Efficacy of abamectin against natural infections of gastrointestinal nematodes and lungworm of cattle with special emphasis on inhibited, early fourth stage larvae of Ostertagia ostertagi.

The anthelmintic efficacy of abamectin (avermectin B1) was evaluated against gastrointestinal nematodes, including Ostertagia ostertagi inhibited larvae and lungworm, in yearling crossbred beef heifers during late spring. The calves were grazed on contaminated pasture for 10 weeks and then held under conditions free of nematode infection for 3 weeks prior to allotment and treatment on 5 June. Thirteen calves were randomly assigned to two groups of six by restricted randomization on body weights; the extra lightest calf was assigned to the non-treated control group. Group 1 calves were treated with abamectin at 200 micrograms kg-1 body weight by s.c. injection and Group 2 calves were not treated; all were killed at 14 days after treatment. Ostertagia ostertagi was present in all controls; arithmetic mean numbers of adults, developing fourth stage larvae (L4) and inhibited EL4 were 7683, 605 and 36,102, respectively. Other nematode genera present in controls in sufficient numbers for the experiment were Haemonchus placei adults, Trichostrongylus axei adults, Cooperia spp. adults, Oesophagostomum radiatum adults, Bunostomum phlebotomum adults, Dictyocaulus viviparus adults and E5 (immature adults). Abamectin was highly effective (consistently greater than 99% efficacy and P less than 0.05) in removing all nematodes present in treated calves as represented in non-treated controls, including the primary target of Ostertagia ostertagi inhibited EL4. The lowest efficacy was 93.8%, against D. viviparus E5.     

Vitamin deficiencies in cattle

Deficiencies of vitamins A, D, K, E and thiamin can cause severe limitations in beef production. In particular, vitamin A and E can be common causes of lost profit, secondary to limitations of reproductive and growth potential. Prolonged dry periods will reduce available A and E in pasture forage, as can ensiling and prolonged storage of harvested feedstuffs. Polioencephalomalacia is a thiamin responsive disorder, associated with high concentrate feeding and lush pastures. Antimetabolites, such as amprolium, will cause thiamine deficiency when fed in excess. Recent information has shown improved performance with supplemental beta carotene and niacin. The positive responses in reproductive performance, noted with cattle fed supplemental beta carotene, was independent of vitamin A. Supplementation of vitamins above National Research Council recommendations can be justified. However, proper evaluation of feed and animal status, and documentation of a response to supplementation is necessary before diagnosing deficiencies of specific nutrients.     

Early assessment of processing strawberries for colour

Summary It is possible to select strawberry cultivars that give a satisfactory, naturally coloured canned product as an alternative to the commercially dyed one. Spectrophotometric measurements of the syrup from cans, the canned fruit and fresh fruit were compared with visual scoring. A preliminary screening for colour based on visual assessment of fresh flesh colour is possible.     

Epidemiology of human atopic dermatitis – seven areas of notable progress and seven areas of notable ignorance

Background – This narrative review highlights areas within the epidemiology of human atopic dermatitis (AD) where significant progress has been made and where considerable ignorance still exists. The review is supported by systematic reviews wherever possible, with the purpose of stimulating fresh approaches to human and veterinary research into AD. Progress – Areas of progress include valid and repeatable methods of disease definition, global documentation of disease prevalence and impact, clarification of the role of some genetic factors, such as filaggrin gene mutations, clear evidence that environmental factors are key, as demonstrated by the positive social class gradient and rising prevalence, a possible protective effect of infections in early life, documentation of comorbidities, such as a reduced risk of glioma, and mapping the evidence base through systematic reviews and an online global resource of clinical trials. Ignorance – Areas where significant uncertainty still exists include the question of whether AD is more than one disease, the tendency for researchers to look at the same old risk factors, lack of specific environmental risk factors that are amenable to manipulation, inconsistencies in the hygiene hypothesis, sparse knowledge about adult AD, lack of evidence that eczema can be prevented, and little scientific work exploring what causes flares in people with established AD.     

