Heat stress and effect of shade materials on hormonal and behavior response of dairy cattle: a review

In tropical countries, at high temperatures, several physiological rearrangements occur in cows as they attempt to facilitate heat dissipation and/or reduce metabolic heat production. Following exposure to heat, cattle appear to acclimatize within 2–7 weeks. The failure of homeostasis at high temperatures may lead to reduced productivity or even death. The situation is even worse when humidity adds to high temperature. Livestock with elevated body temperature exhibit lower DMI and growth with less efficiency, reducing profitability for dairy farms in hot and humid climates. Shading of feed and water also offers production advantages. Although several elaborate methods for reducing heat stress in cows have been reported, simple shade materials appear to be the most cost-effective methods that are currently applicable to tropical developing countries. Different materials are being used to provide shade during warm weather. The shade material determines the microclimate—it should be light, strong, durable, weatherproof, good looking and a bad conductor of heat, and free from tendency to condense moisture inside. This review discusses various shade materials and their advantages and disadvantages in different situations.     

Effects of protein-energetic supplementation frequency on growth performance and nutritional characteristics of grazing beef cattle

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate reduced supplementation frequencies for grazing beef cattle in rainy season. In experiment 1, evaluating the nutritional parameters, four rumen-cannulated Nellore bulls (BW = 410 kg) were used. In experiment 2, evaluating animal performance, 48 Nellore bulls (BW = 358 kg) were used. The treatments were as follows: mineral supplement (MS) alone and MS plus protein-energy supplement provided 3×, 5× and 7×/week. Supplementation frequency did not affect (P > 0.05) intake and digestibility. Average daily gain was greater (P < 0.001) to supplementation compared with MS. The supplementation 5×/week resulted in greater weight gain per hectare (9.24) and higher economic returns during the study period (1.64%) compared to other supplementations. Supplementation 5×/week increased animal performance and positively influenced economic returns.     

Herbage intake of dairy cows in mixed sequential grazing with breeding ewes as followers

This study aimed to evaluate the hypothesis that mixed sequential grazing of dairy cows and breeding ewes is beneficial. During the seasons of spring–summer 2013 and autumn–winter 2013–2014, 12 (spring–summer) and 16 (autumn–winter) Holstein Friesian cows and 24 gestating (spring–summer) and lactating (autumn–winter) Pelibuey ewes grazed on six (spring–summer) and nine (autumn–winter) paddocks of alfalfa and orchard grass mixed pastures. The treatments “single species cow grazing” (CowG) and “mixed sequential grazing with ewes as followers of cows” (MixG) were evaluated, under a completely randomized design with two replicates per paddock. Herbage mass on offer (HO) and residual herbage mass (RH) were estimated by cutting samples. The estimate of herbage intake (HI) of cows was based on the use of internal and external markers; the apparent HI of ewes was calculated as the difference between HO (RH of cows) and RH. Even though HO was higher in CowG, the HI of cows was higher in MixG during spring–summer and similar in both treatments during autumn–winter, implying that in MixG the effects on the cows HI of higher alfalfa proportion and herbage accumulation rate evolving from lower residual herbage mass in the previous cycle counteracted that of a higher HO in CowG. The HI of ewes was sufficient to enable satisfactory performance as breeding ewes. Thus, the benefits of mixed sequential grazing arose from higher herbage accumulation, positive changes in botanical composition, and the achievement of sheep production without negative effects on the herbage intake of cows.     

