ISSN 1311-1477 (print); ISSN 131-3543 (online)
VOLUME 18, NUMBER 3, SEPTEMBER 2015
CONTENTS
Published by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia
University,
6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Volume 18, Number 3, September 2015, Summaries
Karadaev, M., 2015. Pregnancy diagnosis techniques in goats – a review. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 18, No 3, 183–193. DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.837
Several techniques for pregnancy diagnosis in goats are developed. Some of them are efficient and applicable in the field, but not enough accurate. Others are outlined with a high precision, but require equipment and specialised skills. Laparoscopy, laparotomy and vaginal biopsy are accurate but invasive and thus, inappropriate for the routine practice. Abdominal inspection, transabdominal palpation and increased live weight could be indicative for pregnancy in goats but they are reliable only after the second half of gestation. Udder examination and palpation are of low accuracy and their independent application for pregnancy diagnosis is not suitable. Blood, milk and faecal progesterone assays could indicate pregnancy in goats after the 21st post insemination day until the end of gestation. The detection of pregnancy associated glycoproteins (PAGs) in blood plasma or milk samples is an early pregnancy marker but requires laboratory equipment. Non-return to oestrus is a cheap, practical and widely used method for detection of pregnancy between post insemination days 17 and 21 and does without signs of oestrus are assumed to be pregnant. A-mode, B-mode and Doppler ultrasonography are alternative methods for pregnancy diagnosis. Their accuracy and practical application potential are different. The two-dimensional ultrasound is one of the most appropriate methods for pregnancy diagnosis in goats. The accuracy of the method is about 100% on post insemination day 25–30 using the transrectal approach, whereas via the transabdominal approach, this accuracy is attained between the 40th and the 45th day.
Key words: diagnostics, goats, pregnancyIvanova, Zh., G. Penchev, S. Ribarski, E. Vachkova, N. Grigorova, A. Roussenov, P. Yonkova, D. Kostov, T. M. Georgieva, A. Milanova & I. Penchev Georgiev, 2015. Effect of antioxidant treatment on some indicators of obesity-induced changes in insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in new zealand white rabbits. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 18, No 3, 194–208. DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.886
The current study was conducted to investigate the impact of dietary antioxidant supplementation on obesity-induced changes in some surrogate indices of insulin sensitivity and ß-cell function in New Zealand white rabbits. Three groups of rabbits were used in this experiment: castrated animals treated with antioxidants (vitamin E and d-limonene, Immunoprotect) (Cim; n=6), castrated obese animals (CO; n=6) and non-castrated non-obese controls (NC; n=7). At the end of the follow-up period of 2 months after castration an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was performed after 12-hour fasting. Blood samples for determination of simplified estimates of insulin resistance and β-cell function were obtained at baseline and at various time intervals over the 120-min test. In addition, lipid content in m. Longissimus lumborum и m. Semimembranosus was determined. Some of the simplified measurements of insulin resistance (fasting insulin, fasting insulin to glucose ratio, НОМAins.resist index), beta-cell function (HOMAβ-cell, AUCinsulin 0→60 min) and muscles lipid content in CO were higher while QUICKI and Bennett indices were lower than in controls. No differences in surrogate indices between CIm and NC groups were found suggesting improvement of insulin sensitivity and β-cell function after antioxidant supplementation. Surrogate indices are simple and reliable indicators of insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in rabbits as they were closely associated with markers of obesity and can be modified by antioxidant supplementation.
