Interspecific variation in wildlife responses to cattle,swine and chicken feed in the forests surrounding poultry farms

To strengthen farm biosecurity, wildlife behaviors around livestock environments require significant attention. Livestock feed is considered one of essential factors that attract wildlife to the livestock environment. We experimentally studied wildlife response to cattle, swine, and chicken concentrated feeds in the forests surrounding poultry farms. In 14 feeding sites, four feed conditions were established: without feed (control); cattle feed; chicken feed; and swine feed. Wildlife behaviors at each feed point were monitored using infrared cameras. In 3,175 videos, 10 mammals were photographed on 10 or more occasions. Wildlife more frequently appeared at the points with feed than without feed. In addition, the number of videos that captured foraging or interest behaviors was largest for swine feed, followed by chicken feed, then cattle feed. There was a large difference among wildlife in their response to livestock feeds, although each species did not have a strong preference for a specific feed. Livestock feeds invite frequent visits by high and moderate response groups, especially omnivores and carnivores with omnivorous tendencies. Therefore, to protect against such wildlife intrusion, leftover feed and feed storage must be properly managed. This study also suggests that livestock feeds may not cause intrusions by rare response group species; hence, if their intrusions occur, they may be due to factors other than livestock feed. The study situation can partly reflect actual feed-stealing situations. The results will contribute to consider the properly management to protect livestock environments from wildlife intrusions.     

Nematodirus infection in lambs on an alternate grazing system of husbandry

The epidemiology of Nematodirus battus infection under a husbandry system based on an annual alternation of sheep and cattle was studied from 1983 to 1985. Pasture larval levels and sheep and cattle worm egg outputs were monitored from April to September each year. The level of N battus contamination on the sheep pasture and the number of clinically affected lambs increased over the three years despite grazing with cattle in the intervening year. Examination of cattle faeces demonstrated that six-month-old calves excreted moderate numbers of N battus eggs in June and July, thus contaminating next season's sheep grazing.     

The occurrence and antibiotic resistance of motile Aeromonas in livestock

The present study was carried out to assess the prevalence of motile Aeromonas spp. in the faeces of clinically healthy sheep, cattle and horses and evaluate their susceptibility to some anti-microbial agents. Rectal swabs from 120 sheep, 85 cattle and 20 horses were examined for Aeromonas species using alkaline peptone water (pH 8.4) as the enrichment medium and Aeromonas Selective Agar containing 5 mg/l ampicillin as the isolation medium. Identification and antibiotic resistance of motile Aeromonas strains was performed using Gram Negative Enteric ID panel. Motile aeromonads were isolated from 12 (10%) sheep, 7 (8.2%) cattle and 1 (5%) horse. Of these 20 aeromonad isolates, 13 were A. caviae, 6 were A.sobria and 1 was A. hydrophila. Aeromonas species in the faeces of livestock might pose a public health problem for humans who are in direct contact with contaminated animals. However, further studies should be performed on aeromonads relating to their transmission between animals and humans.     

Management of land and livestock contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls

Investigations were conducted on several small neighbouring beef cattle and sheep farms that were found to be contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The residues detected contained about 62% w/w chlorine and soil concentrations ranged from 0.35 to 1.9 mg/kg. Beef cattle and sheep grazing the contaminated land had PCB concentrations in their fat of 0.3 to 1.7 mg/kg and 0.19 to 0.45 mg/kg, respectively. The concentration of PCBs in the caudal fat of cattle was 0.3 to 2 times the concentration of PCBs in the land they were grazing and was positively related to stocking rates. PCBs were present in milk fat from cattle at about the same concentration as in caudal fat, and lactation appeared to contribute to decontamination. Wool grease from sheep contained about 1 to 2 times the concentration of PCBs in subcutaneous fat. Calves of contaminated cows also became contaminated. The half-life for decontamination of PCBs in a group of 8 young female beef cattle was calculated at 13 months. PCBs were detected in pasture samples at concentrations ranging from less than 0.01 mg/kg to 0.12 mg/kg. However, PCBs were not detected in any sample of hay cut from these paddocks. In 4 sheep fed a sole ration of this hay, traces of PCBs were detected in their fat following 89 days of feeding. Grazing livestock for meat production on land contaminated with PCBs is not recommended because livestock readily acquire residues, and PCBs persist in soil and livestock for long periods. Grazing sheep for wool production on land contaminated with PCBs may be an option.     

