An outbreak of dictyocaulosis in lactating cows on a dairy farm

CASE DESCRIPTION: The owner of a herd of 74 Holstein-Friesian cattle reported decreased milk production, weight loss, and coughing among lactating cows. Owner-initiated antimicrobial treatment was unsuccessful; 1 lactating cow died, and 50% of the lactating cows had clinical signs of respiratory distress, such as tachypnea and coughing. CLINICAL FINDINGS: On the basis of history, physical examination findings, and fecal examination results, affected animals were determined to have Dictyocaulus viviparus (lungworm) infestation. The disease history suggested that the herd contained cows with subclinical patent lungworm infestations; after introduction of susceptible heifers, the pastures had become heavily infested with D viviparus and clinical problems subsequently developed in both newly introduced and resident cows. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Affected and unaffected heifers and adult cows were treated with a pour-on formulation of eprinomectin (0.5 mg/kg [0.23 mg/lb]). One animal died, but 2 weeks after treatment, clinical signs among affected cattle were markedly improved. Ten weeks after treatment, milk production improved from 23 kg/cow/d (51 lb/cow/d) to 28 kg/cow/d (62 lb/cow/d). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The outbreak provides additional evidence that dictyocaulosis is becoming more common among adult dairy cattle, rather than almost exclusively affecting young stock. This may be attributable to anthelmintic use and management practices on dairy farms. Combined with anecdotal reports of an increase in the incidence of dictyocaulosis among adult cattle in North America, D viviparus infestation should be included as a differential diagnosis for decreased milk production, weight loss, and coughing among adult dairy cattle.     

The significance of leptospiral titres associated with bovine abortion

To investigate relationships between serological titres to 2 serovars, pomona (L. pomona) and hardjo (L. hardjo), of Leptospira interrogans and abortions, log linear and logit models were fitted to herd and individual cow data from cattle serologically negative for brucellosis. Serological titres to both serovars were significantly related to abortions in individual cows, with L. pomona having a stronger relationship than L. hardjo. L. hardjo was not significant when herd data were analysed. Differences between dairy and beef cattle in the serological titres found to both L. pomona and L. hardjo were detected when data sets of all cattle or cattle with no history of abortion were analysed. The beef/dairy differences may be due to different management practices and/or to different geographical distributions of both serovars and populations of beef and dairy cattle. If there are no cattle in a herd with a reciprocal titre of 3000 or greater for L. pomona, it is unlikely that L. pomona is associated with the abortion problem. There was no specific L. hardjo titre which separated high and low probabilities that the serum came from a cow or herd with an abortion history.     

The Successful Management of Leptospirosa hardjo Infection in a Beef Herd in Northern Ontario

Abortion, premature calving, hemolytic anemia and fatal hematuria were associated with high levels (titer > 10(-4)) of antibody to Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo and with isolation of hardjo in a herd of 265 beef cattle in the Great Clay Belt of northern Ontario. This herd was bred by artificial insemination, after heat detection by vasectomized bulls. The antibody prevalence rate in the herd was 54 to 60% over a five year period. The rate tended to reach 100% by age three years and to be below 5% in yearlings, which were raised in isolation from older cattle. Hardjo was isolated from the urine of a cow that aborted in the eighth month of pregnancy, and from kidneys of yearling steers which had been exposed to an older cow. Maternal antibody levels in calves paralleled those in their dams, protecting calves while they were being naturally exposed to infection, thus contributing to the achievement of balance between host and parasite. A controlled vaccination trial was conducted in 50 initially seronegative yearling steers and heifers. Serological response to vaccine was limited to a maximum agglutinin titer of 10(-2) in 8% of vaccinated cattle. Vaccination reduced the infection rate from 86% in the controls to 46% in the treated group, indirectly reducing the number of calves for which colostral antibody against hardjo would be available. A vaccination program was not implemented in the herd. Hardjo infection appeared to die out over a period of six years following the initial five year study period, with antibody prevalence falling from 60% to 0.7% and reactors persisting only in two eight year old cows. Decline in infection was coincident with changes in management which protected heifers from exposure to infection until their third pregnancy, and which probably lowered the reservoir of infection by increased culling from older age classes.     

