Preliminary Serological Investigation on Caprine Arthritis and Encephalitis Virus Infection in a Goat Farm from North-Eastern Romanian Region

Caprine arthritis encephalitis is an important disease of dairy goats with a worldwide distribution. Despite the eradication programs, this disease is still prevalent and causing huge financial losses due to reduced lactation performance and culling. The aim of this study was to reveal the presence of CAEV antibodies among a goat population from the North-Eastern of Romania. During 2014-2016, a total of 295 blood samples were collected from healthy or diseased animals. The serum samples were tested for CAEV antibodies detection, using the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test. Within the 295 serum samples tested by AGID technique, 31.86% were confirmed as being positive. All positive samples came from subjects without clinical signs of disease. The results obtained in this preliminary study; show that CAEV is present in French Alpine goats breed within a farm in North-Eastern of Romania

Observations regarding ultrasound disgnosis of anestrus syndrome in dairy cattle

Visual transrectal ultrasonography is one of the most effective tools to study ovaries and uterine structures in cows. This study was conducted within a dairy cattle farm and aimed to highlight the importance of ultrasound examination for diagnosis of uterine and ovarian disorders in dairy cattle. During the study regarding ultrasound diagnosis of anestrus syndrome in dairy cattle, several types of genital pathologies were recorded. Thus, of all recorded uterine and ovarian disorders, 35 cases of endometritis (19.1%), 12 cases of acute metritis (6.5%), 26 cows with follicular cysts (14.2%), 21 cows with luteal cysts (11.5%), 42 cases of persistent corpus luteum (23%), 25 cows with ovarian inactivity (13.7%) and 22 cows with silent estrus (12%), were diagnosed. Reproductive tract ultrasound examination provides a more accurate identification and differentiation of ovarian and uterine disorders type, having a higher sensitivity and specificity than manual palpation, improving thus the diagnosis precision

Preliminary Remarks Regarding the Prevalence of ESBL-Producing Strains of E. coli and K. Pneumoniae, Isolated from Cows with Clinical Endometritis

ESBL-producing organisms pose unique challenges to clinical microbiologists, clinicians, infection control professionals and antibacterial-discovery scientists. Although the prevalence of ESBLs is not known, it is clearly increasing, and in many parts of the world, 10-40% of strains of E. coli and K. pneumoniae express ESBLs (Rupp and Fey, 2003).The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of ESBL-positive strains of E. coli and K. pneumoniae in cows with clinical signs of endometritis that were treated exclusively with Oxytetracicline for both diseases of the genital area as well as other bacterial infectious diseases.The study population included 35 Romanian Black Pied cows with clinical signs of endometritis within a farm in North Eastern of Romania. The samples were harvested using sterile cotton swabs that have been further microbiologically processed. For the phenotypic confirmation of the isolated ESBL strains, were used the combined disk test (CLSI, 2014) and the Oxoid Brilliance chromogenic ESBL Agar medium. The taxonomic classification of the isolated colonies was carried out by testing some minimal biochemical characteristics by using the MIU and TSI tests.A total of 47 bacterial strains were isolated from uterine secretions, derived from the 35 cows included in this trial. From the total of 47 isolated bacterial strains, 17 belonged to E. coli and K. pneumoniae species, from which, 6 of them were confirmed as being ESBL-positive.In this preliminary study, by phenotypic methods was confirmed a prevalence of 35.3% for the ESBL strains of E. coli and K. pneumoniae, which requires further research to confirm by molecular biology the identification of ESBL resistance genes, but also for the plasmids encoding these gene transmission

The Prevalence of Esbl-Producing Strains of E.coli, Isolated from Calves with Colibacilosis - Preliminary Remarks

The animals producing food have become an increasing reservoir of extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae. The calves and cows are exposed to a greater quantity of antibiotics, but the data concerning the prevalence of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae are not enough, in comparison with other species of animals used for human consumption, such as birds (Hordijk et al., 2013).The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli involved in some episodes of colibacilosis in calves. Faeces samples were collected from 33 calves with the age ranging between 1-2 weeks and that presented clinical signs of colibacilosis. The samples were collected in a sterile medium for the taxonomic isolation and identification of the etiological agent involved, the ESBL screening being conducted subsequently using the ESBL Agar Oxoid Brilliance chromogenic medium. The phenotypic confirmation of the ESBL-producing strains was conducted in accordance with the CLSI (2014) standard through the combined disc method. Following the tests conducted, out of the 33 strains of isolated E. coli, 9 (27, 27%) were phenotypically confirmed as being ESBL strains.The studies that were previously conducted on the dairy farms have pointed out that the young calves rapidly acquire bacterial strains resistant to antibiotics that are often ESBL strains (Hordijk et al., 2013). The prevalence obtained by us, as well as an insufficient quantity of information concerning the antimicrobial resistance on this segment of species of animals used for the human consumption, support conducting a more thorough study, as well as the identification of ESBL resistance genes, but also of the plasmids that encode the transmission of these genes

Risk factors for clinical endometritis and its effects on reproductive performance in dairy cattle

Endometritis is one of the most prevalent uterine infection in dairy cattle that affects reproductive performance by decreasing fertility and leading to high economic losses. The objectives of this study were to assess the risk factors for clinical endometritis and its subsequent effects on reproductive performance in Holstein Friesian cows. The study was conducted in two dairy farms from Belgium, where 682 animals were enrolled, during two years of study. All data were processed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 17. The Pearson correlation revealed positive correlations between endometrits and postpartum disorders like dystocia, placental retention, milk fever, metritis and ovarian pathologies (persistent corpus luteum) (p<0.01). As expected, a moderate positive correlation was found between endometritis and voluntary waiting period (p<0.05). Regarding the analyzed reproductive indices, endometritis was positively correlated with reproduction period, service period, calving interval and inseminations number/pregnancy (p<0.01). A negative correlation was found between endometritis and pregnancy rate (p<0.05) as well as other weak correlations between this pathology and other parameters taken under study. We conclude that the risk factors for clinical endometritis in cattle are mainly caused by postpartum disorders with detrimental effects on reproductive performance, as the affected cows take longer to become pregnant by extending calving to conception intervals and increasing the risk for culling

A Clean-Label Formulation of Fortified Yogurt Based on Rhododendron Flower Powder as a Functional Ingredient

The world-wide-dispersed Rhododendron is a tiny, evergreen plant with vivid red or pale pink blossoms that is a member of the Ericaceae family and is well-known for its stunning flowers. To improve yogurt’s nutritional profile and sensory qualities, this study investigates an innovative application of Rhododendron flower powder (RFP). The potential health benefits of Rhododendron flowers, which are a rich source of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and antioxidants, have attracted attention. Consequently, the physicochemical, phytochemical, and sensory qualities of fortifying yogurt with RFP at various concentrations were studied. The results showed that the texture and color of the yogurt were highly influenced by the addition of RFP. The addition of this functional ingredient also resulted in a significant increase in the yogurt’s polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity. These findings demonstrate the suitability of RFP in yogurt formulations as a functional food ingredient, being a good source of phenolics