Prevalence of Chlamydia abortus in Belgian ruminants

Chlamydia (C.) abortus enzootic abortion still remains the most common cause of reproductive failure in sheep-breeding countries all over the world. Chlamydia abortus in cattle is predominantly associated with genital tract disease and mastitis. In this study, Belgian sheep (n=958), goats (n=48) and cattle (n=1849) were examined, using the ID Screen (TM) Chlamydia abortus indirect multi-species antibody ELISA. In the sheep, the highest prevalence rate was found in Limburg (4.05%). The animals of Antwerp, Brabant and Liege tested negative. The prevalence in the remaining five regions was low (0.24% to 2.74%). Of the nine goat herds, only one herd in Luxembourg was seropositive. In cattle, the highest prevalence rate was found in Walloon Brabant (4.23%). The animals of Limburg and Namur tested negative. The prevalence rate in the remaining seven regions ranged between 0.39% and 4.02%

Tolerance and safety evaluation of N, N-dimethylglycine, a naturally occurring organic compound, as a feed additive in broiler diets

N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG) is a tertiary amino acid that naturally occurs as an intermediate metabolite in choline-to-glycine metabolism. The objective of the present trial was to evaluate tolerance, safety and bioaccumulation of dietary DMG in broilers when supplemented at 1 g and 10 g Na-DMG/kg. A feeding trial was conducted using 480 1-d-old broiler chicks that were randomly allocated to twenty-four pens and fed one of three test diets added with 0, 1 or 10 g Na-DMG/kg during a 39 d growth period. Production performance was recorded to assess tolerance and efficacy of the supplement. At the end of the trial, toxicity was evaluated by means of haematology, plasma biochemistry and histopathology of liver, kidney and heart (n 12), whereas bioaccumulation was assessed on breast meat, liver, blood, kidney and adipose tissue (n 8). Carcass traits were similar between the control and 1 g Na-DMG/kg feed groups (P.0·05), but the feed:gain ratio was significantly improved at 1 g Na-DMG/kg feed compared with the control or the 10-fold dose (P¼0·008). Histological examinations showed no pathological effects and results of haematology and plasma biochemistry revealed similar values between the test groups (P.0·05). Bioaccumulation occurred at the 10-fold dose, but the resulting DMG content in breast meat was comparable with, for instance, wheat bran and much lower than uncooked spinach. In conclusion, DMG at 1 g Na-DMG/kg improved the feed:gain ratio in broilers without DMG being accumulated in consumer parts. Furthermore, dietary supplementation with DMG up to 10 g Na-DMG/kg did not induce toxicity or impaired performance in broilers

Effects of segregation and impact of specific feeding behaviour and additional fruit on voluntary nutrient and energy intake in yellow-shouldered amazons (Amazona barbadensis) when fed a multi-component seed diet ad libitum

Parrots are commonly fed multi-component seed diets; however, both segregation and feeding behaviour might alter ingredient and nutrient composition of the offered diet. First, the nutritional impact of segregation was assessed as it occurs when multi-component diets are temporarily stored in food containers that are replenished before completely emptied and birds being fed from the upper layer. The most detrimental effect hereof was a vast decrease in mineral supplements, leading to a decrease in Ca:P ratio in the offered food compared to the formulated diet. Next caloric distribution shifted towards more EE-energy at the expense of NFE-energy, as proportion of oilseeds increased and NFE-rich seeds decreased. Next, a feeding trial was performed on 6 yellow-shouldered amazons (Amazona Barbadensis) in which nutritional impact of parrot specific feeding behaviour was assessed as well as the influence of additional provision of fruit next to the seed mixture. Profound selective feeding behaviour and dehusking of seeds resulted in a vast increase in energetic density by up to 64% in the ingested fraction compared to the offered mixture in toto. Furthermore, the already suboptimal Ca:P ratio further deteriorated and caloric distribution shifted by over two-fold towards EE-energy accompanied with a vast decline in NFE-energy, CP-energy remaining similar. Finally, provision of fruit next to the seed diet significantly lowered voluntary energy intake from 956 ± 71 kJ ME/kg0.75/d to 809 ± 109 kJ ME/kg0.75/d, without compromising adequate protein intake. In conclusion, notwithstanding efforts of nutritionists to formulate diets in order to approximate estimated, species-specific requirements, nutritional composition of the actually consumed fraction of multi-component seed diets can be vastly deteriorated by both animal and management factors. Further, offering of fruit next to a seed-based diet effectively reduces voluntary energy intake and can hence be applied to abate obesit

Effect of dilution degree of articifial nectar food and supplemental provision of fruit on nutrient and energy intake in Rainbow lorikeets.

Objectives: Captive-kept lorikeets are usually fed dilutions of commercially available powdered nectar as principal nutrition. These powdered foods have to be diluted before use and degree of dilution might be determining for overall nutrient and energy intake. The present trial was aimed to study the effect of degree of dilution of artificial nectar and availability of supplemental fruit on intake in two lorikeet subspecies. Materials and Methods: Six green-naped lorikeets (Thrichoglossus h haematodus) and six red-breasted lorikeets (Trichoglossus h mitchellii) were fed three different dilutions of nectar during three consecutive 14-d periods. Half of the birds received also pieces of apple. Daily food intake was measured after 7-day adaptation periods, on which nutrient intake was calculated. Results: Both degree of dilution of nectar and supplementation with apple significantly influenced nutrient intake; moreover, effects depended on subspecies. When provided the highly diluted nectar compared to the low dilution, red-breasted lorikeets increased as-fed intake (+46%), which was sufficient to maintain similar dry matter intake (only -3%) and thus energy and protein intake. Green-naped lorikeets, however, did not fully compensate higher diluted nectar by increased as-fed intake (+32%), resulting in a 13% lower dry matter intake. Next, nectar intake decreased when apple was available and apple intake increased when fed higher diluted nectar. Conclusions: Present data clearly demonstrate that dilution degree of nectar and provision of additional food items, in this case apple, must be considered carefully, reckoning with differences in subspecies, in order to modulate voluntary nutrient intake in lorikeets