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The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of orange molasses in replacement of flint corn grain in high-concentrate diets on dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), and feed efficiency (FE) of feedlot lambs. Thirty male lambs without defined racial pattern (30.3 ± 5.3 kg of initial BW; mean ± SD) were used in a randomized complete block design with 10 blocks and 3 treatments. The treatments were defined by partial replacement of flint corn by orange molasses in the diet with 90% of concentrate and 10% of Cynodon spp. hay, as follows: 0OM-control diet without orange molasses; 20OM-20% of orange molasses replacing flint corn; and 40OM-40% of orange molasses replacing flint corn (DM basis). The experiment lasted 72 days divided into 3 subperiods, with 1 subperiod of 16 days and 2 subperiods of 28 days. Animals were weighed after a 16-h fast on days 1, 16, 44, and 72 of the experimental periods to determine the ADG and FE. The DMI, ADG, and FE showed an interaction between treatments and experimental periods. The DMI in the first period decreased linearly (P < 0.01); in the third period, there was no effect of treatments (P > 0.05) on DMI. The ADG decreased linearly (P < 0.01) in the first period as the orange molasses increased. Otherwise, in the third period, ADG increased linearly (P = 0.05) as flint corn was replacement by orange molasses. The FE showed an interaction between treatment and period (P = 0.09). The first period had a decreased linear effect; in the third period, there was a trend (P = 0.07) of increased linear effect. There was no difference between the diets regarding the final BW of the lambs. In conclusion, the orange molasses can replace up to 40% of flint corn in diets for feedlot lambs without affecting final BW. However, it is important to consider the adaptation time proved to be very important for better use of orange molasses as a source of energy in diets for lambs., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

The early attainment of puberty in heifers is essential for the profitability of the cow-calf farm. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of juvenile average daily gain (ADG) and sire's expected progeny difference (EPD) on puberty of crossbred beef heifers. Sixty Angus × Nellore heifers early weaned (age = 102 ± 4.3 d; initial BW = 103 ± 4.7 kg) were used in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. The factor 1 was the sire's EPD for scrotal circumference, in which heifers born from sires with positive EPD were considered precocious (P), and heifers born from sires with negative EPD were considered non-precocious (NP). The factor 2 was the high (HG; ADG = 0.9 kg; ad libitum) and medium ADG (MG; ADG = 0.7 kg) from 3 rd to 7 th month of age (1 st phase). After 1 st phase until puberty, all heifers were fed ad libitum (2 nd phase). Statistical analysis was performed by SAS. There was an interaction between factors for DMI in the 1 st phase (P = 0.02), which PHG heifers had higher DMI than NPHG. There was no effect on puberty rate, BW, age and BCS at puberty comparing HG vs. MG. However, favorable sires' EPD for scrotal circumference induced a higher proportion of puberty (P 87% vs. NP 59%) at 15 months of age. Thus, the ADG in juvenile age did not affect puberty rate, but sires with positive EPD increased puberty rate of Angus × Nellore heifers in heifers fed a high gain diet., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

This study aimed to determine the effect of growth rates on the hormonal status and puberty onset. Forty-eight Nellore heifers were weaned at 3.0 ± 0.1 (means ± standard error of the mean) months old were blocked according to body weight at weaning (84 ± 2 kg) and randomly assigned to treatments. The treatments were arranged in 2 × 2 factorial according to the feeding program. The first program was high (H; 0.79 kg/day) or control (C; 0.45 kg/day) average daily gain (ADG) from 3 rd to 7 th month of age (growing phase I). The second program was also high (H; 0.70 kg/day) or control (C; 0.50 kg/day) ADG from the 7 th month until puberty (growing phase II), resulting in four treatments: HH (n = 13), HC (n = 10), CH (n = 13), and CC (n = 12). To achieve desired gains, heifers in high ADG program were fed ad libitum dry matter intake (DMI), and the control group was offered around 