Cobalt supplied per os reduces the mammary Delta9-desaturase index of bovine milk

Results indicated that the dual marker system of Yb-acetate and Co-EDTA supplied per os reduced the proportion of fatty acids in bovine milk that were products of Delta (9)-desaturase. To verify this effect and identify the responsible marker component, 18 cows (3 cows per treatment) were administered per os a 0.25-L solution of either Co-acetate, Co-EDTA, Co-EDTA + Yb-acetate, EDTA, Yb-acetate, or water twice daily for 5 d. The daily amounts of Co, Yb, and EDTA were, respectively, 3.50, 3.44, and 21.00 g per cow. Milk and blood were sampled and analyzed for content of fatty acids, and blood was sampled and analyzed for Co and cobalamin. Only solutions containing Co had a reducing effect (P < or = 0.01) on fatty acids that were products of Delta(9)-desaturase in milk--cis-9 10:1, cis-9 14:1, cis-9 16:1, cis-9, trans-11 18:2, and cis-9 18:1--with the exception of the solution containing Co-EDTA + Yb-acetate for cis-9 18:1. Of the substrate fatty acids of Delta (9)-desaturase, only 18:0 increased (P < 0.001) in all groups supplied with Co-containing solutions. Thus, Co had a reducing effect (P < or = 0.004) on the Delta (9)-desaturase indices [(product of Delta(9)-desaturase)/(product of Delta(9)-desaturase + substrate of Delta(9)-desaturase)] of milk for cis-9 14:1, cis-9 16:1, cis-9 18:1, and cis-9, trans-11 18:2. There were no differences in Delta(9)-desaturase indices between Co-EDTA and Co-acetate. None of the marker solutions influenced the fatty acid composition of blood plasma, and Co was detected only in the blood samples from cows treated with solutions containing Co. On the basis of these results, we concluded that Co given per os decreased the Delta(9)-desaturase indices of bovine milk.     

Goshawk breeding densities in relation to mature forest in southeastern Norway

Forest harvesting practices have been assumed to be the main reason for the decrease in Goshawk Accipiter gentilis populations in Fennoscandia during the late 1900s, by reducing prey density, especially grouse and Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), and preferred hunting habitats (mature forest). In Norway, the highest breeding densities are now found in areas with a high proportion of farmland and urban areas where corvids and pigeons are important prey. To assess the importance of mature forest for Goshawk populations in southeastern Norway, we compared breeding densities from 20 municipalities with different percentages of farmland and mature forest. In multiple regression models, regional breeding densities were positively related to both the percentage of mature forest, and the percentage of farmland and urban areas. We conclude that the recommendation of establishing buffer zones around nest sites will not be sufficient to maintain Goshawk populations if the proportion of mature forest is reduced at a landscape level.     

Short‐term effects of dietary soybean meal and lactic acid bacteria on the intestinal morphology and microbiota of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the intestinal microbiota in soybean meal enteritis. Three groups of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were fed for 35 days with different diets: a control diet (CD) containing 510 g kg^?1 fishmeal, diet 1 (D1) containing 378 g kg^?1 of soybean meal and diet 2 (D2) containing D1 supplemented with two viable lactic acid bacteria (LAB). As expected, the fish fed with D1 showed clear signs of distal intestinal inflammation during the study compared with the fish fed CD. For the fish fed with D2, the addition of LAB diminished the inflammation at day 28, but did not abolish it. Microbiological analysis demonstrated that specific bacterial groups were not correlated with the development of enteritis, but were correlated with the three diets. Microbacterium, Pseudomonas, Lactococcus lactis sp. cremoris and Aeromonas VIa were correlated with the CD, Aeromonas VIb and Sporosarcina aquimarina were correlated with D1, and Alcaligenes, Acinetobacter, L. lactis sp. lactis and Carnobacterium maltaromaticum were correlated with D2. Shewanella was not affected by the diet and was present in all fish intestines. Our study suggests that LAB may modulate intestinal inflammation; however, the role of the microbiota in the aetiology of enteritis in fish still requires further study.     

Comparison of diet composition,feeding, growth and health of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) fed either feed blocks or pelleted commercial feed

Two duplicate groups of individually tagged lumpfish (mean initial weight: 21.5 ± 3.2 g) were fed either a commercially available lumpfish feed or feed blocks for a period of 123 days. The aim was to evaluate and compare the effects of these feed types on growth, cataract development and histopathology in lumpfish. There were significant differences in growth rates between the groups with fish fed pelleted feed having the highest growth rates. The development of cataracts was significantly different with fish fed pelleted feed having a cataract prevalence of 87% at the end of the study period whilst fish fed with feed blocks had 10% prevalence. The results of the histological examination undertaken in this study showed overall small differences between the two dietary treatments. In some individuals in groups receiving both diets, there was mild to moderate expansion of the lamina propria with tissue most likely to represent fibrous tissue with scattered leucocytes. Overall, the findings of the present study show that lumpfish will readily graze from feed blocks and although growth is lower the prevalence of cataract is greatly reduced using feed blocks.     