一例人间炭疽病例的溯源调查及处置

2021年6月20日,陕西省汉中市南郑区农业农村局接到同级卫健部门通报,一名牛羊屠宰人员被确诊患有皮肤炭疽。为查清该病例的病原来源以及病原污染面和畜间发病情况,南郑区动物疾病预防控制中心组织相关专业人员立即对关联的屠宰和养殖环节进行了溯源。综合历史资料、调查结果以及实验室检测结果,认为本次人间炭疽疫情的来源可能为被屠宰的病牛。洪水将过往炭疽病原带出,牛通过采食被污染的水、草感染。因非法屠宰病牛导致出现一定的病原传播。通过采取限制移动、监测、对环境及污染区域严格消毒等措施,经后期检测,证实疫情得到彻底控制。该起疫情警示,要加强牛羊养殖、屠宰从业人员的健康宣传及牛羊屠宰行业的管理,加大对非法屠宰、经营、运输病死畜禽行为的查处力度,以确保牛羊肉消费安全。     

Responses of dairy cows to badger urine and faeces on pasture with reference to bovine tuberculosis transmission.

Grazing cattle were observed when they encountered badger urine or faeces which, in all but the first study, came only from badgers which were not infected with bovine tuberculosis. The faeces were very strongly avoided and there was generally a strong avoidance of ingestion of badger urine. There was no evidence that cattle were attracted to badger latrines in an area where some infected badgers were present and cows actively avoided faeces up to 28 days old which was placed on grass turves or on pasture. 99.3% of cows took no bites from small grass plots contaminated with faeces and 88.7% of cows took no bites from urine-treated plots. There was generally avoidance of pasture treated with badger urine up to 14 days old. However, two cows out of 240 were willing to graze close to faeces and seven out of 240 were willing to graze near urine. Contaminated herbage was eaten most when attractive herbage became scarce. Wet weather did not reduce the strength of avoidance of urine. Some cows responded to badger urine, and to a lesser extent to faeces, by more sniffing, particularly when herbage was scarce. The odour of faeces, and sometimes that of urine, often resulted in the ejection of mouth contents. As a consequence of their avoidance of badger faeces and urine, the vast majority of cows are unlikely to contract tuberculosis from infected badgers by ingestion. Most cows totally avoid badger products so they are unlikely to be infected via inhalation. However, the small minority of unselective cows must be more at risk and this finding warrants further investigation.     

母牛流产原因分析及对牛黄曲霉毒素中毒病的诊治体会

母牛流产是奶牛养殖中普遍存在的问题,如果不采取积极预防和治疗措施,会导致母牛繁殖周期延长、产犊率降低,从而对养殖业的经济效益造成重大损害。本研究调查分析了2022年10月至2023年9月期间某牛场母牛的流产情况。统计结果显示,29头可繁殖母牛共产下29头小牛,其中9头新生小牛不幸死亡,流产率近1/3。为明确流产原因,本研究对环境、饲料、用药等多方面进行了调查和检测。经研究发现青贮饲料严重霉变,黄曲霉毒素B1含量显著超标。综合各项检查,初步判断母牛长期食入黄曲霉毒素污染饲料是导致流产的根本原因。此外,本研究提出了一系列有针对性的防控对策,包括监测动物健康、规范饲料管理、定期检测霉菌毒素等,以最大限度地预防和减少母牛的流产问题,并期望对广大奶牛养殖户提供一定帮助。     

The effect of grazing management on livestock exposure to parasites via the faecal–oral route

