Sustav organske proizvodnje govedine: kakvoća polovica mesa

The aim was to verify organic system effect on carcass and meat quality of beefs. Twelve carcasses derived from Limousine x Red Pied beef, reared in the San Rossore Park (Tuscany) and slaughtered at 24 months of age, were used. After 24h post-mortem, carcasses were evaluated according to UE classification grid: on right half carcasses several measurements were taken and carcass compacteness was calculated. After 7 days of ageing longissimus thoracis, semitendinosus and triceps brachii muscles were analysed for pH, meat colour, water holding capacity, tenderness, chemical composition, fatty acid and cholesterol content. Results underlined the good quality of meat obtained from organic system in terms of colour, tenderness, water holding capacity and suitability for domestic storage. The meat had a low content of intramuscular fat; atherogenic and thrombogenic indices were rather high, testifying the high saturated fatty-acids content, probably due both to the inadequate finishing period, both to the high slaughtering age. An appropriate finishing period, in respect of the organic guidelines, should anticipate slaughtering age and improve carcass performance, obtaining higher intramuscular fat, and perhaps lower atherogenic and thrombogenic indices. Semitendinosus appeared agreeable due to its paler and lighter meat, but was less tender and had worst water holding capacity; instead longissimus thoracis and triceps brachii, although slightly darker, gave meat more tender and with better water holding capacity.Cilj je bio provjeriti djelovanje organskog sustava na kakvoću polovica i mesa goveda. Upotrijebljena su 12 trupla podrijetlom od Limousina x goveda crveni Pied, uzgojenih na San Rossore Parku (Toskana) i zaklanih u dobi od 24 mjeseca. Dvadeset i četiri sata nakon klanja trupla su procijenjena prema EU klasifikaciji: na desnim polovicama obavljeno je nekoliko mjerenja i izračunata zbijenost mesa. Nakon što je meso odležalo 7 dana analizirani su longissimus thoracis, semitendinosus i mišići triceps brachii za pH, boju mesa, kapacitet zadržavanja vode, mekoću, kemijski sastav, masne kiseline i sadržaj kolesterola. Rezultati su pokazali dobru kakvoću mesa dobivenu u organskom sustavu u odnosu na boju, mekoću, kapacitet zadržavanja vode i prikladnost za čuvanje u domaćinstvu. Meso je imalo nizak sadržaj međumišićne masnoće; aterogeni i trombogeni indeksi bili su prilično visoki, potvrđujući visoki sadržaj zasićenih masnih kiselina, vjerojatno zbog neadekvatnog završnog razdoblja a i visoke dobi kod klanja. Odgovarajuće završno razdoblje u smislu organskih smjernica, trebalo bi predvidjeti dob klanja i poboljšati rezultate polovica, čime bi se dobili viša međumišićna masnoća i možda niži aterogeni i trombogeni indeksi. Semitendinoza je izgledala dobra zbog bljeđeg i svjetlijeg mesa ali je bila slabije mekoće i imala najslabiji kapacitet zadržavanja vode; umjesto toga longissimus thoracis i triceps brachii dali su meso, iako nešto tamnije, veće mekoće i boljeg kapaciteta zadržavanja vode

Preliminary genetic variability analysis of the native Garfagnina goats based on microsatellite polymorphism

