Nutritional value of a highly digestible sorghum cultivar for meat-type chickens

The nutritional value of a newly discovered sorghum mutant cultivar (P851171), with high in vitro protein digestibility, was compared to those of corn and two normal sorghums (P721N and 611Y) in two chick feeding trials. Although 8-20 day protein efficiency ratios and net protein ratios of all three sorghums were inferior to those of corn, P851171 and 611Y had markedly greater mean true amino acid digestibilities (TAAD) than either corn or P721N. In a subsequent 42-day experiment, all three sorghums supported weight gains equal to those of the corn-fed chicks. Feeding suboptimal levels of dietary protein resulted in reduced weight gains and no observed benefits of P851171 or 611Y. Furthermore, chicks fed P851171 exhibited poorer feed/gain values as compared to those fed the other cereals. It is possible that the starch content/carbohydrate profile of P851171 was inferior to that of the other sorghums, which offset its superior TAAD and resulted in poorer broiler performance.     

In Vitro Production of Equine Embryos

The development of methods to produce embryos in vitro in the horse has been delayed compared with other domestic species. Oocytes can be collected from excised ovaries or from the small or preovulatory follicles of live mares. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is the only reliable method to fertilize equine oocytes in vitro. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection-produced embryos can be transferred into the oviducts of recipient mares or cultured to the morula or blastocyst stage of development for nonsurgical embryo transfers into recipients' uteri. Embryos cultured in vitro have some morphological differences compared with embryos collected from the mares' uteri. Most notably, the embryonic capsule does not form in culture, and the zona pellucida fails to expand completely. However, embryo produced in vitro can result in viable pregnancies and healthy offspring.     

The effects of cooling and vitrification of embryos from mares treated with equine follicle-stimulating hormone on pregnancy rates after nonsurgical transfer

Equine embryos can remain viable for 12 to 24 hours when cooled and stored at 5°C.¹ Cryopreservation of embryos would allow for long-term preservation of genetic material and more efficient management of embryo recipients. This study compared pregnancy rates after transfer of equine embryos vitrified within 1 hour of collection or cooled for 12 to 19 hours before vitrification. Mares (N = 40) were superovulated using equine follicle-stimulating hormone (eFSH). Embryos were recovered 6.5 days after ovulation or 8 days after human chorionic gonadotropin. Forty morulae or early blastocysts with a grade of 1 to 2 and <300 mm in diameter were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: Group 1 (n = 20), washed 4 times in a commercial holding medium and then vitrified; Group 2 (n = 20), washed 3 times and then stored in the same holding medium at 5°C to 8°C in a passive cooling device for 12 to 19 hours before being vitrified. To thaw, embryos were warmed by holding the straw in air at room temperature for 10 seconds and then submerged in a water bath (20°C to 22°C) for an additional 10 seconds. The contents of the straw were transferred directly into a recipient that had ovulated 4 to 6 days previously. There were no differences (P > .05) in embryo diameter, grade, or morphology score between treatment groups before vitrification. Pregnancy rates (day 16) were not different (P > .05) between embryos vitrified immediately after collection (15 of 20; 75%) and embryos cooled for 12 to 19 hours before vitrification (13 of 20; 65%). Based on these results, small equine embryos (<300 mm) can be stored at 5°C to 8°C for 12 to 19 hours before vitrification without a significant loss of viability.     

Letters

Editor's note: The AVJ welcomes letters from members in all areas of the profession on matters of importance to you. Please keep them brief ‐ to meet our space constraints. Letters will be subject to minimal editing procedures. Subject to letters complying with the AVJ's legal responsibilities, they will not be censored. Nor will individuals or groups waging'‘campaigns’ be permitted to abuse these pages. If submitting a letter intended for publication, kindly identify it as such. Letters to the Editor can be sent by mail, fax or e‐mail at the contact points listed at the start of the News Section. Writers may use a pseudonym to protect their identities ‐ but must supply the Editor with verifiable names and points of contact.     

