Small Ruminant Research最新文献

We evaluated the potential of different strategies to increase intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition in sheep meat through meta-analytical methods. Additionally, this study aimed to investigate the interrelationship among diet composition, performance, carcass traits, meat quality, marbling score and IMF in sheep. The dataset was composed by 102 peer-reviewed publications. The strategies to increase IMF deposition in sheep meat were evaluated by examining the weighted mean difference (WMD) between control treatment and increased-IMF treatment (beta-agonist; glycerin; essential oil; vitamin E; lipids; tannins; feeding system and sex class). The interplay between factors such as dietary composition, performance, carcass and meat quality traits highlights how the intensification of production systems, characterized by a high grain content in the diet and shorter finishing periods, reduces IMF content of meat. The IMF content was greater in females (WMD = 0.52%; P<.0001) and castrated males (WMD = 0.53%; P = 0.001) compared to intact males. Lambs finished in feedlots exhibited a 19.23% higher IMF content (WMD = 0.74%; P <.0001) compared to those finished in pasture systems. The inclusion of lipids sources to the diets increased in IMF content (WMD = 0.11%; P = 0.008), while tannins sources decrease in IMF (WMD = −0.07%; P = 0.029). Marbling score did not prove to be an adequate indicator of IMF deposition in sheep meat, potentially due to biases in subjective marbling assessments. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the most effective strategy for enhancing IMF in lambs involves utilizing female or castrated males rather than intact males followed by finishing lambs on high concentrate diets in a feedlot. Genetics did not impact IMF in the evaluated studies while other dietary strategies to alter IMF deposition had mixed effects on IMF deposition. Tannin marginally decreased IMF, vitamin E had no effect, and lipid supplementation had varied effects on IMF deposition depending on the lipid source.

To study the effect of supplementing bioactive rich tree foliages in energy dense diet on lamb production and tissue fatty acid profile, 24 weaner male lambs (∼90days old) were divided equally into 2 groups and fed complete feed blocks without (C) and with 6% Hardwickia binata (anjan tree) leaves (T). Feed blocks in both the groups consisted of 3.25% rumen bypass fat. Dry matter intake and plane of nutrition were comparable among the groups but digestibility of neutral and acid detergent fibre were lower (P<0.05) in T than C. Rumen fermentation attributes revealed higher (P<0.05) concentration and proportion of propionic acid and total volatile fatty acids in T compared to C. The metagenomic equivalent values of total methanogens and protozoa were lower (P<0.05) while, population of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens was higher in T compared to C. Loss of metabolizable energy through methane was reduced by 4.6 percentage points in T than C which resulted in higher microbial nitrogen synthesis in T from methane mitigation. Subsequently, the average daily gain in lambs was improved by 5.9% in T compared to C. The fatty acid profile of Longissimus thoracis muscle revealed higher (P<0.05) C18:2c9t11 content in lambs of T group than C. Hence, from the present findings it can be concluded that inclusion of Hardwickia binata leaves at 6% level increased condensed and hydrolysable tannin content of the diet which modestly affected rumen fermentation resulting in reduced methane production and enhanced conjugated linoleic acid content in muscle tissue.

The family with sequence similarity 151 member B (FAM151B) gene family is widely distributed in animals. This gene family encodes proteins belonging to the phosphodiesterase superfamily which plays a role in hydrolyzing intracellular second messengers, and affects the proliferation of Sertoli cells in the testis by degrading intracellular cAMP or cGMP content, thereby affecting the sperm production capacity of the testis. In this study, mutations in the FAM151B gene were screened in 491 Hu sheep to analyze the association among FAM151B gene polymorphisms testicular traits, and sperm-related parameters. A synonymous mutation (5: g.77976636 C>T), was detected in FAM151B, resulting in three genotypes, namely, CC, TT, and TC, with genotypic frequencies of 0.33, 0.05, and 0.62, respectively. This synonymous mutation was found to be significantly correlated with testicular weight, long testicular circumference, short testicular circumference, epididymal weight, and sperm count (p <0.05). In addition, individuals with CC genotypes had significant reproductive performance advantages compared with those with TC and TT genotypes. The current study shows that the FAM151B gene may play important roles in testicular development, and its SNPs are associated with testicular parameters, and sperm count, which provides important indicators for ram selection at early stage.

