Effect of some disease stress on cow milk yield and features

In their review, Bertoni et al. (2003) have pointed out how in dairy cows milk yield and its characteristics are markedly modified during disease stress (general consequences of any disease). This mainly depends on secretion of cytokines, which determines anorexia, endocrine changes and diversion of some nutrients toward the immune system

Variations of some blood parameters in rabbit reared under different environmental conditions

High environmental temperature induces physiological stress in rabbits leading to production losses, also because of their quite poor thermoregulation ability. Some consequences of heat stress affect digestive system functions, with impaired appetite, growth and feed conversion, but also with increased disease incidence. These effects can also reflect on the levels of some blood metabolites. Relatively few experimental works are available on the effects of high environmental temperature on the rabbit metabolic profile reared in commercial farms. The aim of this study was to study, in separate experiments, the effects of "fresh" spring and of "hot" summer temperatures on rabbits performance with particular attention to the behaviour of some metabolic parameters and of some aspects of the functionality of the digestive system

Metabolic and biochemical changes in plasma of the periparturient rabbit does with different litter size.

The aim of this study was to investigate the metabolic and biochemical changes in plasma that occur in the reproductive rabbit doe close to the parturition, as well as if the number of offspring affects the metabolism and the health status of the doe. At −3, 4 and 12 days from parturition (–D3, D4, and D12, respectively) nine rabbit does at their third parity from a commercial hybrid line (HYPLUS PS 19) selected for high prolificacy were weighted and blood was collected for a wide inflammometabolic profile. According to the number of offspring the does were retrospectively divided in two groups: high litter size group (HI; n=5) and low litter size group (LO; n=4). BW was higher (P<0.01) at –D3 and had the lowest values at D4. At D12, the BW was lower (P<0.05) in LO compared with HI. Several metabolites significantly changed from dry to lactation period. Glucose and cholesterol had the lowest levels at –D3; non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and aspartate aminotransferase had the highest values before parturition (P<0.05); creatinine and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) were higher at –D3 with respect to D4 (P<0.05). The lowest value of paraoxonase was observed in does at –D3 (P<0.05), whereas at this time ceruloplasmin and total bilirubin had the highest concentration (P<0.05). The differences for blood profile parameters between does grouped according to litter size were mainly evident before parturition (–D3). In particular, BHBA, NEFA and total bilirubin had higher concentrations (P<0.05) in HI v. LO group, whereas albumin and PON were lower in HI group (P<0.01). After parturition there were no significant differences for the metabolic parameters between the two groups. The results show that for reproductive rabbit doe the last days of gestation are very stressful from a metabolic and inflammatory point of view. The genetic selection of does for higher litter size has increased their ability to mobilize body reserves in order to guarantee the nutrients to a high number of kits. This exposes them to a more severe metabolic and inflammatory challenge during the transition period. Consequently, feeding and managerial strategies for high prolificacy periparturient rabbit does should be revised

Effect of dietary starch level and high rumen-undegradable protein on endocrine-metabolic status, milk yield, and milk composition in dairy cows during early and late lactation

Diet composition defines the amount and type of nutrients absorbed by dairy cows. Endocrine-metabolic interactions can influence these parameters, and so nutrient availability for the mammary gland can significantly vary and affect milk yield and its composition. Six dairy cows in early and then late lactation received, for 28 d in a changeover design, 2 diets designed to provide, within the same stage of lactation, similar amounts of rumen fermentable material but either high starch plus sugar (HS) content or low starch plus sugar content (LS). All diets had similar dietary crude protein and calculated supply of essential amino acids. Dry matter intake within each stage of lactation was similar between groups. Milk yield was similar between groups in early lactation, whereas a higher milk yield was observed in late lactation when feeding HS. At the metabolic level, the main difference observed between the diets in both stages of lactation was lower blood glucose in cows fed LS. The lower glucose availability during consumption of LS caused substantial modifications in the circulating and postprandial pattern of metabolic hormones. Feeding LS versus HS resulted in an increase in the ratio of bovine somatotropin to insulin. This increased mobilization of lipid reserves resulted in higher blood concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate, which contributed to the higher milk fat content in both stages of lactation in the LS group. This greater recourse to body fat stores was confirmed by the greater loss of body weight during early lactation and the slower recovery of body weight in late lactation in cows fed LS. The lower insulin to glucagon ratio observed in cows fed LS in early and late lactation likely caused an increase in hepatic uptake and catabolism of amino acids, as confirmed by the higher blood urea concentrations. Despite the higher catabolism of amino acids in LS in early lactation, similar milk protein output was observed for both diets, suggesting similar availability of amino acids for peripheral tissue and mammary gland. The latter could be the result of sparing of amino acids at the gut level due to starch that escaped from the rumen, and to the balanced amino acid profile of digestible protein. This last aspect appears worthy of further research, with the aim to enhance the efficiency of protein metabolism of dairy cows, reducing environmental nitrogen pollution without affecting milk yield potential

