Analysis of antimicrobial sales data of the main distributor in Quebec from 2016 to 2019: An estimate of usage in dairy cattle,horses, and small animals

Because antimicrobial usage (AMU) data are crucial in understanding and dealing with the threat that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses to global health, data of the sale of antimicrobials from 2016 to 2019 of CDMV Inc. — a major distributor of veterinary products in Canada — were collected and analyzed for the province of Quebec. The primary objective was to describe the evolution of AMU sales data for dairy cattle, small animals, and horses; a secondary objective was to determine effects of a new provincial regulation on antimicrobials of very high importance (in Quebec) on sales for dairy cattle. Results are described in milligrams of antimicrobials per kilogram of animal biomass (mg/PCU) for dairy cattle, small animals, and horses; intramammary products were analyzed for number of treatments per 100 cow-years; and results for dairy cattle were compared in Canadian-defined course doses for cattle (DCDbovCA) per 100 cow-years to a recent study for this species in Quebec. Between 2016 and 2019, there were decreased sales of Category 1 antimicrobials for all species included in the study (Category 1-VI for small animals). This reduction was even more apparent for dairy cattle, for which a 76% decrease occurred from 2018 to 2019 (1.7 to 0.4 mg/PCU). This marked reduction was attributed to the new regulation implemented in February 2019. Since a farm- and clinic-level AMU monitoring system has not yet been implemented in Quebec, analysis of CDMV Inc. sales enabled observations of temporal trends in AMU for dairy cattle, horses, and small animals. These temporal trends based on CDMV Inc. sales will be useful for making comparisons and validating trends derived from farm- and clinic-level data generated by a monitoring system.     

Gastrografin as a Gastrointestinal Contrast Medium in the Cat

Gastrografin (diatrizoate meglumine and diatrizoate sodium solution) was used to evaluate its performance as a gastrointestinal-tract contrast medium in ten cats. It was administered through an orogastric tube to ketamine hydrochloridesedated, nonatropinized, mature cats at a dose rate of 22 mg/kg. Gastric emptying and largeintestinal filling were observed within 30–60 minutes in seven cats and in 120 minutes in the remaining three cats. The mucosal detail of the small intestine was poor, being represented by a homogeneous "halo" of decreased radiodensity surrounding the more radiodense intestinal luminal contents. The contrast medium refluxed into the esophagus in six cats. Some contrast medium precipitated in the stomach and small intestines in all ten cats. Urinary-tract opacification occurred in all cats and was first seen 60 minutes after Gastrografin was administered. Gastrografin satisfactorily opacifies the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract of cats. It has physical and physiologic characteristics that preclude its use for routine gastrointestinal contrast studies. These characteristics are reviewed in this article.     

Evaluation of a dynamic in vitro model to simulate the porcine ileal digestion of diets differing in carbohydrate composition

The aim of the study was to assess the ability of a dynamic in vitro model to determine the digestibility of OM, CP, and starch compared with a validated, static, in vitro method and in vivo ileal digestibility obtained from growing pigs fitted with a T-cannula. Five experimental diets with different carbohydrate types and level were assessed: a standard corn-based diet (ST) or the same diet with coarse ground corn (CC), 8% sugar beet pulp (BP), 10% wheat bran (WB), or 8% sugar beet pulp and 10% wheat bran (HF). In the in vivo experiment, diets CC and HF reduced (P = 0.015) ileal digestibility of OM compared with the ST diet. The inclusion of sugar beet pulp reduced (P = 0.049) ileal CP digestibility of the BP diet. This reduction was not statistically significant when sugar beet pulp was combined with the wheat bran in the HF diet. No differences were shown for in vivo starch digestibility among diets. With the static in vitro method, the OM disappearance was greater than that observed in the in vivo experiment. In this static method, the BP and HF diets reduced (P = 0.004 and < 0.001, respectively) the disappearance of the OM compared with the ST diet. The coarse grinding of corn did not alter OM digestibility but decreased (P = 0.005) the starch digestibility. The R(2) between the in vivo results and the static in vitro methods for OM and starch digestibility was 0.99 when the CC diet was not considered. The dynamic in vitro model yielded OM and CP digestibility coefficients comparable with those obtained in vivo for the ST and CC diets. However, the values were considerably affected by the incorporation of the fibrous ingredients. Diets BP, WB, and HF had decreased (P = 0.009, 0.058, and 0.004, respectively) OM digestibility compared with the ST diet. Protein digestibility was also decreased (P < 0.001, P = 0.019, and P = 0.003, respectively) with the BP, WB, and HF diets compared with the ST diet. However, digestibility was decreased to a greater extent in the BP diet than in the WB and HF diets, both of which contained wheat bran. The R(2) between the dynamic in vitro model and the in vivo results for CP digestibility was 0.99 when the CC diet was not considered. No differences were detected for starch digestibility among the diets with the dynamic in vitro model. This dynamic in vitro model yielded ileal digestibility results comparable with those obtained in vivo for CP and OM with a corn-soybean diet, or with a diet including coarse corn, but it underestimated digestibility when fibrous ingredients were included in the diet.     

