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The vast capacity for maintenance and dissemination in the environment are major challenges for the control of Salmonella spp. in poultry farms. The aim of this study was to assess environmental contamination by nontyphoidal Salmonella in successive broiler flocks in nine commercial broiler farms integrated with three companies in the south of Brazil, for a twelve-month production period. Recycled broiler litter, feed and swabs from the evaporative cooling system pads were analyzed, and the total enterobacteria count in the litter samples was ascertained. Positive broiler houses were identified in two of the three broiler companies studied, in which nontyphoidal Salmonella were detected for the first time in the first or second flock, and recurred in the recycled litter of subsequent flocks. Feed and evaporative cooling pad swab samples were also positive in at least one of the assessed flocks. The majority of the isolates (87.5%) originating from different flocks, broiler houses and companies that were sampled were identified as S. Heidelberg, with the prevalence of one single genotype. The total enterobacteria levels in the litter diminished as the flocks progressed, but the presence of Salmonella spp. was constant over the course of time, indicating that the litter management procedures were not capable of interrupting the cycle of residual contamination. The predominance of S. Heidelberg highlights its emergence and dissemination in this region, as well as its resistance and maintenance in the environment, and reinforces the need to improve prevention and recycled litter management measures. Made available in DSpace on 2019-11-04T18:11:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 final9057.pdf: 1748574 bytes, checksum: 8d934aa119670b291408db1f1fbc6c90 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T16:12:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-03-01 This study surveyed the on-farm dispatching methods used at pig farms, the characteristics of stockpeople operating them, in terms of training and management, and their opinions and attitudes about the efficiency and safety of the applied procedures. Independently of the pig type, the most used dispatching methods at the surveyed Brazilian farms were concussion (90%) and electrocution (5%). Both methods were reported as being efficient and safe for on-farm pig dispatching by most stockpeople (83%). However, 33% of all stockpeople reported they would prefer to use alternative methods, i.e., anesthetics (23%) or electrocution (32%). Only 7% of the stockpeople received training resulting in a more efficient application of the method (P < 0.05). Most stockpeople (96%) declared to feel uncomfortable with the dispatching procedure they use. This discomfort lasted for half a day or longer in 22% of them. The results of this survey suggest that the application of dispatching methods at pig farms may result in animal welfare issues related to the effectiveness of the methods and the attitudes of stockpeople. Programa de Pós-graduação em Zootecnia Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias UNESP—São Paulo State University Royal Veterinary College University of London Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia Universidade de São Paulo Embrapa Swine and Poultry, BR 153, Km 110 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2000 College Street Programa de Pós-graduação em Zootecnia Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias UNESP—São Paulo State University

In this study were fitted the best kinetic model for nitrogen removal inhibition by ammonium and/or nitrite in three different nitrogen removal systems operated at 25 °C: a nitrifying system (NF) containing only ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), an ANAMMOX system (AMX) containing only ANAMMOX bacteria, and a deammonification system (DMX) containing both AOB and ANAMMOX bacteria. NF system showed inhibition by ammonium and was best described by Andrews model. The AMX system showed a strong inhibition by nitrite and Edwards model presented a best system representation. For DMX system, the increased substrate concentration (until 1060 mg NH3-N/L) tested was not limiting for the ammonia consumption rate and the Monod model was the best model to describe this process. The AOB and ANAMMOX sludges combined in the DMX system displayed a better activity, substrate affinity and excellent substrate tolerance than in nitrifying and ANAMMOX process.

The microbiological risk of recycled litter depends on the efficacy of the management system applied to inactivate residual microorganisms and preserve the health of the successive broiler flock. This study aimed to assess the viability and infectivity of the Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) and Salmonella Heidelberg in recycled litter exposed to different treatments. The litter was contaminated with microorganisms and submitted to the treatments (T): T1: shallow fermentation; T2: quicklime (calcium oxide); T3: shallow fermentation followed by addition of quicklime; T4: no treatment. Sentinel chicks housed on the treated litter showed that T1 and T3 inactivated residual IBDV. Analysis of the litter subjected to T1 also showed reduced levels of total enterobacteria. T2 was not able to reduce the microorganisms assessed and its association with T1 (T3) failed to enhance the effect of the treatment. NDV did not survive in the broiler litter, regardless of the treatment applied, and it was also not detected in the sentinel chicks. S. Heidelberg remained viable in the litter submitted to all studied treatments, being isolated from the sentinel chicks of all the experimental groups. The antimicrobial activity of T1 and T3 was associated to higher ammonia contents in the broiler litter. The results indicate that the shallow fermentation treatment is efficient for controlling residual IBDV and total enterobacteria in the recycled litter.

