Physiological responses of newborn Bos indicus and Bos indicus x Bos taurus calves after exposure to cold

Brahman (n = 9) and 1/2 Simmental x 1/4 Brahman x 1/4 Hereford (n = 11) calves were utilized to determine the influence of exposure to cold on the physiology of the neonate. All calves were removed from their dams within 20 min of birth and prior to suckling. Calves were assigned randomly within breed to either a warm (W; 31 degrees C) or cold (C; 4 degrees C) environmental treatment group. Jugular blood samples were collected via indwelling catheters at 20-min intervals for 180 min. At 100 to 120 min of sampling, all calves were given 1.2 liters of colostrum from their dams via stomach tube. At 120 min, C calves were placed in the W environment. Calf vigor score (CVS) and rectal temperature were determined at each time blood was collected. Serum or plasma was analyzed for glucose (GLU), lactate (LAC), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), hemoglobin (HEM), triglyceride (TRG), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), insulin (INS), cortisol (CORT) and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentration. Rectal temperature was lower (P less than .01) in C Brahman than in W Brahman and C or W crossbred calves. Crossbred calves had higher (P less than .01) CVS than Brahman calves. Calves in W had lower (P less than .01) GLU than C calves. Brahman calves had higher GLU, LAC, BUN, TRG, T3, T4 and CORT (P less than .05) than crossbred calves. The C Brahman calves had the highest (P less than .05) TRG, CORT, T3 and T4 of all groups. Concentration of NEFA were higher (P less than .01) in C than in W calves.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Nutritional and economic benefits ofLeucaena andGliricidia as feed supplements for small ruminants in humid West Africa

Summary Considering leguminous trees Leucaenaand Gliricidiaas good sources of quality food, on-station and on-farm studies were conducted in the humid zone of West Africa to establish animal responses to levels, times and forms of browse supplementation, to develop alternative feeding strategies for utilising limited feed supply and to assess the economic benefits of feed supplements as against the use of tree foliage as mulch for crop production. Results indicate that at any level of supplement, sheep grew twice as fast as goats. The main benefits of supplementation came through increased growth and survival. Form and level of supplementation had significant effect on intake. Economic analyses showed that crop response to mulching was the principal competing determinant of whether the use of tree foliage as feed supplement was economic.

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Beneficios Nutricionales Y Economicos De La Utilizacion DeLeucaena YGliricidia Como Suplementos Para Pequenos Rumiantes En Zonas Humedas Del Africa Occidental

Resumen Considerando que los árboles de los génerosLeucaena y Gliricidia son fuentes de alimento de buena calidad, se llevaron a cabo estudios en granjas y estaciones experimentales en zonas húmedas del Africa Occidental para determinar (1) la respuesta de los animales a diferentes niveles, momentos y formas de suplementación, (2) desarrollar estrategias de alimentación alternativas para aprovechar alimentos escasos y (3) determinar los beneficios económicos de la utilización de las hojas de los árboles mencionados como suplemento en lugar de como sistema de protección de los cultivos. Los resultados indicaron que, para cualquier nivel de suplementación, las ovejas crecieron dos veces más deprisa que las cabras. Los principales beneficios de la suplementación fueron un aumento en el crecimiento y en la supervivencia. La forma y el nivel de suplementación tuvieron efectos significativos sobre la ingestión. Los análisis económicos indicaron que la respuesta de los cultivos a la protección con hojas y estiercol fue el pricipal factor a tener en cuenta a la hora de decidir acerca de si la utilización de las hojas como suplemento para el ganado resultaba económica.

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Interets Economiques Et Nutritionnels DeLeucaena EtGliricidia En Tant Qu’Apports Alimentaires Pour Les Petits Ruminants De L’Afrique Humide De l’Ouest

Résumé Considerées comme des sources nutritionnelles de qualité, des études furent menées surLeucaena etGliricidia dans les fermes et les lieux d’élevage dans la zone humide d’Afrique de l’ouest dans le but d’établir les résponses des animaux aux niveaux, durées et formes du broutage, pour développer des stratégies alternatives d’alimentation pour l’utilisation limitée d’apports alimentaires et pour estimer les avantages économiques des suppléments nutritionnels par opposition à l’utilisation de ces legumineuses comme terreau pour la production de récolte. Les resultats montrent que quel que soit le niveau d’apport nutritionnel, la croissance des moutons fut deux fois plus rapide que celle des chèvres. Les principaux intérêts de l’apport nutritionnel résiderent dans l’augmentation de croissance et de la survie des animaux. La nature et le niveau de l’apporteurent un effet significatif sur la consommation. Des analyses économiques montrérent que la résponse des récoltes après apport en terreau fut le principal facteur en compétition d’un point de vue économique, pour l’utilisation de ces légumineuses comme supplément alimentaire.

