Polish journal of veterinary sciences最新文献

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an ohmic heating (OH) process with different electric field intensities on Listeria monocytogenes inactivation in protein-enriched cow milk. Protein powder was added at rates of 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% in 1.5% fat content milk, and L. monocytogenes (ATCC 13932) strain was then inoculated into the samples. The OH process was carried out in a laboratory-type pilot unit created using stainless steel electrodes, a K-type thermocouple, a datalogger and power supply providing AC current at 0-250 V, 10 A. The inoculated milk samples were heated to 63°C by applying an electric field intensity of 10V/cm and 20V/cm. L. monocytogenes counts, pH, color measurement and hydroxymethylfurfurol levels were then determined. OH applied with an electric field intensity of 10 V/cm caused an average decrease of 5 logs in L. monocytogenes level in the samples containing 2.5% protein and decreased below the detection limit (<1 log) at the 9th minute (p<0.05). Similarly, application of an electric field intensity of 20 V/cm in milk containing 2.5% and 5% protein caused the L.monocytogenes level to decrease below the detection limit (<1 log) at 2 minutes 30 seconds (p<0.05). No change was observed in the L* (brightness) values of the samples but it was determined that there was a slight increase in pH, a* (redness) and b* (yellowness) values compared to the control group. It was observed that the inactivation of L. monocytogenes by OH depends on the duration of the OH process, protein concentration in the milk and the applied voltage gradient.

The symbolic analysis of heart rate variability (biomarker of cardiac autonomic homeostasis) is a nonlinear and effective tool for pattern extraction and classification in a series analysis, which implies the transformation of an original time series into symbols, represented by numbers. Autonomic heart rate control is influenced by different factors, and better indicators of heart rate variability are found in healthy young individuals than in older and sicker individuals. The aim of this study was to compare the indicators of heart rate variability among healthy dogs in different age groups and in health status using the nonlinear method of symbolic analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of this method for the risk of death in dogs. An increase in cardiac sympathetic modulation was observed in puppies and dogs at risk of death, which was evidenced by a marked increase of 0 V% (without variation - associated with sympathetic modulation) and a decrease in patterns of 2 V% (two variations - associated with parasympathetic modulation), while the opposite was observed in young adult dogs with increased parasympathetic modulation. Elderly dogs showed a gradual decrease in parasympathetic activity, which tended to worsen with loss of health. It is concluded that the variables of symbolic analysis may be useful to evaluate autonomic modulation in dogs and assist in the differentiation between health states, advanced disease and death throughout the life cycle and have been shown to be indices with high specificity, sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy to help identify dogs at risk of death.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidative/oxidative status of spermatozoa and prostatic fluid in dogs with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) by the determination of total antioxidant capacity and protein peroxidation markers. Study was conducted on 40 intact dogs of various breeds. The dogs were assigned to two groups: BPH group (n=20) and non-affected group (n=20). The second and third fractions of the ejaculate were collected separately by digital manipulation. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and the concentrations of SH-groups in sperm and prostatic fluid were determined spectrophotometrically, the concentrations of bityrosine and formylkynurenine were determined using spectrofluorimetric methods. The mean values of TAC in spermatozoa and prostatic fluid were significantly lower (p<0.05), whereas the mean contents of biotyrosine and formylkinurenine were significantly higher (p<0.05) in BPH dogs compared to control dogs. There was no statistically significant difference in the content of SH group between dogs with BPH and control dogs (p>0.05). In conclusion, the results indicate that BPH in dogs is associated with reduced total antioxidant capacity and increased protein oxidation in the prostatic fluid and spermatozoa, and suggest the importance of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of this condition. The potential role of antioxidants in the prevention and therapy of canine BPH requires further studies.

