Small Ruminant Research最新文献

This study investigates the genotype and allele frequencies of three novel SNP loci (c.4218 T>G, c.2203 T>C, and c.7966 A>C) in the GHRHR gene within the Damascus goat breed and their associations with growth traits. The genotype frequencies for c.4218 T>G were 0.65 (TT), 0.15 (TG), and 0.20 (GG), with allele frequencies of 0.73 (T) and 0.27 (G), showing a significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). The c.2203 T>C locus had genotype frequencies of 0.75 (TT) and 0.25 (CC), and the c.7966 A>C locus had 0.81 (AA) and 0.19 (CC), both consistent with HWE. Association analysis revealed significant correlations between the c.4218 T>G SNP and body weight and rump width, with the TT genotype showing the highest averages for both traits. The c.2203 T>C SNP was significantly associated with body weight and chest width, with the TT genotype again showing higher averages. The c.7966 A>C SNP was associated with chest depth and body length, with the AA genotype displaying lower averages for these traits. In silico predictions using multiple computational tools indicated that the identified missense SNP (p.31Ile>Ser) is novel and likely deleterious to the GHRHR protein's function and stability. Molecular docking demonstrated that the wild-type GHRHR binds more effectively with G protein alpha compared to the mutated form, predicting a mechanism through which this variant reduces the interactions of GHRHR with its cognate proteins. These findings provide valuable insights into the genetic factors influencing growth traits in Damascus goats and highlight the potential impact of the p.31Ile>Ser SNP on GHRHR functionality. This research underscores the importance of incorporating genetic markers in breeding programs to enhance growth traits and overall productivity.

Portable Accumulation Chambers (PAC) represent an important tool for quantifying greenhouse gases (GHG) in small ruminants. The objectives of the study were to evaluate to reduce the PAC time evaluation in sheep without compromising the GHG, methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) measurements and to evaluate the PAC methodology, considering the variability of gaseous emissions in the day. Four times the animals spent in the PAC (10, 20, 30 and 40 minutes) and two collection times during the day (morning and afternoon) were tested for two consecutive days. The sheep used in the study came from a field experiment where they were subjected to different grazing feeding systems (only Italian ryegrass, Italian ryegrass in a mixture of legumes (Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum L.) and White clover (Trifolium repens L.)) pasture and lambs grazing Italian ryegrass and consuming an energetic supplement (RyeG + Sup)). The gas samples collected at PAC were analyzed for CH₄ and CO₂ concentration on a gas chromatograph. There was no interaction in CH₄ and CO₂ measurements between times, shifts and grazing feeding systems (p > 0.05). CH₄ emission between times did not differ (p > 0.05), while CO₂ emissions were higher in the first 10 minutes of measurement and lower in the remaining times, fitting the non-linear regression model, with a reduction until 27.7 minutes. In relation to shifts, there was a difference for CH₄ (p < 0.01), and CO₂ (p = 0.01) with the highest emissions of CH₄ (21.7 ± 4.3 g/day) and CO₂ (1282 ± 332 g/day) found in the afternoon. The results of this study indicate that 27.7 minutes of sheep staying in the PAC is enough to evaluate CH₄ and CO₂ emissions and to improve the estimate of the gas emissions, evaluations should be carried out in the morning and afternoon.

