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Animal Production (animal + production)
Selected AbstractsThe Swiss Federal Dairy Research StationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DAIRY TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2003Max Rüegg The Federal Dairy Research Station (FAM) was established at the beginning of the last century. It is one of six agricultural research stations of the Swiss Department of Agriculture and the leading national research institute in dairy technology and consulting. It is part of the Swiss Centre of Competence for Animal Production and Foods of Animal Origin. Its mission is to improve the competitive position of the Swiss milk producers and dairy industry. The institute is organized into three functional areas corresponding to its well-established core competencies: (1) production of raw milk cheese and microorganisms for fermentation, (2) knowledge transfer and consultation for the dairy industry and beekeeping, and (3) testing of, and providing expertise on dairy and bee products. Research work is carried out using a multidisciplinary approach in a matrix organization. Two product- and customer-orientated technology units and one unit for consulting, contractual work and other services for the dairy industry are supported in their projects by three scientific and technical units (microbiology; chemistry, physics and sensory analysis; engineering and production) as well as by a unit offering central services. The 4-year research programmes are based on the strategic goals of the agricultural policy as well as on the current needs of the dairy industry. An advisory board oversees the preparation and execution of the projects. FAM is connected to an international network for both scientific work and supervisory tasks. Work is carried out within the background of the political strategy of a sustainable development including economic, ecological and social aspects. A primary research focus is therefore the avoidance of excessive processing of milk and dairy products, and keeping products natural and free of residues by applying only minimal, unavoidable treatments and additives. [source] Use of Transgenic Animals to Improve Human Health and Animal ProductionREPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 4 2005L-M Houdebine Contents Transgenic animals are more widely used for various purposes. Applications of animal transgenesis may be divided into three major categories: (i) to obtain information on gene function and regulation as well as on human diseases, (ii) to obtain high value products (recombinant pharmaceutical proteins and xeno-organs for humans) to be used for human therapy, and (iii) to improve animal products for human consumption. All these applications are directly or not related to human health. Animal transgenesis started in 1980. Important improvement of the methods has been made and are still being achieved to reduce cost as well as killing of animals and to improve the relevance of the models. This includes gene transfer and design of reliable vectors for transgene expression. This review describes the state of the art of animal transgenesis from a technical point of view. It also reports some of the applications in the medical field based on the use of transgenic animal models. The advance in the generation of pigs to be used as the source of organs for patients and in the preparation of pharmaceutical proteins from milk and other possible biological fluids from transgenic animals is described. The projects in course aiming at improving animal production by transgenesis are also depicted. Some the specific biosafety and bioethical problems raised by the different applications of transgenesis, including consumption of transgenic animal products are discussed. [source] Uptake and transport of roxarsone and its metabolites in water spinach as affected by phosphate supplyENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2010Lixian Yao Abstract Roxarsone (ROX) is widely used as a feed additive in intensive animal production. While an animal is fed with ROX, the As compounds in the manure primarily occur as ROX and its metabolites, including arsenate (As[V]), arsenite (As[III]), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). Animal manure is commonly land applied with phosphorous fertilizers in China. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the phytoavailability of ROX, As(V), As(III), MMA, and DMA in water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), with the soil amended with 0, 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, and 2.0,g PO4/kg, respectively, plus 2% (w/w manure/soil) chicken manure (CM) bearing ROX and its metabolites. The results indicate that this species of water spinach cannot accumulate ROX and MMA at detectable levels, but As(V), As(III), and DMA were present in all plant samples. Increased phosphorous decreased the shoot As(V) and As(III) in water spinach but did not affect the root As(V). The shoot DMA and root As(III) and DMA were decreased/increased and then increased/decreased by elevated phosphorous. The total phosphorous content (P) in plant tissue did not correlate with the total As or the three As species in tissues. Arsenate, As(III), and DMA were more easily accumulated in the roots, and phosphate considerably inhibited their upward transport. Dimethylarsinic acid had higher transport efficiency than As(V) and As(III), but As(III) was dominant in tissues. Conclusively, phosphate had multiple effects on the accumulation and transport of ROX metabolites, which depended on their levels. However, proper utilization of phosphate fertilizer can decrease the accumulation of ROX metabolites in water spinach when treated with CM containing ROX and its metabolites. