HAL ENVT (Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse)
Not a member yet
16577 research outputs found
Sort by
Comparing the incomparable: Use of realist methodology to analyse biosecurity interventions in heterogenous and complex community settings
No full textInternational audienceHow can we understand the impact of community-based approaches in three very di7erent contexts?Realist evaluation: An interpretative approach that aims to answer the question "What works, for whom, under what circumstances, and how
Caractérisation fonctionnelle d’une région impliquée dans la croissance et l’adiposité chez le porc
No full textMasterThe PORQTL programme, initiated by INRA in 1991, aims to determine genomic regions associated with quantitative traits (QTL) of agronomic interest in pigs. A QTL, associated with growth and adiposity traits, was located on the long arm of the chromosome 1 pf the pig genome, by crossing between Large White boars and Meishan sows. The genomic interval was reduced to 293 kb and now contains just three coding genes (HMCN2, ASS1 and FUBP3). However, according to the literature, none of these three genes appear to be a good functional candidate. Furthermore, none of the variants identified during sequencing of the region of interest appear to be candidate variants for the QTL. The study therefore focused on the hypothesis that a regulatory mutation located in this region could affect the expression of a candidate gene located outside the interval, notably via the three-dimensional organisation of the genome. To explore this possibility, gene expression was measured by RT-qPCR and chromatin accessibility was studied by ATAC-seq.Le programme PORQTL, mis en place par l’INRA en 1991, a pour objectif d’identifier des régions génomiques associées à des caractères quantitatifs (QTL) d’intérêt agronomique chez le porc. Un QTL, associé à des caractères de croissance et d’adiposité, a été localisé sur le bras long du chromosome 1 porcin, en croisant des verrats Large White et des truies Meishan. L’intervalle génomique réduit à 293 kb ne contient plus que trois gènes codants (HMCN2, ASS1 et FUBP3). Toutefois, d’après des études bibliographiques, aucun de ces trois gènes ne semblent constituer un bon candidat fonctionnel. De plus, aucun des variants identifiés lors du séquençage de la région d’intérêt ne semblent être un variant candidat pour le QTL. L’étude s’est donc orientée vers l’hypothèse d’une mutation régulatrice, localisée dans cette région, pouvant affecter l’expression d’un gène candidat situé en dehors de l’intervalle, notamment par l’intermédiaire de l’organisation tridimensionnelle du génome. Pour explorer cette possibilité, l’expression des gènes a été mesurée par RT-qPCR et l’accessibilité de la chromatine a été étudiée par ATAC-seq
Spontaneous steatosis stimulation in geese induces liver fattening but impacts sexual maturation and muscle growth in a sex-dependent manner
No full textInternational audienceExperimental mimicry of pre-migratory environmental conditions results in a transient corn hyperphagia associated with a spontaneous liver steatosis in male Greylag geese. Our study aimed to i/ determine the feasibility of the induction of a spontaneous steatosis in female geese and ii/ evaluate its reversibility. Six-week-old Greylag Landaise geese (Anser anser) were randomly assigned to a control group (40 males and 41 females) or a spontaneous fattening group (SF; 118 males and 122 females) separating the sexes. Controls were fed a grower diet and exposed to a 10 h daylight cycle throughout the experiment. SF birds were exposed to a progressive reduction in day length from 10 to 7 h/day and submitted to a quantitative feed restriction with a grower diet between 8 and 19 weeks of age, followed by an ad libitum corn feeding period until 31 weeks of age, after which the grower diet was provided again until 33 weeks of age to study the reversibility of steatosis. Ten Control and 30 SF birds per sex were slaughtered at 31 and 33 weeks of age to evaluate liver fattening. Female SF geese had a lower feed intake during the second part of the corn feeding period (25 to 31 weeks of age, P < 0.05), but had equivalent aptitudes to develop a spontaneous steatosis (liver weight and lipid content, P > 0.05), than male SF geese. However, breast muscle growth was penalized in females (P < 0.05). Compared to controls, sexual maturation was strongly hindered in both SF males and females (gonad weight, P < 0.05). Regarding reversibility, in males, SF birds had equivalent liver weights to controls at 33 weeks of age while liver lipid content remained higher (P < 0.05). As control females initiated a steatosis, conclusions on reversibility in that sex were difficult to make. Finally, mortality occurred at the end of the corn feeding period in both sexes in SF birds. Our study enabled us to demonstrate that male and female geese had equivalent aptitudes to develop a spontaneous steatosis, associated with a lower feed intake in females. However, coupled with the protein deficient composition of the corn-based diet, this lower feed intake could lead to exacerbated protein deficiencies in females, evidenced by a penalized muscle growth in these animals. Reversibility of spontaneous steatosis and mechanisms underlying its onset should be further explored in order to preserve the bird’s health and welfare
