灌注果寡糖对生长绵羊瘤胃发酵功能的影响

试验采用营养灌注技术研究了果寡糖对生长绵羊瘤胃发酵功能的影响.试验选取6只安装有永久性瘤胃瘘管的内蒙古半细毛羯羊,随机分为两组,试验1组灌注1.00%果寡糖,试验2组灌注2.00%果寡糖.结果表明:灌注果寡糖可以显著(P＜0.05)降低试羊的瘤胃液相pH值和瘤胃内的氨态氮浓度,显著提高(P＜0.05)瘤胃内的挥发性脂肪酸(VFA)含量和瘤胃细菌蛋白(BCP)含量.两个灌注水平都可以提高生长绵羊的瘤胃发酵功能,但2.00%的灌注水平仅在瘤胃氨态氮浓度的降幅方面比1.00%的灌注水平显著增大(P＜0.05),在对瘤胃液相pH值、VFA含量和BCP含量的影响方面两个灌注水平没有显著差异(P＞0.05).     

Short communication: Investigation of Coxiella burnetii occurrence in dairy sheep flocks by bulk-tank milk analysis and antibody level determination

To estimate the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in the dairy sheep population from the Basque Country (northern Spain), a study was carried out combining molecular and serological techniques. First, bulk-tank milk samples from 154 flocks belonging to the Latxa Breed Farmers Association were analyzed by PCR, with 22% of flocks testing positive for C. burnetii. Then, a selection of 34 flocks (7 PCR positive and 17 negative) was investigated for the presence of serum antibodies by ELISA test on 1,011 ewes (approximately 30 ewes per flock). A total of 8.9% of the animals were seropositive, 67.6% of the flocks had at least one seropositive animal, but only in 14.7% of them was seroprevalence greater than 25%. Older ewes showed a significantly greater prevalence (17.5%) compared with yearlings (7.5%) or replacement lambs (1.5%). A marginally significant association was found between seroprevalence and PCR detection of C. burnetii in bulk-tank milk. The widespread distribution of C. burnetii in the region advocates for the implementation of Q fever control strategies and highlights the potential risk of sheep as a reservoir and infection source for other domestic and wildlife species and the human population.     

Udder measurements and milk production in two Awassi sheep genotypes and their crosses

To improve the effectiveness of community-based breeding programs for increased milk production, the values of different udder measurements for predicting milk production traits during the milking period were assessed over 3 yr on 273 Awassi ewes. Machine milking of ewes began after weaning, 56 d after parturition, and continued until the milk yield of the ewes was <200 mL/d. Milk yield obtained by hand milking and milk composition were measured weekly, and days in milk, total milk yield, and total yields of protein, fat, and nonfat solids in milk were calculated for each ewe. On d 70 of milking, morphological traits of the whole udder (circumference, width, height, and length), udder cistern (height), and teats (length, width, and position score) were measured. On the same day, the milk yield of ewes was recorded by hand milking. Positive and moderate to strong correlations (r = 0.36 to 0.76) between udder circumference and width, teat width, and milk production traits of total milk yield, and total yields of protein, fat, and nonfat solids were found. However, a more accurate predictor of milk production traits was milk yield on d 70, as higher positive correlations between this variable and the milk production traits were found (r = 0.63 to 0.89). Nine farmers were invited to independently estimate the hand-milked milk yield performance of a sample of 169 ewes (d 15 to 45 of milking) by visually observing each ewe and making a subjective linear score (1 to 5). Their assessments were significantly correlated with milk yield on the day of the observation (r = 0.52), total milk yield (r = 0.50), and days in milk (r = 0.45). Considering the perception details provided by farmers concerning each of the subjective linear scores, it was found that most predictive linear udder measurements of udder circumference and width and teat width identified in this study were implicit in these scores. The predictive ability of the measurements studied have practical implications for community-based breeding programs involving improvement of milk production—not just in Syria, but in other countries in dry areas as well—because it is possible for experienced farmers to visually assess milk production of dairy ewes or take simple udder measurements with predictive value.     

