Current Issue : July - September Volume : 2019 Issue Number : 3 Articles : 6 Articles
Background: Premilking udder preparation is essential for harvesting high-quality milk as gently, completely, and\nquickly as possible. The associations between characteristics such as teat-end shape and premilking stimulation on\nmilking characteristics and machine milking-induced changes to the teat tissue condition have not been rigorously\ninvestigated. The primary objective was to investigate the interactive effects of manual premilking stimulation (i.e.,\npreparation lag time) and teat-end shape on total milk yield, two-minute milk yield, milking unit-on time, and time\nin low milk flow rate. Our secondary objective was to study the association of manual premilking stimulation and\nchanges to the teat tissue condition after machine milking (i.e., short-term changes). In a longitudinal prospective\ncohort study, 384 milking observations from 129 cows were analysed. Holstein cows were housed in sand-bedded\nfree-stall pens, fed a total mixed ration, and milked 3 times a day. Cows were classified by teat-end shape into 1 of\n3 categories: pointed, flat, or round. Individual cow milking characteristics were recorded with electronic on-farm\nmilk meters. The duration of manual stimulation, preparation lag time, and presence of short-term changes were\ndocumented for each milking observation. General linear mixed models were used to study the interactive effects\nof preparation lag time and teat-end shape on milking characteristics.\nResults: There was an interaction between preparation lag time and teat-end shape for two-minute milk yield and\ntime in low milk flow rate. The preparation lag time effect was modified by teat-end shape, while no interaction\nwas observed for total milk yield or milking unit-on time. A generalized linear mixed model revealed that\npreparation lag time was associated with short-term changes in teat tissue condition, where the odds of short-term\nchanges decreased as preparation lag time increased.\nConclusions: In summary, cows with different teat-end shapes may require different premilking stimulation\nregimens. Increasing preparation lag time benefits teat tissue condition during machine milking. Further research is\nwarranted to optimize individual premilking stimulation in dairy cows....
Background: Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) is a single-stranded, closed circular DNA virus, which causes porcine\ndermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS), multisystemic inflammation, and reproductive failure. The present\nstudy aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of PCV3 in cattle (Bos taurus) in Shandong province, China, and\nexamine its genome diversity.\nResults: PCR amplification and sequencing showed that 74 of 213 bovine samples (34.7%) were positive for PCV3.\nAmong them, the capsid gene (n = 12) and the complete genome (n = 4) were sequenced. These sequences had\nhigh identities to the reference capsid gene (98.0-100%) and the complete genome (97.5-99.8%). The PCV3 strains\nwere classified into two different genotypes (PCV3a and PCV3b), according to phylogenetic analysis based on the\ncomplete genome and capsid gene sequences. Specifically, the bovine-origin strains in this study were grouped\ninto PCV3a, showing a close relationship with PCV3-US/SD2016 (American strain; GenBank: KX966193.1). Notably, a\ncomparison of the inferred amino acid sequences revealed a mutation from D124 to Y124.\nConclusion: This was the first seroprevalence and genetic investigation of PCV3 in cattle in Shandong province,\nChina. The results could provide insights into the epidemiology and pathogenesis of this important virus....
The objective of the present study was the identification of farming practices in the\nproduction of turkeys for human consumption, and their ranking in terms of the occupational\nprobability of exposure to antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria, for farm workers. We gathered\nevidence and data from scientific literature, on risk factors for AMR in farmers, and on the prevalence\nof those hazards across farming phases. We administered semi-structured interviews to public and\nprivate veterinarians in Northern Italy, to obtain detailed information on turkey farming phases,\nand on working practices. Data were then integrated into a semi-quantitative Failure Modes and\nEffect Analysis (FMEA). Those working practices, which are characterized by direct contact with\nnumerous animals, and which are carried out frequently, with rare use of personal protection devices\nresulted as associated with the greatest probability of exposure to AMR. For methicillin resistant\nStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA), these included vaccination and administration of any individual\ntherapy, and removal and milling of litter, given the exposure of farmers to high dust level. Indeed,\nlevels of occupational exposure to MRSA are enhanced by its transmission routes, which include direct\ncontact with animal, as well as airborne transmission. Level of exposure to extended spectrum beta\nlactamase (ESBL) is more strictly associated with direct contact and the oral-fecal route. Consequently,\nexposure to ESBL resulted and associated with the routinely tipping over of poults turned on their\nback, and with the individual administration of therapies....
