Perceptions and Preconceptions about Chicken and Pork Meat: A Qualitative Exploratory Study of Argentine Consumers in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires

In the past, the Argentine livestock production system was based on the extensive breeding that used pastures. However, technological progress and the use of land for soybean production are leading to a strong intensification of beef production, with a negative impact on the environment. According to FAO data, Argentina has the third highest meat consumption in the world, half of which is beef. A change in diet is a long and difficult process. The first step in favor of the environment could be the replacement of beef with other types of meat that have a lower impact on the environment, such as chicken and pork. The purpose of this study is to understand the causes limiting the preference for these alternatives and to identify useful tools to encourage their consumption. The results show that the interviewed Argentine consumers in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires have preconceptions about these two types of meat, such as the fact that hormones are still used in the chicken production system, that pork has higher cholesterol content than other meats, and that it carries diseases. These products are instead appreciated for their practicality of use, especially when purchased in portions, and they are not only tasty but also cheap.

Can the energetic supplementation of ewes influence the behavioral performance of their newborn lambs?

The present work evaluated the effect of an energetic supplement (an extra 15% of the requirement) intake during the last month of gestation on the suckling behavior of neonatal lambs born from these ewes. The study was performed in a semi-intensive and commercial flock under hot sub humid tropical conditions. 12 Pelibuey ewes and their 20 newborn lambs were included. Five lamb behaviors were evaluated: number of vocalizations (NV), attempts to stand up (ASU), latency to keep stands (LKS), started looking for the udder (SLU) and achieved an effective suckling (AES). Twelve lambs conformed the control group [CG] and came from seven ewes which received an energetic supplementation of 7.37 megajoules of metabolizable energy per day (MJ EM/d). Likewise, eight lambs conformed the treatment group [TG] and came from five ewes which received a high energetic supplementation of 10.85 MJ EM/d. Both groups of ewes gave birth simultaneously. Response variables were initially categorized in low-or-high intensity using their quartile distribution and considering the median value as the reference point and analyzed post-hoc with the Fisher test. Behaviors of high and low intensity in lambs were similar in four of the five variables observed for both treatments. A significant difference was observed in the frequency of ASU, in lambs born from treated ewes when compared with lambs born from control ewes (P = 0.0281). The present results suggest that under semi-extensive breeding systems, the extra supplementation of ewes at 15 % of their energetic requirements during the last pregnancy month is reflected just in a slight improvement of the lamb’s behaviors.

Keragaman dan Intensitas Infeksi Endoparasit Gastrointestinal pada Sapi Bali dengan Sistem Ekstensif di Kabupaten Kupang

Tanah Putih Village has the potential for the development of Bali cattle because it has extensive grazing land and the majority of farmers raise Bali cattle. The aim of the study was to obtain data on the diversity and intensity of gastrointestinal endoparasitic infection in Balinese cattle with an extensive breeding system in Tanah Putih Village, Kupang Timur District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. Gastrointestinal endoparasitic diversity was identify using sedimentation and flotation methods while the intensity of endoparasitic infection was carried out using McMaster method, while data on the diversity and rates of gastrointestinal endoparasitic infection were analyzed descriptively. The results of the study on the diversity of gastrointestinal endoparasites found there are five types of nematode worm eggs namely Haemonchus contortus, Oesophagostomum radiatum, Strongyloides papillosus, Bunostomum phlebotomum, and Trichostrongylus axei. Factors that support the diversity of endoparasites are feed sources, livestock populations, and grazing rotation. The average number of worm eggs found based on the total eggs per gram of faeces for Haemonchus contortus as many as 100 eggs and the other four types of worm eggs amounted to 50 eggs. The average number of eggs indicates that endoparasitic infections in these animals fall into the mild intensity category, is influenced by season, feed source, and age of livestock. The five types of gastrointestinal endoparasites found namely Haemonchus contortus, Oesophagostomum radiatum, Strongyloides papillosus, Bunostomum phlebotomum, and Trichostrongylus axei.

Phylogeography of msp4 genotypes of Anaplasma marginale in beef cattle from the Brazilian Pantanal

The msp4 gene of A. marginale is unicodon, stable and mostly homogeneous, being considered as a useful marker for phylogeographic characterization of this bacterium. The objective of this work was to analyze the phylogeography of A. marginale based on the msp4 gene in beef cattle from the Brazilian Pantanal, compared to those found in other regions worldwide. The blood samples investigated were collected from 400 animals (200 cows and 200 calves) reared in five extensive breeding farms in this region. The results indicated that of the evaluated samples, 56.75% (227/400) were positive for A. marginale based on the msp1β gene by quantitatitve PCR (qPCR), while 8.37% (19/227) were positive for the msp4 gene in the conventional PCR. In the Network distance analysis, 14 sequences from the Brazilian Pantanal were grouped into a single group with those from Thailand, India, Spain, Colombia, Parana (Brazil), Mexico, Portugal, Argentina, China, Venezuela, Australia, Italy and Minas Gerais (Brazil). Among 68 sequences from Brazil and the world, 15 genotypes were present while genotype number one (#1) was the most distributed worldwide. Both Splitstree and network analyses showed that the A. marginale msp4 sequences detected in beef cattle from the Brazilian Pantanal showed low polymorphism, with the formation of one genogroup phylogenetically related to those found in ruminants from South and Central America, Europe, and Asia.

