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Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat

Assam Agricultural University is the first institution of its kind in the whole of North-Eastern Region of India. The main goal of this institution is to produce globally competitive human resources in farm sectorand to carry out research in both conventional and frontier areas for production optimization as well as to disseminate the generated technologies as public good for benefitting the food growers/produces and traders involved in the sector while emphasizing on sustainability, equity and overall food security at household level. Genesis of AAU - The embryo of the agricultural research in the state of Assam was formed as early as 1897 with the establishment of the Upper Shillong Experimental Farm (now in Meghalaya) just after about a decade of creation of the agricultural department in 1882. However, the seeds of agricultural research in today’s Assam were sown in the dawn of the twentieth century with the establishment of two Rice Experimental Stations, one at Karimganj in Barak valley in 1913 and the other at Titabor in Brahmaputra valley in 1923. Subsequent to these research stations, a number of research stations were established to conduct research on important crops, more specifically, jute, pulses, oilseeds etc. The Assam Agricultural University was established on April 1, 1969 under The Assam Agricultural University Act, 1968’ with the mandate of imparting farm education, conduct research in agriculture and allied sciences and to effectively disseminate technologies so generated. Before establishment of the University, there were altogether 17 research schemes/projects in the state under the Department of Agriculture. By July 1973, all the research projects and 10 experimental farms were transferred by the Government of Assam to the AAU which already inherited the College of Agriculture and its farm at Barbheta, Jorhat and College of Veterinary Sciences at Khanapara, Guwahati. Subsequently, College of Community Science at Jorhat (1969), College of Fisheries at Raha (1988), Biswanath College of Agriculture at Biswanath Chariali (1988) and Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science at Joyhing, North Lakhimpur (1988) were established. Presently, the University has three more colleges under its jurisdiction, viz., Sarat Chandra Singha College of Agriculture, Chapar, College of Horticulture, Nalbari & College of Sericulture, Titabar. Similarly, few more regional research stations at Shillongani, Diphu, Gossaigaon, Lakhimpur; and commodity research stations at Kahikuchi, Buralikson, Tinsukia, Kharua, Burnihat and Mandira were added to generate location and crop specific agricultural production packages.

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20191
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Subject: Veterinary Anatomy and Histology × Author: KALITA, ARUP × End date: 2019 × Start date: 2016 × Type: Thesis ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    EFFECT OF PROBIOTIC AND ZINC IN GUT INTEGRITY OF PRE AND POST WEANED PIGLETS: AN IMMUNOMORPHOLOGICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ANALYSIS
    (College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, Guwahati, 2019-07) KALITA, ARUP; Talukdar, Manmath
    Present study was undertaken to elaborate alteration of histomorphological, histochemical, ultrastructural, immunofluorescence, gut microbiota, cytokine gene profile and brush border enzyme activity of histocompartments of small intestine in control (basal diet) and treatment (basal diet + probiotic + zinc) group piglets during pre and post-weaned period. This study was assumed to understand the effect of probiotic and zinc on gut digestibility and immunity compared to the control piglets so that the productivity of this important species of farm animal could be enhanced. Besides, this information was assumed to help to control the post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets that causes significant economic losses in pig production. Eighteen (18) numbers of apparently healthy Large White Yorkshire piglets, irrespective of their sex were utilized in the present study. These piglets were selected from three litters (6 piglets from one litter) and were divided into control (basal diet) and treatment (basal diet + probiotic + zinc) groups, consisting of 3 animals in each group. The probiotic (dosed daily with 1.25  109 CFU/gm) and zinc (ZnO dosed daily with 2000 ppm) was supplemented orally to the treated piglets from birth to 10 days of age. The weaning of the piglets was done at 28 days. The animals were sacrificed at day 20, day 30 and day 60 from both the groups. The histomorphological, ultrastructural, histoenzymatic, immunofluorescence and cytokine gene expression were performed to study the alteration in treatment group of piglets. Besides, examination of brush border enzyme activity was done to evaluate the conversion of disaccharide into monosaccharide in these two groups of piglets. The villus and crypt morphometry revealed higher villus height, villus width, crypt depth, crypt width, villus enlargement factor and crypt enlargement factor, and lower villus crypt ratio in treatment group of piglets. This might indicate greater absorptive capacity of available nutrients and higher epithelial turn-over rate to compensate losses in height of villi in treated piglets especially during early postweaning period. In the mucosa of villus and crypt, the number of goblet cells, argentaffin cells and tuft cells were increased in treatment group of piglets. These findings might be concluded with better enhancement of epithelial barrier, higher production of gastrointestinal hormones, better microenvironment of gut and defense mechanism which resulted in effective immunity and digestibility in this group of piglets. In the lining epithelium of small intestine, the number of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) was higher in treatment group piglets that could be the result of a nonspecific stimulation of the local immune system possibly by certain antigens of probiotic bacteria. The increased number of IEL might be an indicative of more mature and efficient adaptive immune response in piglets fed with probiotic and zinc than the control animal. In the histotopographic areas, the CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, IgA+ cells and IgM+ cells were increased in treatment group of piglets. These findings might be interpreted with more production and secretion of secretory IgA, enhancing defense against pathogens, maintenance and enhancement of epithelial cell integrity and production of more immunoglobulin to ensure a fast reaction against potential pathogens. These might led to better mucosal immunity in the probiotic and zinc treated piglets. In the treatment group of piglets, the brush border enzyme activity was higher to convert their respective substrates into glucose that might be indicative of more absorption of glucose from the available carbohydrate present in the intestine, and resulted with better growth and development in this group of piglets. The increased activity of acid and alkaline phosphatase in treated piglets might be correlated with higher secretion of glands and greater absorptive capacity of enterocytes. Similarly, higher ATPase and non-specific esterase activities might be indicative of more concentration of B and T cells in follicular and interfollicular areas of PP in treatment group of piglets, respectively. The cultivable cell counts of lactic acid bacteria were higher in treatment group of piglets. These more number of beneficial microbiota might reduce the pathogenic bacterial load in the small intestine and provide a healthy environment for better digestion and immunity in treatment group of piglets especially in early post-weaning period. The marginal up-regulation of cytokine expression of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 transcripts in treatment group of piglets might have resulted in the stimulation of innate immune cells to eradicate microbes and enhancement of IgA B-cell population in the young ones and increased epithelial cell turn-over. The down-regulation of cytokine expression of IL-8, IL-12 and IL-18 transcripts in treatment group of piglets possibly lead to decreased activity of NK cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes which was an indicative of lesser infections associated with intracellular pathogens and presence of healthy intestinal epithelial cells in the gut.