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Abstract Background The number of leishmaniasis cases associated with immunosuppression has increased regularly over the past 20 years. Immunosuppression related to HIV infection, immunosuppressive treatment, organ transplantation, and neoplastic diseases increases the risk for Leishmania-infected people to develop visceral illness. Case presentation Three cases of Leishmania infantum leishmaniasis in corticosteroid (CS)-treated patients are reported: an isolated lingual leishmaniasis in a farmer treated with CS for asthma, a severe visceral leishmaniasis associated with cutaneous lesions in a woman with myasthenia gravis, and a visceral involvement after cutaneous leishmaniasis in a man receiving CS. Conclusion Physicians should recognise CS-treated patients as a population likely to be immunesuppressed. In immunodeficiency conditions, unusual forms of leishmaniasis can develop and foster the risk of a diagnostic delay and of poor response to therapy.

The present research studied for the first time the potential application of the fat derived from the black soldier fly larvae fat (BSLF) in substitution to the soybean oil in the diet for broiler chickens: growth performances, feed-choice, blood traits, carcass characteristics and meat quality were considered in this study. A total of 150 male broiler chicks (Ross 308) at one-day of age were randomly allotted to 3 dietary treatments (5 replicates and 10 birds/pen): a basal control diet (C group), and the same diet in which the soybean oil was replaced by 50% (CH group) or 100% (H group) BSLF. Growth performances, feed-choice test, blood traits and slaughtering performances were not influenced by diets. Independently of BSLF inclusion, broiler chickens breast meat had also similar crude protein and ether extract contents and displayed similar thawing loss. Furthermore, pH, L*, a*, b* colour values, and drip loss were unaffected by dietary treatments both at 0 and 9 days of refrigerated storage. As expected, the fatty acid profile of broiler chickens breast was greatly affected by BSLF inclusion level. With increasing BSLF inclusion rate, the proportion of SFA increased (32.2, 37.8, 43.5% for C, CH and H breast meat, respectively,p < .001) to the detriment of the PUFA fraction (22.7, 23.0, 22.9% for C, CH and H breast meat, respectively,p < .001). On the contrary, MUFA fraction was unaffected. BSLF inclusion guaranteed satisfactory productive performances, carcass traits and overall meat quality, thus suggesting that BSLF could be a promising new feed ingredient for chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Italian Piedmontese cattle breed is traditionally housed in tie-stalls and, to a lesser extent, in loose housing systems with free stalls. The present study has compared the same group of 15 cattle before and after stable renovation (tie-stall vs free-stall housing) funded by Regulation (EU) No. 1305/2013. All the animals remained healthy during the trial, no clinical signs were observed and no mastitis occurred. The tested parameters were: locomotion scoring system, salivary cortisol, blood parameters, serum acute phase protein (albumin, haptoglobin, serum amyloid A and lysozyme). Samples were collected 3 times: before the change (T1), 3 days later (T2), 40 days later (T3). The change in housing determined noteworthy variations in the stress parameters: albumin and total protein displayed the lowest value at T2, while lysozyme displayed the lowest value at T3. Among the App, SAA and Hp were not affected by the sampling time. Salivary cortisol displayed the highest value at T1. This study suggests that tie-stall housing can endanger the welfare of animals, and it is hoped that this farming system will be abandoned in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 150 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) and 120 one-day-old female Muscovy ducklings were distributed over 15 and 12 pens, respectively. All birds received the same diet during the first period of life. Throughout the second period (36-56 days for broiler chickens and 43-69 days for Muscovy ducks) different source plant extracts were supplemented to the basal diet for each species; dietary treatments were assigned to three pens each. In the chicken (CK) trial the following dry extracts were tested: tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) skin (200 mg lycopene kg-1 feed; CK-L200 group), orange (Citrus aurantium) peel (200 mg hesperidin kg-1 feed; CK-O200 group), and green tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves (200 mg catechins kg-1 feed; CK-T200 group). For the Muscovy duck (DK) trial the tested extracts were produced from rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) leaves (200 mg carnosic acid kg-1 feed; DK-R200 group) and orange (Citrus aurantium) peel (200 mg hesperidin kg-1 feed; DK-O200 group). The effects in both species were compared with those for the unsupplemented diet (CK-C and DK-C) and the diet supplemented with 200 mg of alpha-tocopheryl acetate (CK-E200 and DK-E200). At the end of each trial three birds per pen were slaughtered. Growth performance, pH and meat proximate composition in both species were not affected by dietary treatments. The TBARS value of chicken leg meat from the unsupplemented group was 3.86, while on average in CK-E200, CK-L200 and CK-O200 it was by 60, 55 and 63% lower (P<0.05), whereas in CK-T200 it was by 25% higher (P<0.05). Dietary treatments did not exert any antioxidant effects on chicken breast meat. The TBARS value of duck breast meat and leg meat from the control was 1.39 and 4.51, respectively, while on average in the DK-E200, DK-O200 and DK-R200 groups it was by 82 and 71%, 33 and 46%, and 66 and 47% lower (P<0.05), respectively. The magnitude of the antioxidant action of vegetable dry extract in this trial was lower than that of alpha-tocopheryl acetate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of different housing systems was evaluated on productive performances and carcass and meat quality of a "local grey" population of rabbits (G). To compare data obtained from G, commercial hybrid rabbits (H) were reared and fed under standard practice. Rabbits were reared as follows: 96 G in outdoor colony cages (O) and fed organic feed based on pelleted feed (oP) and alfalfa hay (H) - group GOoPH; 80 G in conventional indoor colony cages (I) and fed the same organic diet (GoPH) - group GIoPH; 96 G in I and fed conventional pelleted diet (cP) - group GIcP; 88 H in I and fed conventional pelleted diet (cP) - group HIcP. Fifteen rabbits of each group were slaughtered at live weight of 2500 g (100 days of age for G and 87 days of age for H), carcass and meat quality parameters were assessed. HIcP showed the highest average daily gain (33.5 g/day; P<0.05) and GOoPH the poorest total feed conversion (5.6; P<0.05). G showed the highest slaughter yield (P<0.05). GOoPH showed higher loin proportion and the lowest LL pH at 45 min post mortem (P<0.05). HIcP produced LL and BF meat with the less intense colour and rich in ash. LL meat of GOoPH was the richest in protein. GOoPH and GIoPH LL meat showed higher amount of C14:0 and 18:1 n-9. GOoPH showed the lowest value of 18:2 n-6, and HIcP showed the highest value of 20:4 n-6 and the lowest amount of 16:1 n-7. The G yielded meat with higher nutritive value, and the best results were obtained when animals received both pellets and hay and were reared outdoor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The number of leishmaniasis cases associated with immunosuppression has increased regularly over the past 20 years. Immunosuppression related to HIV infection, immunosuppressive treatment, organ transplantation, and neoplastic diseases increases the risk for Leishmania-infected people to develop visceral illness. Case presentation: Three cases of Leishmania infantum leishmaniasis in corticosteroid (CS)-treated patients are reported: an isolated lingual leishmaniasis in a farmer treated with S for asthma, a severe visceral leishmaniasis associated with cutaneous lesions in a woman with myasthenia gravis, and a visceral involvement after cutaneous leishmaniasis in a man receiving CS. Conclusion: Physicians should recognise CS-treated patients as a population likely to be immunesuppressed. In immunodeficiency conditions, unusual forms of leishmaniasis can develop and foster the risk of a diagnostic delay and of poor response to therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]