Animal Pens Research Articles

Mycoplasma bovis and bovine respiratory disease: A risk factor study in Australian feeder cattle

Mycoplasma bovis can be a bacterial inhabitant of the upper respiratory tract of healthy bovines. In body regions other that the upper respiratory tract however, M. bovis is associated with a number of clinical syndromes such as bovine respiratory disease (BRD). This study used two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to assess the sero-status of M. bovis-specific antibodies in Australian feeder cattle at the time of feedlot induction and at approximately 42 days on feed (follow-up). The apparent sero-prevalence of M. bovis-specific antibody at induction was estimated to be 3.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.0–5.0%, 47/1354) and 25.3% (95% CI 21.9–28.8%, 343/1354) at follow-up. Exposure to M. bovis between induction and follow-up as demonstrated by an increase in serum antibodies was estimated to be 19.4% (95% CI 16.2–22.6%, 261/1349).Risk factors associated with sero-positivity at feedlot induction included the region where animals were 28 days prior to induction and saleyard exposure at least 27 days prior to induction. Risk factors associated with a sero-increase between induction and follow-up included breed, source region and access to water shared with an adjoining pen of animals. Of these, shared pen water was considered the most important (odds ratio [OR] 3.3, 95% CI 1.5–7.4, p = 0.003). Animals exposed to M. bovis between induction and follow-up were at a substantially increased risk of BRD (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.4–3.4, p = 0.001).This is the first Australian study that has identified risk factors for M. bovis sero-positivity and sero-increase and shown an association between sero-increase and the risk of BRD in the feeder cattle population. These findings suggest that M. bovis is a significant pathogen in the Australian feeder cattle population. In addition, identification of defined risk factors associated with an increased risk of exposure to M. bovis can assist in the development of targeted control measures to reduce the economic impact of M. bovis associated disease and BRD in feeder cattle.

Animal health management practices in zero grazing dairy units in Arusha city, Tanzania

This study aimed at investigating the animal health management practices in zero grazing dairy units. A questionnaire was used to assess the veterinary practices including the administration of antibiotics and other veterinary inputs to promote growth, prevent and treat diseases. Sixty-five (65) respondents were involved in the study. All the respondents (100%) reported that they did not use growth promoters while 98.5% reported the use of prophylactic vaccines. No withdrawal periods were observed for all the prophylactic vaccines given to animals as instructed by Ward Livestock Officers that the vaccines were not harmful to the health of consumers. Of the 65 respondents, 95.4% (62) reported the use of therapeutic antibiotics. The withdrawal period for therapeutic antibiotics ranged from 1 to 3 days as reported by 60% of the respondents while 24.6% (16) reported the withdrawal period of between 4 to 7 days, 4.6% did not observe withdrawal periods and 6.2% depended on the instructions from the veterinarians. Of the respondents, 53.8% attended animal health management training and 59.6% kept no records for any health interventions made to their animals. Based on the observational findings, majority (84.6%) of the cow’s enclosures were of poor hygiene. Warm water was used by 87.7% of the respondents to wash the udders prior to milking, 93.8% used towels to drain water from the udder(s) and100% of farmers lubricated the teats with udder salve prior to milking. Poor hygiene of the enclosures and washing the udders instead of teats only may predispose animals to infectious disease and this may lead to increased use of antibiotics, which may result into emergence of antibiotic resistance. It is, therefore, recommended that farmers should be trained on best animal health management practices such as teat washing, removal of manure from the animal pens as preventive measures for infectious diseases as well as improving the health and productivity of their animals. Keywords: Animal health, management practices, zero grazing, zoonotic infections, antibiotic resistance

Short communication: using infrared thermography as an in situ measure of core body temperature in lot-fed Angus steers.

Thirty-six Black Angus steers were used in a replicated study; three replicates of 12 steers/replicate. Steers had an initial non-fasted BW of 392.3±5.1, 427.5±6.3, and 392.7±3.7kg for each replicate, respectively. Steers were housed outside in individual animal pens (10m×3.4m). Each replicate was conducted over a 6-day period where infrared thermography (IRT) images were collected at 3-h intervals, commencing at 0600h on day 1 and concluding at 0600h on day 6. Rumen temperatures (T RUM) were measured at 10-min intervals for the duration of each replicate using a radio-frequency identification (RFID) rumen bolus. These data were used to determine the relationship with surface temperature of the cattle, which was determined using IRT. Individual T RUM were converted to an hourly average. The relationship between T RUM and surface temperature was determined using Pearson's correlation coefficient. There were no linear trends between mean hourly T RUM and mean surface temperature. Pearson's correlation coefficient indicated that there were weak associations (r≤0.1; P<0.003) between T RUM and body surface temperature. These data suggest that there was little relationship between the surface temperature and T RUM.

