The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a dietary probiotic supplement on bone mass and meat quality of broiler chickens. Two hundred ten 1-day-old male Ross 708 broiler chicks were divided among 21 floor pens (10 chicks per pen). The pens were randomly distributed to 1 of 3 dietary treatments containing a probiotic, Bacillus subtilis, at 0 (control), 0.25 ( 0.25X ), and 0.5 ( 0.5X ) g/kg (n = 7). Gait score, footpad dermatitis ( FPD ), leg straightness, and hock burn ( HB ) were examined at day 33, and a latency-to-lie test was performed at day 34. At the end of the experiment (day 35), plasma, right leg, and litter samples were collected for mineral contents, meat quality, bone morphometric parameters, and litter quality assessments. The results indicated that probiotic-fed birds stood much longer during the latency-to-lie test with a greater tibial length, weight, and strength as well as higher plasma levels of calcium and phosphorus compared with the controls. In addition, probiotic-fed birds' leg muscle had higher color lightness at both 30 min and 5 h postmortem and greater water-holding capacity with a trend for less cooking loss ( P = 0.056) and lower pH values ( P < 0.05) at 5 h postmortem. Probiotic-fed birds' leg meat was tastier ( P < 0.05) at 24 h after slaughter. These probiotic effects were greater in the 0.5X group than in the 0.25X group. There were no treatment effects on other measured parameters including gait score, HB, FPD, tibial lateral and medial wall thickness, diaphysis and medullary canal diameters, robusticity and tibiotarsal indexes, plasma magnesium concentrations, and litter moisture and pH values ( P > 0.05). These findings indicate that the probiotic supplement could be a useful management tool for improving broiler production and welfare by enhanced bone mass and meat quality.

Non-Typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) are substantial foodborne pathogens that lead to bacteremia, gastroenteritis, and focal infection. Poultry is one of the usual provenances for the development of multidrug-resistance NTS. This problem has increased in developing countries with the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in the poultry production system. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence and tendency of antimicrobial resistance of zoonotic Salmonella spp. A total of 601 samples, including cloacal samples (150) eggshell (150), egg content (15 pooled samples), layer hen carcasses (150), hand swab (68) and stool samples (68) from poultry workers, were collected from five layer chicken farms. Isolation of NTS was performed by using different cultural and biochemical methods. Moreover, Salmonella isolates were evaluated for antimicrobial susceptibility using the disc diffusion method. The cloacal samples and stool samples showed the prevalence of Salmonella spp. at approximately similar rates of 4.7% and 4.4%, respectively. Chicken isolates were identified as S. Enteritidis, S. Typhimurium, and S. Gallinarum while the human isolates were only S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis. The prevalence of the NTS on the surface of the eggshells (7.3%) was higher than that in the other samples. Among 12 antimicrobials tested, 86.4% resistance was found to streptomycin and oxytetracycline followed by neomycin and erythromycin (77.3%), norfloxacin and ampicillin (68.2%) across the study sites. Kanamycin and gentamicin remained sensitive by 95.5% and 90.9%, respectively. The present study indicated that layer chickens and its products are important sources for human infection with multiple-drug resistant NTS strains.

Background and Aim: Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica are two commonly reported liver flukes that cause fascioliasis in ruminants. Among the members of the genus Fasciola, F. hepatica was identified in the study area. Fascioliasis is a major disease that affects the production of livestock by causing liver damage. F. hepatica has developed advanced mechanisms to trick, elude, and alter the host immune response, similar to an extrinsic stressor. These mechanisms consequently affect the animals' physiological and metabolic functions in vivo and postmortem changes, which have significant influences on animal welfare and meat quality development. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the current prevalence of cattle fascioliasis at abattoirs in El-Kharga city, New Valley Governorate, Egypt, and to investigate the changes in serum biochemical and immunological parameters and oxidative stress factors due to Fasciola spp. infection in terms of meat quality and immune response. Materials and Methods: A total of 226 cattle were inspected for the presence of Fasciola spp. The liver of each cattle was examined by making several incisions for detecting adult Fasciola spp. in El- Kharga . The blood samples were collected to analyze the changes in serum biochemical and immunological parameters and oxidative stress factors. Results: Of the 226 cattle, 38 (16.81%) were positive for F. hepatica at the postmortem examination. Cattle infected with F. hepatica had highly elevated serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase, γ-glutamyl transferase, urea, and creatinine levels. Immunological cytokine profiles showed significantly increased serum interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-beta levels and a significantly decreased interferon-γ level. Furthermore, oxidative stress profiles showed significantly increased serum malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels and significantly decreased total antioxidant capacity and reduced glutathione level. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that F. hepatica infection alone is an oxidative stress factor that affects slaughtered animals, leading to biochemical and metabolic alterations in the early postmortem period.

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This report illustrates, for the first time, a case of unilateral orchitis and epididymitis in a Holstein-Friesian bull, associated with Salmonella enterica infection (Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium). A one and a half-year-old Holstein-Friesian bull had arrived at the Veterinary Hospital of Assiut University suffering from anorexia accompanied with persistent fever, which did not respond to oxytetracycline and flunixin meglumine injection for 15 days. Gross examination revealed left scrotal enlargement (three times its normal size), heat sensation, and induration of the testis and epididymis, which was painful on external palpation. Microbiological and pathological examinations of the left testicle, epididymis, and spleen samples were performed. S. Typhimurium was recovered from the affected tissues and its critical virulence genes (stn, avrA and sopB) were identified. Pathological examination revealed a unilateral necrotizing intratubular pyogranulomatus orchitis and epididymitis with severe peri-orchitis. In addition, splenomegaly with a firm and large whitish nodular capsular structure associated with different stages of granulomatous reaction around the white and red pulp. To the authors’ knowledge, this report is the first isolation of S. Typhimurium from the epididymis and testicles of a Holstein-Friesian bull. These results highlight the importance of including S. Typhimurium among the health disorders associated with stressful situations in bovine with orchitis and or/epididymitis. In Egypt, Salmonella spp. infection as being enzootic with high probability of dissemination should be considered one of genital health problems among cattle farms.