Subcutaneous electronic identification in cattle: a field study

The use of injectable transponders in cattle for identification purposes, for up to 30 months, was investigated. Passive electronic transponders, encapsulated in either polymer or glass, were injected subcutaneously into either the ear base or the earlobe of 652 calves in three populations. The animals were clinically examined weekly, and transponder signalling was checked immediately before and after injection, after two weeks and after about eight months. About 10 per cent of animals in one population were also checked after 20 and 30 months. No severe clinical or visible pathological changes were observed, and the calves' welfare was not apparently affected by the procedure. None of the transponders migrated from their injection sites. Eight months after injection, a signal was detected from 98.2 per cent of transponders injected in the ear base and from 90.5 per cent of those in the earlobe. At 20 and 30 months after injection, 10.4 per cent and 2.6 per cent of transponders, respectively, had ceased to signal. Thus, most transponders in the calves' ear base demonstrated functionality for up to 30 months.     

Genetic parameters of product quality and hepatic metabolism in fattened mule ducks

Genetic parameters of traits related to hepatic lipid metabolism, carcass composition, and product quality of overfed mule ducks were estimated on both parental lines of this hybrid: the common duck line for the maternal side and the Muscovy line for the paternal side. The originality of the statistical model was to include simultaneously the additive genetic effect of the common ducks and that of the Muscovy ducks, revealing a greater genetic determinism in common than in Muscovy. Plasma metabolic indicators (glucose, triglyceride, and cholesterol contents) were heritable, in particular at the end of the overfeeding period, and heritabilities increased with the overfeeding stage. Carcass composition traits were highly heritable in the common line, with values ranging from 0.15 for liver weight, 0.21 for carcass weight, and 0.25 for abdominal fat weight to 0.32 for breast muscle weight. Heritabilities of technological outputs were greater for the fatty liver (0.19 and 0.08, respectively, on common and Muscovy sides for liver melting rate) than for the pectoralis major muscle (between 0.02 and 0.05 on both parental sides for cooking losses). Fortunately, the processing industry is mainly facing problems in liver quality, such as too high of a melting rate, than in meat quality. The meat quality appraisal criteria (such as texture and cooking losses), usually dependent on pH and the rate of decline of pH, were also very lowly heritable. This study demonstrated that genetic determinism of meat quality and ability of overfeeding is not similar in the common population and in the Muscovy population; traits related to fattening, muscle development, and BW have heritability values from 2 to 4 times greater on the common line than on the Muscovy line, which is relevant for considering different selection strategies.     

Antimicrobial disposition in pulmonary epithelial lining fluid of horses, part III. cefquinome

Cefquinome concentrations, following intravenous and aerosol administration to horses, in pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF) were examined and compared to plasma concentrations. Single dose of cefquinome sulphate (1 mg/kg) was administered intravenously to six horses followed by a single aerosol administration (225 mg) with a wash-out period of 14 days between treatments. After each drug administration, cefquinome concentrations in plasma and PELF, obtained by intrabronchial cotton swabs, were determined. After intravenous administration, cefquinome concentrations in plasma declined fast and were not detectable after 12 h. After aerosol administration, plasma concentrations were low or below limit of quantification (LOQ) during the entire sampling period. The degree of penetration of cefquinome into PELF after intravenous administration as described by the AUC(PELF) /AUC(plasma) ratio was 0.33. Following aerosol administration, cefquinome concentrations in PELF were high, but only detectable for 4 h. Based on AUC values, total cefquinome concentrations in PELF were one-third of total plasma concentrations after intravenous administration together with shorter time above Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (T > MIC) in PELF, thus twice daily dosing may be required when treating lower airway infections in horses. Lower doses of cefquinome can be administered as aerosols providing high local drug concentrations in lung, but additional optimization of formulation is needed to improve distribution and persistence in lung.     

