Zweitsprachförderung an österreichischen und schwedischen Schulen

Grundsätzlich wird durch die Recherche deutlich, wie eng die gesellschaftliche Ebene mit der Bildungspolitik und -praxis in Beziehung steht

BPEX Pig Health Scheme: a useful monitoring system for respiratory disease control in pig farms?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Respiratory diseases account for significant economic losses to the UK pig industry. Lesions indicative of respiratory disease in pig lungs at slaughter e.g. pneumonia and pleuritis are frequently recorded to assess herd health or provide data for epidemiological studies. The BPEX Pig Health Scheme (BPHS) is a monitoring system, which informs producers of gross lesions in their pigs' carcasses at slaughter, enabling farm-level decisions to be made. The aim of the study was to assess whether information provided by the BPHS regarding respiratory lesions was associated with respiratory pathogens in the farm, farm management practices and each other.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>BPHS reports were obtained from a subset of 70 pig farms involved in a cross-sectional study conducted in 2008-09 investigating the epidemiology of post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome. The reports were combined with data regarding the presence/absence of several pathogens in the herd and potential farm-level risk factors for respiratory disease. Principal component analysis (PCA) performed on BPHS reports generated three principal components, explaining 71% of the total variance. Enzootic pneumonia score, severe pleurisy and acute pleuropneumonia had the highest loadings for the principal component which explained the largest percentage of the total variance (35%) (BPHS component 1), it was thought that this component identifies farms with acute disease. Using the factor loadings a score for each farm for BPHS component 1 was obtained. As farms' score for BPHS component 1 increased, average carcass weight at slaughter decreased. In addition, farms positive for H1N2 and porcine reproductive and respiratory disease virus (PRRSV) were more likely to have higher levels of severe and mild pleurisy reported by the BPHS, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The study found statistical associations between levels of pleurisy recorded by BPHS at slaughter and the presence H1N2 and PRRSV in the herd. There is also some evidence that farms which submit pigs with these lesions may have reduced productivity. However, more research is needed to fully validate the scheme.</p

Occurrence of preterm calving in Great Britain and associations with milk production and reproductive performance in dairy cattle

This study describes the occurrence of preterm calving in Great Britain and evaluates its associations with subsequent milk production and reproductive performances and survival on farm of dairy cows. A total of 53 British dairy farms and 5759 animals with detailed breeding and milk recording data available were used to form two study groups: preterm calving (calving occurring between days 266 and 277 of gestation) and full-term calving (calving occurring at 278 days of gestation and over). Mixed effects models were implemented to compare milk production, clinical cases of mastitis and number of services per conception between groups. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analyses compared time from calving to conception, calving interval and survival on farm between groups. Preterm calving cows showed significantly lower milk yield (P<0.01) and butter fat per cent (P=0.02), increased milk protein per cent (P=0.01), longer survival on farm (P<0.01), and a tendency for shorter calving to conception intervals and fewer services per conception, although other factors were involved in the reproduction outcomes. Experiencing a preterm calving is associated with lower milk production and longer survival times on farm. Potential risk factors for preterm calving, such as infectious diseases, diet and husbandry practices, should be further investigated

Injection-site lesion prevalence and potential risk factors in UK beef cattle

Injectable veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) are widely used in cattle in the UK, and in particular vaccines are often used on large numbers of animals in the herd. The formation of injection-site lesions (ISLs) is a risk when using injectable products and has potential consequences for meat quality, animal welfare and beef industry income. This study used carcase observation in four abattoirs in England to determine ISL prevalence in beef cattle. Additionally, a questionnaire survey was used to investigate vaccination technique among UK beef farmers. The ISL prevalence was 4.1 per cent (95 per cent CI 3.4 per cent to 4.9 per cent). A potential difference between sites being used for vaccination and the distribution of ISLs on carcases suggested that factors other than vaccination were contributing to ISL incidence. Questionnaire responses highlighted deficits in good vaccination practices such as using the recommended site of injection and needle hygiene. The role of the veterinarian in knowledge transfer is crucial in providing practical injection advice when prescribing vaccines and other VMPs. This study identified factors to address when aiming to reduce ISL formation in UK beef animals

Herd-level prevalence of selected endemic infectious diseases of dairy cows in Great Britain