Acrylamide and N-methylolacrylamide poisoning in a herd of Charolais crossbreed cattle

Seven beef cattle from a herd accidentally exposed to acrylamide and N-methylolacrylamide while grazing were observed for eight months. They showed clinical signs of impaired nerve function, mainly in the hindlegs, with varying degrees of weakness and ataxia. The animals were irritable, nervous and hypersensitive to touch. Both pupils of the most badly affected animal were dilated and it had poor pupillary light responses; it also showed signs of axonal neuropathy. Selected haematological and clinical chemistry variables were normal. The severity of the neurological signs was correlated with the concentrations of haemoglobin adducts of acrylamides. The animals recovered substantially after their exposure. The gestations of four of the animals which were in calf proceeded normally.     

The face fly, Musca autumnalis De Geer, and aggregation behavior in Holstein cows

Studies of interactions between face flies and Holstein cattle show that the frequency and duration of aggregation episodes can be associated with exposure to face flies and that the numbers of flies on cows during aggregation is inversely correlated with cow nearest-neighbor distance, a relationship that remains relatively consistent within herds. Furthermore, aggregation in herds exposed to face flies neither altered herd grazing time nor grazing patterns, which indicates that aggregation behavior is expressed during nongrazing, idling periods. Initial observations show that cow aggregation in small herds does not compromise animal thermoregulation.     

Leptospirosa pomona Abortion Storm in a Cattle Herd in Saskatchewan

Abortions occurred in 18% of 131 beef cows and heifers during two months, on a farm in southern Saskatchewan. The losses began two weeks after acute febrile illness and agalactia in a dairy cow to which the beef herd had been exposed. A diagnosis of Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona infection was made on the basis of serology in cows and the finding of leptospires in fetal tissues by fluorescent antibody test. Tentative diagnosis of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis delayed treatment and prophylaxis until infection attained high intensity in the herd and severe losses to the farmer occurred. Abortions ceased after vaccination against pomona and oxytetracycline treatment of pregnant cows, although chronic debility followed the acute phase of the disease in some cows. Recrudescence of infection was suspected four months later, when acute agalactia occurred in one cow and debility in calves and cows was recurring. Pomona infection was not proven, but dihydrostreptomycin treatment and revaccination were applied to the whole herd. Seroconversion and IgM antibody continued to indicate a persistent source of infection and susceptibility in a minority of the population one year after onset. The source of the original infection is believed to have been a carrier beef cow, or a dairy cow which was leptospiruric at the time of contact with the beef herd. With the exception of one aborted calf, no evidence of pomona infection was found outside the farm, in cattle or wild mammals tested serologically within a radius of 30 km, during one year following the outbreak.     

Acute colic possibly caused by phytobezoar derived from napier grass in 5 Japanese black cows reared in the same farm

For 6 years, 5 Japanese Black cows of the same herd showed anorexia, depression, and dehydration with no feces in the rectum. Biomedical examination of 3 animals showed severe hypokalemia and hypochloremia. Although the first 3 animals died or were slaughtered (causes unknown), necropsy results showed that the cow in case 4 had intestinal obstruction due to phytobezoar derived from napier grass, fed mainly to the cattle as roughage. Therefore, farmers were recommended to avoid the hard root-stem portion of napier grass as roughage. Consequently, less phytobezoar was recovered from the fifth cow, and no similar clinical case of intestinal obstruction was observed thereafter. This is the first report on intestinal obstruction caused by phytobezoars derived from napier grass.     

Farmers' Perceptions of the Impacts of Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Control on Livestock Production: Evidence from Southern Burkina Faso

Interviews with all the households in the Agropastoral Zone (ZAP) of Yalé, southern Burkina Faso, were conducted in 1994 and again in 1997 to assess the impacts of a tsetse control programme implemented from 1994, using insecticide-impregnated targets and pour-on treatments of all cattle with deltamethrin 1%. In the absence of health and productivity monitoring, data were collected in single-visit surveys in order to generate quantitative estimates of relevant reproductive performance variables for cattle and to assess changes in the inputs used and outputs produced. The results indicate a 25% increase in herd size and an increase in the number of oxen from 0.1 to 1.1 per household; a reduction in mortality from 63.1% to 7.1% and reductions in the rates of abortions and stillbirth of 55.9% and 51.3%, respectively; and an increase in the rate of live births of 57.6% and in the milk yield from 0.2 to 2.2 litres/cow per day in the dry season. These results show the dramatic impacts that trypanosomosis control can have on Zebu cattle exposed to high tsetse challenge. Well-designed surveys can be a cost-effective way to obtain estimates of productivity impacts that can be used to simulate projections of herd growth and meat and milk production in herd models. While there are many confounding factors associated with farmers' perception of a gain in productivity, these estimates form a useful alternative to subjective assessments in modelling the economic benefits of tsetse and trypanosomosis control.     

