Examining the Risk of Disease Transmission between Wild Dall’s Sheep and Mountain Goats, and Introduced Domestic Sheep, Goats, and Llamas in the Northwest Territories

This risk assessment has been carried out following the guidelines for Health Risk Analysis entitled “Wild Animal Translocations” prepared by the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (http://wildlife1.usask.ca). It includes 9 comprehensive appendices of bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal organisms reported from domestic sheep, goats, llamas and wild sheep and mountain goats. The report is a breakdown of those appendices into discussions of organisms of major concern, organisms of unknown concern, organisms of minimal concern, and those that cause no apparent disease, are not transmissible between the species of interest, or do not occur in Canada. Where possible, organisms were assigned a risk designation according to the probability of transmission as well as the effects on susceptible species

Review of Economically Important Cattle Tick and Its Control in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in Africa, but the contribution for the economic aspect of the country is still lowest amount and disease can be considered as major constrain. Ticks are the most important ectoparasites of livestock in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Ethiopia is not exceptional and ticks are responsible for severe economic losses both through the direct effects of blood sucking and indirectly as vectors of pathogens and toxins. Feeding by large numbers of ticks causes reduction in live weight gain and anaemia among domestic animals, while tick bites also reduce the quality of hides. However, the major losses caused by ticks are due to the ability to transmit protozoan, rickettsial and viral diseases of livestock, which are of great economic importance world-wide. This review concerns with general aspects of tick biology, the taxonomy, pathogenic effects and methods for the control of ticks. ticks belong to the suborder Ixodida, which contains a single super family, the Ixodoidea, which is divided into two major families, Argasidae (soft ticks) and Ixodidae (hard ticks), and the rare family Nuttalliellidae, with a single African species. The main tick genera found in domestic animals of Ethiopia are Amblyomma, Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus, Haemaphysalis and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus). Various breeds of cattle differ in their response to tick infestations. Bos indicus pure breeds and crossbreeds were reported to be more innately resistant than Bos Taurus breeds. The conventional method of controlling tick infestations in Ethiopia is application of acaricide, either by hand spraying, by hand dressing. Therefore, to minimize tick adverse effect appropriate and timely strategic control measures are crucial. Keywords: Acaricide, Argasidae, Ectoparasites, Ethiopia, Ixodidae, Ticks

Bovine salmonellosis and the challenge of developing cross protective vaccines for this disease

Master of Science in Biomedical SciencesDepartment of Diagnostic Medicine/PathobiologyAlison P. AdamsSalmonella contamination of meat is a leading cause of foodborne illness around the world. Nontyphoidal Salmonella are responsible for an estimated 94 million infections and 155,000 deaths worldwide each year. Of these infections, 86% are estimated to be foodborne. Infection of dairy and beef cattle can lead to contamination of milk and milk products as well as processed beef. Once cattle are infected, Salmonella can be found in many organs of the animals. Peripheral lymph node infections are of particular interest, because these lymph nodes along with hides are the main culprits of meat contamination during processing. Vaccination of production food animals is one of several strategies of prevention and control of Salmonella infections and outbreaks. Vaccination is becoming even more important with the reduction of prophylactic antibiotic use that is driven by an increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria isolated from a variety of food production animals. There are limited commercially available vaccines for cattle that have shown effectiveness, but great strides are being made in this area of research. The vast number of Salmonella serovars with differences in vital virulence factors capable of infecting cattle makes developing vaccines that are cross protective very difficult. This report discusses the known virulence factors of Salmonella, the disease symptoms of bovine salmonellosis, prevention and control strategies, and the development of new vaccines