The most common problems in veterinary practice in bitches are bacterial infections of the reproductive tract associated with fertility problems. Research to determine the correlation between the health status of female dogs and bacterial flora of the genital tract has been ongoing for years, but the results obtained by different authors are often contradictory, and do not always concern breeding bitches. Our study identified the most common aerobic bacteria in the genital tract of numerous breeding bitches population. A total of 275 breeding dogs in anestrous phase of the estrous cycle were included in this study. 198 were qualified to the first group with no genital tract infections and no reproductive disorders. 68 bitches were qualified to the second group with complications such as: infertility, abortion, foetus resorptions and newborn mortality. The type of bacterial isolates was almost the same in the healthy bitches and the group with fertility problems. The most common bacteria obtained from the vaginal tract of the tested dogs were Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Mycoplasma canis and Escherichia coli. There were no significant differences in bacterial prevalence in the group with reproductive problems versus healthy dogs; however, we found a statistically significant difference between both groups when the numbers of bacterial strains were compared. The number of one-strain bitches was statistically higher in the problematic group than in the non-problematic one. Bacterial culturing of vaginal swab specimens from breeding bitches without clinical signs of genital disease is of little value. Furthermore, it should always be preceded by an examination (clinical, cytological or vaginoscopy etc.). The request or requirement to perform vaginal cultures that is made by some breeders, while common, is not diagnostic for any pathologic condition and the results of these cultures should never be used to determine if antibiotic therapy is indicated.

Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is a major causative agent in reproductive pig disease. The swine industry faces a significant economic and epizootic threat; thus, finding a reliable, quick, and practical way to detect it is essential. In this investigation, recombinant PPV VP2 protein was expressed in the Escherichia coli ( E. coli) expression systems. As shown by electron microscopy (TEM), Western blot, and hemagglutination (HA) assays, the recombinant VP2 protein was successfully assembled into virus-like particles (VLPs) after being expressed and purified. These VLPs had a structure that was similar to that of real PPV viruses and also exhibited HA activity. These VLPs induced high levels of PPV-specific antibody titers in mice after immunization, indicating that the VLPs may be beneficial as potential candidate antigens. VLPs were used as the coating antigens for the VLP ELISA, and the PPV VLPs-based ELISA displayed a high sensitivity (99%), specificity (93.0%) and agreement rate (98.3%) compared to HI assay, and the agreement rate of this ELISA was 97.5% compared to a commercial ELISA kit. Within a plate, the coefficient of variation (CV) was 10%, and between ELISA plates, the CV was 15%. According to a cross-reactivity assay, the technique was PPV-specific in contrast to other viral illness sera. The PPV VLP indirect-ELISA test for PPV detection in pigs with an inactivated vaccine showed that the PPV-positive rate varied among different sample sources from 88.2 to 89.6%. Our results indicate that this ELISA technique was quick, accurate, and repeatable and may be used for extensive serological research on PPV antibodies in pigs.

Airway remodeling is a major pathological characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to investigate the effect of Abhd2 deficiency on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced airway remodeling and inflammation in vivo. Abhd2-deficient mice were used to establish an OVA-induced asthma model. Lung tissues were analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, Masson staining, immunohistochemistry, quantitative reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and western blotting were used to determine the role of Abhd2 in the regulation of OVA-induced airway remodeling and inflammation. Our findings revealed that the RNA expression of inflammatory factors, including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-4, and IL-13, was significantly increased in OVA-induced Abhd2 Gt/Gt asthmatic mice. The expression of IFN-γ was decreased significantly in OVA-induced Abhd2 Gt/Gt asthmatic mice. The protein expression of airway remodeling factors, including α-SMA, type I collagen, and Ki67, was also increased in OVA-induced Abhd2 Gt/Gt asthmatic mice compared to that in OVA-induced wild-type (WT) mice. Additionally, Abhd2 deficiency promoted the expression of p-Akt in tissues of the asthma model. These results suggest that Abhd2 deficiency exacerbates airway remodeling and inflammation through the PI3K/Akt pathway in chronic asthma.

Listeria (L.) monocytogenes is the causative agent of human listeriosis, the frequent sourceof which is food of animal origin. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the viability of Listeria in carrot juice and compound feed inoculated with L. monocytogenes. The effect of homogenous cultures of Streptococcus (Str.) lactis distaticus, Str. thermophilus and Lactobacillus (Lac.) lactis subsp. Cremoris and the combination of Str. thermophilus with Lac. bulgaricus in the carrot juice and compound feed samples on viability of inoculated L. monocytogenes were examined. There were no statistically significant differences in the results between the experimental groups. Regardless of used LAB, the results showed that the mean pH values in the carrot juice samples decreased from an initial pH of 6.7 to a mean value of 3.7 on 15 experimental day. The Listeria concentration in carrot juice samples decreased from average of 4.94 on day 5 to 3.24 log CFU/mL on day 10, and on day 15 achieved <0.01 log CFU/mL. In the compound feed trials, the pH decreased average from initial 6.5 to 3.7 on day 15. The concentration of Listeria decreased, similarly to the carrot juice samples, from average 5.0 on day 5 to 4.68 on day 10, and on day 15 achieved <0.01 log CFU/mL. In control samples, the number of Listeria increased throughout the study period and amounted to 9.2-9.84 log CFU/mL/g in all the samples. The activity of LAB has been shown to be antagonistic to L. monocytogenes. The results of the study did not show any clear differences between the used LAB strains in limiting the L. monocytogenes concentration. Based on the obtained results it can be conducted that the addition of LAB to animal food increases its microbiological safety.