Associations between dairy production indices and lipoarabinomannan enzyme-immunoassay results for paratuberculosis.

Data from an epidemiological study in Ontario, involving 304 dairy herds, were used to identify associations between selected production indices and lipoarabinomannan antigen serological test results for paratuberculosis (LAM-ELISA). Analyses were conducted at both the herd and individual cow levels of organization. After analytically controlling for management and cow factors in the respective regression models, positive serological paratuberculosis status (as defined by the LAM-ELISA test), was associated with higher milk somatic cell counts at both the herd average (p less than 0.01), and individual cow levels of organization (p less than 0.0001). In contrast, LAM-ELISA test results were consistently not associated with calving intervals in either the herd average or individual cow level analyses. Associations between LAM-ELISA results and milk production were inconsistent. No associations were found at the herd level of organization, and LAM-ELISA results were not associated with a change in breed class average (BCA) for milk, between the previous and the most recent lactations of individual cattle. However, at the individual cow level, LAM-ELISA results were positively associated with higher milk production as measured by the current BCA (p less than 0.05), and individual cow average kg of milk produced per year of life since two years of age (p less than 0.0001).     

牛角膜炎诊断及治疗措施

牛角膜炎是一种急性传染性疾病,发病过程快,发病范围广,只要在牛群中出现一只患病牛短时间的会向整个牛群传播蔓延。临床上患病牛主要表现为羞明流泪,害怕强光照射,上下眼睑出现炎性水肿,如果得不到及时有效的治疗,易造成角膜浑浊甚至失明。牛角膜炎发生后,由于害怕强光刺激,严重影响牛群的正常采食,正常休息,体重显著下降,生产能力不足,不利于提高养殖场的经济效益。该文主要论述牛结膜炎的诊断和治疗过程。     

Outbreak of abortion associated with Neospora caninum infection in a beef herd

Abortion outbreaks caused by infection with Neospora caninum in beef cattle have not been well documented. Neospora caninum infection was confirmed in 4 fetuses that were aborted by cattle in a 350-head beef herd; an additional 58 cattle aborted during the next 2.5 months. Overall, 44.4% (157/354) of the cattle in the herd did not become pregnant or experienced fetal loss during this period. Initially, 81.3% (282/347) of the herd was seropositive for antibodies to N caninum, and seropositive cows were 6.2 times as likely to not be pregnant as were seronegative cows. Other potential causes of abortion were not identified in this herd. Following the outbreak, few cattle in the herd or in a second exposed herd seroconverted, but high antibody titers persisted in most seropositive cattle through the end of the calving season. Evidence of cow-to-fetus transmission of the organism was detected in > 82% of seropositive cows.     

Hepatic enzyme changes in bovine hepatogenous photosensitivity caused by water-damaged alfalfa hay

In the winter of 1983, practitioners reported extensive photosensitization in 7 herds of cattle. All herds had a history of having been fed water-damaged alfalfa hay. A cow from one herd was referred to the veterinary teaching hospital at Oklahoma State University. In this herd of approximately 40 adult Polled Herefords, all cattle had had some degree of clinical involvement over the past 4 to 6 weeks. Clinical signs included scaling and erythema of sparsely haired skin, muzzle, and teats, as well as icterus, anorexia, and weight loss. One cow died, and the remaining cattle recovered over an 8- to 10-week period after removal of the hay from the ration. In the referred cow, values for total and conjugated bilirubin, BUN, creatinine, sorbitol dehydrogenase, serum alkaline phosphatase, serum aspartate transaminase, and serum gamma-glutamyl transferase were higher than normal. In the herd of origin, extremely high serum gamma-glutamyl transferase values (180 to 1,400 IU/L) persisted (normal, 2 to 35 IU/L). Feeding the same alfalfa hay to 2 clinically normal cows reproduced the syndrome. The characteristic hepatic lesion was bile duct necrosis, with secondary bile duct hyperplasia.     