Key words: antioxidant supplementation, insulin resistance and β-cell function indices, obesity, rabbits
Abadjieva, D., Ts. Gospodinova, R. Stefanov & E. Kistanova, 2015. Morphological evaluation of gilt ovaries in relation to the quality of recovered oocytes. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 18, No 3, 209–215. DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.865
The aim of the current study was to analyse the relationship between morphology of gilt’s ovary and the quantity and quality of recovered oocytes suitable for in vitro procedures. Forty ovaries of healthy 7–8 months old gilts from a local slaughterhouse divided into corpora lutea bearing (CL) and non-corpora lutea bearing (non-CL) ovaries were evaluated. Morphometric analysis (weight, length and width) of the ovaries was performed. Also, visual estimation of the number and size of follicles and presence of corpora lutea in ovaries was done. The developmental competence of recovered oocytes was evaluated by BCB test. It was found that the values of morphometric parameters of CL ovaries were higher compared to non-CL ovaries (P<0.05). Non-CL ovaries tended to bear a higher number of large and total follicles than CL, but the difference was not significant. More compact cumulus oocytes complexes (COCs) and oocytes with corona radiata (POCs) were recovered from CL than from non-CL ovaries. The BCB test showed that both types of ovaries provided more than 55% BCB-positive oocytes. In conclusion, both CL as well as non-CL ovaries from gilts aged 7–8 months could be used for recovering the developmental competent oocytes for in vitro procedures.
Key words: corpora lutea (CL), gilt ovary, oocytes
Bozakova, N. A., L. K. Sotirov, N. Sasakova & K. Veszelits Lakticova, 2015. Welfare improvement in laying hens during the hot period under a semi-open rearing system through dietary arginine and vitamin c supplementation. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 18, No 3, 216–226. DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.869
The welfare assessment model in poultry under different rearing systems has gained increasing importance. An economically profitable approach for improvement of laying hens welfare during the hot summer period is diet’s supplementation with specific additives (microelements, vitamins, and minerals) to satisfy the body’s needs under heat stress. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the welfare of DeKalb Brown laying hens (n=295) whose feed was supplemented with either 10 mg/kg L-arginine or with the combination 10 mg/kg L-arginine and 250 mg/kg vitamin C during the hot summer days, using a mathematical assessment model. The laying hens’ welfare was scored on the basis of birds’ behaviour, plasma corticosterone levels, blood biochemical parameters (glucose, cholesterol, creatinine, total protein and triglycerides) and rearing microclimatic parameters. The behaviour was observed by a video camera accounting the number of birds engaged in specific forms of activity: ingestive (ingestion of water or food), gregarious (moving, resting, egg-laying, dust bathing and feather cleaning), sexual and agonistic behaviour. The plasma corticosterone levels were assayed by means of commercial ELISA kit. Blood biochemical indices – cholesterol, glucose, creatinine, total protein and triglycerides were determined on an automated biochemical analyzer. The welfare score of DeKalb Brown laying hens during the hot period from the control group was 33.33% that of the group supplemented with L-arginine – 66.67 %, and in birds supplemented with arginine and vitamin C – 73.33 % due to the synergic heat stress-reducing effect of both compounds.
Key words: arginine & vitamin C, behaviour, corticosterone, DeKalb Brown hens, heat stress, welfare assessment model
Ghiasi Ghalehkandi, J., J. Heydarbeygi, Y. Ebrahimnezhad & S. Hassanpour, 2015. Effects of pre-incubation laser irradiation on hatchability and small intestine enzymes activity in post-hatched broiler chickens. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 18, No 3, 227–238. DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.827
The aim of this study was to investigate effects of short-term laser application on hatchability, died embryo in eggs and effects on post-hatch enzyme activity in different sections of small intestine (1, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 90%) in broiler chickens at 21 and 42 days of age. Two experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, 900 fertilised eggs (Ross 308) were randomly divided into three experimental groups (three replications and 100 eggs per group), which were irradiated with laser (Helium-Neon) at 0, 6 and 10 mW power respectively for 90 s; 12 h prior to incubation. The eggs were randomly incubated at industrial hatcheries. At hatch day, rates of unfertilised eggs, hatched, unhatched, dead unhatched embryos were determined in different phase of incubation (1–6 and 7–18 days). In the second experiment, 234 one-day-old chickens where allocated into three experimental groups based on irradiation laser levels (three replications and 26 birds per group). At post hatch days 21 and 42, six birds were randomly selected from each group, slaughtered and various sections of small intestine (1, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 90%) were sampled to evaluate alkaline phosphates (ALP), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and sucrase activities. According to the results, laser irradiation had no significant difference on egg hatchability, unfertilised eggs, unhatched died and died embryos (P>0.05). A significant difference was observed in small intestine LAP and ALP levels at days 21 and 42 (P<0.05). These results suggested that laser irradiation altered small intestine enzyme activity in broilers.
