The villi height of the villi is associated with the nutrients’ absorption and greater body weight. The correlation between body weight and villi height or villi area in three sections of the small intestine was investigated. A total of 42 pigs were randomly sampled with an average of 73.61 kg ± 10.72 kg slaughtered weight. Three methodologies were used for sampling in each of the three sections of the small intestine. The height and area of the villi were measured for each section of the intestine. Linear Pearson correlations were calculated. The correlations of the height and area of the villi of the ileum were positive and low (r = 0.168; n = 42; p = 0.05). The duodenum and jejunum correlations were negative and low (r = -0.140; n = 42; p > 0.01). No correlation was found between the body weight and the height or area of the villi, possibly due to other factors that may affect them.

This study determined productive performance, ruminal fermentation kinetics and rumen ciliate protozoa in hair sheep lambs fed different levels of olive oil. Twenty-four growing lambs were used, with an initial live weight of 10.5 ± 2.9 kg, and randomly assigned into four treatments (six animals per treatment) containing increasing levels of extra virgin olive oil (0, 2, 4 and 6% of dry matter). Animals were fed for 80 days, and sampling was carried out weekly. Intake of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and metabolizable energy (ME) differed between treatments (p < 0.05), with a linear and cubic tendency to decrease when oil concentrations were increased. Digestibility coefficients of OM, CP and NDF were not affected; however, the relationship between total intake and nutrient digestibility (DM, OM, NDF, ADF) increased with 2% DM olive oil. Compared with all treatments, the concentration of propionic acid increased by 16% with 4% olive oil. The intake of olive oil did not affect the protozoa population and live weight gain. Overall, the inclusion of olive oil in low concentrations (2% of DM) positively influences feed intake and nutrient digestibility in hair sheep lambs.

This study determined the effect of pelagic Sargassum on in vitro dry matter and organic matter degradation, total gas production (TGP), and protozoa population. The treatments were different levels of Sargassum inclusion on a basal substrate (Stargrass hay; Cynodon nlemfuensis) as follows: T0 (control treatment based on Stargrass hay), T10 (90% Stargrass hay + 10% Sargassum), T20 (80% Stargrass hay + 20% Sargassum), and T30 (70% Stargrass hay + 30% Sargassum). Ruminal fermentation kinetics and protozoa population were determined during 72 h of in vitro incubations. Compared to control, dry matter degradability at 48 and 72 h and organic matter degradability at 24 and 48 h were higher in Sargassum treatments. TGP was lower with T20 at 48 h. The total population of protozoa and the concentration of Entodinium spp. were lower at T20 at 48 h and T30 at 72 h. Cl, S, Ca, K, and Zn (103, 5.97, 88.73, 285.70 g/kg, and 15,900 mg/kg) were high in Sargassum, reaching twice or even nine times higher than the contents in Stargrass (11.37, 1.60, 43.53, 87.73 g/kg, and 866.67 mg/kg). Overall, up to 30% pelagic Sargassum could be included in hay-based substrates from tropical grasses without negative effects on in vitro dry matter and organic matter degradability.

Natural antimicrobials, known as phytobiotics, are used in bacterial infections. The objective of this study was to evaluatethe phytobiotic activity, in vitro and in vivo, of an extract and an essential oil of Piper auritum and Ocimum basilicum on avian Eschericia coli serotype O2 in broiler chickens experimentally infected. For the in vitro test, extracts at 4, 8, 12 and 16% in water-based solvent or alcohol at 70% were prepared from leaves of both plants. In the essential oils, solvents at 10% were used. A concentration of 1×108 CFU mL-1 of bacteria was seeded and on each sense disc, 25 µL of the extract or essential oil were poured, except on the positive or negative control. The diameter of the inhibition zone (DIZ) of bacterial growth was measured. In the in vivo test, 40 chickens were inoculated, by intratracheal route, with a bacterial suspension of 1 × 108 CFU mL-1. E. col was identified and isolated from the organs; mortality, morbidity and relative weight of the organs were measured, and postmortem lesions and histopathologic findings were observed. A completely randomized design and the Kruskal-Wallis test for data analysis was used. By increasing the concentration of the extract, DIZ was greater; at the time of slaughter, differences in body weight (p<0.05) were found and the majority of lesions were observed in lungs. It is concluded that leave extracts of P. auritum and O. basilicum had phytobiotic activity on E. col serotype O2.

Se evalúo el efecto de la inclusión de Moringa oleifera Lam. y Trichanthera gigantea (Bonpl.) Nees en la dieta de ovinos de pelo (Pelibuey) sobre su calidad seminal. Durante 90 días, se dividieron las dietas de 15 ovinos (24 kg ± 3.95) en tres tratamientos: T1: dieta integral con 30% de M. oleifera + pasto Taiwán (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.), T2: dieta integral con 30% de T. gigantea + pasto Taiwán y T3: alimento comercial + pasto Taiwán. Se determinaron la ganancia diaria de peso (GDP), rendimiento de la canal (RC), desarrollo testicular (DT) (determinado por el ancho (AE) y la circunferencia escrotal (CE)), el volumen del eyaculado, concentración y motilidad, viabilidad (SYBR-14/IP), actividad mitocondrial (J-C1) e integridad acrosomal (FITC-PSA) en los espermatozoides. No se encontraron diferencias (p>0.05) en la GDP y RC. Se encontraron diferencias (p˂0.05) en el DT, los T1 (AE = 48.84±5.99 mm, CE = 26.48±1.13 cm) y T3 (AE = 48.83±4.34 mm, CE = 26.62±1.27 cm) presentaron valores más elevados que T2 (AE = 44.57±5.59 mm, CE = 25.42±1.50 cm); en la viabilidad, T2 (62.90±6.10%) y T1 (54.00±6.61%) poseen mayores porcentajes que T3 (24.45±7.56%); en la motilidad, T1 (93.9± 2.1%) y T2 (88.6±1.9%) tuvieron mayor porcentaje que T3 (71.9± 4.0%). La inclusión de M. oleifera y T. gigantea en la dieta permite obtener una GDP, RC y DT similar al alimento comercial e incrementa más del 20% de las células espermáticas viables; también mejora algunos parámetros de motilidad, lo que incrementa el potencial reproductivo de los sementales.