Improved life expectancy is a triumph of modern medicine. However, today’s senior citizens are predicted to soon consume 75% of the available health-care resources. Identifying new strategies to promote a healthy ageing process has thus become a priority. In contribution to the research field of healthy ageing this thesis is focused on the health and gut function of older adults. Paper I explored ‘optimal functionality’; a new approach to put the older adult’s own perspectives on health in focus. According to the results a plethora of factors related to the body, the self and the external environment needs to be considered in order to create a comprehensive understanding of the health experience in old age. Paper II characterised senior orienteering athletes as a new model of healthy ageing, due to their significantly better percived health as compared to other free-living older adults; in particular they report better gut health. As the gut is important to health maintenance and immune function paper III explored inflammation and oxidative stress in senior orienteering athletes, and older adults with gut problems, generally finding low levels in both groups. Subsequently, Paper IV investigated the health status of free-living older adults in Örebro County and also reports the results from a randomised controlled trial evaluating the effect of a probiotic supplement on self-reported health and gut symptoms. Two-thirds of the included older adults reported gut problems, however, the probiotic intervention failed to show any effects. This thesis provides additional perspectives on older adults health and gut function, by concluding that 1) optimal functionality may be a useful concept to map areas of importance to the older adult’s health experience, 2) senior orienteers may be regarded as a suitable model to study healthy ageing, 3) the prevalence of gut problems among the general population of Swedish older adults is high, but was not improved by probiotic supplementation with Lactobacillus reuteri.

No description available.

Woody breast (WB) is a meat quality problem that has caused significant economic losses for the poultry industry. Ross × Ross 708 chicks were randomly assigned to a 3 (diet) × 2 (cocci challenge) × 2 (sex) factorial arrangement of treatments. The three diets included the control diet (corn-soybean meal basal diet), antibiotic diet (basal diet + 6.075 mg bacitracin /kg feed), and probiotic diet (basal diet + 2.2 × 108 CFU Bacillus subtilis PB6 /kg feed). Birds in the cocci challenge treatment group received 20 × the live cocci vaccine as an inoculum on d 14. Growth performance and WB score were measured to understand the effects of management factors (diet and coccidiosis) on broiler growth and WB development. Results indicated that dietary bacitracin and Eimeria spp. increased WB incidence, body weight, and growth rate. Bacillus subtilis increased WB incidence in male broilers without affecting body weight and growth rate. The association of the development of the internal organs and skeletal muscle with WB myopathy incidence in broilers were evaluated. The digestion organs (proventriculus and gizzard) and the skeletal muscles (drumsticks, thighs, and wings) developed at lower rates in birds with WB. In addition, the effects of the dietary and challenge interventions on the gut microbiota diversity and composition associated with WB in broilers were investigated. Results showed that cocci challenge altered gut microbiota composition and various biosynthetic pathways. Maintaining a healthy gut ecosystem is critical for the reduction of WB incidence in broilers. Gene expression related to oxidative stress, gut barrier function, and inflammation in jejunal mucus was investigated. Results showed that WB is related to decreased mucin expression (MUC6) in mucus, indicating a correlation between WB incidence and a lessening of the secretion of gel-forming mucin. In conclusion, dietary antibiotic and probiotic and challenge intervention strategies increased WB incidence, and microbiota composition and gut health gene expression differed in broilers exhibiting WB myopathy.

No description available.