Associations between biosecurity practices and bovine digital dermatitis in Danish dairy herds

The relationship between biosecurity and digital dermatitis (DD) was evaluated in 8,269 cows from a convenience sample of 39 freestall dairy herds. The hypothesis was that poor implementation of biosecurity was associated with higher within-herd prevalence of DD. All lactating cows were scored as negative or positive for DD at the hind legs during milking in the milking parlor. Information about biosecurity was obtained through questionnaires addressed to farmers, on-farm observations, and information from the Danish Cattle Database (www.seges.dk). These assessment tools covered potential infection sources of DD pathogens to susceptible cows (e.g., via animals, humans, manure, vehicles, equipment, and facilities). External and internal biosecurity measures were explanatory variables in 2 separate logistic regression models, whereas within-herd DD prevalence was the outcome. Overall DD prevalence among cows and herds were 24 and 97%, respectively; the within-herd DD prevalence ranged from 0 to 56%. Poor external biosecurity measures associated with higher prevalence of DD were recent animal purchase, access to pasture, lack of boots available for visitors, farm staff working at other dairy farms as well, hoof trimming without a professional attending, and animal transporters having access to cattle area. For internal biosecurity, higher DD prevalence were associated with infrequent hoof bathing, manure scraping less than 8 times a day, manure removal direction from cows to heifers, animal pens' exit without water hoses, manure-handling vehicle used in other activities, and water troughs contaminated with manure. These findings showed that improvements on biosecurity may be beneficial for controlling DD in dairy herds. The study is relevant for farmers facing problems with DD, as well as hoof trimmers, advisors, and veterinarians, who can use the results for optimized recommendations regarding biosecurity in relation to DD. Furthermore, our results might be considered by future studies investigating DD pathogen reservoirs and transmission routes.

Comparing emissions from a cattle pen as measured by two micrometeorological techniques

Accurate measurement of ammonia (NH3) emissions from livestock pens is challenging. Two micrometeorological techniques, the integrated horizontal flux (IHF) and the backward Lagrangian stochastic (bLS) dispersion techniques were used to measure NH3 emissions from an isolated cattle pen (20 × 20 m) in Victoria, Australia. The bLS technique is simple and insensitive to the presence of animals, but typically gives discontinuous measurements due to the need for target wind directions and wind conditions above accepted thresholds. In contrast, the IHF technique as implemented here gives near-continuous measurements with no restriction on wind directions. However, IHF needs more complex field measurements, and there are ambiguities when applied to an animal pen due to the presence of animals. Over the 29 days of our experiment, we collected 124 coincidental bLS and IHF emission measurements from the pen (30−min each). We found no statistical difference in the bLS and IHF calculations when the IHF turbulent flux correction factor (TFcor) was set to 15%. Our results confirm that the IHF and bLS techniques, using independent sensors and having very different equipment layouts, gives nearly equivalent results. This suggests the choice of the two methods in future experiments can focus on their different strengths and weaknesses.