Obesity, which is generally seen in adults, is a serious health problem. Diseases caused by obesity are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Liraglutide (LG) is an analogue of glucagon-like peptide-1, which slows gastrointestinal motility, resulting in decreased food consumption. Gastric plication (GP) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is the reduction of stomach volume by surgical means. We examined and compared the body mass index (BMI) changes, metabolic changes and changes in gastric histology in obese rats after LG injection with surgical methods such as SG and GP. In this research, 35 Wistar Albino female rats were used. Rats were divided into 5 groups with 7 rats in each group. Group (G) 1: The control group, fed with a normal calorie diet for 8 weeks. G 2: Sham group, G 3: SG group, G 4: GP group and G 5: LG group, fed with high-calorie feed for 4 weeks. At the end of the 4th week, the study was terminated by making appropriate interventions for the groups. When the blood glucose (BG) levels measured at the beginning, 4th week and 8th week of the experiment were evaluated, it was monitored that the BG level at the 8th week was the lowest in the LG group (p<0.05). It was observed that the preop Ghrelin and Leptin levels of the LG group were lower than those of the SG and GP groups (p<0.05). As a consequenc As a consequence of our metabolic investigations, we observed that the use of LG is at least as effective as SG.

The aim of the current trial was to evaluate the effect of organically chelated zinc - methionin (Zn-Met) supplementation (30 mg Zn /kg DM TMR) on hematological, biochemical, and mineral profile of dairy cows in early lactation (1 - 90 d p.p.). Twenty dairy cows were randomly allocated to one of two dietary treatments in a randomized design. Animals in group C were treated as control (no zinc supplementation); whereas animals in group S were supplemented with organic Zn. Zn-Met supplementation had a significant effect on hematological parameters. White blood cell (WBC) counts 60 days p.p. and red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin concentration (HGB), hematocrit level (HCT) and platelet count (PLT) on calving day, 30th- and 60th- day p.p were significantly higher in cows fed Zn than in the control group. In calves from supplemented mothers, there was a significant increase in RBC (p≤0.001), HCT (p≤0.01) and MCV (p≤0.05). There was no difference in other parameters among the groups, except of the highly significant difference in Zn concentration in blood serum of the S-group during the entire experimental time. The results obtained confirm the beneficial effect on serum zinc level and hematological parameters with no negative effects of 30mg Zn/kg TMR addition on mineral and biochemical parameters.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) on nitric oxide (NO) production by spermatozoa and sperm parameters in dogs. The study was conducted on 40 intact dogs of various breeds. The dogs were assigned to two groups: BPH group (n=20) and non-affected group (n=20). The sperm concentration and motility parameters of spermatozoa were assessed using computer-assisted sperm analysis. For the assessment of sperm morphology monochromatic Diff-Quick stain was used. Plasma membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential and the spermatozoa producing nitric oxide and with apoptotic-like changes were determined using fluorescent stain methods. The percentages of motile sperm, sperm with progressive motility and normal sperm were statistically significantly (p<0.05) lower in dogs with BPH than in non-affected dogs. The proportion of sperm in motility subcategory RAPID was statistically significantly (p<0.05) lower in dogs with BPH than in control dogs, whereas in the STATIC motility subcategory the proportion was significantly (p<0.05) higher in dogs with BPH. The percentage of spermatozoa producing NO was significantly (p<0.05) higher in dogs with BPH than in control dogs. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that BPH adversely affects semen quality, especially motility, in dogs. The decreased semen quality was associated with an increased proportion of spermatozoa generating NO. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms by which BPH affects semen quality.