Fungal contamination of pig farm feeds

The aim of this study was to establish the total fungal (mould) count in 79 commercial pig farm feed samples (42 samples for piglets, 29 samples for fattening pigs and 8 samples for sows) collected from the Serbian feed producers during the three-year period (2017-2019), as well as to evaluate the percentage of contamination samples by fungi, especially species from Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium genera. Using standard mycological methods, the total count and identification of fungi were determined. Total fungal count was ranging from 1 ? 102 to 1.41 ? 105 cfu g-1 in the feed samples for piglets. Furthermore, in the feed samples for fattening pigs it ranged from1 ? 102 to 2.54 ? 105 cfu g-1, and from 1 ? 102 to 1.93 ? 105 cfu g-1 in the feed samples for sows. It has established the impermissible limit of total fungal count in 3.45% and 4.76% of a feed for fattening pigs and feed for piglets, respectively. Statistical analysis of the total number of fungi did not establish significant differences between the examined feed groups. Fusarium species were present in the most feed samples for fattening pigs (65.52%), followed by the feed for sows (62.50%) and piglets (47.62%). Aspergillus species were determined in 59.52, 58.62 and 37.50% feed samples for piglets, fattening pigs and sows, respectively. Penicillium species contaminated the lowest percentage of feed samples for fattening pigs (27.59%) and the highest percentage of feed samples for sows (37.50%). In a small number of samples Alternaria, Mucor, and Rhizopus species were identified. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the investigation of fungal contamination is an important indicator of a hygienic condition of feed intended for the nutrition of farm pigs. In addition, the percentage of fungal contamination of the examined samples indicates a potentially high risk to animal health. Due to that, a regular mycological evaluation is necessary to assess nutritional quality as one of the fundamental criteria for feed safety.

A review of some important viral diseases of wild boars

Wild boars are one of the widest-ranging mammals worldwide and represent reservoirs for many important viruses. Disease outbreaks in domestic swine are often described as a consequence of contact with wild boars, and traditional rearing conditions are a particular risk factor. Examples of such diseases include classical swine fever (CSF), African swine fever (ASF), Aujeszky?s disease (AD), and diseases caused by porcine circoviruses and parvoviruses. Some viral infections causing high mortality rates are easily noticeable and thus reported, though many viruses infecting wildlife are insidious impacting survival rates and reproduction in wild animals. Samples from wild boars for laboratory testing are usually collected postmortem and include various tissues or blood sera. The recovery of viable viruses during virus isolation depends on the virus species and the condition of the sample. Since this method does not yield timely results, most diagnostic procedures are based on PCR or antigen detection methods. Serological surveys are inexpensive and appropriate for prevalence studies. When interpreting the results of diagnostic tests, both virus and host characteristics, and the epizootiological situation must be accounted for. Disease control techniques such as fencing or feeding wild boars cause animal aggregation and give rise to population density which favors pathogen maintenance in the environment. Hunting reduces the number of susceptible animals and is helpful as an additional control measure and for sampling. Available data on infectious disease dynamics in wild boars is scarce, and constant knowledge improvement on pathogenesis, clinical symptoms, risk factors, and adequate control measures are required.

Effect of year, lambing season, sex and birth type on early performance in MIS lambs

Considering the fact that sheep production has an important role in agriculture of Serbia, lamb performance is essential. Objective of the study was to investigate effect of year, lambing season, sex and birth type on growth performances in lambs of MIS breed. Animal data (birth date, birth type, sex, birth weight -BW0, body weight after 30 days - BW30 and body weight after 90 days - BW90) are gained from control of productive parameters maintained from 2011 to 2020. Research was conducted on the sample of 1592 lambs. Average daily gain from birth to 30 days (ADG1), from 30 to 90 days (ADG2), and from birth until 90 days (ADG3), were calculated and included in analysis. Calendar year was divided in four seasons, each season consists from 3 months: winter, spring, summer and autumn. Average body weights (? standard deviation) at birth, after 30 and 90 days were 4.41 kg (? 0.99), 14.11 kg (? 2.80), 24.05 kg (? 3.86), respectively. Average daily gains were 319.87 g (? 74.97), 164.98 g (? 35.39) and 216.88 g (? 36.86) for ADG1, ADG2 and ADG3, respectively. Lambing type and sex of the lambs affected all of the observed traits very significantly (p < 0.01). Lambing year had very significant effect (p < 0.01) on BW30, on ADG1 and ADG2, while lambing season significantly (p < 0.05) affected BW90, ADG2 and ADG3.Based on the results it can be concluded that birth type and sex had strongest effects in early productive parameters of lambs.

