Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Male layer-type chickens are usually killed immediately after hatching. Despite the ethical debates and the sharp criticism against this practice, it is still widely applied. One of the possible alternatives for the culling of layer cockerels might be their use for meat production. Except for a small market niche, meat from male layer-type chickens is not currently popular among wider circles of consumers. However, although rather scarce, research on this type of bird shows that in comparison to fast or slow growing broilers, dual purpose, or indigenous breeds, the meat of male layers does not show any disadvantages in regards to sensory characteristics, chemical composition, and fatty acid profile, with its overall acceptability rating equally or even higher.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT This study was designed to discover molecular marker associated with the interferon INF-γ and avian influenza (AI) antibody titer traits in Jinghai Yellow chicken (Gallus gallus). Serum samples were taken from 400 female chickens and the INF-γ concentrations and AI antibody titer levels were measured. A genome-wide association study was carried out using specific-locus amplified fragment (SLAF) sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis was applied to detect single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the two traits. After sequencing and quality control, 103,680 SLAFs and 90,961 SNPs were obtained. The 400 samples were divided into 10 subgroups to reduce the effects of group stratification. The Bonferroni adjusted P-value of genome-wide significance was set at 1.87E−06 according to the number of independent SNP markers and linkage disequilibrium blocks. A SNP that was significantly associated with INF-γ concentration was detected in the myomesin 1 (MYOM1) gene on chromosome 2, and another SNPthat was significantly associated with the AI antibody titer level was detected in an RNA methyltransferase gene (Nsun7), which was found to have an important biological function. We propose that MYOM1 and Nsun7 are valuable candidate genes that influence the disease resistance characters of chicken. However, in-depth investigations are needed to determine the essential roles of these genes in poultry disease resistance and their possible application in breeding disease resistant poultry.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the usability of different diluents containing 6% Dimethylformamide (DMF) for cryo-preservation of the semen of geese (Anser cygnoides). The diluents of Glucose (G), Tris-Glucose (T), Lactated Ringer’s-Glucose (LG), and Lactated Ringer’s (L), all of which contained 6% DMF, were used as cryoprotectants. The researchers collected semen samples from four geese, twice a week over a four-week period, by means of abdominal massage; they then calculated how much sperm each goose ejaculated. Next, the semen samples were pooled and their spermatological parameters were determined. Their volume (4x (mL)), concentration (×108/mL), pH, motility (%), and vitality (%) rates were 0.31±0.01, 3.49±0.32, 7.13±1.06, 67.75±1.28, and 70.00±2.03, respectively. Then, these pooled semen samples were equally divided into four groups. Once they were frozen and thawed, the researchers discovered that the diluent L had the highest motility rate: 40.12% ± 1.35. The motility rates of the other diluents were as follows: LG (28.25%± 1.48), G (21.50% ± 1.41), and T (5.12% ± 0.83). Likewise, the vitality rates (%) of the diluents were as follows: L (41.93% ±1.87), LG (31.50%±1.88), G (29.43% ±1.45), and T (10.56%±1.34), respectively. Freezing and thawing appeared to lower each diluent’s vitality and motility rates. However, for the Lactated Ringer’s (L), this decrease was predictable. Therefore, Lactated Ringer’s diluent containing 6% DMF can be used in cryo-preservation of goose semen.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Chicken coccidiosis is a common and severe parasitic disease caused by infection from Eimeria spp., which affects the integrity of the intestinal mucosa. TGF-β has been shown to play an important role in the healing of intestinal mucosas, immunity, and the maintenance of bowel mucosa integrity. Very little is known about the presence of the components of TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway of chicken at different times following coccidian infection. In the present study, we measured the levels of TGF-β2, 3, 4, receptor TβRI, II, down-stream Smad 2, 3, 7 in cecum and spleen of chicken at different times after inoculation with Eimeria tenella using quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that the TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway was not activated in cecum in the early stage of infection. However, on the 8th day, the expression of TGF-β2, 4, down-stream protein Smad 2, 7 were significant up-regulated in the spleen, which indicated that the TGF-β/Smads signaling was changed in the E. tenella infection and was differentially expressed in various tissues in the early stages of infection.