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:947,951. © 2009 SETAC [source] Biology, distribution and impacts of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.),EPPO BULLETIN, Issue 1 2007M. Mekki Silverleaf nightshade, Solanum elaeagnifolium, is listed as a noxious weed in its native range (Americas) and as an invasive alien plant in many countries across the world. Its local pattern of distribution in the EPPO region indicates that it is still in an establishment phase. S. elaeagnifolium invasiveness could be related to several biological traits: copious production of sexual and asexual propagules, its facility for long-distance dispersion, its ability to endure considerable drought and to dominate shallow-rooted vegetation, especially during summer dry periods, and its capacity to suppress more valuable species because it is unpalatable and toxic to cattle. Invasion of the Mediterranean semi-arid region by S. elaeagnifolium was mainly facilitated by irrigation and animal production. Low moisture stress may favour this invasive species and sheep are an important pathway for its long-distance dispersal. Once established, it is one of the most difficult weeds to eradicate because of its network of creeping horizontal and deep vertical roots. Its phenotypic plasticity enables it to adopt a rosette-like growth pattern to escape control by repeated slashing. Thus, S. elaeagnifolium monitoring in the EPPO region is vital in order to contain established populations and prevent invasion. [source] Do bacteria need to be regulated?JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006P. Silley Abstract Additives for use in animal nutrition are regulated under Regulation (EC) No. 1831/2003. The scope of this paper addresses the specific microbiological issues relevant to a microbial feed additive, containing a Bacillus spp. and uses as an example a product with the trade name, Calsporin®. Bacillus subtilis C-3102 is the active ingredient in Calsporin® and is added to animal feed to favourably affect animal production and performance (growth and feed efficiency), by modulating the gastrointestinal flora. It is not the purpose of this review to present the raw data for Calsporin® but rather to use Calsporin® as an example of the type of data required by the European regulatory authorities. At the time of preparation of this manuscript Calsporin® has yet to be reviewed by the authorities. The regulatory system under the auspices of the EFSA FEEDAP Panel is clearly attempting to move in line with development of scientific opinion and is to be applauded for such efforts. Bacteria do need to be regulated, and the regulations clearly provide adequate and appropriate protection to human health and to environmental considerations. [source] PREVALENCE AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE OF LISTERIA SPECIES IN FOOD PRODUCTS IN BANGKOK, THAILANDJOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY, Issue 1 2010SIRIPORN STONSAOVAPAK ABSTRACT A total of 380 meat and meat products, dairy and dairy products, fresh vegetables, fresh seafood, and ready-to-eat food samples from supermarkets in Bangkok, Thailand were collected and analyzed for the occurrence of Listeria spp. and of Listeria monocytogenes. The overall incidence of Listeria spp. was 16.8%, most of them were isolated from raw meat and vegetables. L. monocytogenes was isolated from 18 (4.7%) out of 380 studied samples. Other species isolated were L. innocua (6.6%), L. ivanovii (0.8%), L. seeligeri (0.5%), L. grayi (1.6%) and L. welshimeri (2.6%). The antimicrobial susceptibilities of the 64 isolate of Listeria spp. were also examined by the standard disk diffusion method. Listeria spp. were resistant to penicillin (6.3%), chloramphenicol (3.1%) and tetracycline (1.6%), but sensitive to amoxicillin, vancomycin, ampicillin, rifampicin and sulfamethoxazole. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Listeria monocytogenes prevalence in food products in Bangkok has been documented. More studies on the occurrence of L. monocytogenes are needed to establish microbiological criteria of foods in the country. The findings of our study, increases in antibiotic resistance among Listeria spp. will provide useful information for the development of public health policy in the use of antimicrobials in food animal production. [source] Development of an Antibody Hapten-Chip System for Detecting the Residues of Multiple Antibiotic Drugs,JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 4 2009Ailiang Chen M.Sc. Abstract:, The abuse of antibiotic drugs during animal production remains a worldwide problem and the subsequent detection of the residues of various drugs present at low concentrations in complex biological matrices poses significant analytical challenges. The present study outlines a practical biochip assay system to identify antibiotic residues in different animal tissue extracts. The system uses a simple but efficient multiresidue sample extraction procedure to isolate the antibiotic residues which were then identified directly using high-affinity monoclonal antibodies presented in a competitive immunoassay with conjugated antibiotic hapten-chips. The hapten-chip can analyze six samples each for eight antibiotics on a single chip within 3 h. The analytical results with both artificial positive standard samples and the incurred samples show that the antibody hapten-chip system has a comparable accuracy and a similar sensitivity to a standard ultra performance liquid chromatography,mass spectrometry (MS)/MS assay. In conclusion, an effective analytical screening system based on antibody hapten-chip was developed for detecting multiple antibiotic residues from multiple samples. [source] The Ozone Component of Global Change: Potential Effects on Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Yield, Product Quality and Interactions with Invasive SpeciesJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Fitzgerald Booker The productivity, product quality and competitive ability of important agricultural and horticultural plants in many regions of the world may be adversely affected by current and anticipated concentrations of ground-level ozone (O3). Exposure to elevated O3 typically results in suppressed photosynthesis, accelerated senescence, decreased growth and lower yields. Various approaches used to evaluate O3 effects generally concur that current yield losses range from 5% to 15% among sensitive plants. There is, however, considerable genetic variability in plant responses to O3. To illustrate this, we show that ambient O3 concentrations in the eastern United States cause substantially different levels of damage to otherwise similar snap bean cultivars. Largely undesirable effects of O3 can also occur in seed and fruit chemistry as well as in forage nutritive value, with consequences for animal production. Ozone may alter herbicide efficacy and foster establishment of some invasive species. We conclude that current and projected levels of O3 in many regions worldwide are toxic to sensitive plants of agricultural and horticultural significance. Plant breeding that incorporates O3 sensitivity into selection strategies will be increasingly necessary to achieve sustainable production with changing atmospheric composition, while reductions in O3 precursor emissions will likely benefit world food production and reduce atmospheric concentrations of an important greenhouse gas. [source] Genomics and systems biology , how relevant are the developments to veterinary pharmacology, toxicology and therapeutics?JOURNAL OF VETERINARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 3 2005R. F. WITKAMP This review discusses some of the recent developments in genomics and its current and future relevance for veterinary pharmacology and toxicology. With the rapid progress made in this field several new approaches in pharmacological and toxicological research have developed and drug discovery and drug development strategies have changed dramatically. In this review, the term genomics is used to encompass the three sub-disciplines transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics (or metabonomics) to describe the formation and fate of mRNA, proteins and metabolites, respectively. The current status and methods of the technology and some applications are briefly described. Although the DNA sequencing programmes are receiving considerable attention, the real value of genomics for pharmacology and toxicology is brought by the parallel developments in bio-informatics, bio-statistics and the integration of biology with mathematics and information technology. The ultimate level of integration is now mostly called systems biology, where mRNA, proteins and metabolites are being analysed in parallel, using a complete arsenal of analytical techniques (DNA-array, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS, NMR, etc.). The information thus collected is analysed, integrated, linked to database information and translated to pathways and systems. This approach offers an enormous potential to study disease mechanisms and find new drug targets. Thus far, genomics and systems biology have not been introduced significantly in typical veterinary pharmacological and toxicological research programmes. The high costs and complexity connected to these large projects often form major obstacles for research groups with limited budgets. In other veterinary areas and disciplines, including infectious diseases, animal production and food-safety more examples of application