Experimental infection of pregnant gilts with swine hepatitis E virus

To determine the effect of swine hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection on pregnant gilts, their fetuses, and offspring, 12 gilts were intravenously inoculated with swine HEV. Six gilts, who were not inoculated, served as controls. All inoculated gilts became actively infected and shed HEV in feces, but vertical transmission was not detected in the fetuses. There was no evidence of clinical disease in the gilts or their offspring. Mild multifocal lymphohistiocytic hepatitis was observed in 4 of 12 inoculated gilts. There was no significant effect of swine HEV on fetal size, fetal viability, or offspring birth weight or weight gain. The offspring acquired anti-HEV colostral antibodies but remained seronegative after the antibodies waned by 71 days of age. Swine HEV infection induced subclinical hepatitis in pregnant gilts, but had no effect on the gilts' reproductive performance, or the fetuses or offspring. Fulminant hepatitis associated with HEV infection was not reproduced in gilts.     

Intra‐uterine Infection with Babesia bovis in a 2‐day‐old Calf

Infection with Babesia bovis was diagnosed in a 2‐day‐old female calf apparently transmitted in utero. The calf was born as the second calving to a cross‐bred beef cow permanently on pasture. Diagnosis was based upon identification of B. bovis in peripheral blood smears and clinical signs which included fever, jaundice, pale mucous membranes and convulsions. Anaemia, leucocytosis, thrombocytopenia and lymphocytosis were noted at the febrile acute stage of the disease. The blood smears revealed evidence of regeneration of toxic neutrophils with a left shift, severe spherocytosis and high degree of basophilic stippling. Elevated concentration of aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase were also noted, and were probably the result of haemolysis, dehydration and muscle damage because of recumbancy. Elevated total bilirubin concentration following haemolysis resulted in jaundice. The neurological symptoms observed were probably caused by sludging of parasitized erythrocytes in the brain capillaries. The calf recovered following treatment with diminazene aceturate and the recovery was followed up clinically, haematologically and biochemically.     

生沛素对皖系粗毛兔生产性能的影响

选择42日龄皖系粗毛兔幼兔42只,根据体重、性别,随机分成3组,分别饲喂含1‰、2‰生沛素日粮和对照组日粮.结果表明,添加1‰、2‰生沛素组产毛量比对照组分别提高17.5%(P＜0.01)和19.1%(P＜0.01);增重提高11.2%(P＜0.05)和12.5%(P＜0.05);每只兔一次产毛的经济效益比对照组分别提高2.96元和1.13元.另外,添加生沛素的试验组兔毛品质也比对照组有所提高和改善.     

Biochemical Changes during Post-larval Growth in White Muscle of Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata) fed Zinc-fortified Diets

Veterinary Research Communications -