Effect of storage duration on egg quality,embryo mortality and hatchability in FUNAAB-ɑ chickens

Effect of extended storage on egg quality, embryo mortality and hatchability in FUNAAB-ɑ chickens was determined. Hatchable eggs (n = 288; weighing 53.2 ± 4.67 g) collected from a flock of FUNAAB-ɑ layer breeder hens aged 32 weeks were stored in egg tray with broad end up under 16 ± 1.5°C for either 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 or 20 d. Before incubation, eight eggs from each group were evaluated for internal and external quality traits. Remaining eggs were set in an incubator and transferred into hatcher on embryonic day 18. Data collected were subjected to one-way analysis of variance. Egg weight loss (EWL; p < .001), surface area (p < .001), yolk diameter (p < .001), inner and outer blastoderm diameters (p < .05) and dead in germ (DIG; p < .001) increased with storage duration while yolk height (p < .001), yolk index (p < .001), albumen weight (p < .05), albumen height (p < .05), albumen index (p < .01), Haugh's unit (HU; p < .05), fertility (p < .001), hatchability of set (HATCHS; p < .001) and fertile eggs (p < .05) decreased. Weight losses of 0, 1.2, 2.2, 3.4, 4.6 and 6.1% were recorded in egg stored for 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 days respectively. Eggs stored beyond 8 days exhibited higher DIG and lower HATCHS. Shell percentage in 4 days storage (11.4%) was lower (p < .05) than in 16 days storage (13.4%). Shell thickness was similar in eggs stored for 0 to 12 days, but 8 days storage (0.60 mm) had thinner (p < .01) shell than day 16 (0.71 mm) and day 20 (0.73 mm) storage. Internal quality unit (IQU) was higher (p < .05) in fresh eggs (180.4) than in 12 days (167.8) and 20 days (167.8) stored eggs. Extended storage of FUNAAB-ɑ eggs caused EWL, surface area shrinkage, lowered HU and IQU, loss of yolk and albumen quality, increased blastoderm diameters and DIG, and decreased egg fertility and HATCHS from day 8 forward. Storing FUNAAB-ɑ eggs beyond 8 days reduced quality parameters; therefore, other mitigating factors are recommended when storing beyond 8 days.     

Bacterial community analysis of purulent material from liver abscesses of crossbred cattle and Holstein steers fed finishing diets with or without tylosin

Liver abscesses in feedlot cattle are polymicrobial infections. Culture-based studies have identified Fusobacterium necrophorum as the primary causative agent, but a number of other bacterial species are frequently isolated. The incidence of liver abscesses is highly variable and is affected by a number of factors, including cattle type. Holstein steers raised for beef production have a higher incidence than crossbred feedlot cattle. Tylosin is the commonly used antimicrobial feed additive to reduce the incidence of liver abscesses. The objective of this study was to utilize 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequence analyses to analyze the bacterial community composition of purulent material of liver abscesses of crossbred cattle (n = 24) and Holstein steers (n = 24), each fed finishing diet with or without tylosin. DNA was extracted and the V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified, sequenced, and analyzed. The minimum, mean, and maximum sequence reads per sample were 996, 177,070, and 877,770, respectively, across all the liver abscess samples. Sequence analyses identified 5 phyla, 14 families, 98 genera, and 102 amplicon sequence variants (ASV) in the 4 treatment groups. The dominant phyla identified were Fusobacteria (52% of total reads) and Proteobacteria (33%). Of the top 25 genera identified, 17 genera were Gram negative and 8 were Gram positive. The top 3 genera, which accounted for 75% of the total reads, in the order of abundance, were Fusobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Bacteroides. The relative abundance, expressed as percent of total reads, of phyla, family, and genera did not differ (P > 0.05) between the 4 treatment groups. Generic richness and evenness, determined by Shannon–Weiner and Simpson’s diversity indices, respectively, did not differ between the groups. The UniFrac distance matrices data revealed no clustering of the ASV indicating variance between the samples within each treatment group. Co-occurrence network analysis at the genus level indicated a strong association of Fusobacterium with 15 other genera, and not all of them have been previously isolated from liver abscesses. In conclusion, the culture-independent method identified the bacterial composition of liver abscesses as predominantly Gram negative and Fusobacterium as the dominant genus, followed by Pseudomonas. The bacterial community composition did not differ between crossbred and Holstein steers fed finishing diets with or without tylosin.     

Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma with visceral metastases in a White Carneau pigeon and literature review

Cutaneous leiomyosarcomas are malignant mesenchymal tumors of smooth muscle origin and are reported occasionally in avian species. A 14-y-old male laboratory White Carneau pigeon (Columba livia) was presented for surgical excision of a cervical soft tissue mass. Ultrasonography with color flow Doppler imaging revealed multiple cavitations of mixed echogenicity within the mass and vascularization. Histologically, the dermis and subcutis were expanded by a densely cellular multinodular mass comprised of fusiform cells forming haphazardly arranged broad streams and short interwoven bundles, often surrounding blood vessels and variably sized cavitations. Neoplastic cells were strongly immunopositive for desmin and α–smooth muscle actin, and negative for pancytokeratin, S100, and von Willebrand factor. Based on histopathology and IHC findings, the cutaneous mass was diagnosed as leiomyosarcoma (LMS). The pigeon died 312 d post-operatively. Postmortem examination revealed masses infiltrating the left and right pulmonary airways and one hepatic nodule, but no regrowth at the surgical site. Histologic and IHC evaluation of the pulmonary and hepatic masses were consistent with LMS, representing metastatic foci from the primary cutaneous LMS. Our case highlights the malignant behavior and histomorphologic features of cutaneous LMS in an avian species.     

Effects of supplemental d-methionine in comparison to l-methionine on nitrogen retention,gut morphology,antioxidant status,and mRNA abundance of amino acid transporters in weanling pigs

An N-balance experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that d-Methionine (d-Met) has the same bioavailability and efficacy as l-Methionine (l-Met) when fed to weanling pigs. A Met-deficient basal diet containing 0.24% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Met was formulated. Six additional diets were formulated by adding 0.036%, 0.072%, or 0.108% d-Met or l-Met to the basal diet, and these diets, therefore, contained 77%, 87%, or 97% of the requirement for SID Met. Fifty-six barrows (10.53 ± 1.17 kg) were housed in metabolism crates and allotted to the seven diets with eight replicate pigs per diet. Feces and urine were collected quantitatively with 7-d adaptation and 5-d collection periods. Blood and tissue samples from pigs fed the basal diet and pigs fed diets containing 0.108% supplemental Met were collected on the last day. Results indicated that N retention (%) linearly increased (P < 0.01) as supplemental d-Met or l-Met increased in diets. Based on N retention (%) as a response, the linear slope-ratio regression estimated the bioavailability of d-Met relative to l-Met to be 101% (95% confidence interval: 57%–146%). The villus height and crypt depth in the jejunum were not affected by the Met level or Met source. Total antioxidant capacity or thiobarbituric acid reactive substance concentrations in plasma or tissue samples from pigs fed the control diet or diets containing 0.108% supplemental d-Met or l-Met were not different. Abundance of mRNA for some AA transporters analyzed in intestinal mucosa of pigs also did not differ. Therefore, it is concluded that d-Met and l-Met are equally bioavailable for weanling pigs.     

Seroprevalence of Anaplasma marginale in 2 Iowa feedlots and its association with morbidity, mortality, production parameters, and carcass traits

A prospective cohort observational study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of Anaplasma marginale in Iowa feedlots and its association with morbidity, mortality, and treatment costs. Blood samples were taken from 659 calves from 31 consigners at processing and classified as seropositive to A. marginale using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) with a 30% cutoff. Health and production parameters were modeled by A. marginale serostatus with mixed model regression analysis. The apparent prevalence of seropositive cattle was 15.17% (100/659). When the cELISA positive cutoff was at 42% inhibition, the apparent prevalence was 5.00% (33/659). There was no significant association between A. marginale serostatus and production parameters; however, seropositive status had a weak positive association with undifferentiated fever (P = 0.17). Although prevalence of anaplasmosis in Iowa feedlots is higher than reported in Montana-sourced calves arriving in Canadian feedlots, this was not associated with increased production costs.     

