World Rabbit Science - Vol. 28 (1)-2020https://riunet.upv.es:443/handle/10251/1415562024-03-28T13:03:03Z2024-03-28T13:03:03ZSeasonal variations in furs of Gabaly and New Zealand white rabbits and their crossbred under Egyptian semi-arid conditionsNasr, A.I.Taha, E.A.Naglaa, S.B.Essa, D.G.https://riunet.upv.es:443/handle/10251/1430752023-11-21T11:52:21Z2020-05-13T11:24:38ZSeasonal variations in furs of Gabaly and New Zealand white rabbits and their crossbred under Egyptian semi-arid conditions
Nasr, A.I.; Taha, E.A.; Naglaa, S.B.; Essa, D.G.
[EN] The effect of breed and season on rabbits’ fur characteristics under Egyptian semi-arid conditions was studied in this research. Fifty-nine male rabbits aged 3-3.5 mo of Gabaly (GB, n=21) and New Zealand White (NZW, n=27) breeds and their crossbred (NZW×GB, n=11) were studied during two subsequent seasons; summer (n=31) and winter (n=28). Skin samples were taken pre-slaughtering to determine the histological parameters, skin layer thicknesses and physical traits of fur fibres. After slaughter, rabbits’ furs were chrome tanned to determine physical and chemical properties. Results showed that all histological parameters of follicle dimensions were affected (P<0.01) by season, breed and their interaction. In summer, primary follicles had larger follicle dimensions and produced coarser fibres than in winter, whereas opposite results were observed for the secondary follicles. Additionally, the uniformity of fibre diameter distribution and hair length of furs were higher (P<0.01) in summer than in winter. Results indicated the role of the seasonal variations in body coat to accommodate the climatic changes. NZW rabbits were superior (P<0.01) in most histological parameters of follicle dimensions, followed by NZW×GB crossbred and finally GB rabbits, while NZW×GB crossbred produced finer (P<0.01) fur fibre than NZW and GB rabbits. Otherwise, influence of season and breed were negligible on the skin layer thickness values and the physical and chemical fur properties. Consequently, the study concluded that tanned rabbit furs are suitable for manufacturing leather garments when used alone, while reinforcing the fur with textile padding may increase their utility for other leather manufacturing purposes.
2020-05-13T11:24:38ZPrevalence of post mortem lesions recorded in the largest Italian rabbit slaughterhouse over a fifteen-years period (2003-2017)Conficoni, D.Cullere, M.Lago, N.Alberghini, L.Rossin, T.Dalle Zotte, A.Giaccone, V.https://riunet.upv.es:443/handle/10251/1430742023-11-21T11:52:21Z2020-05-13T11:21:06ZPrevalence of post mortem lesions recorded in the largest Italian rabbit slaughterhouse over a fifteen-years period (2003-2017)
Conficoni, D.; Cullere, M.; Lago, N.; Alberghini, L.; Rossin, T.; Dalle Zotte, A.; Giaccone, V.
[EN] The present research was aimed at evaluating the prevalence of gross lesions in condemned rabbit carcasses by analysing data recorded in a large Italian slaughterhouse. From 2003 until 2017, a total of 103 080 019 rabbits were processed: 101 722 673 were finishing rabbits and 1 357 346 were breeding females. A total of 742 397 carcasses were condemned due to lesions. Condemned carcasses from young rabbits (n=545 070) evidenced: 33.6% enteritis, 31.5% subcutaneous abscesses, 29.7% cachexia and 3.84% lung disease. Among breeding rabbits (n=197 327) there were 38.9% cachexia, followed by 35.8% uterine pathologies (breeding females), 14.9% subcutaneous abscesses, 5.42% ulcerative pododermatitis, 2.61% chronic nephritis and 2.47% lung disease. Regarding season-related lesions, for growing rabbits the total prevalence of lesions and diseases was the highest in winter (enteritis increased in winter, but subcutaneous abscesses were higher in summer). Rabbit does showed the highest prevalence of subcutaneous abscesses in summer and ulcerative pododermatitis in winter. From 2003 to 2017, the overall number of condemned carcasses doubled in both categories, with a sharp increase from 2012 till 2017. The prevalence of lesions among slaughtered rabbits differed between growing and breeding categories, which was attributable to different farming conditions, physiological status and slaughter age. Based on the above-mentioned findings, better management strategies at different stages of the rabbit production chain seem to be a necessary way to manage resulting waste and address possible economic concerns.