Influence of prebiotics in pigs nutrition on body weight and content of Escherichia coli in feces

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of prebiotics in the diet of piglets after weaning on the increase in the average weight of experimental animals between female (?) and male (?) piglets, dynamically by weeks of experiment, as well as on the presence of Escherichia coli in faeces. The experiment included piglets at weaning, aged about 26 days. The F1 generation was used, which was created by crossing Landrace sows and Pietren boars. The piglets were fed for 56 days (8 weeks). Four groups were formed, each group was composed of 10 piglets (5 females and 5 males) with different concentrations of prebiotics and controls, in two replicates, a total of 100 experimental animals. Feed mixtures consisting of the same nutrients were used in the diet. Control groups (OA and OB) were fed with ordinary feed mixture, without the addition of additives, groups (IA and IB) with the addition of Bio-Mos prebiotics, in a concentration of 0.1%, groups (II-A and II- B) with 0.2%, groups (III-A and III-B) with 0.3% and groups (IV-A and IV-B) were fed with the addition of prebiotics in a concentration of 0.4%. It was concluded that the differences observed in the average weight between ? and ? piglets in any measurement period were not statistically significant. However, the best results in terms of average weight were given by the highest used concentrations of prebiotics in food, 0.4% and 0.3%. The preparation had a positive effect in terms of reducing the number of Escherichia coli bacteria in the digestive tract of piglets in all treatment groups by 42 to 320 times.

Regression tree analysis to predict body weight of South African non-descript goats raised at Syferkuil farm, Capricorn District of South Africa

Regression tree is the data mining algorithm method which contains a series of calculations that creates a model from collected data. Present study aimed to develop model to estimate body weight (BW) from biometric traits viz. withers height (WH), sternum height (SH), body length (BL), heart girth (HG) and rump height (RH). A total of eighty-three (n = 83) South African non-descript indigenous goats ( 54 females and 29 males) aged three months and above were used in the study. Pearson?s correlations and classification and regression tree (CART) as statistical techniques were used for data analysis. Correlation results indicated that there was a positive highly statistical significant (P < 0.01) correlation between BW and all biometric traits in both males and females, the positive highly statistical significant correlation was observed between BW and WH (r = 0.82) in female goats while in males the highest positive statistical significant correlation was detected between BW and BL (r = 0.83). CART model indicated that the BW mean was 29.868 kilograms (kg) as dependent variable and BL had the highest remarkable role in BW followed by SH, RH while the age had the least remarkable role in BW. This study suggests that BL, SH and RH might be used by South African non-descript goats? farmers as a selection criterion during breeding to improve BW of animal. More completive studies and experiments need to be done using CART to predict BW in more sample size of South African nondescript goats or other goat breeds.

Morphometric characterization of Pirot pramenka

The strategy of conservation of endangered sheep populations implies morphological and genetic characterization, as basic preconditions for their conservation. The aim of this study was to determine the morphometric characteristics, their correlations and the index of physical development of Pirot pramenka, which has the status of the most endangered population in Serbia. The measuring was performed on 30 sheep, aged 3 years, reared in the area of Stara Planina. The descriptive statistical procedure was performed using the statistical package Statistica (version 8). The average height at the withers was 56.31 cm, body length 62.93 cm, chest width 18.37 cm, chest depth 25.96 cm, chest circumference 77.59 cm, shin circumference 6.70 cm. The strongest and significantly positive correlation (P <0.05) was found between chest depth and height at withers (0.65), body length (0.58) and body weight (0.56). Pirotska pramenka has slightly higher indices of format, chest and massiveness, in relation to breeds Vitoroga Zuja and Travnik Pramenka. These morphometric traits suggest that, compared to previous research, the body frame of Pirot pramenka sheep did not change significantly, which means that there were no crosses with other breeds due to geographical isolation and enthusiasm of breeders to preserve the indigenous Pirot pramenka which was the starting point for following authentic brands: Pirot lamb, cheese and carpet. Hence the biological and moral imperative: to preserve this highly endangered population.

