33 research outputs found

    Association of paratuberculosis sero-status with milk production and somatic cell counts across 5 lactations, using multilevel mixed models, in dairy cows

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    The aim of this work was to investigate associations between individual cow Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) seropositivity, 305- d corrected milk production, and somatic cell count during 5 lactations lifespan in Portuguese dairy herds using multilevel mixed models. We used MAP serum ELISA (Idexx MAP Ac, Idexx Laboratories Inc., Westbrook, ME) results (n = 23,960) from all the 20,221 adult cows present in 329 farms and corresponding 47,586 lactation records from the National Dairy Improvement Association. Cows and farms were classified as positive or negative. Multilevel mixed models were used to investigate the association of cow MAP status with variation in milk production and somatic cell count. Cow MAP status, farm status, and lactation number were considered as independent variables. A quadratic function of lactation number was used to mimic the effect of lactation order on milk production. The models considered 3 levels: measurement occasion (level 1) within cow (level 2) and cow within farm (level 3). Four final models were produced, including all herds and cows, to address the effect of farm status (models 1 and 2) or the effect of cow status (models 3 and 4) on the outcome variables. Our results show that MAP status affects milk production. Losses are detectable from third lactation onward. During the first 5 lactations, positive cows accumulated an average loss of 1,284.8 kg of milk when compared with the negative cows. We also observed that somatic cell counts were higher in positive cows and a positive interaction occurs between cow status and lactation number, suggesting a positive association between MAP infection and increased so- matic cell counts. Our results are in line with previous studies, suggesting a possible positive relation between cow milk production and susceptibility to MAP infection

    Investigating the Life Expectancy at Birth of Companion Dogs in Portugal Using Official National Registry Data

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    This study aimed to provide a comprehensive picture of the life expectancy of dogs in Portugal, focusing on the impact of diverse factors including breed, sex, size, and skull shape. The final dataset, gathering data from the national registry database, consisted of 278,116 dogs with confirmed deaths. The mean lifespan at birth for all the dogs was around 8.91 years, with the female dogs tended to have a similar lifespan to male dogs. The analysis of life expectancy at birth for the 20 most common non-Portuguese breeds and 10 Portuguese breeds revealed that Yorkshire Terriers had the highest life expectancy (10.89 years) and French Bulldogs the lowest (6.27 years). Size and cephalic index were found to be influential factors, with large brachycephalic breeds exhibiting shorter life expectancies and smaller, mesocephalic breeds experiencing longer lifespans. Additionally, the cephalic index had a more substantial impact on life expectancy compared to body size. These findings enhance the understanding of the factors influencing canine longevity and aid in developing strategies to improve the health and lifespan of companion dogs. © 2024 by the authors

    Risk factors for Salmonella sp. in pig lymph nodes in Portuguese abattoirs

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    Salmonella is one of the major causes of food borne disease in the European Union (EU). Some of the human cases are related to pork products. An EU baseline survey to assess the Salmonella pork prevalence was performed. Mesenteric lymph nodes were cultured and Salmonella sp. isolates were serotyped. Data concerning the animal and the slaughterhouse was also collected. The aim of the present study was to search for potential risk factors to the presence of Salmonella sp. in pigs lymph nodes in Portugal and to search for differences in the risk profile between groups of serotypes. The data was analysed using a Bayesian approach to incorporate the hierarchical structure of the data (samples nested in slaughterhouses). Two models were analysed: a binomial (presence/absence of Salmonella sp.) and categorical model (absence of Salmonella sp., serotype Typhimurium or serotype 1,4,[5],12:i:-, other serotypes). A total number of 659 samples were tested, belonging to 36 slaughterhouses. Around 23.7% of the samples were positive for Salmonella sp.. In the binomial model a significant association was found for region of the slaughterhouse - Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region with lower risk compared to the Centre Region (OR=0.36). In the categorical model a significant association for category Typhimurium or 1,4,[5],12:i:- was found for the variable hour when the sample was taken - afternoon with lower risk compared to morning (OR=0.20). The association found for the slaughterhouse region should be a matter of furthers studies to evaluate the hygiene practices in the slaughterhouses of that region

    Risk associations for presence of Salmonella sp. in pen samples of breeding pigs in Portugal using binomial multilevel models

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    As Salmonella is one of the major causes of food-borne disease in the European Union (EU), EU approved legislation to achieve a reduction of the prevalence of this agent in the pig sector. To set the target for this reduction in each country it was decided to carry out baseline surveys in the EU to estimate the prevalence of the agent. The dataset analyzed in this work refers to the cross sectional baseline survey on the prevalence of Salmonella in breeding pigs in Portugal. A total of 1670 pen fecal samples from 167 herds were submitted to fecal culture

    Comparative epidemiological study of breast cancer in humans and canine mammary tumors: insights from Portugal

