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Copyright of European Poultry Science / Archiv für Geflügelkunde is the property of Verlag Eugen Ulmer 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.)

The addition of rice polishing (RP) and phytase enzyme to poultry diets was tested on 200 1-day-old broilers weighing 42 g. Birds were assigned to a completely random design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with four treatments and five repetitions of ten birds each. The factors evaluated were RP level (0 and 15%) and phytase (0 and 150 g/ton). The trial was divided in two phases of 21 days each (42 days total). In phase 1, no treatment effects were observed (P>0.10) on poultry productive behavior. In the second phase (21 to 42 days) and on the total trial (1 to 42 days), there were no effects of the treatments on weight gain or feed intake (P>0.10). Feed conversion was affected by RP (P<0.01) but not by phytase addition (P>0.10). In conclusion, phytase did not affect broiler production with or without RP. Addition of 15 % RP in poultry diets represents an alternative to reduce feed costs.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in order to determine the seroprevalence and to identify some factors associated with the presence of antibodies against Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum-Pullorum in white-winged (Zenaida asiatica) and mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) from hunting areas of Northeast Mexico. From September to October 2006, 201 serum samples were analyzed with the seroagglutination test. The overall seroprevalence of S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum-Pullorum was 26.3%, and was similar for white-winged doves (26.4%) and mourning doves (26.1%), but higher for juveniles (30.8%) and females (34.6%). Seroprevalence was associated with the weight of the doves (prevalence ratio [PR]=1.52, P<0.0001) and the municipality where the doves were hunted (PR=1.31, P<0.0001). This survey study emphasizes the need to conduct similar studies on wild birds to determine the risk of S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum-Pullorum to commercial flocks. In addition, to the best of our knowledge this is the first report of the serological evidence suggesting infection with S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum-Pullorum in wild white-winged and mourning doves.