saline solution containing LPS from Escherichia coli O111:B4 at a dose of 0.01 μg LPS/kg body weight for approximately 6 hr each day during a seven‐day trial. The clinical symptoms and milk production performance were observed. Milk samples were analysed for conventional components, fatty acids and amino acids. And jugular vein and mammary vein plasma samples were analysed for concentrations of cytokines and acute phase proteins. LPS infusion decreased feed intake and milk yield. An increase in body temperature was observed after LPS infusion. LPS infusion also increased plasma concentrations of interleukin‐1β, serum amyloid A, LPS‐binding protein, C‐reactive protein and haptoglobin. LPS infusion decreased the contents of some fatty acids, such as C17:1, C18:0, C18:1n9 (trans) and C18:2n6 (trans), and most amino acids except for methionine, threonine, histidine, cysteine, tyrosine and proline in the milk. The results indicated that a continued low dose infusion of LPS can induce an inflammatory response, decrease milk production and reduce milk quality.     

Effects of oral administration of different dosages of carvacrol essential oils on intestinal barrier function in broilers

Essential oils are widely used in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries, and many plant essential oils have shown that they have positive effects on broilers nutrition. This experiment was conducted to study the effects of orally administered different dosages of carvacrol essential oils on intestinal barrier function in broiler chickens. A total of eighty 28‐day‐old (1.28 ± 0.15 kg) ROSS 308 broilers were randomly allocated to four groups of 20 replicates each, with one chicken per replicate per cage, and all were fed with the same diet. Four experimental groups were orally administered 0, 200, 300 or 400 μl carvacrol essential oils at 18:00 hr every day during the 2‐week experimental period. As a result of which, the gene expression of the occludin, claudin‐1, claudin‐5, ZO‐1 and ZO‐2 in intestinal mucosa of small intestine (p < 0.05) and the goblet cell content in small intestine epithelium (p < 0.05) were significantly increased; test subjects with 300 or 400 μl carvacrol essential oils reduced the microbial counts of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli in the intestines (p < 0.05); Essential oils administration also significantly increased activity of the sucrase (p < 0.05) and lactase (p < 0.05) in intestinal mucosa. In conclusion, the carvacrol essential oils have positive effects on growth performance and intestinal barriers function of broilers; those effects may be related to the dosage, as administration of 300 or 400 μl was more effective than that of 200 μl.     

Bovine foetal sex determination—Different DNA extraction and amplification approaches for efficient livestock production

Foetal sex determination using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in mammals is based on the amplification of gender‐specific foetal DNA sequences circulating in maternal blood. The bovine synepitheliochorial placenta does not allow a direct contact between the trophoblast and the maternal blood, resulting in difficult passage of foetal DNA and, consequently, its very small amounts in maternal bloodstream. Circulating cell‐free foetal DNA (ccffDNA) encompasses short nucleotide fragments (300–600 bp) in maternal circulation. The aim of this study was to assess this non‐invasive method in accurate prenatal sexing in early and late gestational periods in comparison with ultrasound diagnostics. As various DNA isolation and amplification methods were tested, their success in obtaining reliable results was evaluated. Two groups were tested, each consisting of 20 pregnant cows. Blood of a bull and a non‐pregnant heifer was the controls. Extraction of foetal DNA was accomplished by three different methods: using tubes with silicone membranes, a single‐tube extraction without silicone membranes and phenol–chloroform extraction. Following each extraction method, foetal DNA was amplified using PCR and real‐time PCR with both bAML and TSPY primers in a separate reaction. Positive results were obtained only after amplification of foetal DNA extracted with a single‐tube extraction kit. In comparison with ultrasound examination results and foetal gender recorded at birth, the sensitivity of the PCR test was 90% in Group I, but the technique failed to detect male foetuses in Group II. The real‐time PCR test sensitivity in Group I was 90% and in Group II 91.6%.     

Comparative expression profile of microRNAs and piRNAs in three ruminant species testes using next‐generation sequencing

microRNA (miRNA) and piwi‐interacting RNA (piRNA) are two classes small non‐coding regulatory RNAs that play crucial roles in multiple biological processes such as spermatogenesis. However, there are no published studies on conjoint analysis of miRNA and piRNA profiles among cattle, yak and their interspecies (the dzo) using sequencing technology. Next‐generation sequencing technology was used to profile miRNAs and piRNAs among those three ruminants to elucidate their functions. A total of 119, 14 and six differentially expressed miRNAs were obtained in cattle vs. dzo, cattle vs. yak and yak vs. dzo comparison groups, while there were 873, 1,065 and 1,158 differentially expressed piRNAs in those three comparison groups. The expression of three miRNAs was validated in the three ruminants, and the results suggested that the miRNA expression profiles data could represent actual miRNA expression levels. Moreover, the putative targets of differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted by their own genome, it is worth to note that both the cattle and yak genome were used for dzo, then the targets were subjected to GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis, revealing the likely roles for these differentially expressed miRNAs in spermatogenesis. In conclusion, this study provided a useful resource for further elucidation of the miRNAs and piRNAs regulatory roles in spermatogenesis. It may also facilitate the development of therapeutic strategies for dzo reproduction research.     

Caecal intussusceptions and typhlocolitis in horses with severe Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus infestation

The intestinal trematode Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus (G. aegyptiacus) has been recognised in equids around the world for many years, but its pathogenicity is yet to be confirmed. This report describes seven cases of severe G. aegyptiacus infestation, including six cases of caecal intussusception.     

陕西省榆林市某鸡场家禽H7N9流感紧急流行病学调查

2017年5月21日,陕西省榆林市某养殖场的蛋鸡出现异常死亡。经国家参考实验室确诊,该起疫情为H7N9流感疫情。为找出引发疫情的可能原因,采用描述性流行病学方法,描述疫情的三间分布,分析发病的风险因素。调查结果显示:该场饲养规模较大,共有8栋鸡舍,饲养4.5万只蛋鸡;疫情暴发突然,病程仅为5 d;蛋鸡死亡2.2万只,死亡率为48.9%;疫情具有明显的场内传播规律,从靠近鸡场入口的鸡舍逐渐向内蔓延;产蛋高峰期蛋鸡的发病风险是雏鸡的37.458倍,差异显著(P0.05);所分离毒株的HA基因裂解位点有4个氨基酸插入,为变异株;该起疫情可能是通过运输淘汰蛋鸡的车辆、野鸟、饲料和饮水,以及调入雏鸡等途径引入的。疫情发生后,当地政府按照《高致病性禽流感防治技术规范》,发布了封锁令,划定了疫点、疫区和受威胁区;在疫区采取了扑杀、无害化处理、关闭疫区内所有禽类产品交易市场等控制措施。采取以上处置措施后,疫情得以快速有效控制。