Effect of biotin supplementation on hoof health and ceramide composition in dairy cattle

The effect of biotin supplementation on various foot lesions and hoof ceramide composition of toe (wall) and sole portions of hooves was studied in crossbred dairy cattle. Biotin supplementation was done for five months in 14 cattle at a farm and the other 14 animals kept as control. A significant decline was observed in heel erosions and sole avulsions along with total disappearance of white line fissures and double soles in the biotin supplemented cattle resulting in decrease in the overall disease score. Thin layer chromatographs of the hoof lipids revealed 11 types of ceramides in sole lipids and 6 types of ceramides in toe (wall) lipids. The ceramides were typed and identified according to their Rf values. A qualitative increase in the density of thin layer chromatographs of sole lipids was observed in biotin supplemented cattle whereas a non-significant difference in density of thin layer chromatographs of toe lipids was observed after supplementation of biotin.     

Improvement in the diagnosis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brucella abortus</Emphasis> infections in naturally infected water buffaloes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bubalus bubalis</Emphasis>) using an ELISA with a Protein-G-based indicator system

Brucellosis caused by Brucella abortus in domestic water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) raised under the traditional system of husbandry in northern India was diagnosed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) with a Protein-G-based indicator system (Protein-G ELISA). A total of 1,551 animals that are positive (N = 61), negative (N = 243), and suspected (N = 1,247) for brucellosis were examined. Rose bengal test (RBT) was used to predict the disease, and accordingly, animals were dichotomized in positive and negative population for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine the sensitivity, the specificity, and the performance index of Protein-G ELISA. Taking all animals (N=1551) into account, the ROC curve analysis revealed cut off value of 29.6% positivity (%P) with 98.40% and 94.94%, sensitivity and specificity, respectively. The results were compared with ELISA in which anti-bovine conjugate was used. The cut off in ELISA was 37.9%P and sensitivity and specificity were 96.26% and 97.07%, respectively. The performance indexes of both the assays were almost equal and were 193.34 for Protein-G ELISA and 193.33 for ELISA. The cut off values of both the tests changed, if only known positive (N = 61) and known negative (N=243) animals were used for ROC curve analysis, and accordingly, changes in sensitivity and specificity were observed with significant decrease of performance indexes of both the tests. The high optical density (P<0.0001) background signal with negative serum control and high %P (P<0.0001) in sera from negative population were noticed in ELISA in comparison to Protein-G ELISA.     

In vitro inhibitory effect of trichostatin A on canine grade 3 mast cell tumor

Mast cell tumor (MCT) is one of the most prevalent neoplasms that affect skin and soft tissue in dogs. Because mast cell tumors present a great variety of clinical appearance and behavior, their treatment becomes a challenge. Trichostatin A (TSA), an antifungal antibiotic, has shown inhibitory effects on the proliferation and induction of apoptosis in various types of cancer cells. In order to evaluate the potential of trichostatin A as a therapeutic drug, cells of grade 3 MCT were cultured and treated with concentrations of 1 nM to 400 nM of TSA. MTT assay and trypan blue exclusion assays were performed to estimate cell growth and cell viability, and cell cycle analysis was evaluated. TSA treatment showed a reduction in numbers of viable cells and an increase of cell death by apoptosis. The cell cycle analysis showed an increase of hypodiploid cells and a reduction of G0/G1 and G2/M –phases. According to these results, trichostatin A may be an interesting potential chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of canine MCT.     

Characterization of Doayo and Kapsiki taurine cattle breeds of Cameroon in their natural environment

Data were collected on live weight (LW), heart girth (HG), height-at-withers (HW), trunk length (TL), age, sex, and coat color of 207 taurines cattle—122 of the Doayo (Namchi) breed and 85 of the Kapsiki (Kirdi) breed. The animals, aged 1 to 20 years, were selected from 60 herds randomly selected from villages of Poli of Faro and Mokolo of Tsanga, divisions of the North and Far North Regions of Cameroon. The data were analyzed using the SAS program with a linear model, applying standard tests. Results indicated no breed effect (P > 0.05) in the growth trends of LW, HG, HW, and TL. HG and TL were highly significantly (P < 0.0001) related to LW. The growth pattern for the two breeds was the same since the linear contrast of least square means for the traits at various age groups did not differ (P > 0.05) significantly. The breeds attained maturity as from 4 years. In the absence of breed effect (P > 0.05), a single regression equation was established for the estimation of live weight as thus LW = - 244.42 ( ±22.57 ) kg + 2.49 ( ±0.23 ) HG + 1.04 ( ±0.25 ) TL {\hbox{LW}} = - {244}.{42 }\left( {\pm {22}.{57}} \right){\hbox{ kg}} + {2}.{49 }\left( {\pm 0.{23}} \right){\hbox{ HG}} + {1}.0{4 }\left( {\pm 0.{25}} \right){\hbox{ TL}} , with HG contributing up to 70% of total variation and TL, 2%. This equation could be used to develop a measuring band useful in the rural environment for commercial and clinical veterinary purposes.     

Rumen development and growth of Balouchi lambs offered alfalfa hay pre- and post-weaning

The consumption of solid feed is essential for successful transition from a pre-ruminant to a functional digestive tract. Lambs fed starter rations containing highly fermentable carbohydrates often experience dramatic changes in concentrations of rumen and blood metabolites. The optimal amount of roughage required in the diet of pre-ruminant animals is still unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of feeding alfalfa hay on performance and rumen development in young Balouchi lambs. In a completely randomized design, 30 lambs were fed one of three experimental diets consisting of a control, without alfalfa hay (C), a diet containing 7.5% alfalfa hay (A1), and a diet containing 15% alfalfa hay (A2). Lambs fed A1 and A2 diets had lower dry matter intake during the pre-weaning period (P?P?=?0.02), but feed conversion ratio and average daily gain were not affected by feeding alfalfa hay. Concentration of beta-hydroxybutyric acid was higher in C compared with the A1 and A2 groups (P?P?=?0.04) and increased thickness of muscular layer (P?=?0.05). We concluded that including 15% alfalfa hay in the starter diet could reduce thickness of the keratinization layer and increase muscularity of rumen wall without adverse effects on growth and performance of newborn lambs.     

