Objectives: This study aimed to develop a computerized deep learning (DL) technique to identify bacterial genera more precisely in minimum time than the usual, traditional, and commonly used techniques like cultural, staining, and morphological characteristics. Materials and Methods: A convolutional neural network as a part of machine learning (ML) for bacterial genera identification methods was developed using python programming language and the Keras API with TensorFlow ML or DL framework to discriminate bacterial genera, e.g., Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Escherichia, Salmonella, and Corynebacterium. A total of 200 dig¬ital microscopic cell images comprising 40 of each of the genera mentioned above were used in this study. Results: The developed technique could identify and distinguish microscopic images of Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Escherichia, Salmonella, and Corynebacterium with the highest accuracy of 92.20% for Staphylococcus and the lowest of 77.40% for Salmonella. Among the five epochs, the accuracy rate of bacterial genera identification of Staphylococcus was graded 1, and Streptococcus, Escherichia, Corynebacterium, and Salmonella as 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Conclusion: The experimental results suggest using the DL method to predict bacterial genera included in this study. However, further improvement with more bacterial genera, especially of similar morphology, is necessary to make the technique widely used for bacterial genera identification. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(4.000): 573-582]

Objective: The study was conducted to determine the effect of inoculants of different types and doses on the nutrient quality and in vitro digestibility of fermented rice bran. Materials and Methods: The study was designed using a completely randomized design with a 3 × 3-factorial pattern. The first factor was the type of inoculum, consisting of Saccharomyces cerevi¬siae (SC), Effective Microorganism-4, and Saus Burger Pakan (SBP). The second factor is inoculum doses, which are as follows: levels 2%, 4%, and 6%. The variables measured included chemical composition, fiber fraction content, dry matter digestibility and organic matter digestibility. Results: The results showed that the type of inoculation treatment and the doses of inoculation did not affect the dry matter (DM) content of fermented bran, and the organic matter content of fermented bran was only affected by the inoculation dose factor (p < 0.05). The highest crude protein and Extract Ether (EE) were obtained in the SBP inoculants, which increased linearly with increasing inoculation doses (p < 0.05). While a significant decrease (p < 0.05) occurred in crude fiber content. The cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral deter¬gent fiber (NDF) fractions were significantly lower in the SBP treatment as the dose increased. The SBP inoculant type produced the highest DMD (p < 0.05) but showed a response that was not different from the SC inoculant treatment for OMD. Increasing inoculation doses of 2%, 4%, and 6% linearly increased the DMD and OMD of fermented bran (p < 0.05). Overall, inoculant application on fermented bran showed an interaction effect except for the components of DM, EE, ADF, NDF, and DMD of fermented bran. Conclusions: It was concluded that the SBP at 6% and their combination resulted in the best chemical quality and digestibility of rice bran. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(4.000): 625-633]

Objectives: The study was undertaken to evaluate the influences of some physicochemical param¬eters and viable bacterial counts in cultured ponds (water and sediment) on the viable counts of the Pangasius catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) (gill and intestine) on a seasonal scale. Materials and Methods: Physicochemical parameters, viz., ambient temperature, water tem¬perature, water transparency, pH of the pond waters, and viable bacterial counts of pond water, sediment, fish gills, and intestines, were monitored during four different seasons. The responses of viable counts of bacteria to the seasonal changes of physicochemical parameters were also assessed using redundancy analysis (RDA) and a heatmap coupled with the clustering analysis. Results: Except for fluctuations in air and water temperatures, the other two physicochemical parameters were almost stable throughout the study periods. The gills and water counts were rel¬atively lower than those of the intestine and sediment. Pearson's correlation analysis established no significant correlations between the physicochemical parameters and viable bacterial counts. However, significant positive correlations were detected between the viable counts of water and sediment and between the gill and intestine. The RDA plot showed that, except in spring, the viable counts of a particular sample type were similar among the four locations. The results of permutation test showed that, individually none of the studied physicochemical parameters was significant; however, the seasons significantly affected the viable counts. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(4.000): 702-711]

