Antimicrobial susceptibility of Enterococcus strains isolated from poultry faeces

We have investigated the resistance of Enterococcus isolated from poultry faeces to antibiotics commonly used as therapy of enterococcal infections. Identification was made by the method of Facklam and Collins. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of penicillin, ampicillin, vancomycin and teicoplanin were determined and high level aminoglycoside resistance was investigated. Genes codifying high level aminoglycoside resistance (HLAR) were determined by PCR. Fifty five Enterococcus strains were isolated (63.6% E. faecalis, 12.7% E. mundtii, 9.1% E. faecium, 7.3% E. casseliflavus, 3.7% E. durans and 3.6% E. hirae). None of the strains were resistant to VAN, TEC, P or AM. HLAR was found in 34.5% of strains for SM, 27.3% for KM and 7.3% for GM. The gene for the bifunctional enzyme was found only in one strain, that showed HLAR to GM and KM. Fourteen strains harboured the gene aph(3')-III, being 11 resistant to KM and STR, and three resistant to GM, KM and STR. The remaining six strains showed HLAR to STR, but were negative for the three genes tested by PCR. The gene ant(4'4") was not detected in any of the strains. No unexpected vancomycin resistance was detected. The resistance rates among poultry strains were lower than those found among human strains isolated from hospital patients in recent Canary studies.     

禽类与哺乳类Ghrelin结构及功能研究进展

Ghrelin主要是由胃分泌的一种脑肠肽激素,它是生长激素促分泌素受体(GHSR)的内源性配基。目前,对哺乳动物Ghrelin研究相对较多,主要集中在Ghrelin结构及其对激素分泌、摄食、能量代谢、胃肠功能、生殖与免疫的调节作用,而对禽类Ghrelin结构和功能研究相对较少且稍显滞后。本文就禽类与哺乳类Ghrelin结构及功能进行比较研究作一综述,为进一步研究禽类Ghrelin的功能提供参考。     

Feed particle selection and nutrient intake altered by pecking stone consumption and beak length in free-range laying hens

The present study investigated the effects of pecking stones on feeding behaviour of hens from 16 to 46 weeks of age. Eighteen flocks of Hy-Line Brown hens were housed in 2 commercial free-range housing systems. Farm A housed 10 flocks of beak trimmed (infrared beak treatment) hens in fixed sheds. Farm B housed 8 flocks of hens with intact beaks in mobile sheds. On each farm, flocks were equally assigned to control groups (no access to pecking stones) and treatment groups (access to pecking stones). Data were evaluated every 10 weeks. At each time point, 10 hens per flock were housed in individual pens, and each hen was provided with 250 g of mash diet and ad libitum water for 24 h. After 24 h, feed samples were collected and used to determine 24-h feed intake. Nutrient and particle selection was measured by subtracting nutrients and particles present in the leftover feed from the vaules obtained in the offered feed and expressed the change (Δ). In addition, pecking stone consumption was recorded for each flock. Data were analysed separately for each farm using fixed effects of pecking stone availability and hen age. Spearman's rho correlation coefficients and linear regression models were constructed to evaluate the relationship of beak length and pecking stone usage, discrete mean particle size (dMEAN) consumption (Δ dMEAN), and Δ nutrient intake. Hens with access to pecking stones consumed significantly lower quantities of large feed particles (>2.8 mm) on farm A (P = 0.029) and selected significantly more fine particles, on farm B (P = 0.013). Overall, positive relationships (P = 0.001) between beak length and pecking stone consumption, Δ dMEAN, and Δ phosphorus consumption were observed. In conclusion, pecking stone consumption resulted in reduced selection and consumption of feed particles in hens housed on both farms. Further research is warranted to investigate the effect of pecking stones on sensory innervation of the beak.     

Avian infectious bronchitis virus in Africa: a review

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is worldwide in distribution, highly infectious, and extremely difficult to control because it has extensive genetic diversity, a short generation time, and a high mutation rate. IBV is a Gammacoronavirus, single-stranded, and positive-sense RNA virus. Avian infectious bronchitis is well studied in European countries with identification of a large number of IBV variants, whereas in African countries epidemiological and scientific data are poor and not updated. However, previous studies reported that an IBV variant continues to appear regularly in Africa, as currently described in Morocco. No cross-protection between IBV strains was reported, some being unique to a particular country, others having a more general distribution. This review aims to provide a general overview on IB disease distribution in African countries and an update on the available studies of IBV variants in each country.     

