Length of productive life of sows in four pig farms in the tropics of Mexico

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of some factors on the length of productive life (LPL), the number of parities (NP), and the culling interval (CI) of sows. The information from 2003 to 2009 of 3,746 sows with LPL and NP records and 5,819 sows with CI records from the four farms of Yucatan, Mexico was used. LPL was defined as the number of days between the first farrowing and culling or death and CI as the number of days between the last farrowing and culling. To determine the effects of farm, litter size at first farrowing (LSF1) and age at first farrowing (AF1) on LPL and NP, and of farm, LSF1 and culling reason on CI general linear models were used. Means and standard errors for LPL, NP, and CI were 496.4 ± 8.42 days, 3.35 ± 0.04 parities, and 48.3 ± 0.52 days, respectively. All factors had significant effects (P < 0.05) on LPL, NP, and CI. The sows from farm 2 stayed longer (806.0 days) and had more parities (5.25) than the sows from the other farms. Sows with the smallest litters (≤8 piglets) at first farrowing stayed the least time in the farm (675.1 days) and had the fewest parities (4.49). Gilts farrowing the first time before 331 days of age stayed longer time in the farm (726.4 days) and had more parities (4.81) in comparison with 331–348 and more than 348 days age groups. With respect to CI, the sows in farm 3 stayed the longest time in the farm. Sows with more than five parities were culled sooner after their last farrowing. In conclusion, differences between farms for LPL, PN, and CI were found. Females that farrowed at a short age and those with large litters stayed longer in the herd. Old sows and those culled for reproductive reasons stayed the least time in the herd after their last farrowing.     

Efficiency of methods applied for goat estrous synchronization in subtropical monsoonal climate zone of Southwest China

Two experiments were undertaken to select the efficient method applied for goat estrous synchronization. In experiment 1, a total of 120 does (Capra hircus) were divided into five groups with a randomized block design, and the does of treatment 1 were synchronized by intravaginal sponges impregnated with 30 mg Levonorgestrel inserted for 10 days. Does of treatments 2, 3, and 4 were treated with further injection of 25 IU follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), 0.05 mg prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF_2α), and 25 IU FSH + 0.05 mg PGF_2α at sponge withdrawal, respectively. The does in the control group (n = 40) without estrous synchronization treatment and natural estrous does were observed. In experiment 2, a total of 140 does in five goat farms in breeding and non-breeding seasons were treated with the selective efficient procedure. The results presented that all the employed treatments were capable of inducing and synchronizing estrous goats. According to estrous response and economy, the use of intravaginal sponges impregnated with 30 mg Levonorgestrel and 0.05 mg PGF_2α (treatment 3) is the first choice for estrous synchronization, and 95.0% of synchronized does demonstrated estrus, which was significantly higher than that of treatment 1 (P < 0.05) and control group (P < 0.01). The percentages of ovulating of treatments 3 and 4 were the same (95.0%), which were significantly higher than that of treatment 1 (P < 0.01). The ovulation rates among different groups were not significant (P > 0.05). When the selective procedure was applied to five goat farms, 85.7% (120/140) of does demonstrated estrus, and the kidding percentage, litter size, and prolificacy rate were 53.6%, 0.95, and 177%, respectively.     

Wild ostrich (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Struthio camelus</Emphasis>) ecology and physiology

This work discusses some of the important considerations of wild ostrich evolution, behaviour and ecology, as items included in ostrich production. In the process considerable research was conducted by collating information from peer-reviewed papers; textbooks; manuals; and PubMed and Agricola searches. Selected areas reviewed included activity of ostriches; feeding and water needs; sexual maturity; egg laying and natural incubation; selected physiological parameters; and predation. There is an immediate and urgent need to conserve and protect the rapidly declining populations of wild ostriches with the committed involvement of governments and funding bodies.     

