Malafaia Pedro, Garcia Felipe Z, Lopes Samara P, Souza Vinícius C, Canella Filho Camillo F C, Costa Diogo F A, Veiga Cristiano C P
Departamento de Nutrição Animal e Pastagens, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, BR 465, Km 7, 23854-150 Seropédica, RJ, Brazil.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, BR 465, Km 7, 23854-150 Seropédica, RJ, Brazil.
An Acad Bras Cienc. 2018 Oct-Dec;90(4):3337-3352. doi: 10.1590/0001-3765201820170683. Epub 2018 Jun 25.
The needle test (NT) is a point-of-care test developed in Brazil to evaluate the Phosphorus (P) status in cattle. Based on bone resistance, the NT is a very inexpensive method which allows the diagnosis of any degree of P deficiency in a fast and simple way in vivo and directly on farm. The NT measures three levels of resistance in the transverse process (TP) of the lumbar vertebrae: a) TP that are impenetrable and result in warping of the needle (P healthy animals); b) TP offering some resistance to the penetration (animals with subclinical P deficiency); and c) TP which has minimal resistance to penetration (clinical P deficiency). This manuscript presents results from a series of case studies to evaluate the hypothesis that the NT could be used to assess P status in cattle and assesses the usefulness of results to support decision making on mineral supplementation strategies for grazing cattle. The NT was able to detect the changes in the resistance patterns of the TP, as there was reduction or elevation of P levels in the mineral mixtures. The NT was useful to assist in decision-making for adoption of mineral supplementation strategies better suited for each farm, helping farmers to save money and avoid unnecessary waste of P.
针刺试验（NT）是巴西研发的一种即时检验方法，用于评估牛的磷（P）状况。基于骨骼阻力，NT是一种非常廉价的方法，能够在农场现场以快速且简单的方式对任何程度的磷缺乏症进行体内直接诊断。NT测量腰椎横突（TP）的三种阻力水平：a）无法穿透且导致针头弯曲的TP（磷状况健康的动物）；b）对穿刺有一定阻力的TP（亚临床磷缺乏症的动物）；c）对穿刺阻力极小的TP（临床磷缺乏症）。本手稿展示了一系列案例研究的结果，以评估针刺试验可用于评估牛的磷状况这一假设，并评估结果对支持放牧牛矿物质补充策略决策的有用性。由于矿物质混合物中磷水平的降低或升高，NT能够检测到TP阻力模式的变化。NT有助于协助做出决策，采用更适合每个农场的矿物质补充策略，帮助农民省钱并避免不必要的磷浪费。