Cytokines in naturally occurring bovine respiratory diseases in young cattle at fattening farms using a 15-plex immunoassay
No full textInternational audienceBovine respiratory diseases (BRD) involving several viral and bacterial pathogens are a major burden to the cattle industry. Affected cattle often require antibiotic treatment at fattening. This study aimed to investigate blood cytokine levels in well-characterized cases of BRD.A case-control study was conducted in 2023 in nine fattening operations in Western France. Animals were clinically assessed and underwent thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) weekly during their first month on feed. Animals were classified as sick if they had a rectal temperature ≥ 39.7°C and at least one visual sign of BRD. Farmers decided whether or not to initiate antibiotic treatment that could require one or, in some cases, multiple successive administrations. Blood samples were collected to measure plasma concentration of fifteen innate and adaptive cytokines and chemokines using a commercial bead-based Luminex® immunoassay. Clinically healthy penmates were sampled on the same day. BRD pathogens (Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Mycoplasmopsis bovis, Histophilus somni, Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Bovine Parainfluenza Virus type 3, Bovine Coronavirus, Influenza D Virus) were screened by qPCR on nasal swabs in sick animals and by serology in all animals. Cytokine distributions were analyzed using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test (two groups) or the Kruskal-Wallis test (multiple groups).The study included 188 young bulls (98 cases, 90 controls), predominantly of Charolais (81.4%) and Limousine (10.7%) breeds, with an average weight of 321(±161) kg and an average age of 9(±5) months. Cases and controls showed no significant differences in breed, weight or age. No cytokines significantly differentiated cases from controls based on clinical definitions alone, but some were associated with pathogen findings. Among cases, IL1-RA levels were higher in animals with consolidations on TUS, and IFN-γ levels were higher in animals requiring multiple antibiotic administrations compared to those untreated or treated once.Individually, cytokines did not differentiate between clinically sick and healthy animals. However, some cytokines demonstrated potential for prognostic applications. Further studies integrating cytokines with other markers are needed to improve BRD diagnosis and prognosis
Caractérisation du virome de chiots atteints de diarrhée aigue par séquençage oxford nanopore
No full textDigestive disorders, including acute diarrhea, are among the most common reasons for veterinary consultations. This study aimed to evaluate the use of Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology to characterize the digestive virome and to identify viruses potentially involved in acute diarrhea in puppies under six months of age. Ten stool samples from diarrheic puppies were analyzed, leading to the sequencing and identification of a canine astrovirus. However, to confirm the role of this virus in diarrhea, further studies are needed with a larger sample size and comparison to a control group of puppies without digestive disorders.Les troubles digestifs, dont les diarrhées aiguës, font partie des motifs de consultation les plus fréquents en médecine vétérinaire. L’objectif de cette étude était de parvenir à utiliser la technologie Oxford Nanopore afin de caractériser le virome digestif du chiot et identifier des virus pouvant avoir un rôle dans les diarrhées aigües chez les chiots de moins de 6 mois. Dix échantillons de selles de chiots atteints de diarrhées ont été étudiés, ce qui a permis d’identifier après séquençage un astrovirus canin. Cependant, afin de confirmer le rôle de ce virus dans la diarrhée, l’étude devra être poursuivie avec un plus grand nombre d’échantillons et comparée à un lot témoin de chiots exempts de troubles digestifs
Recommandations sur les contours d'une offre de service institutionnelle INRAE permettant l'utilisation par ses unités d'un Cahier de Laboratoire Électronique (eLabFTW)