Rumen modifiers play a crucial role in minimizing dietary energy loss for finishing lambs. This study endeavors to assess nutrient digestibility, in vitro gas production, productive performance, and carcass characteristics in finishing lambs through the incorporation of three rumen fermentation modifiers (monensin sodium, calcium malate, and essential oils). Thirty-five four-months-old Pelibuey lambs of 23.6 kg ± 3.2 were assigned to a completely randomized block design to evaluate five diets: control (CON, without rumen modifier), monensin sodium (MON, 25 g/t); calcium malate (MAL, 2.5 kg/t), essential oils (EO, 150 g/t); and EO (150 g/t) plus MON (25 g/t). Daily feed intake, average daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio, dorsal fat thickness, rib eye area, ruminal pH, and chewing time did not differ among the diets. Notably, feed efficiency trend to be superior (P = 0.07) in the EO lambs, showing a 15.31 % and 17.28 % increase versus CON and MON diets, respectively. Dry matter intake in g/kg^0.75 was highest (P < 0.05) in MAL lambs by 23 % higher than lambs fed on diets added with EO and MON. The control diet (i.e., CON) exhibited the lowest (P < 0.05) in vivo dry matter digestibility compared to all other diets. Additionally, there was a trend (P = 0.056) towards reduced crude protein digestibility in CON diet. The inclusion of EO led to a higher (P < 0.05) proportion of ruminal acetic acid and a decrease (P < 0.05) in propionic acid versus the CON diet. The observed effects can be attributed to the antimicrobial activity of EO, specifically their secondary metabolites, which demonstrate antimicrobial properties. This underscores their potential in addressing concerns related to antibiotic use. Compared to MON, dietary inclusion with EO improves feed efficiency, with no notable effects on average daily gain, final weight, or the investigated carcass characteristics. The EO supplementation emerges as a practical alternative to antibiotic ionophore monensin for enhancing feed efficiency in finishing feedlot lambs.

Ram semen cryopreservation is not so widely used compared to bull semen. This study was carried out to explore the potential of methanolic chia seed extract (MCSE) in ram semen extender on kinematics, acrosome, apoptosis, antioxidant capacity, genes-related antioxidants, and caspase-3 in post-thawing ram semen. Semen from Rahmani rams (n=5) was collected, pooled, and diluted with Tris-extender (15 % egg yolk, 1 % soybean lecithin and 5 % glycerol) supplemented with MCSE (0, 125, 250, 375, and 500 µg/mL). MCSE had 67.5 % linolenic acid, 17.99 % linoleic acid, total phenolic, and flavonoid compounds. MCSE had higher antioxidant activity by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) and FRAP (Ferric-reducing antioxidant power) assays. MCSE (500 µg/mL) significantly improved sperm motility (43.6 vs. 30.0 %), vitality (44.0 vs. 30.7 %), and membrane integrity (43.1 vs. 31.3 %) as well as sperm velocity parameters and acrosome integrity (53.4 vs. 36.2 %) after thawing. MCSE at a level of 500 µg/mL increased viability, total antioxidant capacity level, and decreased apoptotic spermatozoa and malondialdehyde levels in post-thawed semen. MCSE at levels of 250, 375, and 500 µg/mL decreased caspase-3 level to 42.8, 35.6, and 30.0 % compared to control (54.6 %) after thawing, and resulted in a clear up-regulation of antioxidant-related genes of superoxide dismutase 1, catalase, glutathione peroxidase 1, and GA-binding protein transcription factor subunit beta-1 (GAPP1). The highest impact was observed for MCSE on GAPP1 as compared to other profiles as well as for MCSE at 500 µg/mL as compared to with other levels. All MCSE levels decreased Caspase-3 mRNA by about 44, 51, 61, and 61 %, respectively. In conclusion, MCSE had higher anti-oxidative activity. Tris-soya bean lecithin extender supplemented with MCSE at a level of 500 µg/mL, as a natural antioxidant, has a vital role in maintaining the freezing ability of ram spermatozoa after cryopreservation.