2020-05-13T11:21:06ZImpact of quercetin supplementation on testicular functions in summer heat-stressed rabbitsNaseer, Z.Ahmad, E.Aksoy, M.Epikmen, E.T.https://riunet.upv.es:443/handle/10251/1430722023-11-21T11:52:21Z2020-05-13T11:16:04ZImpact of quercetin supplementation on testicular functions in summer heat-stressed rabbits
Naseer, Z.; Ahmad, E.; Aksoy, M.; Epikmen, E.T.
[EN] The current study was designed to determine the effects of dietary quercetin on epididymal sperm
and testicular changes in male rabbits during summer heat stress (HS). Twelve adult male New Zealand
white rabbits were submitted to summer heat conditions (temperature-humidity index 29.9±1.2). One group
was fed a basal ration (BR; n=6), whereas the other group was fed the same basal diet supplemented with
quercetin (30 mg/kg d; Que-BR; n=6) for 60 d, and both groups were sacrificed at the end of the experiment.
Epididymis and testicles isolation was done for sperm, histopathology and apoptosis assessments. The
results showed that quercetin improved epididymis weight, but did not affect other testicular dimensions
except testicular length. A significant improvement was observed in epididymal sperm motility, concentration,
kinematic parameters, viability, mitochondrial potential and acrosome integrity in Que-BR compared to the BR
group. Lowered serum malondialdehyde level was observed in quercetin supplemented rabbits. Moreover,
the quercetin supplementation maintained the interstitial stroma, seminiferous tubules architecture, germinal
and Sertoli cells under HS, decreasing the apoptotic germ cell rate in seminiferous tubules. In conclusion,
HS condition affects the sperm and testes configurations in rabbits and dietary quercetin minimises oxidative
stress, which in turn protects the testes and sperm against HS induced damage.
2020-05-13T11:16:04ZComparison between Tris-buffer and INRA-82 extenders on the quality of chilled rabbit spermatozoaFadl, A.M.Ghallab, A.M.Abou-Ahmed, M.M.https://riunet.upv.es:443/handle/10251/1430702023-11-21T11:52:21Z2020-05-13T11:12:23ZComparison between Tris-buffer and INRA-82 extenders on the quality of chilled rabbit spermatozoa
Fadl, A.M.; Ghallab, A.M.; Abou-Ahmed, M.M.
[EN] The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of tris-buffer and INRA-82 extenders on the quality of cooled rabbit spermatozoa. Pooled semen samples were collected from eight New Zealand White rabbit bucks, divided into three groups and diluted 1:5 with three different semen extenders: INRA-82, tris-citrate glucose (TCG) and tris-citrate trehalose (TCT). Following dilution, the samples were stored at 5°C for up to 48 h. Sperm motility was recorded at 24, 36 and 48 h post-cooling. Furthermore, sperm viability, morphology, membrane integrity, acrosome status and DNA integrity were assessed at 24 h post-cooling. We found that progressive motility percentages were significantly higher (P<0.05) in samples diluted in INRA-82 (61.00, 53.50, 44.00% at 24, 36 and 48 h post-cooling, respectively) than those diluted in either TCG (39.25, 32.00, 19.75%) or in TCT (47.25, 40.50, 29.00%). We also reported that sperm viability, percentage of normal spermatozoa, percentage of spermatozoa with intact acrosome and DNA integrity after 24 h cooling were significantly higher (P<0.05) in INRA-82 diluted samples compared to TCG and TCT diluted ones. In summary, our results show that dilution of rabbit semen in INRA-82 improved sperm physiological parameters post-cooling compared to those diluted in TCG or TCT. Our findings also suggest that INRA-82 is a promising diluent that can be used effectively to maintain the viability of chilled rabbit semen.
