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Chronic progressive lymphedema (CPL) is a well-known problem in the Belgian draft horse. However, tools for clinical diagnosis have not been standardized. Therefore, the exact disease prevalence and the possible CPL risk factors have not been investigated in the Belgian breed yet. The aim of the present study was to assess a uniform CPL clinical examination method to increase diagnostic objectivity as well as to determine the occurrence and severity of lesions. Using univariate and stepwise multivariable logistic regression models, the association of factors, such as age-gender interaction, coat color and season, with CPL occurrence was examined. In this study, it was demonstrated that CPL is highly prevalent in the Belgian draft horse: 60.66% of the horses of the total sample were affected, including a large proportion of young horses (< 3 years), whereas 85.86% was affected in a subset of older horses (≥ 3 years). In the latter, the lesions were more explicit as CPL is a chronic disorder. In some horses (i.e. 14% of the yearlings), mild clinical symptoms appeared at approximately the age of one, while distinct onset of the disease occurred from the age of three onwards. The factors age-gender interaction, coat color and season, which are significantly associated with CPL occurrence, were identified and quantified. In this study, a standardized diagnostic protocol is proposed that will enhance future data collection and furthermore will offer a foundation for quantitative genetic research. Ultimately, it will help to reduce CPL occurrence in the Belgian draft horse by means of selection.

The influence of medium‐chain glycerides on performance and gastrointestinal well‐being in weaning piglets was assessed. First, caproic (C6), caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid activity against Escherichia coli was screened in vitro. Pig flora of the whole small intestine was used as inoculum. Seven in vitro incubations were done in duplicate at pH = 3 and 5: C10 (15 mM), C8 (12 mM), C6 (15, 12, 10 mM), a non‐incubated‐negative control and incubated negative control. Culture suspensions were plated on E. coli‐selective agar. Controls showed bacterial growth. C6 and C8 showed no growth at both pH‐values, where C10 showed growth at pH = 5. Secondly, an in vivo study was done with 80 weaned piglets over 42 days, housed in pens of eight animals (five pens/treatment), fed a basal diet containing broken rice/soya bean meal/fish meal and supplemented with C6 and C8 in medium‐chain glyceride form (MCT6/8, 0.175%) or antibiotic growth promoter (AGP, 0.020%) (Kasetsart University, Thailand) serving as control. Feed intake, daily gain and feed‐to‐gain ratio did not differ between MCT6/8 and AGP. Per replicate, two random selected piglets were challenged intravenously with E. coli‐lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or saline solution (S) at Days 21 and 28. All challenged animals were sacrificed; blood and digestive tract samples (jejunum/ileum) were collected at Day 35. LPS challenge consistently reduced villus height and crypt depth for MCT6/8 and AGP. However, LPS‐challenged piglets supplemented with MCT6/8 restored villus height, where AGP did not. MCT6/8 piglets had higher serum IgA, more jejunal IgA‐positive plasma cells and goblet cells than AGP. At the ileal level, results were similar, though less pronounced. The present study offers new insight in the benefits of MCT6/8 over AGP in the post‐weaning period. There is in vitro anti‐microbial action of C6 and C8 on E. coli. In vivo, MCT6/8 also has protective effects in the small intestine that may result in growth promotion.

When the use of tylosin as a feed additive was forbidden by Council Regulation 2821/98, the necessity of a chemical confirmation method for the monitoring of the ban was created. Recently a method was developed for the detection of tylosin in animal feed by means of LC-MS/MS. During the validation high deviating values for the decision limit, detection capability, and repeatability for tylosin in cattle feed were observed, and the presence of urea and the formation of a tylosin urea adduct (TUA) were suggested as possible explanations. In this study two hydrolysis approaches for the TUA adduct were compared, namely, a chemical hydrolysis and an enzymatic hydrolysis with urease. The latter yielded a more complete hydrolysis of urea and was used for further validation. The recovery increased by approximately 15-25% depending on the amount of urea present in the feed (0.5-2%). The decision limit and detection capability were hardly influenced by the enzymatic hydrolysis.

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This study consolidates the efficacy of a non-starch polysaccharide (NSP)ase enzyme-concept in corn and wheat-based broiler diets. The NSP building blocks of corn, wheat and soybean meal (SBM, 44% protein) were studied first. Cereal NSP primarily consists of arabinose, xylose and glucose molecules that form arabinoxylan, β-glucan and cellulose polysaccharides. In soybean meal (SBM), glucose (cellulose) predominates, next to galactose and uronic acids that form "pectins". Broiler performance progress using in-feed NSPase enzymes depends on the concentration, complexity and solubility of the substrate and the genetic potential of the animal, mainly. A dual NSPase enzyme-concept for cereal and SBM NSP, predominantly being arabinoxylan, β-glucan and cellulose, was developed. Methods for measuring enzyme activities (endo-1,4-β-xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8) and endo-1,3(4)-β-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.6)) were developed (AVEVE Biochem UNITS) and preparations thereof (XG) standardized to meet requirements for most challenging NSP (corn, barely soluble). Feed intake (FI), bodyweight gain (BWG) and feed:gain ratio (F:G) were assessed in three zootechnical studies, each using 160 Ross 308 broilers split in two feeding groups with 80 birds/group (10 replicates of eight) for 42 d (starter/grower period). Respective corn-SBM, wheat-SBM and corn/wheat-SBM diets were used as negative control (NC) or added with the enzyme-concept (XG). In the total period, XG ameliorated BWG and F:G compared to NC in each study, where BWG increased best in diets with corn and F:G lowered most in diets with wheat. The dual NSPase enzyme-concept offers ingredient flexibility in present setting by enhancing the nutritional content of corn, wheat and SBM, expectedly from cleaving major NSP target molecules. Thereby, broiler professionals increase feed formulation liberty and safety and production result simultaneously.

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