Forty–two weaned Sudan Desert lambs of both sexes were divided into three equal sex and age groups and were randomly assigned to one of three diets: Humra + limited amount of cottonseed cake and a complete ration (dura 44 % cottonseed cake 25% dry humra 29% salt 1.5% and vitamin minerals 0.5%). All diets were fed adlibitum for eleven weeks. Then differential feeding was stopped and each group was fed ad libitum on the complete ration for twelve weeks. Two lambs from both sexes were chosen at random for each nutritional treatment, and were slaughtered before the beginning of the trial. Half of the remaining lambs in each treatment was slaughtered at the end of the differential feeding period and the other half at the end of the trial. Generally, the live weight gain of lambs fed on Humra, with or without cottonseed cake, was poor whereas lambs fed on the complete ration made significantly (p

International audience

International audience | Udder infections were recorded in 3 herds throughout a lactation period with bacteriologic examination being done at 3-week intervals. New infection rates and levels of infection at calving differed significantly (P less than 0.001) between herds, but persistence of infection did not. Of the 324 infections, 80.5% lasted up to drying off. Of quarters infected with major pathogens, 16.8% eliminated their infection (63% became reinfected); 20.8% of quarters infected with minor pathogens eliminated their infection (43% became reinfected). Significant differences in persistence of infections, quarter clearing rate (defined as the rate at which infected quarters become and remain noninfected) and ability to give way to and to take place of a preexistent infection, did not occur between Corynebacterium bovis and major pathogens. Though 66% of coagulase-negative staphylococci infections persisted up to drying off, they disappeared more frequently (P less than 0.01).

International audience | The herd factor did not significantly affect distributions of somatic cell counts of 6,560 milk samples (collected in 3 herds) within an infection status. Minor-infections distribution for a herd was closer to that of healthy quarters than that of major infections. About 35% of the quarters infected by major pathogens had counts less than 400,000 cells/ml. Statistical analysis by conditional probability indicated that herd major-infection level should be taken into account to predict the probability of quarter infection by major pathogens. Discrimination with a good reliability between presence and absence of pathogens, as estimated by a single somatic cell count, is possible only in herds with high major-infection level.

A corn culture of Fusarium roseum was added to a standard corn-soybean swine gestation ration. Low, middle, and high dosage mixed feeds contained 7, 38, and 64 mg of zearalenone/kg of feed (7, 38, and 64 ppm) and 0.5, 2.5, and 4.5 mg of deoxynivalenol/kg, respectively. Control feed was the standard ration without added F roseum corn culture. Mature gilts were bred by natural service and fed control or F roseum molded feed from 3 to 34 days after breeding. The main effect of the molded feed was an inhibition of fetal development, with decreased numbers of fetuses present in treated animals at slaughter (38 to 43 days after breeding). Normal litters were present in 7 of 8 control animals, in 2 of 4 gilts given the low-dosage feed, in 1 of 4 gilts given the medium dosage, and in 0 of 4 given the high-dosage feed. Corpora lutea were maintained in all treated animals, as evidenced by serum progesterone concentrations. Serum estradiol concentrations were decreased in gilts in the middle- and high-dosage groups. The genital system of the gilts fed low- and middle-dosage feeds had a gross and microscopic appearance similar to that of the pregnant controls and reflected prolonged progesterone stimulation. Morphologic changes in the genital system of the high-dosage group were intermediate between changes induced by progesterone and those induced by estrogen. Clinical signs of hyperestrogenism and partial feed refusal were noticed in only some of the high-dosage group animals.

Cytauxzoon felis, susceptibilities of (i) domestic cats to inoculation with infected bobcat blood and ground tissues; (ii) domestic cats to subinoculation with blood from cats having received bobcat blood; (iii) inoculated cats to subsequent challenge exposure with deep-frozen virulent inoculum of domestic cat origin; and (iv) eastern bobcat to reinoculation with various doses of virulent Cytauxzoon inoculum of domestic cat origin; additional experiments to determine if piroplasm levels in bobcats and domestic cats could be raised to maximize chances for further transmission of Cytauxzoon to domestic cats