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Chicken meat is an important source of foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Clostridium perfringens. These bacteria can occur in the intestinal microbiota of broilers and contaminate chicken carcasses in industrial meat processing. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a procedure based on real-time PCRs for the direct detection and quantification of these three bacteria in broilers’ ceca collected in poultry slaughter houses and demonstrate the occurrence of these important foodborne pathogens in Brazilian poultry production flocks. Cecal contents were collected from 45 different broiler flocks in three different slaughterhouses in the state of Paraná, Brazil, totaling 45 samples (in pools of 10 different ceca/chickens per broiler flock). Then, these samples were tested for the detection and quantification of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Clostridium perfringens by real-time PCRs. The results demonstrated the occurrence of three (6.7%) positive pools for Salmonella, 20 (44.4%) for Campylobacter, and 32 (71.1%) for C. perfringens. Mean bacterial concentrations in the positive samples were 4.3log10 cells/g for Salmonella, 6.4 log10 cells/g for Campylobacter, and 5.5 log10 cells/g for C. perfringens. In conclusion, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and C. perfringens could be detected and quantified directly from the broilers cecal contents collected in the slaughter line. This procedure will be certainly useful to more quickly detect these foodborne pathogens and prevent their occurrence in chicken meat and other poultry food products.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Clinical manifestation of the disease caused by the chicken anaemia virus (CAV) occurs when chicken chicks are vertically contaminated or before the second week of life. CAV control is based on the vaccination of broiler breeders in order to promote progeny protection through maternal antibodies. This work aims to evaluate, under field conditions, the antibody title in commercial broiler breeders at 28, 48, and 68 weeks of age, the rate of transference to the progeny, as well as the duration of antibodies in the progeny up to 21 days of age. Thus, a total of 92 sera samples from 93,000 broiler breeders vaccinated with a live vaccine for CAV at 14 weeks of age and 366 sera samples from their respective progeny were analyzed using ELISA. Breeders’ antibody title for CAV ranged between 5051 and 8660, and these titles may provide sufficient protection for their progeny. On average, 63% of the maternal antibodies were transferred to the progeny and lasted up to the second week of chick’s life. It is possible to conclude that the vaccine and the vaccination procedure used by this company for breeders against CAV seems to be effective in inducing high antibody levels in the breeders and transfering protective maternal antibodies to the progeny.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate the effects of different levels of chia (Salvia Hispanica L.) seed oil supplementation as omega-3 source to the diets of laying quails on yield performance, egg quality, and egg yolk fatty acid profiles. The study was conducted including 4 treatment groups as follows: C0 (0 g/kg diet), C1 (1 g/kg diet), C2 (2 g/kg diet), and C3 (3 g/kg diet). In the study, 96 female quails at the age of 18 weeks were used and the trial was carried out for 4 weeks. As a result, it was determined that chia seed oil supplementation to the diet was not effective on feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, egg yield, or egg weight of quails, but it was effective on the yolk index of egg quality characteristics (p<0.05). The most important effect of chia seed oil supplementation to the diet was determined to be on the omega-3/omega-6 ratio of egg yolk. Dietary chia seed oil increased the omega-3/omega-6 ratio (p<0.01). It can be stated that increasing the level of omega-3 in the diets, positively affects the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)/saturated fatty acid (SFA) ratio.