Nigeria is home to a wide variety of indigenous goat breeds, each of which has evolved to fit its particular environment and is an important genetic resource. Indigenous goat production is intertwined with the lifestyle of Nigerians. The Nigerian livestock industry employs the bulk of the rural work-force, and indigenous goat breeds are abundant in the industry. These breeds are distributed across the diverse agro-ecological production systems, and are carriers of unique and responsive genotypes shaped by the needs of their managers. Despite their unique features, most indigenous goat breeds are characteristically low in production and productivity. Improvement of these breeds represents a logical starting point for improving food security and agricultural productivity in Nigeria. To better understand natural genetic diversity in the indigenous goat breeds and strategies for improvement, better genetic characterization is required. For conservation of Nigeria indigenous goats’ breeds germplasm and subsequent improvements; livestock preservation, frozen semen and frozen embryos approaches should be employed. Short tandem repeats (STRs), simple sequence repeats (SSR), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and microsatellite makers are suitable for molecular characterization of goat germplasm. However, the conservation of the Nigerian breeds of goats’ germplasm are valuable towards improvement and specialization without losing the valuable qualitative and quantitative traits especially adaptability and disease resistance. The germplasm conservation techniques will be valuable in the pursuit of selection for increased production, but the application of the various tools for livestock improvement is constrained by a variety of limitations. The focus of this paper is to elucidate the potential of the genetic diversity by the conservation of their germplasms as a tool for genetic improvement of indigenous goats. Germplasm of indigenous goat breeds from Nigeria was examined in this thorough review, emphasizing their significance, genetic traits, difficulties, and potential for sustainable agriculture and conservation.

Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is a highly sensitive, cost effective, and routinely used molecular assay for analyzing the gene expression patterns of specific target genes across tissues, pathological conditions, treatment regimes, and physiological states. However, normalization of expression profiles of target genes using stable reference genes (RGs) is a critical step to ensure the accuracy of relative quantification using qPCR. In this study, we evaluated the stability of fourteen potential existing reference genes (ACTB, BACH1, B2M, GAPDH, HMBS, PGK1, PPIA, PPIB, RPLP0, RPL19, RPS9, RPS15, RPS28, and UXT) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy sheep and goats to determine the most stable RGs. These candidate genes belong to different functional classes and were chosen based on published literature on commonly used RGs in different livestock species. Four different analytical approaches (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and ΔCt analysis) as well as RefFinder, an online tool which integrates the geometric means of these four prominent stability algorithms were utilized to determine a comprehensive ranking of the investigated genes. Our data indicates that PPIB, BACH1, ACTB, and PPIA are the most suitable RGs, while RPLP0, GAPDH and RPS15 are the most variable and unsuitable genes for normalization of qPCR data in the PBMCs of sheep and goats. The results of this study provide useful resource for researchers engaged in unravelling the transcriptional landscape of PBMCs of small ruminants for various scientific investigations.

Vector-borne haemoparasitic diseases of migratory small ruminants have been less explored to date. Therefore, transhumant migratory sheep and goats of the Himalayas were molecularly screened for various vector-borne pathogens like Anaplasma, Theileria, Babesia, Anaplasma marginale, Theileria luwenshuni, Theileria orientalis, and Trypanosoma evansi using their specific primers. Out of the 171 animals screened, 73.09% of the animals were infected with Anaplasma spp. and 74.85% of the animals with Theileria spp., while no animals were found infected with Babesia spp. and Trypanosoma evansi. In a quest to identify the species, a few positive PCR amplicons representing Anaplasma spp., Theileria spp., and Theileria/Babesia spp. were sequenced. The sequences obtained were further BLAST analyzed to reveal maximum identity with Anaplasma capra (100%), Theileria luwenshuni (99.71%), and Theileria sinensis (98.73%). Among them Theileria luwenshuni was further confirmed with their species-specific PCR and the positive amplicons were sequenced and BLAST analysed to reveal their maximumsimilarity with Chinese isolates rather than Indian isolates. Further, phylogenetic analyses of the resulting sequences were conducted to identify their evolutionary history. It revealed that 1100 bp- amplicons of Theileria spp. were showing maximum likeness to Theileria sp. MK, a non-transforming Theileria. This is the first report of zoonotic Anaplasma capra and Theileria sp. MK in small ruminants from India and it could be mostly due to their transboundary migration history through the Indo-Tibetan border during summer seasons as a part of the traditional migratory system of livestock rearing practice in the Himalayas. The high prevalence of haemoparasites in migratory small ruminants calls for the adoption of effective control measures.

