ISSN 1311-1477 (print); ISSN 131-3543 (online)
Bulgarian Journal of Veterinary Medicine
VOL. 11, No 4, DECEMBER, 2008
CONTENTS
Published by the Trakia
University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,
6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Volume 11, Number 4, December 2008, Summaries
Bochev, I., 2008. Porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC): A review. II. Diagnostics, treatment and prevention. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 11, No 4, 219-234.
The diagnostics of porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) requires a complex investigation with compulsory use of a serological assay (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA). The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay is also becoming more and more important. Prevention plays an essential role for eradication of this disease complex. The treatment with antibiotics is less important. The control measures should be complex and are mainly focused on restriction and hygiene. They include parent herds’ closure, schedules for early weaning of piglets (segregated or medicated early weaning), the all-in/all-out management technology, periodical serological surveys etc. Vaccinations result in relatively weak effect against the main PRDC agents. The use of live vaccines in PRRSV interferes with the diagnostics and generates a risk of virulentization of the vaccinal strain whereas killed vaccines are not sufficiently immunogenic and therefore also impede diagnostics. The weak immunity in Mycoplasma infections is mainly due to the epithelial localization of pathogens, that makes them hardly accessible for host immune defense. The non-specific prevention is also prevailing for control of other bacterial agents of PRDC.
Key words: Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (BCC), M. hyopneumoniae, pigs, porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), respiratory complex, segregated early weaning (SEW), vaccine
Dhevi, R., K. Gayathri, M. Mohamed Shabi, U. Subashini, G. P. Dubey, G. Victor Rajamanickam & M. Chitra, 2008. A preliminary biochemical screening of Helicteres isora L. stem bark in carbon tetrachloride induced toxicity in rats. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 11, No 4, 235-242.
Helicteres isora, a tall shrub common in central and western India is an effective antidote to snake bite and is also used for various intestinal disorders. The potential efficacy for hepatocellular regeneration of the ethanolic extract of Helicteres isora L. at doses of 150 and 250 mg/kg was investigated in CCl4-induced hepatic damage in rats for 21 days. Significant hepatoprotective effects were obtained against toxin induced liver damage as evident from assessed biochemical markers such as acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), total protein, and oxidative stress parameters as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in liver, kidney and plasma. The results revealed that at the dose of 250 mg/kg, Helicteres isora L. had a hepatocurative potential after CCl4 intoxication in rats and provided a scientific rationale for the traditional use of this plant in the management of liver diseases.
Key words: antioxidant, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), H. isora L, hepatoprotection, rats
Petek, M. & F. Alpay, 2008. Utilization of grain barley and alfalfa meal as alternative moult induction programmes for laying hens: Body weight losses and egg production traits. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 11, No 4, 243-249.
A total of 54 Lohman, brown egg laying hens, older than 70 weeks of age, were used in this study. The hens were randomly divided into two treatment groups and a control group (in total 18 experimental units with 3 hens each; 473 cm2 per bird). The hens in the first treatment group were fed 100% grain barley ration, while the second group received 100% alfalfa meal. The control group of hens received a commercial layer feed. The respective diets and water were allowed ad libitum, and the animals were housed in natural light during the 10-day moulting programme. The body weight changes of hens in the groups, moult and post-moult egg production, egg size, and mortality were determined. The most significant body weight loss (19.54%) occurred in the alfalfa fed hens, while in grain barley fed hens the lost was calculated as 17.54% at the end of moulting period. Significant differences were found for egg production and cracked egg percentage between non-moult control and moulting treatment groups. There were no significant differences between moult and post-moult average periods egg weights and mortality rates in all groups. Based on the results of the study, grain barley appeared to be the best alternative to non-feed removal moulting methods.
Key words: alfalfa meal, egg production, grain barley, laying hens, moulting
Sapundzhiev, E., 2008. Conservation of ancient breed small ruminants as frozen embryos. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 11, No 4, 251-255.
A total of 69 sheep and goat embryos at the stage morula or blastocyst produced in vivo from endangered native Bulgarian breeds were recovered, frozen and stored in a cryobank with liquid nitrogen at -196°C. The methods for production, recovery and deep-freezing of the preimplanted embryos are described. The specific hormonal stimulation and possibilities for freezing biotechnology as well as a long-term storage in animal biology science and stock-breeding are discussed. It is well demonstrated that embryo freezing is an approach for conservation of the animal genotype at its current status for a prolonged period.