The intestinal tract of salmonids provides a dynamic interface that not only mediates nutrient uptake but also functions as the first line of defence against ingested pathogens. Exposure of the immune system to beneficial microorganisms and different dietary immunostimulants via the intestine has been shown to prime the immune system and help in the development of immune competence. Furthermore, the morphology and function of teleostean intestines are known to respond to feed components and to ingested and resident bacterial communities. Histological appraisal is still generally considered to be the gold standard for sensitive assessment of the effects of such dietary modulation. The aim of the present study was to improve understanding of salmonid intestinal function, structure and dynamics and to use the knowledge gained to develop a model for analysis, which would allow intestinal health to be assessed with respect to different intestinal communities and feed components. Virtual histology, the process of assessing digital images of histological slides, is gaining momentum as an approach to supplement traditional histological evaluation methodologies and at the same time, image analysis of digitised histological sections provides a practical means for quantifiable assessment of structural and functional changes in tissues, being both objective and reproducible. This project focused on the development of a rapid, practical analytical methodology based on advanced image analysis, that was able to measure and characterise a range of features of the intestinal histology of Atlantic salmon in a quantitative manner. In the first research chapter, the development of a novel histological assessment system based upon advanced image analysis was described, this being developed with the help of a soybean feed model known to induce enteropathy in Atlantic salmon. This tool targeted the evaluation of the extent of morphological changes occurring in the distal intestine of Atlantic salmon following dietary modulation. The final analytical methodology arrived at, could be conducted with minimal user-interaction, allowing rapid and objective assessment of 12 continuous variables per histological frame analysed. The processing time required for each histological frame was roughly 20-25 min, which greatly improved the efficiency of conducting such a quantitative assessment with respect to the time taken for a subjective semi-quantitative alternative approach. Significant agreement between the fully automated and the manual morphometric image segmentation was achieved, however, the strength of this quantitative approach was enhanced by the employment of interactive procedures, which enabled the operator / observer to rectify preceding automated segmentation steps, and account for the specimen’s variations. Results indicated that image analysis provided a viable alternative to a pathologist’s manual scoring, being more practical and time-efficient. In the second research chapter, feeding Atlantic salmon a high inclusion level of unrefined SBM (25 %) produced an inflammatory response in the distal intestine as previously described by other authors. The model feed trial successfully generated differentiable states, although these were not, for the most part, systemically differentiable through the majority of standard immunological procedures used, being only detectable morphologically. Quantitation of morphometric parameters associated with histological sections using the newly developed image analysis tool successfully allowed identification of major morphological changes. Image analysis was thus shown to provide a powerful tool for describing the histomorphological structure of Atlantic salmon distal intestine. In turn, the semi-automated image analysis methods were able to distinguish normal intestinal mucosa from those affected by enteritis. While individual parameters were less discriminatory, use of multivariate techniques allowed better discrimination of states and is likely to prove the most productive approach in further studies. Work described in the third research chapter sought to validate the semi-automated image analysis system to establish that it was measuring the parameters it was purported to be measuring, and to provide reassurance that it could reliably measure pre-determined features. This study, using the same sections for semi-quantitative and quantitative analyses, demonstrated that the quantitative indices performed well when compared to analogous semi-quantitative descriptive parameters of assessment for enteritis prognosis. The excellent reproducibility and accuracy performance levels indicated that the image analysis system was a useful and reliable morphometric method for the quantification of SB-induced enteritis in salmon. Other characteristics such as rapidity, simplicity and adaptability favour this method for image analysis, and are particularly useful where less experienced interpreters are performing the analysis. The work described in the fourth research chapter characterised changes in the morphology of the intestinal epithelial cells occurring as a result of dietary modulation and aspects of inflammatory infiltration, using a selected panel of enzyme and IHC markers. To accomplish this, image analysis techniques were used to evaluate and systematically optimise a quantitative immunolabelling assessment protocol. Digital computer-assisted quantification of labelling for cell proliferation and regeneration; programmed cell death or apoptosis; EGCs and t-cell like infiltrates; mobilisation of stress-related protein regenerative processes and facilitation of nutrient uptake and ion transport provided encouraging results. Through the description of the intestinal cellular responses at a molecular level, such IHC expression profiling further characterised the inflammatory reaction generated by the enteropathic diet. In addition, a number of potential diagnostic parameters were described for fish intestinal health e.g. the relative levels of antigenicity and the spatial distribution of antigens in tissues. Work described in the final research chapter focused on detailed characterisation of intestinal MCs / EGCs in order to try to elucidate their functional role in the intestinal immune responses. Through an understanding of their distribution, composition and ultrastructure, the intention was to better characterise these cells and their functional properties. The general morphology, histochemical characteristics and tissue distribution of these cells were explored in detail using histochemical, IHC and immunogold staining / labelling, visualised using light, confocal and TEM microscopy. Despite these extensive investigations, their physiological function and the content of their granules still remain somewhat obscure, although a role as immunodulatory cells reacting to various exogeneous signals through a finely regulated process and comparable to that causing the degranulation of mammalian MCs is suggested. The histochemical staining properties demonstrated for salmonid MCs / EGCs seem to resemble those of mammalian mucosal mast cells, with both acidophilic and basophilic components in their granules, and a granule content containing neuromodulator / neurotransmitter-peptides such as serotonin, met-enkephalin and substance-p. Consequently, distinguishable bio-chromogenic markers have been identified that are of utility in generating a discriminatory profile for image analysis of such cells.