Pollution in the aquatic ecosystem is a central theme in ecological research. We investigated the hydrogeochemical characteristics of the Sa?o Francisco Verdadeiro River, a tributary of a Neotropical reservoir, which is under a strong influence of local agricultural, industrial and urban activities, and direct influence aquaculture in its tributary. Conventional water quality parameters were monitored bi-monthly in the hydrological cycle at seven longitudinal sites. Consistent with the expected pattern, nutrient concentrations were higher for the points (mouth of small creeks from cities and/or agricultural regions) S1, S2 and S4, with TN values of 5.37×10−1, 7.99×10−1 and 8.88×10−1 mg L−1 respectively. Similar behavior presented in the TP contents, with values of 9.66×10−2, 1.51×10−1 and 1.14×10−1 mg L−1 respectively were observed. All parameters were also analyzed by the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), showing similarities between S1, S2, and S4 (more nutrient concentrations) and S3, S5, S6, and S7 (fewer nutrient concentrations). Our findings suggest that the aquaculture activity in fish-cages is not impacting the environment. Conversely, there is strong evidence of punctual and diffuse pollutant sources that contribute significantly to the increase of nutrients in the water, mainly those in the nitrogenate and phosphate forms, resulting in the deterioration of the water quality. The results indicate the need for an integrated management of the river basin aiming at maintaining the environmental quality.

Influenza A virus (FLUAV) infections are endemic in pork producing countries worldwide but in Brazil it was not considered an important pathogen in pigs. Since the emergence of 2009 pandemic H1N1 (H1N1pdm) FLUAV, many outbreaks of respiratory disease were observed in pig herds. The aim of this study was to evaluate FLUAV infection in swine in 48 pig farms located in seven Brazilian states with previous reports of influenza-like signs by clinical, serological and virological cross-sectional studies. Serological results showed that pigs from all farms had anti-influenza antibodies by NP-ELISA. Antibodies to H3N2, H1N2 and H1N1pdm were detected by HI in pigs from 24 farms. Co-infection with two or more FLUAV subtypes was detected in pigs in seven of those 24 farms. Detection of FLUAV in nasal swabs and oral fluids by RT-qPCR indicated a global concordance >81% for the two biological samples. Moreover, our results show that H1N1pdm, H1N2 and H3N2 viruses are widespread in Brazilian pig herds. The monitoring of FLUAV emergence and evolution in pigs is urgent, as well the study of the pathogenesis of Brazilian isolates, aiming to control influenza in pigs.

The objective of this study was to obtain a natural coagulant from the Moringa oleifera seed that was able to reduce the contamination of surface water with initial turbidity of 75 NTU without increasing the organic material in the water treated. The parameters evaluated were color, turbidity and compounds that absorb light UV 254nm , dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and reduction of specific absorption of UV 254nm (SUVA). For this we used the saline and aqueous extraction processes of coagulant followed by ultrafiltration. In this work the dosage of coagulant was used in terms of concentration of protein coagulant, allowing greater reproducibility and reliability of results. The saline coagulant had a better performance in the removal of color (89.15%), turbidity (88.75%) and compounds with UV 254nm absorbance (75.93%), with low DOC concentration in the treated water and with 38% less SUVA concentration, when compared to that by surface water. A decrease in the volume of the concentrated coagulant needed for such results should be underscored. In fact, only one half of the volume was required when compared to non-ultrafiltrated coagulant. The above directly affected DOC in the treated water which was less for concentrated saline coagulant (4.01 mg/L) when compared to non-concentrated saline coagulant (8.39 mg/L). High efficiency in water treatment, reduced volume of coagulant and decreased concentration in organic matter in the treated water, especially with regard to SUVA, open new perspectives in the use of saline coagulant of M. oleifera as a natural coagulant for the treatment of supply water.