Circulating amino acids in blood plasma during the peripartal period in dairy cows with different liver functionality index

The liver functionality index (LFI) measures the changes of albumin, cholesterol, and bilirubin concentrations between 3 and 28 d postpartum. This composite index, based on variables with direct relevance to liver-specific plasma protein synthesis (albumin), hepatic/intestinal lipoprotein synthesis (cholesterol), and clearance of breakdown products of heme catabolism (bilirubin), provides a tool for evaluating manifestations of hepatic disease. Both energy and protein metabolism are likely to be affected by various physiological challenges in this period but have not been tested systematically. The present study was conducted to profile AA in cows with high or low LFI during the peripartal period and relate this to production outcomes. Eighteen multiparous cows were used from −21 through 28 d around parturition and divided retrospectively into the high or low LFI group. Blood samples were obtained on −21, −14, −7, 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, and 28 d relative to calving, and biomarkers and AA in plasma were measured. Grouping based on LFI resulted in 8 cows with high LFI (HLFI) and 10 cows with low LFI (LLFI). Although the temporal response in dry matter intake (DMI, 16.3 kg/d) and body condition score (2.56) did not differ, cows with high compared with low LFI had greater overall milk production (37.9 vs. 32.9 kg/d) although energy-corrected milk yield did not differ (42.6 vs. 38.7 kg/d). As expected, cows grouped as LLFI had lower cholesterol and albumin but greater bilirubin after calving compared with HLFI animals. Despite similar temporal responses in DMI between groups, concentrations of total AA were greater in HLFI, particularly after calving. Although concentrations of total essential AA (EAA) and branched-chain AA did not differ with LFI status, cows in HLFI had greater concentrations of Thr and Ile postpartum. Nearly all plasma AA concentrations followed the general trend of a nadir at 1 d after calving followed by a gradual increase to prepartal levels before 28 d. Glycine was the only AA exhibiting a gradual increase in concentration through the transition, with a maximum at 7 d postpartum followed by a gradual decrease. We detected no effect of LFI status on plasma Lys, which decreased markedly from −21 d to calving, followed by an increase to prepartal values by d 7. In contrast, concentrations of Met and His decreased markedly between −21 and 10 d and did not reach prepartal values by 28 d. The marked decrease in Gln concentration after calving regardless of LFI might compromise immune function during this period. Overall, the results indicate the existence of an association among inflammation, liver function postpartum, and AA plasma concentrations, irrespective of temporal differences in DMI. Cows with better indices of liver function produced more milk and maintained greater concentrations of total AA and some EAA such as Thr and Ile. Whether these AA played a direct role in the greater milk production remains to be determined

Effect of litter size on prepartum metabolic and amino acidic profile in rabbit does.

The use of modern prolific lines of rabbit does in intensive production systems leads to an increase in productivity but also causes a rise in several problems related to the does' health status. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the litter size on the metabolic, inflammatory and plasma amino acid profile in rabbit does. The blood of 30 pregnant does was sampled on the 27th day of pregnancy. The does were retrospectively grouped according to the number of offspring into a high litter size group (HI, does with ≥ 12 kits; n = 16) and a low litter size group (LO, does with ≤ 11 kits; n = 14). Data were subjected to Pearson's correlation analysis. Further, data were analysed in agreement to a completely randomized design in which the main tested effect was litter size. The linear or quadratic trends of litter size on parameters of interests were post hoc compared by using orthogonal contrasts. In addition, compared with the LO group, the HI group had lower levels of glucose (-5%; P < 0.01), zinc (-19%; P < 0.05), albumin (-6%; P < 0.05) and total cholesterol (-13%; P < 0.07), but the total bilirubin level was higher in the HI group (+14%; P < 0.05). Regarding the plasma amino acids, the HI group had lower concentrations of threonine (-15%), glycine (-16%), lysine (-16%) and tryptophan (-26%) and a higher level of glutamic acid (+43%; P < 0.05) compared with the LO group. The exclusively ketogenic amount of amino acids was lower (P < 0.06) in the HI (55.8 mg/100 ml) does compared with the LO does (56.8 mg/100 ml). These results show that a few days before delivery, rabbit does that gave birth to a higher number of offspring had a metabolic profile and an inflammatory status that was less favourable with respect to does who gave birth to a lower number of offspring. Moreover, the plasma amino acid profile points out that there was an enhanced catabolic condition in the rabbit does with a high number of gestated foetuses; it was likely related to the greater energy demand needed to support the pregnancy and an early inflammatory response

