Suplementação de betaglucano a dietas de leitões de 21 a 60 dias de idade / Beta-glucon suplementacion in diets for piglets from 21 to 60 days of age

Realizou-se um experimento com 1.500 leitões distribuídos em delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso com cinco tratamentos: controle e com suplementação de 60, 120, 180 e 240g de betaglucano por tonelada de dieta. Foram analisadas as variáveis ganho de peso diário, peso final, consumo de dieta diário e conversão alimentar nos períodos de 21 a 35, 21 a 49 e 21 a 60 dias de idade. Houve aumento linear significativo do peso final e do ganho de peso diário de leitões suplementados com betaglucano na dieta dos 21 aos 60 dias de idade. A inclusão de 240g/ton. proporcionou aumento no peso final de 800g, o que corresponde ao aumento de 3,2 por cento em relação aos animais do grupo-controle. O ganho de peso diário foi 4,7 por cento mais alto para o grupo de animais tratados com 240g/ton. Não se observou efeito significativo dos tratamentos sobre: consumo diário de dieta, conversão alimentar, atividade da enzima superóxido dismutase nem sobre a resposta imune.

A total of 1,500 piglets were used in a completely randomized experimental block design to study the effects of beta-glucon level (control, 60, 120, 180, and 240g per ton of diet) on daily weight gain, body weight, daily feed intake and feed: weight gain ratio from 21 to 35, 21 to 49 and from 21 to 60 days of age Positive and significant linear effects of beta-gluton on body weight and daily weight gain of piglets from 21 to 60 days of age were observed. The inclusion of 240g of beta-gluton in diet resulted in 800g increase in body weight which corresponds to 3.25 percent increase in body weight and 4.7 percent increase in daily weight gain in comparison to animals of the control group. No effects of beta-gluton supplementation on feed intake, feed: weight gain ratio and superoxide dismutase enzyme activity or animal immune response were observed.

Faecal shedding and serological cross-sectional study of Lawsonia intracellularis in horses in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

REASON FOR PERFORMING THE STUDY: Proliferative enteropathy, caused by the intracellular bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis, has been described in horses in Australia, the USA, Canada and European countries but has not been reported in Latin America. The prevalence of the disease in horses worldwide is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of subclinical L. intracellularis infection in horses in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS: A longitudinal study using serology and PCR for detecting antibodies (IgG) and shedding of L. intracellularis in faecal samples, respectively, was conducted using a total of 223 horses from 14 different horse farms in Minas Gerais, and from the Veterinary School of UFMG equine herds in Minas Gerais. The immunoperoxidase technique in glass slides was used as the serological test. RESULTS: Twenty-one horse sera had immunoglobulin G titres of 1:60 and were considered positive. The PCR technique in faeces for L. intracellularis DNA identified 7 horses as faecal shedders. Horses shedding the organism appeared healthy, indicating that subclinical infection of L. intracellularis occurred in the horses. CONCLUSION: Seropositivity and detection of faecal shedding of L. intracellularis indicates the presence of the agent in the equine population in Minas Gerais. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Results of this study should alert clinicians in countries where proliferative enteropthy in horses has not been reported to consider this disease as a possible cause of enteric disease.