In grazing systems, heterogeneous distributions of forage resources and faeces result in localised accumulations of nutrients and parasites (both macroparasites and microparasites), creating trade-offs between the costs of exposure to infestation or infection and the benefits of nutrient intake. Each contact between livestock and faeces in the environment is a potential parasite/pathogen transmission event. Thus, herbivores must make foraging decisions in complex environments which will affect their intake of both nutrients and parasites. However, the pattern of forage and faecal resources in agricultural environments will also be affected by the grazing management system in place. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of grazing management on the risk of infection/infestation to livestock. We used a spatially explicit individual based stochastic foraging model to simulate livestock contact (both grazing and investigative) with faeces in the environment. The model was parameterised to simulate cattle grazing under three types of grazing management: set stock (i.e. where sward growth and cattle intake are in equilibrium in a single field); a two pasture rotation grazing system with increasing number of rotations; and a rotational grazing system with two rotations and increasing subdivisions of the pasture. Overall the amount of cattle contact with faecal-contaminated patches was similar in both set stocking and rotational grazing scenarios, suggesting no difference in the risk of infection or infestation between the different systems. However, the timing and absolute amounts of peak contact varied greatly indicating that different grazing management systems expose livestock to risks of different types of parasites at different times of the grazing season. Intensive rotational systems with small pasture blocks (especially the first grazing period) maximised livestock contact with fresh faeces, and thus exposure to microparasites (e.g. bacterial pathogens). Livestock re-entering pasture blocks in rotational systems and set stocked livestock had the highest contact with old faeces and thus have a greater risk of macroparasite transmission (gastrointestinal nematodes). This study highlights how livestock management affects the highly dynamic interaction between livestock and distributions of parasites in the environment and thus the levels of livestock exposure to parasites and pathogens via the faecal–oral route.     

Terbufos poisoning in a dairy herd

This report describes the accidental poisoning of over 200 head of Holstein cattle by the organophosphate, terbufos. The ingestion of an acutely toxic dose (approximately 7.5 mg/kg) of terbufos by 84 heifers resulted in severe respiratory distress as the primary clinical sign and death within 12 hours. There was no response to treatment with atropine sulfate. One hundred and twenty milking cows received a portion of the contaminated feed diluted approximately ten times. These cattle had typical signs of organophosphate poisoning and responded to atropine sulfate. Severely affected cows received pralidoxime chloride and activated carbon 48 h after terbufos ingestion but did not respond to the drugs. Diagnosis of organophosphate poisoning was confirmed by tissue and feed analysis for terbufos and measurement of whole blood cholinesterase activity.     

Risk of exposure to Coxiella burnetii from ruminant livestock exhibited at Iowa agricultural fairs

Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic pathogen typically associated with clinical and asymptomatic infection in ruminant livestock. A re‐emerging pathogen of significant public health importance, C. burnetii has caused recent epidemics in the United States and Europe, and public livestock exhibitions are increasingly scrutinized as a potential source of C. burnetii exposure. Although C. burnetii prevalence data among North American domestic ruminants are extremely limited, contemporary studies suggest that this pathogen is both geographically widespread and highly prevalent on a herd basis, especially in dairy cattle and goat populations. We utilized a real‐time PCR assay to detect C. burnetii faecal shedding by clinically normal, non‐periparturient beef cattle, meat goats and sheep exhibited at Iowa agricultural fairs. Individual faecal samples were collected from beef cattle, meat goats and sheep exhibited at twelve Iowa county fairs during the summer of 2009. The sample pool was blocked by species and fair, and ten samples from each block were randomly selected for the diagnostic assay; this test pool is considered sufficient to identify with 95% confidence a shedding animal in a population prevalence of 2.85% (cattle and sheep) and 6.25% (goats). Detection of C. burnetii DNA was determined through use of a real‐time PCR assay validated for use in bovine, ovine and caprine faeces; threshold of detection is one DNA copy per PCR (sensitivity 95.8%, specificity 100%). All tested samples were negative for C. burnetii DNA. We conclude that non‐dairy, non‐periparturient ruminants exhibited at Iowa fairs are unlikely to shed C. burnetii in their faeces and that this population should not be considered to be a significant exposure risk to other livestock or fair attendees.     

