This study was conducted to determine the effects of supplementation of nanoparticles of zinc oxide in laying hen diets on laying performance, egg quality, nutrient digestibility, and zinc retention. A total of one hundred and twenty Bovans Brown laying hens (55-week-old) were assigned to four treatment diets including nanoparticles of zinc oxide at 0, 20, 40, or 60 mg/kg, respectively, for 12 weeks. Each treatment had six replicates with five hens each. The results revealed that feed conversion ratio was significantly improved (linear, P<0.01) with increasing levels of nanoparticles of zinc oxide in laying hens diet from 55-59, 59-63, 63-67 and 55-67 weeks of age. Hen day egg production, egg mass were significantly increased (P<0.05) by supplementation of nanoparticles of zinc oxide during the experimental periods. Moreover, Haugh unit, shell thickness and eggshell percentage were improved (P<0.01) with increasing levels of nanoparticles of zinc oxide. Digestibility of crude protein, ether extract and crude fiber linearly increased (P<0.001) with increasing levels of supplementation. Interestingly, the serum biochemical analyses revealed that serum cholesterol, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), urea and somewhat creatinine linearly decreased with increasing Nano-ZnO levels in the diets. In conclusion, inclusion of nanoparticles of zinc oxide at 20, 40, or 60 mg/kg had improved productive performance, Haugh unit, shell quality, nutrient digestibility, cholesterol, liver and kidney functions and can be used as an effective feed additive in laying hens diets.

A common nutritional strategy is to promote the productive performance of laying hens while reducing bird mortality through the use of in-feed antibiotics. As the European Union banned antibiotics as feed additives (European Commission, 2009) due to concerns related to potential multiple resistance of bacteria (Neu, 1992), various studies have investigated the use of phytogenics as effective alternatives to antibiotic feed additives (

Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize in poultry industry with new tools for the molecular treatment of diseases and enhancing the ability of animal to absorb nutrients and therefore improving productive performance response of poultry. The essential trace elements play important roles such as nutrients metabolism, antioxidant, component of numerous metalloenzymes and protein. Nanoparticles zinc oxide (Nano-ZnO) is the specially prepared mineral salt having particle size of 1 to 100 nm. It promotes growth can act as antibacterial agent, modulates the immunity and production of laying hens. Using of Nano-ZnO in laying hen's nutrition as nanoparticle size will help and improve the egg production sector. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to give an overview on the potential of Nano-ZnO as feed additives in laying hen diets, in order to explore the mechanism of the effects of Nano-ZnO supplementation on laying hen productive performance and to observe their influence on feed intake, ammonia emissions, digestibility, egg production, and egg quality.

Aflatoxin B1, a mycotoxin that belongs to the group of aflatoxins, is mostly produced by A. flavus or A. parasiticus species of Aspergillus. Both human and animal health are adversely affected by these hazardous secondary metabolites. They can get into the food chain through tainted fruits and crops as well as through processed foods and animal feed. Products from agriculture and the food industry, such as cereals, spices, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and dry fruits, might contain aflatoxin B1. It has been shown in numerous investigations that feeding broilers pure aflatoxin B1 has a negative impact on their growth. Higher levels of Aflatoxin B1 (1-5 mg/kg) have been shown to be hepatotoxic to broilers, causing pathological liver lesions. The impact of broiler food contaminated with high or low levels of aflatoxins on the health and sustainability of production, however, has not been thoroughly explored in the literature. Although most of the experiments produced modestly beneficial benefits, substantial outcomes were infrequent. There needs to be more investigation because there are practically infinite options for aflatoxin B1 dosage and length of exposure. Results comparison becomes challenging when there is a lack of standardization. To assess the ideal aflatoxin B1 dosage, the precise mechanism of action, and its effects on the sustainability of broiler meat production and residues of aflatoxin B1 in broiler meat, additional research under more standardized conditions is still required.

Background Sarcocystis species are obligatorily heteroxenous protozoan parasites with predator-prey cycle. Global and national Knowledge about the epidemiology and the distribution pattern of different Sarcocystis species in dog feces are very scarce. Therefore, the current investigation was executed to declare the occurrence of Sarcocystis in the fecal specimens of the most common canids in Egypt, the domestic dogs and to recognize the species using parasitological and phenotypic approaches. Methods A total of 100 dog fecal samples were gathered and screened using sugar flotation for the presence of Sarcocystis oocysts/sporocysts. Additionally, thirty samples (30) were used for genomic DNA extraction. The 18S rRNA gene fragment was the target of primers for a PCR, followed by purification and sequencing of the amplicons. Results Currently, the results obtained appraised that 4% of fecal samples were positive for Sarcocystis spp. Under LM, the sporocysts of the canine S. tenella isolate measured 13.2–16.0 × 9.4–11 µm. Additionally, Sarcocystis spp. were verified in sixteen dogs (53.3%) using PCR and subsequent sequencing protocols. Statistically, insignificant difference in frequency of sarcocystosis relative to age and gender was noticed. Based on 18S rRNA gene, sequencing analysis of amplicons from sporocysts DNA revealed 99.82% nucleotide homology with already reported sequences of S. tenella from sheep in Iraq and Iran. Conclusions This is the first molecular evidence in support of the final host role of domestic dogs in the life cycle of S. tenella in Egypt, which provides a precious diagnostic tool for further epidemiological studies and for the assessment of the effectiveness of control measures for this disease.

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This study was conducted to investigate the effect of diet including aflatoxin B1, thyme oil, and their combination on productive performance, nutrient digestibility, and carcass criteria of broiler chickens. A total of 192 one-day-old, unsexed broiler chickens (Ross 308) were divided into four treatment diets. Each treatment included 6 replicates (8 birds per each). During the period from 11-20 days of age, the birds were fed a basal diet without any supplementation (Negative control group; NC), a basal diet supplemented with aflatoxin B1 at 40 μg/kg in (positive control; PC), positive control diet supplemented with thyme oil at 200 mg/kg (Treatment 1; T1) and negative control diet supplemented with thyme oil at 200 mg/kg (Treatment 2; T2). The results indicated that supplementation of a combination of aflatoxin B1 at 40 µg/kg to broilers diet significantly (P<0.05) reduced body weight gain during the period of from 21-30 d and 1-38 days of age compared to other treatments. Thyme oil supplementation dramatically improved body weight, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio compared to other treatments. Regarding feed intake, nutrient digestibility, and carcass parameters, there were no appreciable variations between treatments. It could be concluded that thyme oil can reduce the negative impact of aflatoxin B1 in broiler diets.