In vitro ruminal biohydrogenation of eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosapentaenoic (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in cows and ewes: Intermediate metabolites and pathways

A great deal of uncertainty still exists about intermediate metabolites and pathways explaining the biohydrogenation (BH) of 20- and 22-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Therefore, this study was conducted to provide further insight into the ruminal metabolism of 20:5 n-3 (EPA), 22:5 n-3 (DPA), and 22:6 n-3 (DHA), the main n-3 PUFA present in the marine lipids used in dairy ruminant feeding, and to examine potential differences between bovine and ovine. To meet this aim, we investigated the 20- and 22-carbon metabolites accumulated during in vitro incubation of EPA, DPA, and DHA with rumen inocula from cows and ewes. The PUFA were added at a dose of 2% incubated dry matter and digesta samples were analyzed after 24 h of incubation using complementary gas-liquid chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of 4,4-dimethyloxazoline derivatives. Results suggested that the main BH pathway of EPA and DPA would proceed via the reduction of the double bond closest to the carboxyl group (cis-5 in EPA and cis-7 in DPA); curiously, this mechanism seemed of much lower importance for DHA. Thus, DPA would not be a major intermediate product of DHA and their BH might actually follow separate pathways, with the accumulation of numerous unique metabolites in each case. A principal component analysis supported this hypothesis, with a clear separation between PUFA treatments in the score and loading plots. Within EPA and DPA groups, cow and ewe samples loaded separately from each other but not distant. No conjugated 20:5, 22:5, or 22:6 isomer compatible with the initial product of EPA, DPA, or DHA metabolism, respectively, was identified in the ruminal digesta, although this would not unequivocally exclude their transient formation. In this regard, results from DPA incubations provided the first indication that the metabolism of this very long chain PUFA may involve the formation of conjugated double bond structures. The BH of EPA, DPA, and DHA resulted in the appearance of several tentative trans-10–containing metabolites, showing a general trend to be more abundant in the digesta of ewes than in that of cows. This finding was speculated to have some relationship with the susceptibility of dairy sheep to marine lipid-induced milk fat depression. Differences in the relative proportion of intermediate products would also suggest an influence of ruminant species on BH kinetics, with a process that would likely be slower and less complete in cows than in ewes.     

羊胎水解液类脂物化学组成的研究

羊胎水解液乙醚萃取物经ＫＯＨ－乙醇皂化,乙醚萃取,过醚萃取,过硅胶色谱柱,淋洗物经Ｎ,Ｎ－二（三甲基硅）三氟乙酰胺（ＢＳＴＦＡ）衍生化后进行ＧＣ－ＭＳ分析。结果表明,羊胎水解液乙醚萃取物中主要含有三类物质：饱和脂肪酸,不饱和脂肪酸,甾醇及微量雌性激素。     

羊胴体产量分级模型初探

选择发育正常、健康无病的40只宁夏滩羊进行产量级6个指标的测量,采用主成分分析方法对其进行多元分析,结果表明:保留一个主成分方差累计贡献率达80.5%,且主成分内部显著相关,肋肉厚和腹壁厚的相关系数为0.97201,最终确定羊胴体产量分级指标为肋肉厚。对其与产肉率进行模型拟合,得到羊胴体产量分级的最佳模型,模型决定系数达到0.9614。     

Short communication: Identification of variation in the ovine prolactin gene of Chios sheep with a cost-effective sequence-based typing assay

The present study identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the coding and untranslated regions of the ovine prolactin gene of Chios sheep. By developing a cost-effective direct sequence-based typing assay, around 600 bp of reliable sequencing data and clear identification of heterozygous positions was achieved. Five SNP were found, located in exons 2 (KC764410:g.567G>A, g.625C>T, g.683C>A) and 3 (KC764410:g.2015C>A, g.2101G>A), whereas the remaining exons were monomorphic. The identified SNP were synonymous, with the exception of the g.567G>A SNP, which results in an Arg to His amino acid change. As the sequencing cost of the sequence-based typing assay was 20 orders of magnitude lower compared with a standard Sanger method, the assay was also used as a genotyping tool. The identified polymorphism was genotyped for 247 ewes and was subsequently used in mixed model association analyses of milk yield, milk fat content, and litter size at birth. The association analysis revealed a significant dominance effect of 0.17 ± 0.07 of the g.2015C>A SNP on milk fat percentage, whereas a dominance effect of ?21.33 ± 10.51 of the same SNP on total lactation milk yield was also estimated. The g.2015C>A SNP explained 2.47 and 3.68% of the total phenotypic variance of milk yield and milk fat percentage, respectively, whereas the corresponding values for the animal variance were 7.14 and 11.75%. A suggestive association of the nonsynonymous g.567G>A SNP with litter size at birth was also detected.     