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    Dogs spontaneously develop mammary gland tumors (MGT) and exhibit striking similarities in clinical and epidemiological characteristics to human breast cancer (HBC). Descriptive and comparative analysis of HBC and canine MGT with a focus on evaluating similarities and geographical distribution were the aims of this study. HBC cases were obtained from North Regional Oncological Registry (RORENO) (2010–2015) and canine MGT cases from Vet-OncoNet (2019–2022). Analyses were performed based on published and well accepted classification systems (ICD-O-3.2 for humans and Vet-ICD-O-canine-1). Age-standardized incidence risks (ASIR) of Porto district municipalities were calculated using 2021 Portuguese census (INE) and data from the Portuguese animal registration system (SIAC). Among 7,674 HBC cases and 1,140 MGT cases, a similar age and sex distribution pattern was observed. Approximately 69.2% of HBC cases were between 40 and 69 years old, while 66.9% of MGT cases were diagnosed between 7 and 12 years old (mean age of 9.6 years, SD = 2.6). In women, Invasive breast carcinoma (8500/3) was the most common histological type (n = 5,679, 74%) while in dogs it was the Complex Carcinoma (8983.1/3) (n = 205, 39%). Cocker and Yorkshire Terriers exhibited the highest relative risks (3.2 and 1.6, p < 0.05, respectively) when compared to cross breed dogs. The municipalities' ASIR of the two species exhibited a high correlation (R = 0.85, p < 0.01) and the spatial cluster analysis revealed similar geographic hotspots. Also, higher ASIR values both in women and dogs were more frequently found in urbanized areas compared to rural areas. This research sheds light on the shared features and geographical correlation between HBC and canine MGT, highlighting the potential of cross-species environmental oncology studies. Copyright © 2023 Carvalho, Niza-Ribeiro, Amorim, Queiroga, Severo, Ribeiro and Pinello.The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was financed through the financial support of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, ICBAS, University of Porto. Ana Isabel Ribeiro was supported by National Funds through FCT, under the Stimulus of Scientific Employment—Individual Support programme within the contract CEECIND/02386/2018

    Assessing risk profiles for Salmonella serotypes in breeding pig operations in Portugal using a Bayesian hierarchical model

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    This is the final version of the article. Available from BioMed Central via the DOI in this record.BACKGROUND: The EU Regulation No 2160/2003 imposes a reduction in the prevalence of Salmonella in pigs. The efficiency of control programmes for Salmonella in pigs, reported among the EU Member States, varies and definitive eradication seems very difficult. Control measures currently recommended for Salmonella are not serotype-specific. Is it possible that the risk factors for different Salmonella serotypes are different? The aim of this study was to investigate potential risk factors for two groups of Salmonella sp serotypes using pen faecal samples from breeding pig holdings representative of the Portuguese pig sector. METHODS: The data used come from the Baseline Survey for the Prevalence of Salmonella in breeding pigs in Portugal. A total of 1670 pen faecal samples from 167 herds were tested, and 170 samples were positive for Salmonella. The presence of Salmonella in each sample (outcome variable) was classified in three categories: i) no Salmonella, ii) Salmonella Typhimurium or S. Typhimurium-like strains with the antigenic formula: 1,4,5,12:i:-, , and iii) other serotypes. Along with the sample collection, a questionnaire concerning herd management and potential risk factors was utilised. The data have a "natural" hierarchical structure so a categorical multilevel analysis of the dataset was carried out using a Bayesian hierarchical model. The model was estimated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, implemented in the software WinBUGS. RESULTS: The significant associations found (when compared to category "no Salmonella"), for category "serotype Typhimurium or S. Typhimurium-like strains with the antigenic formula: 1,4,5,12:i:-" were: age of breeding sows, size of the herd, number of pigs/pen and source of semen. For the category "other serotypes" the significant associations found were: control of rodents, region of the country, source of semen, breeding sector room and source of feed. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors significantly associated with Salmonella shedding from the category "serotype Typhimurium or serotype 1,4,5,12:i:-" were more related to animal factors, whereas those associated with "other serotypes" were more related to environmental factors. Our findings suggest that different control measures could be used to control different Salmonella serotypes in breeding pigs.We would like to thank FCT for the PhD scholarship (SFRH/BD/40932/2007) and for the strategic research project Pest-OE/AGR/UIO772/2011. We would like also to thank the Portuguese official veterinary authority (DGAV) for the data

    Assessing risk profiles for Salmonella serotypes in breeding pig operations in Portugal using a Bayesian hierarchical model

