The effect of dietary chloride and bicarbonate on blood pH, haematological variables, pulmonary hypertension and ascites in broiler chickens.

1. The effect of supplementing grower diets with bicarbonate or chloride on haematological variables, pulmonary hypertension syndrome and ascites in broilers exposed to cold temperature was investigated. 2. High concentrations of dietary chloride had no effect on the pH of the venous blood but a low chloride/high bicarbonate diet significantly increased blood pH. There was no consistent effect of dietary chloride or bicarbonate concentrations on growth performance, although in 1 experiment birds given a low chloride/high bicarbonate diet consumed less food and gained less weight than controls. 3. Birds fed on high-chloride diets tended to have a higher incidence of ascites and pulmonary hypertension than controls. Birds fed on low-chloride and high-bicarbonate diets had significantly lower pulmonary hypertension and lower heart weights, which may have indicated a decrease in pulmonary and systemic blood pressure. 4. We conclude that increasing dietary bicarbonate and reducing dietary chloride has potential as a low cost and effective method to reduce the pulmonary hypertension which leads to ascites in broiler chickens.     

An Unusual Necrotizing cholangiohepatitis in Broiler Chickens

A diagnosis of toxic necrotizing cholangiohepatitis was made in approximately 35% of a flock of 23,000 commercial broiler chickens. Affected chickens were small, and had discrete green foci throughout the liver. Seven to twelve days prior to shipping the flock to slaughter, premixes containing oxytetracycline, monensin, and 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid had been added to the ration because the birds had wet droppings and were growing slowly. The 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid had been inadvertently incorporated at ten times the recommended level. Liver and kidney of affected birds had elevated levels of total arsenic, and special strains demonstrated arsenic in necrotic foci in liver. Histologically there was marked dilation of intrahepatic bile ducts, and patchy necrosis and hyperplasia of the bile duct epithelium. Damage to bile ducts may have been a toxic manifestation of altered metabolism and excretion of the three drugs being fed to birds suffering from intercurrent diarrhea and/or undefined interactions among the drugs.     

Caprine beta-Mannosidosis in Kids from an Ontario Herd

Caprine β-mannosidosis, a fatal inherited deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme β-mannosidase, was diagnosed in neonatal female Nubian crossbred twin kids from a small herd near Guelph, Ontario. The kids had been tetraplegic since birth, with whole body tremors, abnormal nystagmus and an intention tremor of the head.     

Prevalence of Mycoplasma agassizii and Chelonian herpesvirus in captive tortoises (Testudo sp.) in the United Kingdom.

During the months of April to August in 1999 and 2002, oral swabs were collected from 146 tortoises (Testudo sp.) in private collections in the United Kingdom and tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of Mycoplasma agassizii and Chelonian herpesvirus (ChHV). The presence of M. agassizii was confirmed by restriction digestion of the PCR product. A 307-bp fragment of the ChHV UL5 homologue gene was sequenced and found to show most similarity to equine herpesvirus type 1. A prevalence of 15.8 and 8.2% was found for M. agassizii and ChHV, respectively. Comparison of the carriage of both M. agassizii and ChHV in different species of tortoises correlated the presence of M. agassizii with Testudo horsfieldii and ChHV with Testudo marginata and Testudo graeca iberia. An association of ChHV with stomatitis was also found. Mixed infections with both agents were detected. The findings further demonstrate this pathogen-tortoise association and the cross transmission of these infections if different tortoise species are housed together.     

仔猪饲料中的植物蛋白因加工而产生的变化

温度不是饲料加工过程中需要考虑的唯一因素,湿度、加工时间和颗粒大小都会有变化,并最终都会影响饲料的营养价值。随着更多的植物蛋白添加到猪日粮中,这一问题越发严重,准确地说,在大豆的应用中就有此问题。     

生物有机肥对宁夏盐碱地土壤养分和生物学特性的影响

为了探讨生物有机肥施用对宁夏引黄灌区盐碱地土壤化学和微生物特性的影响,明确生物有机肥的最佳施用量及施肥模式,以田间连续4年定位试验为依托,研究了生物有机肥施用量0(CK)、4.5(T1)、9.0(T2)、13.5 t/hm²(T3)及生物有机肥9.0 t/hm²配施无机化肥N 360 kg/hm²(T4)对盐碱地土壤养分含量、酶活性、微生物生物量、微生物群落碳源代谢活性及多样性和玉米产量的影响。结果表明:(1)施用生物有机肥可明显降低土壤p H和全盐含量,土壤养分含量及土壤酶活性随着生物有机肥施用量增加呈递增趋势,且在T2处理基础上增施无机化肥可显著增加土壤速效钾含量14.73%;(2)土壤微生物群落碳源代谢活性及多样性指数均随着生物有机肥施用量的增加而增加, T3处理土壤培养192 h时AWCD值为0.84,经Tukey检验分析, Shannon和Mcintosh指数较CK处理分别增加10.11%和62.67%;(3)随着生物有机肥施用量增加,土壤微生物生物量碳、氮、磷含量呈递增趋势,各处理平均分别比CK处理增加66....     

高温蘑菇浙AgH—1种型的鉴定

本文描述了高温蘑菇浙ＡｇＨ－１的形态学和生物学特性,该菌株最适出菇温度为２７￣３０℃,子实体能在３５￣３８℃下生长。此外该菌株子实体的口感和风味明显优于以往文献报道的双环蘑菇,因此该菌株是双环蘑菇的一个新的生理型。