Effects of dietary canola oil level on growth performance, fatty acid composition and ionoregulatory development of spring chinook salmon parr, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

This study assessed the potential of refined canola oil (CO) as a source of supplemental dietary lipid for pre-smolt spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) over a period of 30 weeks. Triplicate groups of 320 fry (∼ 0.80 g), reared in flow-through well water (8-11.5 °C), were fed one of four steam-pelleted dry diets with equivalent gross energy (24.3 MJ/kg), protein (∼ 51.3%) and lipid (∼ 21.6%) content on a dry-weight basis. CO furnished either 0%, 33%, 67%, or 100% of the supplemental dietary lipid, with the remainder from a commercial blend of 1:1 anchovy oil and poultry fat (APF). Thus, CO comprised either 0% (dAPF), 25% (CO25), 49% (CO49), or 72% (CO72) of total dietary lipid content. Overall fish growth rate, feed intake, feed efficiency, protein utilization, percent survival, and terminal whole body proximate constituents were unaffected by diet treatment. Dietary lipid compositions reflected the ratios of CO and APF in the supplemental lipid and their respective fatty acid compositions. Whole body fatty acid compositions mirrored those of diet treatments. However, some essential fatty acids, namely, arachidonic acid (20:4n-6; AA), and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3; DHA) were conserved in fish regardless of dietary CO level. Direct relationships were found between dietary and whole body concentrations of: 18:2n-6 (R² = 0.94; slope = 0.72), 18:3n-3 (R² = 0.99; slope = 0.58), 20:4n-6 (R² = 0.84; slope = 0.42), 20:5n-3 (R² = 0.99; slope = 0.43) and 22:6n-3 (R² = 0.82; slope = 1.25). High dietary levels of 18:3n-3, 18:2n-6, and 20:5n-3 may have been utilized for energy or converted to more unsaturated derivatives. Overall development of ionoregulatory ability, as assessed by 24-h seawater challenge tests, was unaffected by diet. However, whole body chloride content was generally inversely related to dietary CO level during early development. Our findings suggest that there is excellent potential for long-term replacement of fish oil with canola oil in the diet of pre-smolt spring chinook salmon, provided that some marine oil is present to ensure that the essential fatty acid needs of the fish are met.     

Environmental and anthropogenic risk factors for highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 outbreaks in Romania, 2005−2006

The association between highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H5N1 outbreak risk in poultry in 161 Romanian villages (October 2005 to June 2006) and environmental and anthropogenic factors was investigated. Village outbreak risk was associated with a village being <5 km from a major road (odds ratio [OR] 5.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21–22.9) or a river/stream (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.06–3.72). Outbreak risk in the first part of the epidemic was associated with a village being <5 km from a major road (OR 3.31, 95% CI 1.10–9.98) or a regularly flooded land area (OR 5.08, 95% CI 1.08–23.9); whereas outbreak risk in the second part of the epidemic was associated with a village being <5 km from a river/stream (OR 5.5, 95% CI 1.69–18.9). Results suggest that both environmental and anthropogenic factors influence the risk of HPAI subtype H5N1 outbreaks in village poultry populations.     

我国天然低硒饲料对畜禽生产、健康与疾病的影响

 应用我国天然缺硒饲料，在实验室条件下进行了猪、鸡和鸭的缺硒模型试验研究。结果表明：饲料缺硒可导致生产中畜禽发生一系列表现在不同部位、不同程度的病理变化和临床症状。用缺硒饲料喂仔猪8周、雏鸡2周后，血液及组织中含硒量与GSH-Px活性显著降到较低值，并趋于稳定，这与动物开始出现缺硒症状的结果一致。鸡试验证明，缺硒日粮中补加100mg/kg维生素E或补加0.05ppm以上的硒，可防止鸡发生渗出性素质病。但仅补维生素E不能防止鸡胰脏的缺硒病变，还需同时补硒。对鸡胰脏中Cu、Zn、Mn等含量的测定结果表明，缺硒使胰脏变性，导致Cu、 Zn、Mn代谢障碍及含量下降（P＜0.05）。试验还证明，增加日粮中蛋白质水平可加剧缺硒状况对畜禽的危害程度，说明对饲料条件较好，生长较快的畜禽品种，特别是幼畜、幼禽，应适当提高硒的需要量。     

营养对家禽生殖调控研究进展

营养对家禽生殖具有重要的调节作用。禽类的营养不仅影响其性成熟日龄、卵泡数量和产蛋性能,而且影响生殖轴激素的分泌,进而调节生殖性能。从营养对家禽卵巢卵泡发育的影响和生殖机能调控等方面进行了综述。     

Aflatoxicosis chemoprevention by probiotic Lactobacillius and lack of effect on the major histocompatibility complex

Turkeys are extremely sensitive to aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) which causes decreased growth, immunosuppression and liver necrosis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether probiotic Lactobacillus, shown to be protective in animal and clinical studies, would likewise confer protection in turkeys, which were treated for 11 days with either AFB₁ (AFB; 1 ppm in diet), probiotic (PB; 1 × 10¹¹ CFU/ml; oral, daily), probiotic + AFB₁ (PBAFB), or PBS control (CNTL). The AFB₁ induced drop in body and liver weights were restored to normal in CNTL and PBAFB groups. Hepatotoxicity markers were not significantly reduced by probiotic treatment. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes BG1 and BG4, which are differentially expressed in liver and spleens, were not significantly affected by treatments. These data indicate modest protection, but the relatively high dietary AFB₁ treatment, and the extreme sensitivity of this species may reveal limits of probiotic-based protection strategies.