Effect of pre-slaughter environment on some physiological parameters and meat quality in New Zealand rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of pre-slaughter environment on physiology and meat quality in New Zealand rabbits. Pre-slaughter environment consisted of combined effects of social and non-social factors. For the experiment, 18 male New Zealand rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), 3 months of age, were used. Some biochemical and meat quality parameters of the animals were measured, and the results were compared with the control group. The pre-slaughter environment significantly influenced some biochemical and meat quality parameters (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). It is concluded that pre-slaughter environment negatively affected the welfare status and decreased the meat quality in New Zealand rabbits.     

Gastrointestinal parasites and their prevalence in the Arabian red fox (Vulpes vulpes arabica) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The gastrointestinal parasites and prevalence of infestation in the Arabian red fox Vulpes vulpes arabica Thomas, were investigated at the King Khalid Wildlife Research Centre (KKWRC) in Thumamah, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. Faecal samples were collected from 58 wild caught foxes while under anaesthesia and examined for gastrointestinal parasites stages. Male and female foxes were infected with three major groups of parasites; cestodes, nematodes, protozoa as well as an acanthocephalan. Faecal analyses revealed that 22 foxes (37.9%) were infected with two different Isospora spp. and three (5.2%) with an undescribed Eimeria sp., 12 (20.7%). Nine individuals (15.5%) harboured hookworms, (Trichosomoides sp.), two (3.5%) were infected with Trichuris sp. (probably Trichuris vulpes) and one individual (1.7%) with Taenia sp. (probably Taenia hydatigena). Carcasses of five male and three female foxes were necropsied. Four of the necropsied carcasses yielded Ancylostoma caninum, two each harboured Pterygodermatitis affinis, T. vulpes and Macracanthorhynchus catalinus, in six foxes Joyeuxiella echinorynchoides was found. Five and four foxes were infected with T. hydatigena and Diplopylidium n?lleri, respectively. The possible role of the Arabian red fox as an intercalary host essential for the life cycle of Trichosomoides sp., common to the Libyan jird, Meriones libycus, in particular and the importance of this species as a vector for zoonotic infections and in the spread of other parasites to wild and domestic animals in general is discussed.     

Hemorrhagic syndrome-like disease in calves with bovine viral diarrhea and mucosal disease complex

BACKGROUND: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection is one of the causes of hemorrhagic diathesis in cattle but there have been limited field studies about that condition. HYPOTHESIS: To identify the cause of hemorrhagic diathesis in calves and describe its clinical findings. ANIMALS: Five calves from a farm with 150 dairy cows. METHODS: Clinical examination of the calves was performed. After blood samples were obtained from 2 calves, whole blood, sera, and leukocyte samples were used for hematologic and hemostatic examinations, neutralization tests, virus isolation, and viral genome sequencing. RESULTS: The calves had moderate pyrexia, dullness, serous or mucous nasal discharge, and petechial and ecchymotic hemorrhages on mucosal surfaces. Severe thrombocytopenia and anemia were identified on hematologic examinations. All calves died within 10 days of the onset of clinical signs. Virologic examinations identified BVDV as the causative agent of the disease. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This paper identifies a hemorrhagic syndrome-like disease in calves with bovine viral diarrhea and mucosal disease complex in Turkey.     

Estimation of Population Mean and Total in a Finite Population Setting Using Multiple Auxiliary Variables

This paper introduces a new sampling design in a finite population setting, where potential sampling units have a wealth of auxiliary information that can be used to rank them into partially ordered sets. The proposed sampling design selects a set of sampling units. These units are judgment ranked without measurement by using available auxiliary information. The ranking process allows ties among ranks whenever units cannot be ranked accurately with high confidence. The ranking information from all sources is combined in a meaningful way to construct strength-of-agreement weights. These weights are then used to select a single sampling unit for full measurement in each set. Three different levels of sampling design, level-0, level-1, and level-2, are investigated. They differ in their replacement policies. Level-0 sampling designs construct the sample by sampling with replacement, level-1 sampling designs constructs the sample without replacement of the fully measured unit in each set, and level-2 sampling designs construct the sample without replacement on the entire set. For these three designs, we estimate the first and second order inclusion probabilities and construct estimators for the population total and mean. We develop a bootstrap resampling procedure to estimate the variances of the estimators and to construct percentile confidence intervals for the population mean and total. We show that the new sampling designs provide a substantial amount of efficiency gain over their competitor designs in the literature.     

Effect of cutting,phosphorus and potassium fertilization on guar plant (Cyamoposis tetragonoloba) in newly reclaimed soil in Egypt

A two year experiment was carried out in newly reclaimed soils (sandy soils) to investigate the effect of cutting and phosphorus and potassium fertilization on the growth, yield, seed mucilage content and seed protein content of guar plant. The results revealed that different cutting treatments significantly decreased the plant weight, seed yield, seed mucilage content and seed protein content. Phosphorus fertilization up to 350 kg super-phosphate (15% P₂O₅)/feddan significantly increased plant weight, seed yield, seed mucilage content and seed protein content. Fertilization with 150 kg potassium sulfate (48% K₂O)/feddan was quite capable to meet guar plant potassium demands in this kind of soil. Without cutting plants, fertilization with 350 kg superphosphate and 150 kg potassium sulfate/feddan resulted in the highest seed yield, seed muculage content and seed protein content.     

Naturally occurring infections of cattle with Theileria lestoquardi and sheep with Theileria annulata in the Sudan

Theileria annulata is endemic in northern Sudan, hindering all efforts at upgrading cattle for milk production. T. lestoquardi clinical cases occur throughout the year and causes annual outbreaks that result in substantial losses in sheep. In the northern Sudan both cattle and small ruminants are frequently raised together and/or share common grazing grounds at river banks. In an attempt to evaluate field cross infectivity of Theileria lestoquardi and T. annulata in cattle and sheep respectively, a PCR analysis was carried out on samples collected from closely reared sheep and cattle using both T. annulata and T. lestoquardi specific primers. A total of 19 sheep out of 51 (37.3%) were positive for T. lestoquardi while four sheep (7.8%) showed T. annulata specific amplicons. A total of 38 out of 52 (73.1%) surveyed cattle were PCR positive for T. annulata and only two (3.8%) showed T. lestoquardi specific bands. These findings indicate complex epidemiology of both infections in areas where both parasites are transmitted by the same vector and call for further investigations of this phenomenon.