Factors Associated With Lameness in Tie Stall Housed Dairy Cows in South Germany

Lameness remains a major concern for animal welfare and productivity in modern dairy production. Even though a trend toward loose housing systems exists and the public expects livestock to be kept under conditions where freedom of movement and the expression of natural behavior are ensured, restrictive housing systems continue to be the predominant type of housing in some regions. Factors associated with lameness were evaluated by application of multiple logistic regression modeling on data of 1,006 dairy cows from 56 tie stall farms in Bavaria, South Germany. In this population, approximately every fourth cow was lame (24.44% of scored animals). The mean farm level prevalence of lameness was 23.28%. In total, 22 factors were analyzed regarding their association with lameness. A low Body Condition Score (BCS) (OR 1.54 [95%-CI 1.05-2.25]) as well as increasing parity (OR 1.41 [95%-CI 1.29-1.54]) entailed greater odds of lameness. Moreover, higher milk yield (OR 0.98 [95%-CI 0.96-1.00]) and organic farming (OR 0.48 [95%-0.25-0.92]) appeared to be protectively associated with lameness. Cows with hock injuries (OR 2.57 [95%-CI 1.41-4.67]) or with swellings of the ribs (OR 2.55 [95%-CI 1.53-4.23]) had higher odds of lameness. A similar association was observed for the contamination of the lower legs with distinct plaques of manure (OR 1.88 [95%-CI 1.14-3.10]). As a central aspect of tie stall housing, the length of the stalls was associated with lameness; with stalls of medium [(>158-171 cm) (OR 2.15 [95%-CI 1.29-3.58]) and short (171 cm). These results can help both gaining knowledge on relevant factors associated with lameness as well as approaching the problem of dairy cow lameness in tie stall operations

Effects of Organic and Inorganic Selenium Supplementation during Late Gestation and Early Lactation on Beef Cow-Calf Performance

Angus x Simmental cows (n = 48, BW = 594 kg, BCS = 5.26, Age = 2.7), pregnant with male fetuses, were used to determine the effect selenium (Se) source during the last 80 d of gestation and first 108 d of lactation on progeny feedlot performance. At 203 d in gestation, cows were blocked by body weight, age, breed composition, and calf sire, and allotted to 1 of 3 treatments: no Se, inorganic Se, or organic Se. Maternal diets were formulated to contain 10.4% CP and 0.90 Mcal/kg NEg during gestation and 12.1% CP and 1.01 Mcal/kg NEg during lactation. Basal diets contained 0.07 and 0.11 mg/kg Se for gestation and lactation diets; respectively. Diets were fed daily as a total mixed ration and Se was provided in a top-dress containing 0, 0.30 mg/kg Se as sodium selenite, or 0.30 mg/kg Se as Sel-Plex®. Treatment diets were fed through 108 d post-partum (DPP). At 68 DPP milk production was calculated using the weigh-suckle-weigh procedure and a milk sample was collected was at 62 DPP to determine composition. At 108 DPP cow-calf pairs were commingled until weaning at 216 DPP. At 28 d post-weaning, steers (n = 47, BW = 301 kg) were placed in individual pens and fed a diet formulated to provide 13.9% CP, 1.24 Mcal/kg NEg, and 0.10 mg/kg Se. The diet was delivered as total mixed ration once daily. . Cow weight and BCS and calf birth weight did not differ at the beginning of the trial (P ≥ 0.55). Cow BW and BCS (P ≥ 0.85) did not differ between treatments at any time point during the study. Milk production, milk fat, and total solids (P ≥ 0.38) did not differ among treatments. Milk protein tended to increase in cows fed inorganic Se compared to cows fed organic Se (P = 0.07) and milk lactose tended to be greatest in cows fed organic Se (P = 0.10). Conception to AI and overall pregnancy rates did not differ between the diets (P ≥ 0.39). Calf weights and ADG did not differ for the 105 d experimental period (P ≥ 0.77) or for the entire pre-weaning period (P ≥ 0.33). Plasma Se concentration did not differ between treatments for the cows (P ≥ 0.37). Liver Se concentration in cows fed inorganic and organic Se treatment were significantly greater than that of cows from the control treatment (P \u3c 0.01). There were no treatment effects on calf plasma Se concentration (P ≥ 0.90). Muscles biopsies taken at 105 DPP also were not different (P = 0.45). Steers from cows supplemented with organic Se diet entered the feedlot heavier (P = 0.02) and tended to be heavier on d 87 (P = 0.08) compared to steers from cows supplemented with inorganic Se. There was no difference in ADG among treatments (P ≥ 0.76), but steers from organic Se cows tended to spend fewer days on feed compared to steers from inorganic Se cows (P = 0.09). Steers from organic Se cows had a greater overall DMI compared to steers from inorganic Se cows (P = 0.04), but there was no difference in overall gain:feed ratio (P = 0.82). Dressing percentage was greater for steers from cows fed no Se compared with steers from cows fed either inorganic or organic Se (P = 0.03). Maternal Se source had no effect on hot carcass weight, back fat, %KPH, L. dorsi area, yield grade, marbling score, or quality grade distribution (P ≥ .17) of progeny. In conclusion, dietary Se source did not affect cow performance, milk production, or reproductive ability. Organic Se decreased milk protein and increased milk lactose, but did not alter pre-weaning performance of the progeny. Maternal supplementation with organic Se appears to have a long-term benefit on intake of steer progeny and may result in improvements in growth that decreases days in the feedlot