Improving Cattle Market Syndromic Surveillance Through Electronic Data Capture

ObjectiveImplement a mobile technology platform to capture and transmitsyndromic cattle data collected at Texas market sales.IntroductionAn active syndromic surveillance system was designed to collectcattle health information from a sample of Texas cattle market sales.Texas Animal Health Commission livestock inspectors record the totalnumber of animals observed along with the total number displayingclinical signs of interest grouped into body system categories(e.g. respiratory, neurologic, etc.). Inspection reports are submitted tothe United States Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services (VS)Risk Identification Team for monitoring.MethodsThe pilot project started in 2012 with paper-based data collectionforms to both 1) gain trust from the inspector supervisors and 2)evaluate the value of the system with minimal early investment.The data collected at each sale on paper-based forms were later enteredinto spreadsheets at the office. These sale inspection reports were thensubmitted to the inspector’s supervisor for review prior to forwardingby email to VS. VS staff aggregated data from each spreadsheet in toa centralized database and conducted weekly monitoring.Recently, a new reporting system was developed at VS to enablecollection and transmission of the data on mobile devices runningan Android operating system capable of transmitting data to VS viaa Wi-Fi connection. The new system was deployed March 2016following in-person training, release of a user guide document, and amonth of user testing.ResultsBetween March 2014 and June 2016 a total of 1,330 sale inspectionreports from 16 markets were submitted by spreadsheet an average11 days following the sale (range: 1 day through 141 days followingthe sale). These reports were tracked for data quality issues thatrequired manual intervention. It was discovered that 64 (4.8%) ofthe reports required correction. The most common types of dataquality issues were market sale date not provided, market alias ID notprovided, report submitted more than once, and report not submittedas an Excel file but as an image, such as a pdf file.Between March and June 2016 a total of 160 sale inspection reportsfrom 16 markets were submitted using mobile devices an average7 days following the sale (range: same day through 47 days followingthe sale). All data submitted could be directly imported into thecentralized database and processed as needed for monitoring withoutany data correction required.Some challenges encountered with deploying the mobile technologysystem included addressing the VS Information Technology securityrequirements for establishing user accounts and implementing directdata upload into VS systems. Additionally, Wi-Fi connectivity can bedifficult in some remote areas.Some advantages to using the mobile technology included havingthe option to download and run the application on most mobile devicesrunning the Android operating system. There was an improvementin data reporting timeliness of 4 days on average, and the rangesubstantially narrowed. There was also time savings for inspectorswho no longer needed to transfer hard copy data to a spreadsheet,and for VS personnel who no longer needed to aggregate data fromindividual spreadsheets. Improvements in data quality included theability to directly report that sales were canceled or not attended;the ability to provide comments at various levels of detail related to thesale, the pen of animals observed, or specific signs observed; and therequirement to supply essential data elements such as sale date andmarket ID.ConclusionsThe conversion from a paper and spreadsheet-based sale inspectionreport to a mobile technology platform resulted in significant timesavings and data quality improvements that appeared to justify thesystem development and deployment costs and challenges. Thesebenefits support potential expansion of the system.

Domestic firing activities and fuel consumption in a Saharan oasis: Micromorphological and archaeobotanical evidence from the Garamantian site of Fewet (Central Sahara, SW Libya)

We describe a combined geoarchaeological and archaeobotanical approach applied to the study of firing activities that have been carried out at Fewet, a Garamantian compound in the Central Sahara (Libya), between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD. The archaeological stratigraphy of the site has been sealed by several mud-brick wall collapses, preserving an interesting sequence of living floors, whose micromorphological study is unique for the Central Sahara. This investigation together with the mineralogical analysis of sediments, confirms the field attribution of archaeological features as domestic fireplaces, and identified the living floors as areas devoted to animal penning, probably subjected to periodical firing. The investigation also highlights an exceptional concentration of gypsum pedofeatures, presumably determined by the wood type selected for fuel. The archaeobotanical study identified a good quantity of charcoal and other plant remains in the same layers. Most of the charcoal has been identified as Central Tamarix, which is the most common tree living in the oasis today. This suggests that tamarisk wood was the most exploited tree for fuel, and its combustion led to the dispersion of gypsum from the plant tissue, later recrystallized in the shape of microcrystalline nodules, lenses, and euhedral crystals.

Barriers to sustained use of the insecticide treated bed net in the upper east region of Ghana

Background: Barriers to sustainable use of the insecticide treated bed nets are responsible for the high incidence of malaria with a concomitant burden on the health delivery system in Ghana. The ITN has proven to be one of the most cost effective means of preventing malaria. This study identified the barriers to the sustainable use of the insecticide treated bed nets in the upper east region.Methods: This was a mixed cross sectional descriptive study that used data from household representatives and interviews with malaria control officers in three randomly selected districts of the region.Results: The study identified that apart from sleeping under the ITN and using it as window curtains and provision of warmth during cold weathers, the ITN is put in to other uses like nursing of seedlings, protecting chickens, fishing and fencing of animal pens. Major barriers to sustained use of the ITN included over complacency and the influence of male dominance. Cost of ITN, room shape and size, design of the ITN were identified as minor barriers to the use of the ITN. Conclusions: Health care practitioners, social environmental officers and preventive health care services providers should use behavior change communication methods in curtailing most of these barriers to the sustainable use of the ITN.

An outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli serogroup O157 linked to a lamb-feeding event.

