Risk factors for Salmonella infection in fattening pigs - an evaluation of blood and meat juice samples.

The main objective of this study was to analyse potential herd-level factors associated with the detection of Salmonella antibodies in fattening pigs. Two independent datasets, consisting of blood and meat juice samples respectively, were used. Additional information about husbandry, management and hygiene conditions was collected by questionnaire for both datasets. The serological analysis showed that 13.8% of the blood samples and 15.7% of the meat juice samples had to be classified as Salmonella-positive. Logistic-regression models were used to assess statistically significant risk factors associated with a positive sample result. The results of the statistical blood sample analysis showed that the application of antibiotics increased the odds ratio (OR) by a factor of 5.21 (P < 0.001) compared to untreated pigs. A fully slatted floor decreased the prevalence of Salmonella as well as the use of protective clothing or the cleaning of the feed tube (ORs 0.35-0.54, P < 0.001). It was shown that a distance of less than 2 km to other swine herds increased the chance of a positive Salmonella result (OR = 3.76, P < 0.001). The statistical analysis of the meat juice samples revealed the importance of feed aspects. The chance of obtaining a positive meat juice sample increased by a factor of 3.52 (P < 0.001) by using granulated feed instead of flour. It also became clear that liquid feeding should be preferred to dry feeding (OR = 0.33, P < 0.001). A comparison of the blood sample analysis to the meat juice model revealed that the latter was less powerful because data structure was less detailed. The expansion of data acquisition might solve these problems and improve the suitability of QS monitoring data for risk factor analyses.

Monte Carlo simulation of classical swine fever epidemics and control. II. Validation of the model.

A stochastic and spatial simulation model was developed to simulate the spread of classical swine fever virus among herds in a certain area. A model is a simplification of a real system. The mechanisms and parameters are often not exactly known. Validation is necessary to gain insight into model behaviour and to identify risk factors with great impact on the response variables. Several risk factors such as incubation period, number of daily farm contacts, probability of detection, probability of infection after contact, probability of local spread and time from infection to infectivity were considered in the model as probability distributions in order to take the stochastic component of disease dynamics into account. In order to estimate the effects of the risk factors on the response variables mean size and duration of epidemics, a sensitivity analysis was performed. A fractional factorial design with two-level factors (2(7-2) design) was developed to gain the maximum strength with minimum demand on the calculating capacity. The main factors were unconfounded with any other main factor and also unconfounded with two-factor interactions. Apart from the time from infection to infectivity, all risk factors had a significant effect on the mean size and duration of epidemics (p<0.05). Eight two-factor interactions had a significant influence as well (p<0.05). Mainly, two-factor interactions with probability of detection were significant thus emphasising the impact of a rapid detection of outbreaks. The reaction of the simulation responses to changing of the parameter values was consistent with the expected reaction.

Monte Carlo simulation of classical swine fever epidemics and control. I. General concepts and description of the model.

A Monte Carlo simulation has been developed to describe the spread of classical swine fever virus between farms within a certain region. The data of the farms can be imported and considered individually. Transmission occurs via the infection routes direct animal and indirect person and vehicle contact, as well as by contaminated sperm and local spread. Parameters, such as incubation period and probability of detection, can be varied by the user and their impact on disease spread can be studied. The control measures stamping-out, movement control and pre-emptive slaughter in circular restriction areas as well as contact tracing can be applied and their effect on disease spread can thus be analysed. The numbers of culled and restricted farms and animals per epidemic and per day within an epidemic, the epidemic duration and the total length of restrictions per restricted farm are given. In an example, simulation runs were performed under the condition of application of all four-control measures. Because no real farm data were available, a test area was generated stochastically with a farm density of 1.3 farms/km(2). The distributions of the number of infected farms per epidemic and the epidemic length are shown.

Relationship between fecal crude protein concentration and diet organic matter digestibility in cattle.

The positive relationship between fecal CP concentration and diet OM digestibility in cattle, which is based on increasing undigested microbial CP and decreasing fecal OM as OM digestibility increases, may be used as an indirect method for estimating diet OM digestibility from fecal CP concentration. Results of digestibility trials (445 individual observations) conducted at Hohenheim and Braunschweig, Germany, and at Gumpenstein, Austria, were used to study the relationship between CP concentration in feces (x, g/kg OM) and OM digestibility (y, %). The best fit was obtained with the curvilinear relationship y = ai -107.7e(-0.01515 x x), with a1 = 79.76 and a2 = 72.86 (R2 = 0.82; residual SD = 2.7; SE = 0.13), which takes into account the effects of location (i = 1 for Braunschweig and Hohenheim, and i = 2 for Gumpenstein). Dietary CP and crude fat concentration, and DMI had no effect on fecal CP content, whereas crude fiber content, proportion of concentrate in the diet, and forage type significantly affected CP concentration in feces; however, the magnitude of these effects was less than 2 percentage units, and the direction of the effect of proportion of concentrate in the diet was not uniform. The curvilinear relationship between fecal CP concentration (observed range, 100 to 300 g/kg of OM) and diet OM digestibility (observed range = 57 to 80%) may be used to estimate diet OM digestibility, particularly for field trials, as it requires no feed samples and does not physically restrict the animal.

Short-chain fatty acids produced in vitro from fibre residues obtained from mixed diets containing different breads and in human faeces during the ingestion of the diets.

