Plumage damage and back skin lesions in laying hens with untrimmed beak depend on rearing of pullets and genetics

Myo-inositol (inositol) affects memory, and the incidence of depression and anxiety in mammals. An experiment was designed to determine if pure inositol (0.16%), or high levels of phytase (3000 FTU/kg) affect the behaviour of fully beaked Lohmann LSL lite hens fed amino acid sufficient (19% crude protein (CP)) and deficient diets (16% CP), from 19 to 59 weeks of age. The data collected included live-scan behaviour observations and novel object (NO) tests (both at 1, 10 and 40 weeks of the trial); heterophil-to-lymphocyte (H/L) ratios (week 1 and week 40 of the trial); end of trial feather cover, and comb and skin lesions; and daily mortality. Reducing CP increased sitting by 2.5%. Inositol, but not phytase, reduced the latency to peck at the NO by 300 sec. Inositol reduced vent feather cover by 12% and tended to increase mortality by 13%. No effects on H/L ratio, and comb or skin lesions were found. In conclusion, regardless of the source, inositol reduced vent feather cover, while it tended to increase mortality. Only pure inositol reduced fearfulness in laying hens.

Download Full-text

Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Acari: Macronyssidae) parasitism among poultry farm workers in Minas Gerais state, Brazil

Ciência Rural ◽

10.1590/0103-8478cr20190358 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 50 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Cristina Mara Teixeira ◽

Tiago Mendonça de Oliveira ◽

Amanda Soriano-Araújo ◽

Leandro do Carmo Rezende ◽

Paulo Roberto de Oliveira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laying Hens ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Skin Lesions ◽

Conveyor Belt ◽

Minas Gerais ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Farm Workers ◽

Time Interval ◽

Ornithonyssus Sylviarum ◽

Epidemiological Characteristics

ABSTRACT: Ornithonyssus sylviarum is a hematophagous mite present in wild, domestic, and synanthropic birds. However, this mite can affect several vertebrate hosts, including humans, leading to dermatitis, pruritus, allergic reactions, and papular skin lesions. This study evaluated the epidemiological characteristics of O. sylviarum attacks on poultry workers, including data on laying hens, infrastructure and management of hen houses, and reports of attacks by hematophagous mites. In addition, a case of mite attack on a farm worker on a laying farm in the Midwest region in Minas Gerais is presented. It was found that 60.7% farm workers reported attacks by hematophagous mites. Correspondence analysis showed an association between reports of mite attacks in humans with (1) presence of O. sylviarum in the hen house, (2) manual removal of manure by employees, and (3) history of acaricide use. The specimens collected from the location were confirmatively identified as O. sylviarum. O. sylviarum attacks ave not been reported when manure was removed in a shorter time interval and did not use acaricide in the sheds when the removal was done by manure conveyor belt. Parasitism by O. sylviarum should be considered a relevant occupational hazard affecting employees working in direct contact with commercial egg-laying hens in Minas Gerais. We emphasized the need to monitor hen infestations by this mite to improve the development of mite control strategies.

Download Full-text

Efficacy of Fluralaner (Exzolt®) for the Treatment of Natural Allopsoroptoides Galli Infestations in Laying Hens

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1181968/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nilce Maria Soares ◽

Edna Clara Tucci ◽

Gustavo Perdoncini ◽

Ricardo Della Matta Junior

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Body Weight ◽

Untreated Control ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Skin Lesions ◽

Treated Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Untreated Control Group ◽

Sharp Drop

Abstract BackgroundMite infestations in laying hens can cause losses to producers due to stress, reduced egg production and even death of birds. A new species of mite, Allopsoroptoides galli (A. galli), Analgoidea: Psoroptoididae, was recently identified in commercial laying farms in Brazil, causing damage due to its highly aggressive infestation that results in a sharp drop in egg production and culling. The present study evaluated the acaricidal action of a formulation containing fluralaner (Exzolt®) against A. galli.Methods The study was carried out from November 2019 to January 2020. Thirty-four laying hens naturally infested with A. galli were equally divided into a fluralaner-treated group and an untreated control group. The fluralaner-treated group received Exzolt® in drinking water at a dose of 0.05 mL/kg body weight (equivalent to 0.5 mg fluralaner/kg body weight), twice, seven days apart. Both groups were followed for 70 days evaluating the level of infestation by counting mites in skin scrapings and assessment of skin lesions.Results The average mite count of the treated group decreased significantly, dropping from 61.6 to 3.8 mites (D+7 to D+70). The efficacy progressively increased on subsequent days, reaching 98.8% on day +56 post-treatment and 96.9% on day +70. Recovery of skin lesions was observed after administration of Exzolt®, showing a marked remission in the degree of lesions (2.5 on day -14 to 0.2 on day +70). The mean number of mites in the untreated control group ranged from 79.3 to 124.1 and the lesion score from 2.6 to 2.9, thus remaining stable throughout the study.Conclusion The results obtained in the present study demonstrated that Exzolt® administered at a dose of 0.05 mL of product/kg body weight (equivalent to 0.5 mg of fluralaner/kg body weight), twice at a seven-day interval, in drinking water was effective in the treatment of the mite Allopsoroptoides galli in naturally infested laying hens.

Download Full-text

Fine Structural Alterations in Thyroid Follicular Cells (FC) and Changes in Serum Thyroxine Produced by Feeding Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) to Rats

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100079929 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 498-499

Author(s):

W.T. Collins ◽

Charles C. Capen ◽

Louis Kasza

Keyword(s):

Feed Efficiency ◽

Polychlorinated Biphenyl ◽

Serum Proteins ◽

Skin Lesions ◽

Hepatic Necrosis ◽

Ultrastructural Changes ◽

Lymphoid Tissues ◽

Heat Transfer Fluids ◽

Thyroid Follicular Cells ◽

Peripheral Metabolism

The widespread contamination of the environment with PCB, a compound used extensively by industry in hydraulic and heat transfer fluids as well as plasticizers and solvents in adhesives and sealants, has resulted in detectable tissue levels in a large portion of the human population, domestic animals, and wildlife. Intoxication with PCB produces severe hepatic necrosis, degeneration of lymphoid tissues and kidney, skin lesions, decreased reproductive performance, reduced feed efficiency, and decreased weight gain. PCB also has been reported to reduce the binding of thyroid hormone to serum proteins and enhance the peripheral metabolism of thyroxine with increased excretion of thyroxine-glucuronide in the bile (Bastomsky, Endocrinology 95: 1150-1155, 1974).The objectives of this investigation were (1) to investigate the histopathologic, histochemical, and ultrastructural changes in thyroid FC produced by the acute (4 week) and chronic (12 week) administration of low (50 ppm) and high (500 ppm) doses of PCB to rats, (2) to correlate these alterations to changes in serum immunoreactive thyroxine concentration, and (3) to investigate the persistence of the effects of PCB on the thyroid gland.

Download Full-text