Comparison of racemic ketamine and S-ketamine as agents for the induction of anaesthesia in goats

ObjectiveTo compare racemic ketamine and S-ketamine as induction agents prior to isoflurane anaesthesia.Study designProspective, blinded, randomized experimental study.AnimalsThirty-one healthy adult goats weighing 39-86 kg.MethodsGoats were premedicated with xylazine (0.1 mg kg^?1) intravenously (IV) given over 5 minutes. Each goat was assigned randomly to one of two treatments for IV anaesthetic induction: group RK (15 goats) racemic ketamine (3 mg kg^?1) and group SK (16 goats) S-ketamine (1.5 mg kg^?1). Time from end-injection to recumbency was measured and quality of anaesthetic induction and condition for endotracheal intubation were scored. Anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in oxygen for 90 minutes. Heart rate, invasive arterial blood pressure, oxygen saturation, temperature, end-tidal carbon dioxide and isoflurane were recorded every 5 minutes. Arterial blood samples were taken for analysis every 30 minutes. Recovery time to recurrence of swallowing reflex, to first head movement and to standing were recorded and recovery quality was scored. Two-way repeated measures anova, Mann-Whitney and a Mantel-Cox tests were used for statistical analysis as relevant with a significance level set at p < 0.05.ResultsInduction of anaesthesia was smooth and uneventful in all goats. There was no statistical difference between groups in any measured parameter. Side effects following anaesthetic induction included slight head or limb twitching, moving forward and backward, salivation and nystagmus but were minimal. Endotracheal intubation was achieved in all goats at first or second attempt. Recovery was uneventful on all occasions. All goats were quiet and needed only one or two attempts to stand.Conclusions and clinical relevanceS-ketamine at half the dose rate of racemic ketamine in goats sedated with xylazine and thereafter anaesthetised with isoflurane induces the same clinically measurable effects.     

Comparison of chemistry analytes between 2 portable, commercially available analyzers and a conventional laboratory analyzer in reptiles

Background: Advantages of handheld and small bench‐top biochemical analyzers include requirements for smaller sample volume and practicality for use in the field or in practices, but little has been published on the performance of these instruments compared with standard reference methods in analysis of reptilian blood. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare reptilian blood biochemical values obtained using the Abaxis VetScan Classic bench‐top analyzer and a Heska i‐STAT handheld analyzer with values obtained using a Roche Hitachi 911 chemical analyzer. Methods: Reptiles, including 14 bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps), 4 blue‐tongued skinks (Tiliqua gigas), 8 Burmese star tortoises (Geochelone platynota), 10 Indian star tortoises (Geochelone elegans), 5 red‐tailed boas (Boa constrictor), and 5 Northern pine snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus), were manually restrained, and a single blood sample was obtained and divided for analysis. Results for concentrations of albumin, bile acids, calcium, glucose, phosphates, potassium, sodium, total protein, and uric acid and activities of aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase obtained from the VetScan Classic and Hitachi 911 were compared. Results for concentrations of chloride, glucose, potassium, and sodium obtained from the i‐STAT and Hitachi 911 were compared. Results: Compared with results from the Hitachi 911, those from the VetScan Classic and i‐STAT had variable correlations, and constant or proportional bias was found for many analytes. Bile acid data could not be evaluated because results for 44 of 45 samples fell below the lower linearity limit of the VetScan Classic. Conclusions: Although the 2 portable instruments might provide measurements with clinical utility, there were significant differences compared with the reference analyzer, and development of analyzer‐specific reference intervals is recommended.     

Managing the production, storage, and delivery of colostrum.

Provision of an adequate immunoglobulin mass to dairy calves is an essential component for survival, health, and future productivity. To prevent FPT of immunity due to suckling of the dam, newborn dairy calves should be removed from the calving area within 30 minutes of birth. First and later lactation cows are suitable colostrum donors, provided they are healthy, well-vaccinated, have had optimal transition management, and an appropriate dry-period length. Early colostrum collection yields an adequate immunoglobulin mass provided that 3 to 4 L of colostrum is fed to the newborn calf. Regular testing for the adequacy of the dairy's colostrum feeding program is an excellent way to prevent calf health problems and identify potential need for CSs or replacement products.