Fifteen confirmed cases and 15 possible cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 phage type 21/28 were linked to direct contact with lambs at a 'Lambing Live' event in the North West of England between 29 March and 21 April 2014. Twenty-one (70%) of the cases were female, 23 (77%) were children aged <16 years, of whom 14 (46%) were in the 0-5 years age group. Five children developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) profiles on 14 human cases were indistinguishable, and 6/10 animal isolates had a MLVA profile identical to the outbreak profile. Whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed that all isolates, both human and animal, fell within a 5-single nucleotide polymorphism cluster indicating the isolates belonged to the same point source. On inspection of the premises, extensive and uncontrolled physical contact between visitors and animals was occuring within the animal pens and during bottle-feeding. Public areas were visibly contaminated with animal faeces. Information to visitors, and the infection control awareness demonstrated by staff, was inadequate. Managing the risk to visitors of STEC O157 infection at animal petting events and open farms requires implementation of stringent control measures by the operator, as outlined in the industry code of practice. Enforcement action is sometimes required to prevent high-risk activities taking place at both permanent and temporary attractions.

Pathogenesis of Influenza D Virus in Cattle.

Cattle have been proposed as the natural reservoir of a novel member of the virus family Orthomyxoviridae, which has been tentatively classified as influenza D virus (IDV). Although isolated from sick animals, it is unclear whether IDV causes any clinical disease in cattle. To address this aspect of Koch's postulates, three dairy calves (treatment animals) held in individual pens were inoculated intranasally with IDV strain D/bovine/Mississippi/C00046N/2014. At 1 day postinoculation, a seronegative calf (contact animal) was added to each of the treatment animal pens. The cattle in both treatment and contact groups seroconverted, and virus was detected in their respiratory tracts. Histologically, there was a significant increase in neutrophil tracking in tracheal epithelia of the treatment calves compared to control animals. While infected and contact animals demonstrated various symptoms of respiratory tract infection, they were mild, and the calves in the treatment group did not differ from the controls in terms of heart rate, respiratory rate, or rectal temperature. To mimic zoonotic transmission, two ferrets were exposed to a plastic toy fomite soaked with infected nasal discharge from the treatment calves. These ferrets did not shed the virus or seroconvert. In summary, this study demonstrates that IDV causes a mild respiratory disease upon experimental infection of cattle and can be transmitted effectively among cattle by in-pen contact, but not from cattle to ferrets through fomite exposure. These findings support the hypothesis that cattle are a natural reservoir for the virus. A novel influenza virus, tentatively classified as influenza D virus (IDV), was identified in swine, cattle, sheep, and goats. Among these hosts, cattle have been proposed as the natural reservoir. In this study, we show that cattle experimentally infected with IDV can shed virus and transmit it to other cattle through direct contact, but not to ferrets through fomite routes. IDV caused minor clinical signs in the infected cattle, fulfilling another of Koch's postulates for this novel agent, although other objective clinical endpoints were not different from those of control animals. Although the disease observed was mild, IDV induced neutrophil tracking and epithelial attenuation in cattle trachea, which could facilitate coinfection with other pathogens, and in doing so, predispose animals to bovine respiratory disease.

An Evaluation of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Traps at Capturing Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in a Livestock Area in Brazil.

A study to evaluate the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as an attractant for phlebotomine sand flies at two animal pens in a livestock area in Brazil was performed. Light-suction traps were operated overnight with the following light sources: green, blue, and incandescent (control) lights. In total, 22 individual collections were made at each site and 44 with each trap type. In total, 2,542 specimens belonging to 14 phlebotomine species were collected. The most abundant species in the light traps were Nyssomyia whitmani, Evandromyia evandroi, Micropygomyia goiana, Lutzomyia longipalpis, and Bichromomyia flaviscutellata Taking the two sites together, the green-LED light was the most attractive, followed by the blue and incandescent lights, and the difference between the green-LED and the control was statistically significant. Most species were green-biased at both sites, but some species-specific differences were observed. However, even with these differences, the standard incandescent light was outcompeted by LEDs. The green-LED-biased response observed in the present study, together with numerous advantages in favor of LEDs, suggests that the green-LED light source can be used as an effective substitute for the currently used incandescent bulb in monitoring traps for phlebotomine sand flies in Brazil.

Small-scale land-use variability affects Anopheles spp. distribution and concomitant Plasmodium infection in humans and mosquito vectors in southeastern Madagascar.