No full textThe emergence in laboratories of digital technologies for the acquisition and traceability of experimental data is leading to changes in research practices within laboratories, and in particular to a move towards digital solutions for the traceability of research operations, known as ‘electronic laboratory notebooks’. These are not intended to replace the paper laboratory notebook, which is still in use, because it is useful and functional, but rather to be a new tool providing real added value for certain experimental monitoring and research areas. The aim of this document is to propose recommendations for the deployment of eLabFTW by the INRAE units requesting it. It presents an analysis of three scenarios and highlights the points of attention for the choice, implementation and use of the tool for each of these scenarios.L’émergence dans les laboratoires des technologies numériques pour l’acquisition de données expérimentales et leur traçabilité amène à faire évoluer les pratiques de recherche au sein des laboratoires, et en particulier à se tourner vers des solutions numériques de traçabilité des opérations de recherche que l’on nomme « cahiers de laboratoire électroniques ». Ceux-ci n’ont pas vocation à remplacer le cahier de laboratoire papier qui est encore employé, car utile et fonctionnel, mais plutôt à être un nouvel outil apportant une réelle valeur ajoutée pour certains suivis expérimentaux et domaines de recherche. Ce document a pour but de proposer des recommandations au déploiement d’eLabFTW par les unités INRAE demandeuses. Il présente l’analyse de trois scénarios et souligne les points d’attention pour le choix, l’implémentation et l’exploitation de l’outil pour chacun de ces scénarios
Nutritional evaluation of two composite linseed-based ingredients for growing rabbits
No full textInternational audienceThe digestible energy and protein content of two novel linseed-based ingredients were measured in growing rabbits: a high-fat extruded linseed meal cooked (ELM) and a mixture (70:30) of high-fat linseed chaff and wheat flour (LCW). Digestible energy (DE, MJ/kg of dry matter - DM) and digestible protein (DP, g/kg DM) values were obtained from regression analysis with three dietary incorporation levels of ELM or LCW: a basal diet (0%) and two diets with 8 or 16% of ELM or LCW, respectively. The regression curves were obtained from data collected in a faecal digestibility trial (n=10 rabbits per diet, 1:1 sex ratio, 42 to 46 d old) fed at two levels of inclusion (80 or 160 g/kg DM) of each ingredient in a basal diet formulated for growing rabbits (substitution method). The regression coefficients for DE (DE=10.4+0.003×ELW) and DP (DP=145.4+0.103×ELW) obtained for the ELM were significant (P<0.001). The estimated DE and DP values for the ELM were: 13.7±0.81 MJ/kg DM and 248.6±11.4 g/kg DM. The regression coefficient for DE (DE=10.4+0.011×LCW) for the LCW was significant (P<0.001), for an estimated DE content of 20.8±0.9 MJ/kg DM. The regression coefficient for DP (DP=145.6+0.011×LCW) for the LCW was not different from zero (P=0.09), giving an estimated DP of 166.9±11.3 g/kg DM. The ELM seems to be an adequate protein source for growing rabbits. The LCW appear to be an interesting composite ingredient. It provides moderate amounts of fibre fractions in addition to energy. Moreover, both ingredients contain high levels of C18:3 omega-3 fatty acids (ELM: 34.5 and LCW: 52.9 g/kg DM). These ingredients should be included up to 10% in feed formula. Based on their characteristics, these novel ingredients may improve the feed quality of growing rabbits
Postbiotic potential of Lactococcus lactis CNCM I‐5388 in alleviating visceral pain in female rat through GABA production: The innovative concept of the “active‐ GAD bag”
No full textInternational audienceIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a multifactorial disorder of the gut‐brain axis, characterized by visceral hypersensitivity (VH). Psychobiotics, through GABA synthesis, are good candidates to alleviate gastrointestinal discomfort. Here, we analyzed the GABA‐producer Lactococcus lactis CNCM I‐5388 as an active‐enzyme postbiotic to relieve VH mediated by psychological stress. L. lactis CNCM I‐5388 was inactivated by ethanol while maintaining its glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) activity. This EtOH‐treated nonviable form was given daily orally for 1, 5, or 10 days to female Wistar rats in comparison with viable L. lactis CNCM I‐5388 or vehicle. Visceral sensitivity was measured by electromyography before and after partial restraint stress (PRS). GABA was quantified in the stomach collected from rats and in the gastric compartment of TIM‐1 human gut model in fed state. A daily treatment for 5 and 10 days by L. lactis CNCM I‐5388 both in its viable and nonviable forms counteracted VH promoted by PRS. However, only viable L. lactis CNCM I‐5388 tended to reduce VH after a single administration. After 5‐day treatment, only under PRS conditions, the production of GABA within the stomach was enhanced in rats treated with viable or nonviable L. lactis CNCM I‐5388. This increase was confirmed by using the TIM‐1 human gut model. We found that a postbiotic with an active‐GAD enzyme of L. lactis CNCM I‐5388, similarly to its viable psychobiotic form, exerts anti‐VH properties in an IBS‐like rat model. These effects are associated with GABA production in the stomach where the low pH promotes GAD activity
Genetic determinism of cortisol levels in pig