     

Effects on adhesion molecule expression and lymphocytes in the bovine mammary gland following intra-mammary immunisation

Changes to adhesion molecule expression and lymphocyte populations were evaluated in alveolar mammary tissue collected from cows following an immunisation protocol that involved intra-mammary inoculation to induce an IgA response in mammary secretions. The right quarters of the udder were immunised; the left side acted as a control. Antibody titres in secretions showed that at least two animals responded with antigen-specific IgA. Numbers of T-lymphocytes were 4-fold higher in immunised glands compared with controls (P < 0.05). IgA-, IgM- and IgG-positive cell numbers were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in immunised glands compared with controls in three of the four cows. No mucosal addressin molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1), vascular cell-adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) or peripheral node addressin (PNAd) protein expression was detected on smaller venules that stained positively for von Willebrand factor in alveolar mammary tissues, from either immunised or control glands. Both VCAM-1 and PNAd were detected on smaller venules in supramammary lymph nodes, however, there was no significant difference between immunised and control glands. Quantification of MAdCAM-1 mRNA showed very low expression in both immunised and control alveolar tissue compared with Peyer's patch positive-control tissue. These findings suggest that the bovine mammary gland is capable of a mucosal antibody response; however, MAdCAM-1 is not involved with lymphocyte homing to the mammary gland in this species.     

The development of thermal resistance of the feather coat in broilers with different feathering genotypes and feeding regimes

1. This study compared the development of thermal resistance of the feather coat in broilers, with early or late feathering genes, and with or without the naked neck gene, allowed ad libitum or restricted feeding. 2. Male and female broilers of one of the 4 genotypes were reared to 6 weeks of age and allocated to one of the two feeding regimes. The thermal resistance of the back and crop region was measured at weekly intervals. A sample of birds were killed at the same ages and total feather weight, primary and secondary flight feather weight, liver weight and abdominal fat weight were measured. 3. All three main factors, sex, feeding and genotype, had significant effects on feather weight over time. The primary and secondary flight feathers were less affected by feed restriction than the feather coat as a whole. Birds with the naked neck gene showed a greater depression in growth rate than birds with a normal neck under conditions of restricted feeding. 4. The thermal resistance of the feathers on the back was greater in females, increased by early feather growth and decreased by restricted feeding. 5. Relative to metabolic body size, birds on restricted feeding had a greater feather weight and a smaller liver. There was a marked reduction in fat deposition, to almost negligible levels by 6 weeks of age. 6. Broilers given restricted feeding, in preparation for breeding, would benefit by a warmer environment, particularly those with feathering genotypes which confer a lower thermal resistance.     

Vaccinating badgers (Meles meles) against Mycobacterium bovis: the ecological considerations

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a serious zoonotic disease, which despite a largely successful test and slaughter programme has persisted in cattle herds in parts of the UK. The badger (Meles meles) is widely considered to represent a significant wildlife reservoir for the transmission of Mycobacterium bovis to cattle, and has been the subject of a variety of culling strategies since the mid 1970s. Nevertheless, the incidence of herd breakdowns has continued to rise, and the efficacy of culling is currently the subject of a large-scale field trial. One potential alternative tool for the management of disease in wildlife populations is vaccination. However, the successful development of an effective vaccine and a strategy for its delivery will require careful consideration of the practical constraints imposed by ecological factors. In the current paper, we discuss relevant ecological and epidemiological characteristics of badger populations and practical aspects of vaccine delivery in the field.     

Association of markers in the bovine CAPN1 gene with meat tenderness in large crossbred populations that sample influential industry sires

Two previously identified single-nucleotide polymorphism markers located within the micromolar calcium-activated neutral protease gene (CAPN1) were evaluated for their association with variation in meat tenderness using one commercial sample of Simmental x Angus crossbred calves and one multibreed, crossbred research herd. The commercial sample included 362 animals sired by 23 registered Simmental bulls bred to unregistered Angus cows and represented current industry animals in which to test the predictive merit of the markers. The second sample was a research herd including 564 steers from the Germplasm Evaluation Cycle VII population at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, produced with semen from popular sires of the seven Bos taurus beef breeds with the most registrations in the United States (Angus, Charolais, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Limousin, Red Angus, and Simmental) on Angus, Hereford, and MARC III cows. These animals form a relatively outbred population that constituted a stringent test of the predictive merit of the genetic markers, although small groups were half-sibs. Warner-Bratzler shear force measurements were used to determine tenderness phenotypes for all animals. The populations were genotyped for two markers that predict variation at amino acid positions 316 and 530 of the mu-calpain polypeptide, produced by the CAPN1 gene. Minor allele frequencies for markers 316 and 530 in the commercial sample were 0.17 and 0.37, respectively, and in the Cycle VII animals, were 0.20 and 0.28, respectively. Both markers showed association with shear force in the commercial sample (P = 0.04) and the Cycle VII population (P = 0.02), supporting the hypothesis that they represent potential markers to aid selection for improved meat tenderness in commercial populations of beef cattle in the United States.     