Botulism in cattle

Botulism is an intoxication caused by ingestion of feed or water contaminated with the toxin of Clostridium botulinum. In cattle, intoxication usually results from the ingestion of feed containing preformed type C or D toxin, either in feed which has been contaminated with toxin-containing carcasses or in feed in which there has been primary multiplication of C. botulinum and toxin production. The initial signs of botulism are progressive difficulty in chewing and swallowing, caused by paralysis of the tongue and muscles of mastication. This results in slow prehension and chewing of feed, water and feed falling out of the mouth, excessive salivation and weakness of the tongue. After 1 to 3 days, generalised paralysis occurs followed by death due to respiratory paralysis. Intravenous fluid therapy is the recommended treatment. The administration of antiserum is of limited value in advanced stages and is used mainly as a prophylactic measure in cattle herds in which an outbreak has just started. Active immunization of cattle in high-risk herds is also an option. It is critical that cattle not be fed feed contaminated with soil or carcasses.     

Occurrence of organochlorine residues in Australian meat

In spite of several quality control procedures used by Australia to ensure the wholesomeness of export meat, a number of pesticide residue violations were identified in the Australian product exported to the USA in May 1987. The pesticides involved were the organochlorines, dieldrin and heptachlor. The problems were caused by the persistence of organochlorines in soils and their illicit use or contamination of storage facilities. Animals grazing contaminated pasture, ingesting contaminated feed or held in contaminated yards over a period, bioaccumulated residues in their adipose tissues which eventually exceeded maximum residue limits (MRL) and caused violations. Though there was no immediate public health risk, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) of the Commonwealth Department of Primary Industries and Energy (DPIE), acted expeditiously to determine and eliminate the factors causing these problems, which threatened Australia's beef export industry worth in excess of two billion dollars annually. An overall strategic plan, "The Integrated Action Plan", was formulated and implemented by AQIS with the assistance of the relevant Departments of the States and the Northern Territory (NT), meat processing and export industries and livestock producer bodies. As a result of this action, the likely sources of contamination were identified and controlled. The National Residue Survey (NRS) was enhanced, a National Residue Data Base (NRDB) was established and a centralised computer system interactive with abattoirs, laboratories and animal health authorities developed. The cattle farm identity tail tag system already in place, capable of tracing cattle to the farm of origin was refined and trace back systems for sheep and pigs were utilised.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in cattle and sheep in the lower North Island, New Zealand

AIM: To genotype Escherichia coli cultured from the faeces of healthy cattle and sheep in the lower North Island, in order to investigate the possible role of ruminants as a reservoir for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in New Zealand. METHODS: A total of 952 strains of E. coli were isolated on selective media, from faecal swabs from 319 animals (187 cattle and 132 sheep) from four sites in the Manawatu and Rangitikei regions of New Zealand. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to genotype the E. coli isolates, using amplification of Shiga toxin genes (stx1 and stx2) and the E. coli attaching and effacing gene (eae). RESULTS: Isolates of E. coli were cultured from swabs from 178/187 (95.2%) cattle and all 132 (100%) sheep. Ninety-nine (10.4%) of the isolates were stx1 only, 83 (8.7%) stx2 only, 33 (3.5%) stx1 and stx2, 23 (2.4%) stx1 and eae, one (0.1%) stx2 and eae, and 115 (12.1%) were eae only. Overall, 51 (27.3%) cattle and 87 (65.9%) sheep were stx-positive, whereas 69 (36.9%) cattle and 36 (27.3%) sheep were eae-positive. CONCLUSIONS: Both healthy cattle and sheep are asymptomatic reservoirs of STEC in New Zealand. Direct contact with cattle and sheep or consumption of water or foodstuffs contaminated with cattle of sheep faeces may represent a significant source of infection for humans.     

