猴到人间万户春甲申年新春贺辞

~~猴到人间万户春 甲申年新春贺辞@本刊编辑部     

Spread of bovine syncytial virus in a dairy herd over a two year period

During a two year period the spread of bovine syncytial virus was monitored in a closed herd of 50 to 100 milking cows. Out of a nucleus of 49 nonpregnant and pregnant heifers, six were found to be infected with bovine syncytial virus. Virus was detected only in the progeny of infected cows and not in the progeny of uninfected animals. Nineteen progeny of the bovine syncytial virus infected cows were studied in detail and virus was isolated from only four. Horizontal spread of the virus did not occur.     

Routine induction of farrowing with dinoprost in a commercial sow breeding unit over a year

Details were recorded on a commercial sow breeding unit where dinoprost was used to induce farrowing in groups of sows every second week. Criteria considered were the interval from injection to start of farrowing, called the induction interval, the time required for farrowing to be completed, called the duration of farrowing, litter size and percentage of piglets born dead. Data were analysed to look for the effect on these of the day of gestation on which the injection was given, the parity status of the sow and the litter size.     

Dynamics of basic hematologic values in ewes during the course of a year

Basal hematological values were studied in ten primiparous ewes of Merino breed at 15 time intervals in the period from birth to the last decade of the next gravidity. The mean erythrocyte counts ranged from 6.5 to 10.3 T . l-1, hemoglobin content from 101.3 to 121.3 g per l, hematocrit value from 0.32 to 0.37 1 per l, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration from 29.97 to 34.22 g per dl, mean corpuscular hemoglobin from 11.17 to 16.61 pg, corpuscular volume from 35.03 to 55.37 fl. The mean leucocyte counts were from 4.98 to 9.93 G . l-1, with 25.8 to 60.5% neutrophil granulocytes with segmented nuclei, 0.1 to 2.6% neutrophil granulocytes with rodlike nuclei, 0.8 to 8.7% eosinophil granulocytes, 0.0 to 0.33% basophil granulocytes, 30.3 to 71.2% lymphocytes and 0.4 to 4.5% monocytes. The quality of red blood component was not negatively influenced by a high degree of gravidity. In the time of parturition, neutrophil granulocytes highly dominated over the other types of white blood cells; the counts normalized since the seventh day post partum. Although statistically significant differences were calculated for some time intervals, the values were within the physiological limits.     

Selected indicators of colostrum quality in cows over the period of a year

Under the conditions of large-scale breeding, seasonal changes in the total protein of colostrum whey, gammaglobulins, vitamins A, E, C, and carotene in cow's colostrum from the first milking, were studied in the course of the first 12 months. As indicated by the results of an analysis of 302 colostrum samples, the concentrations of total protein in whey were significantly higher in winter (P less than 0.01) than in the summer season. On the other hand, vitamin C levels were higher in summer than in winter. A lower level of total protein of colostral serum than the required minimum of 120 g per litre was recorded in 64.4% of the cows. A highly positive correlation (r = +0.981) was demonstrated between the concentration of total protein and gammaglobulins in colostrum whey. This fact makes it possible to consider and use for diagnostic purposes the total protein of whey as a sufficiently exact parameter of colostrum quality without having to determine the gammaglobulin level. On the basis of these analyses it is possible to some extent not only to evaluate the health condition of high-pregnant cows and the quality of attendance, but also to prognosticate the health of their calves.