Protection of mice against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brucella abortus 544</Emphasis> challenge by vaccination with recombinant OMP28 adjuvanted with CpG oligonucleotides

Brucella abortus, a gram negative, facultative intracellular pathogen causes brucellosis in many animal species and humans. Although live, attenuated vaccines are available against this infection, they suffer from certain limitations. Therefore, the development of an effective subunit vaccine against brucellosis is an area of intense research. The outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Brucella species have been extensively studied for its immunogenicity and protective ability. We have investigated the potential of CpG ODN to enhance the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of recombinant 28 kDa outer membrane protein (rOMP28) of Brucella melitensis. The study demonstrated vigorous immunoglobulin G (IgG) response of OMP28. The administration of rOMP28 with CpG caused increased cell mediated immune response in terms of induced IgG2a, T-cell proliferation and up-regulation of type I cytokine expression. In contrast, the free antigen suppressed the interferon gamma (type I cytokine) production on in-vitro stimulation of spleenocytes. The result indicates the role of OMP28 in the down regulation of IFN-γ production. Moreover, the B. abortus S-19 vaccinated mice showed highest production of IL-4 and IFN-γ. The protective ability of the antigen was evaluated by systemic bacterial clearance after challenging the mouse with B. abortus 544 pathogen. The level of protection was significant in rOMP28+CpG treated mice but was lower than the required level. The results of the present study indicate that rOMP28 could be an immunogen capable of inducing both humoral and cellular immune response. The humoral response was biased towards Th1 type when it was co-administered with CpG.     

Sero-epidemiological investigation of bovine toxoplasmosis in traditional and smallholder cattle production systems of Tanga Region,Tanzania

In view of the worldwide importance of Toxoplasma gondii and the fragmented information on the seroprevalence of the disease in animals in Tanzania, a study, using the modified Eiken latex agglutination test (LAT), was conducted from May 2003 to January 2004 to determine the prevalence of antibody to T. gondii in 130 randomly selected farms comprising 655 cattle. The overall seroprevalence of T.gondii antibodies in cattle and farms were 3.6% and 13%, respectively. Risk factors for animal and herd-level toxoplasmosis seropositivity were tested using multivariable logistic regression to control for confounding factors. Cattle managed under traditional husbandry practises were more likely to be seropositive than those managed under smallholder practises (48% versus 4.7%; p < 0.01). Herd size of ≥ 9 cattle were at greater risk of acquiring infection than herds holding fewer animals [≤ 9 cattle], (odd ratio [OR] = 3.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97–16.48; P = 0.001). We concluded that seroprevalence at herd level was high and relatively low at animal level, possibly due to the reduced susceptibility of cattle to T.gondii infection as compared to goats and sheep. The high seroprevalence in animals managed by traditional husbandry practise suggests that the parasite is widely distributed in the environment and could pose a public health threat to the people living in those areas.     

Yield and mineral content of ten enset (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ensete ventricosum</Emphasis>) varieties

A study was conducted to evaluate the macro and trace mineral contents of ten enset varieties collected from Sidama zone of southern Ethiopia. Samples of leaf lamina, leaf midrib, pseudostem and corm were taken from ten enset varieties at the age of 5 to 6 years during the main rainy season. The dry weight of each variety and fraction were also determined. Mineral contents in fractions of different enset varieties were analysed and compared with nutrient requirements of ruminants. The contribution of different enset fractions to the total dry weight was variable (P < 0.05), the highest being from pseudostem and the lowest from leaf lamina. There were varietal differences (P < 0.05) in macro and trace mineral content in different fractions except phosphorus (P) content of leaf lamina. Most enset fractions were rich sources of major minerals such as P, potassium (K), calcium (Ca) (except corm) and magnesium (Mg). Sodium (Na) content was very low. Most fractions were rich in iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn), but deficient in copper (Cu), except leaf lamina. Zinc (Zn) content was high in corm, but low in other fractions. This account of the macro and trace mineral content of different enset varieties and fractions could help in strategic supplementation intended to alleviate mineral deficiencies.     