Treatment and control of an outbreak of fat cow syndrome in a large dairy herd

An outbreak of fat cow syndrome occurred in a herd of 300 Friesian and Friesian/Holstein dairy cows calving predominantly between January and May. The herd came in off grass in good condition despite a long and hot summer. The dry cows received a diet of grass silage, brewing waste and minerals until the end of December, but the grass silage was butyric and was partially replaced by maize silage. By January 23, 16 of 70 calving cows (23 per cent) had appeared to suffer milk fever. Subsequent blood tests revealed that the cows may have been ketotic, and clinical and post mortem examination showed that they were probably suffering from fat cow syndrome. The freshly calved sick cows were treated with glucose, and corticosteroids were injected every second day into those which remained ill. The cattle had received a high energy diet, but the cows still to calve were placed on a diet of low metabolisable energy (77 MJ/cow) but adequate levels of undegradable protein. The problem was associated with a possible clostridial infection in two cows and with reduced fertility.     

Copper toxicity in a New Zealand dairy herd

Chronic copper toxicity was diagnosed in a Jersey herd in the Waikato region of New Zealand following an investigation into the deaths of six cattle from a herd of 250 dry cows. Clinical signs and post-mortem examination results were consistent with a hepatopathy, and high concentrations of copper in liver and blood samples of clinically affected animals confirmed copper toxicity. Liver copper concentrations and serum gamma-glutamyl transferase activities were both raised in a group of healthy animals sampled at random from the affected herd, indicating an ongoing risk to the remaining cattle; these animals all had serum copper concentrations within normal limits. Serum samples and liver biopsies were also collected and assayed for copper from animals within two other dairy herds on the same farm; combined results from all three herds showed poor correlation between serum and liver copper concentrations.To reduce liver copper concentrations the affected herd was drenched with 0.5 g ammonium molybdate and 1 g sodium sulphate per cow for five days, and the herd was given no supplementary feed or mineral supplements. Liver biopsies were repeated 44 days after the initial biopsies (approximately 1 month after the end of the drenching program); these showed a significant 37.3% decrease in liver copper concentrations (P <0.02). Also there were no further deaths after the start of the drenching program. Since there was no control group it is impossible to quantify the effect of the drenching program in this case, and dietary changes were also made that would have depleted liver copper stores.Historical analysis of the diet was difficult due to poor record keeping, but multiple sources of copper contributed to a long term copper over supplementation of the herd; the biggest source of copper was a mineral supplement. The farmer perceived this herd to have problems with copper deficiency prior to the diagnosis of copper toxicity, so this case demonstrates the importance of monitoring herd copper status regularly. Also the poor correlation between liver and serum copper concentrations in the three herds sampled demonstrates the importance of using liver copper concentration to assess herd copper status.     

Management strategies to decrease the prevalence of mastitis caused by one strain of Staphylococcus aureus in a dairy herd

The dairy herd at Washington State University had an outbreak of mastitis caused by a single strain of Staphylococcus aureus. The outbreak strain, termed novel, could not be controlled with routine contagious mastitis pathogen control procedures (incidence, 3.4 infections/100 cow months; peak prevalence > 22%). Our objective was to implement mastitis control measures that would decrease the incidence and prevalence of intramammary infection (IMI) caused by S aureus in the herd. The following intervention strategies were successfully implemented: strict segregation of cattle with IMI caused by S aureus, intensified culling of cattle with multiple-quarter IMI caused by S aureus, and inducing cessation of lactation of infected quarters in single-mammary-quarter infected cattle. One year after implementation of these control measures, incidence of IMI caused by S aureus was 0.35 infections/100 cow months, and prevalence had decreased from 20 to 8%.     

Genetic variation and covariation in beef cow and bull fertility

Single-sire natural mating data from a beef cattle herd in tropical Australia were used to estimate heritabilities of cow fertility (hc2), heritabilities of bull fertility (hb2) and genetic correlations between cow and bull fertility (rg) within each of six genotypes. Estimates of hc2 and hb2 were low, averaging .11 and .08, respectively. The pooled estimate of rg was 0.16, indicating that cow and bull fertility are favorably genetically correlated and therefore that cow fertility could be genetically improved by indirect selection on bull fertility, or some more heritable component of bull fertility.     

Assessing performance of cow-calf operations using epidemiology.

This article examines the epidemiologic tools available to the cow-calf beef veterinarian (and cattle producer) to assess the performance of the beef cow herd and to examine ways in which these tools may be used.     