Automatic detection of oestrus and health disorders using data from electronic sow feeders

This article suggests a method for detecting oestrus, lameness and other health disorders for group housed sows fed by electronic sow feeders (ESF). The detection method is based on the measure of the individual eating rank, modeled using a univariate dynamic linear model. Differences between the predicted values of the model and the observations are monitored using a control chart: a V-mask is applied on the cumulative sum of the standardized forecast errors of the model. According to the respective V-mask parameters, alarms are given for each of the three states (oestrus, lameness, others) when the deviations between model predicted values and observations exceed some defined parameters. External information is incorporated into the model to limit the number of false alarms when a subgroup of sows enters and exits a group or both. The detection method was implemented on data collected within three production herds over 12 months. Visual recordings were performed to identify sows in oestrus or with health disorders. The detection method showed a high specificity. For oestrus detection, there was a sensitivity of 59%, 70% and 75% for the three herds as compared to 9% (herd 1) and 20% (herd 2) using lists of sows as alarms. Monitoring lameness results in a sensitivity of 56%, 70% and 41%, vs. 39%, 32% and 22% using the lists; monitoring other health disorders resulted in a sensitivity of 0%, 75% and 39% for the three respective herds, vs. 34% and 16% for herds 2 and 3 using the lists. To limit the number of false alarms, it is suggested to expand the model by including daily feed intake or body activity as other response variables.     

Whole blood and tissue fungal DNA quantification in the diagnosis of canine sino-nasal aspergillosis

Various combinations of tests are used to confirm the diagnosis of canine sino-nasal aspergillosis (SNA) because false-positive and false-negative results can occur with each test. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether detection of fungal DNA in blood and nasal tissue samples was of value in the clinical diagnosis of this disease. Four groups were included in the study (dogs with SNA, lymphoplasmacytic rhinitis or nasal neoplasia, and control animals). Real-time PCR assays detecting DNA from all Penicillium and Aspergillus species (PenAsp assay) or species-specific DNA from A. fumigatus, A. terreus, A. flavus and A. niger were applied to whole blood and nasal tissue samples. Results obtained by PCR were compared between the groups. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) for fungal DNA detection were compared with those for alternative diagnostic procedures including histopathology, serology and fungal culture. Significantly more fungal DNA was detected by the PenAsp assay in tissue biopsies from dogs with SNA than in the three other groups. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for this method were 1.00, 0.06, 0.32 and 1.00. A. fumigatus DNA was detected in seven tissue biopsies from dogs with SNA and in one biopsy from a dog with a nasal tumour. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for this diagnostic test were 0.50, 0.97, 0.87 and 0.82. No significant difference was found between the groups with respect to the amount of DNA detected in blood by the PenAsp assay. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for this method were 0.71, 0.24, 0.31 and 0.64. A. fumigatus DNA was detected in the blood of three dogs with SNA and sixteen dogs without SNA. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for this diagnostic tool were 0.21, 0.45, 0.15 and 0.54. Detection of A. fumigatus DNA in nasal tissue had the highest specificity, PPV and NPV but sensitivity of this method was low. Detection of fungal DNA in whole blood was of no value in the diagnosis of SNA.     

Classification of sows’ activity types from acceleration patterns using univariate and multivariate models

Automatic monitoring of animal behavior in livestock production opens up possibilities for on-line monitoring of, among others, oestrus, health disorders, and animal welfare in general. The aim of this study is to use time series of acceleration measurements in order to automatically classify activity types performed by group-housed sows. Extracts of series collected for 11 sows are associated with 5 activity types: feeding (FE), rooting (RO), walking (WA), lying sternally (LS) and lying laterally (LL). A total of 24 h of three-dimensional series is used. One univariate model and four multivariate models are used to describe all five activity types. Three multivariate models differ in their variance/covariance structure; a fourth alternative multivariate model (MU) simply combines the 3-axes of the univariate model, assuming independence. For each model, the activity-specific parameters are estimated using the EM algorithm. The classification method, based on a Multi-Process Kalman Filter provides posterior probabilities for each of the 5 activities, for a given series. For the univariate model, LL is the activity which is best recognized by the 3-axes; FE, RO and WA are best recognized by one particular axis; LS is poorest recognized. The average results are improved by using all four types of multivariate models. The percentages of activity recognition are similar among the multivariate models. By grouping the activity types into active (FE, RO, WA) vs. passive (LS, LL) categories, the method allows to correctly classify 96% of the active category and 94% of the passive category.     

Effect of the 1BL.1RS translocation and of the Glu-B3 variation on fifteen quality tests in a doubled haploid population of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

To investigate the impact of 1BL.1RS translocation on protein content, starch quality, dough rheology, RMT volumes and other quality traits, a doubled haploid population was created and sown in a two-year field experiment. Translocated genotypes accumulated more proteins in the endosperm than non-translocated genotypes. Decrease in the gelatinization of starch was associated with the 1BL.1RS translocation. As for rheological parameters, adapted to bread types not requiring high mixing energy, the 1BL.1RS translocation significantly reduced the elasticity, tenacity and strength of the dough compared to allele c of Glu-B3. Tolerance to over-mixing was also significantly lower in translocated DH lines. In contrast to previously published work, the presence of allele Glu-D3 c resulted in significantly higher tenacity, and thus strength, compared with the allele Glu-D3 b in the present DH population. The final baking test performed on the DH lines of the population, combining favourable alleles for dough rheology and high protein content, demonstrated that in some cases lower tenacity induced by the 1BL.1RS translocation or by Glu-B3 b increases the volume of the loaves.     

粤北大宝山高含硫多金属矿污染的水稻土壤污染元素的多元分析

调查了粤北大宝山高含硫多金属矿长期污染的水稻田的污染状况,用主成分分析法分析了环境变量问的关系及污染物在样点的空间分布．结果表明：长期的污灌导致了被调查水田土壤中铁矿、硫铜矿和铅锌矿酸性矿泥的沉积,引起土壤酸化和硫、铜、铅和镉的积累．上述污染元素与pH及矿质元素铁、钙之间高度相关,而与锰和铬的相关性差．上游土壤的污染程度显著高于下游．