Comparative efficacy of standard AGID and precipitinogen inhibition test with monoclonal antibodies based competitive ELISA for the serology of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Peste des Petits Ruminants</Emphasis> in sheep and goats

This project was conducted to investigate the comparative efficiency of competitive ELISA (cELISA), standard Agar Gel Immunodiffusion Test (AGID) and Precipitinogen Inhibition Test (PIT) for the diagnosis of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in Pakistan. To deal with this, serum samples from 198 sheep and 82 goats were collected from three different government livestock farms and all the samples were run simultaneously with the three serological tests. The samples found positive for PPR antibodies through cELISA, AGID and PIT were 96 (34.2%), 60 (21.4%) and 72 (25.7%), respectively. Kappa statistics were applied to evaluate the concordance between the laboratory-based test (cELISA) and field-based tests (AGID and PIT). Kappa statistics scores for cELISA versus AGID and PIT were 0.6343 (95% Confidence Interval CI 0.5231–0.7456) and 0.7134 (95% Confidence Interval CI 0.5987–0.8281), respectively, which indicate a “substantial” agreement between cELISA and AGID and “significant” agreement between cELISA and PIT. AGID and PIT revealed relative diagnostic sensitivities with cELISA of 59.3% and 69.7% and relative diagnostic specificities of 98.3% and 97.2%, respectively. The data suggested that for mass screening and control of PPR, these serological tests proved practical in the absence of cELISA since they have high relative diagnostic specificities and a satisfactory relative diagnostic sensitivities.     

Evaluation of foot and mouth vaccination for yak (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bos grunniens</Emphasis>) in Pakistan

In northern Pakistan, many farming communities rely on domestic yak (Bos grunniens) as a principle source of income. A 2006 participatory disease surveillance report from this region indicated that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is the most prevalent annual disease of yak. Our objectives of this study were to determine exposure levels of yak to FMD virus; implement a vaccination program based on current, regional FMD virus serotypes and subtypes; and quantify immune responses following vaccination. Blood samples were used to determine pre-vaccination exposure of animals to FMD virus by antibody presence to non-structural proteins of FMD virus using a 3-ABC trapping indirect ELISA. Vaccine used consisted of FMD serotypes ‘O’ (PanAsia-2), ‘A’ (Iran-05), and ‘Asia-1’ (Shamir), but changed later during the study to match newly circulating viruses in the country (‘O’-PanAsia-2; ‘A’-Turk-06 and Asia-1-Sindh-08). Three hundred sixty-three blood samples were tested from selected villages to determine pre-vaccination FMD virus exposure in yak with an average of 37.7%. Immune responses from initial vaccination and booster dose 30 days later showed clear protective levels (as mean percent inhibition) of antibodies against structural proteins of serotypes ‘O,’ ‘A,’ and ‘Asia-1.’ These responses remained above threshold positive level even at day 210 following initial vaccination. Results of sero-surveillance and anecdotal information of repeated FMD outbreaks demonstrate the persistence of FMD virus of yak in northern Pakistan. Laboratory results and field observations clearly indicated that yak can be protected against FMD with a good quality vaccine with FMD serotype(s) matching current, regionally circulating FMD virus.     

Relationship between teat morphological traits and subclinical mastitis in Frieswal dairy cows

The present study was aimed to investigate the relationship between selected morphological traits of teat and subclinical mastitis (SCM) in Frieswal crossbred dairy cows. A total of 1040 quarters from 261 lactating cows were evaluated for teat shape (bottle/fleshy/collapsed/conical/normal/pencil and short), teat-end shape (dished/flat/funnel/pocketed/pointed and rounded), teat orientation (aligned/misaligned) and teat position (front and rear; left-sided and right-sided). Each udder quarter was screened with California Mastitis Test (CMT) for the purpose of defining quarter health status. Data were analysed using Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression procedure. An overall prevalence of SCM (CMT positive) at quarter level was 30.6%. Most of the teats had normal or cylindrical shapes (48%), dished teat-ends (40.7%), and aligned (central or squared) in orientation (65%). At bivariable level, significant association of SCM with teat shape, teat position, teat orientation, parity, and stage of lactation was observed (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001). Teat-end shapes showed some association with SCM (P = 0.07). Results of multivariable analysis showed that pencil-shaped teats were least associated with SCM (P < 0.05) as compared to other teat shapes. Prevalence of SCM was also higher in rear teats (P = 0.015), misaligned teats (P = 0.01), and cows in second or higher parities (P < 0.01) and late stage of lactation (P < 0.001). The results of the present study indicate that selected morphological traits of teat are associated with SCM in Frieswal crossbred cows; therefore, selection towards desirable morphological traits could help reduce mastitis in this breed.