The study examined the potential of the house fly in the transmission of Newcastle disease virus. The objective was to determine if NDV survives in crop and house flies fed virus-laden media and whether it is transmitted onto chickens.
Diarrhoea is the most significant cause of disease in piglet. Two ways to control it involve increasing microflora in the intestine and strengthening the animal's immune system.
Aflatoxins are metabolites found in cereal which can cause liver diseases in animals. Many countries have set regulations for maximum levels allowable in these foods. However, testing for aflatoxin levels is costly. A quick and low cost method involves a method similar to chromatography.
When supporting the animals' performance, we are focusing mainly on their diet. But a good quality feed, carefully formulated, using growth promoters and/or feed additives, will not give optimum performance when the drinking water on the farm is of poor quality. Therefore, the use of different water-cleaning supplements is getting increasingly popular. But they mostly emphasise on 'clean' without supporting the animal's digestive system.
Twenty four sows at equal their second and third pregnancies were used to investigate the efficacy of origanum essential oils for alternative antibacterial performance promoters in sows and their piglets. Orego-Stim® (Meriden Animal Health Ltd) was added at 0.025% of gestation and lactation feeds and at 0.050% of creep feeds. Reproductive performance of sows and growth performance and health of their litters were compared between 12 sows on origanum essential oils and 12 on negative control with no added origanum essential oils. Oregano fed sows gave number of piglets born alive, average birth weight and total number of piglets at weaning larger (P>0.05) when compared with the negative control group. Results from this study proved that sows fed with origanum essential oils stimulated feed intake of lactating sows which shows appetite enhancer with better utilization of feed by showing in ability increasing (P<0.05) in milk yields and milk quality which can be measured the faster (P<0.05) preweaning weight gain, greater (P<0.05) total weight of piglets weaned per litter and average body weight of piglets at weaning. Including Origanum essential oils in creep feeds also showed the responses as in the sow's feeds for alternative antibacterial growth promoters, flavour and appetite enhancers and also assisted in digestion for better nutrient absorption. Piglets fed with origanum essential oil showed greater (P<0.05) feed intake and higher (P<0.05) daily weight gain, uniformity of body weight at weaning and also higher but non-significant (P>0.05) for survival rate of piglets at weaning when compared with the negative control piglets group.
Since the 1950's the efficacy of incorporating in-feed antibiotics into animal rations could never be questioned, with benefits such as disease reduction, improved feed conversion and improved growth rates leading to greater economic return. However, effective as of July 1999 the European Union banned all but four drug related compounds for routine use in animal feed - the remaining compounds being avilamycin, flavophospholipidol, monensin and salinomycin. Although each of these remaining compounds are produced from respectable, highly regulated and legislated multinational companies, the future use of these is also under scrutiny. As recently as February this year the 41 member Council of Europe has called for a European-wide ban on the use of antibiotics in animal feed. Why is this so?
Antibiotics have been used as growth promoters in the food animal industry for several decades. These antimicrobial growth promoters (AGP's) allow animals to utilize feed more efficiently whilst protecting the animals from common infections. By 1995, some 90% of the antibiotics used in agriculture were reportedly used for the purpose of promoting growth and prophylaxis rather than as therapeutic agents. In recent years however, there has been increasing evidence that the high usage of AGP's has led the development of a reservoir of drug-resistant bacteria in food animals which in turn poses a threat to human health. The European Union has banned the use of AGP's and other countries will place increased regulatory restrictions on the use of these products. The World Health Organization has recommended the replacement of AGP's with safer alternatives and so there is a clear need to find alternatives to AGP's.
