Czech Journal of Animal Science - Latest articles

Effects of toll like receptor 4 overexpression on blood parameters, body composition, and gastrointestinal microbial diversity in sheep

Xu-Ting Song, Duo-Wei Zhao, Qi Lu, Jun Lu, Mei-Yu Qi, Ming-Hai Lu, Xiu-Qin Yang, Yu-Chang Yao

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(5):189-201 | DOI: 10.17221/76/2022-CJAS  

Genetic modifications can improve the health status and disease resistance of farm animals. In the previous study, genetically modified (GM) sheep overexpressing toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) were produced. The GM sheep had stronger ability to eliminate invasive microbes compared to the wild-type (WT) sheep. Physiological status and immune homeostasis, blood parameters, body composition, and gastrointestinal microbial diversity were evaluated in this study to elucidate the effects of TLR4 overexpression. In a set of 10 GM rams, the TLR4 mRNA and protein expression levels in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells, muscle, kidney,...

Molybdoenzymes isolated from S. glanis liver can produce nitric oxide from nitrates and nitrites

Karlygash Aubakirova, Mereke Satkanov, Maral Kulataeva, Gulmira Assylbekova, Aigul Kambarbekova, Zerekbai Alikulov

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(5):222-230 | DOI: 10.17221/206/2022-CJAS  

Nitric oxide (NO) plays numerous essential physiological functions in terrestrial animals. In mammals, NO production from l-arginine is catalysed by the enzyme NO synthase (NOS). In recent years, data have begun to emerge on NOS expression and the physiological significance of NO in ectothermic vertebrates such as fish. However, there are relatively fewer data compared to the mammalian system. Although it is already well known that animal molybdoenzymes can convert nitrate and nitrite into NO, there is almost no information on the content and properties of molybdoenzymes in fish organs in the scientific literature. In this regard, the objectives...

Effects of phytogenic feed additives on the growth, blood biochemistry, and caecal microorganisms of White Roman geese

Shih-Yi Shen, Yuan-Yu Lin, Shih-Chieh Liao, Jhin-Syuan Wang, Sheng-Der Wang, Ching-Yi Lien

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(5):202-211 | DOI: 10.17221/205/2022-CJAS  

This study investigated the effects of Lycium chinense Miller stem (LCM) and Origanum vulgare Linn (oregano) essential oil on growth, blood biochemistry, and caecal microorganisms in White Roman goose. A total of 96-day-old White Roman geese were randomly allocated to a control group and three treatment groups. The G 0.05 diet was enriched with 0.05% LCM extract, the G 0.5 diet was enriched with 0.5% LCM extract, and the O 0.05 diet was enriched with 0.05% oregano essential oil. Each treatment was allotted to three pens, with four males and four females per pen. Geese were fed for 83 days. Geese in group O 0.05 had greater body...

Allometric coefficient in broilers and development of white striping and wooden breast myopathies

Fernando Alberto Benitez dos Santos, Claudia Marie Komiyama, Vivian Aparecida Rios de Castilho Heiss, Maria Fernanda Castro Burbarelli, Rodrigo Garófallo Garcia, Deivid Kelly Barbosa, Bruna Barreto Przybulinski, Leonardo de Oliveira Seno, Andrey Sávio de Almeida Assunção, Erika Rosendo de Sena Gandra

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(5):212-221 | DOI: 10.17221/182/2022-CJAS  

The aim was to study the evolution and severity of white striping and wooden breast myopathies and to carry out a study on the parameters of meat quality and allometric growth of male and female broilers at different ages. The experiment was conducted in a broiler house in a completely randomized design, using 960 one-day-old chicks of the Cobb^® strain, with 480 chicks of each sex. 96 birds per treatment were slaughtered weekly at the age of 21 to 49 days. The present study analyses the occurrence of myopathies, their scores, and their evolution over the age of the birds, comparing males and females. Further assessments included...

The influence of eating and rumination time on solids content in milk and milk yield performance of cows

Radim Codl, Jaromír Ducháček, Mojmír Vacek, Jan Pytlík, Luděk Stádník, Marek Vrhel

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(4):161-168 | DOI: 10.17221/228/2022-CJAS  

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of rumination time, eating time and season on milk yield and on milk component content in the context of milk recording. The experiment was carried out with two breeds – Czech Fleckvieh cattle and Holstein cattle – for one year. Vitalimetr 5P neck responders were used to monitor eating and rumination time. For statistical evaluation, the time of eating and rumination was divided into three groups according to the length of eating and ruminating, with each breed being categorised separately. The highest protein content, which was 3.6%, was calculated for the group with an average eating...