MEASUREMENT OF BODY COMPOSITION IN CATS USING COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY AND DUAL ENERGY X‐RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY

Dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is a reference method for assessing body composition but is seldom `accessible in veterinary settings. Computed tomography (CT) can provide similar body composition estimates and we propose that it can be used in body composition studies in animals. We compared CT and DEXA data from 73 healthy adult neutered domestic cats. Three approaches for measuring adipose tissue percentage from full‐body CT scans were explored. By examining the frequency distribution of voxels by Hounsfield unit (HU) value, it is possible to calculate a fat index (Fat%) that is in close agreement with the fat percentages obtained from DEXA scans. Fat% values obtained by the best of the methods had a mean difference of 0.96% (95% confidence interval 0.33–1.59%) from the DEXA results. Fat% obtained by the other two methods were characterized by good correlation but poor agreement and in one of the methods, the difference between the values from the two modalities was proportional to their mean. By using CT, it is possible to obtain body composition estimates that are in close agreement with those available using DEXA. While the significance of individual Fat% measurements obtained from CT can be difficult to interpret and to compare between centers, CT can contribute to research studies concerned either with nutrition or with obesity‐related disorders.     

Prediction of parturition date in the bitch and queen

Assessment of gestational age and parturition date prediction is a challenging, yet common task in clinical management of the pregnant bitch or queen. Knowing the approximate parturition date is essential for a thorough pregnancy monitoring. Radiographic and ultrasonographic methods are suitable in bitches and queens. In the bitch, moreover, ovulation timing by means of LH or progesterone assay, determination of onset of vaginal dioestrus by means of examination of vaginal cytology, and recognition of impending parturition by monitoring prepartal progesterone levels and body temperature variation are practical methods. A combination of different methods increases the accuracy of parturition date prediction.     

A suggested mode of inheritance for wool shedding in sheep

The ability of a sheep to shed its own wool has an attraction in scenarios where the costs of harvesting wool outweigh its value. Certain breeds and composites have the ability to shed their wool in the spring, and these are investigated in this work in an attempt to outline the genetics of wool shedding. One flock from a breeding group in Southern England (UK) containing sheep with wool-shedding characteristics provided shedding scores (1 to 5 scale; no shedding to complete shedding) that were used in a range of genetic analyses. The particular nature of wool shedding suggested that there may be a major gene segregating in these populations that facilitates wool shedding. In addition, there was clearly variation among wool shedders in the speed and extent of shedding, so a polygenic trait was also investigated. The breeding group used a range of shedding breeds and composites in a regular program to introduce wool-shedding genes into their flocks. This allowed the testing of Mendelian ratios for shedders:nonshedders in both first-cross and first-backcross animals. Four modes of inheritance were tested: autosomal recessive, sex-linked recessive, autosomal dominant, and sex-linked dominant. The most likely mode of inheritance was autosomal dominant (P < 0.05), with a low level of incomplete penetrance. In first back-cross animals, this mode of inheritance was confirmed but with complete penetrance. Approximately 11% of shedders did not exhibit the trait as lambs. Mixed-model analyses of shedding scores allowed an investigation of factors that affected wool shedding and also the extent of any genetic and permanent animal variance. Shedding score was found to have a heritability of 0.54 ± 0.07 in lambs and 0.26 ± 0.06 in animals of all ages in one flock using Easycare, Wiltshire Horn, Katahdin, and Dorper shedding animals. Shedding score as a lamb had a genetic correlation of 0.94 ± 0.08 with shedding score as a 2 yr old, but at the phenotypic level this correlation was only 0.39 ± 0.05. No permanent animal effect was found for shedding score. Breeding for increased wool-shedding ability is possible, but improvement of the trait needs to be considered in 2 stages. First, the dominant gene needs to be introduced into the population, and then selection between animals can proceed by using EBV for the polygenic trait (speed or extent of shedding) as the basis for selection.     

Genetic evaluation of laying performance in the Zatorska goose: contribution to the conservation programme

1. The aim of the study was to estimate the heritability of the laying performance in the cumulative and partial production of eggs and predict the breeding values of native Zatorska geese in a conservation programme using Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) methodology. Second, the trajectory of the egg production curve was examined.

2. The data contain information about the laying performance of 1831 individuals in the first year of laying. To describe the trajectory of the laying performance, 10 mathematical models were tested. For the genetic parameter estimation of egg production, data from 1038 birds were used with a production higher than 20 eggs during the first season of laying.

3. The analysis of egg production was based on single and multi-trait models. Heritability, genetic and phenotypic correlations between phases of the laying performance as well as breeding values were estimated.

4. The best adaptation to the goose egg laying curve was the Ali and Schaeffer model. The estimates of heritability were 0.20 (0.06 SE) using the single-trait model and ranged from 0.12 to 0.24 using the multi-trait model.

5. The results suggest that the BLUP method can support the conservation programme.