Sheep Updates 2006 - part 2

This session covers six papers from different authors: GENETICS 1. Novel selection traits - what are the possible side effects?, Darryl Smith, Kathryn Kemper, South Australian Research and Development Institute, David Rutley, University of Adelaide. 2. Genetic Changes in the Australian Merino since 1900, Sheep Genetics Australia Technical Committee, R.R. Woolaston Pullenvale, Queensland, D.J. Brown, Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit*, University of New England, K.D. Atkins, A.E. Casey, NSW Department of Primary Industries, A.J. Ball, Meat and Livestock Australia, University of New England 3. Influence of Sire Growth Estimated Breeding Value (EBV0 on Progeny Growth, David Hopkins, David Stanley, Leonie Martin, NSW Department Primary Industries, Centre for Sheep Meat Development, Arthur Gilmour, Remy van de Ven, NSW Department Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute FINISHING 4. Predicting Input Sensitivity on Lamb Feedlot Profitability by Using Feedlot Calculator, David Stanley, NSW Department Primary Industries, Centre for Sheep Meat Development, Geoff Duddy, NSW Department Primary Industries, Yanco Agricultural Institute, Steve Semple, NSW Department Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute, David Hopkins, NSW Department Primary Industries, Centre for Sheep Meat Development 5. Annual ryegrass toxicity (ARGT) in WA - 2006, David Kessell, Meat & Livestock Australia ARGT Project, Northam, WA 6. Poor ewe nutrition during pregnancy increases fatness of their progeny, Andrew Thompson, Department of Primary Industries, Victori

Management of cutaneous metastases using electrochemotherapy

Background. Cutaneous metastases may cause considerable discomfort as a consequence of ulceration, oozing, bleeding and pain. Electrochemotherapy has proven to be highly effective in the treatment of cutaneous metastases. Electrochemotherapy utilises pulses of electricity to increase the permeability of the cell membrane and thereby augment the effect of chemotherapy. For the drug bleomycin, the effect is enhanced several hundred-fold, enabling once-only treatment. The primary endpoint of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of electrochemotherapy as a palliative treatment. Methods. This phase II study is a collaboration between two centres, one in Denmark and the other in the UK. Patients with cutaneous metastases of any histology were included. Bleomycin was administered intratumourally or intravenously followed by application of electric pulses to the tumour site. Results. Fifty-two patients were included. Complete and partial response rate was 68% and 18%, respectively, for cutaneous metastases <3 cm and 8% and 23%, respectively, for cutaneous metastases >3 cm. Treatment was well-tolerated by patients, including the elderly, and no serious adverse events were observed. Conclusions. ECT is an efficient and safe treatment and clinicians should not hesitate to use it even in the elderly

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Docked tail length is a risk factor for bacterial arthritis in lambs

Arthritis is commonly observed in lambs at slaughter, resulting in losses due to carcase downgrading, trimming or condemnation. The condition arises on-farm and is thought to be influenced by a number of predisposing factors, which vary in their ability to be addressed by sheep producers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a link between tail length and arthritis in lambs. If there is, leaving a longer tail stump when docking may be a cost-effective way of reducing the prevalence of joint infections in lambs. The study was conducted at an abattoir in South Australia and included 63,287 carcases. This study found a correlation between short-docked tails (fewer than three coccygeal vertebrae remaining) and bacterial arthritis in lambs. Other risk factors for arthritis included breed and the regional source of the lambs, but not age. The constraints of data collection within the abattoir did not allow the effects of tail docking method, sex or whether male lambs had been castrated on the prevalence of bacterial arthritis to be determined. The bacterium most commonly isolated from abnormal joints was Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, followed by Streptococcus spp., including Streptococcus suis

Docked tail length is a risk factor for bacterial arthritis in lambs

Arthritis is commonly observed in lambs at slaughter, resulting in losses due to carcase downgrading, trimming or condemnation. The condition arises on-farm and is thought to be influenced by a number of predisposing factors, which vary in their ability to be addressed by sheep producers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a link between tail length and arthritis in lambs. If there is, leaving a longer tail stump when docking may be a cost-effective way of reducing the prevalence of joint infections in lambs. The study was conducted at an abattoir in South Australia and included 63,287 carcases. This study found a correlation between short-docked tails (fewer than three coccygeal vertebrae remaining) and bacterial arthritis in lambs. Other risk factors for arthritis included breed and the regional source of the lambs, but not age. The constraints of data collection within the abattoir did not allow the effects of tail docking method, sex or whether male lambs had been castrated on the prevalence of bacterial arthritis to be determined. The bacterium most commonly isolated from abnormal joints was Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, followed by Streptococcus spp., including Streptococcus suis

Metabolite Variation between Nematode and Bacterial Seed Galls in Comparison to Healthy Seeds of Ryegrass Using Direct Immersion Solid-Phase Microextraction (DI-SPME) Coupled with GC-MS

Annual ryegrass toxicity (ARGT) is an often-fatal poisoning of livestock that consume annual ryegrass infected by the bacterium Rathayibacter toxicus. This bacterium is carried into the ryegrass by a nematode, Anguina funesta, and produces toxins within seed galls that develop during the flowering to seed maturity stages of the plant. The actual mechanism of biochemical transformation of healthy seeds to nematode and bacterial gall-infected seeds remains unclear and no clear-cut information is available on what type of volatile organic compounds accumulate in the respective galls. Therefore, to fill this research gap, the present study was designed to analyze the chemical differences among nematode galls (A. funesta), bacterial galls (R. toxicus) and healthy seeds of annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) by using direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (DI-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The method was optimized and validated by testing its linearity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. Fifty-seven compounds were identified from all three sources (nematode galls, bacterial galls and healthy seed), and 48 compounds were found to be present at significantly different (p &lt; 0.05) levels in the three groups. Five volatile organic compounds (hexanedioic acid, bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester), (carbonic acid, but-2-yn-1-yl eicosyl ester), (fumaric acid, 2-ethylhexyl tridec-2-yn-1-yl ester), (oct-3-enoylamide, N-methyl-N-undecyl) and hexacosanoic acid are the most frequent indicators of R. toxicus bacterial infection in ryegrass, whereas the presence of 15-methylnonacosane, 13-methylheptacosane, ethyl hexacosyl ether, heptacosyl acetate and heptacosyl trifluoroacetate indicates A. funesta nematode infestation. Metabolites occurring in both bacterial and nematode galls included batilol (stearyl monoglyceride) and 9-octadecenoic acid (Z)-, tetradecyl ester. Among the chemical functional group, esters, fatty acids, and alcohols together contributed more than 70% in healthy seed, whereas this contribution was 61% and 58% in nematode and bacterial galls, respectively. This study demonstrated that DI-SPME is a valid technique to study differentially expressed metabolites in infected and healthy ryegrass seed and may help provide better understanding of the biochemical interactions between plant and pathogen to aid in management of ARGT.</jats:p