50% of ad libitum DMI of high group. All heifers received a diet with similar composition. Puberty was assessed weekly by ultrasound examination, and the largest follicle diameter was evaluated every month. Blood samples were collected to quantify leptin, insulin growth factor-1 (IGF1) and luteinizing hormone (LH). At 7 months of age, heifers in high ADG were 35 kg heavier than the control. Heifers in the HH had greater DMI compared with CH in phase II. The puberty rate at 19 months old was greater in the HH treatment (84%) than in the CC (23%), but there was no difference between HC (60%) and CH (50%) treatments. Heifers from HH treatment had greater serum leptin concentration than others at 13 months old, and serum leptin was greater in HH compared with CH and CC at 18 months old. High heifers in phase I had greater serum IGF1 concentration than the control. In addition, HH heifers had a greater diameter of the largest follicle than CC. There was no interaction between phases and age in any variable relative to the LH profile. However, the heifers' age was the main factor that increased the frequency of LH pulse. In conclusion, increasing ADG was associated with greater ADG, serum leptin and IGF-1 concentration, and puberty onset; however, LH concentration was affected mainly by age of the animal. The increasing growth rate at younger age made heifers more efficient., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Diets without forage increase the productivity in less time and favor greater practicality and better quality carcass. The corn grain is mostly used associated with pellets but processing these ingredients can bring benefits. The present study evaluated the effect of diets without forage based on whole or coarse ground corn associated with pelleted or ground protein supplement on performance, eating behavior, carcass characteristics, and ruminal morphology of feedlot lambs. Thirty-five Dorper × Santa Inês lambs were used, with 23.85 ± 3.88 kg of initial body weight and 88 ± 9 days old. The experimental design was in a randomized complete block, defined by body weight and age. The experimental diets were control (CONT), containing 90% of concentrate and 10% of forage (coastcross hay), and 4 diets without forage: WC+P, 70% whole flint corn and 30% pelleted protein supplement; WC+G, 70% whole flint corn and 30% ground protein supplement; GC+P, 70% ground flint corn and 30% pelleted protein supplement; and GC+G, 70% ground flint corn and 30% ground protein supplement. There was an interaction between treatments and experimental periods for DMI in kg/day (P = 0.01) and g/kg of BW 0.75 (P < 0.01; Table 3). For the DMI in kg/day, no significant differences were observed between the treatments in any of the experimental periods. However, for DMI expressed in g/kg of BW 0.75 , the animals fed WC+P had lower DMI than the animals on the CONT (P < 0.01) only in the first period. The ADG, FBW, and FE were not affected by the treatments. Compared to CONT, forage-free diets decreased ingestion time (min/day) and rumination and chewing (min/day and min/g of dry matter). There was no effect of treatments for any of the carcass traits evaluated. The diets did not cause lesions suggestive of ruminitis. Forage-free diets containing whole or ground corn associated with pelleted or ground protein supplement can be used successfully for feedlot lambs; they provide proper performance and carcass characteristics, without harming the animal's health., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Progesterone (P4) is a steroid hormone that has a regulatory role in the female reproductive system. Studies on the effects of injectable progesterone on ewes are scarce, mainly related to their reproductive responses in the breeding season. This study aimed to compare reproductive performance and serum P4 concentration using injectable or intravaginal P4 in ewes. Two hundred and forty and eight Santa Inês x Dorper ewes (BW; 52.67 ± 11.76 kg; mean ± SE), body condition score (BCS; 2.5 ± 0.8; scale of 1-5), were distributed in four treatments: (i) Control: without administration of P4; (ii) CIDR: intravaginal implantation of 330 mg of P4 for 7 days; (iii) 1P4: 15 mg of P4 intramuscular (IM); and (iv) 2P4I: 30 mg of P4 IM. The first 18 days of breeding season were considered the synchronization period. Except for ewes in the control group, all other ewes