Hepatito E viruso paplitimas ir molekulinis charakterizavimas Lietuvos kiaulių ir laukinių gyvūnų populiacijose

[...]. The aim of this thesis was to assess the prevalence of HEV in Lithuanian pigs and wildlife animal species using serological and molecular assays and to characterize circulating strains of HEV. To this end, five objectives within the study were raised: 1. To identify the seroprevalence of HEV in domestic pigs (Publication 1); 2. To estimate the seroprevalence of HEV in wildlife fauna species designated for human consumption (Publication 1); 3. To detect viral RNA directly and to assess the prevalence of HEV in domestic pigs samples by RT-PCR using two HEV-specific sets of primers targeting the ORF1 and ORF2 fragments of the HEV genome (Publication 2); 4. To determine the viral prevalence of HEV in wild ungulate samples by RT-PCR using two HEV specific sets of primers targeting the ORF1 and ORF2 fragments of the HEV genome (Publication 1); and 5. to perform sequencing and phylogenetic analyses based on HEV ORF2 for molecular characterization of circulating HEV strains in farmed Lithuanian pigs and wild ungulates (Publication 2). [...]

Influence of metabolic cage on Wistar rat physiological state : Chapter 14

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of metabolic cage housing on the Wistar rat physiological state and to analyze the correlation between the minerals in blood and urine. Thirty male rats were used in the experiment. Fifteen rats (control group) were housed individually in standard polycarbonate cages and fifteen rats (experimental group) in metabolic cages (Techniplast, Italy) for two weeks. Body weight, respiration rate, water and food consumptions were recorded for each animal at the beginning of the experiment. The same parameters, as well as blood and urine parameters of control and experimental animals were recorded during the experiment after 72 h, 168 h and 336 h of housing in standard cages and metabolic cages. Urine collection was measured only in the experimental group. Rats weight decreased from 3.84 % to 18.59 % (P<0.05), respiration rate from 18.65 % to 24.59 % (P<0.05) when rats were housed in metabolic cages. Consumption of food and water by the rat depended on how long the animal was kept in metabolic cage. Glucose concentration increased on average by 15.37 %, WBC count decreased by 5.83 % in the blood of rats housed in metabolic cages compared to the animals housed in standard cages. We did not observe significant changes of triglycerides concentration, red blood cells count and total protein between all rats. The positive moderate correlation of rat housing in a metabolic cage was between K blood and K urine, P blood and P urine, Na blood and K blood, between Na urine and P urine and significant negative moderate correlation was determined between K urine and P urine. These present study findings indicate that metabolism cage housing significantly affects rat’s physiological parameters and potentially may influence animal health and wellbeing. [...]

The influence of lameness on several automatic milking system variables and reproductive performance indicators in dairy cows

There is an increased interest in using automatic milking systems (AMS) to indirectly assess the welfare of dairy cows, but knowledge on analyzing the association between lameness, milk yield characteristics, and reproductive performance in cows is still insufficient. The main aims of this study were to evaluate the influence of lameness on several AMS variables and reproductive performance indicators during the early stage of lactation and estrus in Lithuanian Black and White dairy cows, as well as to assess the associations between lameness, productivity and reproductive efficiency. A total of 418 milking cows (50.3±1.2 d postpartum) without any apparent reproductive disorder were monitored for hoof health status. Cows were assigned to two groups on the basis of visual locomotion scoring: “non-lame“cows (group 1; 74.20%) and cows presenting “lameness“ (lame cows) (group 2; 25.80%). Productive and milking performances of dairy cows were recorded from 50 to 100 days in milk (DIM) and 1 day after the first estrus. The lameness was predominantly localized on the hind feet (79.60%) and less frequently - on the front feet (20.40%; p<0.001). Furthermore, the lameness had a tendency to decrease milk production (4.24%; p<0.05) and increase the difference in milk yield between rear and front quarters of the udder (1.20%; p<0.05). The frequency of milking (5.19%) was lower in lame cows (p<0.05). The lame cows during estrus showed a more pronounced decrement in milk yield and milking frequency (p<0.05), and also higher milk progesterone concentration values (1.55-1.76 time’s; p<0.001), and an increasing number of inseminations (11.69%; p<0.05) were observed. The results highlighted that analysis of data from AMS programs can be a successful tool for reducing risk factors related to the effective management of reproductive performance and hoof health of dairy cows