Submitted by Franciele Moreira (francielemoreyra@gmail.com) on 2017-12-13T14:00:15Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Regis Kamimura - 2013.pdf: 3024185 bytes, checksum: d75f4278deb066540dc7434aef6cf446 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-12-14T10:15:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Regis Kamimura - 2013.pdf: 3024185 bytes, checksum: d75f4278deb066540dc7434aef6cf446 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-14T10:15:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Regis Kamimura - 2013.pdf: 3024185 bytes, checksum: d75f4278deb066540dc7434aef6cf446 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Gut microbiota is changed by various factors, being the diet which has the highest influence, as well as the modulating additives of the microbiome. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of growth promoting additives in the diet on the percentage of goblet cells with acid and neutral mucin in small intestine of pigs, the percent of gut cells in proliferation by the technique of immunohistochemistry by PCNA, to certify and quantify the presence of Paneth’s cells by specific staining and by immunohistochemistry, since that cell has a great importance in the immunity and in the gut microbiota. The experiment was conducted in a certified swine breeding farm (CSBF), applying the CRD (completely randomized design). Four hundred and eighty castrated male piglets were used, in five treatments, with ten piglets by cage, eight repetitions, and in the basal treatment 16 repetitions were used, being T1=basal diet, denominated negative control, T2=T1+antimicrobial agent, T3=T1+probiotic, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, T4=T1+prebiotic MOS, T5=T1+probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae + the prebiotic MOS. The diet was based on corn and soybean meal plus a supplement of minerals and vitamins. There were changes with higher increase in quantity of goblet cells, calculated by millimeter of gut mucosa with neutral mucus compared to those with acid mucus and to the negative control. There were no expressive changes for cells with acid mucus. The percentage of proliferating cells in small intestine by the immunehistochemistry technique for PCNA did not show significant changes and the presence of Paneth’s cells was confirmed by special staining and by immunehistochemistry. The quantity of Paneth’s cells of duodenum changed according to additives used, in comparison with the negative control which had a greater quantity. With the addition of antimicrobial agent there was a lesser quantity. With the prebiotics and synbiotics occurred milder reduction and this suggests that immunomodulation occurred. Besides promoting a better gut health due to a healthier and more appropriate microbiota to the rearing of piglets in the nursery phase, the addition of growth promoters in feeds favors significant gains and can be recommended, since the results are compensatory in productivity. / A microbiota intestinal é alterada por diversos fatores, sendo a dieta o que mais influência, assim como os aditivos moduladores do microbioma. Objetivou-se, neste estudo, avaliar os efeitos dos aditivos promotores de crescimento na dieta, sobre a porcentagem de células caliciformes com mucina ácida e neutra no intestino delgado de suínos, por modularem a microbiota e atuar na imunidade intestinal, avaliou a porcentagem de células intestinais em proliferação pela técnica de imunoistoquímica por PCNA, certificar e quantificar a presença de células de Paneth por coloração específica e por imunoistoquímica, relatos da literatura cita a ligação de probióticos com o epitélio intestinal via células de Paneth e caliciformes. O experimento foi conduzido em uma GRSC, aplicando o DIC. Utilizaram-se 480 leitões machos castrados, em cinco tratamentos, com dez leitões por gaiola, com oito repetições e no tratamento basal realizou-se 16 repetições. Sendo, T1=dieta basal, denominado de controle negativo, T2=T1+ antimicrobiano Avilamicina, T3=T1+probiótico Scchacaromyces cerevisae T4=T1+prebiótico MOS, T5=T1+probiótico Scchacaromyces cerevisae + o prebiótico MOS, foram abatidos com 65 dias de idade. A dieta foi à base de milho e farelo de soja mais um suplemento mineral e vitamínico. Ocorreram alterações com maior aumento na quantidade