Ruminal responses, digestibility, and blood parameters of beef cattle fed diets without forage with different hybrids and processing of the corn.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of corn hybrid and processing methods on intake and digestibility of nutrients, rumen fermentation and blood metabolites of steers fed no-forage finishing diets. Four ruminally fistulated Nellore castrated steers (502 ± 15 kg initial body weight) were distributed in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of two corn hybrids (semi-dent and flint) and two processing methods (dry milled and high moisture grain). Interactions of hybrid and processing methods were observed on intake of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP), as well as on digestibility of DM and CP, rumen pH and ammonia nitrogen (N-NH3 ). There was no interaction between hybrid and processing for the volatile fatty acids (VFA) total, acetate (C2), propionate (C3), isobutyric (iC4) and valeric (nC5) concentrations. VFA total concentration shown an average of 103.4 mmol/L. The C2 and C3 concentrations had no effect of the hybrid or processing with averages of 58.7 mmol/L for C2, and 31.3 mmol/l for C3. There was an effect of the processing method on starch consumption and fecal pH, the highest values were observed in grains with high moisture content. Starch digestibility was 0.89 g/g in dry milled and 0.96 g/g in high moisture corn. The greatest digestibility of starch in high moisture corn, irrespective of the corn hybrid, provided evidence of an increase in the energy supply, which may improve the feed efficiency and growth performance of cattle fed no-roughage finishing diets.

A new set of primers directed to 18S rRNA gene for molecular identification of Cryptosporidium spp. and their performance in the detection and differentiation of oocysts shed by synanthropic rodents.

Cryptosporidium spp. are cosmopolitan protozoa that infect fishes, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. More than 20 species are recognized within this genus. Rodents are a group of abundant and ubiquitous organisms that have been considered reservoirs of Cryptosporidium for humans and livestock. The aim of this study was to design specific primers for the gene encoding 18S rRNA, potentially capable of amplifying any species or genotype of Cryptosporidium spp. and evaluate the diagnostic attributes of the nested-PCR based on such probes. The primers were designed to amplify the shortest segment as possible to maximize the sensitivity of the test, but preserving the discriminatory potential of the amplified sequences for phylogenetic inferences. The nested-PCR standardized in this study (nPCR-SH) was compared in terms of sensitivity with another similar assay (nPCR-XIAO) that has been largely used for the detection and identification of Cryptosporidium spp. worldwide. We also aimed to molecularly characterize samples of Cryptosporidum spp. isolated from synanthropic rodents using these probes. Forty-five rodents were captured in urban areas of the municipality of Umuarama, Paraná State, Brazil. Fecal samples were submitted to three molecular tests (nested-PCRs), two of them targeted to the 18S rDNA gene (nPCR-SH and nPCR-XIAO) and the third targeted to the gene encoding actin (nPCR-actin). The nPCR-SH was tested positive on samples of Cryptosporidum parvum, Cryptosporidum andersoni, Cryptosporidum meleagridis, Cryptosporidum hominis, Cryptosporidum canis, and Cryptosporidum serpentis. Sixteen samples of rodents were positive by nPCR-SH, six by nPCR-XIAO and five by nPCR-actin. Sequencing of amplified fragments allowed the identification of Cryptosporidum muris in three samples of Rattus rattus, and two genotypes of Cryptosporidium, the genotypes mouse II and III. Cryptosporidium genotype mouse II was found in one sample of Mus musculus and genotype mouse III, in twelve samples, being five from R. rattus and seven from M. musculus. The results of this study demonstrated that the primers designed for detection of Cryptosporidium spp. were more efficient than those used in the nPCR-XIAO. Genotypes or species of Cryptosporidium that can be usually transmitted for human beings and livestock were not found in synanthropic rodents, suggesting that the importance of these animals in zoonotic transmission of cryptosporidiosis should be revisited.