Short-term liquid storage of ram semen in various extenders

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of three extenders on ram sperm quality after short-term liquid storage (24 hours’ holding time). The study included 20 crossbred rams (Pirot Pramenka x Wurttemberg x Ile de France), 12 months old. Animals were housed at the experimental sheep farm of the Institute for Animal Husbandry in Belgrade, Serbia. Semen was collected through electro ejaculation. The ejaculates were obtained from single services and routine field analysis of the semen was performed immediately after the collection. The semen was split and diluted with three extenders, namely Optidyl®, Andromed® and ultrahigh temperature processed (UHT) milk, in ratios of 1 : 50 or 1 : 100. The ejaculates were examined for sperm motility variables (sperm cell motility percentage, the progressive motility percentage, curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight line velocity (VSL), average path velocity (VAP), sperm linearity (LIN), straightness (STR), amplitude of lateral sperm head displacement (ALH), beat cross frequency (BCF) and circular tracks), and sperm morphology (live sperm percentage, percentage of normal sperm forms with intact acrosome, percentage of abnormal sperm forms and total damaged acrosome) by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) and classic sperm cytology after supravital eosin/nigrosine/trypan blue staining, respectively. It was observed that the type of extender used in diluting ram semen is an important factor in the successful short-term liquid preservation (at 4 °C) of ram spermatozoa. In conclusion, this study showed that egg yolk (Optidyl) and soybean (Andromed)-based extenders gave better results of both sperm morphology and sperm motility parameters compared with UHT milk.Keywords: Diluents, morphology, motility, sper

Control of the Respiratory Diseases in a Pig Herd Using Data of the Respiratory Organs Examination of Fattening Pigs at a Slaughterhouse

In everyday farming practice, assessment of economical impact of respiratory diseases at herd level relies on the following information: data records on the diseases within the herd, productivity and slaughterhouse records. The data available from the slaughterhouse encompass the number and percentage of low weight pigs, number of diseased animals, the severity of lesions observed at slaughter as well as the amount of discarded organs and carcasses. The aim of this investigation is to improve the assessment of health status of pigs at herd level and design programs for the control of respiratory syndrome in swine based on the analysis of the data collected at slaughter line. In the slaughterhouse, the thoracic cavity organs from 105 fatlings that have reached the slaughter body mass, 20 underweight fatlings and 20 underdeveloped piglets were examined. The weight of both half-carcasses was measured. Tissue samples of altered organs (lungs, mediastinal lympho nodes, tonsils) were collected and subjected to bacteriological analysis. The average weight of both half-carcasses was 81.54kg in fatteners with full slaughter body mass, and 58.29kg and 14.95kg in low-weight fatlings and piglets, respectively. Changes affecting 10% of lung tissue were established in 9 animals, 11-20% in 10 and 21-32% in 10 fatlings. Pathological process is characterized by hepatization of lung tissue, inflammation of the pleura or, even more frequently, adhesions between the visceral and parietal pleura and pericardium. In underweight fatlings, the rates of lung changes were 20% in 5, 11-30% in 3, 40% in 4, and 40% in 6 animals. Applying bacteriological testing, the following microorganisms were isolated: Haemophilus parasuis, Arcanobacterium pyogenes, and Pasteurella multocida. The examination performed at the slaughter line strongly suggested the necessity of designing a new, updated vaccination program taking into consideration the causative agents and vaccination schedule

Swine Dysentery: Practical Observations, Control And Diagnostics

Swine dysentery is a severe mucohemorrhagic enteric disease of pigs which has a large impact on pig production, with important losses caused by mortality and suboptimal performance. The causative agent is Brachyspirahyodysenteriae. The aim of the paper was to evaluate all the available data on B. hyodysenteriae presence on swine farms in Vojvodina region. The material for this research included five swine farms, where certain disorders and health problems in weaned, grower and fattening pigs were detected. Depending on the specificity of each evaluated case and available material, the applied research methods included: anamnestical and clinical evaluation, gross pathological examination, standard bacteriological testing for detection of the presence of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in the tissue samples derived from diseased and/or died pigs. Besides this, in some cases the molecular diagnostic method (RT-PCR) was included. Swine dysentery is a common and important endemic problem in many swine farms in Vojvodina. On endemically infected swine farms transmission mainly occurs by ingestion of infected faeces. All the observed factors affecting disease persistence and transmission on the farm are thoroughly analysed and discussed. Finally, current prophylactic and therapeutic approaches to fight against disease are described

Development and evaluation of double locus sequence typing for molecular epidemiological investigations of Clostridium difficile.

Despite the development of novel typing methods based on whole genome sequencing, most laboratories still rely on classical molecular methods for outbreak investigation or surveillance. Reference methods for Clostridium difficile include ribotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, which are band-comparing methods often difficult to establish and which require reference strain collections. Here, we present the double locus sequence typing (DLST) scheme as a tool to analyse C. difficile isolates. Using a collection of clinical C. difficile isolates recovered during a 1-year period, we evaluated the performance of DLST and compared the results to multilocus sequence typing (MLST), a sequence-based method that has been used to study the structure of bacterial populations and highlight major clones. DLST had a higher discriminatory power compared to MLST (Simpson's index of diversity of 0.979 versus 0.965) and successfully identified all isolates of the study (100 % typeability). Previous studies showed that the discriminatory power of ribotyping was comparable to that of MLST; thus, DLST might be more discriminatory than ribotyping. DLST is easy to establish and provides several advantages, including absence of DNA extraction [polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is performed on colonies], no specific instrumentation, low cost and unambiguous definition of types. Moreover, the implementation of a DLST typing scheme on an Internet database, such as that previously done for Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( http://www.dlst.org ), will allow users to easily obtain the DLST type by submitting directly sequencing files and will avoid problems associated with multiple databases