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Butyric acid has been studied and utilized intensively in broiler chicken production in order to substitute growth-promoting antibiotics. However, the comprehensive literature on this topic makes it difficult to understand overall results, since there is a noticeable number of studies with conflicting conclusions. Although several research studies have shown that butyric acid may increment broiler chicken’s performance, several other studies show the opposite. This work aimed to organize information to understand, through a meta-analysis, whether butyric acid can be used as a performance-enhancing additive for broiler chickens, and whether it can replace growth-promoting antibiotics. It was clear from the results that the effect of butyric acid depends on the microbiological challenge that broilers receive. When broilers are raised without health challenge, butyric acid and even antibiotics do not influence growth performance. However, when broilers are challenged, butyric acid provided an increase in weight gain and a significant improvement in feed conversion, matching the results of antibiotics. We conclude that butyric acid improves broiler performance and can be used to replace growth-promoting antibiotics.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT This study was aimed at determining the effects of dietary zeolite (clinoptilolite) supplementation on fattening performance, slaughter characteristics, and some blood and visceral organ parameters in Japanese quails. For this purpose, 140 (4x35) four-day-old Japanese quail chicks (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were randomly assigned to 4 groups with 4 replicates (9+9+9+8), and the study was continued for a period of 31 days. The groups were fed on a basal diet supplemented with 0% of clinoptilolite (control group), 1.5% of clinoptilolite (Z1.5), 3% of clinoptilolite (Z3) and 6% of clinoptilolite (Z6). For the female quails, the best blood TOS and liver TAS levels were detected in Z3 and Z1.5, respectively. For the male quails, the best blood TAS and liver TOS levels were determined in Z1.5. Histopathological examination demonstrated that dietary supplementation with 1.5% of zeolite had increased the height of the intestinal villi in both male and female quails, and had reduced hepatic lipidosis in female quails. Female quails displayed significantly increased levels of hepatic lipidosis in Z3 and Z6, and liver hepatitis in Z3. In result, it is suggested that zeolite, a hydrated aluminosilicate, in its form containing 90.2% of clinoptilolite, can be incorporated as a feed supplement into quail basal diets at a rate of 3%, owing to its positive effect on fattening performance. Furthermore, the use of zeolite may also contribute to maintaining animal health by reducing humidity in poultry houses and feed.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of modified clinoptilolite as mycotoxins adsorbent in preventing negative effects of ochratoxin A (OTA) on egg production and egg quality of laying hens exposed to this mycotoxin. Forty-eight (n=48) laying hens (27 weeks old) were used in this study. The hens were randomly divided into six equal groups and were fed for 7 weeks with a standard diet in addition to: E-I group - 1 mg/kg OTA; E-II group 0.25 mg/kg OTA; E-III group 1mg/kg OTA + 0.2% of MZ; E-IV group 0.25 mg/kg OTA + 0.2% of MZ. MZ group of hens was fed with standard diets containing 0.2% of the adsorbent (MZ). The control group of hens was fed with standard diet, without any addition of OTA or MZ. The present study showed that laying hens fed with 1 mg/kg of OTA (E-I), had a significant decrease (p<0.05) of all performance parameters during the trial, while group fed with 0.25 mg/kg OTA have shown no adverse effects on egg production and egg quality. Addition of modified clinoptilolite (0.2%) to the diet containing the OTA, minimized these effects bringing values not significantly different from the control diet for most of the parameters. These findings clearly indicate the protective potential of modified clinoptilolite against the toxic effects of OTA in laying hens.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the effect of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) supplementation on egg production, nutrient retention and cecal microbiota diversity using 288 commercial Hy-Line brown hens as of wk 75 to 86. Four treatments consisted of TMP addition at 0 (control, basal diet), 100, 150 and 200 mg/kg of diet. The results showed that diets supplemented with TMP addition improved egg-laying rate as of wk 77 compared to the control, which led to an increase (p<0.001) of egg mass by 97-225 g/hen throughout the whole trial, and a linear increase (p=0.003) of egg mass to the incremental TMP doses was found. At wk 86, the apparent digestibilities of dry matter and crude protein were enhanced (p<0.05), exhibiting consistent linear increases (p≤0.033) with the TMP doses. However, TMP did not cause alpha and beta diversity of cecal microbiota. The results suggest that TMP can be an additive to improve egg production and nutrient digestibility of aged laying hens.