The present study evaluated the effectiveness of three food trap mixtures in two types of traps, uncoloured and coloured (green base, purple-red, and yellow top), in four different orchard types: blueberry, compost zone, mixed fruit tree, and cherry. The aim was to monitor the viability of the Drosophila suzukii population in these areas. The study covered two years (2020-2021) and the results showed that the mixture of wine and cider vinegar in uncoloured traps (variant V1) captured the highest number of insects, with a total of 32,479 (43% of the total catch). Variant V3 followed with 28,498 insects (38% of the total catch), while cider vinegar alone (variant V2) was less effective, catching 14,731 insects (19% of the total catch). A total of 61,706 Drosophila suzukii were caught in coloured traps over the two years. In this case V3 was the most effective, capturing 41% of the total catch, followed by variant V1 with 39% and variant V2 with 20%. Coloured traps were less effective than uncoloured traps in terms of total catch of Drosophila suzukii. However, in the blueberry orchard in 2021, the coloured traps 1325 captured a higher number of insects than the uncoloured traps. The effectiveness of traps for capturing Drosophila suzukii is influenced by factors such as placement, trap type, components used, timing, and environmental conditions.
The reduction of emissions of nutrients from livestock is one of the main topics in areas with intensive animal husbandry. In order to minimize the loss of nutrients into the environment, it is common practice to feed animals as close as possible to metabolic demands. For phosphorus (P), there are various studies for swine and poultry, which showed that a reduction of dietary P levels is possible, if a sufficient level of phytase is added to the diet. The supplementation of a sufficient dosage of phytase to plant-based diets leads to an increase in digestible phosphorus (dP) upon the hydrolisation of phytate (InsP6) to P and lower inositol-phosphates. However, most of these studies were conducted under standardized experimental conditions. In terms of transfer to practical conditions with varying housing, management and genetics, there are concerns that have led to speculation by farmers and veterinarians whether the reduction of dietary P could negatively affect bone health and therefore animal welfare. In order to test whether a reduction of dietary P according to the recommendations for dP of the German Society of Nutrition Physiology (GfE) affects bone mineralization and growth performance, a ringtest was conducted where piglets and fattening pigs were fed at four experimental stations with three centrally produced diets from the same batches. The diets contained three different levels of P and were designed to reflect practical diets. The P level decreased from diet one to three, respectively. Diets one and two were calculated to contain P levels, which are typically fed under practical conditions in Germany. The third diet was optimized to fulfill the requirements of dP by the GfE. The animals were fed in two phases as post-weaning piglets (8-15 kg and 15-28 kg BW) followed by a three-phase fattening regime (28-60 kg, 60-90 kg and 90-120 kg BW). Individual body weight and feed consumption (pen basis or individually, depending on the experimental station) were recorded for every feeding phase. At the end of the experiment, animals were slaughtered. At one experimental station, additional blood serum, metatarsi of the left leg and kidney tissue were sampled to analyze serum P concentration, expression of P transporters in the kidney and bone traits. In two experimental stations, femur and vertebra were sampled, and bone ash was determined. Overall, animal performance and all other traits analyzed did not differ between the treatment with the highest and the treatment with the lowest dietary P concentration. The results demonstrate that it is possible to decrease dietary P according to the recommendations for dP of the GfE, without impairing the animals' performance or mineral homeostasis and health. A reduction of total P by reducing mineral P to the levels of the present study require the supplementation of phytase to achieve sufficient concentrations of dP.
ZusammenfassungExsudative Epidermitis (EE) – meist, aber nicht ausschließlich ausgelöst durch Staphylococcus (St.) hyicus – ist ein verbreitetes Problem auf Ferkelerzeugerbetrieben. So auch in einem westdeutschen eigenremontierenden Betrieb mit 350 produktiven Sauen. Beginnend mit schwärzlich-schuppigen Hautläsionen bei einzelnen Saug- und Aufzuchtferkeln sowie Jung- und Altsauen, bestand bereits in der nächsten Absetzgruppe bei etwa 50% der Ferkel die klinische Verdachtsdiagnose der EE. Die Mortalitätsrate im Aufzuchtstall stieg bei betroffenen Ferkelgruppen auf 10%. Sowohl die (histo)pathologische Untersuchung als auch der wiederholte Nachweis von St. hyicus aus Hauttupfern sowie Tupfern aus anderen Organen bestätigten die klinische Verdachtsdiagnose. Neben St. hyicus konnte aus einzelnen Hauttupfern zudem St. chromogenes isoliert werden. In der weiterführenden Charakterisierung der St. hyicus-Stämme wurden ExhA und SHETA als beteiligte Toxine identifiziert, und die Isolate zeigten unter anderem Resistenzen gegen Penicilline und Aminopenicilline. Kurzfristig verbesserte eine bestandsweise antibiotische Therapie mit einem Trimethoprim-Sulfadiazin-haltigen Präparat in Kombination mit der individuellen Behandlung einzelner Tiere und dem Waschen mit einer jodhaltigen Lösung die klinische Symptomatik. Zur dauerhaften Reduktion des Einsatzes antibiotischer Mittel wurde sich für die Herstellung eines bestandsspezifischen Impfstoffs mit den isolierten St. hyicus- und St. chromogenes-Stämmen entschieden, welcher als Mutterschutzvakzine an die Sauen appliziert wurde. Zusätzlich wurde die externe und interne Biosicherheit anhand eines objektiven Fragebogens (Bio-check.UGentTM) evaluiert und angepasst. Die Kombination der Maßnahmen führte zu einer langfristigen Besserung des klinischen Geschehens. Das erneute Auftreten leichter Hautläsionen bei einzelnen Ferkeln konnte mit der Anpassung des bestandsspezifischen Impfstoffes durch neu gewonnene St. hyicus-Isolate zielführend in den Griff bekommen werden. Der Fallbericht verdeutlicht, wie mit der Kombination aus kontinuierlichem Monitoring, Einzeltier- und Gruppentherapie, Evaluierung der Biosicherheit und dem Einsatz einer angemessenen Immunprophylaxe selbst hartnäckige Fälle der EE auf ein Minimum reduziert werden können.
Fungal infections of the lung are an increasing problem worldwide and the search for novel therapeutic agents is a current challenge due to emerging resistance to current antimycotics. The volatile defence substance allicin is formed naturally by freshly injured garlic plants and exhibits broad antimicrobial potency. Chemically synthesised allicin was active against selected fungi upon direct contact and via the gas phase at comparable concentrations to the pharmaceutically used antimycotic amphotericin B. We investigated the suppression of fungal growth by allicin vapour and aerosols in vitro in a test rig at air flow conditions mimicking the human lung. The effect of allicin via the gas phase was enhanced by ethanol. Our results suggest that allicin is a potential candidate for development for use in antifungal therapy for lung and upper respiratory tract infections.