Recent advances of using organic acids and essential oils as in-feed antibiotic alternative in poultry feeds

Nguyen Hoang Qui

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(4):141-160 | DOI: 10.17221/99/2022-CJAS  

Antibiotics used in animal feeds have recently been strictly regulated to avoid antibiotic resistance in humans. Thus, scientists are compelled to find new feed additives to replace antibiotics in feed. Apart from having a zero effect on human health, new alternatives may even be able to further improve production performance. Essential oils (EOs) and organic acids (OAs) stood out as powerful and useful replacements for both animal production and human population. These are added to chicken diets and drinking water to induce a favourable growth response. Hence, enhancing the nutrient digestibility, performance, and immunity of birds, OAs and...

Laying hen performance, feed economy, egg quality and yolk fatty acid profiles from laying hens fed live black soldier fly larvae

Kanda Lokaewmanee, Samonporn Suttibak, Rathanit Sukthanapirat, Ramin Sriyoha, Napapat Chanasakhatana, Somchai Baotong, Unchan Trithalen

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(4):169-177 | DOI: 10.17221/174/2022-CJAS  

The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) serves as an alternative source of protein in poultry production. However, there is little available information on feeding live black soldier fly larvae (LBSFL) to hens. The present study filled this gap by testing the effect of dietary LBSFL on laying hen performance, feed economy, egg quality, and yolk fatty acid composition. In total, one hundred forty-four 25-week-old Charoen Pokphand Brown laying hens were assigned to four groups. Experimental birds were provided a basal diet supplemented with 0.0 (T1), 10.0 (T2), 20.0 (T3), or 30.0 (T4) g/kg LBSFL. Our results indicated that no effects on...

Studies on the growth, immunomodulation and gut morphometry of Labeo rohita fed pectin

Humaira Sehrish Hashmi, Noor Khan, Khalid Javed Iqbal, Mahroze Fatima, Khalid Mahmood Anjum, Sumaira Abbas, Muhammad Awais, Sadia Nazir, Muhammad Asghar, Mahanama De Zoysa

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(4):178-187 | DOI: 10.17221/132/2022-CJAS  

The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of pectin supplemented feeds on the growth, gut morphology and immunology of Labeo rohita. Experimental feeds containing various concentrations of pectin including control (0%), T1 (0.5%), T2 (1.0%), T3 (2.0%), and T4 (4.0%) were administered to L. rohita twice per day at a rate of 3% body weight. There was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in average final weight, weight gain%, net weight gain and specific growth rate observed in treatment groups in order of control > T1 > T2 > T3 > T4 while feed conversion ratio was significantly (P < 0.05) higher...

Using precision livestock farming for dairy herd management

Radko Loučka, Filip Jančík, Dana Kumprechtová, Veronika Koukolová, Petra Kubelková, Yvona Tyrolová, Alena Výborná, Miroslav Joch, Václav Jambor, Hana Synková, Soňa Malá, Jan Nedělník, Jaroslav Lang, Petr Homolka

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(3):111-121 | DOI: 10.17221/180/2022-CJAS  

The aim of this study was to validate selected precision livestock farming (PLF) methods of nutrition and feeding management of high-yielding Holstein dairy cows. In a feeding trial with 36 dairy cows, the effect of replacing 0.1 kg of sodium bicarbonate in the control total mixed ration (TMR-C) with 1 kg of wheat straw in the experimental total mixed ration (TMR-S) on the physiological status of cows and the amount of milk produced (milk yield, MY) was investigated. Feed intake time (FT), as measured using tensometric feed troughs (TFT), was significantly longer with TMR-S (188 min) than with TMR-C (157 min). Differences between TMR-C and TMR-S...

The interaction between the milk production, milk components with a low frequency of analysis and factors affecting the milk composition in dual-purpose Simmental cows

Daniel Falta, Lenka Zapletalová, Oto Hanuš, Josef Kučera, Milan Večeřa, Gustav Chládek, Radek Filipčík, Tomáš Kopec, Francois Stefanus Lategan

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(3):99-110 | DOI: 10.17221/197/2022-CJAS  

The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of the contribution of components typically found in milk, but which are not often included in analyses, to the nutritional status of dairy cows. This was undertaken by analysing the amount and composition of milk produced by Simmental dairy cows, a dual-purpose breed farmed in the Czech Republic. Apart from the more frequently analysed group of components in milk, a less frequently analysed group of components were also investigated. This group, typically, consists of the following components: urea, casein, citric acid, beta hydroxy butyrate (BHB) ketones and free fatty acids. The average...