Limited refugia and high velocity range-shifts predicted for bat communities in drought-risk areas of the Northern Hemisphere

Abstract Species occupying semi-arid and dry regions around the globe face an uncertain future due to increases in the frequency and severity of droughts. In this study we modelled the potential effect of climate change on bat communities within two high-drought risk regions of the world and assessed the magnitude and direction of the predicted shifts in climatic suitability, locating climate change refugia and identifying species at greatest risk of population declines. To do this, we compared climate suitability models for 43 species using three global climate models and three emissions scenarios for current (1950–2000) and future (2061–2080) climates within two regions where droughts are predicted to increase, the Western Palaearctic and Western North America. Our models predicted an overall reduction in bat richness with future climates. Areas projected to support high species richness in the current climate coincided with greatest predicted species loss and greatest future drought risk. For species with the potential to extend their range, high velocity range shifts would be required to keep pace with these changes, particularly in the Western Palaearctic, where additional barriers to movement include seas and areas of high human population density. Predicted refugial zones were limited and occurred in similar areas across continents (montane and high latitude with some coastal areas). The area of climate suitability was predicted to contract for around half of study species, with nine identified as species of conservation concern due to low overlap between current and future modelled ranges. The best-case scenario for bat diversity in semi-arid and dry regions in the future is likely to be reduced species richness, with many species facing rapid range expansion over challenging landscapes to access climatically suitable areas. Conservation of bats in high drought risk regions will likely depend on protection of identified refugia and networks of water sources, as well as global measures to protect biodiversity and human wellbeing, such as reduction in global carbon emissions

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in collagen genes and association with skin quality trait

AbstractLivestock skin is largely employed in the manufacturing of clothing and shoes, sector in which Italy is a world leader. To sustain Italian products against foreign competition in the globalization era particular attention is to be focus on product quality. Here we investigate the association of SNP mutations in genes coding for collagen proteins present in animal skin with a number of phisico-chemical parameters influencing skin quality for the tanning industry.Skin and blood were sampled from 73 Italian Friesian and Italian Brown bovines and from 43 Bergamasca and Sarda ovines, classified by sex and age. Skins were characterised for a set of chemico-physical parameters (thickness, density, humidity, protein content, ashes, lipid content, hydrossi-proline and DNA content).Regions of the collagen type I, III and IV were screened for SNP discovery in the two species by sequencing a set of reference animals. In bovine 15 polymorphisms were identified: (2 in collagen type I, 9 in collagen type III alp..

A mycotoxin-deactivating feed additive counteracts the adverse effects of regular levels of Fusarium mycotoxins in dairy cows.