Cattle ticks and associated tick-borne pathogens in Burkina Faso and Benin : apparent northern spread of Rhipicephalus microplus in Benin and first evidence of Theileria velifera and Theileria annulata

Babesiosis, theileriosis, anaplasmosis, and heartwater are tick-borne diseases that threaten livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa including Burkina Faso and Benin. For over a decade, these two bordering countries have been facing an invasion of the livestock by the tick Rhipicephalus microplus, a major vector for babesiosis, accidentally introduced in Benin in 2004. The molecular identification of tick-borne pathogens in this border area is of particular interest due to animals seasonal migration between the two countries. In this survey, epidemiological features of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in cattle were investigated to compare the eastern Burkina Faso, corresponding to a seasonal migration departure zone, and the northern Benin, which represents a seasonal migration arrival zone. Ticks and peripheral blood were collected from a total of 946 cattle in the two areas. Ticks were morphologically identified and the DNA samples from bovine blood and ticks were analysed by Reverse Line Blot (RLB) hybridization process. A total of 2856 ticks were collected on 490 cattle in Burkina Faso, eight tick species were identified, while 3583 ticks were collected on 456 cattle in North Benin with nine tick species identified. The invasive tick, R. microplus was not found in eastern Burkina Faso, but its spread farthest north in Benin is reported. Six tick-borne pathogen species were found in cattle blood both in eastern Burkina Faso and in northern Benin. Ranked in decreasing order of overall prevalences, they are: Theileria mutans (91.1%), Theileria velifera (77.8%), Babesia bigemina (10.9%), Anaplasma marginale (4.2%), Babesia bovis (3.3%), and Theileria annulata (1.8%). To the best of our knowledge, this survey represents the first report of T. velifera and T. annulata in the region. Overall, the TBP prevalences were significantly higher in northern Benin than in eastern Burkina Faso, indicating a higher parasitological risk in this area.The Academy of Research and Higher Education (ARES-CCD) [RPD Transticks].https://www.elsevier.com/locate/ttbdishj2022Veterinary Tropical Disease

Plasma cortisol concentrations after treatment with methadone alone or together with acepromazine or detomidine in horses