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation of an additive based on plant and spice extracts in broiler chicken diets on the productive performance, carcass yield, and meat quality. 704 male broiler chicks were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with 4 treatment, 4 replicates of 44 broiler chickens each. The experimental diets consisted of Diet 1: Control diet; Diet 2: Control diet + antibiotic growth promoters (AGP); Diet 3: Control diet + vegetable extracts (100 g/ton) and Diet 4: Control diet + vegetable extracts (150 g/ton). The vegetable extracts used were carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol extracted from oregano, cinnamon, and cloves. The supplementation of vegetal extracts did not affect (p>0.05) broiler chickens’ productive performance or carcass yield. The lipid peroxidation (MDA nmol/mg protein) in the meat in natura was decreased (p<0.05) for broilers supplemented with vegetable extracts. The supplementation of 100 or 150 g/ton of vegetal extracts based on carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol did not affect broiler chickens’ productive performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality, and inhibited MDA production in broilers’ in natura meat.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Though recently considered a therapeutic treatment for commercial broilers, little is known about the effects of bacteriophages on native, slow-growing birds. This study evaluated their efficacy against Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium infected Noi chicken, a native Vietnamese broiler breed. In total, 420 birds were used in a completely randomized design consisting of seven treatments and four replicates of 15 birds. The treatments were NC (negative control), PC (positive control, S. Typhimurium challenged); NC+B1 and NC+B2 (negative control plus B1 or B2 bacteriophage, respectively); PC+B1, PC+B2 (positive control plus B1 or B2 bacteriophage, respectively) and PC+B1B2 (positive control plus both B1 and B2 bacteriophages). After four weeks of infection, the mortality rate in the PC group was 51.1% compared with 11.1% in the PC+B1B2 treatment. Bacteriophage administration had resulted in increased weight gain and decreased feed conversion ratio, particularly when both phages were included in the treatment (p<0.001). Moreover, the relative percentage of carcass weight was lowest in the PC treatment (66.9%) (p<0.001), whereas the other treatments registered similar carcass weight values. Regarding the internal organs, liver weight percentage was higher in the non-treated Salmonella group, and enlarged spleens were also noted in infected chickens even when treated with bacteriophages. The correlation between phage administration and blood parameters was unclear. Although the use of two bacteriophages for therapy was determined to be preferable for the majority of the criteria examined, further genetic characterization of the phages will be required before they can be widely used in chicken farms.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The aim of present study was to understand the dietary effect of hydroponic wheat sprout (WS) on the growth performance, carcass characteristics and lipid profiles of broiler chickens. Two independent feeding trials were conducted using Cobb 500 broiler DOC for the period of 0 to 32 days. In the first trail, 264 DOC were allocated into 4 treatments having 3 replications per treatment and 22 birds per replication to find out the suitable inclusion level of WS. In second trial, 384 broiler DOC were allocated into 4 treatments having 6 replications per treatment and 16 birds in each replication to assess the functional quality of WS. In first trial, the body weight (1692.33 g/bird), body weight gain (1644.96 g/bird) and FCR (1.47) were significantly (p<0.05) improved in the birds fed 50 g/kg WS compared to the other dietary groups but feed intake showed no significant (p<0.05) differences. Likewise, in second trial the birds fed commercial feed showed significantly (p<0.05) higher body weight (1649.50 g/bird) and weight gain (1601.88 g/bird) compared to the birds fed 50 g/kg WS. Feed intake and FCR showed no significance differences. Total cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly (p<0.05) lower (85.5 mg/dl and 84.32 mg/dl, respectively) however HDL was higher (111.86 mg/dl) in the birds received 50 g/kg WS. Taken all together, it can be concluded that the inclusion of 50 g/kg WS in broiler had positive effects on growth performance and blood lipid profile in commercial broilers.