Herramientas innovadoras en el diagnóstico del síndrome respiratorio bovino (SRB)

A pesar de todos los avances realizados en las últimas décadas en el conocimiento sobre numerosos aspectos del Síndrome Respiratorio Bovino (SRB), entre los que se encuentran los factores de riesgo, la etiopatogenia, las características de los agentes causales, el diagnóstico, la terapéutica o la profilaxis y sus efectos globales, el SRB continúa siendo la enfermedad de mayor impacto económico en el ganado vacuno de cebo. Además, parece que tanto su incidencia como las pérdidas que origina siguen estables en los cebaderos de todo el mundo desde hace varias décadas. Sus principales características indican que debemos considerar que es una enfermedad de difícil control dado su carácter multifactorial y con la que, por tanto, debemos acostumbrarnos a convivir aunque aspirando a minimizar tanto su incidencia, como la gravedad de sus consecuencias. Por otro lado, aunque existen muchas técnicas diagnósticas a nuestra disposición, aún no se puede decir que exista una técnica de referencia o “gold standard” para el diagnóstico del SRB, y mucho menos una técnica estandarizada para su diagnóstico precoz. Establecer y estandarizar protocolos para la detección de grupos de animales en riesgo y su monitorización más intensa en fases posteriores del cebo para reducir el consumo de antibióticos de uso preventivo o metafiláctico es de gran interés. Hasta ahora, este tipo de estrategias se han basado en la detección de evidencias de contacto con gérmenes patógenos pulmonares (principalmente análisis de serología). Sin embargo, no debemos olvidar que la identificación de un agente patógeno en ausencia de una lesión y/o signos clínicos atribuibles al mismo, tan sólo es indicativa de contacto previo (no de padecimiento de un proceso de enfermedad) y que, por otro lado, la mayoría de los agentes microbiológicos ligados al SRB son comensales habituales de las vías respiratorias altas. De modo que la identificación de un agente sólo prueba enfermedad si se diagnostica junto con los signos clínicos compatibles de enfermedad y la lesión..

The effect of stress on reproduction and reproductive technologies in beef cattle—A review

Researchers have contributed by increasing our understanding of the factors affecting reproduction in beef, mainly physical health and nutrition aspects, which have been main concerns during decades. Animal welfare is of outmost relevance in all animal production systems and it is strongly associated to stress. Stress responses involve endocrine, paracrine and neural systems and the consequences of this stress on the reproductive efficiency of specifically, beef cattle and bulls, need to be highlighted. We, therefore, describe the fundamentals of stress and its quantification, focusing in beef herds, reviewing the highly valuable pieces of research, already implemented in this field. We examine major factors (stressors) contributing to stress in beef cattle and their effects on the animals, their reproductive performance and the success of reproductive biotechnologies. We include terms such as acclimatization, acclimation or temperament, very relevant in beef systems. We examine specifically the management stress due to handling, social environment and hierarchy or weaning effects; nutritional stress; and thermal stress (not only heat stress) and also review the influence of these stressors on reproductive performance and effectiveness of reproductive biotechnologies in beef herds. A final message on the attention that should be devoted to these factors is highlighted

Clonal Propagation of Coffea arabica with Indole Butyric Acid and Acclimatization Conditions in Amazonas, Peru

The use of hormones is important in improving the propagation process. The objective of the experiment was to identify the best dose of indole butyric acid (IBA) hormone for the rooting of coffee cuttings of the typical variety through clonal propagation in the Amazon region. The experiment was carried out in two stages. Both stages were carried out under a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The percentage of rooting of cuttings and the number of roots were evaluated. The coffee tree clones were collected from rust tolerant elite plants. In the laboratory, the cuttings were immersed for 10 minutes in fungicide and then in five doses of IBA hormone (1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000 mg L−1) of IBA. They were then placed in a microtunnel. With the best dose obtained in stage 1 of IBA (T4: 2000 mg L−1), which achieved a rooting percentage of 52.50% and 5.8 roots on average, stage 2 was installed for the evaluation of acclimatization conditions (greenhouse and nursery). Thirty plants of the Típica variety were evaluated per treatment. Regarding the results after 90 days, the greenhouse obtained the highest values with 72.22% survival, a plant height of 9.48 cm, 4.32 mm stem diameter, 6.53 leaves per plant, 9.65 cm leaf length, and 3.83 cm leaf width. The IBA hormone in a controlled environment such as the greenhouse achieves good vegetative propagation for the Típica variety

MOET Efficiency in a Spanish Herd of Japanese Black Heifers and Analysis of Environmental and Metabolic Determinants

Multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) systems have been intensively implemented in Japanese Black cattle in Japan and to create Japanese Black herds out of these areas. Environmental conditions influence MOET efficiency. Thus, we describe results of 137 in vivo, non-surgical embryo flushings performed between 2016–2020, in a full-blood Japanese Black herd kept in Spain and the possible effects of heat, year, bull, donor genetic value, and metabolic condition. Additionally, 687 embryo transfers were studied for conception rate (CR) and recipient related factors. A total of 71.3% of viable embryos (724/1015) were obtained (5.3 ± 4.34/flushing). Donor metabolites did not affect embryo production (p > 0.1), although metabolite differences were observed over the years, and by flushing order, probably related to the donor age. CR was not affected by embryo type (fresh vs. frozen), recipient breed, and whether suckling or not suckling (p > 0.1). CR decreased significantly with heat (44.3 vs. 49.2%; (p = 0.042)) and numerically increased with recipient parity and ET-number. Pregnant recipients showed significantly higher levels of cholesterol-related metabolites, glucose, and urea (p < 0.05). Therefore, adequate MOET efficiency can be achieved under these conditions, and heat stress should be strongly avoided during Japanese Black embryo transfers. Moreover, recipients’ metabolites are important to achieve pregnancy, being probably related to better nutrient availability during pregnancy

Parasitología Interactiva

Desarrollo de una guía interactiva donde se muestran los ciclos biológicos,imágenes y dibujos de los estadios evolutivos de los principales géneros y especies de parásitos protozoos relevantes en al ámbito veterinario

An innovative Approach to BRD Diagnosis

Sin financiaciónNo data (2017)UE

An investigation into the development of right displaced abomasum by rolling 268 dairy cows with left displaced abomasum

Right displaced abomasum (RDA) and abomasal volvulus (AV) are common diseases in cattle. However, presently there is no consensus regarding the pathogenesis and nomenclature of the different positions that the abomasum can adopt in the right side of the cow. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe the etiopathogenesis of the right displaced abomasum according to the description of the features observed in 268 cows with left displaced abomasum (LDA), which were rolled to induce the movement of the abomasum from the left side to the right (in fact, inducing an RDA in 44% of cases), to facilitate the surgical approach, and immediately surgically treated (abomasal omentopexy from the right side). The observed RDA positions matched previously published descriptions and names, and the authors propose a holistic and simpler nomenclature and a clear hypothesis on RDA etiopathogenesis. In 54.1% of the cases, the abomasum moved to a normal position after rolling. The most common RDA position observed was caudal displacement of the RDA (CdRDA; 70 out of 119 RDA cases; 26.1% of the total number of cows), followed by lateral displacement (LRDA; 32 of 119; 11.9% of all cases), cranial displacement (CrRDA; 8 of 119; 3% of the total), medial displacement (MRDA; 4 of 119; 1.5% of the total), and finally, displacement lateral to the omasum (LORDA; 3 of 119; 1.1% of the total). Adverse events directly due to the rolling procedure were mesenteric root volvulus (3 of 268), cecocolic volvulus (2 of 268) and torsion (1 of 268), and uterus torsion (2 of 10 pregnant cows); 1 abortion (1 of 10 pregnant cows) was also observed. We suggest that CdRDA is the first stage of an RDA that can become an LRDA with increasing pressure. An LRDA can become an AV if rotating counterclockwise, viewed from above. An LDA, CdRDA, or LRDA could be initial forms of LORDA and CrRDA, and occur when forestomachs are empty or when the animal stands up on its front legs first. The LORDA and CrRDA forms can lead to an omasum-abomasum volvulus (OAV) or to a reticulum-omasum-abomasum volvulus (ROAV) when pressure increases. With this study we establish, for the first time, the sequence and incidence of each RDA form and its complications, increasing knowledge of this syndrome and its pathogenesis. This understanding critically aids the surgeon's ability to accurately assess and correct this disease and to predict prognosis.Sin financiación3.333 JCR (2019) Q1, 5/63 Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science1.44 SJR (2019) Q1,10/435 Animal Science And ZoologyNo data IDR 2019UE

Outbreak of acute highly lethal phlegmon in the pharynx, associated with a new Pasteurella multocida MLST type ST63, in a limousine herd

We report an outbreak of pharyngeal inflammation in an extensive limousine herd, in central Spain, associated with a novel genotype (ST63) of Pasteurella multocida capsular serogroup B (capB). The outbreak affected cattle of all ages, reaching a herd-level death rate of 17.6% and case fatality rate of 93.3%. Affected animals showed throat inflammation, respiratory distress and finally death, without characteristics of depression or haemorrhagic septicaemia in an acute course. Postmortem examination only revealed inflammation, including oedema in the pharynx and surrounding tissues. None of the necropsied animals was septicaemic and none showed multisystem petechial haemorrhages, pneumonia or enteritis characteristics of haemorrhagic septicaemia. P. multocida was isolated, serotyped and characterised as capB and, with the multihost P. multocida multilocus sequence typing database, isolates were assigned to the new sequence type ST63. Results of this study suggest that capB P. multocida type ST63 should be considered in the differential diagnoses of acute throat inflammation in cattle.Sin financiaciónNo data JCR 20210.165 SJR (2021) Q4, 158/207 Veterinary (miscellaneous)No data IDR 2021UE

Bull Semen Obtained on Beef Farms by Electroejaculation: Sperm Quality in the First Two Hours of Storing with Different Extenders and Holding Temperatures