Epidemiology and molecular characterization of Enterobacteriaceae producing Extended spectrum β-lactamase in extensive and extensive breeding animals in Burkina Faso

Summary Background Antimicrobial resistance genes can be found in all ecosystems even in those where antibiotic selection pressure is less exerted. Extended spectrum 𝛽-lactamases (ESBL) determinants have been detected in clinical isolates and commensal bacteria from humans and animals. Here we investigated, for the first time, the ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in stool from intensive and extensive breeding animals (cattle, pigs and poultry) in Burkina Faso. Results from March to June 2017 in the Bobo Dioulasso area, we investigated stool samples collected from healthy animals (cattle = 251; pigs = 250 and poultry = 397) in one (1) slaughterhouse, five (5) livestock farms and one (1) poultry market. The frequency of ESBL genes carriage was 41.03% among cattle, 69.60% among pigs, 0.8% among intensive farming and 19.1% among extensive poultry farming. Only all the poultry were fed with antibiotics. The bacterial strains carrying the ESBL were E. coli (278/315) and K. pneumoniae (36/315). The ESBL genes carried were CTX-M 15, TEM and Oxa-1-like. These three β- lactamase genes were associated in some bacterial strains. The E. coli strains belonged most commonly to the phylogroup A. Conclusion This study showed the high resistance of Enterobacteriaceae to antibiotics in livestock in Burkina Faso by production of ESBL. This high level of resistance was observed in animals that did not receive antibiotics. This situation could suggest an environmental contamination of the livestock with ESBL-producing bacteria.

Correlation between Different Helicobacter Morphotypes and Histological Changes in Pig Gastric Mucosa

Background: Two distinct morphologic types of bacteria which belong to the Helicobacter species, have been described in pigs: once or twice curved Helicobacter pylori-like bacteria (HLO) and the multicoiled, Gastrospirillum-like bacteria (GLO). The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of Helicobacter spp. using modified Giemsa stain and to define the relationship between presence of Helicobacter spp. and histopathological changes of gastric mucosa in pigs.Materials, Methods & Results: A total of 120 pig stomachs (60 from intensive and 60 from extensive breeding) were enrolled in this study and 240 fragments of fundic and pyloric mucosa were taken for histopathological examination. By modified Giemsa staining of gastric mucosa, Helicobacter-like organisms were confirmed in 4/60 (6.67%) of pigs in intensive and 5/60 (8.33%) of pigs in extensive breeding. The incidence of tightly spiral shaped Gastrospirillum-like organisms in pigs of intensive and extensive breeding were 5/60 (8.33%) and 9/60 (15%), respectively. The severity of gastritis was scored to the Sydney System with some modifications. There was no significant difference between HLO-positive and HLO-negative fundic mucosa in pigs of both breeding systems. In contrary, there was significant difference between HLO-positive and HLO-negative pyloric mucosa of pigs in intensive (P < 0.001) and in extensive breeding (P < 0.05). In intensive breeding, there was significant difference between GLO-positive and GLO-negative fundic mucosa (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between GLO-positive and GLO-negative pyloric mucosa.Discussion: The prevalence of Helicobacter spp. bacteria were in coherence with literature data. The higher prevalence of both morfological type of bacteria, were considered in pigs in extensive breeding. the hygienic conditions and managment factors in pigs farm are the possible impact for higher bacterial transmission. The association of high prevalence of H. pylori and poor hygienic condition was shown by epidemiological studies conducted on humans. In both, humans and pigs, the presence of H. pylori correlates with an inflammatory response, but there are differences in inflammatory cell population. In H. pylori infected humans, neutrophils composed the bulk of cellular infiltrate, while in pigs, the primary inflammatory cell was the lymphocyte, which is in accordance to results published by others autors. Thus it indicates that different hosts exhibit a different pathohistological response to the Helicobacter spp. infection. In human as well as in veterinary pathology, the fact of the different pathogenicity of various Helicobacter species is well known. In all HLO-positive pyloric mucosa, moderate to severe focal or diffuse infiltration of mononuclear cells and lymphoid follicles with germinal centers, were observed. A similar conclusion was drawn from results of an experimental infection study in pigs. There was signifficance between HLO-positive and HLO-negative pyloric mucosa in both, intensive and extensive breeding. In the contrast, GLO were not associated with the presence of severe gastritis, but only with mild to moderate superficial infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells in both, fundic and pyloric mucosa. There was no significant difference between GLO-positive and GLO-negative pyloric mucosa of pigs in both breeding systems. Despite the low gastritis score of fundic mucosa in pigs in intensive breeding, there was a significance difference between in GLO-positive and GLO-negative fundic mucosa. It is believed that the possible reason of such results is the meals with low fiber content and low particles size. These results suggest that the presence of HLO, but not of GLO is associated with the pyloric gastritis in pigs.

Serological survey of lentivirus infection in goats and sheep slaughtered in the State of Paraíba, semiarid of Northeastern Brazil

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of antibodies against small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) in goats and sheep slaughtered in the state of Paraíba, in the Northeast semiarid region of Brazil. Blood was collected from 500 goats and 500 sheep in slaughterhouses in the municipalities of Alhandra, Guarabira, Esperança, Picuí, Monteiro, Sumé, Patos, Piancó, Catolé do Rocha, and Sousa. The agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test was used for the diagnosis of SRLV infection. Of the 1,000 animals analyzed, 28 (2.8%) were seropositive, with a frequency of 3% (15/500) in goats and 2.6% (13/500) in sheep. It was also observed that no significant difference was present in seropositivity among the different municipalities. The low frequency of seropositive animals can be explained by the fact that most of the sampled animals came from extensive breeding herds consisting of meat production native breeds and crossbred animals.