Neurological diseases of ruminant livestock in Australia. III: bacterial and protozoal infections

Bacteria (including chlamydia) and protozoa can produce neurological disease in Australian ruminant livestock and the nature of the inflammatory and neuroparenchymal response is often suggestive of a particular aetiological agent. An overview of the clinicopathological features of infectious disease affecting the central nervous system (CNS) is followed by a discussion of important bacterial and protozoal infections in Australia. Each infectious disease is discussed in terms of classification and pathogenesis linked to clinical signs and gross and microscopic findings. The literature review is restricted to infectious conditions causing CNS disease in Australia. Sources include the Australian Veterinary Journal (over 50 years of articles), the quarterly newsletter of the National Animal Health Surveillance System and the Animal Health Surveillance Quarterly.     

Neurological diseases of ruminant livestock in Australia. II: toxic disorders and nutritional deficiencies

The second in this series of clinical reviews on neurological diseases in ruminant livestock in Australia examines toxic disorders associated with plant and microbial toxins as well as the neurological effects of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The aim of these reviews is to assist in the surveillance of neurological diseases, especially the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.     

Neurological diseases of ruminant livestock in Australia. I: general neurological examination, necropsy procedures and neurological manifestations of systemic disease, trauma and neoplasia

Disease surveillance is an integral part of most veterinary practices in Australia. The aim of this series of invited reviews is to facilitate the differential and ultimately definitive diagnosis of some of the previously known, as well as the novel and emerging, neurological disorders of ruminant livestock, which is of particular importance in the surveillance for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. General principles of a systematic neurological examination, necropsy procedures and the neurological manifestations of systemic disease, trauma and neoplasia are described here.     

Neurological diseases of ruminant livestock in Australia. V: congenital neurogenetic disorders of cattle

As part of a series on neurological disorders in ruminant livestock in Australia, this review focuses on the congenital neurogenic disorders of cattle. The genetic pressures that contribute to the emergence of congenital neurogenic disorders, as well as the methods of diagnosis, are discussed. Disorders reviewed are ordered by breed and include arthrogryposis multiplex, fawn calf syndrome, inherited congenital myoclonus and maple syrup urine disease.     

Review of neurological diseases of ruminant livestock in Australia. VI: postnatal bovine, and ovine and caprine, neurogenetic disorders

This paper, the last in a series of reviews of neurological diseases of ruminants in Australia, discusses a range of neurogenetic disorders of cattle, sheep and goats, including necrotising encephalomyelopathy, glycogen storage disorders, cerebellar abiotrophy and β-mannosidosis. They are categorised by the species and breeds in which they occur.     

中兽药在畜禽病毒性传染病中的应用及发展前景

中兽药（Tradition Chinese Veterinary Medicine）是指以天然植物、动物和矿物为原料,炮制加工而成的饮片及其制剂,并在中兽医药学理论指导下用于动物疾病防治与提高生产性能的药物。当前,我国动物疾病面临的防治形势十分严峻：旧病复发、新病又不断发生;混合感染和继发感染疾病增多,且多出现隐性临诊表现;免疫抑制性病原感染普遍。因此在西药的薄弱领域可充分发挥中兽药的优势,特别是针对畜禽疾病中占重要部分的病毒性传染病,中兽药具有多方位调节和治疗作用,可提高动物机体的免疫力和抗应激能力。同时,国家对食品安全、公共卫生安全和健康养殖理念也日趋重视。由于中兽药具有独特的天然属性、用药原则、较高的安全性和有效性,使其拥有前所未有的发展机遇。本文就中兽药在畜禽病毒性传染病中的特点和应用现状以及发展前景作一综述。     

