2004 - 73 (3)

This paper describes the clinical symptoms, the macroscopic and histopathological lesions and virological confirmation of a case of bovine malignant catarrhal fever in a Belgian cow. Subsequent virological examination of the sheep on the farm showed a high prevalence of asymptomatic carriers of the ovine herpesvirus type 2 among the adult ewes as well as among the lambs.

Acid-insoluble ash (AIA) and acid-detergent lignin (ADL) were evaluated as internal markers in digestibility studies with African Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus erithacus). Apparent metabolizable energy, corrected for nitrogen (N) retention (AMEn), nitrogen retention (NR), and apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and crude fat of a commercial seed mixture, sunflower seed, and a commercial pelleted parrot diet were determined using either the method of total collection of feed and excreta or using the marker technique. Both AIA and ADL presented unrealistic negative digestibility values for whole seed diets due to the higher concentration of marker found in the calculated feed intake than in the excreta. This study illustrates the necessity to determine nutrient concentration in feed refusals in digestibility studies with parrots due to the feeding habits of these birds. However, AIA as marker produced digestibility values that, although higher (P < 0.05), showed similar or less variation than the method of total collection when applied to pelleted parrot diets in which feed refusals contain roughly the same nutrient concentration as the feed offered.

According to the SEUROP carcass classification system, double-muscled slaughter bulls of the Belgian Blue beef breed (DM-BBB) are usually classified either as "E" or as "S" carcasses. The large differences in price paid on the market for these two types cannot be explained on the basis of differences in carcass lean meat content resulting from standard dissection methods. In this study, commercial dissection was applied to evaluate the differences between “S” and “E” carcasses. It was concluded that the differences in the proportion of high and low quality meat could not explain the large price differentials. Other factors than carcass composition (size and shape of cuts, meat quality traits) are thus involved.