Nasal tumor with widespread cutaneous metastases in a Golden Retriever

An intact, 8-year-old, male Golden Retriever dog was presented for evaluation of a nasal mass and approximately 30 firm, raised, variably ulcerated dermal and subcutaneous masses. Histopathology of both nasal and multiple skin masses revealed multiple nonencapsulated, infiltrative masses comprising clusters, anastomosing trabeculae, and packets of neoplastic, round to ovoid, hyperchromatic cells with marked nuclear molding. Surrounding the neoplastic cells was a marked stromal response in which many of the spindle-shaped cells expressed muscle-specific actin and had ultrastructural features consistent with myofibroblasts. A literature search indicates that this is the first report in a peer-reviewed journal of cutaneous metastasis of a nasal neuroendocrine tumor in any domestic animal species.     

Epidemiology and clinical features of human infection with Coxiella burnetii in Denmark during 2006-07

Query (Q) fever was virtually unknown in Denmark in 2005, when, after the introduction of new sensitive diagnostic methods for Coxiella burnetii, an increasing number of positive cattle created concern among people with frequent exposure. This led to a dramatic rise in examinations for Q fever among humans in the following 2 years. The aim of our study was to assess indication for testing and symptoms in individuals with serological signs of infection with C. burnetii. We performed a case-review study of seropositives among all humans tested for Q fever in 2006-07 in Denmark. Seropositive cases were categorized with acute infection: 4-fold increase in immunoglobulin G (IgG) phase II or concomitant IgM phase II ≥ 1 : 256 and IgG phase II ≥ 1 : 1024; and previous infection: IgG phase II ≥ 1 : 1024. A borderline result was defined as: IgG phase II = 1 : 512. Physicians completed a questionnaire retrospectively. Of the 1613 people tested, 177 (11%) were seropositive [37 (2%) acute infection, 140 (9%) previous infection], 180 had a borderline result. Among 127 seropositives responders, 31% were tested due to symptoms compatible with Q fever after a possible exposure to C. burnetii, 64% were asymptomatic and were tested following relevant exposure only; 64% were males, 43% farmers, 39% veterinarians, 84% had been exposed to cattle. The most frequently reported symptoms were asthenia (25%), myalgia (21%), fever (17%) and headache (13%). About two-thirds of seropositives reported asymptomatic infections, and were tested for Q fever because of concern for occupational exposure to cattle. One-third of the seropositives reported symptoms consistent with Q fever, the majority being mild. Our study provided important evidence that increased requests for Q fever testing in 2006-07 arose from heightened public awareness of the disease, and not from an outbreak of clinical disease. Nonetheless, Q fever should be considered endemic in Denmark.     

Evaluation of hemostatic derangements associated with canine anaphylaxis and the relationship to syndrome severity

Objective

To describe hemostatic derangements associated with canine anaphylaxis and to assess for association with syndrome severity.

Design

Prospective observational study.

Setting

University teaching hospital.

Animals

Twenty-seven client-owned dogs, recruited from November 2018 to January 2022, diagnosed with anaphylaxis of varying severity were included. Study inclusion required presentation <6 hours after initiation of clinical signs, no medications or history of illness within the prior 2 weeks, lack of comorbidities expected to affect hemostasis, and lack of a disease state that could alternatively explain the clinical presentation.

Interventions

Blood samples were collected within the first hour of presentation for CBC, serum biochemistry, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and viscoelastic coagulation testing for use with a cartridge-based point-of-care device.

Measurements and main results

Clotting time and clot formation time were prolonged, alpha angle and maximum clot firmness were decreased, PT and aPTT were prolonged, and platelet counts were lower in severe cases compared to mild and moderate cases. There were no differences for any parameter between mild and moderate cases. The presence or absence of abdominal effusion was not associated with hemostatic status.

Conclusions

Global hemostatic derangements consistent with hypocoagulability are a prominent feature of severe anaphylaxis in dogs and should be considered for routine evaluation.