The aim of this study is identification of primordial germ cells during their circulation in the blood stream and migration to the primary gonads in pheasant embryo. The blood was taken from stages 14-17 and genital ridge tissue was taken from stages 20-21 Hamburger & Hamilton. Primary gonads were acquired from stages 28-30 Hamburger & Hamilton. Primordial germ cells have been recognized by using histochemical and immunostaining methods. The current article specified that these cells are distinguishable based on their relatively large size, large nuclei and cytoplasm with defined boundaries. In blood smear, such cells were negative for alkaline phosphatase, while the circulating primordial germ cells were negative for stage-specific embryonic antigen-1 (SSEA-1). Further, the Periodic Acid-Schiff staining was negative or very weak. These cells showed a very weak or negative reaction to staining with Alcian blue. At stages 20-30 Hamburger & Hamilton, primitive germ cells might not be distinguished by alkaline phosphatase and SSEA1 immunostaining. Alcian blue and Periodic Acid-Schiff staining was either negative or very weak in these cells. According to the results of this study, primordial germ cells in all stages showed very weak or negative reactions to different histochemical and immunostaining techniques. We recommend that the use of routine hematoxylin and eosin staining yields better results for primordial germ cells identification.
Babesiosis in cats is a relatively unexplored tick-transmitted clinical entity, however, increasing numbers of cases highlight the growing importance of disease. The study was conducted from June 2020 to May 2021 to assess the hospital-based occurrence and clinical-pathological alterations linked to Babesia infections in domestic cats of Assam presented to Veterinary Clinical Complex (VCC), College of Veterinary Science, Khanapara, Guwahati. Suspected cats (n=50) were screened for Babesia infection by conventional microscopy followed by molecular testing. Additionally, the haemato-biochemical alterations in affected cats were also analyzed. An occurrence of 52.00% (26/50) was recorded for babesiosis in cats. Risk factor analysis revealed age to be significantly correlated with the infection, being highest in cats of >2 years while the other associated factors were statistically non-significant. Most consistent clinical manifestations were lethargy/weakness, fever, dark yellow urine and/or stool, diarrhoea, pale mucous membranes, dry muzzle, rough coat and inappetence. Hematobiochemical analysis revealed decreased haemoglobin, total erythrocyte and platelet counts, increased ALT, AST and bilirubin in affected cats, with data being statistically significant (p<0.05). Combined treatment of diminazene diaceturate and clindamycin along with supportive therapy led to recovery in affected cats except two with the cerebral form and severe anaemia. The present findings will assist clinician and field veterinarians while managing similar type of clinical cases and serves as valuable baseline data to conduct further research. Although treatment of these cases can be very challenging, but with proper evaluation of the haemato-biochemical findings, along with other diagnostic tests, can help in delivering rational treatment, especially in field condition.
Recent incidents of meat spoilage and outbreaks of meat-borne pathogens have increased, primarily attributable to breaches in the cold chain and insufficient preservation techniques throughout the supply chain. To address these issues, the current study focused on developing a natural preservation method using a chitosan film. Here, a nanoemulsion of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oil was prepared, and its morphology was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Additionally, thyme oil nanoemulsions at concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, and 2% (w/v) were incorporated into various chitosan films for bioactive packaging, and the morphological characteristics of the films were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The elongation at break (EAB) and water vapour permeability (WVP) of the chitosan film could be improved by adding the nanoemulsion in a dose-dependent manner. The antimicrobial activity was assessed in vitro against Salmonella Typhimurium (ATCC 14028) and Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 19111), and the film containing 2% thyme nanoemulsion (T3) exhibited the highest efficacy with the least bacterial counts (2.89±0.10 log CFU/cm2 and 2.00±0.00 log CFU/cm2, respectively). Similarly, the highest radical-scavenging activity (45.37±1.68%) was observed for T3. Owing to their significant effectiveness as bioactive films, 1% and 2% formulations were applied as aerobic active packaging on chicken drumsticks. The pH, microbiological characteristics, and sensory attributes of the control and different treatment groups were analysed over 15 days of refrigerated storage (4±1°C) to assess the overall meat quality. This study demonstrated that a chitosan film incorporating 2% thyme nanoemulsion significantly extended the shelf life of chicken drumsticks to 15 days during refrigerated storage, without noticeable sensory degradation. This bioactive film serves as an innovative green preservation method for extending the shelf life of uncooked chicken stored at 4±1°C.
The local cattle of Jammu is one of the unique cattle which belongs to hilly areas of Jammu. A major group of Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are the Toll like receptors (TLRs) which play a very important role in immunity of the animal. Therefore, the study was aimed to detect the polymorphism in TLR2 gene. The genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples of 50 unrelated local cattle of Jammu from different locations.Tetra primer amplification refractory mutation system- polymerase chain reaction (TARMS-PCR) using self-designed primers was performed to detect the SNPs. TARMS-PCR for TLR2 revealed three bands on gel (158 bp control fragment, 120 bp B allele, 100 bp A allele). The genotypic frequencies for AA, AB and BB genotypes and allele frequency of A and B alleles were 0.12, 0.64 and 0.24, 0.44 and 0.56, respectively. The calculated observed number of alleles (na ), effective number of alleles (ne ), observed homozygosity (Ho ), expected heterozygosity (He ), Shannon’s information index (I),Wright’sfixation index (FIS ), PIC values were 2.00, 1.9716, 0.5022, 0.497, 0.6859,-0.2987, 0.3713, respectively. The χ2 and G2 values for genotypes were significant. From the present study it can be concluded that there are substantial genetic variations and heterozygosity present within the local cattle population of Jammu province, which can be explored to formulate the effective breeding policies for genetic improvement, propagation and conservation of this important local cattle population.
Four wheat straw-based iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric complete feeds were formulated from commonly used feed ingredients containing graded levels of urea so as to replace 0 (U0), 15 (U15), 30 (U30) and 45 (U45) per cent protein. There was no effect on in vitro gas production, but methane production was decreased (P<0.05) by 10.6% at the highest level of urea inclusion in the ration (U45). The loss of GE in the form of methane was 9.25, 14.95 and 18.74 per cent less in U15, U30 and U45 rations, respectively, as compared to control (U0). The production of VFA was not affected but acetate: propionate ratio decreased with increasing level of urea in the diet. No difference was observed in protozoa population except total holotrichs, which was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the U0 ration. There was no effect of the urea levels on in vitro true digestibility of feed and the activities of different enzymes like Carboxymethyl cellulose, xylanase and protease. It can be concluded that upto 30 percent of replacement of feed nitrogen by urea, methanogenesis can be reduced leaving any adverse effect in rumen fermentation.