Opioider är vitt använt på smådjur som smärtlindring och för att minska behovet av anestesimedel. Opioider har också nyttjats på hästar så långt som 70 år tillbaka i tiden men användandet har varit begränsat och kontroversiellt då hästar lätt exciterar på grund av opioider. Metadon är en μ-receptoragonist och detta är den receptor som främst står för opioidernas analgetiska effekt. Metadon är inte godkänd för användning på djur i Sverige men används ändå ofta off-label på grund av sin goda smärtlindrande förmåga. Kortisolhalten i blodet är en parameter som ofta används för att objektivt utvärdera stress, smärta och smärtlindring hos djur. Hos andra djurslag än häst påverkas kortisolfrisättningen av opioidgivor men exakt hur kortisolfrisättningen i blodet påverkas beror på val av opioid, behandlingsprotokoll samt djurslag. Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka hur metadon per se, antingen självt eller tillsammans med acepromazin eller detomidin, påverkar kortisolkoncentrationen i blodet hos hästar. Studien var utformad med en cross-over design samt var randomiserad, placebokontrollerad och blindad. Hästarna som ingick i försöket var åtta stycken vuxna varmblodstravare, sex ston och två vallacker. De behandlingsprotokoll som undersöktes var; metadon (0,2 mg/kg i.v.) tillsammans med natriumklorid (NaCl) i.m., metadon (0,1 mg/kg i.v.) tillsammans med acepromazin (0,05 mg/kg i.m.), metadon (0,1 mg/kg i.v.) tillsammans med detomidin (0,05 mg/kg i.m.) och NaCl i.v. och i.m. som kontroll. Det var en veckas wash-out-period mellan försöksomgångarna. Plasmakortisolhalter undersöktes med ett kommersiellt ELISA kit och en validering för häst utfördes. Metoden fungerade bra på hästplasma med kortisolhalter mellan 20-800 ng/ml. Variationskoeffiecienten, både inter-och intra-test, var låg i den här studien vilket indikerar ett korrekt uppnått resultat. Efter metadongivan var det en statistisk signifikant ökning av kortisolkoncentrationen i plasman jämfört med kontrollen (p < 0,05). En signifikant skillnad med förhöjt kortisol, jämfört med kontrollen, sågs också efter metadon+detomidin-giva (p < 0,05) men inte efter metadon+acepromazin-giva. Resultaten i denna studie visade att intravenös metadongiva, som enda läkemedel eller tillsammans med detomidin, ger en frisättning av kortisol till blodet hos hästar. Till vilken grad kortisolfrisättningen uppstår beror på vilket läkemedel metadon ges tillsammans med. Dessa resultat visar att plasmakortisolhalten troligen inte är en bra parameter att studera när metadons analgetiska egenskaper ska studeras och utvärderas hos hästar.In small animals morphine-like drugs, opioids, are often used as analgesia and to reduce the use of anaesthetic drugs. Opioids have also been administered to horses for more than 70 years by practicing veterinarians but the use has been limited and controversial. This is because horses are very sensitive to all the adverse effects from opioids, like excitation. Methadone is a μ-receptor agonist, the receptor mainly responsible for the opioids analgesic effects. Methadone is not approved for the use in animals in Sweden but is still used off-label frequently because of its good pain relieving effect. Cortisol is a blood parameter often used to objectively measure stress, pain and analgesia in animals. In other animals than horses, plasma cortisol levels are affected by administration of synthetic opioids, like methadone, but how the cortisol release is affected depends on what opioid is used, the treatment protocol performed and the species tested. The aim of this study was to examine how methadone per se, either alone or together with acepromazine or detomidine, affects the plasma cortisol concentrations in horses. The study design used was a randomized, placebo controlled and blinded study with a cross-over design. The horses studied were eight adult warm-blood trotters, six mares and two geldings. The treatment protocols were; methadone (0.2 mg/kg i.v.) together with saline intramuscularly (i.m.), methadone (0.1 mg/kg i.v.) with acepromazine (0.05 mg/kg i.m.), methadone (0.1 mg/kg i.v.) with detomidine (0.01 mg/kg i.m.) and saline i.v. and i.m. as a control. There was at least a one week wash out-period between the treatments. Plasma cortisol was measured using a commercial cortisol ELISA kit. A validation of this method for the use in horses was done. The method worked well on horse plasma in the concentration range between 20-800 ng/mL. The within and between assay variability of this study were also very low which indicated that the concentrations obtained were quite accurate. After administration of methadone there was a statistical significant rise in the plasma cortisol concentration compared to the control value (p < 0.05). There was also a significant rise in the plasma cortisol concentration after administration of methadone + detomidine (p < 0.05) but no significance was seen after administration of methadone + acepromazine. The results of this study showed that i.v. administered methadone per se, either alone or together with detomidine, induced the release of plasma cortisol in horses. To what extent methadone affects the plasma cortisol concentrations seems to be dependent on which substance methadone is used together with. These results indicate that the plasma cortisol concentration may not be a useful parameter for stress or pain when evaluating analgesia of methadone in horses