Objective: The price of animal production will be affected by the significant increase in feed costs. The objective of this research was to investigate the impact of adding waste cassava pulp to fer¬mented total mixed ration (FTMR) on nutrient utilization, rumen ecology, and microbial protein synthesis in tropical sheep. Materials and Methods: A 3 × 3 replicated Latin square design was used to randomly arrange nine crossbreed lambs (Santa Inês × Dorper) with an initial body weight (BW) of 18.7 ± 1.6 kg (mean ± SD). During a 21-day trial, the animal was offered a random selection of concentrate diets and rice straw (control), total mixed ration (TMR), or FTMR. During the investigation, data on nutrition utilization, rumen ecology, and microbial protein synthesis were analyzed using analysis of variance. Results: The finding shows that FTMR had significantly higher dry matter (DM) intake and DM intake per BW than either TMR or control (p < 0.05). Lamb fed on FTMR had significantly higher DM, organic matter protein, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber digestion than those on control or TMR (p < 0.05). Rumen pH values for all treatments ranged from 6.68 to 6.73, with no significant differences. Growing lambs fed FTMR had greater rumen total volatile fatty acid and propionic acid concentrations than those given TMR and the control (p < 0.05). Protozoa were not different across the FTMR groups, although total bacterial and fungal zoospores were increased. In addition, when lambs were fed FTMR containing cassava pulp, ruminal microbial protein syn¬thesis was significantly increased. Conclusion: It could indicate that feeding growing lambs with FTMR could improve nutrient utili¬zation, ruminal fermentation, and microbial protein synthesis. However, studies on the effects of FTMR on sheep performance, meat quality, and milk quality are necessary. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(4.000): 754-760]

Objectives: The study aimed to determine how Nano-Methionine (Nano-Meth) affected growth, lipid metabolism, and relative gene expression for acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid syn¬thase (FAS), growth hormone receptor (GHR), insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 (IGFR-1), myo¬statin (MSTN), and cholecystokinin (CCK) genes in broiler chickens. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 1-day-old broilers were randomly assigned into 2 groups: 1) the control group received drinking water without any supplements, and 2) the Nano-Meth group received 10 ml/l of 5% Nano-Meth starting from 1 day old until 35 days old (the end of the experiment). Results: Nano-Meth improved final body weight, weight gains, feed intake, and feed conver¬sion ratio. Compared to the control group, Nano-Meth significantly lowered the serum levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein in chickens. Nano-Meth significantly increased the serum levels of total protein, albumin, high-density lipo-protein, and glucose more than the control group. Nano-Meth lowered the mRNA gene expression of ACC, FAS, MSTN, and CCK but increased that of GHR and IGFR-1. Conclusions: We concluded that supplementation with Nano-Meth enhances growth performance and decreases lipid accumulation in broiler chickens. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(4.000): 743-753]

Objectives: This study was designed to examine the effects of various concentrations of tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (tris) and egg yolk on the quality of cryopreserved buck sperm. Materials and Methods: The collected semen samples were pooled, washed, and diluted into five different freezing extender groups, viz., extender I (tris 0% + egg yolk 0%), extender II (tris 1.41% + egg yolk 4%), extender III (tris 2.41% + egg yolk 8%), extender IV (tris 3.41% + egg yolk 16%), and extender V (tris 4.41% + egg yolk 24%). The sperm parameter of the five groups of extenders was evaluated after equilibration and cryopreservation. Results: The results showed that extenders II–V provided significantly higher semen progressive motility and total motility percentages than extender I after equilibration (p < 0.05). The higher percentages of semen progressive motility, total motility, viability, and plasma membrane integ¬rity (by both HOST under light microscopy and stain after HOST under light microscopy) were found in the sperm cryopreserved with extender IV than extender I, extender II, and extender III groups after thawing (p < 0.05). In addition, semen progressive motility, total motility, and viability were not further increased, or plasma membrane integrity (by both HOST tests) was decreased by the addition of tris and egg yolk (extender V) after cryopreservation (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, our result indicates that the following washing, the supplementation of tris (3.41% + egg yolk 16%) on the freezing extender are suitable for improving the semen quality of buck after freezing and thawing. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(4.000): 676-683]

