Dietary sulfur concentration affects rumen hydrogen sulfide concentrations in feedlot steers during transition and finishing.

Angus steers (n = 96; 321 ± 29 kg BW) were used to determine how previous exposure to increased dietary S would affect ruminal hydrogen sulfide concentrations ([H(2)S]) in the feedlot, to investigate the effects of dietary S on ruminal [H(2)S] during transition and finishing, and to determine if dietary S affects the glutathione status of finishing cattle. Steers were strip-grazed on smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis L.) over a 35 d period and received a dry distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) supplement at 1% of BW (DM basis) that contained either 0.50% S (LS; n = 4 plots) or the DDGS supplement with an additional 0.30% S from sodium sulfate (0.80% S in supplement; HS; n = 4 plots). On d 36 steers were moved from the pastures to feedlot pens with one-half of the steers on each treatment in the pasture period remaining on the same treatment during the feedlot period and half being switched to the other treatment (n = 6 pens). For the first 10 d in the feedlot, steers were fed hay ad libitum and 1% BW of the DDGS supplement representing their new treatment, followed by transition to finishing diets. Dietary S of transition and finishing diets were 0.2% to 0.3% S for LS and 0.5% to 0.6% S for HS. No interaction between pasture and feedlot treatment was observed (P ≥ 0.50), so data for the feedlot period were pooled by feedlot treatment (n = 12 pens). Rumen [H(2)S] were measured on d 35 of the pasture period and on d 46 while receiving ad libitum hay and supplement at 6 h after the feeding of the supplement and after 7 d on each of the 3 transition diets (d 53, 60, and 67) and on d 93, 126, and 155 of the study after receiving the finishing diet for 26, 59, and 88 d at 6 h after feeding. Ruminal [H(2)S] did not differ between treatment while steers were fed the supplement on forage-based diets. However, ruminal [H(2)S] of HS-fed steers was greater (P < 0.05) than LS-fed steers when transition diets and the finishing diets were fed. Relative to S intake, ruminal [H(2)S] increased disproportionally after 26 d on the finishing diet. This was followed by a decrease in [H(2)S] on d 59 of finishing, although S intake was increased (P < 0.05) compared with d 26 of finishing. It appears that factors other than S intake alone contribute to ruminal [H(2)S]. The amount of glutathione in the liver of steers did not differ (P = 0.47) because of dietary S, but the concentration of oxidized glutathione increased (P = 0.03) in HS-fed compared with LS-fed steers, suggesting that the potential for oxidative stress in cattle fed high-S diets may warrant further investigation.

Mineral concentrations of plasma and liver after injection with a trace mineral complex differ among Angus and Simmental cattle.

To examine the effects of cattle breed on the clearance rate of an injectable mineral product, 10 Angus and 10 Simmental steers were blocked by breed and initial BW (332 ± 33 kg) and injected with either Multimin 90 (MM) or sterilized saline (CON) at a dose of 1 mL/45 kg BW. Multimin 90 contains 15 mg Cu/mL (as Cu disodium EDTA), 60 mg Zn/mL (as Zn disodium EDTA), 10 mg Mn/mL (as Mn disodium EDTA), and 5 mg Se/mL (as sodium selenite). Steers received a corn-silage-based diet, and inorganic sources of Cu, Zn, Mn, and Se were supplemented at NRC recommended amounts. Jugular blood was collected immediately before injection and at 8 and 10 h post-injection and on days 1, 8, and 15 post-injection. Liver biopsies were collected 3 d before injection and on days 1, 8, and 15 post-injection. Liver and plasma mineral concentration and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity data were analyzed as repeated measures. Plasma concentrations of Zn, Mn, and Se were greater (P = 0.01) and Cu tended to be greater (P = 0.12) post-injection in MM steers compared with the CON steers. Regardless of treatment, Simmental cattle had lower plasma concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Se (P ≤ 0.05) when compared with Angus cattle. Erythrocyte GSH-Px activity was greater (P = 0.01) in MM steers compared with CON steers. Liver concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Se were greater (P = 0.05) in MM steers compared with CON steers post-injection. Liver Mn concentrations tended to be greater (P = 0.06) in MM steers compared with CON steers in the days post-injection. Interestingly, Simmental cattle exhibited greater (P = 0.01) liver Mn concentrations in the days after injection compared with Angus cattle (7.0 and 6.0 mg Mn/kg for Simmental and Angus cattle, respectively), regardless of treatment. It is unclear if this breed difference is biologically relevant; however, these data may suggest that differences in liver excretion of Mn exist between the two breeds. Overall, use of an injectable trace mineral increased liver concentrations of Cu and Se through the 15-d sampling period, suggesting that this injectable mineral is an adequate way to improve Cu and Se status of cattle through at least 15 d.