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT Toll-like receptors 3 and 7 (TLR3 and 7) mediate immune responses through the recognition of viral single-stranded RNA and double-stranded RNA and therefore play important roles in host defense. Differences in TLR3 or 7 may affect host resistance to RNA viral infection. To illuminate these differences, the partial coding sequence (CDS) of TLR3 and 7 genes were cloned and amplified from the Phasianus colchicus and Numida meleagris, total 64 avian species of TLR3 and 7 sequences were later analyzed. Based on the results, 315 non-synonymous mutation sites and 202 synonymous mutation sites were also observed in the avian TLR3, and 227 non-synonymous mutation sites and 174 synonymous mutation sites were observed in the avian TLR7. Among these sites, 44 and 45 sites were observed in functional regions of TLR3 and 7, used common variation of amino acids in most avian species. A number of these different sites appeared to affect the recognition and were also visualized. H59Y, E60K, G64R, E93K, L112S, K117E, N118K, R120H, V123M, L163F, R443Q, R459K, E460D, C485H, and F511L for TLR3, and I432V, M437V, and T732S for TLR7 were considered. It is possible that these sites bind to ligands and play crucial roles in viral recognition. These data indicated that the positive selection has occurred in the avian TLR3 and 7 genes.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The objective of the study was to evaluate the productive, carcass, and tibia mineralization responses in broiler chickens supplemented with a liquid extract of humic substances (HS) in the drinking water. Chicks were housed in holding cages from 8-42 days of age and were randomly assigned to one of five increasing HS levels in the drinking water (0, 161, 322, 483, and 644 µg/L). At 21 and 42 days, to obtain carcass and tibia measurements half of the broilers were slaughtered. ANOVA and linear regression were used to analyze the data. The HS chemical composition and flat structures were estimated. At 21 days, increasing levels of HS in the drinking water resulted in a cubic response on breast weight (p<0.05), tibia ashes percentage (p<0.05) and tibia Ca percentage, as well as a linear increasing response (p<0.05) on P percentage. HS elicited a quadratic response on the tibia DM percentage (p<0.05), Ca content (p<0.01), and P content (p<0.05) at 42 days. The optimal HS supplementation level to achieve the highest tibia DM percentage, Ca and P content were 345.00, 322.46, and 347.75 µg/L, respectively. Increasing HS levels also resulted in a cubic response in tibia Ca (p<0.05) and P percentage (p<0.01). In conclusions, HS supplementation in drinking water improved bone mineralization in broiler chickens at 21 and 42 days of age.

Resumo em Inglês:

ABSTRACT The objective was to evaluate the effect of dietary 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D3) or vitamin D3 (VitD3) and different total calcium (Ca) levels on the performance, carcass characteristics, blood, enzymatic, and bone biochemistry of broilers reared under heat stress between 1 and 42 days of age. A total of 504 male, Cobb 500, broiler chickens were distributed in a completely randomized design in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement (VitD3 or 25(OH)D3 × four Ca levels (100, 90, 80 and 70% of the recommendations of Rostagno et al. (2011)), eight treatments, seven replicates and nine broilers per cage. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio did not (p>0.05) vary when levels of Ca were reduced and vitamin D3 sources were supplemented in the diets from 1 to 21 days for broilers chickens. 25 (OH)D3 increased weight gain results (p<0.05). From 1 to 42 d, no differences (p>0.05) were observed on performance, carcass yields and meat quality, bone deposition of Ca and P, and alkaline phosphatase concentration. Higher serum (p<0.05) concentrations of Ca and P were found in broilers fed with 25(OH)D3. The replacement of VitD3 with 25(OH)D3 and the Ca reduction of 30% in diets did not negatively affect performance, carcass characteristics, and Ca and P deposition in the tibia of broilers at 42 days of age, under heat stress.