de células caliciformes com muco neutro comparativamente com aquelas de muco ácido e com o controle negativo. Não houve alterações expressivas para as células com muco ácido. A porcentagem de células no intestino delgado em proliferação pela técnica de imunoistoquímica para PCNA não apresentou alterações significativas, confirmou-se a presença de células de Paneth por colorações especiais e por imunoistoquímica. A quantidade de células de Paneth do duodeno alteraram-se em função dos aditivos utilizados, em comparação ao controle negativo que teve a maior quantidade, com a adição de antimicrobiano houve a menor quantidade, com prebiótico e simbiótico ocorreu redução mais branda, o que sugere ter ocorrido uma imunomodulação Os aditivos promotores de crescimento nas rações são tecnologias que favorecem ganhos significativos e podem ser recomendados, pois os resultados são compensatórios em produtividade. Além de promover uma melhor saúde intestinal em função de uma microbiota mais saudável e mais apta à criação de leitões na fase de creche

Three investigations were conducted in order to investigate the effect of dietary probiotics on tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) growth performance, intestinal morphology, intestinal microbiology and immunity. The first experiment demonstrated that Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus reuteri and Pediococcus acidilactici supplemented individually and as a mixed probiotic (in addition to Enterococcus faecium; AquaStar® Growout) were capable of modulating intestinal microbial populations as determined by culture dependent methods and DGGE. Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing reported that >99% of 16S rRNA reads in the mixed probiotic group belonged to the probiotic genera, predominantly assigned to Enterococcus (52.50%) and Bacillus (45.94%). Tilapia in the mixed probiotic group displayed significantly higher intraepithelial leucocyte (IEL) populations in the mid intestine when compared to the control and L. reuteri treatment. The mixed probiotic also improved microvilli density and had a higher absorptive surface area when compared to the control. In the second trial, after six weeks of supplementing tilapia diets with AquaStar® Growout at 3g kg-1, fish demonstrated significantly higher final weight, weight gain and SGR when compared to that of the control (void of probiotic) treatment or an initial probiotic feed (lasting two weeks) followed by control feeding. Probiotic supplementation at 3g kg-1 also caused an increase in the abundance of intestinal IELs and goblet cells and an up-regulation in the gene expression of intestinal caspase-3, PCNA and HSP70 and immunity genes TLR2, TNFα, IL-1β, TGFβ and IL-10 when compared with the expression of control replicates. These changes were not observed when supplementing tilapia diets with a lower dose (1.5g kg-1), nor when supplementing the probiotic in either a pulsed manner or as an initial feed (two weeks) followed by control feeding. Trial three revealed that the probiotic had a more discrete effect on the intestinal allochthonous microbiota as 16S rRNA reads assigned to probiotic genera only accounted for 5-10% of total reads. Nevertheless, the supplementation of dietary AquaStar® Growout at 3g kg-1 improved the localised immune response in tilapia, through the regulation of immunity genes TLR2, MYD88, NFκB, TNFα, IL-1β, TGFβ and IL-10, larger populations of goblet cells and a higher recruitment of IELs. Furthermore, the probiotic also improved the systemic immune response through the regulation of immunity genes (mentioned above) in the head kidney and significantly higher circulating leucocyte levels in whole blood. The extent of these changes were dependent on the probiotic treatment (i.e. continuously supplemented in feed or alternating weekly between probiotic at 3 g kg-1 and control feeding), the duration of feeding and the parameter investigated. This research demonstrates that B. subtilis, L. reuteri, P. acidilactici and AquaStar® Growout can modulate the intestinal microbiota. In addition, AquaStar® Growout can improve intestinal morphology, growth performance and modulate both the localised and systemic immune responses of tilapia when supplemented through the feed at the appropriate dosage and feeding regime.

No description available.