Relationships between gilt development and herd production efficiency are revealed by simulation

Han Zhang, Zhexi Liu, Yijun Liu, Depeng Wang, Ji Wang, Keliang Wu

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(3):122-128 | DOI: 10.17221/127/2022-CJAS  

The gilt development level is a critical factor for profitability in the pig industry. To evaluate the impact of different gilt development levels on the age structure and production efficiency of female herds we used the performance data of a pig farm that was simulated over a ten-year period, with current production statistics from the Chinese pig industry as a basis for the model. In a herd of 600 breeding sows, we compared age structure, number born alive (NBA), longevity and sow lifetime productivity in three scenarios with gilt culling rates of 10%, 20%, and 30%. The results show that the gilt development has no significant effects on the...

White striping, woody breast and spaghetti meat: Cooccurrence and relationship with breast fillet weight in big broiler chicken flocks

Jaroslav Valenta, Aftab Siddique, Eva Tůmová, Ondřej Slavíček, Amit Morey

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(3):129-140 | DOI: 10.17221/173/2022-CJAS  

The present study aimed to determine the incidence and coincidence of white striping (WS), woody breast (WB) and spaghetti meat (SM) in raw chicken breast meat (n = 300) collected 3–3.5 h post mortem from commercial broiler flocks (Ross 708 males, 56 days of age). The fillets were scored for the occurrence and severity of WS, WB and SM using visual and tactile methods, and the relationship between myopathies and breast weight was evaluated. A total of 88% of samples (out of 300) had either one or a combination of three myopathies, leaving only 12% without any myopathies. Approximately 29% of the fillets had only one myopathy...

Dietary biochar as a feed additive for increasing livestock performance: A meta-analysis of in vitro and in vivo experiment

Novia Qomariyah, Andi Ella, Salfina Nurdin Ahmad, Yenni Yusriani, Mohammad Miftakhus Sholikin, Tri Rachmanto Prihambodo, Yuli Retnani, Anuraga Jayanegara, Elizabeth Wina, Idat G. Permana

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(2):72-86 | DOI: 10.17221/124/2022-CJAS  

The present study aimed to evaluate the use of biochar as a feed additive on nutrient utilization and livestock performance by employing a meta-analysis method. Various in vitro and in vivo studies regarding the effects of biochar on rumen fermentation, nutrient disappearance, total gas, methane production, microbial population, feed intake, growth performance, blood constituents, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen retention were tabulated in a database. Data were analysed using the mixed model method in which the different studies were considered as random effects while the biochar addition was treated as a fixed effect. The addition...

Effect of Broussonetia papyrifera leaf meal on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and gut health status of growing rabbits

Kunliang Han, Bang Zhang, Yan Cui

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(2):87-97 | DOI: 10.17221/146/2022-CJAS  

This experiment aimed to study the effect of Broussonetia papyrifera leaf meal (BP) on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, intestinal permeability, and caecal microbiota of growing rabbits. A total of 240 weaned Ira male rabbits were randomly divided into four groups with six replicates of 10 rabbits each. The BP was added at 0% (CON), 3.0% (BP3), 6.0% (BP6), and 9.0% (BP9). All diets were isoenergetic, isonitrogenous, and isofibrous. The feeding trial lasted for 28 days. The results showed that adding BP had no significant effect on the growth performance of rabbits. Compared with the CON group, groups BP6 and BP9 showed the...

Low-density lipoprotein supplementation improves the quality of Holstein bulls’ insemination doses

Jan Pytlík, Radim Codl, Jaromír Ducháček, Filipp Georgijevič Savvulidi, Marek Vrhel, Luděk Stádník

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(2):64-71 | DOI: 10.17221/223/2022-CJAS  

Despite the routine use of cryopreservation in dairy cattle, the subsequent deterioration in the quality of bull insemination doses (IDs) is an incentive to refine cryopreservation protocols, including the composition of the ID. The aim of this study was to examine, using a flow cytometry assay, whether the selected concentrations of low density lipoproteins (LDLs) extracted from hen-egg yolk may improve the post-thaw quality of the ID diluted with a plant-based extender. In total, 30 ejaculates from five sires (six trials per animal) were collected and processed at the Artificial Insemination Centre. The effect of the low density lipoprotein...

