Computer-assisted determination of the pharmacokinetic parameters of Solupront after intrauterine administration in cattle]

The drug "Solupront" a sulfonamide was clinical tested in healthy heifers and cows with endometritis, retentio secundinarum etc. The test-results were evaluated with the computer-program "Phakimo". The pharmacokinetic parameters show that there are similar relationships between the extravasal and the intravasal application of this osmochemotherapeutic. A retard of absorption is shown in dioestrus and in prooestrus. If there are pathological signs in uterus, the rate of absorption of the drug is higher and the excretion via urine is more quickly, too. The effect of the sulfonamide in the drug "Solupront" is impaired after application in the uterus in order of the quick absorption, of distribution and excretion and also in order of dilution by lochia and by interaction with p-aminobenzoic acid.     

The structure and regulation of the Irish equine industries: Links to considerations of equine welfare

The equine industries in Ireland are vibrant and growing. They are broadly classified into two sectors: Thoroughbred racing, and sports and leisure. This paper describes these sectors in terms of governance, education and training in equine welfare, and available data concerning horse numbers, identification, traceability and disposal. Animal welfare, and specifically equine welfare, has received increasing attention internationally. There is general acceptance of concepts such as animal needs and persons' responsibilities toward animals in their care, as expressed in the 'Five Freedoms'. As yet, little has been published on standards of equine welfare pertaining to Ireland, or on measures to address welfare issues here. This paper highlights the central role of horse identification and legal registration of ownership to safeguard the health and welfare of horses.     

Trends in cow numbers and culling rate in the Irish cattle population, 2003 to 2006

Cows are the main economic production units of Ireland's cattle industry. Therefore, demographic information, including overall numbers and survival rates, are relevant to the Irish agricultural industry. However, few data are available on the demographics of cows within a national population, either in Ireland or elsewhere, despite the recent development of comprehensive national cattle databases in many EU Member States. This study has sought: to determine the rate of cow culling from the national herd; to determine the rate of culling by type (dairy, beef), age, method of exit, date of exit and interval between last calving and exit; to calculate the national cow on-farm mortality rate; and to compare the Irish rates with published data from other countries. This work was conducted using data recorded in the national Cattle Movement Monitoring System (CMMS). Culling refers to the exit of cows from the national herd, as a result of death but regardless of reason, and cow-culling rate was calculated as the number of cow exits (as defined above) each year divided by the number of calf births in the same year. Culling rate was determined by type (dairy or beef), date of birth, method of exit (slaughter or on-farm death), month of exit and interval between last calving and exit. The average cow-culling rate during 2003 to 2006 was 19.6% (21.3% for dairy, 18% for beef). While comparisons must be treated with caution, it concluded that the overall rates of culling in Ireland fell within published internationally accepted norms. The on-farm mortality rate of 3.2-4.1% was similar to that reported in comparable studies.     

Tuberculosis in alpaca (Lama pacos) on a farm in Ireland. 2. Results of an epidemiological investigation

Tuberculosis (TB), due to infection with Mycobacterium bovis was diagnosed in a flock of alpaca in Ireland in 2004. An epidemiological investigation was conducted to identify the risk of TB for farmed alpaca where TB is endemic, the origin of the infection, the potential for alpaca-to-alpaca transmission and appropriate control measures. The investigation focused on the alpaca flock (including the farm, animal movements and breeding, feeding and flock health practice), the disease episode (including animal disease events and subsequent control measures) and TB infection risk in the locality. The TB risk to alpaca is high in areas where infection is endemic in cattle and badgers and where biosecurity is inadequate. It is most likely that the source of infection for the alpaca was a local strain of M. bovis, present in cattle in this area since at least 2001. Genotyping of isolates identified a single variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) profile in both cattle and alpaca in this region. Although a tuberculous badger was also removed from the vicinity, bacterial isolation was not attempted. On this farm, infection in alpaca was probably derived from a common source. Alpaca-to-alpaca transmission seems unlikely. Two broad control strategies were implemented, aimed at the rapid removal of infected (and potentially infectious) animals and the implementation of measures to limit transmission. Tests that proved useful in detecting potentially-infected animals included measurement of the albumin-to-globulin ratio and regular body condition scoring. Skin testing was time consuming and unproductive, and early detection of infected animals remains a challenge. The flock was managed as a series of separate groupings, based on perceived infection risk. No further TB cases have been detected.     

