The effect of corn substitution by glycerine and essential oils on animal performance, apparent digestibility and red and white blood cells of crossbred bulls finished in feedlot was evaluated. Thirty bulls with average weight of 311±28.8 kg and 22±2 month-old were allocated in three diets: CON (without glycerine or essential oils), GLY (with glycerine) and GEO (with glycerine and essential oils). The bulls were fed a diet of sorghum silage, cracked corn, soybean meal, urea, limestone and mineral salt. Three grams of cashew and castor oil/animal/day were included in GEO diet. Animals were kept in feedlot for 115 days and slaughtered at average weight of 467±40.6 kg. No differences (P<0.05) among diets regarding final body weight, average daily gain and feed conversion were reported. Ether extract intake was higher (P<0.05) in CON diet compared to the others. Dry matter, organic matter and crude protein digestibility was higher (P<0.05) in GLY diet compared to CON. Acid detergent fibre digestibility was higher (P<0.05) in CON compared to GLY diet. Nonfibrous carbohydrate, fibrous carbohydrate and ether extract digestibility were similar (P>0.05) among diets. No effect of glycerine and essential oil addition on total blood cholesterol, triglycerides, haemogram, leukogram and plasmatic proteins was observed. Corn replacement by glycerine and essential oils addition did not affect (P>0.05) carcass weight, dressing and conformation, carcass length and cushion thickness.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of essential oils of Anacardium occidentale (Cashew) and Ricinus communis (Castor) on intake, digestibility, ruminal fermentation and excretion of purine derivatives in beef cattle fed high grain diets. Five Nellore steers fitted with ruminal cannula were used in a 5x5 Latin square design (21 days period). The treatments were control MON (0.2 g monensin animal day-1¬) and 1, 2, 4 and 8 g EO animal day-1 (Essential oils - Oligobasics®). All the animals had a basal diet, corn silage-based total mixed ration (TMR) of 80:20 concentrate:forage ratio. Intake, digestibility, ruminal fermentation and excretion of purine derivatives were determined over five consecutive days in each period. Intake and digestibility of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and crude protein (CP) were not influenced by treatments (P > 0.05). However, increasing levels of EO showed a quadratic effect (P < 0.014) above 2 g animal day-1 on the ruminal pH. The excretion of allantoin and uric acid were not influenced by the treatments (P > 0.05), but levels above 2 g day decreased the synthesis of microbial proteins (P < 0.05). It is concluded that the EO of A. occidentale and R. comunnis effectively controlled ruminal fermentation as well as sodium monensin at the studied levels. EOs have the potential to be used in place of monensin in the studied levels.

High forage diets in the tropics are less efficient and more contaminating due to high energy losses as methane and the low digestibility of tropical forages. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of essential oils (EO) of Anacardium occidentale and Ricinus communis as additives in high forage diets on intake, digestibility, ruminal fermentation and synthesis of microbial protein. Four ‘Holstein’ steers fitted with ruminal cannula were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design (21-day period). The treatments were 1, 2, 4 and 8 g day-1 EO per animal (essential oils, Oligobasics®). The diet was total mixed ration (TMR) of Brachiaria hay (Brachiaria humidicola cv. Lanero) and concentrate (ground corn, soybean meal, ammonium sulphate, urea and minerals) in an 80:20 ratio. Differences were observed in the digestibility of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) in levels above 2 g day -1 EO (P < 0.05). The VFA (volatile fatty acids) acetate and propionate were higher in diets with 2 g day -1 EO (P < 0.05), without affecting the acetate:propionate ratio. Levels above 2 g day -1 EO negatively affected the faecal N excretion (P < 0.05). The inclusions of A. occidentale and R. communis EOs at 2 g day-1 per day animal improved fibre digestion and decreased N excretion. These results indicate that this mixture of EOs may have strong antimicrobial activity at lower doses. The N losses, fibre digestion and digestibility could be improved with the use of cashew and castor essential oils in high forage diets.

Given the steady population growth at the global level observed in the passage of time, there has been perceived the need to have a social scheme where the offer of healthy food is constant and sufficient to settle the existing insufficiencies in the human population. Before this situation, the efficiency of the cattle models of animal production has turned out to be awkward as a result of the competition of the animal species for the nutritive resources that the man consumes. For such a motive, the need to recognize and to characterize new food that they have

Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is an autoimmune disease of the skin and is the most common form of pemphigus in domestic animals. This work reports a case of pemphigus foliaceus in a Santa Inês hair sheep. The ewe presented with multifocal bilateral crusted alopecic dermatitis affecting the chest, abdomen, and pelvic and thoracic limbs. Parakeratotic hyperkeratosis and acanthosis, in addition to subcorneal pustules, were observed histologically, and acantholytic cells and neutrophils were observed within the pustules. In the superficial and deep dermal tissues, there was intense eosinophilic infiltration and the presence of rare macrophages. These microscopic findings were characteristic of PF, and treatment with dexamethasone was ineffective. This disease is rare in sheep, and this is the first case report to be published in Brazil.