Variation in post-weaning fecal egg count (PFEC) estimated breeding values (EBV) has revealed effects beyond the reduction of parasitism. Previous work demonstrated lambs with a PFEC of < −50 (Low-PFEC) have higher survivability to weaning than lambs with a PFEC of > +50 (High-PFEC). In response to clostridial vaccination, Low-PFEC lambs also generate a more robust and rapid antibody response. These findings prompted curiosity of the maternal influence underpinning differences observed in lamb survivability based upon PFEC genotype. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of dam PFEC EBV on IgG concentration, Brix values, and color within colostrum. For Year 1 (YR1), Katahdin ewes from the Virginia Tech SWAREC were selected based on the following criteria: age (3–6 years), have a Katahdin Hair Index EBV (>104, pre-genomic EBV), and be twin bearing. Ewes fitting those criteria were sorted by their PFEC EBV into two groups: Low-PFEC (PFEC < −50; n=20) and High-PFEC (PFEC > +50; n=18) and sampled at three distinct time points, early (within 24-hr post-partition), mid (30-d post-parturition) and late (60-d post-parturition) lactation. For Year 2 (YR2), all lactating ewes at the SWAREC were analyzed and were sorted into three groups: Low-PFEC (PFEC < −50; n=39), Mid-PFEC ( −49 < PFEC < +49; n=38), and High-PFEC (PFEC > +50; n=23) and colostrum samples were taken within 6-hrs post-partition. All colostrum and milk samples were collected by milking 10 mL from each half of the ewes' udder. Total IgG within colostrum and milk was measured using an ovine-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In YR1, main effects of ewe genotype revealed that Low-PFEC ewes had a greater concentration of IgG across all lactation time points (631 ng/mL vs 222 ng/mL; P < 0.0001). This was primarily driven by IgG differences within colostrum, where a 2.5 fold difference in IgG were observed between Low-PFEC and High-PFEC groups (937 ng/mL vs. 319 ng/mL, P < 0.0001). In YR2, a stepwise decrease in average colostrum IgG concentration from Low-PFEC to High-PFEC groups was observed (825 ng/mL, 513 ng/mL, and 258 ng/mL, respectively; P < 0.0429). Likewise, a stepwise decrease in yellow to blue hue or b* value occurs from Low-PFEC to High-PFEC groups (18.97, 16.91, and 15.22, respectively; P < 0.0459). No correlations were found between IgG and Brix values within the Low-PFEC and High-PFEC grouping; remarkably, Mid-PFEC ewes have a slightly positive correlation between IgG and Brix (r= 0.34, P = 0.0334). These data indicate that Low-PFEC Katahdin ewes generate colostrum with greater antibody concentration and more yellow color. Lambs born to these ewes would have a significant advantage in passive immunity from their dams, which may explain some component of the enhanced lamb survivability observed pre-weaning.