For the development of an appropriate programme for conservation of animal genetic resources, genetic typifying is considered an important preliminary step. In this paper, we have done a preliminary genetic variability analysis of 48 adult Garfagnina goats belonging to a single flock of Tuscany using 12 STR markers (MAF065, SRCRSP05, INRA023, McM527, CSRD247, SRCRSP23, OarFCB20, TGLA53, INRA005, INRA063, ETH10, ILSTS87) some of which belonged to a markers panel validated by the International Society of Animal Genetics (ISAG) and others routinely used by the facilities of the Laboratorio di Genetica e Servizi (Associazione Italiana Allevatori, Migliaro, Italy). Garfagnina is an Italian native goat breed registered on the Tuscan regional repertory of genetic resources at risk of extinction and have a total of about 745 animals belonging to 17 flocks. Garfagnina breed is important for livestock biodiversity preservation, being a key animal for specialized cheese market in the Tuscan region. For each marker the following parameters were computed: number of alleles, effective allele size, observed heterozygosity and polymorphism information content (PIC). Allelic frequencies were estimated by direct counting. To analyze the genetic variability of the population, the following parameters were computed at population level: molecular co-ancestry coefficients (fij), kinship distance (Dk), and inbreeding coefficient (Fi). Moreover, genetic similarities (GS) among all animals were investigated using the Individual Multilocus Genotype. The number of alleles ranged from 3 to 9 (mean 5.92) whereas the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.48 to 0.83 (mean 0.69). There was a high genetic similarity within the whole population (0.43) showing the great homogeneity of the sampled animals, as confirmed also by the small kinship distance (0.34). However inbreeding coefficient was low (0.32). The results of this research indicate that, despite the fact that animals are considered to belong to the same breeding, the genetic variability of this Garfagnina goat population is acceptable for a population with a reduced numerical value

Abstracts of the Giornate di Coniglicoltura ASIC 2007

(2008). Abstracts of the Giornate di Coniglicoltura ASIC 2007. World Rabbit Science. 16(2). doi:10.4995/wrs.2008.634SWORD16

Effects of low doses of dexamethasone on productive traits and meat quality of veal calves

An experimental administration of dexamethasone was carried out on 15 veal calves in order to assess the rôle of low doses of exogenous glucocorticoids on productive traits and meat quality. Three groups, of five veal calves each, were formed : one group received oral dexamethasone (0.4 mg per calf per day for 25 days), another intramuscular (i. m.) dexamethasone (2 mg at days 14 and 21), and the third was the control. Calves were slaughtered at 165 days of age (day 31). Food conversion ratio (FCR), hot dressing percentage (HDP), chilled dressing percentage (CDP) and shrinkage were determined. From all carcasses, samples of m. longissimus thoracis (between the 8th and 10th rib) were taken in order to evaluate the chemical composition and some organoleptic characteristics : meat colour, water-holding capacity and tenderness. The animals treated with oral dexamethasone showed the lowest daily weight gain (P < 0.05) and the poorest FCR (P < 0.05). Hot dressing percentage, cold dressing percentage and shrinkage were not affected by the oral treatment. The i. m. injections of dexamethasone did not influence the overall performance. Muscle chemical composition and pH were not affected by the treatments; the meat of calves treated with oral dexamethasone was significantly lighter (P < 0.05) and tended to be paler, while i. m. treatment induced intermediate characteristics. The shear force of the meat was rather low. Shear force of cooked meat from animals treated with dexamethasone (both oral and i. m.) was significantly lower than the control (P < 0.05). Treatment with dexamethasone i. m. induced a decrease in water-holding capacity; the oral treatment had no effect on this parameter

Genotypic Characterization of Streptococcus canis Isolated from Distinct Hosts with Special Emphasis on Multilocus Sequence Typing