2020-05-13T11:12:23ZAssociation of Melanophilin (MLPH) gene polymorphism with coat colour in Rex rabbitsLi, J.Chen, Y.Liu, M.Chen, Q.Zhou, J.Bao, G.Wu, X.https://riunet.upv.es:443/handle/10251/1430692023-11-21T11:52:20Z2020-05-13T11:09:58ZAssociation of Melanophilin (MLPH) gene polymorphism with coat colour in Rex rabbits
Li, J.; Chen, Y.; Liu, M.; Chen, Q.; Zhou, J.; Bao, G.; Wu, X.
[EN] Rex rabbit, with multiple phenotypes and colourful fur, is an interesting model for assessing the
effect of coat colour gene mutations on characteristic pigmentation phenotype. Based on previous study, the
melanophilin (MLPH) gene is a positional candidate gene related coat colour dilution. The fur colours are a
lighter shade, e.g. grey instead of black. We sequenced 1689 base pairs of the MLPH gene in Chinchilla and
black Rex rabbit. A total of 13 polymorphisms were identified, including seven missense mutations. The rabbit
MLPH gene has a very high GC content and the protein shows 64.87% identity to the orthologous human
protein (lack of homologous amino acids encoded by human MLPH exon 9). Hardy-Weinberg test showed
that, except for the g.606C>A single nucleotid polymorphism (SNP), all other SNPs were in Hardy-Weinberg
equilibrium. Haplotype analysis revealed that the seven missense mutation SNPs of two strains of Rex rabbits
formed 10 haplotypes, but there were only seven major types of haplotypes (haplotype frequency P>0.05).
The major haplotypes of the Chinchilla and black Rex rabbits were H1/H2/H3/H4/H5 and H1/H2/H3/H6/H8,
respectively. The special haplotypes of Chinchilla Rex rabbit (H4, H5, H7) were consistently associated with
the Chinchilla phenotype. This study provides evidence that different coat colour formation may be caused by
one or more mutations within MLPH gene in several Rex rabbit strains. The data on polymorphisms that are
associated with the Chinchilla phenotype facilitate the breeding of rabbits with defined coat colours.
2020-05-13T11:09:58ZReliability of acid-insoluble ash as internal marker for the measurement of digestibility in rabbitsPapadomichelakis, G.Fegeros, K.https://riunet.upv.es:443/handle/10251/1430562023-11-21T11:52:20Z2020-05-13T09:57:26ZReliability of acid-insoluble ash as internal marker for the measurement of digestibility in rabbits
Papadomichelakis, G.; Fegeros, K.
[EN] The present study aimed to evaluate acid-insoluble ash (AIA) as an internal marker for the
measurement the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) in rabbits through two experiments
(E1 and E2). In E1, 48 rabbits were used to calculate the CTTAD of the same basal diet according to the
European reference method (ERM), the AIA and the titanium dioxide (TiO2
with 1 g of TiO2
/kg diet) techniques
(n=16 rabbits/method). The effect of feed sample quantity on dietary AIA content was investigated and total
collection of faeces was carried out to calculate marker recovery. In E2, 48 rabbits were allotted to three
groups fed diets with no sugar beet pulp (SBP0) or with 100 (SBP100) and 200 (SBP200) g sugar beet pulp/
kg (n=16 rabbits/group). Each group was divided into two subgroups, ERM and AIA (n=8 rabbits/subgroup), in
which CTTAD was measured using the European reference and AIA method, respectively. In AIA subgroups,
only 10% of the total daily faecal output was sampled from 9:00 to 9:30 am. Feed analysis in E1 showed
that increasing sample quantity from 5 to 9 g did not affect the dietary AIA content; however, the analytical
error was 7 and 5 times lower (P<0.05) for 9 g, when compared to 5 and 7 g samples. Feed analysis also
showed 1.030±0.003 g TiO2
/kg diet. Faecal marker recovery was 99.80±0.03 and 96.89±0.16% for AIA and
TiO2
, respectively. The CTTAD of dry matter (DM), did not differ between methods in E1, but a 5-fold higher
variability (P<0.05) was observed for the TiO2
technique in comparison with the ERM and AIA methods. Also,
no differences in the CTTAD of DM between the ERM and AIA methods were found in E2. In conclusion, AIA
is a reliable internal marker in rabbits and offers the possibility of measuring the CTTAD of diets with precision,
when complete faecal collection or feed intake measurement is not possible.
2020-05-13T09:57:26Z