A systematic review and meta-regression were done to investigate the effect of using peptide as a replacement of antibiotic growth promoters on pig. A dataset was created based on an algorithm for peer-reviewed articles published from 2004 to 2019. The peer-reviewed published articles were evaluated strictly following the eligibility criteria for inclusion. Meta-regression was performed using a non-linear mixed model library provided by R Studio 4.1.1 software. A structure algorithm was constructed using ‘magick’, ‘ggplot’, ‘ggplot2’ and ‘cowplot’ add-ons to create a meta-regression. In this study, meta-regression between year of publication and number of pigs included in the experiments was associated with growth performance and diarrhea with p = 0.032 and p < 0.163, respectively. Meanwhile, the source of peptide intercepts for these parameters were 38.33 (p = 0.052) and 48.44 (p = < 0.071), respectively. The scientific evidence from the meta-analysis based on the in-vivo studies demonstrates that both form and dosage of the anti-microbial have a beneficial effect on pigs.

Up to now, there has been limited information regarding the circulation of pathogenic Listeria species in poultry and their contact handlers. The present study was, therefore, planned to evaluate the potential existence of Listeria spp. in different poultry species and their products as well as their contact workers at Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt and to address the antimicrobial profile of Listeria isolates using classical microbiological techniques and multiplex PCR targeting three virulence-associated genes (iap, hlyA, and actA). The study included cloacal swabs from different poultry species (n =200), poultry carcasses (n = 25), poultry products (25 samples each of chicken luncheon and frozen chicken breast fillets), chicken eggs (n = 50) and stool specimens from the contact workers (n = 25). Findings showed that 60 samples out of 350 (17.14%) were found to be positive to Listeria spp., which were identified as follow: L. innocua (28.3%), L. ivanovii (28.3%), L. monocytogenes (15%) and L. grayi (15%), L. seeligeri (10%) and L. welshimeri (3.3%). L. monocytogenes showed high resistance to nalidixic acid (100%) followed by neomycin (85.1%), streptomycin (80%), cefotaxime (65%) and penicillin g (58.3%). Results could likely suggest that poultry and poultry products had a significant role in dissemination and transmission of virulent and multidrug resistant L. monocytogenes which represent a potential risk particularly in the absence of strict hygienic practices and preventive measures. A constant monitoring of pathogenic L. monocytogenes is thus urgently needed to avoid the dissemination of such pathogenic strains in food production chains.

A free-living red kite (Milvus milvus, Lineu 1758) adult male was admitted to the CERAS - Centro de Estudos e Recuperação de Animais Selvagens (Castelo Branco, Portugal) debilitated and with injuries caused by lead projectiles. During the physical exam small lesions, not larger than 7 mm, were observed in the distal portion of the soft palate, laterally to the choanae, compatible with oral candidiasis. Candida lusitanea was the agent isolated from the exudate that was removed from the lesions. This is the first reported case of C. lusitanea associated to oral candidiasis and the first time this bird species was associated with this agent.

Newcastle disease (ND) is a contagious disease and still a threat to the development of chicken farms in several countries including the Republic Democratic of Timor-Leste. There were reported local outbreaks every year in the country. The causative agent of ND is Avian orthoavulavirus-1 (AOAV-1) common name Newcastle disease virus (NDV). The objective of this study was to isolate the NDV currently circulating in Timor-Leste and to determine its genotype based on phylogenetic tree analysis and its virulence based on molecular analysis of the Fusion (F) gene cleavage site. In this study samples of dead chickens suspected due to ND were taken from two different sites in Timor-Leste namely Kilotons and Atabae district. Tissue samples were collected for histopathological examination and viral isolation. Allantoic fluids were harvested and confirmation of NDV was carried out by standard methods hemagglutination test (HA) and the hemagglutination inhibition test (HI). Partial fragments of the F and HN proteins gene were amplified using NDV-specific primers in a one-step RT-PCR reaction. The PCR product was then sequenced, and the nucleotide sequences were then used for building a phylogenetic tree with other NDV strains representative of genotype I-VII that are available in the GenBank. Based on phylogenetic analysis it was found that the new isolates belonging to genotype VII with the amino acid sequence of the F gene cleavage site were a virulent type and possibly viscerotropic velogenic NDV.