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Sheep farming has shown organizational and development initiatives since the beginning of the 21st century in the State of Paraná. This study identified and characterized the meat sheep production system profile in five mesoregions of the State of Paraná. The study sample was defined and selected by using the rapid appraisal methodology, which was applied in five mesoregions of Paraná State. These mesoregions together account for 65.22% of the sheep population of the State. Data were collected by means of a semi-structured questionnaire applied during visits to these farms with the support of technicians from the Federation of Agriculture of the State of Paraná (FAEP) as well as local technical assistants, addressing the following aspects: (i) farm, farm owner and labor profile, (ii) flock characteristics, (iii) production and feeding systems, (iv) facilities, (v) reproductive and sanitary management, (vi) challenges and future prospects. The results obtained revealed the occurrence of a production system heterogeneity and difficulties in defining standards for the activity development. However, positive prospects were also identified, such as: the use of croplivestock integrated systems, the farmers' intention to keep their businesses and the importance of cooperative organizations in the production process coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of weaning and concentrate supplementation on the characteristics of carcass cuts and longissimus muscle of Suffolk lambs finished on a Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.) pasture. Weaning and concentrate supplementation strategies were evaluated in four finishing systems: i) non-weaned and non-supplemented lambs; ii) non-weaned lambs supplemented with concentrate in creep feeding; iii) weaned and non-supplemented lambs; and iv) weaned lambs supplemented with concentrate. In the systems with weaning, lambs were weaned at 46 ± 6 days of age. In the systems with supplementation, the concentrate was offered daily at 2% of lambs' body weight. Weaning led to a decrease, whereas supplementation led to an increase in carcass cut weights. Supplemented lambs had lower yields of neck and uncovered ribs, and higher yields of breast + flank and loin. The characteristics of loin eye and fat thickness over the longissimus muscle presented lower values in weaned lambs and higher values in supplemented lambs. Keeping lambs with their dams and offering concentrate supplementation until slaughter are strategies recommended to obtain heavier cuts with increased muscularity and fat content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii are closely related cyst-forming apicomplexan parasites identified as important causes of reproductive failure in cattle. Moreover, abortion cases attributed to N. caninum and T. gondii infection have been occasionally reported in sheep. Due to the relatively scarce information on the molecular detection of N. caninum in the semen of naturally infected rams, this study aimed to detect parasitic DNA in fresh semen samples and in frozen extended semen straws from male sheep from artificial inseminations centers in Southern Brazil. Materials, Methods & Results: Semen samples of 38 rams from artificial insemination centers were evaluated. Eleven rams were naturally infected (seropositive for anti-N. caninum and/or anti-T. gondii IgG) and were selected for fresh semen collection. We tested all the samples for the closely related protozoan T. gondii to detect a possible cross-reaction and co-infection, due to the close similarity with N. caninum. The indirect fluorescent antibody test was used to detect IgG antibodies in the 11 serum samples from rams. Fresh semen samples were collected from 11 rams on days 1, 50, 55, and 58 using an artificial vagina and ewe in estrus. Other 27 rams had their frozen extended semen straws analyzed. A total of 20 fresh semen samples and 27 frozen extended semen straws samples were used to detect the presence of N. caninum and T. gondii DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Nc-5 and B1 genes were used as target regions to detect N. caninum and T. gondii DNA, respectively. The presence of N. caninum DNA was confirmed in the third collection of a fresh semen sample of one seropositive ram. T. gondii DNA was detected in a fresh semen sample of one seropositive ram. The DNA sequences of 186 bp from N. caninum (GenBank accession: MH806393) and 492 bp from T. gondii (GenBank accession: MH793503) were obtained by sequencing, and analysis revealed 99% and 100% identity, respectively, compared with other sequences deposited at GenBank. N. caninum and T. gondii DNAs were not detected in any of the 27 frozen extended semen straws used for artificial insemination. Discussion: This study demonstrated the presence of N. caninum and T. gondii DNA in fresh semen samples of naturally infected rams. The non-detection of N. caninum and T. gondii DNA in frozen semen samples of rams could be due to the dilution that was used to prepare the semen straws (GGL diluent and 5% glycerol), since fresh semen samples were not diluted prior to the test. Moreover, in