Coccidiosis: T-lymphocyte-dependent effects of infection with Eimeria nieschulzi in rats

The intestinal pathology caused by infection with $\text{Eimeria nieschulzi}$ was investigated and comparisons were made between the effects in athymic nude (rnu/rnu) rats and their heterozygous (rnu/+) litter-mates. Most of the changes noted, i.e. increase in gut weight, partial villous atrophy and increased numbers of mast, goblet and pyroninophilic cells were shown to be largely or wholely thymus dependent. The numbers of intraepithelial lymphocytes were decreased in both groups during the period of study. The peripheral blood leucocyte response was similar in both groups of rats during a primary infection but differed after a challenge inoculum, indicating that the secondary type of response which occurred in the rnu/+ rats was thymus dependent, as is resistance to reinfection.     

Extranodal conjunctival Hodgkin's-like lymphoma in a cat

A seven-year-old female spayed Domestic Short-haired cat was brought for examination following a four-month history of conjunctivitis in the right eye. The superior palpebral conjunctiva was diffusely swollen and firm, displacing the right globe ventrally and preventing full closure of the eyelids. The right popliteal lymph node was enlarged as were several other peripheral lymph nodes. An incisional biopsy of the conjunctival swelling revealed a lymphoid neoplasm, the cellular make up of which suggested features of feline Hodgkin's-like lymphoma. Although the neoplasm was poorly responsive to standard chemotherapeutic protocols for lymphoma, radiation therapy rapidly reduced its size. Three years following the initial diagnosis, there has been no recurrence of the conjunctival neoplasm. To the authors' knowledge, there are no previous reports of extranodal or adnexal (conjunctiva, eyelid, orbit) Hodgkin's-like lymphoma in the veterinary literature.     

Comparison of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards and the National Center for Health Statistics/WHO international growth reference: implications for child health programmes

OBJECTIVES: To compare growth patterns and estimates of malnutrition based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards ('the WHO standards') and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)/WHO international growth reference ('the NCHS reference'), and discuss implications for child health programmes. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of longitudinal data to compare growth patterns (birth to 12 months) and data from two cross-sectional surveys to compare estimates of malnutrition among under-fives. SETTINGS: Bangladesh, Dominican Republic and a pooled sample of infants from North America and Northern Europe. SUBJECTS: Respectively 4787, 10 381 and 226 infants and children. RESULTS: Healthy breast-fed infants tracked along the WHO standard's weight-for-age mean Z-score while appearing to falter on the NCHS reference from 2 months onwards. Underweight rates increased during the first six months and thereafter decreased when based on the WHO standards. For all age groups stunting rates were higher according to the WHO standards. Wasting and severe wasting were substantially higher during the first half of infancy. Thereafter, the prevalence of severe wasting continued to be 1.5 to 2.5 times that of the NCHS reference. The increase in overweight rates based on the WHO standards varied by age group, with an overall relative increase of 34%. CONCLUSIONS: The WHO standards provide a better tool to monitor the rapid and changing rate of growth in early infancy. Their adoption will have important implications for child health with respect to the assessment of lactation performance and the adequacy of infant feeding. Population estimates of malnutrition will vary by age, growth indicator and the nutritional status of index populations.     

Diversity of filamentous fungi in different systems of land use

Microbial population and activity can be influenced by changes in the physical and chemical conditions of the soil. The objective of this study was to compare fungal diversity under different agricultural management systems and associated differences in soil properties. This research was carried out in three areas, representing the Atlantic Forest, AFS and cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) monoculture system. Five composite samples were collected during the rainy and dry seasons from each area. Using the composite soil samples, fungal isolation was carried out using a serial dilution technique. Physical, chemical and DGGE analyses of the filamentous fungi community were performed. The fungal isolation data were used to calculate ecological indices of diversity, species richness, equitability, dominance, similarity and density. In general, Atlantic Forest soil presented the highest ecological indices followed by the AFS. The DGGE technique revealed that the structure of the soil mycobiota of the Atlantic Forest and AFS are more than 50% similar. The data indicate that the similarity of the structure and composition of soil mycobiota between AFS and Atlantic Forest is mainly due to the conservation of above-ground plant diversity, and the conservation of soil characteristics can be attributed to the absence of pesticides and fertilizers.