Effects of prevalence and testing by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and fecal culture on the risk of introduction of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis-infected cows into dairy herds.

A stochastic simulation model was developed to assess the risk of introduction of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection into a dairy herd through purchase of female replacement cattle. The effects of infection prevalence in the source herd(s), number of females purchased, and testing by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) alone or ELISA and fecal culture as risk mitigation strategies were evaluated. Decisions about negative test results were made on a lot and individual basis. A hypothetical dairy herd, free from M. a. paratuberculosis, which replaced 1 lot (10, 30, or 100) of cows per year, was considered. Probability distributions were specified for the sensitivities and specificities of ELISA and fecal culture, the proportion of infected herds and within-herd prevalence for randomly selected replacement source herds (high prevalence) and herds in level 2 (medium prevalence) and level 3 (low prevalence) of the Voluntary Johne's Disease Herd Status Program (VJDHSP). Simulation results predicted that 1-56% of the lots had at least 1 M. a. paratuberculosis-infected cow. Assuming that ELISA sensitivity was 25%, simulation results showed on a lot basis that between 0.4% and 18% and between 0.1% and 9% were predicted to have at least 1 infected cow not detected by ELISA and by a combination of ELISA and fecal culture, respectively. On an individual cow basis, between 0.1% and 8.3% of ELISA-negative cattle in ELISA-positive lots were estimated to be infected. In both the lot and individual analyses, the probability of nondetection increased with larger lot sizes and greater prevalence. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the effect of a lower ELISA sensitivity (10%) was a variable decrease in mean detection probabilities for all combinations of prevalence and lot size. The benefit of testing introduced cattle with ELISA alone or in combination with fecal culture was found to be minimal if cows were purchased from known, low-prevalence (level 3) herds. The value of testing by ELISA alone or in combination with fecal culture was greatest in high-prevalence herds for all lot sizes. Testing of random-source cattle, bought as herd replacements, can partially mitigate the risk of introduction of M. a. paratuberculosis but not as well as by using low-prevalence source herds (level-3 VJDHSP), with or without testing.     

牛甲烷排放量的估测

反刍动物甲烷排放量的研究主要是根据能量转化过程中甲烷能量损失量来确定饲料的代谢能和能量需要。但由于甲烷是温室气体的一种来源,其排放量的增加致使全球气温升高。因此,近些年来国内外学者对反刍动物甲烷排放量的估测越来越重视。研究方法大多根据反刍动物甲烷排放量的实测结果,运用统计方法建立甲烷排放量的估测模型。本文重点介绍中国农业大学以瘤胃瘘管阉牛作为试验动物,用大型自控呼吸测热室持续测定不同日粮在全消化道内甲烷排放量所得出的估测模型。根据《奶牛营养需要和饲料成分》(2007)中现有参数,选用上述估测模型进行甲烷排放量的估测。其中,由于我国存栏产奶奶牛的平均产奶量较低,故估测的甲烷排放量为96.29 kg/(头.a)。但日产奶量为20 kg/头的奶牛其甲烷排放量估测值为114.6 kg/(头.a)。此外,本文还利用上述模型对我国肉牛、役牛和牦牛的甲烷排放量作了初步估测。     

Theoretical basis and empirical implications of the bovine brucellosis market slaughter testing program in the United States

With reductions in federal funding, the Market Slaughter Testing (MST) surveillance system might once again become the primary bovine brucellosis surveillance system for the beef-cow population in the United States. Thus, understanding the weaknesses and/or strengths of the MST surveillance system will be crucial in determining the most effective program in a limited funding control/eradication program.An estimation of a hypergeometric distribution used in previous studies to describe the effectiveness of the MST system is employed and parameters of this distribution are estimated from secondary data. Results analyzed by herd size, and within-herd infection level yield a distinct herd size bias in the MST surveillance system. For example, the probability of detection in a 9-cow herd is 24% compared to 85.4% for a 645 cow herd after 1 year of infection. This herd size bias implies that secondary testing may be efficiently u used by concentrating testing in the smaller herds when funds for secondary testing are limited.MST detection probabilities can vary 30% between the build-up and liquidation phases of the cattle cycle, i.e., secular upswings and downswings in cattle inventory numbers. First Point of Concentration testing (FPC) of purchased replacements can partially offset the effects of the cattle cycle. A 95% herd vaccination level can reduce the probability of detection as much as 40% when compared to a similar herd that is not vaccinated.