Challenges and opportunities to livestock breeding programmes in India

Animal breeding in India has a long and chequered history. High pressure on agricultural land and increasing human population opened a new opportunity for the livestock and poultry sector as a promising food industry. Productivity of livestock in India is low due to less coverage of livestock under structured breeding programmes, inadequate nutrition and its entanglement with several socio‐economic issues. A bottom‐up approach to breeding policy formulation addressing local needs is required with assured flow of investments. Cattle slaughter is banned in India; hence, a legal policy to curb widespread indiscriminate mating is required which may incur substantial financial and infrastructural burdens for castration of stray males and strengthening of cow rehabilitation centres. Genetic evaluation of indigenous cattle with progeny testing (PT) requires substantial financial support, without affecting the already existing PT for exotic cattle breeds used in the local cross‐breeding programmes and PT of new genotypes obtained from crosses of exotic and local breeds of cattle and for purebred buffaloes. Small ruminants need special attention due to their socio‐economic importance in rural and often highly disadvantaged communities and because they are the second most important meat‐producing species after poultry. Genetic improvement of small ruminants should be accompanied by attention to shrinking grazing resources which would require strong political will together with financial support. The outreach of breeding programmes for small ruminants is currently limited; there is also a lack of linkage between the market and producers that discourages farmers from adopting clear breeding objectives like improvement in growth rate, as animals are seldom sold on weight basis. Apart from government agencies, involvement of private sector, non‐government organizations, local co‐operatives, self‐help groups and self‐sustainable community‐based breeding programmes can strengthen market linkages. Strengthening of the existing infrastructure along with technical input and skilled manpower is essential for achieving the breeding objectives.     

纳米抗体在家畜传染病防治中应用的研究进展

随着社会经济水平的提高,人们对动物性食品的需求量显著扩大,对其安全性的要求也越来越严格。因此,家畜疾病的科学防控就显得尤为重要。目前,我国家畜疾病尤其是传染病的防控效果并不理想,仍需要不断开发和探索新的防控产品和防控策略。纳米抗体是最小的功能性抗原结合片段,和传统抗体相比,其具有分子量小、结构简单、稳定性高、易于基因改造、抗原特异性好、组织穿透力强等优点。纳米抗体源于骆驼科动物,作为一种新型抗体,在动物疾病防治技术中的研究和应用正逐步增加。本文重点综述纳米抗体在家畜传染病中的应用和研究进展,并结合发展趋势预测未来的研究重点。     

中草药在防治畜禽疾病中的作用

综述了中草药在防治畜禽疾病过程中在对抗病原体、调节抗体免疫功能、诱生干扰素、对抗细菌毒素等几方面所起的作用.     

Knowledge and attitudes of Australian livestock producers concerning biosecurity practices

Biosecurity risks are a major threat to the profitability of the industry as well as impacting human and animal health. Livestock producers play a crucial role in biosecurity as the first to notice changes in the health or productivity of their stock and are generally responsible for implementing protective measures. However, uptake of biosecurity measures by producers is variable. We critically appraised the current literature regarding biosecurity practices in Australian livestock industries and highlight aspects that are well understood as well as those where further research or information is needed. Findings from 12 cross-sectional studies suggest that Australian producers' knowledge of biosecurity methods and importance might have a positive influence on their willingness to implement or incorporate biosecurity practices. There is moderate evidence supportive of biosecurity being well understood by livestock producers across Australia. Barriers to producers using biosecurity practices included lack of information or communication from agricultural, veterinary or government organisations. It was found that larger stock numbers were positively correlated with biosecurity implementation and that producers used veterinarians, government and industry agencies as resources for trusted information.     

Animal welfare provision for land-based livestock industries in Australia

The land-based livestock industries in Australia face particular challenges in assuring high animal welfare standards due to large land areas and stock numbers, climatic extremes and relatively low inputs in terms of manpower and infrastructure. These factors make a major contribution to welfare issues associated with nutrition, health, mustering and handling, and transportation. In addition, welfare is seriously compromised by the invasive procedures that are conducted on livestock, such as castration, dehorning, mulesing and tail-docking. At least partial solutions to welfare issues associated with nutrition, health, mustering and handling are available now and should be universally adopted. There are potential solutions available for castration and dehorning, which require some further research and development. Genetic technologies can also provide a solution for dehorning, mulesing and tail-docking. Inevitably, all livestock experience transportation, and research and development is required to determine optimal practices for Australian conditions in order to minimise the negative impacts on animal welfare.     