In the human gut, bacterial fermentation of dietary fibers and proteins produces metabolites, primarily as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), that are highly beneficial for host health. However, unlike dietary fiber, bacterial fermentation of protein additionally generates potentially toxic substances such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, amines, and indoles. It is believed that most gut bacteria favor utilization of dietary fiber over that of protein for energy. Therefore, when fermentable dietary fiber is readily available to colonic bacteria, protein fermentation, and its subsequent potentially toxic metabolites, remains relatively low. Dietary intake primarily determines the quantity of dietary fiber and protein substrate available to the gut microbiota and the resulting profile of metabolites produced. Increased protein consumption is associated with deleterious health outcomes such as higher risk of colorectal cancer and type II diabetes. Conversely, diets following US dietary recommendations are high in fiber, which promote a healthy microbiome and are protective against disease. Diets following the recommendation are also moderate in protein intake so that, ultimately, far more fiber than protein is available for colonic bacterial fermentation. On the contrary, dietary fiber intake is chronically low in a standard Western diet, while protein consumption is above dietary recommendations, which results in nearly equal amounts of dietary fiber and protein available for gut microbial fermentation. Furthermore, the popularity of high-protein diets for athletes, as well as that of high-protein low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss, may flip fiber and protein substrate proportions upside down, resulting in more protein than fiber available in the gut for fermentation. The objective of this study was to elucidate how substrate ratios in protein-fiber mixtures affect protein fermentation and metabolites, as well as examine the degree to which fiber source may influence these outcomes. Each dietary fiber source [fructooligosaccharides (FOS), apple pectin (Pectin), a wheat bran and raw potato starch mixture (WB+PS), and an even mixture of the three aforementioned fibers (Even Mix)] and protein were combined in three ratios and provided as substrate for in vitro fecal fermentation to understand how low, medium, and high fiber inclusion levels influence fermentation outcomes. They were compared to 100% protein and fiber (each different fiber) controls. Branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs), metabolites produced exclusively from protein fermentation, were used as a measure of protein fermentation; the data were normalized based on the initial quantity of protein within the substrate. In protein-fiber substrate mixtures, only FOS and Even Mix inhibited BCFAs (mM/g protein basis) and only when they made up at least half of the substrate. Unexpectedly, the rate of protein fermentation was increased when the protein-fiber substrate contained 25% WB+PS fiber, possibly due to the starch component of the fiber. There was evidence that when pH drops during fermentation, as was the case for protein-FOS mixtures, it played a significant role in suppressing protein fermentation. Ammonia production was not largely affected by increasing the proportion of dietary fiber. A significant reduction did not occur until FOS made up at least 50% of the protein-fiber substrate; for Pectin, WB+PS, and Even Mix fibers, 75% inclusion was required for a significant decrease in ammonia. Interestingly, protein was butyrogenic. Protein as the sole substrate produced more butyrate than either Pectin or Even Mix as the sole substrates, and in fact, addition of Pectin to protein significantly reduced butyrate concentrations. However, the possible benefits of butyrate produced via protein fermentation needs to be tempered by the production of potentially toxic compounds and the association between protein fermentation and colorectal cancer. Overall, the thesis findings showed protein fermentation to be relatively stable and not easily influenced by increasing the availability of dietary fiber, and no clear evidence of microbial preference for carbohydrates over protein was found.