are available. Genomics and bio-informatics provide outstanding opportunities to study pharmacology and toxicology in a more holistic way, taking into account the complexity of biological systems and based on the basic principles of physiology and the concept of homeostasis. Knowledge of biology, in vivo and in vitro models, and comparative pharmacology/toxicology is essential here, creating excellent opportunities for the veterinary trained scientist. [source] Rangeland development of the Mu Us Sandy Land in semiarid China: an analysis using Landsat and NOAA remote sensing dataLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2003M. C. Runnström Abstract Degradation of the dry semiarid ecosystems in the Mu Us Sandy Land of north central China was explored using high-resolution satellite images from 1978, 1987 and 1996. This study monitored both changes in grassland biomass production and reclamation activities to detect the nature and scale of land degradation since major economic reforms were introduced in 1978. The position of the high-resolution images within the vegetation cycles was inspected from National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) NDVI images at 10-day repetition and seasonal precipitation patterns. A model was developed to categorize changes in the vegetation signal activity from 30,×,30,m pixels into vegetation cover development and land-use changes between 1987 and 1996. A general increase of biomass production was evident despite the rapid increase in numbers of grazing animals. This increase in biomass was confirmed by the NOAA time series, which also revealed annual variability related to the amount and pattern of the seasonal rains. Rangeland conversion to farmland was detected, and this process has increased the area of cultivation almost fivefold. The classified area of cultivation corresponds with reported statistical records, also showing that irrigation features in virtually 100 per cent of the sown area. Signs of declining biological production, indicating land degradation processes, are few. Biomass production has increased, with a gain in the economic output from both crop and animal production. The early start of active measures to halt desertification has increased vegetation cover and lowered wind erosion potential and grasslands seems to be managing the high levels of grazing pressure. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Strategies for development of vaccines for control of ixodid tick speciesPARASITE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 7 2006J. DE LA FUENTE SUMMARY Ticks are distributed worldwide and impact human and animal health, as well as food animal production. Control of ticks has been primarily by application of acaricides, which has resulted in selection of resistant ticks and environmental pollution. Vaccines have been shown to be a feasible tick control method that offers a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative to chemical control. However, identification of tick-protective antigens remains the limiting step in vaccine development. Tick antigens exposed naturally to the host during tick feeding and those concealed have both shown promise as candidate vaccine antigens. Development of vaccines against multiple tick species may be possible using highly conserved tick-protective antigens or by antigens showing immune cross-reaction to different tick species. Vaccines made from a combination of key protective antigens may greatly enhance vaccine efficacy. Preliminary studies have suggested the possibility of vaccine strategies directed toward both tick control and the blocking of pathogen transmission. Characterization of the tick genomes will have a great impact on the discovery of new protective antigens. The future of research directed toward tick vaccine development is exciting because of new and emerging technologies for gene discovery, and vaccine formulation and delivery. [source] Risk factors for serious injury in Finnish agricultureAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 5 2009Risto H. Rautiainen PhD Abstract Background Previous studies indicate 20% of injuries represent 80% of injury costs in agriculture. To help prevent the most costly injuries, we aimed to identify characteristics and risk factors associated with serious injuries. Methods We analyzed insurance records of 93,550 self-employed Finnish farmers. We ranked injury causes by claim cost and used multiple logistic regressions to identify risk factors for (any) injury and serious injury (injuries exceeding claim costs of ,2000). Results A total of 5,507 compensated injuries occurred in 2002 (rate 5.9/100 person-years), and 1,167 or 21% of them (rate 1.25/100 person-years) were serious. The causes/sources resulting in highest average claim costs were motor vehicles; stairs, scaffoldings, and ladders; trailers and wagons; floors, walkways, and steps; other structures and obstacles; augers, mills, and grain handling equipment; horses; combines and harvesting equipment; tractor steps; and uneven and slippery terrain. Older age, male gender, higher income level, greater field size, residing on the farm, Finnish language (vs. Swedish), occupational health service (OHS) membership, and animal production were risk factors for injury. The risk factors for serious injury were similar; however, the effects of age, income level, and the raising of horses were more prominent. Language, residence, ownership status, and OHS membership were not risk factors for serious injury. Conclusions Cost-effective prevention efforts should address the following risk factors: older age, male gender, larger income and operation size, livestock production (particularly dairy, swine, and horses), motor vehicle incidents, falls from elevation, and slips, trips and falls. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:419,428, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Use of Transgenic Animals to Improve Human Health and Animal ProductionREPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 4 2005L-M Houdebine Contents Transgenic animals are more widely used for various purposes. Applications of animal transgenesis may be divided into three major categories: (i) to obtain information on gene function and regulation as well as on human diseases, (ii) to obtain high value products (recombinant pharmaceutical proteins and xeno-organs for humans) to be used for human therapy, and (iii) to improve animal products for human consumption. All these applications are directly or not related to human health. Animal transgenesis started in 1980. Important improvement of the methods has been made and are still being achieved to reduce cost as well as killing of animals and to improve the relevance of the models. This includes gene transfer and design of reliable vectors for transgene expression. This review describes the state of the art of animal transgenesis from a technical point of view. It also reports some of the applications in the medical field based on the use of transgenic animal models. The advance in the generation of pigs to be used as the source of organs for patients and in the preparation of pharmaceutical proteins from milk and other possible biological fluids from transgenic animals is described. The projects in course aiming at improving animal production by transgenesis are also depicted. Some the specific biosafety and bioethical problems raised by the different applications of transgenesis, including consumption of transgenic animal products are discussed. [source] Proteomic investigation of the effects of weight loss in the gastrocnemius muscle of wild and NZW rabbits via 2D-electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF MSANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 3 2010A. M. Almeida Summary The study of changes within the key agents regulating metabolism during genetic upgrading because of selection can contribute to an improved understanding of genomic and physiological relationships. This may lead to increased efficiencies in animal production. These changes, regarding energy and protein metabolic saving mechanisms, can be highlighted during food restriction periods. In this study, a 20% weight reduction was induced in two rabbit breeds: New Zealand white, a selected meat producer (Oryctolagus cuniculus cuniculus), and Iberian wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus), with the aim of determining differential protein expression in the gastrocnemius muscle within control (ad libitum) and restricted diet experimental animal groups, using techniques of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and peptide mass fingerprinting. Results show that l -lactate dehydrogenase, adenylate kinase, , enolase and , enolase, fructose bisphosphate aldolase A and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, which are enzymes involved in energy metabolism, are differentially expressed in restricted diet experimental animal groups. These enzymes are available to be further tested as relevant biomarkers of weight loss and putative objects of manipulation as a selection tool towards increasing tolerance to weight loss. Similar reasoning could be applied to 2D gel electrophoresis spots corresponding to the important structural proteins tropomyosin , chain and troponin I. Finally, a spot identified as mitochondrial import stimulation factor seems of special interest as a marker of undernutrition, and it may be the object of further studies aiming to better understand its physiological role. [source] Genetic improvement in the presence of genotype by environment interactionANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2002Ching Y. LIN ABSTRACT Although the underlying mechanisms for triggering genotype,environment (GE) interaction are poorly understood, the potential impacts of GE interaction on genetic improvement are well recognized. Genotype,environment interaction may be classified into three levels: breed, individual and gene,environment interactions. Three measures of GE interaction (genetic correlation, interaction correlation, and commonality of individuals selected between environments) are discussed. Three options are currently available to deal with