received 263 μg IM of cloprostenol sodium for lysis of eventual CL at 24 h before the P4 treatment. After the synchronization period, all ewes were kept together with males for extra 28 days in the breeding season. At the beginning of breeding season, 90% of the ewes had serum P4 concentration less than 1 ng/mL. The estrus rate was greater (P < 0.01) in ewes on the CIDR treatment, with similar estrus rate among the other treatments. The P4 implant was able to keep blood P4 concentration greater than 1 ng/mL in ewes that received an implant of P4 during the 7 days. After implant removal, there was a great increase in the estrus manifestation on ewes in the CIDR treatment, leading to an increase in pregnancy rate at the beginning of breeding season. The current study demonstrated that ewes that received an intramuscular injection of 15 or 30 mg of P4 had similar reproductive performance than ewes that did not receive any P4 intramuscular injection. However, when ewes were implanted with P4 (CIDR), these animals had an increase in estrus manifestation, leading to greater pregnancy earlier during the breeding season., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background and Aim: Molecular approaches to diagnose respiratory viruses have provided an opportunity for early and subclinical pathogen detection, particularly in samples from the upper respiratory tract. This study aimed to investigate the presence of herpesviruses, particularly equid herpesvirus (EHV)-2 and EHV-5, in samples from the lower respiratory tract of healthy racehorses from Southern Brazil., Materials and Methods: Samples from the lower respiratory tract (i.e., bronchoalveolar lavage fluid [BALF]) were assessed by video endoscopy, cytological evaluation of BALF, and tracheal aspirates (TA), along with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), to detect equine herpesvirus infection in the lower respiratory tract samples and compare corresponding cytological and endoscopic findings., Results: At least one abnormality per horse during endoscopy examination was observed, including, but not limited to, mucous secretion in the airways and pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia. The presence of EHV-2 and/or EHV-5 was detected by qPCR in 3/10 animals. One horse was positive for EHV-2 alone, one for EHV-5 alone, and one for both., Conclusion: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first molecular detection of EHV-2 and EHV-5 in Brazilian thoroughbred horses. These findings may provide new insights into the epidemiology of EHV-2 and EHV-5 in Brazilian horses, evidencing the importance of the molecular investigation, early detection, and prevention of respiratory diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Finger, et al.)

The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of sodium bicarbonate (SB) supplementation in diets and compare its chemical effect with the fiber effect of soybean hulls on performance, nutritional behavior, and carcass characteristics of feedlot lambs. Twenty-eight ram lambs (Dorper × Santa Inês), with an initial body weight of 30.2 ± 4.5 kg and 94 ± 8.4 days old, were used. They were assigned to a randomized complete block design, defined by initial age and body weight. Experimental diets were positive control, diet containing soybean hulls in 400 g/kg dry matter (DM) (CONT), and three diets based on ground flint corn containing 10 (10SB), 20 (20SB), or 30 (30SB) g/kg DM of SB. Among the SB levels, the buffer supplementation quadratically increased dry matter intake, average daily gain, feed efficiency, as well as increased final and slaughter body weight, which led to higher hot and cold carcass weights, loin muscle area, leg compacity index, and weight of neck, shoulder, rib, and leg cuts, with higher values for the 20SB. Feeding SB linearly decreased the area and height of the papillae. None of the animals presented liver abscess; however, two animals from 30SB and one from CONT had F-rumen lesions. The use of SB provided a similar animal performance when compared to the treatment containing soybean hulls. This shows that the chemical effect of the buffer was efficient and provided greater safety for this type of diet without causing damages to the rumen health. Among the SB levels, the best results were observed in the 20 g/kg level (20SB), which shows that the buffer can be used as a strategy for diets with high inclusion of corn and no fiber source., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

