Equine amnionitis and fetal loss: The case definition for an unrecognised cause of abortion in mares

A series of abortions occurred in mares in New South Wales during 2004 that involved similar and unusual findings on post mortem examination of aborted fetuses and fetal membranes. The term Equine Amnionitis and Fetal Loss (EAFL) was developed to describe the condition. This form of abortion had not been previously recognised in Australia. The pathology alone is not specific for EAFL and diagnosis requires demonstration of a combination of certain pathological and bacteriological features. The purpose of this paper is to describe patterns considered consistent with EAFL cases as a working case definition for use by veterinarians and veterinary pathologists in identifying future cases of EAFL. More detailed papers are in preparation to fully describe the epidemiological, histopathological, and microbiological aspects of EAFL.     

Improvement of Fertility in Artificially Inseminated Ewes Following Vaginal Treatment with Misoprostol Plus Terbutaline Sulphate

The effect of vaginal administration of misoprostol plus terbutaline sulphate 6 h prior to artificial insemination (AI) upon the site of AI (vaginal or cervical) and fertility was studied using a total of 87 estrous synchronized Serra da Estrela ewes (control n = 42 and treated n = 45). Artificial insemination was performed using refrigerated semen at 54–55 h after sponge removal. Lambing rate (fertility) and prolificacy were compared between control and treated ewes. The effect of the site of semen deposition on fertility was also evaluated. Prolificacy rate was not different between control (1.5) and treated (1.59) ewes. The proportion of cervical AI achieved in control (45.2%) and treated (37.8%) ewes was not significantly different. Overall, fertility was significantly lower in control than in treated ewes (42.9% vs 64.4%; p < 0.04). Fertility following vaginal AI was significantly lower for control for than treated ewes (30.4% vs 60.7%; p < 0.03) but the difference was smaller and not significant for cervical AI (control 57.9% vs 70.6%). It was concluded that vaginal administration of misoprostol plus terbutaline sulphate 6 h prior to artificial insemination did not affect the proportion of cervical inseminations but significantly improved the fertility of treated ewes. Although needing confirmation, it was hypothesized that drugs might have induced local secretory modifications leading to an increase of cervical ability to retain more viable spermatozoa for fertilization.     

Airborne radiometric survey data and a DTM as covariates for regional scale mapping of soil organic carbon across Northern Ireland

Soil scientists require cost-effective methods to make accurate regional predictions of soil organic carbon (SOC) content. We assess the suitability of airborne radiometric data and digital elevation data as covariates to improve the precision of predictions of SOC from an intensive survey in Northern Ireland. Radiometric data (K band) and, to a lesser extent, altitude are shown to increase the precision of SOC predictions when they are included in linear mixed models of SOC variation. However the statistical distribution of SOC in Northern Ireland is bimodal and therefore unsuitable for geostatistical analysis unless the two peaks can be accounted for by the fixed effects in the linear mixed models. The upper peak in the distribution is due to areas of peat soils. This problem may be partly countered if soil maps are used to classify areas of Northern Ireland according to their expected SOC content and then different models are fitted to each of these classes. Here we divide the soil in Northern Ireland into three classes, namely mineral, organo-mineral and peat. This leads to a further increase in the precision of SOC predictions and the median square error is 2.2 %². However a substantial number of our observations appear to be mis-classified and therefore the mean squared error in the predictions is larger (30.6 %²) since it is dominated by large errors due to mis-classification. Further improvement in SOC prediction may therefore be possible if better delineation between areas of large SOC (peat) and small SOC (non-peat) could be achieved.     

Duration of the persistent activity of moxidectin against Haemonchus contortus in sheep

SUMMARY Weaned lambs were infected with Haemonchus contortus 35,28,21,14 and 7 days after treatment with moxidectin at 0.2 mg/kg and 35 and 14 days after treatment with ivermectin at the same dose rate. Worm counts 14 days after infection showed that moxidectin prevented the establishment of over 99% of infective larvae for 28 days and reduced the establishment rate at 35 days by 96%, relative to ivermectin. There was no difference in the protective efficacy of ivermectin at 14 or 35 days. The persistence of moxidectin is likely to provide advantages in nematode control, particularly when used as a strategic early summer treatment or as a pre-lambing treatment to ewes. Implications of the persistent activity of moxidectin for the development of resistance during the decay phase are discussed.     

Prolonged service intervals in cattle

A trial based on progesterone radioimmunoassay of milk samples is described. Samples from 2274 cows in 14 herds were collected on the day of insemination and 7, 23 and 30 days later, unless a return to service occurred before the designated sample date. Two additional samples were collected from cows which returned to service more than 35 days after the first service, one on the day of the return and another seven days later. All six samples from these cows were assayed for progesterone concentration.

Late returns, defined as returns to oestrus 36 or more days after mating, occurred in 8.6% of the cows. Milk progesterone assay results indicate that of these apparently late-returning cows, 55.9% suffered a loss of the conceptus, 22.1% had not been detected in oestrus around 21 days after first insemination, 11.8% were in anoestrus at insemination, 5.6% conceived to the insemination and were pregnant when thought to have had a late return, 2.6% were in prooestrus or dioestrus at insemination and 2.1% went into anoestrus after an oestrus insemination.

The average prevalence of late returns after the 35th day (8.6%) and the estimated incidence of losses of concepta (4.8%) are lower than those reported in comparable studies elsewhere. Although many of the late-return cows were mated again and conceived, this syndrome nevertheless contributes significantly to the wastage rate, at least in New Zealand dairy herds with their strictly seasonal calving pattern. The implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations for their prevention are made where appropriate.     

Quantifying and mapping topsoil inorganic carbon concentrations and stocks: approaches tested in France

Soils act as a sink or a source of atmospheric carbon, and great efforts are made to monitor soil organic carbon stocks, but soil inorganic carbon (SIC) stocks are not measured by many national‐ and continental‐scale soil monitoring networks. Topsoil (0–30 cm) SIC concentrations were determined for > 2000 sites on a regular 16‐km grid as part of the French, Réseau de Mesures de la Qualité des Sols (RMQS). We used design‐based statistical methods to calculate unbiased estimates of the mean SIC concentration and total stocks across France. Model‐based methods were used to determine the uncertainty of these estimates and to map the spatial distribution of these quantities. Observations of inorganic carbon were highly skewed and did not conform to standard statistical models. Data were normalized using a nonparametric transformation. The estimates and predictions of inorganic carbon are baselines against which the results of future phases of the network can be compared. We found that the total topsoil inorganic carbon stocks in France amount to 1070 ± 61 Tg, ca. one‐third of the corresponding organic carbon stocks. Spatial distribution of SIC was strongly linked to the underlying geology. We tested the reliability of estimating SIC concentrations and stocks from the French Soil Test Database, which contains the results of 280 000 soil analyses requested by farmers between 1990 and 2004. A biased estimate of soil inorganic carbon concentrations resulted, presumably because soil samples were selected according to concerns of farmers rather than by a statistical design.