Heat stress (HS) induced changes in energy metabolism, proteolysis, lipogenesis, and oxidative balance have meat quality ramifications for livestock. However, several knowledge gaps exist in understanding heat stressed finishing pig physiology and pork quality characteristics and how dietary zinc may ameliorate undesirable outcomes. Research was completed to determine zinc supplementation effects on carcass composition, meat quality, and oxidative stability of fresh and processed pork from pigs subjected to a chronic, cyclic heat stress using a 2×2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments with main effects of environment (HS vs. thermoneutral; TN), added zinc level (50 vs. 130 mg kg^-1 available zinc), and zinc source (inorganic vs. organic). Commercial crossbred mixed-sex pigs (initially 72.0 kg) were group-housed under either TN (18.9-16.7°C) or cycling HS conditions with chronic diurnal heat (30-29°C/26-27°C for 12h:12h) on days 24-71 with acute heat waves (32-33°C/29-30°C for 12h:12h) on days 21-24, 42-45, and 63-65. One representative pig (<i>n</i>=80) per pen was slaughtered on day 64. The HS pigs were lighter bodyweight (<i>P</i>=0.039), yielded lighter carcasses (<i>P</i>=0.011), less last rib backfat (<i>P</i>=0.032), tended to have smaller loin eye area (<i>P</i>=0.062) but similar percent lean in belly center slices (<i>P</i>>0.10). Compared to TN, HS carcasses had higher 24-h pH (<i>P</i>=0.001) and decreased drip loss (<i>P</i>=0.034). Shifts in individual fatty acid profile of sausage product derived from HS carcasses were observed but were of insufficient magnitude to affect iodine value. Initially, sausage from HS carcasses tended (day 0, <i>P</i>=0.071) to have less thiobarbituric acid reactive substances than TN but over a 10-day simulated retail display, no treatment induced lipid oxidation differences (<i>P</i>>0.05) were observed in either sausage or displayed loin chops. Consistent treatment differences in CIE L*a*b* of products throughout the 10-day display were not observed. The relationships between physiological changes in pigs receiving supplemental zinc and their body and ambient temperatures were also investigated. A representative gilt (<i>n</i>=96) was selected for thermal monitoring from each pen of the 2×2×2 treatments plus 4 additional treatments representing 2 intermediate levels of Zn in both environments. Core body temperatures (T_core) during the day 42-45 acute heat wave were continuously recorded via indwelling vaginal thermometers and infrared thermal imaging was used to measure skin temperatures at 12-hour intervals. From a 64-gilt subset of the 2×2×2 treatments, jejunum and ileum samples were collected on day 64 for analysis of villus height, crypt depth, and jejunal gene expression of heat shock proteins (27, 70, 90), occludin, and mucin (MUC2). The HS model induced thermoregulatory changes and increases in T_core (<i>P</i><0.05). Day 42-45 ambient temperature was negatively correlated with expression of HSP-27 (r=-0.42, <i>P</i>=0.047), HSP-90 (r=-0.49, <i>P</i>=0.014), and occludin (r=-0.69, <i>P</i><0.001) in HS pigs. For the organic Zn supplemented pigs, ambient temperature was positively correlated with expression of HSP-27 (r=0.42, <i>P</i>=0.034) and MUC2 (r=0.45, <i>P</i>=0.017) and negatively correlated with villus height in jejunum (r=-0.42, <i>P</i>=0.027) and ileum (r=-0.38, <i>P</i>=0.048). Thermal Circulation Index (measure of heat dissipation) of HS pigs was negatively correlated with their ileum villus height (r=-0.51, <i>P</i>=0.015) and positively correlated with HSP-70 expression (r=0.46, <i>P</i>=0.041). The T_core lacked correlation with most variables. This research demonstrates cyclic HS affects carcass composition and quality but does not appear to reduce display shelf-life of pork as indicated by lack of differences in lipid oxidation and color stability. In this HS model, zinc level or source imparted negligible benefits and thermal correlations with gut integrity characteristics existed for organic zinc supplemented and HS pigs. The degree of heat dissipation by heat stressed pigs appeared to be associated with classic HS damage and intestinal responses which may be useful indicators of HS in the grow-finish pig. Another agricultural challenge is maintaining higher education programming which establishes a successful career trajectory for agricultural students amid generational shifts in attitudes and background experiences. Undergraduates studying Animal Science and/or Agricultural Economics were surveyed to understand their perception of how collegiate curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular experiences (coursework, club participation, relevant work experience, international experience, advising/mentoring, college life, and professional networking) contribute to their anticipated career success. A best-worst scaling experiment was used to force respondents (<i>n</i>=487) to make unbiased tradeoffs between the collegiate experience attributes. Responses were then related back to additional demographical and experience/perception characteristics of respondents. Students indicated relevant work experience was overwhelmingly the most critical of the 7 factors (57% preference share), followed by professional networking (19%), and coursework (14%). Students solely in a pre-veterinary Animal Science curriculum represented a distinct category of students regarding their beliefs and experiences. Further research is needed to investigate possible disconnects between student perceptions and reality in higher education and agricultural careers.