Porcine parvovirus 4 (PPV4) is a DNA virus, and a member of the Parvoviridae family within the Bocavirus genera. It was detected recently in swine, but its epidemiology and pathology remain unclear. A TaqMan-based real-time PCR (qPCR) targeting a conserved region of the ORF3 gene of PPV4 was developed. The qPCR detection limit was 9.5 × 10(1) DNA copies/μL. There was no cross-reaction with porcine parvovirus, torque teno virus 1, torque teno virus 2, porcine circovirus type 1, porcine circovirus type 2, or with pseudorabies virus. Two hundred and seventy-two samples, including serum, semen, lungs, feces, ovarian follicular fluids, ovaries and uterus, were evaluated by qPCR and PPV4 was detected in 36 samples (13.2%). When compared with a conventional PCR (cPCR), the qPCR assay was 10 times more sensitive and the detection of PPV4 DNA in field samples was increased 2.5 times. Partial sequencing of PPV4 ORF3 gene, obtained from two pooled samples of uterus and ovaries, revealed a high nucleotide identity (98-99%) with a reference PPV4 sequence. The qPCR can be used as a fast and accurate assay for the detection and quantification of PPV4 in field samples and for epidemiological studies in swine herds.

The present study analyzes the characteristics of Salmonella spp. from broiler chicken farms in Brazil. In total, 82 Salmonella spp. strains were characterized by serotyping, determining susceptibility to antimicrobials, and using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Fifteen Salmonella serotypes were identified, among which Minnesota (40.24%), Infantis (14.63%), Heidelberg (7.31%), Senftenberg (6.09%), and Mbandaka (6.09%) were the most frequent. Salmonella Minnesota occurred mostly in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and in one of the broiler companies surveyed. Approximately 60% of the strains were resistant to at least one of the antimicrobials tested. From these isolates, 17.07% were resistant to only one antimicrobial (tetracycline or streptomycin), and 9.75% were resistant to 3 or more antimicrobial classes. Thirteen resistance profiles were characterized, the most frequent of which were the resistance to tetracycline (15.85%); to the combination of trimethroprim with sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline (10.97%); and to the combination of streptomycin and tetracycline (9.75%). Multiple correspondence analysis revealed that susceptibility or resistance of the analyzed strains and also particular Salmonella serotypes were associated with broiler-producing companies where the samples were collected. Strains presented high intraserotype genetic variability, as shown by the 64 PFGE profiles, suggesting the existence of several contamination sources in the surveyed farms.

Nowadays, livestock production, and literature regarding same, is confronted with a serious lack of information and tools to estimate and compare the real water disappearance (animal intake plus wastage) and manure production at commercial pig farms. An experiment was conducted over 13 months at 15 commercial growing-finishing pig farms, aiming the determination of water disappearance and manure production, using 3 different types of drinkers [bite-ball nipple (BB), nipple (NI), and bowl (BO)]. Two seasons, with 6928 and 6348 pigs (both: 9 weeks old and 24.5 kg average body weight) were studied considering 2 housing periods (10 and 15 weeks). A total of 55 water meters [one water meter on each water line that supplies the housing building (pigs intake, cooling system and cleaning facilities)] and 15 fiberglass tanks (each 5 m3) were installed at farms to determine the water disappearance and manure production. The BO drinkers were fixed permanently at 0.25 m above the floor while the others were set at 0.05 m above the shoulder height of the smallest pig in the pen. All data were recorded on a daily basis. The Gompertz nonlinear function was applied to the average weekly data to obtain mathematical equations that predict the water disappearance and manure production at growing-finishing farms. Independently of the drinker type, the water disappearance and manure production for the whole experiment (15 weeks) were 8.83±1.37 and 4.46±0.82 L·pig/d, respectively. The water disappearance of the 2 seasons differed with the average value for the warm being 14% higher (P