Correlation between the limit values of laboratory and clinical mycotoxicosis

Analysis of feed for the presence of fungi and mycotoxins is a request necessary to meet in order to ensure a healthy and economical production in livestock. These tests are related to legal regulation which prescribes the maximum legislated content (MLC), both for the presence of mycotoxins and the total number of fungi in certain feeds. Health problems that can occur during the production of animals are sometimes caused by the presence of mycotoxins in the feed. Laboratory testing is a good practice to confirm a suspicion, and allows timely treatment of contaminated feed. Potential problems arise under circumstances when there is a clinical outcome of mycotoxicosis and animal and laboratory findings suggest that the obtained values are below the level that is within the MLC. For these reasons, the subject of our research was to investigate the occurrence of mycotoxins and mold in feed, as well as the clinical presentation for animals that were fed with the feed with allowed values of these agents according to the recommended levels. The aim of this paper was to highlight the problems associated with clinical correlation of sick animals and laboratory findings, and suggest their overcoming. In the period of one year, a total of 176 samples of feed (complete mixture for broilers, corn and soy products) were examined for the presence of fungi, 106 samples were examined for the presence of mycotoxins and 26 flocks of broilers and turkeys were clinically observed. Standard methods were used for isolation of molds and the ELISA test was used for the detection of mycotoxins. Clinical and pathomorphological observation of the flocks was done to determine the natural indicators of production. Studies indicated a problem because clinical and pathomorphological findings in some cases were not correlated with laboratory findings of molds and mycotoxins in the feed, and in some cases it did not necessarily mean that the animals were healthy. Synergism and cumulative effects of mycotoxins, on the one hand, and the characteristics of each species and product category on the other hand, can create specific circumstances that can lead to disease and can increase even though the values prescribed by legislation have been met. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 031071

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Swiss pregnant and breastfeeding women - a cross-sectional study covering the first pandemic wave.

Information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnancy and breastfeeding experiences, as well as on perinatal mental health in Switzerland is limited. In Switzerland, there are few national studies and little information. Using an anonymous online survey accessible after the first wave of the outbreak in Switzerland, we have investigated how this pandemic affected pregnant and breastfeeding women. Among women who completed the survey, 69.0% (1050/1518) indicated the first wave of the pandemic affected their personal habits, 61.0% (689/1131) were affected in their work and 40.0% (632/1573) reported impaired relations with healthcare services (different denominators correspond to the number of participants who answered the question). 36.8% (110/299) of women reported an impact of the pandemic on their current pregnancy experience or breastfeeding experience (8.2%, 46/555). Overall, 11.6% (170/1467) of participants who completed the validated screening tests for mental health symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7, Perceived Stress Scale) presented a score compatible with symptoms of major depression, severe anxiety or high perceived stress, which is higher than in the pre-pandemic period according to literature. Risk factors independently associated with impaired mental health were being hospitalized, having symptoms of COVID-19, living with a person with COVID-19 symptoms, having comorbidities, having experienced reduced healthcare services, having restricted usual activities and being a housewife. Protective factors independently associated were a high level of education and living with a partner. Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic might have significantly affected the well-being and mental health of pregnant and breastfeeding women, directly in the case of exposure, and indirectly as a result of the potential modifications in their life habits and in healthcare facilities

Oksidativni stres u akutnoj blast povredi pluća je nezavisan od enzimske sinteze azot-monoksida

Lung trauma has been considered to be one of the vital injuries induced by explosion-generated blast overpressure. Conflicting evidence exists as to whether nitric oxide plays a crucial role in acute lung injury induced by blast. Data presented in this study demonstrate that local exposure of midthoracic region to moderate-level blast overpressure significantly enhanced lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde and superoxide anion generation in rabbit's lungs 30 minutes after exposure, whereas the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase) activity showed parallel increase. NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, a non-specific inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), had no effects on the measured parameters suggesting that oxidative stress induced by blast exposure might be independent from NOS.Smatra se da je povreda pluća jedna od najvažnijih povreda do kojih dolazi delovanjem blast talasa generisanog na mestu eksplozije. Do danas ne postoji definitivan stav da li azot-monoksid ima bitnu ulogu u akutnoj blast povredi pluća. Rezultati ove studije pokazuju da lokalno delovanje blast nadpritiska srednje jačine na središnji deo toraksa dovodi do povećanog stvaranja malondialdehida, produkta lipidne peroksidacije kao i povećanog generisanja superoksidnog anjona, 30 minuta posle traume. Istovremeno, dolazi do smanjenja aktivnosti antioksidativnih enzima (superoksid-dizmutaze i glutation-peroksidaze) u plućnom tkivu kunića. NG-nitro-L-arginin-metil estar (L-NAME), nespecifični inhibitor enzima azot-monoksid sintaze (NOS) nije imao efekta na određivane parametere, što ukazuje daje oskidativni stres indukovan blast povredom verovatno nezavisan od aktivnosti enzima NOS