Urinary and plasma metabolome of farm mink (Neovison vison) after an intervention with raw or cooked poultry offal: a 1H NMR investigation.

The introduction of high amounts of cooked poultry offal in mink feed has been associated with health problems in growing mink. Cooking mink feed is a convenient way of reducing microbiological activity, but it may have a negative effect on raw material quality and animal welfare. This study investigates growth and health of mink fed raw or cooked poultry offal and describes urinary and blood plasma metabolic changes related to the feeding. A total of 65 male mink were divided in three feeding groups, two fed cooked offal and one group fed raw offal, and the plasma and urine samples were collected at 3 time points during the growth. Both bio-fluids and feed samples were measured by 1H NMR spectroscopy and resulted metabolomics data were analysed using univariate and multivariate statistical methods that revealed dominating effect of the mink growth stages and to a less extent the feeding regime. Metabolome differences in relation to low body mass index (BMI) and kidney lesions were observed in plasma. Disease and decrease in BMI was associated with high creatinine and dimethylglycine content in plasma. These molecules were also particularly indicative of the cooked feeds. Moreover, low urinary taurine levels were also associated with disease and low BMI. Individual mink appeared to show negative effects of the cooked feed diet, including impaired growth and gross pathological lesions involving the kidneys. This may be related to the absorption of essential metabolites such as amino acids and fats, necessary for mink growth, that are negatively impacted by the cooking process.

Association between Fur Animal Necrotizing Pyoderma in breeding farm mink (Neovison vison) and reduced fertility.

BACKGROUND: The disease Fur Animal Necrotizing Pyoderma (FNP) has since 2000 been reported in many fur producing countries including Canada, Finland and Denmark. Development of FNP is characterised by rapidly forming treatment-resistant wounds on paws and in the head region. Economic losses related to FNP have been associated with mortality and decreased fur quality as well as increased veterinary costs. Also it has been suggested that FNP may be associated with reduced production results for breeding mink. The aim of this study was to evaluate if there is an association between FNP lesions in breeding animals and reduced production results based on a retrospective cohort study. RESULTS: 1465 breeding animals (244 males and 1221 females) were followed during the breeding season 2019 on five Danish mink farms. Two farms were removed from the analysis since no occurrence of FNP appeared in the observation group. After exclusion, 846 breeding animals (148 males and 698 females) remained in the analysis and were divided into two groups: exposed (EXP) or non-exposed (N-EXP) depending on the disease history of the males during mating. Females exposed to FNP positive males during breeding in average produce 14% fewer kits (P = 0.032) and these females were also more than double as likely to produce small litters (N ≥ 3) than N-EXP females. Female's from the EXP group were introduced more times to males than females in the N-EXP group (P = 0.0001, 2.5 more times in average). Females in the EXP group did not have a statistically higher risk of becoming barren (P = 0.138) though the relative risk of becoming barren was 77% higher after encountering a FNP male. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that FNP has more economic losses for the farms than direct loss of animals. Females in contact with males with FNP lesion during breeding have a higher risk of becoming barren, and produce significantly fewer kits compared to females whom haven't been in contact with a FNP positive male.

The microbiota of farmed mink (Neovison vison) follows a successional development and is affected by early life antibiotic exposure.

On many mink farms, antibiotics are used extensively during the lactation period to reduce the prevalence and severity of pre-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in mink kits (also referred to as greasy kit syndrome). Concerns have been raised, that routine treatment of PWD with antibiotics could affect the natural successional development of the gut microbiota, which may have long lasting consequences. Here we investigated the effects of early life antibiotic treatment administered for 1 week (postnatal days 13-20). Two routes of antibiotic administration were compared to a non-treated control group (CTR, n = 24). Routes of administration included indirect treatment, through the milk from dams receiving antibiotics by intramuscular administration (ABX_D, n = 24) and direct treatment by intramuscular administration to the kits (ABX_K, n = 24). A tendency for slightly increased weight at termination (Day 205) was observed in the ABX_K group. The gut microbiota composition was profiled by 16S rRNA gene sequencing at eight time points between Day 7 and Day 205. A clear successional development of the gut microbiota composition was observed and both treatment regimens caused detectable changes in the gut microbiota until at least eight days after treatment ceased. At termination, a significant positive correlation was identified between microbial diversity and animal weight.

Urolithiasis and cystitis associated with Staphylococcus delphini group A and mortality in post-weaning mink kits (Neovison vison).

Mortality of mink kits represents a significant loss to production. However, causes of post-weaning mortality in mink kits in modern Danish mink production systems are still relatively poorly documented. We performed a cross-sectional mortality study on eight Danish mink farms including 1893 post mortem examinations of mink kits found dead or euthanized. We assessed the prevalence of cystitis and urolithiasis leading to mortality. Gross pathological findings as well as animal characteristics were recorded and associations with post mortem microbiology (using culture and MaldiTof-MS Vitek MS system) were investigated. Cystitis and/or urolithiasis were associated with death in 33 % (n = 476) and 37 % (n = 166) of the examined mink kits in 2015 and 2017. On farm level, the prevalence of cystitis and/or urolithiasis leading to mortality varied from 0.25 % to 1.27 % with a low overall mortality of 0.9-4.5 %. The bacterial agent most frequently isolated in post mortem bladder swabs from mink with a post mortem diagnosis of urolithiasis and cystitis was Staphylococcus delphini group A (51/283) with a significant (p < 0.0001, CI = [19.5;4745.7]) association to gross pathological findings in the urinary tract. Staphylococcus delphini group A was cultured from 70 % of the skin swabs obtained from apparently healthy mink euthanized at pelting (n = 222). In conclusion urinary tract disease (cystitis and urolithiasis) was the most prevalent post mortem diagnosis during the growth period and was associated with Staphylococcus delphini group A.