    Get PDF
    Background: The EU Regulation No 2160/2003 imposes a reduction in the prevalence of Salmonella in pigs. The efficiency of control programmes for Salmonella in pigs, reported among the EU Member States, varies and definitive eradication seems very difficult. Control measures currently recommended for Salmonella are not serotype-specific. Is it possible that the risk factors for different Salmonella serotypes are different? The aim of this study was to investigate potential risk factors for two groups of Salmonella sp serotypes using pen faecal samples from breeding pig holdings representative of the Portuguese pig sector.Methods: The data used come from the Baseline Survey for the Prevalence of Salmonella in breeding pigs in Portugal. A total of 1670 pen faecal samples from 167 herds were tested, and 170 samples were positive for Salmonella. The presence of Salmonella in each sample (outcome variable) was classified in three categories: i) no Salmonella, ii) Salmonella Typhimurium or S. Typhimurium-like strains with the antigenic formula: 1,4,5,12:i:-, , and iii) other serotypes. Along with the sample collection, a questionnaire concerning herd management and potential risk factors was utilised. The data have a " natural" hierarchical structure so a categorical multilevel analysis of the dataset was carried out using a Bayesian hierarchical model. The model was estimated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, implemented in the software WinBUGS.Results: The significant associations found (when compared to category " no Salmonella" ), for category " serotype Typhimurium or S. Typhimurium-like strains with the antigenic formula: 1,4,5,12:i:-" were: age of breeding sows, size of the herd, number of pigs/pen and source of semen. For the category " other serotypes" the significant associations found were: control of rodents, region of the country, source of semen, breeding sector room and source of feed.Conclusions: The risk factors significantly associated with Salmonella shedding from the category " serotype Typhimurium or serotype 1,4,5,12:i:-" were more related to animal factors, whereas those associated with " other serotypes" were more related to environmental factors. Our findings suggest that different control measures could be used to control different Salmonella serotypes in breeding pigs. © 2012 Correia-Gomes et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.We would like to thank FCT for the PhD scholarship (SFRH/BD/40932/2007) and for the strategic research project Pest-OE/AGR/UIO772/2011. We would like also to thank the Portuguese official veterinary authority (DGAV) for the data

    Transmission parameters estimated for Salmonella typhimurium in swine using susceptible-infectious-resistant models and a Bayesian approach.

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    This is a freely-available open access publication. Please cite the published version which is available via the DOI link in this record.BACKGROUND: Transmission models can aid understanding of disease dynamics and are useful in testing the efficiency of control measures. The aim of this study was to formulate an appropriate stochastic Susceptible-Infectious-Resistant/Carrier (SIR) model for Salmonella Typhimurium in pigs and thus estimate the transmission parameters between states. RESULTS: The transmission parameters were estimated using data from a longitudinal study of three Danish farrow-to-finish pig herds known to be infected. A Bayesian model framework was proposed, which comprised Binomial components for the transition from susceptible to infectious and from infectious to carrier; and a Poisson component for carrier to infectious. Cohort random effects were incorporated into these models to allow for unobserved cohort-specific variables as well as unobserved sources of transmission, thus enabling a more realistic estimation of the transmission parameters. In the case of the transition from susceptible to infectious, the cohort random effects were also time varying. The number of infectious pigs not detected by the parallel testing was treated as unknown, and the probability of non-detection was estimated using information about the sensitivity and specificity of the bacteriological and serological tests. The estimate of the transmission rate from susceptible to infectious was 0.33 [0.06, 1.52], from infectious to carrier was 0.18 [0.14, 0.23] and from carrier to infectious was 0.01 [0.0001, 0.04]. The estimate for the basic reproduction ration (R0) was 1.91 [0.78, 5.24]. The probability of non-detection was estimated to be 0.18 [0.12, 0.25]. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed framework for stochastic SIR models was successfully implemented to estimate transmission rate parameters for Salmonella Typhimurium in swine field data. R0 was 1.91, implying that there was dissemination of the infection within pigs of the same cohort. There was significant temporal-cohort variability, especially at the susceptible to infectious stage. The model adequately fitted the data, allowing for both observed and unobserved sources of uncertainty (cohort effects, diagnostic test sensitivity), so leading to more reliable estimates of transmission parameters.FC

    Simulation Model for Salmonella Typhimurium on a Farrow-to-Finish Herd

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    A stochastic model which simulates they dynamics of Salmonella Typhimurium in moderate to highly infeted farrow-to-finish farms in Portugal was developed. The model comprises six different stages: three at the reproductive phase (sows) and another three for pig growth

    Relación entre Medidas Zoométricas en Vacas Holstein-Friesian y Dimensiones de Cubículos en Granjas Lecheras

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    Body measurements in Portuguese Holstein-Friesian breed and its association with the dimensions of the cubicles were investigated. During a period of 5 months, body measurements and cubicles size data from 55 commercial Portuguese dairy herds were collected including in total 1054 individual cows. Data were analyzed using the general linear model and principal components. The most relevant body measurements were: height at withers (141.1±4.72 cm), height at rump (144.2±4.47 cm), length of trunk (170.8±8.31 cm), width of biiliac (55.9±4.17 cm) and perimeter of the thorax (206.8±10.43 cm). In general, the first class of parity showed significant different measures (P<0.001) associated with the development of animals. Head to head cubicle length and cubicle width were 223.0±11.0 cm and 113.0±5.0 cm respectively; whereas in cubicle against wall length was 227.0±18.0 cm and width 111.0±7.0 cm. The highest correlations were found for body measures between the different heights and between the height at chest and perimeter of the thorax. The analysis showed no relation between body measurements and dimensions of the cubicles. Principal component analysis of the different body measurements and cubicles dimensions expressed 51.4% of the total variability, in which the first factor represented 40.2% and the second factor 11.1%.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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