This study aimed to evaluate the reproductive performance of ewes submitted to timed AI protocol with 7 (D7) or 9 (D9) days of progesterone. A total of 220 crossbred ewes (Doper × Santa Ines) were distributed in the treatments according to body weight (52.67 ± 11.76 kg), body condition score (2.5 ± 0.8; scale of 1-5), and the female category (multiparous, nulliparous and primiparous). Ewes received an intravaginal device of 0.3 g of progesterone (CIDR® Easy breed) on day 0, keeping in ewes for 7 or 9 days, which were the experimental treatments. At the time of P4 withdrawal, ewes received 300 IU of eCG (Novormon®) and 6.70 mg of dinoprost tromethamine (Lutalyse®). Insemination by laparoscopy was performed between 46 and 59 h after device removal, lasting from 1 to 5 min/ewe, which did not differ between protocols. The estrus detection rate was higher in the 9-day protocol compared to the 7-day protocol (82% and 65%, respectively, P = 0.0096). However, the 7-day protocol tended to increase pregnancy rate on the TAI compared to the 9-day protocol (45% and 33%, respectively, P = 0.09). The plasma concentration of progesterone at device removal was higher in the 7-day protocol than in the 9-day protocol (2.35 and 1.22 ng/mL, respectively, P = 0.04). We conclude that reducing the length of the estrus synchronization protocol to 7 days is recommended, which improved the reproductive response in ewes., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

The study aimed to evaluate if the frequency of narasin supplementation impacts dry matter intake, ruminal fermentation parameters, and apparent digestibility of nutrient in Nellore ( Bos indicus ) steers fed forage-based diets. A total of 32 rumen-cannulated Nellore steers (initial body weight [BW] = 317 ± 27 kg; age =18 ± 1 mo) were assigned to individual pens in a randomized complete block design according to their initial shrunk BW. Within block, steers were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments: 1) forage-based diet without the addition of narasin (CON; n = 8), 2) CON diet plus 13 ppm of narasin every 24 h (N24; n = 8), 3) CON diet plus 26 ppm of narasin every 48 hours (N48; n = 8), or 4) CON diet plus 39 ppm of narasin every 72 hours (N72; n = 8). The experimental period lasted 30 d, with 18 d for diet adaptation and 12 d for sample collection. The experimental diets contained 95% of Tifton-85 ( Cynodon dactylon spp.) haylage and 5% ground corn used as a delivery vehicle for narasin. Ruminal fluid was obtained from d 25 to 30 at 6 h after feeding to determine ruminal fermentation parameters. Narasin supplementation frequency did not affect ( P ≥ 0.22) nutrient intake and total tract apparent digestibility. Steers fed N24 and N48 had reduced ( P = 0.02) ruminal acetate concentration compared with CON and N72. Daily supply of narasin increased ( P = 0.01) the molar proportion of propionate compared with CON and N72, and it did not differ between N24 vs. N48, N48 vs. N72, and N72 vs. CON. Also, N48 steers had greater ( P = 0.01) rumen propionate concentration compared with CON. The N24 treatment decreased the Ac:Prop ( P = 0.01) and AcBut:Prop ( P = 0.02) ratio compared with CON and N72, while N48 had reduced ( P = 0.01) Ac:Prop and AcBut:Prop ratio when compared with CON steers. Steers fed N24 and N48 had greater ( P = 0.04) ruminal short-chain fatty acids compared with CON, but it did not differ ( P > 0.11) between N24, N48, and N72. Supplementing narasin to steers fed forage-based diets decreased ( P < 0.01) ruminal ammonia concentration compared with CON steers regardless of supplementation frequency, being the least result observed for N24 steers. Collectively, narasin supplementation frequency affected fermentation parameters without altering the nutrient intake and total tract apparent digestibility. Hence, decreasing frequency of narasin supplementation to Nellore steers fed a forage-based diet did not reduce the capacity to modulate rumen fermentation parameters., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