Virulence traits of avian pathogenic (APEC) and fecal (AFEC) <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> isolated from broiler chickens in Algeria

Avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) is the etiologic agent of avian colibacillosis, the most common disease responsible for chicken morbidity in the world. Although multiple virulence-associated factors were identified, their prevalence in Algeria is still poorly known. In the present research, 92 avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) isolates were recovered from broilers with clinical signs and lesions of colibacillosis. In addition, 32 E. coli isolates collected from feces of healthy birds (AFEC) were included for comparison. All isolates were investigated by PCR for the presence of a total of 11 virulence-associated genes described for avian pathogenic (iroN, ompT, hlyF, iss, iutA, and fimC) and diarrheagenic E. coli (eae, stx, elt/est, ipaH, and aggR). The sensitivity of 39 APEC isolates to 16 antibiotics was also determined using antimicrobial pretreated microplates. Here, we report that 98% of the examined isolates host at least one of the tested virulence factors. The most prevalent genes in APEC were iutA (90.6%), ompT (86.9%), and iss (85.8%); whereas, iutA (78.1%), fimC (78.1%), and iroN (68.7%) were the highest prevalent genes in AFEC. Our data showed that none of the AFEC isolates harbor any of the tested diarrheagenic genes. Moreover, only elt/est (5.4%), stx (2.1%), and ipaH (2.1%) genes were carried by APEC isolates. We further established that ceftazodime, ceftiofur, mequindox, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and meropenem were the most efficient antibiotics against the analyzed APEC isolates. Overall, our findings provide more insights about APEC and AFEC virulence potential in Algeria which could participate in the fight against colibacillosis.     

Feeding behavior of feedlot lambs fed diets containing levels of cassava wastewater

In this study, we evaluated the effects of including cassava wastewater in the diet on the feeding behavior of feedlot lambs in 35 male uncastrated Santa Inês × Dorper crossbred lambs at an approximate age of 3 months, with an average live weight of 20.0?±?3.4 kg. Diets were formulated with hay of cassava shoots (roughage) and a concentrate based on corn and soybean, with a roughage:concentrate ratio of 50:50, plus inclusion of cassava wastewater at the levels of 0, 12, 24, 36, or 48 g/kg of the total diet. Feeding behavior was evaluated between the 46th and 52nd days of the experiment. Increasing cassava wastewater levels in the diet reduced (P?<?0.05) the intakes (kg/day) of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber as well as the efficiency of rumination (g/cud and g/h) of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber. The other behavioral parameters were not affected by wastewater inclusion in the diet. Therefore, the inclusion of up to 48 g/kg of cassava wastewater on fresh matter of diets is not recommended for feedlot lambs.     

Prevalence and risk factors of mycobacterial infections in farm and trade cattle in southwestern Nigeria

We evaluated the prevalence of mycobacterial infections (i.e., Mycobacterium bovis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria [NTM]) and their associated risk factors among cattle herds and trade cattle in southwestern Nigeria. Through cross-sectional study design, cattle herds from three locations were screened using the single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test based on two diagnostic standards; more than 4 mm (? 4 mm) and more than 2 mm (? 2 mm) cut-off points. Abattoir study involved screening trade cattle for tuberculous lesions. Overall, 515 cattle from 45 herds were screened. Using >?4 mm, animal level and herd prevalence of 11.7 and 46.7% were recorded, respectively. Applying the ? 2 mm cut-off, animal level and herd prevalence increased to 31.1 and 60.0%, respectively. Significantly, using the ? 2 mm cut-off, cattle in medium size herds/extensive management system (OR?=?1.6; 95% CI 1.1–2.5) and Sokoto Gudali (OR?=?2.3; 95% CI 1.4–3.8) were more at risk of being positive reactors, while Rahaji (OR?=?0.3; 95% CI 0.1–0.7) breeds of cattle and cows in the peri-urban area (OR?=?0.4; 95% CI 0.2–0.9) were less at risk of being positive reactors. Again, M. avium reactor of 21.7% was observed. In the abattoir, 1797 cattle were examined with 126 lesions suggestive of tuberculosis (TB). Culture/molecular analyses confirmed 2.2% M. bovis and 0.9% NTM infections. Risk factors associated with bovine TB among trade cattle were sex (OR?=?4.0; 95% CI 1.2–13.5) and age (OR?=?0.3; 95% CI 0.1–0.9). We confirm 11.7% prevalence of mycobacterial infections among populations of cattle screened with breed and herd size being major risk factors.     