our study, the volume of frozen semen samples (0.25 mL) used for PCR was lower than the volume of sediment obtained from fresh semen (0.5 mL), and the fresh semen centrifugation to obtain the sediment may have grouped the tachyzoites, increasing the sensitivity of the technique employed. No high IgG serological titers were detected in the rams at the time they were eliminating the parasite through fresh semen. The final titer of anti-N. caninum and anti-T. gondii IgGs in serum was 1:100, suggesting chronic infection. It is suggested that a new parasite elimination pathway is occurring among rams used for reproduction, due to the presence of N. caninum and T. gondii DNA in fresh semen samples from seropositive animals. Although the detection of genomic DNA of N. caninum and T. gondii in semen does not necessarily imply the presence of infectious stages of the parasites and does not determine their viability, these results demonstrate the need for further studies. Our study also indicates the need to reinforce preventive measures for sheep in artificial insemination centers until the risks are evaluated, by performing serological examinations with anti-N. caninum and anti-T. gondii antibodies, for instance, to select the rams that will be used for breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many countries, fresh meat from cull ewes is considered to have little value. Nevertheless, other products such as dried and cured meat have high prices. Due to immigration, there is a continual shift in the population's profile, and the acceptability of local products within a specific country is not well known. For this study, 320 consumers from Europe (Spain), Asia (China), Africa (sub-Saharan Africa) and South America (Andes) evaluated the overall acceptability of dry-cured sheep meat 'cecina.' The legs of 24 culled ewes with three different fatness levels (FL) were used. Overall acceptability indicated that the product was well accepted, with Africans providing the highest scores ( P ≤ 0.01). Statistical differences between the three FL were found only in Spanish consumers who preferred Lean 'cecina.' Length of residency was a significant factor only for Andeans in which a preference was observed for those living five or more years in Spain ( P = 0.04). Differences depending on the frequency of lamb consumption were found in all cultural backgrounds except for Chinese consumers. Practical Applications Cultural background was more important than fatness level (FL) in terms of overall acceptability. Therefore, the production of dry-cured meat from ewes would not require a previous fattening period to meet consumers' expectations. In this sense, only Spanish consumers found differences between FL, with the leanest meat as the most appreciated. Globally, the consumer overall acceptability score of the product was high, being Africans those with the highest scores, and showing that the possibility of producing 'cecina' would favor breeders, who could profit from selling meat at a higher price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciência Animal Brasileira is the property of Universidade Federal de Goias, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Saúde e Produção Animal (RBSPA) is the property of Revista Brasileira de Saude e Producao Animal (RBSPA) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Agro@mbiente On-line is the property of Revista Agro@mbiente On-line and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ciência Animal Brasileira is the property of Universidade Federal de Goias, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Scientiarum: Animal Sciences is the property of Universidade Estadual de Maringa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Temperament often depends on the animals' reaction to people, social and environmental conditions. However, little is known about the influence of changes in the pasture environment on cattle temperament. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate if an animals' temperament changes in response to being kept in a silvopastoral system. This study evaluated the effect of the tree components in a pasture environment on the temperament of any grazing cattle in integrated crop-livestock systems. A total of thirty-two Angus steers were allocated to either a livestock (L) or livestock-forest (LF) system and observed from December 2019 to February 2020. Each animal was evaluated for their reactivity score, flight speed, and number of vocalizations. The statistical model established that the animals were random effects and that the treatments and periods were fixed effects using the MIXED procedure, and the means were compared using LSMeans. The flight speed and number of vocalizations were similar in both production systems, while the reactivity score was lower for animals kept in the LF system when compared to those in the L system. This suggested that the LF system interferes positively with the animal's temperament in relation to the L production system. However, additional research is needed to understand the influence of the production system on animal temperament. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]