BACKGROUND: Pre-pubertal nutrition managements are considered essential for animal health, optimizing production and reproductive performance in livestock. OBJECTIVES: In this study, the effects of dietary low and high energy and protein provisions on body growth, blood metabolites and inherent safety index were investigated in pre-pubertal Kurdish female lambs. METHODS: We fed 40 healthy Kurdish female lambs (30±8.6 days old and weighing 10.2±3.4 kg) were randomly divided into one of two experimental diets in pre-weaning period: high energy and protein (HEP, 2.50 Mcal ME/kg dry matter (DM) and 148 g CP/kg DM) or low energy and protein (LEP, 2.02 Mcal ME/kg DM and 87 g CP/kg DM). At the time of weaning, one half of lambs from each group was randomly separated and assigned to HEP or LEP. So there were four treatment groups in post-weaning period: H-H (HEP pre- and post-weaning); H-L (HEP pre-weaning and LEP post-weaning); L-H (LEP pre-weaning and HEP post-weaning) and L-L (LEP pre and post-weaning, control group). Treatment effects on dry matter intake, milk intake, serum metabolite profiles, inherent safety index and growth were examined. RESULTS: Pre-pubertal plane were significantly affected above mention parameters at post- weaning period (P<0.05). In the post-weaning period, dietary treatment did significantly decrease affect all blood metabolites concentration (P<0.05) expect calcium levels. The numbers of white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocytes and monocytes of H-L treatment were higher than other groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It has been observed that diet energy and protein and body energy reserves are much important regulators of growth and health indicators in Kurdish female lambs.

Background: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is one of the best characterized genetic regions controlling immune responses against vaccines. Identifying the association between MHC haplotypes and improved immune responses would be useful in genetic breeding strategies in animals. OBJECTIVES: MHC class II B genetic diversity and its association with humoral immune responses against Newcastle vaccine (NDV) were evaluated in commercial turkey poults (meleagris gallopavo). METHODS: A total of 92 turkey poults were vaccinated with live VG/GA strain of Newcastle disease vaccine at age of 10 and 20 days. Serum NDV specific IgY was assessed by indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and MHC II B polymorphism was determined using high resolution melting curve (HRM) technique and DNA sequencing method. Effects of alleles on humoral immune responses were evaluated by multivariate regression analysis and GLM procedures. RESULTS: A total of 8 HRM profiles and 10 alleles were identified in this population. B1-1*3, B1-1*4 and B1-1*5 alleles were significantly associated with lower antibody responses against vaccine in commercial turkey poults. CONCLUSIONS: Three alleles reported in this study were associated with reduced immune responses against NDV vaccine in turkey population. Due to such negative associations, molecular breeding programs based on specific genetic markers should be implemented with great caution.