Key words: alkaline phosphatase, broiler chicken, hatchability, laser irradiation, leucine amino peptidase, sucrase
Stratev, D., I. Vashin & H. Daskalov, 2015. Determination of beta-haemolytic activity and minimum inhibitory concentrations of antimicrobial drugs against Aeromonas hydrophila strains isolated from fish products. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 18, No 3, 239–247. DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.836
The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of β-haemolytic Aeromonas hydrophila strains in 83 samples from cooled horse mackerel, rainbow trout, Black sea roach, silver carp, vacuum-packed rainbow trout fillets and 20 samples frozen rainbow trout and to establish the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of several antimicrobial drugs against these strains. Forty-five Aeromonas spp. strains were isolated, 36 (80%) of them with β-haemolytic activity. Identification of biochemical properties and determination of MICs were performed with 20 β-haemolytic A. hydrophila strains. The MICs of cefoxitin (≤0.5–32 µg/mL), azithromycin (≤0.5–16 µg/mL), chloramphenicol (≤2–16 µg/mL), tetracycline (≤4–16 µg/mL), ceftriaxone (≤0.25–32 µg/mL), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (≤8/4–32/16 µg/mL), ciprofloxacin (≤0.015–1 µg/mL), gentamicin (≤1–4 µg/mL), nalidixic acid (≤0.5–8 µg/mL), ceftiofur (≤1–8 µg/mL), sulfisoxazole (≤64–256 µg/mL), trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole (≤0.12/2.38–1/19 µg/mL), kanamycin (≤8–16 µg/mL) and streptomycin (≤32 µg/mL) were determined using Sensititre® CMV2AGNF microtitre plates (Trek Diagnostic Systems, USA). Tested strains were resistant to ampicillin concentrations in the plate: >32 µg/mL.
Key words: Aeromonas hydrophila, β-haemolysis, fish products, minimum inhibitory concentrations
Pavlova, I., 2015. Effect of probiotics on doxycycline disposition in gastro-intestinal tract of poultry. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 18, No 3, 248–257. DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.908
Poultry feed is often supplemented with probiotics in order to improve disease resistance and growth performance and to decrease undesirable effects of antibacterial therapy. Therefore this study was designed to evaluate the effect of probiotics such as Lactobacillus brevis, L. plantarum and L. bulgaricus on pharmacokinetics of doxycycline in healthy DUC broiler chickens. The treatment with doxycycline at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight started on the 15th day after hatching for 5 days via drinking water. The probiotics treated group received Lactobacillus strains for 15 days, 5 days after hatching. Treatment with probiotics did not lead to statistically significant differences in serum concentrations of doxycycline between both groups of chickens. The value of Cmax was significantly higher in the liver of doxycycline + probiotics treated chickens (0.23±0.1 µg/g) than in doxycycline-treated group (0.19±0.17 µg/g). The same tendency was observed in the jejunum of both groups of animals suggesting favourable results in the cure of bacterial diseases of the gastrointestinal tract of poultry.The selected dose was appropriate for treatment of infections caused by pathogens with MIC < 0.25 µg/mL irrespective of antibiotic administration alone or in combination with probiotics. The simultaneous treatment of chickens with probiotics and doxycycline did not entail changes in the dose regime of the antibiotic.
