Influence of immunocastration vaccine administration interval on serum androgen concentrations and testis activity in ram lambs

Needham, Tersia; Lambrechts, H.; Hoffman, Louwrens C.

doi:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2018.11.016

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Immunocastration also decreased the percentage of live and normal morphology sperm. It is not unexpected that sperm may still be found in the cauda epididymides of immunocastrated animals, and similar results have been found in other studies on, e.g., sheep [35,36]. Immunocastration vaccination schedules for other species typically focus on suppressing testosterone to a level low enough to prevent agonistic behaviors, and, in the case of swine, to suppress androgen production enough to allow for boar taint clearance, and thus does not rely on the complete elimination of testosterone production.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Effects of Immunocastration and Amino Acid Supplementation on Yearling Fallow Deer (Dama dama) Testes Development

Chitambala,

Ny,

Ceacero

et al. 2023

Animals

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Forty-four fallow deer bucks (10 months old; 22.9 ± 2.4 kg) were utilized to investigate the effects of immunocastration and amino acid supplementation on testes development. Immunocastrated bucks were administered Improvac® at weeks 1, 8, and 20 of this study (control group: intact males). Starting at week 8, half of each sex received rumen-protected lysine and methionine (3:1) supplementation. At slaughter (week 37/39), body size, internal fat deposits, antler size parameters, testes weight, testes surface color, cauda epididymal sperm viability and morphology, and seminiferous tubule circumference and epithelium thickness were determined. Animals with larger body sizes, greater forequarter development, and antler growth also had greater testes development. Whilst the result of immunocastration on testes size is unexpected, testes tissue showed impaired development (atrophied seminiferous tubules), decreased sperm viability, and normal morphology. Testes tissue from immunocastrated deer was less red, possibly indicating reduced blood supply. Conversely, amino acid supplementation increased testes’ redness and sperm viability, and intact males fed amino acids showed the greatest seminiferous tubule development. Thus, immunocastration may be a welfare-friendly alternative for venison production. Whilst the results support findings from the literature that testes size is not a reliable indicator of immunocastration success, this warrants further investigation in deer over different physiological development stages.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Effects of Immunocastration and Amino Acid Supplementation on Yearling Fallow Deer (Dama dama) Testes Development

Chitambala,

Ny,

Ceacero

et al. 2023

Animals

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“…The standard curves used for quantification all had correlation coefficient values above 99.7%. The cortisol concentration of the samples was determined using ultra-performance convergence chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPC 2 -MS/MS), as described by Quanson et al (2016) and Needham et al (2018). Briefly, 500 µL serum was combined with 50 µL 0.3 ng/µL cortisol D-4internal standard (Cambridge Isotope Laboratories, Andover, MA, USA) in glass tubes, 1.5 mL tert-methyl butyl ether (MTBE, Sigma-Aldrich, Steinheim, Germany) was added, and the tubes were shaken at 1000 RPM for 10 minutes.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of quercetin supplementation on the growth, feed efficiency and serum hormone levels of New Zealand White rabbits

North¹,

Zotte²,

Hoffman³

2019

SA J. An. Sci.

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Meat rabbits could provide a new avenue for agricultural development in South Africa, and flavonoids may be able to improve their live performance. This study investigated the effects of quercetin dihydrate (0 and 2 g/kg feed) on the growth parameters and serum-free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine, somatotropin, and cortisol levels of growing rabbits. It also provides the first growth and feed conversion ratio (FCR) data for South African New Zealand Whites. Control (Ctrl) and quercetin-supplemented (Qrc) diets were provided to 34 (16 male, 18 female) and 32 (15 male, 17 female) rabbits, respectively, from 5 to 12 weeks old. Live performance was measured weekly, and serum hormone levels were determined at 11 weeks old. Overall, the rabbits performed well for live weight and growth rate, growing from 1052 ± 13.4 g to 3192 ± 45.3 g (5 -12 weeks). Females had higher cortisol levels than males, as found for other species (female = 10.9 ng/mL, male = 3.89 ng/mL). Qrc rabbits tended to have a higher overall FCR than Ctrl rabbits (Ctrl = 3.83, Qrc = 4.01), possibly due to lower feed digestibility, and had smaller sex differences in growth and FCR than Ctrl rabbits, possibly owing to xenoestrogenic activity. They also tended to have higher fT3 levels than Ctrl rabbits (Ctrl = 3.62 ng/mL, Qrc = 4.98 ng/mL), possibly owing to the inhibition of binding to transthyretin. However, it does not seem that the provision of quercetin is commercially justified for improving the live performance of rabbits.

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“…Castration is the removal of the testicles by either applying a tight rubber ring to the neck of the scrotum or using a clean, sharp knife to incise the scrotum and remove the testicles. Immunocastration is a newer alternative to traditional methods of castration that does not cause pain [ 12 , 13 ]. This method blocks the normal functioning of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis by administering two doses of vaccine against gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH).…”

Section: What Is Lamb Marking?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Immunisation against GnRH results in the suppression of testosterone production and spermatogenesis [ 12 , 14 ]. While this technique has been widely adopted in pigs, there is currently no licenced product in sheep [ 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”

Section: What Is Lamb Marking?mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Well Does Australian Animal Welfare Policy Reflect Scientific Evidence: A Case Study Approach Based on Lamb Marking

Johnston

Richardson

Whittaker

2023

Animals

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The development and substance of animal welfare policy is subject to a range of social, cultural, economic, and scientific influences that commonly vary within and between countries. Discrepancies in policy can create confusion and mistrust among stakeholders and consumers and limit the ability to create a uniform minimum level of requirements to safeguard animal welfare, as well as create a level ‘playing field’ for farmers when trading with other jurisdictions. The livestock sector is receiving growing scrutiny globally for real and perceived violations of animal welfare, for example, the practice of mulesing in Australia. This article explores animal welfare legislation within Australia and how it reflects the scientific evidence surrounding routine husbandry practices in sheep, including tail docking, castration, and mulesing. While there is some variation between state and territory legislation, the most notable concern is the lack of enforceable recommendations surrounding the evidence-based use of analgesia and anaesthesia for painful husbandry procedures. The age at which these procedures are recommended to be performed is relatively consistent across Australian jurisdictions, but there is a marked difference compared to international legislation. The global context of animal welfare legislation, public perception, and producer perception of these procedures are also discussed, highlighting the difficulty of creating robust animal welfare legislation that promotes a good standard of welfare that is respected worldwide whilst being practical in an Australian setting given our unique geography and climatic conditions.

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Influence of immunocastration vaccine administration interval on serum androgen concentrations and testis activity in ram lambs

Cited by 11 publications

References 25 publications

Effects of Immunocastration and Amino Acid Supplementation on Yearling Fallow Deer (Dama dama) Testes Development

Effects of Immunocastration and Amino Acid Supplementation on Yearling Fallow Deer (Dama dama) Testes Development

Effect of quercetin supplementation on the growth, feed efficiency and serum hormone levels of New Zealand White rabbits

How Well Does Australian Animal Welfare Policy Reflect Scientific Evidence: A Case Study Approach Based on Lamb Marking

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