No full textInternational audienceIn facing the challenge of sustainability, animal breeding provides the option to improve animal robustness. In the search for new selection criteria related to robustness, the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) axis is studied as a major neuroendocrine system involved in metabolic regulations and adaptive responses. Indeed, HPA axis activity is strongly influenced by genetic factors acting at several levels of the axis. The adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test has long been used to analyze interindividual and genetic differences in HPA axis activity in several species, including pigs. To uncover the genetic determinism of HPA activity and its influence on functional traits and robustness, a divergent selection experiment was carried out for three generations in a Large White pig population based on plasma cortisol levels measured one hour after injection of ACTH. In the present study the response to selection was very strong (confirming our previous studies), with a heritability value of cortisol level after ACTH injections reaching 0.64 (±0.03). The difference between the two divergent lines was around five genetic standard deviations after three selection steps. A genome-wide association study pointed out the importance of the glucocorticoid receptor gene ( NR3C1 ) in this response. The measurement of plasma corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) binding capacity excluded any significant role of CBG in this selection process. The phenotypic effect of selection on body weight and growth rate was modest and/or inconsistent across generations. The HPA axis, a major neuroendocrine system involved in adaptation processes is highly heritable and responsive to genetic selection. The present experiment confirms the importance of glucocorticoid receptor polymorphism in genetic variation of HPA axis activity–in addition to the previously demonstrated role of CBG gene polymorphism. Further studies will explore the effect of this divergent selection on production and robustness
ActBeCalf: Accelerometer-Based Multivariate Time-Series Dataset for Calf Behavior Classification
No full textInternational audienceGetting new insights on pre-weaned calf behavioral adaptation to routine challenges (transport, group relocation, etc.) and diseases (respiratory diseases, diarrhea, etc.) is a promising way to improve calf welfare in dairy farms. A classic approach to automatically monitoring behavior is to equip animals with accelerometers attached to neck collars and to develop machine learning models from accelerometer time series. However, this accelerometer time series data must be aligned with labels describing behaviors (gold standard) to be used for model development. Obtaining these labels requires annotating behaviors from direct observations or videos, which is highly timeconsuming and labor-intensive. In addition, accurate alignment between accelerometer data and behaviors is always challenging due to time synchronization issues. However, the procedure used for the timestamp alignment has not been described in other studies. We introduce ActBeCalf: Accelerometer Time-Series Dataset for Calf Behavior classification to address this challenge. Thirty pre-weaned dairy calves (Holstein Friesian and Jersey) housed in 4 group pens at Teagasc Moorepark Research Farm (Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland) were equipped with a 3D-accelerometer sensor (sampling rate: 25 Hz) attached to a neck-collar from one week of birth for 13 weeks. The calves were simultaneously filmed with a high-up camera in each pen. Every 15 days, accelerometers were removed from the collars to recharge the battery, collect the data, and reattached to the neck collar again. At the end of the trial, behaviors were manually annotated from the videos using the Behavioral Observation Research Interactive Software (BORIS) by three observers (Cohen's Kappa = 0.72 ± 0.01) using an ethogram with 23 pre-weaned dairy calves' behaviors. Videos were carefully selected to annotate calves’ behaviors. Observations were synchronized with the accelerometer timestamps using an external clock and aligned to the corresponding accelerometer time series. Thereby, ActBeCalf contains 27.4 hours of accelerometer data from 30 pre-weaned calves (age 23.7 ± 10.7 days) aligned adequately with calf behaviors. The dataset includes the main behaviors of the calf time-budget, like lying, standing, walking, and running, as well as less prominent behaviors, such as sniffing, scratching, social interaction, and grooming. The reliability of ActBeCalf was validated by developing two machine learning models designed to classify behaviors into two and four classes, respectively. Good predictive performance was achieved for both models (balanced accuracy: 92% and 84%, respectively), thereby confirming ActBeCalf's reliability for model development in the field. The code utilized for the classification is publicly available in the dataset repository. ActBeCalf is a comprehensive, ready-to-use dataset, ideal for advancing research in two key areas: classifying preweaned calf behavior to support animal welfare initiatives and developing innovative time-series classification models in machine learning