Piper betle leaves have traditionally been used to treat many diseases, including bacterial infections. The present study aimed to investigate the antibacterial, antibio lm, and anti-adhesion activities of P. betle extract against Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). The ethanol extract of P. betle leaves demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against clinical isolates of APEC with MIC and MBC values ranging from 0.5-1.0 mg/mL. Disruption and breakdown of the bacterial cells were detected when the cells were challenged with the extract at 2×MIC. Bacterial cells treated with the extract demonstrated longer cells without a septum, compared to the control. The extract at 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2×MIC signi cantly inhibited the formation of bacterial bio lm of the isolates (P<0.05) without inhibiting growth. At 1/2×MIC, 55% of the bio lm inhibition was detected in APEC CH09, a strong bio lm producer. At 32×MIC, 88% of the inhibition of viable cells embedded in the mature bio lm was detected in APEC CH09. Reduction in the bacterial adhesion to surfaces was shown when APEC were treated with sub-MICs of the extract as observed by SEM. The results suggested potential medicinal bene ts of P. betle extract for the treatment of the infection caused by Avian pathogenic E. coli.

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Piper betle leaves have traditionally been used to treat many diseases, including bacterial infections. The present study aimed to investigate the antibacterial, antibiofilm, and anti-adhesion activities of P. betle extract against Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). The ethanol extract of P. betle leaves demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against clinical isolates of APEC with MIC and MBC values ranging from 0.5-1.0 mg/mL. Disruption and breakdown of the bacterial cells were detected when the cells were challenged with the extract at 2×MIC. Bacterial cells treated with the extract demonstrated longer cells without a septum, compared to the control. The extract at 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2×MIC significantly inhibited the formation of bacterial biofilm of the isolates (P<0.05) without inhibiting growth. At 1/2×MIC, 55% of the biofilm inhibition was detected in APEC CH09, a strong biofilm producer. At 32×MIC, 88% of the inhibition of viable cells embedded in the mature biofilm was detected in APEC CH09. Reduction in the bacterial adhesion to surfaces was shown when APEC were treated with sub-MICs of the extract as observed by SEM. The results suggested potential medicinal benefits of P. betle extract for the treatment of the infection caused by Avian pathogenic E. coli.

Native Dang Surat chicken play an important role in poultry breeding of southern Thailand but their production performance falls short of commercial counterparts. Nevertheless, native birds have superior disease resistance while meat texture and taste of eggs are popular among Thais. Husbandry of native breeds are confined to smallholders who can only fulfil local niche outlets. To satisfy the wide-spread demand throughout Thailand and further afield, local-breed sires are crossed with high productivity hens. To maintain a constant supply of F1 hybrids, a colony of Dang Surat cocks are maintained by the Department of Livestock who select by phenotypes, not semen quality that determines male productivity. Accordingly, semen volume, pH, color and consistency, sperm motility, concentration, viability were measured. Morphology was also assessed by using eosin-nigrosin staining. Semen was slightly alkaline (pH, 8.0±0.1), mean volume=265±23 μL, had high sperm concentrations, 2740±76 x106/ml, of which 98.9±0.1% were viable. Abnormal sperm heads, tails and mid pieces, cytoplasmic droplets and detached heads comprised 1.5±0.3, 3.7±0.4, 0.3±0.1 and 0.8±0.1%, respectively. The findings showed normal seminal fluids and sperm parameters similar to commercial poultry semen in general. Our data will help develop efficient cockerel selection, natural flock breeding plan, and assisted reproduction by cryopreservation and artificial insemination to better meet market demands.

This study investigated the sedative effects of dexmedetomidine in Asian elephants. We hypothesized that 2 µg/kg dexmedetomidine would provide sufficient standing sedation. A crossover design study was performed in three Asian elephants. Each elephant was assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups—1 (D1), 1.5 (D1.5) or 2 (D2) µg/kg dexmedetomidine (intramuscular injection, IM) with a two-week ‘washout period’ between doses. Elephants were monitored for 120 min. At 120 min (Ta), atipamezole was administered IM. Sedation and responsiveness scores were evaluated. Physiological parameters (pulse rate, respiratory rate, and %SpO2) and clinical observations were monitored during the study and for 3 days post drug administration. D2 provided the longest sedation (approximately 70 min), compared to D1 and D1.5. After Ta, each elephant’s sedative stage lessened within 10–15 min without complications. No significant abnormal clinical observations were noted throughout and during the 3-days post study period. These data suggest that a single 2 µg/kg IM dexmedetomidine injection provides sufficient standing sedation for approximately 70 min in Asian elephants.

Background and Aim: Remote drug delivery has become an essential tool for safely delivering medication and vaccines to free-ranging, non-domestic, or dangerous animals. All dart guns currently use a single dart per injection, and it might occasionally be not practical with large animals. Shooting the dart more than once on an animal may cause flight, injury, stress, and ultimately unsuccessful delivery. Furthermore, purchasing many dart guns and hiring and training more staff may be unfeasible in developing countries. Therefore, employing the double-dart injection technique may help reduce the cost of operation, save time for capturing animals, minimize stress and injury, and improve animal welfare. The objectives of this study were to test the possibility of using the double-dart injection technique and optimizing the guidelines for this procedure. Materials and Methods: A standard brand-calibrated darting rifle was used to deliver the darts to the target board constructed from paper, polypropylene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate foam. The shot stage and shooter were fixed, and the shooting range was 5-20 m. The pressure of the gun was varied according to a company's recommendation. The single dart (control dart) was first shot to the target point, and then the double darts were shot 3 times for each condition. The experiment was done in the field with no wind. The inclusion criteria were that two darts must hit the target and not penetrate the target board deeply. The distances between the control dart and double darts (first and second darts) and between each dart of the double darts were measured, and the standard curve graphs and formulas were created. Results: The results showed that the distance between the control dart and the double darts was shortened as the pressure was increased. All double-dart injections hit the target below the control dart. We were able to create many formulas to predict the optimal gun pressure and aim point for double-dart injection in each shot range. It usually requires more pressure settings than a single-dart injection, particularly the long shot range. It also needs to aim the target point above the original point. Conclusion: Double-dart injection technique can be used efficiently in 5-20 m distance, and it usually requires increasing the pressure from the company's recommendation and adjusting the injecting point.

Background and Aim: Sow culling is an important practice in commercial swine production because it is directly associated with the economic efficiency of the breeding herd. This study was conducted to analyze the reasons for sow culling and quantify the factors affecting culling in crossbred Landrace and Large White sows under tropical climate. Materials and Methods: A total of 4887 culled sows from one parent stock farm located in Ratchaburi province, Western Thailand, were examined in this study. Culling reasons were grouped into the following eight categories according to farm management: (1) Reproductive disorders, (2) old age, (3) low performance, (4) diseases, (5) lameness, (6) udder problems, (7) body condition, and (8) other illnesses. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between culling sows and environmental factors. Effects of parity and season of culling were considered as fixed effects in a statistical model. Results: Descriptive statistics indicated the following factors accounting for sow removals: Old age (34.93%, n=1707), reproductive disorders (29.32%, n=1433), low performance (12.62%, n=617), lameness (12.56%, n=614), diseases (4.8%, n=235), body condition (4.68%, n=229), udder problems (0.79%, n=39), and other illnesses (0.26%, n=13). Parity and season of culling were also found to have a significant effect on sow culling (p<0.05). The majority of culling sows in this population were of old age and high parity. Conclusion: This study indicated that the purposeful culling of sows on this farm was within the targeted range. However, the incidence of reproductive disorders was too high and required further investigations.