Key words: conservation, embryo, freezing, goat, sheep
Rahimi, E. & E. Tajbakhsh, 2008. Prevalence of Campylobacter species in poultry meat in the Esfahan city, Iran. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 11, No 4, 257-262.
A surveillance study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in poultry meat in Iran. Over a 24-month period (January 2006 – May 2008), a total of 800 poultry meat samples from raw chicken (n=280), quail (n=248), turkey (n=212) and ostrich (n=60) meat were procured from the Esfahan city of Iran and analyzed. The highest prevalence (68.4%) of Campylobacter spp. was recorded in quail meat, followed by chicken meat (56.1%), turkey meat (27.4%) and ostrich meat (11.7%). The overall prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in studied samples was 47.1% (377 from 800), out of which 76.4% were identified as C. jejuni and 23.6% as C. coli. It was concluded that a high proportion of poultry meat marketed in Esfahan, Iran, was contaminated by Campylobacter spp. and that consumption of undercooked or cooked contaminated poultry products presented a possible risk for consumers.
Key words: Campylobacter, chicken, ostrich, poultry meat, quail, turkey
Rusev, V., T. Stoyanchev, I. Vashin, A. Pavlov & D. Dinkov, 2008. Comparative investigations on the effect of disinfection in two meat processing enterprises. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 11, No 4, 263-268.
Comparative investigations were carried out in two meat processing plants in order to determine the effect of disinfection on contact surfaces prior to and after the procedure on the basis of the total number of mesophilic microorganisms. It was found out that during production, the surfaces of most meat processing machines in the plant manufacturing freshly cooked and dried sausages from red and white meat were more contaminated than those in the plant manufacturing dry sausages from red meat. In both enterprises, the total number of mesophilic organisms was higher on the surface of mechanical meat processing units than on the surface of thermal processing, drying and storage equipment, whereas the contamination of hands of cutter operators was almost identical. After the sanitation, mesophilic microflora was reduced to amounts, many times lower than normatively allowed. The effect of disinfection was more pronounced in the plant manufacturing freshly cooked and dried sausages from red and white meat, where the contamination of operational surfaces with mesophilic organisms was higher. In both plants, the effect of disinfection was higher with regard to the equipment with initially more contaminated and smoother surfaces.
Key words: disinfection, food safety, meat processing, total mesophilic microflora
Lashev, L. & D. J. Dimitrova, 2008. Comparative allometric analysis of three isoxazolylpenicillins in four mammalian species. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 11, No 4, 269-273.
Comparative allometric analysis of selected pharmacokinetic parameters of cloxacillin, dicloxacillin and flucloxacillin in four animal species (cats, dogs, pigs and sheep) was performed. The correlations between the total body clearance (CLB) and the volume of distribution (Vdarea) to the body weight of animals were established. They can be expressed by the equations: cloxacillin - CLB =5.68W1.18, Vdarea=0.24W1.56; dicloxacillin - CLB=17.95W0.92, Vdarea=2.93W0.62; and flucloxacillin - CLB=10.59W0.97, Vdarea=1.52W1.43. No statistically significant correlation was found for the half-life values.
Key words: allometry, cloxacillin; dicloxacillin; flucloxacillin, pharmacokinetics
Iwegbue, C. M. A., G. E. Nwajei & E. H. Iyoha, 2008. Heavy metal residues of chicken meat and gizzard and turkey meat consumed in southern Nigeria. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 11, No 4, 275-280.
The concentrations of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) in chicken meat, chicken gizzard and turkey meat consumed in southern Nigeria were determined after nitric acid/perchloric acid digestion using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The order of the elements in the chicken meat, chicken gizzard and turkey meat was as followed: Fe>Zn>Ni>Cu>Cr>Pb>Cd>Mn. The concentration ranges of the elements were: 23.59–97.72 mg.kg-1 Fe; 0.01–5.15 mg.kg-1 Cu; 4.95–48.23 mg.kg-1 Zn; 0.13–7.93 mg.kg-1 Ni; 0.01–1.37 mg.kg-1 Mn; 0.01–5.68 mg.kg-1 Cd; 0.01–4.60 mg.kg-1 Pb and 0.01–3.43 mg.kg-1 Cr. The concentrations of iron, manganese, copper, zinc were below the permissible limits while those of cadmium, nickel, chromium and lead in some samples were at levels above the permissible limits. The body burden with these elements is very dependent on the concentration of the various elements in major sources of animal protein, namely turkey meat, chicken meat and gizzard, the frequency of consumption of these foods and the rate of detoxification in the human body.
Key words: chicken meat and gizzard, heavy metals, turkey meat