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.     

过瘤胃氨基酸在反刍动物饲料中的应用

本文综述了过瘤胃赖氨酸及蛋氨酸在反刍动物饲料中的应用,旨为过瘤胃氨基酸在反刍动物生产中的合理使用提供理论依据。     

Genetics of fear in ruminant livestock

We provide first an overview of studies on ruminant livestock that emphasises an inter-individual variability and a relative intra-individual consistency in fear responsiveness. Then, we provide evidence that genetic factors underlie fear responsiveness. We discuss problems that may hinder the genetic evaluation and the application of fearfulness traits for genetic selection in livestock. These problems include the absence of validation in experimental designs, the complexity of fear-related responses, and the interaction between genetic factors and environmental influences that limit the consistency in fear-related responses. Some possible welfare consequences of current selection programs are also considered. Finally, we discuss the possibility for including fear criteria in current selection programs and consider how such approaches may have considerable promise in ruminant livestock. More particularly, we outline current knowledge about how genes control fearfulness. Even if fear-related responses in ruminant livestock are complex, the capacity to select on fear-related criteria or even perhaps on genes that confer fearfulness traits has the potential to significantly enhance our ability to optimise livestock for their production environment and reduce the potential for compromise to their welfare.     

The current status and outlook for insecticide,acaricide and anthelmintic resistances across the Australian ruminant livestock industries: assessing the threat these resistances pose to the livestock sector

The Australian ruminant livestock industries are faced with the need to control parasitic infectious diseases that can seriously impact the health of animals. However, increasing levels of resistance to insecticides, anthelmintics and acaricides are substantially reducing the ability to control some of these parasites. Here we review the current situation with regard to chemical resistances in parasites across the various sectors of the Australian ruminant livestock industries and assess the level of threat that these resistances pose to the sustainability of these sectors in the short to long terms. We also look at the extent to which testing for resistance occurs across the various industry sectors, and hence how well-informed these sectors are of the extent of chemical resistance. We examine on-farm management practices, breeding of parasite-resistant animals, and non-chemical therapeutics that may act as short to long term means to reduce the current reliance on chemicals for parasite control. Finally, we look at the balance between the prevalence and magnitude of current resistances and the availability and adoption rates of management, breeding and therapeutic alternatives in order to assess the parasite control outlook for the various industry sectors.     

微生态制剂在反刍动物营养与饲料中的应用

本文介绍了微生态制剂的作用机制、功能,及其在反刍动物饲料中的应用。     

近50年全球家畜生产分析

1962-2002年,全球家畜存栏量增加2倍,禽、猪和牛分别增加3倍、1.2倍和42.8%;目前中国牛、羊和猪存栏量分别占全球的1/10、1/5和1/2;发展中国家各种家畜存栏连续增多,发达国家除禽外其余家畜开始减少,与人口和产业结构调整有关。发展中国家家畜个体生产效率虽低于发达国家,但提升幅度高于后者。当前专门化家畜生产贡献全球3/4的禽肉、1/2以上的猪肉和2/3的蛋类,猪、禽和牛肉占94%的肉类总产量,我国猪、禽和牛肉产量分别占全球的55.7%、23.6%和13.2%。1961-2008年,发展中国家肉类和奶类人均年消费量的平均增幅分别为0.43和0.57kg/年,高于发达国家的0.28和0.25kg/年。2002年,全球年均饲草料消耗比1962年增加66%,牛、猪和禽的消耗分别为48.9%、16.8%和12.5%,所占饲草料生产用地的比例则分别为30.7%、31.7%和23.6%。