Background: The animal pathogen Streptococcus canis is increasingly being noticed in human infections. Our aim was to develop a new multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for Streptococcus canis and to compare isolates recovered from house pets and humans, in order to define the clonal structure of the S. canis population and explore the zoonotic potential of distinct S. canis genetic lineages. Methods: Eighty-five S. canis isolates recovered from infections in animals (n = 78, recovered from 2000 to 2010 in three European countries, mainly from house pets) and humans (n = 7, recovered from 2006 to 2010 in Portugal) were studied. Isolates were identified by API 20 Strep, 23S rRNA gene targeted PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and characterized by MLST, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and emm typing. Results: All isolates were successfully typed with the proposed MLST scheme, indicating its applicability to S. canis from distinct sources. The MLST analysis showed a polyclonal structure of the S. canis population, where the same genetic lineages are found infecting house pets and humans and are disseminated in distinct geographic locations. PFGE confirmed the MLST findings, as it identified the same prevailing lineages and further strengthened the similarity between animal and human isolates. Phylogenetic analysis conducted with the 16S rRNA and MLST loci sequence data indicated that S. canis was a divergent taxon of the sister species Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis, and found evidence of acquisition of genetic material by S. canis from the latter species. The presence of emm-like genes was restricted to a few isolates and correlated with MLST defined genetic lineages. Conclusion: Our data shows that S. canis isolated from house pets and humans are a single population, and demonstrates that isolates belonging to the main genetic lineages identified are able to infect the human host, providing strong evidence for the zoonotic nature of S. canis infection in humans. A MLST database for S. canis was established at http://pubmlst.org/scanis/ (hosted by the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom), constituting a valuable tool for future studies on the molecular epidemiology of this pathogen

PREVALENCE OF CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS IN CANIDS IN CENTRAL ITALY AND FIRST IDENTIFICATION OF ARCTIC LINEAGE IN MARCHE AND UMBRIA REGIONS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is one of the most commonly virus implicated in outbreaks in wild and domestic carnivores. CDV causes severe systemic diseases which normally involves the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. To our knowledge the literature about the real incidence of such disease is scarce, particularly in wild animals population. Recently, outbreaks of CDV have been documented in Italian grey wolves (Canis lupus italicus) [1], a least concerned species in IUCN Red List. Therefore, the surveillance of CDV is a priority for the conservation of the wolves and, more generally, for the protection of wild carnivores which are widespread in Central Italy, especially in the National Parks. In total, 215 samples, belonging to 148 canids for CDV presence, were analysed from November 2012 to December 2016 in the laboratory of IZSUM. Of these, 37.2% were dogs, 33% wolves and 29.8% foxes. Animals were collected in 12 different provinces of 6 Regions: Umbria, Marche, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio and Apulia. All samples were collected from dead animals which were sent to the Diagnostic Units of Istituto Zoprofilattico Sperimentale Umbria e Marche and subjected to autopsy. The RNA was extracted from organ pools and swabs with a commercial kit, retrotranscripted to cDNA and amplified by the real time PCR with QuantiFast SYBR Green RT PCR kit (Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany) using primers for a fragment of 278bp in CDV nucleoprotein (NP) gene [2]. Samples having a melting temperature (TM) value ±0.5°C versus TM value of positive control were considered positive. Moreover, samples were visualized by UV rays with GelRed TM (Biotium Inc.) after electrophoresis in agarose gels and bands of appropriate sizes were excised, extracted and sequenced. Sequences obtained (n=11) were aligned with NP gene sequences of CDV available in GenBank by MUSCLE. Molecular phylogenetic analysis (MEGA 7.0) was carried out by using Maximum Likelihood method based on the Tamura 3-parameter model. The CDV RNA was identified in 20.3% of the analysed animals. A high positivity rate was identified in dogs with 10.1% of 148 sample tested positive followed by wolves (6.08%) and foxes (5.11%). The Artic Lineage of CDV was identified in 9 out of 11 sequenced samples, in both wild and domestic canids. This strain was identified in 3 different provinces (PU, AP, PG), raising concerns given the vastness of the affected area. Two Onderstepoort strains were also identified. In conclusion, this study shows a wide CDV circulation involving different ecotypes and species in the investigated area. Further studies, based on epidemiological and genetic analysis, will be carried out in order to assess the phylogenetic correlation among the identified strains. This follow up will be important in order to highlight potential risk factors associated with the introduction of this new genotype and to better understand the role played by domestic and wild carnivores interactions in virus spreading. These additional studies should be carried out as soon as possible in order to prevent virus dissemination and to perform ad hoc vaccination campains