Peanut stripe virus in Indonesia

During a survey of groundnut in 1986 and 1987 in South Sulawesi, West and East Java and West Sumatra a disease was frequently observed which is characterized by the presence of green blotches. These blotches were either randomly distributed over the entire leaflets or concentrated along the veins; sometimes they were surrounded by light green rings. On the basis of test plant studies, serology and electron microscopy it was concluded that the causal agent of the disease is peanut stripe virus (PStV). This virus has been described for the first time in the USA in 1984. Some potyviruses described earlier in Indonesia, viz. groundnut mottle-y and peanut mottle virus (PMV) probably are also PStV. The similarity of symptoms caused by PStV and peanut mottle virus was the reason why blotching on groundnut in Indonesia was ascribed for many years to PMV.As PStV causes severe yield losses, further research is being done on the epidemiology of the virus, on yield loss assesment and on testing breeding lines of groundnut for resistance.Samenvatting Tijdens een inspectie in 1986 en 1987 in Zuid Sulawesi, West en Oost Java en West Sumatra werd in aardnoot (Arachis hypogaea) veelvuldig een ziekte aangetroffen, die opviel door donkergroene vlekkerigheid. De vlekken waren onregelmatig over de bladeren verspreid of kwamen voornamelijk voor rond de nerven. Soms waren de vlekken omgeven door een lichtgroene ring. Op grond van symptomen op toetsplanten, serologische verwantschap en elektronenmicroscopische eigenschappen werd geconcludeerd, dat deze ziekte veroorzaakt wordt door het peanut stripe virus. Dit virus is voor het eerst beschreven in 1984 in Amerika. Dit is de eerste officiële melding van het virus in Indonesië.Enkele eerder beschreven potyvirussen van aardnoot in Indonesië, groundnut mottle-y en peanut mottle virus (PMV) zijn waarschijnlijk ook PStV. De gelijkenis van de door PStV and peanut mottle virus veroorzaakte symptomen heeft ervoor gezorgd dat de vlekkerigheid op aardnoot in Indonesië jarenlang aan PMV werd toegeschreven.Aangezien PStV veel schade veroorzaakt, wordt verder onderzoek gedaan aan de epidemiologie van dit virus, aan het oogstverlies en aan het toetsen van aardnootlijnen op resistentie.     

Mechanisms of soil vulnerability to compaction of homogenized and recompacted Ultisols

Soil compaction is a main cause of soil degradation in the world and the information of soil compaction in subtropical China is limited. Three main Ultisols (quaternary red clay, sandstone and granite) in subtropical China were homogenized to pass through 2 mm sieve and recompacted into soil cores at two bulk densities (1.25 and 1.45 g cm⁻³). The soil cores were equilibrated at different matric potential values (−3, −6 and −30 kPa) before subjected to multi-step compaction tests. Objectives of this study were to determine how different initial soil conditions and loading time intervals influence pre-compression stress and to evaluate an easy measure to determine soil vulnerability to compaction. It became evident that the soil strength indicator, pre-compression stress, was affected by soil texture, initial soil bulk density and matric potential. The coarser the soil texture, the lower the bulk density and the higher the matric potential, the lower was the pre-compression stress. The pre-compression stress decreased exponentially with increasing initial soil water content. Soil water content and air permeability decreased after compaction. The amount of water loss was affected not only by soil texture, bulk density and initial water content but also by loading time interval. These results indicate soil pore structure and hydraulic conductivity changed during compactions. The applied stress corresponding to the highest changes of pore water pressure during compaction had a significant linear relationship with the pre-compression stress (R=0.88, P<0.001). The correlation was ascribed to that the changes in pore water pressure describe the dynamics of the interactive effects of soil pore characters and soil water movement during compaction. The results suggested the evaluation of soil vulnerability to compaction have to consider the initial soil condition and an easy method to measure the changes in pore water pressure can be applied to compare soil strength and soil vulnerability to compaction.