Effects of increased dietary sulfur on beef steer mineral status, performance, and meat fatty acid composition.

Ninety-six crossbred yearling steers (321 ± 29 kg BW) were used to determine the effects of feeding cattle a high S diet on pasture before receiving a high S diet in the feedlot. Steers were blocked by BW, allocated to 2.4-ha bromegrass (Bromus inermis L.) pastures (n = 4 plots per treatment), and supplemented at 1% BW with either low S dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS; 0.34% total diet S; LS) or LS DDGS with additional S (0.47% total diet S; HS) from NaSO(4) for 36 d. On d 37, steers moved into the feedlot where one-half remained on the previous S treatment and the other half switched treatments, resulting in 4 treatments (LS-LS, LS-HS, HS-LS, HS-HS; LS: 0.2 to 0.3% total diet S, HS: 0.5 to 0.6% total diet S; n = 6 feedlot pens per treatment). During the pasture period, forage mass offered, grazing residual mass, and in vitro digestible DM of forage did not differ among treatments (P > 0.40), and ADG did not differ (LS: 1.6 kg · d(-1), HS: 1.7 kg · d(-1), P = 0.54). Plasma Mg measured on d 35 was decreased by ≈ 5% in response to increased dietary S during the pasture period (P = 0.05), though no effect on plasma Mg was observed during finishing (P > 0.15). Plasma Cu concentrations on d 155 were ≈ 15% less (P = 0.02) in HS vs. LS steers, and d 155 liver Cu concentrations were ≈ 51% less in HS vs. LS steers (P = 0.01). Increased dietary S during the feedlot period decreased ADG by ≈ 10% (P = 0.01) and tended to decrease HCW by ≈ 5% (P = 0.06) compared with LS steers. Steers receiving the HS diet had increased stearic acid (C18:0) and heptadecanoic acid (C17:0; P = 0.04 and 0.01, respectively) percentages in rib facings collected at slaughter. Exposing cattle to greater S diets (0.47% S) during a forage-based diet did not influence later performance on high S feedlot diets (0.5 to 0.6% S); however, cattle fed high dietary S on pasture had greater fat cover at slaughter (P = 0.01), suggesting S may have influenced lipid metabolism.

Recorded criteria as a "gold standard" for sensitivity and specificity estimates of surveillance of nosocomial infection: a novel method to measure job performance.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the accuracy of infection control practitioners' (ICPs') classifications of operative site infection in Florida Consortium for Infection Control (FCIC) hospitals, in two time periods, 1990 to 1991 and 1991 to 1992, and to estimate the effect of duration of surveillance experience on that accuracy. METHODS: Medical record reviewers examined records of all patients classified by an ICP as infected, to distinguish false-positives from true infections based on evidence of standard infection criteria and the ICP's contemporaneous clinical observations. Reviewers also examined a random sample of 100 records from patients classified as noninfected for evidence of undetected infections (false-negatives). These observations permitted estimates of the sensitivity and specificity of each ICP's classification of infection status. SETTING: Fourteen FCIC community hospitals at which performance of 16 ICPs was monitored. RESULTS: There was a strong linear trend relating increasing sensitivity to numbers of years of ICP surveillance experience (P < .001). For ICPs with < 4 years of experience, satisfactory sensitivity (> or = 80%) was reached in only one of 10 ICP-years of observation. For ICPs with > or = 4 years' experience, satisfactory sensitivity was achieved for 14 of 18 person-years (P = .001). Estimated specificity was 97% to 100% for all ICP-years observed. CONCLUSIONS: ICPs with < 4 years of surveillance experience in FCIC community hospitals rarely achieved a satisfactory sensitivity estimate, whereas ICPs with > or = 4 years' experience generally did. Monitoring ICP surveillance accuracy through retrospective medical record audits offers an objective approach to evaluating ICP performance and to interpreting infection rates at different hospitals.