Veterinarski obilazak mliječnih farmi s povećanim brojem somatskih stanica i bakterija iznad zakonom dozvoljenih vrijednosti

The EU Directives 92/46 and 92/47 (D.P.R. 54/97 under national legislation) fix the agreed levels of somatic cell counts and total bacterial counts allowed in milk. Over a one year period, a total of 165farms which did not comply with one or more such legal requirements were visited and monitored. This was in order to check and, where necessary, correct the hygienic and sanitary management of the farm. A comparison of the bulk tank milk somatic cell count (BTMSCC) before and after the veterinary visit, shows improvements in all the farms which were tested. In a relatively short time, visited dairy farms with a somatic cell content between 401.000 and 500.000 cells/ml managed to comply with the parameters set down by law, achieving a mean of 304.000 cells/ml. However, those farms with a somatic cell counts between 501.000 and 800.000 cells/ml required further technical action. In fact, despite considerable improvements (mean somatic cell count decreasing from 638.000 cells/ml to 403.000 cells/ml), it was not possible to meet the required levels so rapidly. On these farms, a second veterinary visit was needed as well as more specific milk sampling for bacteriological assay and therapeutic guidelines in order to meet the specified requirements.Smjernicama 92/46. i 92/47. (D.P.R. 54/97). Europska unija je utvrdila maksimalno dozvoljene vrijednosti ukupnog broja bakterija i somatskih stanica u mlijeku. Unutar godine dana posjećeno je 165 farmi koje nisu zadovoljavale svim uvjetima. Posjet je obavljen s ciljem da se snimi postojeća situacija, i, ukoliko je neophodno, da se provedu adekvatne korekcije u higijenskom i sanitarnom vođenju farmi. Usporedbom broja somatskih stanica (BTMSCC) u dobavnim tankovima za mlijeko, prije i poslije veterinarske posjete, uočena su poboljšanja na svim ispitanim farmama. Ispitane mliječne farme s brojem somatskih stanica između 401000 i 500.000 stanica/mL u relativno kratkom vremenu uspjele su smanjiti taj broj na prosječnih 304.000 stanica/mL, što udovoljava propisanim vrijednostima. Međutim, na farmama s brojem somatskih stanica između 501.000 i 800.000 Stanica/mL potrebno je provesti dodatne tehničke mjere. Usprkos značajnom poboljšanju (prosječni broj somatskih stanica smanjene je sa 638.000 stanica/mL na 403.000 stanica/mL), nisu dobivene vrijednosti unutar zakonski propisanih. Ovim farmama bio je potreban dodatni veterinarski posjet kao i specifično bakteriološko ispitivanje te terapeutski naputci s ciljem da se postigne usuglašenost sa specifičnim zahtjevima

Serum miRNA disregulation during transport-related stress in turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small 21-25 nucleotide regulatory non-coding RNAs that modulate gene expression in eukaryotic organisms. miRNAs are complementary to the 3′-untranslated regions of mRNA and act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, exhibiting remarkable stability in extracellular fluids such as blood. Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) farming is a species economically relevant but the lack of efficient protocols for the evaluation of commercial turkeys prevents to measure the impact of industry practices on birds productivity and welfare. In order to identify potential molecular biomarkers for monitoring stress in turkey’s handling, we investigated by TaqMan qPCR the abundance of five circulating miRNA, namely miR-22, miR-155, miR-181a, miR-204 and miR-365, previously demonstrated to be involved in stress in chicken due to feed deprivation. Road transportation related procedures were selected as stressful model for this study. The serum of twenty healthy animals was collected before and after 2h transportation. Our results demonstrated that miR-22, miR-155 and miR-365 are statistically more expressed after road transportation. Receiver-operator characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to estimate the diagnostic value of these miRNAs to evaluate the stress in animals. The serum level of miR-22, miR-155 and miR-365 can discriminate stressed from non-stressed animals with an AUC=0.763, 0.710 and 0.704, respectively, and the average expression of their combination has the same specificity (AUC=0.745). miR-22, miR-155 and miR-365 are stress-specific markers and can be considered as suitable biomarkers to identify turkeys stressed by road transportation

First Evaluation of Infrared Thermography as a Tool for the Monitoring of Udder Health Status in Farms of Dairy Cows

The aim of the present study was to test infrared thermography (IRT), under field conditions, as a possible tool for the evaluation of cow udder health status. Thermographic images (n. 310) from different farms (n. 3) were collected and evaluated using a dedicated software application to calculate automatically and in a standardized way, thermographic indices of each udder. Results obtained have confirmed a significant relationship between udder surface skin temperature (USST) and classes of somatic cell count in collected milk samples. Sensitivity and specificity in the classification of udder health were: 78.6% and 77.9%, respectively, considering a level of somatic cell count (SCC) of 200,000 cells/mL as a threshold to classify a subclinical mastitis or 71.4% and 71.6%, respectively when a threshold of 400,000 cells/mL was adopted. Even though the sensitivity and specificity were lower than in other published papers dealing with non-automated analysis of IRT images, they were considered acceptable as a first field application of this new and developing technology. Future research will permit further improvements in the use of IRT, at farm level. Such improvements could be attained through further image processing and enhancement, and the application of indicators developed and tested in the present study with the purpose of developing a monitoring system for the automatic and early detection of mastitis in individual animals on commercial farms

Proteomic changes in the milk of water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) with subclinical mastitis due to intramammary infection by Staphylococcus aureus and by non-aureus staphylococci

