A note on the amino acid composition of the Turkey

1. The amino acid composition of the whole body protein of 28‐ and 56‐d‐old turkeys is reported.

2. There were some differences between the two ages; these could largely be reconciled by considering the likely differences in the proportion of feather protein.

3. The results were compared with similar values for the chicken and goose; overall there is a striking similarity, both in absolute concentrations and relative proportions of amino acids.     

Book reviews

Research and Development in Relation to Farm Animal Welfare, contributions by B. A. Baldwin, J. R. Bareham, I. J. H. Duncan, R. Ewbank, D. C. Hardwick and K. Vestergaard, Animal Management, 11, Series Edited by D. W. Fölsch. Birkhauser Verlag, Basel, 1981. ISBN‐3–7643–1241–6.

First European Symposium on Poultry Welfare. Edited by L. Yding S0RENSEN. Published by the Danish Branch of World's Poultry Science Association. 1981. 238pp. D.Kr.90. ISBN 87–88162–00–1.     

The relationship between plasma triglyceride concentrations and body fat content in male and female broilers—a basis for selection?

1. The relationship between plasma triglyceride concentrations and body fat content was examined in three groups of male and one of female broiler chickens fed ad libitum on a normal growing diet.

2. Phenotypic correlations between total plasma triglyceride concentration and fat content were + 0.50, + 0.37 and + 0.39 for the three groups of male broilers and +0.33 for the group of females. Triglyceride content of plasma very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) plus low density lipoprotein (LDL) showed similar correlations with fat content.

3. Selection of birds from a flock of 550 male broilers on the basis of high or low plasma VLDL plus LDL triglyceride concentrations produced groups with significant differences in body fat content but little difference in body weight.

4. The results suggest that measurements of plasma triglyceride concentration could be used as an indirect means of selecting for decreased body fat content in broiler breeding programmes.     

Oat cells in the pathology of ovine pneumonia-pleurisy

Light microscope observations on oat cells in the ovine pneumonia-pleurisy complex are presented. This study is based on the experimental production of the disease by viruses and Pasteurella haemolytica. Oat cells appeared only in necrotic lesions associated with large numbers of P. haemolytica in the pneumonic lung. It is suggested that oat cells originate from blood monocytes, which transform into the oat shape when developing in the necrotic, hypoxic environment created by P. haemolytica. They were not, however, observed to be phagocytic. Oat cells are characteristic of pneumonic pasteurellosis but are not pathognomonic because they can also be found in extrapulmonary locations and in other pathological conditions of the lungs.     

Lymphoid leukaemia in a cow

An 18-month old Friesian heifer which had lost condition and had diarrhoea for several weeks was diagnosed by haematological and pathological examinations as having lymphocytic leukaemia. True lymphatic leukaemia has not previously been described in cattle and does not readily fit into presently accepted classifications of bovine leukosis.     

Selenium deficiency, the drug metabolising enzymes and mycotoxicoses in sheep

An examination was made of the relationship in Romney sheep between selenium deficiency and (i) the state of the liver drug metabolising enzyme system, (ii) subclinical liver damage, (iii) susceptibility to facial eczema, and (iv) susceptibility to ryegrasss staggers. The microsomal electron transport detoxifying enzymes based on cytochrome P-450 were unaffected by Se deficiency, suggesting that these enzymes are uninduced on ryegrass/clover pastures. Selenium deficiency had no effect on sporidesmin-induced liver damage, which makes it unlikely that peroxidative events countered by Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase (E.C.1.11.10) have a major role in the mechanism of sporidesmin toxicity. Selenium deficiency did appear to suppress the development of photosensitisation. There was no major effect on ryegrass staggers and no deficiency-induced subclinical liver damage.     

Epidemiology of leptospirosis in dairy farm workers in the Manawatu. Part II. A case-control study of high and low risk farms

Subsequent to a cross-sectional serological survey of Manawatu dairy farm workers, a case-control study was carried out to investigate the correlation between titres to leptospiral serovars in workers and those in cattle in their herds. A total of 52 herds was investigated, 25 of which were high risk where milkers had titres of 1:96 or greater, and 27 were case-controls where milkers had no detectable agglutinin titres at a minimum serum dilution of 1:24. The serological prevalence of titres to hardjo in cattle on high risk farms (76.5%) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than on the case-control farms (60.0%). The geometric mean titres of seropositive cattle on high risk farms were also significantly higher (P<0.01) than in the cattle from the case-control farms, especially in the younger cohorts. These findings suggest that there was active endemic hardjo infection in the two- to three-year-old cattle on the high risk farms. Titres to pomona were demonstrated in only 5.2% of the cattle from both types of farm. Workers with titres to pomona tended to be from farms on which stock, especially calves, were bought-in and pigs were kept. Conventional measures for protecting milkers from contact with infected urine appeared to be ineffective and it is concluded that prevention of leptospirosis in dairy farm workers can only be achieved by elimination of infection in the herd by vaccination of cattle.