Effect of long- or short-term feeding of alpha-tocopheryl acetate to Holstein and crossbred beef steers on performance, carcass characteristics, and beef color stability.

Three experiments were conducted to examine the effects of vitamin E supplementation on feedlot cattle. Vitamin E supplementation did not affect feedlot performance or carcass characteristics of cattle fed a high-concentrate diet (P greater than .1). The major finding was the effectiveness of vitamin E in extending the color stability of displayed beef (P less than .01). Color stability during display of longissimus lumborum steaks from cattle supplemented with 300 IU/d for 266 d, 1,140 IU/d for 67 d, or 1,200 IU/d for 38 d was extended by 2.5 to 4.8 d. Gluteus medius steaks had an extended color display life of 1.6 to 3.8 d. The accumulation of lipid oxidation products, but not aerobic microbes, associated with displayed longissimus lumborum was suppressed for muscle from vitamin E-supplemented steers. Taste panelists detected no difference among longissimus lumborum steaks from control and vitamin E-supplemented steers but found (P less than .01) steaks aged for 21 d to be more tender than steaks aged for 7 d. Supplementing cattle with vitamin E should reduce economic losses associated with discolored beef during retail display.     

Validation of the FAMACHA eye color chart for detecting clinical anemia in sheep and goats on farms in the southern United States

Recent studies on sheep and goat farms in the southern United States indicate that multiple-anthelmintic resistance in Haemonchus contortus is becoming a severe problem. Though many factors are involved in the evolution of resistance, the proportion of the parasite population under drug selection is believed to be the single most important factor influencing how rapidly resistance develops. Therefore, where prevention of resistance is an important parallel goal of worm control, it is recommended to leave a portion of the animals untreated. Recently, a novel system called FAMACHA was developed in South Africa, which enables clinical identification of anemic sheep and goats. When H. contortus is the primary parasitic pathogen, this system can be applied on the farm level to reduce the number of treatments administered, thereby increasing the proportion of the worm population in refugia. Since most studies validating the FAMACHA method have been performed in South Africa, it is important that the method be tested in other regions before its use is broadly recommended. We performed a validation study of FAMACHA by testing the system in sheep (n = 847) and goats (n = 537) of various breeds and ages from 39 farms located in Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, and the US Virgin Islands. The color of the ocular conjunctiva of all animals were scored on a 1-5 scale using the FAMACHA card, and blood samples were collected from each animal for determination of packed cell volume (PCV). Fecal samples were also collected from a majority of the animals tested for performance of fecal egg counts (FEC). Correlations between PCV and eye scores, PCV and FEC, and FEC and eye scores were all highly significant for both sheep and goats (P < 0.001). Data for both FAMACHA scores and PCV were evaluated using two separate criteria for anemia: eye score values of 3, 4 and 5 or 4 and 5, and PCV values of < or =19 or < or =15 were considered anemic. Specificity was maximized when eye score values of 4 and 5 were considered anemic and PCV cut off for anemia was < or =19, but sensitivity was low. In contrast, sensitivity was 100% for both sheep and goats when eye score values of 3, 4 and 5 were considered anemic and PCV cut off was < or =15, but specificity was low. In both sheep and goats, predictive value of a negative was greater than 92% for all anemia and eye score categories, and was greater than 99% for both eye score categories when an anemia cutoff of < or =15 was used. Predictive value of a positive test was low under all criteria indicating that many non-anemic animals would be treated using this system. However, compared to conventional dosing practices where all animals are treated, a large proportion of animals would still be left untreated. These data indicate that the FAMACHA method is an extremely useful tool for identifying anemic sheep and goats in the southern US and US Virgin Islands. However, further studies are required to determine optimal strategies for incorporating FAMACHA-based selective treatment protocols into integrated nematode control programs.