Conventional culturing methods enable the detection of Campylobacter in broiler flocks. However, laboratory culture of Campylobacter is laborious because of its fastidious behavior and the presence of competing nontarget bacteria. This study evaluated different protocols to isolate Campylobacter from broiler litter, feces, and cloacal and drag swabs. Samples taken from commercial Brazilian broiler flocks were directly streaked onto Preston agar (PA), Campy-Line agar (CLA), and modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar (mCCDA) and also enriched in blood-free Bolton broth (bfBB) for 24 and 48 h followed by plating onto the different selective media. Higher numbers of Campylobacter-positive cloacal and drag swab samples were observed using either direct plating or enrichment for 24 h before plating onto PA, compared with enrichment for 48 h (P < 0.05). Furthermore, direct plating was a more sensitive method to detect Campylobacter in broiler litter and feces samples. Analysis of directly plated samples revealed that higher Campylobacter levels were detected in feces streaked onto PA (88.8%), cloacal swabs plated onto mCCDA (72.2%), drag swabs streaked onto CLA or mCCDA (69.4%), and litter samples inoculated onto PA (63.8%). Preston agar was the best agar to isolate Campylobacter from directly plated litter samples (P < 0.05), but there was no difference in the efficacies of PA, mCCDA, and CLA in detecting Campylobacter in other samples. The isolated Campylobacter strains were phenotypically identified as Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli. The predominant contaminant observed in the Campylobacter cultures was Proteus mirabilis, which was resistant to the majority of antimicrobial agents in selective media. Together, these data showed that direct plating onto PA and onto either CLA or mCCDA as the second selective agar enabled the reliable isolation of thermophilic Campylobacter species from broiler samples. Finally, Campylobacter was detected in all broiler flocks sampled.

A 42-day study was conducted to evaluate the effect of genotype: terminal sire line Duroc×F1 (DC×F1); terminal sire line Embrapa MS-115×F1 (MS-115×F1); and MS-115×Moura (MS-115×MO) and three dietary oil sources: soybean; canola; and canola+flax, on performance, carcass traits, pork quality, and fatty acid composition. Genotype affected the technological quality of pork and fatty acid profile. MS-115-sired pigs had better meat color and Duroc-sired pigs had higher intramuscular fat content, more saturated fat and better omega-6/omega-3 ratio. Moura breed influenced positively meat tenderness and intramuscular fat. Diet did not affect the technological quality of the meat. Canola or canola+flax oil diet supplementations increased monounsaturated and C18:3 and decreased C18:2 fatty acids, reducing the omega-6/omega-3 ratio. The best omega-6/omega-3 ratio was obtained through supplementation with canola+flax.

Swine effluents must be correctly handled to avoid negative environmental impacts. In this study, the profiles of two swine manure treatment systems were evaluated: a solid–liquid separation step, followed by an anaerobic reactor, and an aerobic step (System 1); and a biodigester followed by serial lagoons (System 2). Both systems were described by the assessment of chemical, bacterial and viral parameters. The results showed that in System 1, there was reduction of chemicals (COD, phosphorus, total Kjeldhal nitrogen – TKN – and NH3), total coliforms and Escherichia coli; however, the same reduction was not observed for Salmonella sp. Viral particles were significantly reduced but not totally eliminated from the effluent. In System 2, there was a reduction of chemicals, bacteria and viruses with no detection of Salmonella sp., circovirus, parvovirus, and torque teno virus in the effluent. The chemical results indicate that the treated effluent can be reused for cleaning swine facilities. However, the microbiological results show a need of additional treatment to achieve a complete inactivation for cases when direct contact with animals is required.

This work aimed to detect and study natural co-infection of Circoviridae torque teno virus (TTV) and porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) in the swine reproductive apparatus. Semen and organs from 17 boars were tested by nested and real-time PCR. PCV2 was amplified from semen (47%), lymph nodes (84.6%) and testicles (35.3%). TTV2 was amplified from 16/17 testis and 13/13 lymph nodes. TTV1 DNA was detected in fewer testicle samples (2/17), which were also TTV2 positive. Analyzed ovaries, follicular fluid and uteri of 83 culled sows showed TTV2, TTV1 and PCV2 from 49.3%, 30.1% and 6.0% of the sows, respectively. Sperm analysis indicated insignificant differences between PCV2 and TTVs positive and negative boars. The most frequent pathologic lesion in sows was endometritis (28.9%), but this was unassociated with PCV2 or TTVs detection. These findings question the importance of PCV2 and TTV2 natural co-infection in the pathology of porcine reproductive failures.