Early hepatic immune response in rats infected with Fasciola hepatica

We investigated the phenotype of the T cells (CD4+ and CD8+) that produced Th1 (IFN-gamma) and Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) during the firsttwo weeks of experimental fasciolosis in rats. We also followed the kinetics of the cytokine and proliferative responses of hepatic mononuclear cells (HMNC) over the same period. We found that HMNC were more numerous in the infected animals than in the controls. The percentage of CD4+ cells increased significantly after infection, whereas the percentage of CD8+ cells did not change. Moreover, the frequency of the cells producing (CP) cytokine changed after infection. The frequency of CP IFN-gamma on 7 days postinfection (pi) was similar to that in control animals. However, the frequency of CP IFN-gamma was clearly lower on day 14 pi, whereas the frequency of CP IL-4 and CP IL-10 had increased. The CP IL-10-were mostly CD4+. Mitogenic stimulation (phorbol myristate acetate/ionomycin) of HMNC led to an increase in the amounts of the Th2 cytokines in the supernatant on days 7 and 14 pi, with the increase more pronounced on day 14. In contrast, IFN-gamma levels also increased by day 7 pi but then decreased to below control levels by day 14. In addition, HMNC proliferation in response to mitogen followed a similar pattern to IFN-gamma production. These findings suggested that, during the first 2 weeks of infection, F hepatica induced a transient ThO cytokine profile followed by downregulation of the cellular response and the induction of a Th2 cytokine profile.     

Knowledge,attitudes and practices towards <Emphasis Type="Italic">cystic echinococcosis</Emphasis> in livestock among selected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda

A cross-sectional study was done from March 2013 to May 2014 to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards cystic echinococcosis (CE) or hydatidosis among selected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda. A structured questionnaire was administered to 381 respondents. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to find the relationship between knowledge about CE and factors such as age, sex, and level of education across all regions. The odds ratio and confidence interval were used to determine the difference in responses across regions. It was shown that age above 36 years was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with awareness about CE in livestock. Likewise, uneducated (p < 0.0001) and agro-pastoralists (p = 0.01) were significantly less knowledgeable than the educated and pastoralists across all regions. The overall knowledge towards CE in livestock was low 17.8% (95% CI = 14.0–21.6). Dog ownership was high and they never dewormed their freely roaming dogs. Dogs shared water with livestock. In conclusion, knowledge about CE in livestock was low across all regions. Therefore, public health education and formulation of policies towards its control by the relevant stakeholders should be done. Also, the true prevalence of CE in livestock needs to be done so that the magnitude and its public health significance are elucidated.     

Design and evaluation of primer pairs for efficient detection of avian rotavirus

The use of molecular methods for rotavirus characterisation provides increased sensitivity for typing and allows the identification of putative reassortant strains. Reagents and methods for genotyping the virus need constant modification because of the reassortant nature of the virus. This study was aimed at designing and evaluating new oligonucleotide degenerate primer pairs that provide increased sensitivity and specificity for detecting avian rotavirus. Gene-specific primer pairs were designed by analysing different rotavirus strains isolated during the last decade by downloading them from the GenBank. The alignments were generated using clustal analysis from the BioEdit program. Degenerate nucleotides were included due to the reassortant nature of rotavirus. The consensus sequences were aligned using the BioEdit program and then treated with the Fast PCR software to derive the primers. The derived primer sequences were submitted for a BLAST search to ensure alignment was exclusive to the desired target genes. The designed primers had specific bands and were efficient in detecting rotavirus in faecal samples than previously published primers. Thus, a successful surveillance of rotaviruses requires that primer pairs be updated regularly in order to detect the emergence of novel or “unusual types”, which have occurred by genetic drift causing nucleotide changes at the primer binding sites that result in typing failures. We recommend the use of the proposed primers in molecular surveillance studies for efficient detection of avian rotavirus.     

A systematic review of leptospirosis on wild animals in Latin America

Leptospirosis is a bacterial systemic infection which affects domestic animals and wildlife, as well as humans. Many wild animals act as reservoirs of leptospires. Nevertheless, the real role of wildlife animals as source of infection to livestock and humans, as well as the most important reservoirs and leptospiral strains remains unclear. This systematic review assesses the available data about wildlife and their biomes in Latin America, concerning to leptospiral infection. In addition, we discuss the development of the research on leptospirosis in wildlife in this region. After the application of exclusion criteria, 79 papers were analyzed, comprising 186 species, 122 genus, 53 families, and 19 orders from four classes. Mammals were the most studied class, followed by Amphibian, Reptile, and Aves. The Icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup was predominant in most biomes and many orders. A small number of antigens detected the majority of seroreactive animals of each class, and a smaller panel may be used at microscopic agglutination test. Further studies must always consider edaphoclimatic conditions besides only host class or species, in order to obtain a broader understanding of the wild epidemiological cycle of leptospirosis in the region. In conclusion, direct and indirect evidences demonstrate that leptospirosis is largely widespread among wildlife in all biomes of Latin America. Moreover, more research on the role of wildlife on the epidemiology of leptospirosis and its impact on livestock and public health are required, particularly focusing on direct detection of the agent.