Sperm quality decreases over time, so bull semen may need to be preserved after field collection. However, the effect of handling such semen samples from commercial farms and placing them in very short–term storage has not been elucidated. Therefore, ejaculate from 25 bulls from 1 dairy and 14 beef cattle farms were collected under farm conditions and evaluated for semen quality during the first two hours after collection. Two commercial extenders (AndroMed® and BIOXcell®) and two different storage temperatures (5 °C and room temperature) were used to evaluate the influence on semen quality and sperm kinetics in ejaculates grouped into three evaluation times, based on time since collection (Time 1: n = 7; Time 2: 75–105 min, n = 11; and Time 3: 105–120 min, n = 7). Classical semen parameters, sperm motion kinetics by CASA and colony-forming units were assessed. The differences between both extenders in curvilinear and straight–line velocities (VCL and VSL) for the different time groups (Time 2 and Time 3) were statistically significant for p ® showed lower VSL, straightness and linearity in sperm compared to BIOXcell® (p ® induced more curvilinear movement, while BIOXcell® stimulated straighter motility

Reproductive strategies for dairy heifers based on 5d-Cosynch with or without an intravaginal progesterone device and observed estrus

The objective of this randomized, controlled study was to evaluate the reproductive and economic performance of dairy Holstein heifers managed for first to third artificial inseminations (AIs) with or without an intravaginal progesterone device (IPD) under different temperature-humidity indexes (THI) and combined with AI after observed estrus. A total of 503 heifers from one rearing commercial farm were randomly assigned for first AI to the 5d Co-synch 72 h protocol (5dCO; n=261) or to the 5d Co-synch protocol plus IPD (5dCOP4; n=242). In a subset of heifers (n = 193) we determined progesterone (p4) and performed an ovarian ultrasound scanner on Days 0, 5, 8 and 15. Animals were considered to be synchronized on Day 5 if p4 > 1 ng/mL and a corpus luteum present; synchronized on Day 8 if p4 8 mm diameter was observed; and synchronized on Day 15 if p4 > 1 ng/mL and ovulation occurred, defined as the presence of a CL in the ovary where a follicle had been detected on Day 8. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by ultrasound scanner on Days 28-35 after AI. The diagnosis confirmation was done by ultrasound on Days 50-56 and again on Days 100-113 after AI. Non-pregnant heifers (n=205) were resynchronized with the same protocol for second fixed-time AI (FTAI) and 104 for third FTAI. Pregnancy per AI (P/AI) and pregnancy loss after each AI were calculated. Reproductive costs were calculated at the individual level, based on costs for pregnancy and cost for the open days. Estrus observation was performed by visual inspection for 20 min periods, twice a day and heifers observed in estrus inseminated (OEAI). Observed in estrus inseminated heifers were 10.5% at first, 26.8% at second and 24.0% at third AI (P >0.05). The global P/AI after first AI was 58.6%; the P/AI after FTAI, 58.0%; and the P/AI after first OEAIs, 64.2%. Pregnancy per AI values were better in the IPD group [55.2% for 5dCO vs. 62.4% for 5dCOP4; odds ratio (OR) 0.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-0.70; P=0.003], and a significant effect of the temperature humidity index (THI) on P/AI was observed (P = 0.03). The protocol 5dCOP4 led to a significantly better synchronization rate (85.7% vs. 40.0% for 5dCO; P = 0.01) and a numerically higher P/AI (74.5% vs. 49.0% for 5dCO; P = 0.24) when THI values were ≥ 70. During the cold season, there were no differences between the experimental groups for the synchronization rate (P = 0.9) nor for the P/AI (P = 0.6). The P/AI was 52.2% after the second AI and 60.6% after the third AI. Inseminations per pregnancy and open days did not differ significantly across experimental groups. However, reproduction costs per heifer were 130.8 ± 116.1 and 152.3 ± 129.5€ for 5dCO and 5dCOP4 groups, respectively, for the whole study (P = 0.051) and the average cost per AI was 58.23 ± 27.9 € for 5dCO and 76.3 ± 36.2 € for 5dCOP4 (P < 0.0001). During the cold season, protocols were associated with similar costs to the whole study, but they differed notably during the hot season (194.3 ± 137.6 vs. 177.3 ± 134.2 for 5dCO and 5dCOP4, respectively; P=0.49), reflecting the better reproductive performance with an IPD during the summer (P = 0.003). Advisors and farmers need to consider farm conditions and characteristics (herd management, staff training, and seasonality, among others) to achieve the best economic and reproductive performance in the dairy herds, when implementing hormonal synchronization protocols. Thus, cost-effectiveness depends on seasonality when implementing reproductive strategies with 5 d Co-synch 72h and combined OEAI at a rearing farm. With high THI-values, the inclusion of IPD in hormonal protocols in heifers is recommended, while it is not required during the cool season.Sin financiación1.943 JCR (2020) Q2, 28/63 Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science0.622 SJR (2020) Q1, 39/200 Veterinary (miscellaneous)No data IDR 2019UE