The field detection of “inter-unit milk flow” in pipeline milking equipment

Abstract

Extract

There are many ways in which a milking machine can transmit infection from cow to cow. The immediate transfer of infection by the, teat-cups is obvious and the reduction of the effectiveness of this vector has been shown to reduce the incidence of mastitis (Wilkinson, 1965 Fell, L. R. and Richards, R J. 1970. A farm survey of milking machine performance, milking management and California Mastitis Test results. Aust. J. Dairy Tech., 25: 39–45.  [Google Scholar]). The change from bucket to pipeline milkers has been associated with an increase in the incidence of mastitis arid this has been attributed to the vacuum instability of the latter system. Fell and Richards (1970 Whittlestone, W. G. and Fell, L. R. 1969. Machine milking and mastitis. Proc. N.Z. Soc. Anim. Prod., 29: 22–25.  [Google Scholar]) have studied the relation-ship between machine stability and the level of somatic cells in milk, and Whittlestone and Fell (1969) Whittlestone, W. G., Leonard, R. O. and Brookbanks, E. O. 1970. Breakthrough in mastitis research. N.Z. Jl Agric., 120: 66–67.  [Google Scholar] have suggested that milk line vacuum instability could be associated with flow conditions that could give rise to the movement of potentially infected milk from the pipeline back into the clusters. This potential vector has been overlooked in the past but its presence, would clearly negate the beneficial effects of “back flushing”. A field study was therefore undertaken to estimate the frequency of occurrence of the “inter-unit flow” effect in pipeline systems, and Whittlestone et at. (1970) Wilkinson, F. C. 1965. Bovine mastitis control in Western Australia. Aust. vet. J., 41: 93–97.  [Google Scholar] found a high incidence of milk movement back to the cluster in high pipeline systems though the effect was not found amongst the limited number of low-line installations examined. Two types of “inter-unit flow” were detected: whole liquid movement which appeared as liquid milk in the measuring trap inserted between the cluster and the milk pipe, and “aerosol” which could only be detected by the use of plugs of cotton wool inserted in the test teat-cups. Evidence for the presence of “aerosol” and its role in transmitting infection within the cluster has been collected by A. Tolle (pers. comm.). This establishes the possibility that once infected milk has reached the cluster it can be transferred to the, end of the teat during milking.     

New Zealand national mastitis survey: 1965–6

Extract

A national survey was undertaken to estimate the prevalence and distribution of bovine mastitis. It was planned as a model which could be repeated at intervals.     

DNA-based detection of Leptospira wolffii,Giardia intestinalis and Toxoplasma gondii in environmental feces of wild animals in Korea

Leptospira, Giardia intestinalis and Toxoplasma gondii infections are reported in humans and animals worldwide, but molecular surveillance of these pathogens in Korean wildlife is still limited. Here, we examined the prevalence of these pathogens in environmental feces of Eurasian otters, leopard cats and raccoon dogs using nested PCR followed by DNA sequencing. G. intestinalis was detected in all of three animals, while T. gondii was detected only in leopard cats. Leptospira wolffii was detected in raccoon dog and Eurasian otter. Our results suggest that these animals can act as a reservoir of these zoonotic pathogens. Consistent monitoring of these pathogens in wildlife is needed to prevent from their infections in humans and livestock in Korea.     

Immunological study of an attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium expressing ApxIA,ApxIIA, ApxIIIA and OmpA of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in a mouse model

Salmonella Typhimurium strain expressing the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae antigens, ApxIA, ApxIIA, ApxIIIA and OmpA, was previously constructed as a vaccine candidate for porcine pleuropneumonia. This strain was a live attenuated (∆lon∆cpxR∆asd)Salmonella as a delivery host and contained a vector containing asd. An immunological study of lymphocyte proliferation, T-lymphocyte subsets and cytokines in the splenocytes of a mouse model was carried out after stimulation with the candidate Salmonella Typhimurium by intranasal inoculation. The splenic lymphocyte proliferation and the levels of IL-4, IL-6 and IL-12 of the inoculated mice were significantly increased, and the T- and B-cell populations were also elevated. Collectively, the candidate may efficiently induce the Th1- and Th2-type immune responses.     

The experience of dog bites: A survey of veterinary science and veterinary nursing students

AIM: To investigate the circumstances of dogs biting people in New Zealand.

METHODS: Veterinary science and veterinary nursing students enrolled at Massey University in 2003 completed a questionnaire detailing their lifetime experience of dog bites and their opinions of dog control legislation.

RESULTS: The response rate was 100%. There were 228 completed responses to the survey, and 87 (38%) respondents had been bitten by a dog. Most bites caused minor injury, but 17 (20%) required medical attention. Male respondents were more likely to have been bitten. The highest proportion of respondents (27; 31%) had been bitten while between 6 and 10 years of age, and the hand was the part of the body most often injured. Eighteen (21%) bites involved a stranger's dog, but most bites were by a dog known to the victim. Respondents from rural areas were three times more likely to have been bitten than city dwellers. The victim's home was the place where most (31; 36%) bites occurred. Male dogs were responsible for a larger proportion of bites (38; 44%) than females (24; 28%); respondents were unsure about the sex of the remainder of the dogs (25; 29%) that bit them. Protecting the home, play, accidents, rough handling and pain were identified as the common reasons for dogs to bite. Most (46; 52%) respondents did not believe legislation could have prevented their bite. Only four (5%) bites were reported to authorities.

CONCLUSION: Rural dwellers, people with more experience of dogs, children <11 years of age, and male respondents were bitten by dogs most often. Only legislation relating to the fencing of dog owners′ properties may have prevented a reasonable proportion (25; 29%) of the bites reported here.     

Theileria orientalis,a blood parasite of cattle. first report in New Zealand

A Theileria sp. piroplasm has been found in cattle from 10 Northland herds. Transmission studies, involving two splenectomized calves, led to its identification as T. orientalis, which has not been previously found in New Zealand. This piroplasm is relatively benign, but can cause severe anaemia in heavily parasitized animals. The cattle tick Haemaphysalis longicornis is considered to be the likely vector.