Suchergebnisse

The aim of this study was to evaluate the humoral immune response in beef heifers supplemented with mineral supplementation with or without the addition of rumen-protected methionine. Forty-eight Brangus nulliparous heifers were distributed into four experimental groups with three replications each: control group without supplementation and without vaccination (CG01), control group without supplementation and with vaccination (CG02), treatment group with mineral supplementation and vaccination (TG01), and treatment group with mineral supplementation added with protected methionine and vaccination (TG02). The animals were maintained under native pasture with access to water ad libitum and the supplementation was available in high-consumption covered troughs. A supplementation period of 60 days prior to vaccinations was adopted until the first dose of a monovalent experimental vaccine inactivated for BoHV-5 was applied as a method of stimulating the immune response to evaluate the supplementation effects. After a 21-day interval, blood samples were collected to evaluate the humoral response and the second vaccine booster dose was applied following the 21-day interval for new blood samples in order to evaluate the immune response against the two-vaccination protocol. From the beginning of the experiment, the animals were weighed on the days ?60, ?10, 0, 21, and 42 in relation to the vaccine protocol. The experimental groups did not differ for body weight, mean daily weight gain, and body condition score after 102 days of supplementation regardless of the treatment. No animals belonging to CG01 seroconverted throughout the experiment, proving that there was no introduction of the agent (BoHV) in the studied area. When vaccinated animals were compared to the CG01 control group, statistically higher levels of neutralizing antibodies (P ? 0.0001) and IgG (P ? 0.0001) were verified 21 days after the second vaccine dose. Among the animals of the three vaccinated groups, there was no difference in seroconversion and IgG production. Therefore, no benefits of mineral supplementation or enriched with protected methionine were observed for the humoral immune response of the studied animals.

The action of the bovine placental lactogen (bPL) hormone on maternal metabolism is still poorly known. Some markers, such as the acute phase protein paraoxonase (PON1), are used as indicators of liver function and help to determine the metabolic condition during the transition period in dairy cows. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of paraoxonase (PON1) in the serum of peripartum dairy cows with different levels of bPL. Based on the plasma bPL concentration, 18 cows were divided equally into three groups: LOW ( < 2,68 ng bPL mL-1), MEDIUM (2,68–2,80 ng bPL mL-1), and HIGH ( > 2,80 ng bPL mL-1). The experiment was conducted between 21 days prepartum and 28 days postpartum. Serum samples were collected during the experiment for the determination of bPL concentrations and PON1 activity. The bPL concentration was significantly different between the experimental groups (P ? 0,0001) and the days of serum collection (P ? 0,0001). In the prepartum dairy cows, the PON1 levels were different between the groups (P ? 0,05) and the days of serum collection (P ? 0,05). Cows with high bPL concentration had lower serum PON1 activity (P ? 0,05), while cows with low hormone levels had higher enzyme activity (P ? 0,05). In the postpartum period, there was a significant difference between the days of serum collection (P ? 0,0001) and the interaction between groups and collections (P ? 0,01). The group with high concentrations of bPL had lower levels of PON1 (P ? 0,01), while the group with low bPL maintained higher concentrations of PON1 (P ? 0,01). It was concluded that the cows with higher concentrations of bPL in the prepartum period present a reduction in the serum activity of the PON1 enzyme during the peripartum period.

This study examines rumen-fluid parameters and the biochemical profile of feedlot sheep supplemented with a commercial product composed of yeast culture and enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast during an abrupt change of diet. Eight sheep at 30 months of age, with an average weight of 40.2 ± 3.4 kg, were housed in individual stalls where they received the same diet twice daily, which was formulated according to the National Research Council [NRC] (2007). The animals were divided into two groups, namely, supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SG, n = 4) and control (CG, n = 4). The experiment consisted of three periods: the first (seven days) consisted of an acclimation to the roughage-only diet; in the second period (five days), the animals of SG started to receive supplementation; lastly, in the third period (five days), all animals underwent a sudden change of diet, which was characterized by an alteration from 100% roughage to a 50:50 ratio (roughage:concentrate) without prior adaptation. Blood samples were collected to evaluate albumin, aspartate amino transferase, calcium, gamma glutamyl transferase, globulins, glucose, magnesium, potassium, sodium, total plasma proteins and urea. Rumen fluid was harvested to evaluate physical aspects. Supplementation increased the protozoa count; the rate of sedimentation and fluctuation remained within the physiological parameters; and total plasma proteins and globulin decreased. Therefore, the yeast appears to be a promising alternative for reducing the deleterious effects of an abrupt change of diet.