Background: Influenza A virus (IAV) is an important pathogen in pigs that affects productivity and has important\npublic health implications because of its zoonotic nature. Surveillance is central to the control of influenza, however,\ndetection of IAV infections can be challenging in endemically infected herds with low prevalence of infection.\nMethods: In groups of suckling (18-21 days of age) and growing (35-45 days of age) pigs, we compared various\nsampling approaches to detect, isolate and sequence IAV using individual (nasal swabs, nasal wipes and oropharyngeal\nswabs), group (oral fluids, surface wipes and sow udder skin wipes) and environmental (airborne particles deposited on\nsurfaces and air samples) sampling approaches. All samples were tested by IAV rRT-PCR and a subset was used for virus\nisolation and direct sequencing.\nResults: In general, environmental and group samples resulted in higher odd ratios (range = 3.87-16.5, p-value < 0.05)\nof detecting a positive sample by rRT-PCR compared to individual pooled samples, except for oropharyngeal swabs\n(OR = 8.07, p-value < 0.05). In contrast, individual samples were most likely to yield a viral isolate by cell\nculture. Oropharyngeal swabs in suckling pigs (78.4%), and nasal swabs (47.6%) or nasal wipes (45%) in\ngrowing pigs, and udder wipes in lactating sows (75%) were the preferred samples to obtain an isolate.\nConclusions: Our findings indicate that group and environmental sampling strategies should be considered\nin influenza surveillance programs in particular if the goal is just to detect infection. This study provides\nnew information on sampling approaches to conduct effective influenza surveillance in pigs and identifies\nudder wipes from lactating sows as a novel sample type that offers a convenient, cheap and sensitive\nmanner to monitor IAV in litters prior to weaning....
Background: Our knowledge of avian brood parasitism is primarily based on studies of a few selected species.\nRecently, researchers have targeted a wider range of host-parasite systems, which has allowed further evaluation of\nhypotheses derived from well-known study systems but also disclosed adaptations that were previously unknown.\nHere we present developmental and behavioral data on the previously undescribed Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis\nmerulinus) nestling and one of its hosts, the Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius).\nMethods: We discovered more than 80 Common Tailorbird nests within an area of 25 km2, and we recorded nestling\ncharacteristics, body mass, tarsus length and begging display every 3 days for both species.\nResults: Plaintive Cuckoo nestlings followed a developmental pathway that was relatively similar to that of their\nWell-studied relative, the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). Tailorbird foster siblings were evicted from the nest rim.\nThe cuckoo nestlings gained weight faster than host nestlings, and required 3-9 days longer time to fledge than host\nnestlings. Predation was high during the early stages of development, but the nestlings acquired a warning display\naround 11 days in the nest, after which none of the studied cuckoo nestlings were depredated. The cuckoosâ?? begging\ndisplay, which appeared more intense than that of host nestlings, was initially vocally similar with that of the host\nnestlings but began to diverge from the host sound output after day 9.\nConclusions: The developmental data on Plaintive Cuckoo nestlings and their tailorbird host builds an important\nfoundation for future work on the co-evolutionary interactions in this parasite-host system....
Background: Short beak and dwarfism syndrome (SBDS) was caused by novel goose parvovirus (NGPV)-a variant\nof goose parvovirus (GPV). Ducks infected with NGPV shows clinical signs including growth retardation and\nprotrusion of the tongue from an atrophied beak. SBDS outbreak was first reported at the northern coastal\nprovinces of China during 2015 and it was again reported in Sichuan, an inland province of China in 2016. The\ndisease caused a huge economic loss in Chinese duck feeding industry.\nResults: The SD15 strain of NGPV was isolated from liver and intestinal tract tissue samples of infected ducks. Realtime\nquantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to estimate viral load in embryonated eggs and cells infected with adapted\nvirus. The data showed that duck embryo fibroblasts (DEFs) were permissive to NGPV, while goose embryo\nfibroblasts (GEFs) cells were not, and the copy numbers of SD15 in the allantoic fluid of infected eggs remained at\n10^5.0-10^6.5 copies/ml. The adaption procession of the virus was determined via qPCR, and viral proliferation was\ndetected through indirect fluorescent antibody assay (IFA) in DEFs. It was further determined that viral copy\nnumbers peaked at 96 h post-inoculation (hpi), which is the best time to harvest the virus in DEFs. Cytotoxic effects\nand cell death were observed at 72 hpi in SD15 infected DEFs, yet SD15 did not induce apoptosis.\nConclusions: The growth characteristics of SD15 strain of NGPV determined would be beneficial for further\nmolecular characterization of these viruses and develop potential vaccines if required....
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