Comparative efficacy of few disinfectants against bacterial load in pig facilities at livestock farm complex, Chennai

Disinfection of animal shed means making them free from disease producing organisms. An attempt has been made to assess the efficacy of disinfectants. The study was carried out in three different seasons of the year during 2017-18 in pig fattener facilities and farrowing pen at Livestock Farm Complex, Madhavaram, Chennai. Four disinfectants namely, chlorine dioxide, sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite and cow urine based disinfectant were used. The efficacy of the disinfectants was found out by dilution method. In pig fattener sty the efficacy of disinfectants in descending order were chlorine dioxide (1.77x108 ±1.10), sodium hypochlorite (2.57x1011±1.15), cow urine based disinfectant (1.68x1011±1.12) and calcium hypochlorite (7.73x1011±1.06) in all the seasons of the year. In farrowing pen the order of efficacy of disinfectants were chlorine dioxide (1.82x108±1.17), sodium hypochlorite (2.71x1011±1.15), calcium hypochlorite (2.66x1011±1.17) and cow urine based disinfectant (3.15x1011 ±1.07) in all the seasons of the year. Hence, spraying with chlorine dioxide in pig facilities was found to be effective in all seasons of the year

Comparison of floor bacterial load in different types of rabbit cages

Rabbits are housed on various types of cages including single tier, multi- tier cages etc. The effect of housing system on the floor bacterial load is variable, and its effect on animal production is limited. An attempt has been made to evaluate and compare the floor bacterial load between single-tier and multi-tier caging system in rabbitary. The study was carried out in rabbitary which housed broiler rabbits. The samples were taken in sterile cotton tipped swabs. The floor bacterial load was determined by dilution method where serial dilutions were done with sterile normal saline. An aliquot of 1 ml was taken from dilution and poured in sterile petri plates in triplicate and mixed with liquefied sterilized plate count agar. Following incubation, the bacterial colonies were counted. The bacterial load in the single-tier was comparatively lower than the multi-tier cage even before washing of cages. There was significant difference (P<0.01) in the floor bacterial load before (1.73x1012±0.30) and after water wash (1.35x1011±0.29) and between single (1.50x109±0.30) and multi-tier cages (1.35x1011±0.29). The bacteria up to genes level found using Hi-Media bacterial kit were Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Flavobacterium sp, Micrococcus sp, Proteus sp, Mannheimia sp, Klebsiella sp, Bordetella sp, Bacillus sp, Actinomyces sp, Cornybacterium sp and Pseudomonas sp. This study concluded that reduced bacterial load found in single tier may be due to good aeration and better handling facilities.  In single tier cage the dung and urine gets settled at the floor which facilities easy washing which slows down the bacterial growth

Effect of feeding swill feed supplemeted with chocolate cream waste on backfat thickness and body measurements in fattener weaner pigs

Pig rearing on concentrate feed may not be economical because of higher market price of raw materials. The alternative source could be the use of swill feeding. Consequently, the impact of the swill feed on the backfat thickness and body measurements calls for investigation against any other alternative feed.  Hence in the present study, an attempt has been made to compare the body measurements and backfat thickness in fattener piglets which were fed with swill feed (T1) vs. Those fed with chocolate cream waste supplemented with swill feed (T2). The statistical analysis of the data obtained in the present study revealed that there was highly significant (P?0.01) difference between body weight gain and backfat thickness (layer I and II) of both the group of piglets which were taken for trial starting from three months of age till five months of age. However, not significant difference (P?0.05) was noticed for body length and chest girth except in the pigs of 150 days age group. This study indicates that swill feed supplemented with chocolate cream waste could be used to reduce the feed cost since higher weight gain is achieved in a shorter time interval, increasing body measurements and backfat thickness compared to swill feed (T1) group of piglets

Fertility enhancement using P-24 and fixed time artificial insemination (FTAI) protocol in repeat breeder buffaloes

Pluriparous repeat breeding Murrah buffaloes (20) were randomly divided into 2 groups, viz. control and treatment group. Control group buffaloes were inseminated on day 0 and 1 of oestrus cycle whereas treatment group buffaloes were treated with P- 24 and FTAI protocol. A significantly higher conception rate was obtained in treatment group when compared to the control group. P-24 and FTAI protocol increased the conception rate in repeat breeding buffaloes

Designing devices for global surgery: evaluation of participatory and frugal design methods

Introduction: Most people living in low- and middle-income countries have no access to surgical care. Equipping under-resourced health care contexts with appropriate surgical equipment is thus critical. “Global” technologies must be designed specifically for these contexts. But while models, approaches and methods have been developed for the design of equipment for global surgery, few studies describe their implementation or evaluate their adequacy for this purpose. Methods: A multidisciplinary team applied participatory and frugal design methods to design a surgical device for gasless laparoscopy. The team employed a formal roadmap, devised to guide the development of global surgical equipment, to structure the design process into phases. Phases 0–1 comprised primary research with surgeons working in low-resource settings and forming collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders. These participated in phases 2–3 through design workshops and video events. To conclude, surgical stakeholders (n=13) evaluated a high-fidelity prototype in a cadaveric study. Results: The resulting design, “RAIS” (Retractor for Abdominal Insufflation-less Surgery), received positive feedback from rural surgeons keen to embrace and champion innovation as a result of the close collaboration and participatory design methods employed. The roadmap provided a valuable means to structure the design process but this evaluation highlighted the need for further development to detail specific methodology. The project outcomes were used to develop recommendations for innovators designing global surgical equipment. To inform early phases in the design roadmap, engaging a variety of stakeholders to provide regular input is crucial. Effective communication is vital to elucidate clear functional design requirements and hence reveal opportunities for frugal innovation. Finally, responsible innovation must be embedded within the process of designing devices for global surgery. Conclusion: A community-wide effort is required to formally evaluate and optimize processes for designing global surgical devices and hence accelerate adoption of frugal surgical technologies in low-resource settings

CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF CROSSBRED LARGE WHITE YORKSHIRE PIGS UNDER DIFFERENT FEEDING REGIMENS

ABSTRACT An experiment was conducted to assess the carcass characteristics of crossbre

Influence of dietary supplementation of chromium on the carcass traits of crossbred pigs

This study was conducted to assess the influence of chromium on the carcass traits in crossbred (Large White Yorkshire X Landrace) pigs fed with swill feeding for a period of 5 months. Early-weaned crossbred piglets (n=24) were selected for this study, and the piglets were randomly divided into three equal groups; Group I, II, and III. The piglets were reared by following standard health coverage protocols. The feeds of Group I and II were supplemented with chromium in the form of chromium tripicolinate at 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg of swill feed respectively, and Group III was kept as control. Carcass weight, carcass length, and bone percentage showed no significant difference among the three groups. However, better dressing percentage was observed in Group I (p<0.05). Liver and kidney weights were reduced in chromium supplemented groups (p<0.05). Chromium supplemented groups showed lower backfat thickness and fat percentage (p<0.01); whereas, loin eye areas and muscle percentage were increased as compared to the control group. Thus, it was concluded that chromium supplementation in feed of crossbred piglets influenced positively in their carcass traits