Frequency of BCoV detection by a semi-nested PCR assay in faeces of calves from Brazilian cattle herds

Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) is one of the main causes of neonatal calf diarrhoea. Several diagnostic assays have been employed to detect the presence of the virus in stool samples from calves. Despite this, the frequency of BCoV infection among Brazilian and even South American cattle herds has yet to be well characterised. This study describes the occurrence of BCoV infection among calves from dairy and beef herds in four Brazilian states. A total of 282 stool samples from 1 to 60-day-old calves were evaluated for the presence of BCoV by a semi-nested (SN) PCR assay. The animals were from herds (n = 23) located in three geographical regions in Brazil (south, southeast, and center-west). The specific BCoV amplicon was detected in 15.6% (44/282) of the faecal specimens examined, of which 95.4% (42/44) were from diarrhoeic and 4.6% (2/44) from asymptomatic calves. The specificity of the SN-PCR amplicons was evaluated by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The results show that the BCoV is widespread, mainly among calves from 16 to 30-days-old (p = 0.0023), and verify the association between BCoV infection and clinical signs of diarrhoea (p = 0.005). These findings emphasise the importance of this virus in enteric infections of Brazilian cattle herds.     

Effect of suckling period on calf growth and milk yield of Zebu cows

Eighteen multiparous Zebu cows in their third lactation and their calves were randomly allocated to three suckling periods, up to 3, 4 or 5 months of age of the calf. The cows were individually fed natural hay, cottonseed cake and molasses. At 2 months of age, all calves were separated from their mothers, and were offered cottonseed cake mixed with molasses and Mucuna hay individually. The calves stimulated milk ejection by suckling 30 seconds and suckled the residual milk for 45 minutes after milking. The dry matter intake of cows (3.68, 3.29 and 3.31% of body weight) and calves (2.88, 2.80 and 2.55% of body weight) for suckling up 3, 4 and 5 months of age, respectively, was not significantly affected by treatment and neither was the growth rate of the calves (178, 157 and 149 g/d for 3, 4 or 5 months suckling period, respectively). Cows suckling their calves up to 5 months had significantly higher milk yield and higher amount of saleable milk (1.97, 2.93 and 3.69 kg/cow/d for 3, 4 and 5 months suckling period, respectively). The fat content of the milk decreased with increasing length of the suckling period while the protein content was not affected. In conclusion, a suckling period of 5 months resulted in higher total milk production and higher amount of saleable milk but did not seem to have any effect on calf growth when the calves were supplemented.     

The use of medetomidine-based sedation protocols to perform urohydropropulsion and cystoscopy in the dog

Voiding urohydropropulsion and cystoscopy are routine procedures performed in the dog for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. These procedures are typically performed under general anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of medetomidine-based sedation protocols to perform voiding urohydropropulsion and cystoscopy in cardiovascularly healthy, non-diabetic dogs without evidence of urinary obstruction, renal disease, or hepatic disease. Results of this study revealed significantly shorter procedure times and decreased cost in sedated dogs, with diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes equivalent to those of patients that underwent general anesthesia. Based on the results of this retrospective study, the authors recommend medetomidine-based sedation protocols for voiding urohydropropulsion and cystoscopy in appropriately selected patients.     

Impact of climate change on the small mammal community of the Yukon boreal forest

Long‐term monitoring is critical to determine the stability and sustainability of wildlife populations, and if change has occurred, why. We have followed population density changes in the small mammal community in the boreal forest of the southern Yukon for 46 years with density estimates by live trapping on 3–5 unmanipulated grids in spring and autumn. This community consists of 10 species and was responsible for 9% of the energy flow in the herbivore component of this ecosystem from 1986 to 1996, but this increased to 38% from 2003 to 2014. Small mammals, although small in size, are large in the transfer of energy from plants to predators and decomposers. Four species form the bulk of the biomass. There was a shift in the dominant species from the 1970s to the 2000s, with Myodes rutilus increasing in relative abundance by 22% and Peromyscus maniculatus decreasing by 22%. From 2007 to 2018, Myodes comprised 63% of the catch, Peromyscus 20%, and Microtus species 17%. Possible causes of these changes involve climate change, which is increasing primary production in this boreal forest, and an associated increase in the abundance of 3 rodent predators, marten (Martes americana), ermine (Mustela ermine) and coyotes (Canis latrans). Following and understanding these and potential future changes will require long‐term monitoring studies on a large scale to measure metapopulation dynamics. The small mammal community in northern Canada is being affected by climate change and cannot remain stable. Changes will be critically dependent on food–web interactions that are species‐specific.