Welfare evaluation of dairy cows reared in the East of Algeria.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the welfare status of dairy cows raised in local conditions through health criteria. Important health problems have been identified as well as their effect on the milk yield. One hundred seven farms in eastern Algeria were visited. Data on health, productivity, and management practices were collected. Clinical examination of 1210 dairy cows was conducted to assess health scores. The relationship between herd health and milk yield was investigated using multiple linear regression models. The average milk yield per cow was 16.1 kg/day, and the average prevalence of thin cows (body condition score ≤ 2) was 35.1%. The cow dirtiness was a sign of poor facility hygiene, with 24.3% of cows had dirty udders, 44.5% had dirty flanks/upper legs, and 59.6% had dirty hind legs. The mean prevalence of clinical lameness (locomotion score ≥ 3) and severe lameness (locomotion score ≥ 4) were 24.7% and 8.7%, respectively. The prevalence of hocks, knees, and neck injuries (score > 1) with wound and/or swelling ranged from 0 to 46.2%, 0 to 71.4%, and 0 to 14.3%, respectively. The clinical examination showed a percentage of cows with mastitis of 15.4%, diarrhea of 6.9%, cough of 3.2%, nasal discharge of 7.5%, and ocular discharge of 1.8%. Thus, the milk yield had associated with severe lameness, mastitis, thinness, and dystocia. In conclusion, the welfare indicators in this study reflect the serious health problems in dairy farming which influence the expression of the cow genetic potential.

Yields, chemical composition, and antimicrobial activity of two Algerian essential oils against 40 avian multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli strains.

AIM: The aim of this study is to investigate, in vitro, a possible antibacterial activity of Algerian essential oils (EOs) of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and that of Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) against multidrug-resistant avian Escherichia coli strains and this in a perspective of their future use as a substitute for antibiotics (ATBs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In addition to the reference strain of E. coli ATCC 25922, 40 strains of avian E. coli have been isolated (24 strains of broilers and 16 of turkeys), their antimicrobial resistance profile was determined by antibiogram tests against 21 ATBs whereupon they were subjected to the action of two Algerian EOs; the EO of Thyme (T. vulgaris L.) and that of Coriander (C. sativum L.), which oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and this for the determination of their chemical composition. The antibacterial activity, resulting in zones of inhibition, was evaluated by carrying out, in triplicate, aromatograms for both pure EO and that which has been diluted to 15% in Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO), while the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the two EOs were highlighted by the method of liquid macrodilution. RESULTS: Antibiogram performance demonstrated an alarming state of antimicrobial resistance, the multidrug resistance rate was estimated at 100% for the broilers chicken strains and at 81.25% for strains isolated from turkeys, hydrodistillation allowed to obtained EOs with yields estimated at 1.22±0.26% for Thyme EO and 0.23±0.15% for the essence of Coriander, the GC-MS analysis identified 19 main compounds and showed that the majority chemical components were Carvacrol (73.03%) for Thyme volatile oil and Linalool (60.91%) for Coriander EO, aromatograms and the determination of MIC concluded that the EO of Thyme showed a greater antibacterial activity with an average of the zones of inhibition estimated at 26.75±0.426 mm and MIC ranging from 0.07 to 0.93 mg/ml against an average of the inhibition zones evaluated at 17.05±0.383 mm and MICs evaluated between 0.6 and 10 mg/ml for the EO of Coriander. CONCLUSION: In aviculture, these results seem to be very promising in the case where we think about the replacement of ATBs by EOs, in vivo studies would be very interesting to confirm or invalidate this hypothesis.

Epidemiological features and pathological study of avian leukosis in turkeys' flocks.

AIM: The purpose of this study was focused on the identification of tumor diseases in turkeys on the basis of a detailed description of epidemiological features, clinical signs, lesions, and histopathological changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Outbreak of a tumor disease in turkeys was investigated in various regions of Eastern Algeria. Four turkeys' flocks aged from 17 weeks were affected, resulting to mortality often over 10%, on a period of 15 days. The main epidemiological characters, clinical signs, and lesions were observed throughout all the course of the disease. Serum samples were collected from affected turkeys in each flock to detect p27 antigen in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test to diagnose avian leukosis virus (ALV). Portions of sciatic nerves and livers are taken from dead turkeys for microscopic examination. RESULTS: The disease was characterized by clinical signs such as anorexia, weakness, and diarrhea. Necropsy of the dead birds showed hepatomegaly and gross splenomegaly with neoplastic nodules or gray foci and diffuse infiltration in the myocardium and lungs. ALV antigen test using ELISA confirmed the presence of virus leukosis. Histopathological sections of the liver had proliferations of lymphoblastoid cells and absence of any modifications or lymphocytic infiltration in peripheral nerves. CONCLUSION: The present study confirms that this disease condition is caused by lymphoid leukosis.