To implement appropriate and effective disease control programs at national level, up-to-date and unbiased information on disease frequency is needed. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of selected endemic infectious diseases in the population of dairy herds in Great Britain. Bulk milk tank (BMT) samples from 225 randomly selected dairy farms stratified by region and herd size were tested for antibodies against bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1), Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), Leptospira hardjo , Salmonella spp., Coxiella burnetii , Fasciola hepatica , Neospora caninum , and Ostertagia ostertagi . Furthermore, the presence of BVDV, C. burnetii and Chlamydia-like organisms was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The apparent herd prevalence was estimated as a weighted proportion of positive herds. The true prevalence was calculated when a test was used with known test characteristics for the cut-off value used. Amongst unvaccinated herds, the true prevalence ofBMT antibodies against BVDV was estimated at 66% (95% Confidence 47 Interval, CI: 56-77%), MAP 68% (95% CI: 59-77%), BHV-1 62% (95% CI: 52-73%), L. hardjo 47% (95% CI: 34-60%) and Salmonella spp. 48% (95% CI: 39-56%). The apparent prevalence of BMT antibodies against C. burnetii was 80% (95% CI: 75-85%), F. hepatica 55% (95% CI: 48- 62%), N. caninum 46% (95% CI: 38-54%), and O. ostertagi 95% (95% CI: 91-98%). BVDV, C. burnetii and Chlamydia-like antigens were detected in 5% (95% CI: 2-9%), 29% (95% CI: 21-36%) and 31% (95% CI: 24-38%) of herds, respectively. Our results show that dairy cows across GB are frequently exposed to the studied pathogens, which are endemic at high levels with some geographical variations. These prevalence estimates provide a much needed basis to assess whether nationwide control programs for the studied pathogens are justified by their potential economic, environmental and public health implications. Should surveillance and control programs be initiated, the estimates presented here are a baseline against which progress can be assessed

Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis infection of calves – The impact of dam infection status

Johne’s disease, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), is a chronic condition of dairy cattle, and is endemic in the UK. Lack of understanding of the relative importance of different transmission routes reduces the impact of control scheme recommendations. The long incubation period for Johne’s disease makes evaluation of control schemes difficult, and so this long-term cohort study offers a rare and valuable insight into the disease epidemiology. A longitudinal study was carried out following a cohort of 440 UK dairy cows in 6 herds recruited in 2012-2013. Individuals entering the milking herd were routinely monitored for the presence of MAP using quarterly milk ELISA testing. Using a Cox proportional-hazards regression model the relationship between time until first detection of infection and dam MAP status was investigated. We then compared the magnitude of the effect of dam status with that of other risk factors in order to understand its relative importance. Dam status was found to be the only observed factor that was significantly associated with time to an individual testing MAP-positive (p = 0.012). When compared to negative dams, we found a marginally significant effect of having a positive dam at time of calving, that increased the hazard of an individual testing positive by a factor of 2.6 (95% confidence interval: 0.89–7.79, p = 0.081). Further positive associations were found with dams becoming positive after the birth of the subject; a dam seroconverting within 12 months post parturition being associated with a 3.6 fold increase in hazard (95% confidence interval: 1.32–9.77, p = 0.013), and dams seroconverting more than a year after calving increased the hazard by a factor of 2.8 (95% confidence interval: 1.39–5.76, p = 0.004). These results suggest that cows may be transmitting MAP to their offspring at an earlier stage than had previously been thought, and so raise important questions about how this transmission may be occurring. The results of the study may have important practical implications for the management on-farm of the offspring of MAP-positive animals, with the potential to vastly reduce the time required to eliminate this chronic disease

Risk factors for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection and resulting challenges for effective disease surveillance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study aimed to identify risk factors for active porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection at farm level and to assess the probability of an infected farm being detected through passive disease surveillance in England. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional study on 147 farrow-to-finish farms conducted from April 2008 – April 2009. The risk factors for active PRRSV infection were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis. The surveillance system was evaluated using a stochastic scenario tree model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Evidence of PRRSV circulation was confirmed on 35.1% (95%CI: 26.8-43.4) of farms in the cross sectional study, with a higher proportion of infected farms in areas with high pig density (more than 15000 pigs within 10 km radius from the farm). Farms were more likely to have active PRRSV infection if they used the live virus vaccine-Porcilis PRRS (OR=7.5, 95%CI: 2.5-22.8), were located in high pig density areas (OR=2.9, 95%CI: 1.0-8.3) or had dead pigs collected (OR=5.6, 95%CI: 1.7-18.3). Farms that weaned pigs at 28 days of age or later had lower odds of being PRRSV positive compared to those weaning at 21-27 days (OR=0.2, 95%CI: 0.1-0.7). The probability of detecting an infected farm through passive surveillance for disease was low (mode=0.074, 5th and 95th percentiles: 0.067; 0.083 respectively). In particular farms which used live virus vaccine had lower probabilities for detection compared to those which did not.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Risk factors identified highlight the importance of biosecurity measures for the incursion of PRRSV infection. The results further indicate that a combined approach of surveillance for infection and disease diagnosis is needed to assist effective control and/or elimination of PRRSV from the pig population.</p