Effects of apoptosis by 20α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity on corpus luteum formation during early pregnancy in cattle

Ji-Hye Lee, Seok-Hyun Cho, Sang-Hwan Kim

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(2):53-63 | DOI: 10.17221/116/2022-CJAS  

20α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20α-HSD) is a member of the aldo-keto reductase family. These enzymes play a pivotal role in regulating steroid hormones, such as androgens, oestrogen, and progesterone, and are, therefore, considered vital targets for determining whether a pregnancy is maintained. In this study, we investigated the association between 20α-HSD and apoptosis-related genes in luteal tissues (at 30, 60, and 90 days of gestation) and cells from early gestation in cattle. The corpus luteum altered the number of large lutein cells from 30–90 days. The change in the junction of the connective...

Label-free proteomics to identify keratins and keratin-associated proteins and their effects on the fleece traits of Inner Mongolia Cashmere Goats

Chongyan Zhang, Yuchun Xie, Juntao Guo, Xin Su, Cun Zhao, Qing Qin, Dongliang Dai, Zhixin Wang, Jinquan Li, Zhihong Liu

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(1):17-29 | DOI: 10.17221/93/2022-CJAS  

Inner Mongolia Cashmere Goat fleece is derived from a heterogeneous coat. The guard hair is produced by primary hair follicles, and the down hair is produced by secondary hair follicles. Reports have focused on research related to the different hair follicle types, but no related study has addressed the difference in the proteins of down hair (DH) and guard hair (GH), and whether the protein composition of these materials differs remains to be studied. The protein composition of DH and GH was studied. A total of 108 proteins were identified in DH, and 116 proteins were identified in GH; 39 proteins were differentially expressed, of which 18 proteins...

Effect of feeding a diet containing housefly (Musca domestica) larvae extracts on growth performance in broiler chickens

Sang-O Park

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(1):44-51 | DOI: 10.17221/168/2022-CJAS  

Insects like housefly (Musca domestica L.) are future feed resources for economic animals because insects can improve growth performance by promoting the immune function and gut microbial balance. However, little is known about research reports on housefly larvae extracts containing an antibacterial peptide. This study investigated the effect of feeding diets supplemented with housefly larvae extract (HLE) containing antibacterial peptides on the growth performance of broiler chickens. Nine hundred broilers (Ross 308) were fed diets containing HLE for 35 days. Treatment groups consisted of CON (control without HLE), PC (positive control,...

Anti-coccidial effects of dietary chamomile against experimentally induced coccidiosis in broiler chicken

Sleman Said Mohammed Beski

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(1):30-43 | DOI: 10.17221/160/2022-CJAS  

A 4 × 2 factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation levels (0, 5 and 10 g/kg) of chamomile flower powder and a level (60 mg/kg) of salinomycin on performance and gut health of broiler chickens under coccidiosis challenge. A total of 320-day-old Ross 308 broilers were assigned to eight treatments of four replicates with 10 birds. Oral inoculation of the challenged groups with Eimeria tenella occurred on day 8. On day 10, disease challenge and additive level significantly (P = 0.003) interacted, decreasing the feed intake. Feed intake significantly (P ≤ 0.001) decreased in birds...

In‌ ovo feeding of nutraceuticals and its role in adjusting the gastrointestinal tract, antioxidative properties, immunological response, and performance in poultry: An updated review

Tarek A. Ebeid, Mohamed Ketta, Ibrahim H. Al-Homidan, Hassan Barakat, Abdel-Moneim Eid Abdel-Moneim

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(1):1-16 | DOI: 10.17221/201/2022-CJAS  

Nutraceuticals are food ingredients that provide extra health advantages that expand above their nutritional value. Nutraceuticals comprise amino acids, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, enzymes, organic acids, fatty acids, medicinal plants, etc. Recently, nutraceuticals have acquired much attention in poultry industry by reason of their potential effects on establishing the normal physiological status, supporting the immune system, and disease prevention, which consequently enhances productivity. The technique of in ovo feeding (IOF) of nutraceuticals holds several promises in poultry industry. The...

List of CJAS Reviewers in 2022

Editorial Department

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2023, 68(1):I-II