Optimization of cryopreservation media to attenuate oxidative damage on post-thaw spermatozoa is crucial. This study aimed to assess the antioxidant functionality of curcumin-loaded niosomal nanocarriers (CurLNN) on the quality of cryopreserved ram spermatozoa. Semen samples (n=16) of four Dalagh rams were extended with different concentrations (10 or 20 μL) of curcumin (Cur) or CurLNN and then cryopreserved using a standard protocol. The findings indicated that sperm cells exposed to curcumin, specifically CurLNN at a concentration of 20 μL, displayed increased levels of total and progressive motility, greater lateral head displacement and linearity values, improved plasma membrane function, and reduced abnormality (P < 0.05). Viability and plasma membrane functionality increased by supplementing cryopreservation medium with Cur20 and CurLNN (P < 0.05). A significant decline (P < 0.05) in malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations was observed by supplementing cryopreservation medium with both curcumin and its nano-sized. There was a significant (P < 0.05) increase in the percentage of spermatozoa with mitochondrial activity when the cryopreservation medium was incorporated with CurLNN. Spermatozoa treated with CurLNN demonstrated higher viability and lower late apoptosis (P < 0.05) compared with other groups. There were no differences among groups in terms of the percentage of necrotic and early apoptotic spermatozoa. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrated that nano-sized curcumin, particularly at a 20 µL concentration, had a higher antioxidant potential, leading to improved sperm functional quality by mitigating oxidative damage during cryopreservation.

Leptospira spp. is poorly studied in sheep raised in field Caatinga biome conditions. We conducted a follow-up investigation for Leptospira spp. infection in sheep reared in field conditions in the Caatinga biome. Serum, urine and vaginal fluid samples were collected from adult sheep over five collection periods in rainy and dry seasons. Serological diagnosis was performed using the microscopic agglutination technique (MAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied to urine and vaginal fluid samples. Overall, 45 sheep were monitored during the five collections: July 15, September 30 and November 27 of 2020 and March 3 and June 25 of 2021. The frequencies of seropositive animals at MAT (cut-off 25) per collection were 13.3 %, 15.6 %, 31.1 %, 20 % and 35.6 %, respectively. The most frequent serogroups in all collections were Autumnalis, Ballum, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Pyrogenes. PCR of urine and vaginal fluid carried out for the first two collections detected an average of 28.1 % and 48.1 % positive animals, respectively. In the other three collections, there was no PCR positivity for either urine or vaginal fluid. Two samples of vaginal fluid from the first collection were sequenced and showed 99 % similarity to L. interrogans and L. santarosai. The occurrence of Leptospira spp. genital carrier sheep may be important in the spread of infection in the Caatinga biome field conditions, where the environment is often unfavourable and challenges the adaptability of Leptospira spp., forcing the agent to seek alternative routes of transmission and highlighting the public health exposure risk, mainly in people who are at occupational risk.

Transhumance is tending to continuously decline globally, despite persisting in certain regions. Due to marked lack of knowledge about this practice and its cultural, economic, and environmental significance, our study aimed to identify the factors that contribute to the persistence of transhumance. We focused on ruminant herds of a transhumant community in the Santiago-Pontones municipality in Sierra de Segura, Spain. We processed official data from ruminant livestock enterprises and incorporated insights gained as observer-participants during seven transhumant displacements from 2016 to 2023. The census included 55042 ruminant heads and 118 herds, and 70 % of animals and 61 % of herds practiced transhumance. These herds wintered in pastures located within a range from 33 to 176 linear kilometers from their respective origins that span 15 municipalities. Significant differences were observed between sedentary and transhumant farm sizes (363 vs. 533 heads, respectively). Transhumance correlated significantly with herd size, number of sheep, percentage of female goats and number of ruminant species in herds. Women owned 19 % of ruminant enterprises, with no differences in herd structure or displacement type compared to those owned by men. Of the transhumant herds, 66 % traveled on foot, with no significant differences in herd structure parameters or distances based on their transport system, except that on-foot transhumant herds commenced their displacements earlier than those using trucks. In conclusion, our study outlines an active transhumant community in southeast Spain, whose resilience is a noteworthy asset that deserves recognition and safeguarding.