Subclinical mastitis by Staphylococcus aureus (SAU) and by non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) is a major issue in the water buffalo. To understand its impact on milk, 6 quarter samples with >3,000,000 cells/ mL (3 SAU-positive and 3 NAS-positive) and 6 culture-negative quarter samples with <50,000 cells/ mL were investigated by shotgun proteomics and label-free quantitation. A total of 1530 proteins were identified, of which 152 were significantly changed. SAU was more impacting, with 162 vs 127 differential proteins and higher abundance changes (P < 0.0005). The 119 increased proteins had mostly structural (n = 43, 28.29%) or innate immune defence functions (n = 39, 25.66%) and included vimentin, cathelicidins, histones, S100 and neutrophil granule proteins, haptoglobin, and lysozyme. The 33 decreased proteins were mainly involved in lipid metabolism (n = 13, 59.10%) and included butyrophilin, xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase, and lipid biosynthetic enzymes. The same biological processes were significantly affected also upon STRING analysis. Cathelicidins were the most increased family, as confirmed by western immunoblotting, with a stronger reactivity in SAU mastitis. S100A8 and haptoglobin were also validated by western immunoblotting. In conclusion, we generated a detailed buffalo milk protein dataset and defined the changes occurring in SAU and NAS mastitis, with potential for improving detection (ProteomeXchange identifier PXD012355)

Exploratory study on the sperm ratio in dogs: repeatability over time and some reproductive effects.

Mechanisms that regulate sexual chromosome distribution in the canine ejaculate are not quite understood with no data about both its variation over time and the effect on reproductive parameters. With the aim to deepen these aspects, ten purebred male dogs, aged between 1.5 and 8.5 years, underwent digito-digital semen collection every three months throughout one year. A quantitative real-time PCR method was used to measure the sperm-sex ratio. The sperm-sex ratio was slightly female-biased without a significant difference throughout the year, albeit with some individual dynamic fluctuation over time. The total number of spermatozoa (P < 0.05) but not serum testosterone concentration nor the age of the dog was related to the sperm-sex ratio. In particular, dogs with a lower spermatozoa rate showed a greater number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate than dogs with a higher rate. A decreasing trend of X spermatozoa rate was also observed in dogs younger than 5 years of age. Quantitative real-time PCR proved to be an accurate, practical, and reliable method for determining the sperm-sex ratio in dogs. Further studies on a large scale could help to deepen the factors involved in the sperm-sex ratio and consequently in the offspring-sex ratio, opening new frontiers in canine andrology

Cotinine as a Sentinel of Canine Exposure to Tobacco Smoke

The adverse health effects of both active and passive tobacco smoke have been well-known in humans for a long time. It is presumable that even pets, which intimately share the owner’s lifestyle, may be exposed to the same risks. This study aimed to detect and quantify cotinine (a metabolite of nicotine) in the serum and hair of dogs using a specific commercial ELISA immunoassay kit. A total of 32 dogs, 16 exposed and 16 unexposed to the owner’s smoke, were enrolled. The cotinine concentration was higher in the exposed than the unexposed group in both matrices (p p p p < 0.01). The exposure intensity, age, and weight of the dogs did not affect cotinine concentrations. A cut-off value of 2.78 ng/mL and 1.13 ng/mL cotinine concentration in serum and fur, respectively, was estimated to distinguish between the exposed and unexposed dogs. Cotinine was confirmed as a valuable marker of passive smoking also in dogs. Although owners do not perceive secondhand smoke as a risk for their dogs, greater awareness should be advisable, especially in pregnant animals

Evaluation of the performance of the first automatic milking system for buffaloes

The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of buffaloes to automatic milking, examining the relationships between milking interval, milk production, and milking time for this species. A total of 7,550 milking records from an average of 40 buffaloes milked by an automatic milking system (AMS) were analyzed during a 3-mo experimental period at a commercial farm with Italian Mediterranean buffaloes in southern Italy. Date and time of animal identification, milk yield, milking duration, milking interval, and average milk flow rate were determined for each milking. The results were also used to predict the maximum number of milkings per day and the optimal number of buffaloes per AMS for different levels of milk production. The average interval period between 2 consecutive milkings was 10.3 h [standard deviation (SD) 3.3]. Overall, 3.4 and 25.7% of the milkings had an interval of ≤6 h or >12 h, respectively. Milking duration averaged 8.3 min per buffalo per milking (SD 2.7). The average milk flow rate was 1.3 kg/min (SD 0.5) at a milk yield of 2.8 kg per milking (SD 1.4). Assuming that the milking station is occupied 80% of the time, the number of milkings ranged from 136 to 152 per day and the optimal number of buffaloes per AMS ranged from 59 to 66 when the production level increased from 2 to 5 kg of milk per milking. Automatic milking systems are suitable for buffalo, opening new options for the management of dairy buffalo farms

Robotic milking of buffaloes: a preliminary survey on milking capacity of automatic milking systems

Automatic Milking Systems (AMS) represent a steady technology in dairy cows with more than 8500 milking units (MU) installed worldwide, especially in North Western Europe where are located about 80% of the automatic milking farms. Main advantages of AMS in cows are better labor organization, improved animal behavior and increased milk yields (Hogeveen, H., 2001). In dairy buffaloes AMS are a worldwide absolute novelty and the first milking robots (4) were installed in a farm located in South Italy (Campania) since May 2008. Aim of the present survey was to evaluate the milking capacity of AMS in dairy buffaloes