It was studied whether the type of bread (i.e. a low-fibre wheat-rye mixed bread and coarse or fine wholemeal rye bread) either as part of a diet or alone, had an influence on the short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) produced during in vitro fermentation. Fermentation substrates were dietary fibre residues obtained from diets and breads. In addition, it was investigated whether the faecal SCFA pattern in the inoculum donors, who ingested the experimental diets, could be predicted by in vitro fermentation. Yields of SCFA in vitro were 0.51-0.62 g/g fermented polysaccharide. In vitro, the molar ratios of butyrate were higher for the two high-fibre diets containing coarse or fine wholemeal bread than for the low fibre diet containing wheat-rye mixed bread; the difference was significant for the coarse (P < 0.01), but not for the fine bread diet (P = 0.0678). The coarse wholemeal bread alone produced a higher molar ratio of butyrate than the fine wholemeal bread (P < 0.05) and the wheat-rye mixed bread (P < 0.01). Ingestion by the inoculum donors of the diets containing wholemeal bread led to higher faecal butyrate ratios (molar ratios: coarse bread diet 19.6, fine bread diet 17.7) compared with the wheat-rye mixed bread-containing diet (14.9), but the differences between the diets were not significant. For the diets investigated, there were no significant differences between faecal and in vitro SCFA patterns.

Fermentation of non-starch polysaccharides in mixed diets and single fibre sources: comparative studies in human subjects and in vitro.

The present study investigated whether the extent of fermentation of NSP in human subjects could be predicted by an in vitro batch system. Fibre sources studied were five mixed diets containing different amounts and types of fibre and three single fibre sources (citrus fibre concentrate, coarse and fine wholemeal rye bread). Fermentation in human subjects was determined in balance experiments in women who were also donors of the faecal inocula. In vitro fermentations were performed with fibre residues prepared from duplicates of the fibre-containing foods consumed during the balance trials. Fermentation of total NSP in vivo was between 65.8 and 88.6% for the mixed diets and 54.4, 58.0 and 96.9% for the coarse and fine wholemeal rye breads and the citrus fibre concentrate respectively. For the mixed diets and the citrus fibre concentrate, mean differences between the extent of NSP degradation after 24 h in vitro incubation and that in vivo were between -0.7 and 5.0%. Differences were significant for one diet (P < 0.05). For the wholemeal rye breads, the fermentation in vitro exceeded that in vivo significantly, but the magnitude of the difference in each case was small and without physiological importance. Particle size of breads had no influence on the extent of NSP degradation. These results indicate that the in vitro batch system used could provide quantitative data on the fermentation in vivo of NSP in mixed diets and some single fibre sources. An in vitro incubation time of 24 h was sufficient to mimic the NSP degradation in vivo.

Fermentation in human subjects of nonstarch polysaccharides in mixed diets, but not in a barley fiber concentrate, could be predicted by in vitro fermentation using human fecal inocula.

The fermentation of nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP) contained in a low fiber diet, two high fiber diets high or low in protein, and a barley fiber concentrate was determined in balance experiments in six women and in an in vitro batch system using fecal inocula obtained from these same women. In vitro fermentations were performed with fiber residues prepared from duplicates of the fiber-containing foods consumed during the balance trials. Fermentation of total NSP in humans was 83.8 +/- 0.9% (low fiber diet), 61.8 +/- 3.6% (high fiber diet high in protein), 59.2 +/- 3. 9% (high fiber diet low in protein) and 31.2 +/- 7.4% (barley fiber concentrate). Fermentation in vitro differed from fermentation in humans by -4.0 +/- 1.6% (low fiber diet, P < 0.05,), 4.9 +/- 3.7% (high fiber diet high in protein), 8.8 +/- 3.0% (high fiber diet low in protein, P < 0.01) and 19.7 +/- 8.0% (barley fiber concentrate, P < 0.05). Differences between in vivo and in vitro fermentation were most pronounced for NSP-glucose, i.e., cellulose. Production of short-chain fatty acids in vitro corresponded to the fermentability of NSP. The yield of short-chain fatty acids per gram of fermented NSP was similar for the diets (8.8-9.4 mmol) but lower for the barley fiber concentrate (7.4 mmol, P < 0.05). Although differences between the fermentation measured in humans and in vitro were significant for two diets, the magnitude of the differences was such that fermentation of NSP in mixed diets could be predicted with sufficient accuracy in vitro, whereas agreement between the fermentation in vivo and in vitro of NSP in the barley fiber concentrate was not satisfactory.

Comparative digestion in cattle and sheep fed wheat silage diets at low and high intakes.

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), harvested at late milk, early dough, and hard dough stages of maturity was ensiled for nutritive comparisons. Diets were adjusted to 13% CP with a soy protein concentrate and fed to six ruminally fistulated growing steers and nine adult wethers in a repeated 3 x 3 Latin square design to study the effects of maintenance and ad libitum intakes on digestibility of different feed fractions. At both intakes, digestion values for the steers were greater than or equal to those for the sheep for all feed fractions except CP. Wethers achieved greater intake per unit of BW than steers during ad libitum intake. Voluntary OM intakes of steers only differed between the milk stage diet and the dough stage diets. At low intake, the diets containing the more mature silage were more digestible. At high intake, the OM of diet containing the early dough stage silage ws most digestible. Increased intake caused a depression in digestibility of different feed fractions. The magnitude of the depression varied among diets and fractions. Data indicated that the nutritive value of diets based on whole crop wheat silage is affected by stage of maturity, animal species, and amount of intake. The assessment of the nutritive value of diets based on whole crop wheat silage should therefore be made with the animal species and at the amount of intake for which the diets are intended.