An assessment of the risks to the health of grazing animals from the radioactive contamination of pastures

As a result of the Chernobyl accident sheep and cattle in Wales, Cumbria and Scotland became contaminated with radionuclides of caesium and iodine. In the worst case, the maximum levels of contamination were of the order of 4000 Bq/kg of caesium-137 and 2000 Bq/kg of caesium-134 in muscle and 2,000,000 Bq/kg of iodine-131 in the thyroid gland. Calculations show that the radiation dose rates to the animals from these burdens of the radionuclides of caesium would have been approximately one thousandth of the dose rate needed to cause clinical signs of damage; in the case of iodine-131 approximately 10,000 times higher levels of the nuclide would have been required to cause clinically perceptible damage to the thyroid gland. In any forseeable nuclear accident severe problems of human health would arise before any detrimental effects on livestock could be detected.     

The ranging behaviour and habitat use of rabbits on farmland and their potential role in the epidemiology of paratuberculosis

Grazing herbivores avoid grass swards contaminated with faeces as the ingestion of faeces is a common route of micro- and macro-parasite transmission. The recent novel finding that herbivores do not avoid grass swards contaminated with rabbit faeces suggests that disease risk posed to herbivores by rabbits is determined by rabbit ranging and excretory behaviour. Using as a case study rabbits and the risk Mycobacterium avium sub-species paratuberculosis (M. a. paratuberculosis) poses to cattle, the interaction between rabbits and grazing pasture was studied on an infected farm in the east of Scotland in spring and autumn 2000. Radio telemetry, burrow surveys and faecal pellet count data were collected on two areas (Areas 1 and 2) of the farm with different habitat mosaics, to study the potential effects of season and habitat on the spatial distribution of rabbits faeces and thus disease in the environment. Twenty one rabbits were radio tracked and a total of 902 fixes collected. Mean home range sizes (100% minimum convex polygons) were between 2.0 and 7.1 ha per rabbit per season. Home ranges were significantly larger in spring, and in Area 1 which had more moor and woodland and less rough pasture. Rabbits used rough pasture most in Area 1 and gorse scrub in Area 2. In both areas, significantly more burrows were located in gorse scrub than in any other habitat. Most faecal pellets were deposited on the moorland habitat of Area 2 in autumn. In habitats to which grazing livestock had access, the mean rate of faecal deposition was 8571 pellets per ha per day. The greatest risk of disease transmission occurred in habitats of poor grazing quality (e.g., gorse scrub) which were used by rabbits for burrowing and thus contained high concentrations of faeces. The findings of the study are discussed in relation to management practices aimed at reducing disease risk to livestock, including the fencing of scrub and the reduction of rabbit population size to prevent expansion of rabbit burrows from scrub into grazing pastures.     

Infectivity of scrapie prion protein (PrPSc) following in vitro digestion with bovine gastrointestinal microbiota

The influence of a complex microflora residing in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle on the prion protein plays a crucial role with respect to early pathogenesis and the potential infectivity of faeces resulting in contamination of the environment. It is unknown whether infectious prion proteins, considered to be very stable, are inactivated by microbial processes in the gastrointestinal tract of animals during digestion. In our previous study it was shown that the scrapie-associated prion protein was degraded by ruminal and colonic microbiota of cattle, as indicated by a loss of anti-prion antibody 3F4 immunoreactivity in Western blot. Subsequently, in this study hamster bioassays with the pre-treated samples were performed. Although the PrP(Sc) signal was reduced up to immunochemically undetectable levels within 40 h of pre-treatment, significant residual prion infectivity was retained after degradation of infected hamster brain through the gastrointestinal microflora of cattle. The data presented here show that the loss of anti-prion antibody 3F4 immunoreactivity is obviously not correlated with a biological inactivation of PrP(Sc). These results highlight the deficiency of using Western blot in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies inactivation assessment studies and, additionally, point to the possibility of environmental contamination with faeces containing PrP(Sc) following an oral ingestion of prions.     