Swine can carry Salmonella strains that may be transmitted to humans by pork products. This investigation determined the distribution and types of Salmonella in 12 swine finishing herds and a slaughter facility in Santa Catarina, Brazil. A total of 1258 samples, consisting of environmental, feed, carcass, lymph node, and fecal material were collected and submitted to bacteriological isolation of Salmonella. From 487 positive samples, 1255 isolates were recovered and confirmed to be Salmonella. The distribution of positive samples was as follows: finishing pen floors 26% (16/61); feed 29% (42/143); feces 44% (52/119); pooled feces 59% (35/59); slaughter holding pens 90% (36/40); lymph nodes 46% (220/478); pre-chilled carcass surfaces 24% (24/98); and post-chilled carcass surfaces 24% (62/260). The most prevalent serovars were Typhimurium, Panama, Senftenberg, Derby, and Mbandaka. By pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, 1071 isolates were subtyped using XbaI, and duplicate isolates were removed. From the remaining 747 isolates, 163 macrorestriction profiles (pulsotypes) were identified. Six pulsotypes were considered very frequent, occurring in 33 isolates or more. The multiple correspondence analyses showed correlations between pulsotypes from shedding pigs (feces), herd environment (pen floors), and subiliac and prescapular lymph nodes and between lairage and carcass surface samples before and after chilling. All sources of Salmonella investigated contributed to the carrier state; however, pre-slaughter contamination at lairage was the variable most strongly associated with carcass contamination. A total of 59 different antimicrobial resistance profiles were observed in 572 Salmonella isolates. From these isolates, 17% (97/572) were susceptible to all 15 antibiotics tested, 83% (475/572) were resistant to at least one, and 43% (246/572) were resistant to four or more antibiotics (multi-resistant). The AmpGenKanTet profile was the most prevalent in carcass isolates and was associated with farm origin.

The nutrition of broodstock is one of the least studied areas because biological mechanisms, such as gonadal maturation, are extremely complex processes and are affected by several nutrients, especially in continuous spawning fish with short vitellogenic periods as Rhamdia quelen. For the present experiment, 66, 14-month-old female R. quelen were randomly distributed in six cages and fed for 90 days with three isocaloric diets containing either 28%, 34%, or 40% crude protein. Data were collected at the beginning of the experiment (day zero) and after 45 and 90 days, for evaluation of several parameters as final weight, length, condition factor, hepatosomatic, gonadosomatic and visceral fat indexes, amino acids in the ovaries, plasma enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total plasma protein, testosterone, 17β-estradiol, free amino acids (AAL), and triglycerides (TG). From these females, the reproductive cycle, egg characteristics and larval size were evaluated. The results showed that the different protein levels in diets had no effect on the main physiological and reproductive parameters. In conclusion, the 28% crude protein dietary level was sufficient for maintenance of the broodstock and the reproductive indexes of R. quelen females.

Objective This study evaluated transenamel and transdentinal cytotoxic effects of a bleaching gel on the MDPC-23 cell line. Study design Discs obtained from bovine incisors were placed in a metallic device to simulate an in vivo pulp chamber. Groups were formed according to the enamel surface treatment: G1: 35% H 2 O 2 bleaching gel; G2: 35% H 2 O 2 bleaching gel + halogen light; G3: halogen light; and G4: control. Cell metabolism was evaluated by the methyltetrazolium assay and cell morphology by scanning electron microscopy. Results Cell metabolism decreased by 31.7%, 41.6%, and 11.5% in G1, G2, and G3, respectively. Cytotoxic effects observed in G2 were significantly more severe compared with G3 and G4. In G1 and G2, a smaller number of viable cells with major morphologic alterations remained adhered to dentin. Conclusion The bleaching gel associated with light presented transenamel and transdentinal cytotoxic effects characterised by direct damage to odontoblasts and decrease of their metabolic activity.

Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have suffered considerable transformations since the last decade in Brazil, because of increasing of their production scale. Swine production is following this same trend, and the volume of manure produced and the form that is managed has a direct impact on houses air quality and efficiency of treatment systems. The objective of this work was to study the manure solid-liquid separation efficiency by screening, subject to different screen opening sizes and pit disposal time under tropical climate conditions. An ammoniacal nitrogen producing rate of 24 mg/L per storage day was observed and a decrease in screen separation efficiency in the first eight days of storage, obtained by solid group analysis. The storage time influenced directly the degradation of organic fraction indicated by the chemical oxygen demand increase overtime. The results suggest that the efficiency of solid-liquid separation is increased when carried out with the shortest storage time.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the season of the year (summer vs winter), type of truck (A: single decker vs B: double-decker) and pig location on the truck (front, middle, rear) on the incidence of skin bruising and pork quality variation. For this purpose, 2660 gilts of an average weight of 126.7 (± 6.6) kg originating from 19 different farms were used. No interaction between season of the year, type of truck and location on truck was observed. A higher number of bruises on the body at unloading and slaughter (P