Little is known about the effects of commonly found levels of Fusarium mycotoxins on the performance, metabolism, and immunity of dairy cattle. We investigated the effects of regular contamination levels, meaning contamination levels that can be commonly detected in dairy feeds, of deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FB) in total mixed ration (TMR) on the performance, diet digestibility, milk quality, and plasma liver enzymes in dairy cows. This trial examined 12 lactating Holstein dairy cows using a 3-period × 3-treatment Latin square design. The experimental period was 21 d of mycotoxin exposure followed by 14 d of washout. During treatment periods, cows received one of 3 diets: (1) CTR (control) diet of TMR contaminated with 340.5 µg of DON/kg of dry matter (DM) and 127.9 µg FB/kg of DM; (2) MTX diet of TMR contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins at levels higher than CTR but below US and European Union guidelines (i.e., 733.0 µg of DON/kg of DM and 994.4 µg of FB/kg of DM); or (3) MDP diet, which was MTX diet supplemented with a mycotoxin deactivator product (i.e., 897.3 µg of DON/kg of DM and 1,247.1 µg of FB/kg of DM; Mycofix, 35 g/animal per day). During washout, all animals were fed the same CTR diet. Body weight, body condition score, DM intake, dietary nutrient digestibility, milk production, milk composition and rennet coagulation properties, somatic cell count, blood serum chemistry, hematology, serum immunoglobulin concentrations, and expression of multiple genes in circulating leucocytes were measured. Milk production was significantly greater in the CTR group (37.73 kg/d) than in the MTX (36.39 kg/d) and the MDP (36.55 kg/d) groups. Curd firmness and curd firming time were negatively affected by the MTX diet compared with the other 2 diets. Furthermore, DM and neutral detergent fiber digestibility were lower after the MTX diet than after the CTR diet (67.3 vs. 71.0% and 42.8 vs. 52.3%). The MDP diet had the highest digestibility coefficients for DM (72.4%) and neutral detergent fiber (53.6%) compared with the other 2 diets. The activities of plasma liver transaminases were higher after the MTX diet than after the CTR and MDP diets. Compared with the CTR diet, the MTX diet led to slightly lower expression of genes related to immune and inflammatory functions, indicating that Fusarium mycotoxins had an immunosuppressive effect. Our results indicated that feed contaminated with regular levels of Fusarium mycotoxins adversely affected the performance, milk quality, diet digestibility, metabolic variables, and immunity of dairy cows, and that supplementation with mycotoxin deactivator product counteracted most of these negative effects

Immunometabolic status and productive performance differences between periparturient Simmental and Holstein dairy cows in response to pegbovigrastim

In the present study, we aimed to investigate the side effects of pegbovigrastim, injected approximately 7 d before parturition and on the day of calving, on a panel of plasma biomarkers to evaluate energy, inflammatory, oxidative, and liver function status. We also addressed treatment responses in different breeds during the transition period. Holstein and Simmental cows were randomly assigned into 2 groups based on expected calving date and according to parity: the treated group (PEG; 14 Holstein and 12 Simmental cows) received pegylated recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulating factor (pegbovigrastim, Imrestor; Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN), and the control group (CTR; 14 Holstein and 14 Simmental cows) received saline solution. The PEG or CTR treatments were administered via subcutaneous injection in the scapular region at approximately 7 d (mean 7.80 ± 5.50 d) before expected parturition and within 24 h after calving. Blood samples were collected at -21, -7 (before injection), 1, 3, and 28 d relative to calving. Milk production was recorded at 7, 15, 21, 30, and 42 d. A mixed model with repeated measures was fitted to the normalized data using Proc MIXED of SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Simmental PEG cows showed higher plasma protein concentrations at 1 and 3 d after calving compared with Simmental CTR and Holstein PEG cows, whereas no differences were detected between Holstein PEG and CTR cows. Albumin was greater at 1 d in Simmental PEG compared with Simmental CTR cows. In contrast, γ-glutamyl transferase was higher overall (across breed) in PEG than in CTR. The PEG group had higher values throughout the postcalving period compared with CTR. Cows treated with pegbovigrastim had also higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity at 1 and 3 d after calving. The Holstein PEG group had higher ALP activity at 3 d compared with the Holstein CTR and Simmental PEG groups, and higher ALP at 1 d compared with the Simmental CTR group. The PEG group had higher levels of IL-6 at 3 and 28 d but higher IL-1β only at 28 d after calving compared with the CTR group. Overall, Holstein cows were characterized by a greater response in the production of inflammation biomarkers (cytokines, haptoglobin, and ceruloplasmin). In addition, PEG cows had higher values of zinc at 1 and 3 d after calving compared with CTR cows. The response observed in plasma biomarkers for energy metabolism and liver functionality after pegbovigrastim treatment in Simmental and Holstein cows was not different from that in control cows. However, our data shed light on the different metabolic adaptations during the transition period between Simmental and Holstein cows, characterized by different energy, inflammatory, and oxidative pattern responses. For the first time, we have highlighted the effect of pegbovigrastim in maintaining stable cytokine levels during the first month after parturition, reflecting greater regulation of neutrophil recruitment, trafficking, and maturation during the inflammatory response. These results provide evidence of the immunomodulatory action of pegbovigrastim around parturition, when dairy cows are highly immunosuppressed. At the same time, these data demonstrate that increasing release of cytokines after parturition is not linked to exacerbation of a systemic inflammation evaluated based on haptoglobin and ceruloplasmin levels