Fatty acids,vitamins and cholesterol content,and sensory properties of cheese made with milk from sheep fed rapeseed oilcake

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of rapeseed oilcake used for feeding sheep on the content of fatty acids (FA), tocopherols, retinoids, and cholesterol of milk and cheese, and on the sensory properties of cheese. Indoor animal feeding (in winter) is the highest cost of production for cheesemakers, and the inclusion of locally produced rapeseed oilcake in the concentrate feed formulation can reduce the cost of cheese production, as long as the quality of the cheese is not altered. The experiment was carried out in March (mid lactation) with 72 Latxa sheep from an experimental farm located in the Basque Country (northern Spain). Two homogeneous groups of animals (n = 36) were set to receive each a different diet based on commercial or rapeseed concentrate, respectively, and forage (Festuca hay). Animal production parameters were individually recorded for each feeding group, whereas bulk milk from each group was used for cheesemaking trials. The rapeseed concentrate had higher amounts of unsaturated FA (mainly C18:1 cis isomers, C18:2 cis-9,cis-12 and C18:3 cis-9,cis-12,cis-15) and tocopherols than the commercial concentrate. The inclusion of rapeseed oilcake in the diet of dairy sheep did not compromise animal production parameters or milk gross composition. Bulk milk and cheese from sheep fed rapeseed concentrate showed higher content of unsaturated FA and tocopherols than those from sheep fed commercial concentrate. No differences were observed in the content of retinoid in milk and cheese between feeding groups, whereas the cholesterol content was slightly lower in cheese made with milk from sheep fed rapeseed concentrate. Thus, milk and cheese from sheep fed rapeseed concentrate had a healthier lipid profile. In addition, the inclusion of rapeseed oilcake in the diet of sheep did not change the typical sensory attributes of Protected Denomination of Origin Idiazabal cheese. Therefore, rapeseed concentrate could be a good local resource for feeding sheep to improve the nutritional quality of dairy products and to provide higher returns to farms.     

不同饲养条件对苏尼特羊背最长肌中MyomiRs表达及屠宰性能的影响

选择不同饲养条件下12月龄苏尼特羊的背最长肌为实验材料,通过测定6种mi RNAs的表达量及苏尼特羊的屠宰性能,研究不同饲养条件对mi RNAs表达量及屠宰性能的影响。结果表明:放牧苏尼特羊生长性状(体长、体高、胸围)、宰前活质量、胴体质量均显著高于圈养(P0.05),圈养苏尼特羊屠宰率、净肉率高于放牧。放牧苏尼特羊mi RNAs表达量均高于圈养苏尼特羊。放牧苏尼特羊mi R-1表达量与体高、胴体质量、净肉质量、净肉率显著正相关(P0.05),mi R-133表达量与净肉质量呈显著正相关性(P0.05),圈养苏尼特羊mi R-128表达量与净肉率显著负相关(P0.05)。说明不同饲养条件对mi RNAs的表达有影响,进一步影响屠宰性能。     

An effect of suint on sheep wool impedance and heat resistance values

ABSTRACT

The phenomenon of impedance finds an application in many areas of science; however, no studies relate to wool. Thus, the aim of the study was an examination of an effect of from the presence of suint layer on sheep wool fibers on impedance and heat resistance values. Electrical characteristics (impedance [Ω]) and heat resistance were compared in terms of wool washing effect. The impedance of wool samples was tested in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 1 MHz. In order to measure electrical characteristics and heat resistance values, five samples of greasy wool were collected from different sheep breeds, standardized by weight. After the analyses, the samples were washed and reexamined. The results showed significant differences in the impedance between the greasy and washed wool samples in each of the tested breed (p > 0.05). The suint layer reduces the impedance level, which was also confirmed by a heat resistance test results demonstrating that absence of suint layer on wool fibers significantly reduced this feature value (p > 0.05). This was also reflected in the weight differences between the examined wool samples before and after their washing.