Although Santa Inês sheep demonstrate good adaptation to tropical environments, there is a need for effective breeding programs focused on growth and reproductive traits to harness the breed's full developmental potential. Thus, this study aimed to estimate (co)variance components and genetic parameters for weight at birth (WB), weight at 60 days (W60), age at first lambing (AFL), first lambing interval (FLI), and average lambing interval (AFI) in Santa Inês sheep. The data were obtained from the Sergipe Goat and Sheep Breeders' Association (ASCCO). (Co)variance components and genetic parameters were estimated by Bayesian analysis based on a bitrait model with Gibbs sampling using Multiple-Trait Gibbs Sampler for Animal Models (MTGSAM) software. Heritability estimates (h²) for WB, W60, AFL, ALI, and FLI were 0.11, 0.18, 0.028, 0.25, and 0.30, respectively. Positive correlations were observed between WB and W60, AFL and ALI, and AFL and FLI (0.31, 0.17, and 0.18, respectively). By contrast, negative correlations were obtained for WB and AFL (−0.55), WB and AFL (−0.42), WB and FLI (−0.39), W60 and ALI (−0.26), and W60 and FLI (−0.37), with magnitudes ranging from low to moderate. Correlation values for ALI and FLI and W60 and AFL were positive and strong (0.97 and 0.98, respectively). These results indicate that the studied traits can be used for indirect selection. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of determining genetic parameters when formulating strategies for the genetic improvement of Santa Inês sheep.

This study investigated maternal origin and haplotype variants in four sheep populations in the northern Ethiopian Tigray and Afar regions: Abergelle, Elle, Begait, and Tigray Highland. The research involved amplifying a 1088-bp mtDNA control region and sequencing 24 samples and examined haplotype diversity and maternal origins. The maternal origins were determined by using 517 bp of the mtDNA d-loop region, which was matched to globally defined reference sequences. The AMOVA analysis reveals 29.78 % variation in four populations with 13 mutational sites dividing haplogroups A and B. The presence of diverse maternal origins in those indigenous sheep populations is very crucial for future conservation and breeding efforts. To properly grasp their genetic potential, it will therefore be necessary to decipher the entire genome landscape of the indigenous sheep resources in Tigray regional state, the north Ethiopia.

Exploring the safe, cheap, and efficient gonadotropin to enhance reproductive performance of ewe is of worldwide demand. The purpose of this study was to examine the possibility of using human recombinant FSH (hrFSH) at the end of a short progesterone injection-based estrus synchronization program during the breeding season in ewe. Shal ewes (n=184) were assigned randomly into 4 groups using 2 (hrFSH or No-hrFSH) by 2 (Mating or Laparoscopic artificial insemination; LapAI) factorial design during the breeding season. On Day 0 of the experiment, ewes received progesterone (37.5 mg; sc) and GnRH analogue (7.5 µg Alarelin acetate; im). On Days 3 and 6, ewes received 25 and 12.5 mg progesterone (sc), respectively. All ewes received prostaglandin F₂α analogue (250 µg Cloprostenol; im) on Day 6. On Day 7, ewes were divided into two equal groups and received hrFSH (75 IU Follitropin alfa; sc) or didn’t receive any further treatment. Ewes displaying estrus in each group were assigned for mating for 5 days or LapAI at either 4–10 or 20–24 h after estrous detection. Data were analyzed using GLM and Genmod procedures. The tightness of estrus synchrony within 24 h was greater in hrFSH (89.4 %) than No-hrFSH (63.9 %) group (P<0.0001). The respective prolificacy and fecundity were greater in hrFSH (1.81 and 0.96) than No-hrFSH (1.26 and 0.68) group (P<0.05). The respective lambing rate and fecundity rate were greater for ewes mated (61.9 % and 0.96) compared to LapAI (45.5 % and 0.68; P<0.05). Ewes inseminated between 4 and 10 hours after estrous expression had greater sex ratio toward male offspring (1.89) compared to those inseminated between 20 and 24 hours (0.64, P<0.05). In conclusion, hrFSH could be considered as an effective gonadotropin for enhancing the tightness of estrus synchrony, prolificacy and fecundity in the progesterone injection-based estrus synchronization program in ewe.