乙烯利对干旱胁迫下草地早熟禾生理指标的影响

以草地早熟禾(Poa pratensis)‘Nuglade'品种为试验材料,研究叶片喷施乙烯利对草地早熟禾在水分充足、干旱及复水恢复3种处理下叶片电解质渗透率、叶绿素、可溶性蛋白、丙二醛(MDA)等生理指标的影响。结果表明,乙烯利与对照组(CK)相比,乙烯利在干旱胁迫下保持更高的叶片相对含水量23.5%(对照为11.5%)和更低的电解质渗透率68.1%(对照为90.7%)及MDA含量53.90μmol·g~(-1)(对照检查131.62μmol·g~(-1)),且复水后的电解质渗透率恢复程度更好;此外乙烯利处理提高了复水恢复过程草地早熟禾的可溶性蛋白含量;说明,叶片喷施乙烯利能够缓解草地早熟禾的干旱胁迫损伤,并促进干旱后的复水恢复。     

砷胁迫对黑麦草根系形态及养分吸收的影响

黑麦草对重金属具有较强的耐性和富集能力,是一种良好的植物修复材料。为探究砷(As)胁迫下黑麦草的根系形态以及根系养分吸收特征,采用盆栽试验研究了100mg·kg~(-1) As胁迫下,多年生黑麦草(Lolium perenne)和一年生黑麦草(L.multiflorum)的根系形态和营养元素吸收情况,并分别对As吸收与根系形态和养分吸收做相关性分析。结果表明,多年生黑麦草总根长和总根表面积受抑制程度更加明显,分别降低47.6%和46.8%;多年生黑麦草根系As吸收能力是一年生黑麦草的1.2倍。As胁迫促进两种黑麦草根系对N、P、K、Mn元素的吸收,二者相比,多年生黑麦草根系吸收N、P、K三种大量元素受影响更大,而一年生黑麦草根系吸收微量元素Mn受影响更大。总体上看,多年生黑麦草的根系形态和养分吸收能力对As胁迫更加敏感。     

湖南省长沙市羊布鲁氏菌病基线调查

为了解湖南省长沙市布鲁氏菌病流行现状,对奶羊养殖场(户)和种羊场采用普查策略,对其他羊养殖场(户)采用两阶抽样策略,选择羊群并选定群体中个体,采集血样进行布鲁氏菌抗体检测。同时,通过问卷调查和查阅资料等方式,分析布鲁氏菌病感染和传播风险。结果显示:全市羊布鲁氏菌病表观场群流行率为1.54%(95%CI:0.42%~3.91%),表观个体流行率为0.60%(95%CI:0.43%~0.80%);4个阳性群集中分布于长沙县和宁乡县;和以往监测数据相比,长沙市的羊群布鲁氏菌病流行率和人间发病率均呈下降趋势,说明前期的防治策略取得积极成效。总体来说,长沙市布鲁氏菌病流行率较低,疫情处于稳定控制状态,因而可以分区域逐步实现全市布鲁氏菌病净化。     

羊种布鲁氏菌疫苗株PCR-RFLP鉴定方法的建立

为建立一种羊种布鲁氏菌Rev.1疫苗株PCR-RFLP鉴定方法,利用羊种布鲁氏菌Rev.1具有链霉素抗性的特性,选取与链霉素抗性相关编码核糖体蛋白S12的rps L基因为模板设计引物,经PCR扩增后,将产物进行Nci I酶切,发现羊种布鲁氏菌疫苗株Rev.1出现约500 bp条带,而不具有链霉素抗性的羊种布鲁氏菌株16M则出现384 bp条带。结果表明,PCR-RFLP方法能够用于羊种布鲁氏菌Rev.1疫苗株的鉴定,这为今后区分羊种布鲁氏菌疫苗株Rev.1免疫与野株感染提供了基础。