This study investigated the effects of growth rates and compensatory growth on puberty attainment in Nellore heifers. Nellore heifers (n = 120), weaned at 8 ± 0.75 mo of age, were blocked by sire and BW (180 ± 8.6 kg) and assigned randomly to receive 1 of 4 treatments over a 10-mo period. Treatments included ad libitum feeding (high gain, HG), feed intake to gain 0.6 kg/d (medium gain, MG), restricted feeding (0.2 kg/d) for 4 mo followed by ad libitum feeding for 6 mo (compensatory gain, CG), and alternating periods of ad libitum and restricted feeding for 2 mo each throughout the trial (alternated CG, ACG). Puberty was assessed weekly by transrectal ultrasonography. Blood samples were collected at 8, 11, and 18 mo of age and at puberty to determine circulating concentrations of leptin. At 18 mo of age, nonpubertal heifers were treated with a puberty induction protocol using an intravaginal progestin device. There was no treatment effect (P = 0.17) on the percentage of heifers pubertal by 18 mo of age (HG: 66, MG: 40, CG: 58, and ACG: 52%), BW at puberty, and age at puberty. However, HG heifers had higher ADG (P < 0.01), dry matter intake (P < 0.01), and leptin concentrations (P = 0.03) than heifers from other groups. The response to the puberty induction protocol was similar (P = 0.90) among treatments. Regarding sire effects (genetic effects), there was an effect (P = 0.03) on the percentage of heifers pubertal by 18 mo of age and a tendency (P = 0.07) of sire effect in response to the puberty induction protocol. Compensatory growth appears to be an effective managerial approach to decrease feeding costs and stimulate puberty in Nellore heifers., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The objectives were to evaluate the effects of two non-fibrous carbohydrate sources and the rate of body weight gain on puberty status in ewe lambs. Sixty ewe lambs (½ Dorper × ½ Santa Ines) with an initial body weight of 25.1 ± 4.1 kg and 102.8 ± 1.5 days old were distributed in a randomized complete block design with 10 blocks and 3 treatments. The trial lasted 119 days, in which performance was evaluated on days 28, 56, 84, and 119, and puberty status was every week evaluated by progesterone concentration. The treatments were characterized by the inclusion of different carbohydrate sources in the diets in order for ewe lambs to reach different rates of body weight gain: CORN, total diet containing 46% of corn (% DM); PCP, total diet containing 46% of pelleted citrus pulp (% DM); and HAY, total diet containing 80% of coastcross hay (% DM). The CORN- and PCP-based diets were formulated for an average daily gain (ADG) of 0.200 kg/day and a HAY-based diet for an ADG of 0.100 kg/day. There was an interaction between treatments and experimental periods for dry matter intake (DMI) (P < 0.01), in which lambs in the CORN treatment presented DMI similar to PCP in the first and second periods, but lambs from the PCP treatment presented lower DMI than the CORN treatment in subsequent periods. In all periods, the body weight, average daily gain, and feed efficiency of CORN lambs were similar to PCP lambs, but higher than HAY lambs. The age at puberty was not affected by treatments; however, lambs fed with non-fibrous carbohydrate sources reached puberty heavier (P < 0.0001) than lambs from the HAY treatment. Despite the high increase in body weight for lambs fed with non-fibrous carbohydrate sources, it did not affect the age of puberty.

Tuberculosis is a chronic infection caused by strains of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and occurs in both animal and human populations. The death of a tapir showing purulent material and a hard mass in the lungs at necropsy raised suspicion of a potential disease caused by mycobacteria species in a Brazilian zoo. Later, two other tapirs with similar signs died and were further investigated. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from bronco-alveolar lavages was performed, and both animals tested positive for the RD(Rio) strain of M. tuberculosis, which is a recently discovered Latin American-Mediterranean sublineage and the main cause of human tuberculosis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To investigate the possibility of human infection and the source of transmission, all 50 zoo employees underwent tuberculin skin testing; four were reactive, but radiographic exams and direct sample staining did not suggest tuberculosis. Thus, direct human to animal transmission was not proven. However, the presence of RD(Rio) M. tuberculosis in tapirs highlights the lack of attention to diseases that human beings may transmit to wildlife.