Key words: chicken, doxycycline, pharmacokinetics, probiotics
El-Deeb, W. M., 2015. Acute phase response and oxidative stress parameters in pneumonic camel calves (Camelus dromedarius). Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 18, No 3, 258–269. DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.853
Pneumonia is an emerging problem in dromedary camels, while no data concerning the diagnostic importance of acute phase proteins and oxidative stress markers in pneumonic camel calves are available. Twenty five spontaneously pneumonic camel calves were used in this study. In addition, 25 healthy camel calves were used as control group. Blood samples were collected from both groups for determination of blood picture and analysis of lipoprotein profile, fibrinogen (Fb), haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukins (IL-6, IL-1α, IL1β, IL-10), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Erythrocytic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) were determined in erythrocyte haemolysate obtained immediately after sampling from anticoagulated blood. The results revealed significant elevations in total leukocytic and neutrophil counts in pneumonic camel calves compared to control values. The concentrations of Hp, SAA, Fb, IL-6, IL-1α, IL1β, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ were significantly higher (1.6±0.1 g/L, 26.4±3.23 mg/L, 5.1±1.30 g/L, 19.7±1.6 pg/mL, 17.1±3.1 pg/mL, 36.0±1.5 pg/mL, 14.3±0.5 pg/mL, 23.3±1.7 ng/ml, 29.5±2.2 pg/mL respectively) in pneumonic camel calves than in controls. The study showed a significant increase in MDA (21.36±1.12 nmol/g protein) with significantly lower levels of erythrocytic GSH, SOD and CAT (4.42±0.65 mmol/g Hb, 3.1±0.22 U/mg Hb and 10.4±1.3 U/mg Hb, respectively) in the pneumonic camel calves vs healthy controls. The present study concluded that lipid profile, APP, pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress indices could serve as diagnostic parameters for pneumonia in camel calves.
Key words: camel calves, haptoglobin, interleukins, oxidative stress, pneumonia, serum amyloid A
Khodakaram-Tafti, A., A. Hajimohammadi & F. Amiri, 2015. Prevalence and pathology of abomasal abnormalities in sheep in southern Iran. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 18, No 3, 270–276. DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.802
Abomasal abnormalities impose economic constraints on sheep production, most of which are subclinical and cannot be easily detected by routine clinical examination. In this survey, morphopathological lesions of 100 abomasa of sheep slaughtered in Fars Province, southern Iran were studied from spring to autumn of 2011. Grossly, raised pale to whitish nodular areas to irregularly thickened mucosa, different types of erosions or ulcers, phytotrichobezoars, and serosal cysts of Cysticercus tenuicollis were seen. Histopathologic examination revealed ostertagiasis (79%), erosive-ulcerative abomasitis (75%), eosinophilic abomasitis (14%), Cysticercus tenuicollis cysts on the serosal surface (9%), chronic hypertrophic abomasitis (4%), coccidiosis (3%) and submucosal granulomatous abomasitis (1%). Microscopic features of the coccidial schizonts were consistent with previous descriptions of Eimeria (Globidium) gilruthi. Based on the results, it could be concluded that ostertagiosis was the most common abnormality in the abomasum of the sheep that can cause important economical losses. In addition, abomasal coccidiosis was reported for the first time and further research is required to clarify the pathogenesis and its epidemiologic importance in sheep.
Key words: abomasum, coccidiosis, morphopathological abnormalities, ostertagiosis, sheep
Rahimi, E. & F. Khaksar, 2015. Detection of toxigenic clostridium difficile strains isolated from meat and meat products in iran. Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 18, No 3, 277–281. DOI: 10.15547/bjvm.845
The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of toxigenic C. difficile in some of the meat products in Iran. Samples of hamburger (100), minced beef meat (150), chicken nugget (150), sausage (100) and canned meat (70) were collected from the retail trade and analysed for the presence of C. difficile using selective enrichment in C. difficile broth, subsequent alcohol shock-treatment and plating onto C. difficile selective medium. C. difficile isolates were tested for determination of toxins A and B production by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Of 570 samples tested, six (1.2%) were positive for the presence of C. difficile: one from hamburger (1.0%) and five from minced beef meat (3.3%). Among six C. difficile isolates five (83.3%) were found to be toxigenic and were positive for toxin A and/or B. This study shows the importance of minced beef meat as potential source of C. difficile infection in people who consume it.
Key words: Clostridium difficile, meat, meat products, toxigenic strains