Ethical demands in animal production

Since the second world war, particularly within the last twenty years the structure of agriculture has been changed dramatically by intensifying, specialization and rationalization of every aspect of production methods. This has led to a severe change in the human-animal relationship. Large numbers cause alienation of man from the farm animals confided to him. Extremely high pressure of performance and mechanization of livestock husbandry often overstress the adaptability of the animals. It is to be expected that introduction of new methods of biotechnology will increase this process. The problems caused by this development necessitate to revise the management of animal production and husbandry, judgement to be based on ethical criterions. Farm animals are to be recognized and treated as creatures again. But in the context of livestock husbandry human-human relations are to be reconsidered under ethical aspects, too. In doing so, the scientific scale of values fails, determining correct or incorrect, true or false, whereas ethical judgement uses good or bad as criterions. The personal view is given, making use of some examples.     

Gunäkomastie bei einem Ziegenbock

Bei einem hornlosen, zu Beginn der Untersuchungen ca. 1 1/2 jährigen, fruchtbaren Ziegenbock der Rasse “Deutsche bunte Edelziege” wurden 4 cm lange Zitzen, eine Andeutung eines Drüsenkörpers und eine tägliche Laktation von maximal 20 ml festgestellt. Die Sexualaktivität entsprach der anderer Ziegenböcke. Die Überprüfung der Spermaqualität über einen Zeitraum von 14 Monaten ergab während der ersten 6 Monate (im wesentlichen paarungsfreie Zeit) insbesondere hinsichtlich der Dichte negative Abweichungen von den Werten anderer Ziegenböcke. Anschlieβend wurden bei Erhöhung der Ejakulatmenge eine deutliche Konsistenzveränderung durch einen hohen Anteil schleimiger Substanzen und gleichzeitig eine Verschlechterung der Dichte und der Motilitlät der Spermien, eine Zunahme der pathologischen Spermienformen und eine Erhöhung des pH festgestellt. Bei der Milchuntersuchung ergaben sich keine wesentlichen Unterschiede zu gleichzeitig untersuchter Ziegenmilch.     

Determination by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of the optimal dose of staphylococcal leukocidin for systemic immunization of dairy cows

A dose-response study was conducted to determine the optimal dose of staphylococcal leukocidin toxin to use for systemic vaccination of lactating dairy cows. Each of 5 groups of cows (8 cows/group) were given 2 injections of crude leukocidin (dose range, 9 to 2,700 mg). Antileukocidin antibody concentration in milk samples collected before vaccination and at 4 and 10 weeks after vaccination was determined by use of an ELISA. The highest antibody concentration at postvaccination sample collection dates was observed in cows of the group immunized with 900 mg of leukocidin. This appeared to be the optimal vaccination dose for production of antileukocidin antibodies in the mammary gland of lactating cows.     

Topography, Structure and Function of the Patella and the Patelloid in Marsupials

The patella is a sesamoid bone that is found in most mammals and is regularly located in the insertion tendon of the quadriceps femoris muscle. Up to now, only a little has been known about the topography, structure and function of the patella in marsupials. Therefore the stifles of 61 marsupials of 30 different species were studied by radiography, necropsy and light microscopy. It was found that only the family of bandicoots (Peramelidae) possessed a typical patella. The other species revealed a patelloid consisting of fibrocartilage. The structure of the patelloid revealed common characteristic features in the following families of marsupials: (1) Dasyuridae, Phalangeridae. Pseudocheriidae, and Potoroidae; (2) Burramyidae; (3) Phascolarctidae, Vombatidae, and Dendrolagus; and (4) Superfamily Macropodoidea (except Dendrolagus and Potoroidae). Our results imply that the degree of differentiation in the fibrocartilage of the patelloid was strongly correlated to the mechanical forces acting on the patelloid which are a result of the specific kind of locomotion and the way of life. Generally the bony patella does not belong to the phylogenetic programme of the marsupials--with the exception of the bandicoots which are very closely related to the subclass of placental mammals (Eutheria).     

Intestinal Protozoa of the African Elephant Loxodonta Africana (Blumenbach)

The digestive tract of 15 elephants from South Africa and two from Zaïre were sampled in order to determine the identity, density and population composition of the intestinal protozoa. The following orders were represented: Gymnostomatida, Trichostomatida and Entodiniomorphida. Altogether 17 species were identified, of which three are new. The new species as well as a new genus are described.     

Transplacental transmission of field and rescued strains of BTV-2 and BTV-8 in experimentally infected sheep

Transplacental transmission of bluetongue virus has been shown previously for the North European strain of serotype 8 (BTV-8) and for tissue culture or chicken egg-adapted vaccine strains but not for field strains of other serotypes. In this study, pregnant ewes (6 per group) were inoculated with either field or rescued strains of BTV-2 and BTV-8 in order to determine the ability of these viruses to cross the placental barrier. The field BTV-2 and BTV-8 strains was passaged once in Culicoides KC cells and once in mammalian cells. All virus inoculated sheep became infected and seroconverted against the different BTV strains used in this study. BTV RNA was detectable in the blood of all but two ewes for over 28 days but infectious virus could only be detected in the blood for a much shorter period. Interestingly, transplacental transmission of BTV-2 (both field and rescued strains) was demonstrated at high efficiency (6 out of 13 lambs born to BTV-2 infected ewes) while only 1 lamb of 12 born to BTV-8 infected ewes showed evidence of in utero infection. In addition, evidence for horizontal transmission of BTV-2 between ewes was observed. As expected, the parental BTV-2 and BTV-8 viruses and the viruses rescued by reverse genetics showed very similar properties to each other. This study showed, for the first time, that transplacental transmission of BTV-2, which had been minimally passaged in cell culture, can occur; hence such transmission might be more frequent than previously thought.     

Einfluss schwach wachsender Apfelunterlagen auf Wachstum, Ertrag und Fruchtgröße verschiedener Sorten – Teil II: ‘Boskoop’

From 2001 to 2005 the influence of the dwarfed apple rootstocks M 9 (clone: Burgmer 984), Fleuren 56, Supporter 1, P 16, P 22, J-TE-F, J-TE-E and M 27 on growth, yield and fruit size of the apple variety ‘Boskoop, Herr’ was investigated on the locations Auweiler, Dresden-Pillnitz, Osnabrück and Wurzen in Germany. All rootstocks induced a less vegetative growth as the rootstock M 9. In comparison with M 9 the crown volume of the trees ranged from 93% (Supporter 1) to 48% (P 22). The highest yield potential showed the rootstock P 16. Her specific yield (kg/m³) was 41% higher than the specific yield of M 9. J-TE-F produced the lowest specific yield.     

Virucidal effects of various agents—including protease—against koi herpesvirus and viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus

In a search for alternative, environmentally friendly and effective disinfecting agents, a commercially available protease—Neutrase^®—was tested in this work for inactivation of koi herpesvirus (KHV) and of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV). For comparison, the stability of these viral pathogens in similar configurations at various pH values and concentrations of peracetic acid or quicklime, typically used for disinfection, was tested. Therefore, virus suspensions were incubated with various concentrations of different agents for 24 hr and the titre of the remaining infectious particles was determined by virus titration. Furthermore, the treatment of both viruses, with the agents at concentrations that were previously appointed as effective, was also examined in the presence of solid material (quartz sand). All procedures investigated in this study, including the protease treatment, were able to reduce the titre of KHV and VHSV below the detection limit of the titration. Although further studies are necessary, this is the first report of the application of a protease for the inactivation of the selected fish pathogens, demonstrating the great potential of the latter for disinfection.