Cod liver oil: feed oil influences on fatty acid composition

The influence of feed oils on fatty acid compositions of cod liver oils was examined to investigate how fatty acid profiles are modified, and to provide estimates of feed oil compositions needed to give liver oils meeting production guidelines [3–11% 18:2n−6, 7–16% 20:5n−3 (EPA) and 6–18% 22:6n−3 (DHA)]. Attention was directed to examination of cod liver oil contents of n−6 and n−3 fatty acids, the essential fatty acids. Data, mostly taken from published work, were subjected to regression analysis to investigate the relationships between the percentages of fatty acids (18:2n−6, total n−6 fatty acids, 18:3n−3, 20:5n−3, 22:6n−3 and total n−3 fatty acids) in feed oils and their percentages in liver oils.     

Anaesthesia of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) — Effect of pre-anaesthetic sedation, and importance of body weight, temperature and stress

The efficacy of the anaesthetic agents benzocaine, metacaine (MS-222), metomidate and 2-phenoxyethanol was studied in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) with average body weights of 10 ± 4 g, 99 ± 33 g and 1022 ± 274 g at water temperatures of 8 °C and 16 °C. The agents were tested individually and as combination anaesthesia comprising pre-anaesthetic sedation with a low dosage of metomidate or 2-phenoxyethanol followed by anaesthesia with benzocaine or MS-222. All agents were administered through bath immersion with an exposure time of 5 min. The different treatments resulted in average induction and recovery times ranging from 52 ± 6 s to 182 ± 16 s and 77 ± 26 s to 659 ± 46 s respectively. Induction and recovery times varied in relation to water temperature and were generally shorter at 16 °C for all weight groups and treatments compared to 8 °C. For benzocaine and MS-222 induction and recovery times were found to increase with increasing body weight. For metomidate the recovery time increased with increasing weight whereas there were no weight related differences in induction time. No differences in either induction or recovery times associated to body weight were found for 2-phenoxyethanol. Acute stress prior to anaesthesia with MS-222 resulted in significantly shorter induction time and prolonged recovery time, as well as deeper anaesthetised fish. The dosage of MS-222 had to be reduced in order to avoid mortality in fish subjected to acute stress. Combination anaesthesia allowed a reduction of the dosages used for inducing anaesthesia and produced markedly reduced recovery times compared to agents administered individually.     

The importance of traditional meadow management techniques for conservation of vascular plant species richness in Norway

Using information from a regional survey of vascular plants of 130 sites in western Norway, a selection of sites based on a heuristic iterative complementarity-based nature reserve selection procedure was performed. The results indicate that conservation of traditionally managed hay meadows is of major importance as they contributed 60.1% of all native species recorded; afforested grasslands (deciduous woodlands < 70 years old) contributed 26.8%, whereas artificially fertilized hay meadows and intensively cultivated grasslands taken together contributed 13.1% of the species. The species composition of the meadows was significantly nested. Thus, if you conserve the most species-rich meadows, you also conserve most of the species in the less species-rich meadows. Nestedness in meadows was significantly correlated with within-meadow habitat diversity and soil pH. The most species-rich meadows were traditional meadows, characterized by high habitat diversity and high soil pH. These meadows will support nearly all species including habitat specialists and regionally rare species, whilst artificially fertilized hay meadows only support the generalist subset, i.e. common species. Area was not significantly correlated with nestedness suggesting that it is more important to cover many habitats than to preserve large traditional meadows just because they are large.     

Occurrence and associated lesions of Pasteurella multocida in porcine bronchopneumonia

With the aim to extend the present knowledge on possible systemic spreading of Pasteurella multocida in pigs with bronchopneumonia, the occurrence and associated lesions of P. multocida were described by comparing cultural detection, pathological evaluation and in situ hybridization of P. multocida in lungs, hearts and kidneys from cases of porcine bronchopneumonia. P. multocida was cultivated from the lung lesions in 114 out of a total of 148 cases of porcine bronchopneumonia. Among the 114 cases, P. multocida was also cultivated from the pericardial sacs of 40 pigs and the kidneys of seven pigs. Gross lesions and histological findings included a variety of type and stages of bronchopneumonia in connection to the isolation of P. multocida. Furthermore, chronic fibrous pericarditis, interstitial nephritis and a high proportion of lympho-histocytic nephritis were observed. In situ hybridization identified P. multocida in the majority of the lungs, none of the hearts and in half of the kidneys examined. The results show a possible low rate of systemic spreading of P. multocida from lung lesions in pigs with bronchopneumonia.