Abstract Vitamin D 3 (Vit D 3 ) and 25(OH)D 3 are used as dietary sources of active vitamin D (1,25(OH) 2 D 3 ) in pig husbandry. Although acting primarily on intestine, kidney and bone, their use in ...pig nutrition has shown a wide range of effects also in peripheral tissues. However, there is an ambiguity in the existing literature about whether the effects of Vit D 3 and 25(OH)D 3 differ in attributing the molecular and phenotypic outcomes in pigs. We searched Web of Science and PubMed databases concerning the efficacy of Vit D 3 in comparison with 25(OH)D 3 on pig physiology, i.e. reproductive capacities, growth performance, immunity and bone development. Dietary intake of Vit D 3 or 25(OH)D 3 did not influence the reproductive capacity of sows. Unlike Vit D 3 , the maternal intake of 25(OH)D 3 significantly improved the growth performance of piglets, which might be attributed to maternally induced micronutrient efficiency. Consequently, even in the absence of maternal vitamin D supplementation, 25(OH)D 3 -fed offspring also demonstrated better growth than the offspring received Vit D 3 . Moreover, a similar superior impact of 25(OH)D 3 was seen with respect to serum markers of innate and humoral immunity. Last but not least, supplements containing 25(OH)D 3 were found to be more effective than Vit D 3 to improve bone mineralisation and formation, especially in pigs receiving basal diets low in Ca and phosphorus. The insights are of particular value in determining the principal dietary source of vitamin D to achieve its optimum utilisation efficiency, nutritional benefits and therapeutic potency and to further improve animal welfare across different management types.
In this study, veterinary students from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade and Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad were surveyed ...to evaluate their knowledge and attitudes toward farm animal welfare. Data were collected from 431 students by survey consisting of 39 closed-ended questions divided into two parts (demographic characteristics and a five-point Likert scale). Results showed that female students, students aged 18 to 21 years, from veterinary high schools, from urban areas, with mixed diets, who own pets, were predominated. Younger students and students from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University in Belgrade agree significantly higher (p<0.001) that animal welfare is necessary for sustainable agriculture, food safety, biological functioning, emotional state, and natural behavior, as well as zootechnical procedures and rearing systems impairing the welfare of farm animals compared with students of the final year of studies, and from Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad. Female students, and younger students, from urban areas, who own pets, have more concerned attitudes regarding farm animal welfare (p<0.001). The findings of this study confirm that attitudes toward farm animal welfare are not homogeneous and are associated with students’ demographic characteristics. Also, results suggest that more attention should be paid to the curriculum and program to indirectly improve the welfare of farm animals.
The Effect of Probiotics on Animal Health. REVIEW Nicolae Corcionivoschi; Dan Drinceanu; ioan Mircea Pop ...
Lucrări științifice zootehnie şi biotehnologii,
10/2023, Letnik:
43, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Odprti dostop
The mechanisms of action of probiotic bacteria and their effect in combating digestive disorders in humans and animals has been demonstrated and supported in numerous scientific studies. Probiotic ...bacteria are used in a wide range of nutritional techniques in order to support the host organism during physiological strain, to reduce stress due to technology and to combat diarrheal syndromes (occurring naturally or pharmacologically induced). Based on a rich bibliographic material, this paper presents the role of probiotic bacteria to equilibrate the beneficial microbial population and in bacterial turnover by stimulating the host immune response via specific secretions (eg. bacteriocins) and competitive exclusion of potentially pathogenic germs in the digestive tract (Salmonella, E. coli). In the same context, this review presents the basic studies on the effect of probiotic bacteria in health maintenance for the main species of farm animals: pigs, poultry, cattle and sheep.
The rapid development of biotechnology has facilitated our understanding of the biological functions of candidate genes for important economic traits in farm animals. Molecular breeding by gene ...editing has greatly revolutionized the breeding of farm animals. Through gene editing and embryo manipulation, breeds with designed economic or disease-resistant traits can be readily generated. Along with this fast progress, the safety assessment of gene-edited farm animals has attracted public and regulatory attention. This review summarizes the research progress of gene editing in farm animals, focusing on performance improvement, disease resistance, bioreactors, animal welfare, and environmental friendliness. The limitations and future development of gene editing technology in farm animal breeding are also discussed.
Exploring the genetic loci underlying economic traits is foundational for innovation in modern animal breeding technology. Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) have been valid and commonly used ...tools to dissect the genomic variants associated with phenotypes for the past ∼20 years and have contributed to our understanding of genetic and molecular bases of various traits. Here, we comprehensively review the recent research progress on GWAS methods. We highlight the methodological advancements enabled by the combination of new proteome, transcriptome, epigenome, and metagenome information and multi‐omics analysis algorithms. The advances in GWAS investigations of chickens, pigs, cattle, and other animals during the last 5 years are also described. Finally, we discuss the current applications of GWAS in cutting‐edge breeding technologies and overall future perspectives of the post‐GWAS era.
The common workflow and applications of GWAS in farm animals.
•Research into farm animal vocalisations reflecting positive states is limited.•Positive vocalisations have been studied in pigs, horses, cows, goats, sheep and chickens.•Positive vocalisations are ...often shorter with lower, less variable fundamental frequency.•Farm species differ in how vocal they are in general and in positive contexts.
Public concern for farm animal welfare is increasing. Animal welfare is defined as the balance of positive and negative emotions, where positive emotions are key to a good animal life. Emotion is defined as an experience that varies in valence and arousal. Many methods developed to identify positive emotions in animals involve disadvantages. For example, they require training the animals, are age specific or invasive. Vocalisations are a promising indicator of positive emotions. We aimed to review current knowledge on farm animal vocalisations putatively associated with positive emotions and discuss the potential of vocalisations as an on-farm tool to assess positive emotions in farm animals. Vocalisation types and acoustic structures that can potentially be used to identify positive emotions depend upon species. In pigs, lower frequency vocalisations are produced more in positive situations, however, within grunts, higher frequencies reflect positive situations. In horses, more snorts and shorter, lower frequency whinnies could be linked to positive situations. In cows, closed-mouth vocalisations (lower in frequency) might be more common in positive emotions. Food calls and fast clucks may be linked to positive emotions in chickens. In goats, the fundamental frequency shows less fluctuations during positive compared to negative situations. A link between vocalisations and positive emotions has not been shown yet in sheep. Overall, a combination of vocalisations and other measures of emotions could be a promising on-farm tool to monitor positive emotions.
PDF