GE interaction: environmental, breeding and marker-assisted approaches. Three possible selection strategies for improving global net merit were outlined: (i) selection of a specific genotype for each environment; (ii) selection in a single environment alone for overall response across environments; and (iii) global optimum index selection for high stability and average performance across environments. Global optimum index should be the method of choice from the standpoint of global marketing. Because of the complexity of GE interaction, it is impossible to develop a general strategy to deal with different types of GE interaction. Each type of interaction requires its own solution, depending upon a combination of the following six factors: (i) the intensity of GE interaction; (ii) relative economic weights among environments; (iii) the size of environments; (iv) the nature of environments; (v) the nature of GE interaction; and (vi) selection intensity. Profitability is a major concern in animal production. Extra genetic gain does not necessarily mean extra profit. Does additional genetic gain justify the associated costs of dealing with GE interaction? This is a fundamental issue that needs to be considered before a specific breeding strategy for GE interaction is developed. [source] A Procedure for High-Yield Spore Production by Bacillus s ubtilisBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 4 2005Sandra M. Monteiro Bacillus subtilis spores have a number of potential applications, which include their use as probiotics and competitive exclusion agents to control zoonotic pathogens in animal production. The effect of cultivation conditions on Bacillus subtilis growth and sporulation was investigated in batch bioreactions performed at a 2-L scale. Studies of the cultivation conditions (pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, and media composition) led to an increase of the maximum concentration of vegetative cell from 2.6 × 109 to 2.2 × 1010 cells mL - 1 and the spore concentration from 4.2 × 108 to 5.6 × 109 spores mL - 1. A fed-batch bioprocess was developed with the addition of a nutrient feeding solution using an exponential feeding profile obtained from the mass balance equations. Using the developed feeding profile, starting at the middle of the exponential growth phase and finishing in the late exponential phase, an increase of the maximum vegetative cell concentration and spore concentration up to 3.6 × 1010 cells mL - 1 and 7.4 × 109 spores mL - 1, respectively, was obtained. Using the developed fed-batch bioreaction a 14-fold increase in the concentration of the vegetative cells was achieved. Moreover, the efficiency of sporulation under fed-batch bioreaction was 21%, which permitted a 19-fold increase in the final spore concentration, to a final value of 7.4 × 109 spores mL - 1. This represents a 3-fold increase relative to the highest reported value for Bacillus subtilis spore production. [source] Best Management Practices and the Production of Good and Bad OutputsCANADIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2010Pascal L. Ghazalian Agricultural activities simultaneously produce good and bad outputs. A translog cost function is used to evaluate the cost associated with reduction of chemical runoff and how it is influenced by the scale of crop and animal production. The results show that reducing runoff entails increasing costs and that these costs decrease with the level of crop production, but are unaffected by the level of animal production. The estimates of the cost elasticities of Best Management Practices (BMPs) were all positive, but many have large standard errors that imply that the true elasticities can be much lower or much higher. Also, the cost elasticities decrease with the scale of crop production for most BMPs whereas the scale of animal production has the opposite effect for crop rotation and herbicide control practices. Our results reaffirm that there are economies of size in production. L'agriculture produit de bons et de mauvais extrants. Une fonction de coût translog est utilisée pour évaluer les coûts associés à l'amélioration de la qualité de l'eau en réduisant les problèmes de ruissellement et de transfert de nutriments. Nous évaluons comment ces coûts changent avec les niveaux des productions animales et de cultures. Nos résultats indiquent que la réduction des transferts de nutriments est coûteux mais que l'élasticité-coût décroit avec la valeur des cultures produites tout en étant indépendant de l'envergure de la production animale. Les élasticités-coût associés aux pratiques environnementales (PE) sont positives et ont de grandes erreur-types, ce qui veut dire que les vraies élasticités peuvent être beaucoup plus grandes ou plus petites. Les élasticités-coût pour la plupart des PE diminuent avec la production de cultures produit tandis que la taille de la production animale a un effet contraire sur les élasticités pour la rotation de cultures et le contrôle des herbicides. Nos résultats confirment qu'il existe d'importantes économies de taille à exploiter en agriculture. [source] |