Toxic elements in Serbian sunflower honey originating from various regions

The concentrations of As, Cd, Hg, Ni and Pb were determined in fifteen sunflower honey samples collected from 9 locations in the Republic of Serbia during 2019. The elements were analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Mean levels of elements (mg kg-1) in all sunflower honey samples were as follows: 0.004 for As, 0.003 for Cd, 0.077 for Ni and 0.051 for Pb. The mercury content in all honey samples was below the detection limit of the applied method (< 0.001 mg Hg kg-1 honey). The lead level in all the examined honey samples was below maximum permissible value (0.10 mg kg-1). The highest values of elements (mg kg-1) were: 0.096 for Pb (in Kanjiza), 0.025 for As (Kikinda sample), 0.008 for Cd (Senta) and 0.125 for Ni in the honey originating from Svrljig. None of the 5 toxic elements analysed exceeded the maximum permissible level.

Haematological and biochemical blood profile of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) cultured in ponds of different water depth and fed sinking versus floating diet

This study contributes data on haematological and biochemical parameters of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus. It employed a 3 ? 2 factorial design with three ponds of different water depth (0.5, 1 and 1.5 m) and two types of feed (floating and sinking). Twelve earthen ponds (1 m x 2 m) were stocked with 16 fingerlings catfish each (mean weight ~100g) and their blood parameters were monitored over 12 weeks. Differences in hematological parameters related to water depth were mostly significant, and better results were recorded in fish reared in shallower water ponds. Feed type showed improved hematological parameters with using of sinking diet. Most biochemical parameters showed significant differences in pond waters depth and feed type with better results coincided with rearing fish in shallower water depth and with sinking feed. Conclusively, culturing Catfish in shallow ponds (0.5 m) and use of sinking feed improve physiological response and health condition.

Egg quality of Banat naked neck hens during storage

In less intensive production systems, native poultry breeds can be used in order to diversify the products and achieve self-sustainability of these breeds through production. Given the missing data on the sustainability of quality of eggs obtained from indigenous, native hens, during storage, the aim of the study was to determine the most important parameters of egg quality of indigenous breed of Banat Naked Neck hens during a four-week period in different storage conditions. The design of the experiment was two-factorial with 4 levels of storage time factors (fresh eggs - 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks of storage) and 2 levels of temperature storage condition factors (room temperature and refrigerator). The room temperature was on average 21.3?C and the refrigerator temperature 8?C. Quality analysis was performed on a total of 200 eggs, and it included following parameters: egg weight, egg weight loss, weight and proportion of structural components: shell, yolk and albumen, albumen height, yolk colour, Haugh Units and albumen pH. The storage time had a significant effect on all properties of egg quality, except for the yolk colour, which was under the impact of the interaction of storage time and temperature. Storage temperature influenced egg weight loss (<0.001), shell weight (<0.05), albumen height (<0.0001), Haugh Units (<0.0001) and albumen pH (<0.0001). By storing in the refrigerator, changes in internal quality were significantly slowed down. After 28 days of storage in the refrigerator, the values of albumen and Haugh Units were higher than the same parameters of eggs stored for only 7 days at room temperature.

Welfare parameters and keel bone damage in laying hens reared in different production systems

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of housing system and the age of hens on welfare parameters and the prevalence of keel bone damage in laying hens. In this study two housing systems were evaluated: aviary system and enriched cages. From each system and age, we used 50 randomly selected hens from different cages and tiers. The results showed significant differences between systems in the type of keel bone damage. There was no significant difference in keel deviation between systems, but the higher prevalence of keel fractures was found in aviary system. In addition, significant effect of the age of hens was found on the occurrence of keel fractures. Footpad dermatitis had statistically higher occurrence in enriched cages at 62 weeks of age. Hens from aviary system had significantly better plumage score compared to hens from enriched cages but only at 42 weeks of age.