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RESUMO -Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar o efeito do uso de gordura protegida na dieta de ovelhas da raça Bergamácia sobre a produção e composição do leite e a dinâmica de peso das ovelhas. Utilizaram-se 77 ovelhas distribuídas em 2 grupos de forma homogênea por ordem de parição e idade, mantidas com uma dieta controle, com silagem de milho e concentrado, ou com a dieta controle contendo gordura protegida (35 g/ovelha.dia) adicionada ao concentrado. As dietas foram isoenergéticas e isoproteicas e continham 16% PB e 70% NDT na matéria seca. Durante o dia, os cordeiros eram mantidos com suas mães em pasto, à noite eram separados e retornavam à suas mães após a ordenha matinal; foram desmamados aos 45 dias de idade. As ovelhas, após 48 horas do parto, foram ordenhadas mecanicamente uma vez ao dia, às 7 h, e sua produção de leite foi mensurada diariamente durante 60 dias. Amostras de leite foram coletadas semanalmente para determinação dos teores de proteína e gordura. A dieta com gordura protegida proporcionou maior produção média diária de leite após a desmama dos cordeiros (0,531 vs 0,489 kg/animal.dia). Entretanto, a produção de todo o período não diferiu entre as dietas (0,468 vs 0,453 kg/animal.dia, com gordura protegida e controle, respectivamente). As produções de leite corrigidas para 6,5% de gordura e para 6,5% de gordura e 5,8% de proteína foram semelhantes entre as dietas.Palavras-chave: gordura bypass, leite, ovino, produção de leite, suplementação Performance of Bergamasca ewes fed diet with bypass fatABSTRACT -The objective of this study was to observe the effect of using bypass fat in the diet of Bergamasca ewes on milk yield, milk composition and ewe weight dynamics. Seventy seven ewes were distributed in two homogeneous groups, according to lambing order and age fed a control diet with corn silage and concentrate; or with a control diet with bypass fat (35 g/ewe/day) added to the concentrate. The diets were isoenergetic and isonitrogenous, presenting 16% CP and 70% TDN on dry matter basis. The lambs stayed with their mothers in pastures during the day and were separated at night. They returned to their mothers after the morning milking and were weaned at 45 days of age. Forty-eight hours after lambing, ewes were machine milked once daily at 7 am and the milk yield was recorded for a period of 60 days. Milk samples were collected weekly to determine the content of milk protein and fat. The bypass fat diet showed a higher daily average milk yield after weaning the lambs (0.531 vs 0.489 kg/animal.day). However, milk yield throughout the period was not different between the two diets (0.468 vs 0.453 kg/animal.day, for bypass fat and control, respectively). Milk yield corrected to 6.5% fat and 6.5% fat and 5.8% protein were similar in both diets.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are zoonotic, foodborne pathogens of humans. Ruminants, including sheep, are the primary reservoirs of STEC and there is a need to develop intervention strategies to reduce the entry of STEC into the food chain. The initiation of the majority of bacterial, enteric infections involves colonisation of the gut mucosal surface by the pathogen. However, probiotic bacteria can serve to decrease the severity of infection via a number of mechanisms including competition for receptors and nutrients, and/or the synthesis of organic acids and bacteriocins that create an environment unfavourable for pathogen development. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the administration of a probiotic mixture to sheep experimentally infected with a non-O157 STEC strain, carrying stx1, stx2 and eae genes, was able to decrease faecal shedding of the pathogen. The probiotic mixture contained Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus and Enterococcus faecium. The numbers of non-O157 STEC in faecal samples collected from sheep receiving daily doses of the probiotic mixture were significantly lower at the 3rd, 5th and 6th week post-inoculation when compared to the levels recorded in untreated animals. It was concluded that administration of the probiotic mixture reduced faecal shedding of non-O157 STEC in sheep, and holds potential as a pre-harvest intervention method to reduce transmission to humans.

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