A framework for evaluation of on-farm mastitis diagnostics in Australia

Numerous culture-based diagnostics are available on the Australian and international markets for on-farm detection of bacterial pathogens in milk. Use of such diagnostics may provide an opportunity to improve the prudent use of antimicrobials in udder health management. Farms are low-resource settings in terms of diagnostic microbiology capacity. The World Health Organisation has identified criteria for the evaluation of diagnostic tests in low resource settings based on Accuracy, Sensitivity, Specificity, User-friendliness, being Rapid or Robust, Equipment-free and being Deliverable (ASSURED). Here, we review how those criteria can be interpreted in the context of microbiological diagnosis of mastitis pathogens, and how on-farm diagnostics that are currently available in Australia perform relative to ASSURED criteria. This evaluation identifies multiple trade-offs, both with regard to scientific criteria and with regards to convenience criteria. More importantly, the purpose of testing may differ between farms, and test performance should be evaluated relative to its intended use. The ability of on-farm mastitis diagnostics to inform mastitis treatment decision-making in a timely and cost-effective manner depends not just on test characteristics but also on farm-specific pathogen prevalence, and on the farm enterprise's priorities and the farm manager's potential courses of action. With most assay evaluations to date conducted in professional laboratories, there is a surprising dearth of information on how well any of the diagnostic tests perform on-farm and, indeed, of the on-farm decision-making processes that they aim to inform.     

Plants as de-worming agents of livestock in the Nordic countries: historical perspective, popular beliefs and prospects for the future.

Preparations derived from plants were the original therapeutic interventions used by man to control diseases (including parasites), both within humans and livestock. Development of herbal products depended upon local botanical flora with the result that different remedies tended to develop in different parts of the world. Nevertheless, in some instances, the same or related plants were used over wide geographic regions, which also was the result of communication and/or the importation of plant material of high repute. Thus, the Nordic countries have an ancient, rich and diverse history of plant derived anthelmintic medications for human and animal use. Although some of the more commonly used herbal de-wormers were derived from imported plants, or their products, many are from endemic plants or those that thrive in the Scandinavian environment. With the advent of the modern chemotherapeutic era, and the discovery, development and marketing of a seemingly unlimited variety of highly efficacious, safe synthetic chemicals with very wide spectra of activities, herbal remedies virtually disappeared from the consciousness--at least in the Western world. This attitude is now rapidly changing. There is a widespread resurgence in natural product medication, driven by major threats posed by multi-resistant pest, or disease, organisms and the diminishing public perceptions that synthetic chemicals are the panacea to health and disease control. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive account of the depth of historical Nordic information available on herbal de-wormers, with emphasis on livestock and to provide some insights on potentially rewarding areas of "re-discovery" and scientific evaluation in this field.     

Are Endocrine Disrupting Compounds a Threat to Farm Animal Health,Welfare and Productivity?

Contents The sources and characteristics of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are reviewed and discussed with respect to their potential effects on farm animal health, welfare and productivity. The importance of certain properties of these compounds in relation to the expression of their biological effects is addressed together with potential routes of exposure. It is concluded that little is known of factors affecting the tissue concentrations of EDCs in farm animals, the concentrations that are required to perturb physiological function in these species, the effects of prolonged exposure to low doses, the effect of cocktails of EDCs and other pollutants or the responses of specific organs and physiological systems that are affected by EDCs. Much of the available information pertaining to EDCs is derived from epidemiological studies of wildlife species and from laboratory animal studies and while these studies have significant limitations, they are considered to be valuable indicators of potential effects in farm animal species. The results of such studies, together with the small amounts of data from studies of ruminants, indicate that there may be significant effects of exposure to environmental levels of EDCs on farm animal health, even although effects are not generally apparent in practice, at this time.     

Effects of dietary level of ruminally protected choline on performance and carcass characteristics of finishing beef steers and on growth and serum metabolites in lambs

Ruminally protected choline (RPC) was evaluated in two experiments. In Exp. 1, beef steers (n = 160; average initial BW = 350.9 kg) were fed a 90% concentrate diet with either 0, .25, .5, or 1.0% RPC (DM basis) for 112 to 140 d. Feeding .25% RPC increased ADG 11.6% compared with 0% RPC, but responses diminished with increasing RPC level (cubic response, P < .10). Daily DMI was not affected by RPC level, but feed:gain was improved 6.8% with .25% RPC compared with 0% RPC, and responses diminished with increasing RPC level (cubic response, P < .10). Carcass yield grade increased linearly (P < .10) as RPC level increased, but marbling score was lower for all three RPC-containing diets than for the 0% RPC diet (quadratic response, P < .05). In Exp. 2, 20 Suffolk lambs (initial BW = 29.8 kg) were fed an 80% concentrate diet for 56 d with the same RPC levels as in Exp. 1. Serum triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol (CLSTRL) were measured in weekly blood samples, and intensive blood samples were collected on d 28 and 56 to evaluate serum insulin (INS), GH, and NEFA. For the 56-d feeding period, ADG responded quadratically (P < .10) to RPC level, but DMI and feed:gain were not affected. Serum INS and NEFA concentrations increased linearly (P < .05) and serum GH responded cubically (P < .05) to RPC level on d 28, but no differences were noted on d 56. Serum TG concentrations in weekly samples increased linearly (P < .10) with RPC level, but, averaged over all weeks, serum CLSTRL concentrations did not differ (P > .10) among treatments. Quantities of carcass mesenteric (P < .05) and kidney fat (P < .10) increased linearly, but longissimus muscle and liver fat contents did not differ (P > .10) among RPC levels. Supplementing RPC in high-concentrate diets improved performance, but results were not consistent among RPC levels or between cattle and sheep. Potential effects of RPC might be mediated through alterations in fat metabolism and(or) metabolic hormones related to fat metabolism.     

Capital femoral epiphyseal infarction in skeletally immature broilers

Varying degrees of capital femoral epiphyseal infarction have been identified in broiler chickens. The extent of vascular occlusion was more extensive than observed in capital femoral dyschondroplasia and growth plate cartilage retention was not a constant finding. Epiphyseal vascular occlusion resulted in growth plate cartilage necrosis. It is suggested that proliferating chondrocyte death and matrix disruption would predispose to epiphyseolysis. Similarities between avian capital femoral epiphyseal infarction and Legg-Calve-Perthes disease have been noted.