Our objective was to determine if there was a cost of fitness associated with selecting Spanish x Boer goats for their propensity to consume above (H) or below (L) the herd average for proportion of juniper (Juniperus spp.) in the diet. Organ weights and metabolic parameters were compared among adult male goats (young [2-year-old] and old [3–5-year-old]) that spent their life grazing pastures containing juniper at the Texas A&M AgriLife Sonora Research Station. In June 2019, body weights were recorded, and serum samples collected by jugular venipuncture from 20 animals (n = 5 of each age and juniper consumption combination) 2 days prior to harvest. At harvest, organ weights (i.e., liver, kidney, heart, spleen, adrenal, testicle, epididymis) were obtained and later analyzed as relative organ weights (organ to body weight ratio). Analysis of variance was used to determine if differences in organ weights (g/kg BW) and serum parameters were detected between young (Y) and old (O), and H and L goats. Body weights (kg) did not differ by treatment group but were greater (P < 0.03) for O (76.0 ± 3.72) than Y (66.3 ± 1.9). Total testicular, epididymal, adrenal, and heart organ weights (g/kg BW) were not affected (P > 0.10) by age nor juniper consumption group. Total kidney weight (g/kg BW) was greater (P < 0.05) in H (2.53 ± 0.09) than L (2.19 ± 0.08) and liver weight (g/kg BW) trended (P = 0.15) in the same pattern, with H (15.80 ± 0.75) greater than L (14.58 ± 0.39). All serum parameters were clinically normal. Serum urea nitrogen (mg/dL) did not differ by treatment (P > 0.1) but was greater (P < 0.004) in O (12.9 ± 1.3) than Y (8.2 ± 0.5). NEFA (mEq/L) was greater (P < 0.02) in H (0.33 ± 0.04) than L (0.26 ± 0.02), but not differ between O and Y. Total globulin (g/dL) was greater (P < 0.007) in L (4.34 ± 0.35) than H (3.40 ± 0.16), and in O (4.29 ± 0.38) than Y (3.45 ± 0.12). Gamma glutamyl transferase was elevated (P < 0.0001) in H (59.2 ± 2.1) versus L (44.3 ± 2.2), and in Y (55.3 ± 2.9) than O (48.2 ± 3.2). In summary, under adequate nutritional conditions, length of exposure (via advancing age) and preference for juniper did not incur an acute cost of fitness in goats. However, the observed metabolic and organ differences indicate that under more challenging chronic conditions (e.g., drought or disease), consumption of monoterpene-defended plants may become problematic. Research to define these eco-physiologic bounds is needed.

Three different methods of inducing experimental infection of lambs with orf virus (ORFV), the cause of Contagious Ecthyma, were examined in nine animals; intradermal inoculation, subcutaneous injection and epithelial scarification. The objective was to identify the most appropriate experimental method to reproduce the disease with lesions of similar severity in all infected animals. Subcutaneous inoculation failed to reproduce orf lesions in two of the three infected animals, whereas both the groups that were inoculated by intradermal and scarification routes, respectively, displayed a significantly higher number of lesions at 12 dpi than the group inoculated subcutaneously. However, the lesions following scarification spread from the inoculation site with no ORFV-associated lesions found in other areas of the mucous membrane or skin. Finally, following intradermal inoculation, ORFV-associated lesions developed homogeneously in all infected animals, with lesions progressing from the point of inoculation in different areas of the skin of the lips, yet also spreading to the interior of the mouth, gums, palate and tongue, as occurs in natural infections. Thus, it was concluded that for studies investigating the efficacy of new approaches to treatment and vaccination for improved welfare of affected animals and control of ORFV transmission, the most appropriate route for experimental ORFV infection is intradermal inoculation.

The pastoral area of internal Cilento (Campania, Southern Italy) claims many valuable cheeses and according to the oral tradition, when animal rennet was not available for goat cheeses, some wild plants were used for their curdling properties. The cheese market is in continuous evolution, looking for new cheeses but also linked to the territory and tradition. On the bases of an ethnobotanical investigation, the coagulating properties of water extracts of the wild species Teucrium chamaedrys L., Galium aparine L., Galium verum L., Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., Chelidonium majus L., and Urtica dioica L. were evaluated on goat milk by rheological test with a Formagraph instrument at two doses (60 μl vs. 50 μl per 10 mL goat milk) at 36 °C, and at lab-scale by micro cheesemaking test at 0.5 mL/100 mL goat milk. For all plant extracts, the best Milk Rheological Properties were found at the lowest dose of extract. In the lab-scale test, all plant extracts except C. majus showed interesting clotting behaviour. The results confirmed the pastoral tradition and opened to new perspectives to produce goat cheeses with no-animal rennet using these wild species, linked to the heritage of the geographical area. Further studies will be carried out on the chemical composition, besides the antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content, to attempt explaining the MRPs.