Cattle ticks and associated tick-borne pathogens in Burkina Faso and Benin: Apparent northern spread of Rhipicephalus microplus in Benin and first evidence of Theileria velifera and Theileria annulata

peer reviewedBabesiosis, theileriosis, anaplasmosis, and heartwater are tick-borne diseases that threaten livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa including Burkina Faso and Benin. For over a decade, these two bordering countries have been facing an invasion of the livestock by the tick Rhipicephalus microplus, a major vector for babesiosis, accidentally introduced in Benin in 2004. The molecular identification of tick-borne pathogens in this border area is of particular interest due to animals seasonal migration between the two countries. In this survey, epidemiological features of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in cattle were investigated to compare the eastern Burkina Faso, corresponding to a seasonal migration departure zone, and the northern Benin, which represents a seasonal migration arrival zone. Ticks and peripheral blood were collected from a total of 946 cattle in the two areas. Ticks were morphologically identified and the DNA samples from bovine blood and ticks were analysed by Reverse Line Blot (RLB) hybridization process. A total of 2856 ticks were collected on 490 cattle in Burkina Faso, eight tick species were identified, while 3583 ticks were collected on 456 cattle in North Benin with nine tick species identified. The invasive tick, R. microplus was not found in eastern Burkina Faso, but its spread farthest north in Benin is reported. Six tick-borne pathogen species were found in cattle blood both in eastern Burkina Faso and in northern Benin. Ranked in decreasing order of overall prevalences, they are: Theileria mutans (91.1%), Theileria velifera (77.8%), Babesia bigemina (10.9%), Anaplasma marginale (4.2%), Babesia bovis (3.3%), and Theileria annulata (1.8%). To the best of our knowledge, this survey represents the first report of T. velifera and T. annulata in the region. Overall, the TBP prevalences were significantly higher in northern Benin than in eastern Burkina Faso, indicating a higher parasitological risk in this area. © 2021 Elsevier Gmb

Effect of the nature of the carbohydrate source in diets of fattening on ruminal fermentation under in vitro conditions

Summary In order to determine the capacity of rumen acidification and their level and rate of fermentation in situations that mimic those of high concentrate feeding, the in vitro pH and gas production pattern of different sources of carbohydrates, namely three varieties of each of barley (B1, B2, B3), corn (C1, C2, C3) and sorghum (S1, S2, S3) as cereals, plus wheat bran (WB), citrus pulp (CP), sugar beet pulp (BP) and sucrose (SU) as sources of non-starch carbohydrates, were studied according to the nature of the inoculum source (from a concentrate diet, CI, or from forage diet, FI). A first methodological experiment (Experiment 1.0) was arranged with five levels of pH (6.50; 6.25; 6.00; 5.75 and 5.50), adjusted according to the inclusion of bicarbonate ion in the incubation solution to simulate fermentation conditions under high concentrate feeding. The pH diminished linearly (P0.05) the medium pH at 2 h, but at 4 and 8 h the effect was significant. With these experimental conditions, CP always recorded the highest (P0.05). The gas production recorded with the CI as inoculum was always superior to that with FI (P SU, C2 and BP with CI, and CP > WB > BP, SU > C2 with FI. In terms of total VFA concentration, it was higher with CI (P<0.001), which showed more butyrate (P<0.001) whereas that with FI had more acetate (P<0.001). At 4 and 8 h incubation, the VFA concentration was higher (P<0.001) with CP. A higher acetate proportion was observed with BP (P<0.001), higher propionate with WB, SU, and CP (P<0.001), and the highest proportion of butyrate was recorded with WB and SU. In the Experiments 1.2 and 1.3 strong correlations were finding between medium pH, gas production, total VFA concentration, VFA profile, and lactic acid (for Experiment 1.2)