磷矿周围环境镉污染情况调查研究

为掌握磷矿区周围镉污染情况,确保畜禽养殖生产安全,采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法对矿区周围环境中的水源、土壤、饲草和畜禽体内的镉污染程度展开调查。结果：矿区环境中土壤、地表水镉含量均超标;畜禽中牛肾脏、牛肠、牛肺脏、羊脾脏、羊肌肉镉含量超标。结论：磷矿周围环境以及饲养的牲畜存在较严重的镉污染,从公共卫生学角度应给予高度关注。     

甘肃省庆阳市家畜粪污风险评价与资源利用技术研究

为了解甘肃省庆阳市家畜粪污肥料的安全性,促进粪污资源的健康化、合理化、精细化利用,实现科学种养结合模式,采集该市猪场、牛场、羊场的家畜粪便,经塑料大棚堆积发酵熟化后,测定粪便肥料的主要卫生学指标和重金属含量。结果表明：测定的2项卫生学指标,包括粪中蛔虫卵死亡率和粪大肠菌群数,均符合《有机肥标准 NY 525—2012》的要求。猪粪肥料中含有的重金属元素以锌（Zn）、铜（Cu）为主,其中,Zn含量为4 125.00 mg/kg,Cu含量为342.00 mg/kg;对照国家推荐标准《畜禽粪便还田技术规范 GB/T 25246—2010》中的重金属限制值,猪粪肥料中Zn含量超出最大限制值（3 400 mg/kg）21.32%,且Cu含量较高,超出部分作物限制要求。牛粪肥料铬（Cr）含量较高,为217.30 mg/kg,超出相关标准（150.00 mg/kg）44.87%。羊粪肥料重金属含量均未超标。为避免粪污重金属对环境的污染,建议粪污进行集中处理,将猪粪与牛粪或羊粪按比例混合堆积发酵生产有机肥,并根据作物需要科学施用。     

Potential environmental consequences of administration of ectoparasiticides to sheep

Sheep ectoparasiticides, which include the synthetic pyrethroids, the organophosphates, the 'insect'-growth regulators, the formamidines and the spinocyns, enter into the environment primarily through disposal of dip or fleece scours, as well as with contaminated faeces and urine. Due to the large quantities of spent dip, risks associated with environmental contamination are high. Synthetic pyrethroids and organophosphates pose risks to dung, soil and aquatic fauna; concerns over potential ecotoxicity to vertebrates and invertebrates have resulted in the cessation of their use in many countries. There is very little information regarding the ecotoxicity of 'insect'-growth regulators, formamidines or spinocyns, with no studies focussing on sheep. Here, the impact of sheep ectoparasiticides is discussed in terms of their potential to enter into the environment, their toxicity and their impact on ecosystem functioning. Where there are no data for excretion or toxicity of the ectoparasiticides used in sheep production, examples to demonstrate potential impacts are taken from laboratory ecotoxicity tests and the cattle literature, as well on work with foliar insecticides. Future research priorities are suggested to allow assessment of the environmental consequences of sheep ectoparasiticide treatments, which are essential for future sustainable sheep production.     

畜禽养殖舍氨气排放特性及减排技术研究进展

畜禽养殖舍是重要的氨气(NH_3)排放源,了解畜禽舍NH_3排放特性及其减排措施对于畜禽健康生产和环境健康均具有重要意义。本文综述了国内外有关猪、鸡、牛3种主要畜禽养殖舍内的NH_3排放特性,对于不同畜禽舍内影响其NH_3排放的关键影响因素进行了探讨,并对3种畜禽舍的NH_3排放因子进行了比较,总结了当前广泛采用的各类畜禽舍内的NH_3减排技术,包括从源头的饲料优化、排泄后粪便添加剂使用、舍内空气净化处理以及外排空气过滤装置等,构建了全方位的畜禽舍NH_3减排措施体系,对于了解畜禽舍NH_3排放特性,以及减排措施的选择具有重要参考意义。