BackgroundDeforestation and land-use change have the potential to alter human exposure to malaria. A large percentage of Madagascar’s original forest cover has been lost to slash-and-burn agriculture, and malaria is one of the top causes of mortality on the island. In this study, the influence of land-use on the distribution of Plasmodium vectors and concomitant Plasmodium infection in humans and mosquito vectors was examined in the southeastern rainforests of Madagascar.MethodsFrom June to August 2013, health assessments were conducted on individuals living in sixty randomly selected households in six villages bordering Ranomafana National Park. Humans were screened for malaria using species-specific rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), and surveyed about insecticide-treated bed net (ITN) usage. Concurrently, mosquitoes were captured in villages and associated forest and agricultural sites. All captured female Anopheline mosquitoes were screened for Plasmodium spp. using a circumsporozoite enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (csELISA).ResultsAnopheles spp. dominated the mosquito communities of agricultural and village land-use sites, accounting for 41.4 and 31.4 % of mosquitoes captured respectively, whereas Anopheles spp. accounted for only 1.6 % of mosquitoes captured from forest sites. Interestingly, most Anopheles spp. (67.7 %) were captured in agricultural sites in close proximity to animal pens, and 90.8 % of Anopheles mosquitoes captured in agricultural sites were known vectors of malaria. Three Anopheline mosquitoes (0.7 %) were positive for malaria (Plasmodium vivax-210) and all positive mosquitoes were collected from agricultural or village land-use sites. Ten humans (3.7 %) tested were positive for P. falciparum, and 23.3 % of those surveyed reported never sleeping under ITNs.ConclusionsThis study presents the first report of malaria surveillance in humans and the environment in southeastern Madagascar. These findings suggest that even during the winter, malaria species are present in both humans and mosquitoes; with P. falciparum found in humans, and evidence of P. vivax-210 in mosquito vectors. The presence of P. vivax in resident vectors, but not humans may relate to the high incidence of humans lacking the Duffy protein. The majority of mosquito vectors were found in agricultural land-use sites, in particular near livestock pens. These findings have the potential to inform and improve targeted malaria control and prevention strategies in the region.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-016-1164-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A clinico-epidemiological study of trachoma in urban and rural population of Sagar District Madhya Pradesh, India

Background and Objectives: Trachoma is the most common cause of infectious blindness worldwide and despite various control programs, it persists, leads to significant ocular morbidity. In this article, we aim to determine the burden of trachoma and its related risk factors amongst the urban and rural populations of Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. Materials and Methods: Rapid assessment for trachoma was conducted in urban and rural Community Health Center (CHC) of Bundelkhand Medical College, Sagar according to standard World Health Organization guidelines. An average of 60 children in rural CHC and 50 children in urban CHC aged 1-10 years was assessed clinically for signs of active trachoma with status of hygiene. Additionally, all adults above 15 years of age in these centers community were examined for evidence of trachomatous trichiasis (TT) and corneal opacity. Environmental risk factors contributing to trachoma like limited access to potable water and functional latrine, presence of animal pen, hand wash and garbage within the urban and rural CHCs populations. Results: Overall, 18 of 110 children (16.36%; confidence interval [CI]: 9.5-23.2) had evidence of follicular stage of trachoma and 12 children (10.91%; CI: 5.2-16.6) had evidence of intense trachomatous inflammation intense and scarring stages trachomatous scarring of trachoma. Nearly 19 (17.27%; CI: 10.3-24.2) children were noted to have unclean faces and 17 (15.45%; CI: 8.8-22.1) children were found with unclean hands in both the centers. TTs & TO was noted in 19 adults (1.05%; CI: 0.8-1.2). The environmental sanitation was not found to be satisfactory in the study centers mainly due to the co-habitance of people with domestic animals like pigs, hens, goats, dogs, etc., in most (66.67%) of the person households. Conclusion: Active trachoma and trachomatous trichiasis were observed actively in both urban and rural populations wherein trachoma surveillance and control measures are needed.

Influence of implantation side on the integration of dental implants

The present work aimed to describe the incidental findings in a study of immediate loading of dental implants in pigs, i.e., the correlation between implant integration and the side of implantation. In 11 adult miniature pigs, maxillary and mandibular premolars and the first molar were bilaterally extracted. A total of 100 dental implants with different surface characteristics were evaluated in the first stage. In the second stage, the two types of implants that yielded the best results were tested under loading conditions for 6 months. Statistical analysis included a one-way analysis of variance and a Holm–Sidak test. Histometric results showed significant differences in the bone-to-implant contact depending on the side of implantation. Higher rates of contact were found for implants placed in the left side; this was not related to the type of implant used. Our results indicate that the side of implantation is important in dental implant research, at least in miniature pigs. We recommend that for each surgical procedure notes should be made about the side first operated on and whether the dentist was right- or left-handed. Moreover, special attention should be paid to objects placed in the animal pens so as to avoid the development of inappropriate behaviors in animals.

Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella enterica transmission associated with starling–livestock interactions

Bird–livestock interactions have been implicated as potential sources for bacteria within concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO). European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in particular are known to contaminate cattle feed and water with Salmonella enterica through their fecal waste. We propose that fecal waste is not the only mechanisms through which starlings introduce S. enterica to CAFO. The goal of this study was to assess if starlings can mechanically move S. enterica. We define mechanical movement as the transportation of media containing S. enterica, on the exterior of starlings within CAFO. We collected 100 starlings and obtained external wash and gastrointestinal tract (GI) samples. We also collected 100 samples from animal pens. Within each pen we collected one cattle fecal, feed, and water trough sample. Isolates from all S. enterica positive samples were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. All sample types, including 17% of external starling wash samples, contained S. enterica. All sample types had at least one antimicrobial resistant (AMR) isolate and starling GI samples harbored multidrug resistant S. enterica. The serotypes isolated from the starling external wash samples were all found in the farm environment and 11.8% (2/17) of isolates from positive starling external wash samples were resistant to at least one class of antibiotics. This study provides evidence of a potential mechanism of wildlife introduced microbial contamination in CAFO. Mechanical movement of microbiological hazards, by starlings, should be considered a potential source of bacteria that is of concern to veterinary, environmental and public health.

Infrared thermography detects febrile and behavioural responses to vaccination of weaned piglets

An automated, non-invasive system for monitoring of thermoregulation has the potential to mitigate swine diseases through earlier detection. Measurement of radiated temperature of groups of animals by infrared thermography (IRT) is an essential component of such a system. This study reports on the feasibility of monitoring the radiated temperature of groups of animals as a biomarker of immune response using vaccination as a model for febrile disease. In Study A, weaned pigs were either treated with an intramuscular vaccine (FarrowSure Gold), a sham injection of 0.9% saline or left as untreated controls. An infrared thermal camera (FLIR A320) was fixed to the ceiling directly above the pen of animals, and recorded infrared images of the treatment groups at 5 min intervals. The effect on temperature of the spatial distribution of pigs within the pen was significant, with higher temperatures recorded when pigs were grouped together into a single cluster. A higher frequency of clustering behaviour was observed in vaccinated animals compared with controls during a period of the afternoon ~4 to 7 h post-vaccination. The daily mean of the maximum image temperature was significantly higher in vaccinated animals compared with control and sham-treated animals. In the vaccination treated group, the 24 h mean of the maximum temperature was significantly higher during the post-vaccination period compared with the 24 h period before vaccination. Increased temperature in the vaccinated animals occurred from ~3 h, peaked at ~10 h, and remained elevated for up to 20 h post-vaccination. In Study B, the effect of prevalence was tested in terms of the difference in maximum temperature between control and vaccination days. A thermal response to vaccination was detected in a pen of 24 to 26 animals when <10% of the animals were vaccinated. The results support the concept of radiated temperature measurements of groups of animals by IRT as a screening tool for febrile diseases in pig barns.

Effectiveness of insecticide spraying and culling of dogs on the incidence of Leishmania infantum infection in humans: a cluster randomized trial in Teresina, Brazil.

BackgroundTo evaluate the effect of insecticide spraying for vector control and elimination of infected dogs on the incidence of human infection with L. infantum, a randomized community intervention trial was carried out in the city of Teresina, Brazil.Methods/Principal FindingsWithin each of ten localities in the city, four blocks were selected and randomized to 4 interventions: 1) spraying houses and animal pens with insecticide; 2) eliminating infected dogs; 3) combination of spraying and eliminating dogs, and 4) nothing. The main outcome is the incidence of infection assessed by the conversion of the Montenegro skin test (MST) after 18 months of follow-up in residents aged ≥1 year with no previous history of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Reactions were measured at 48–72 h, induration of ≥5 mm considered positive. Interventions were executed after the baseline interview and repeated 6 and 12 months later. The effects of each type of intervention scheme on the incidence of infection were assessed by calculating relative risks and 95% confidence intervals using Poisson population-averaged regression models with robust variance. Among the 1105 participants, 408 (37%) were MST positive at baseline. Of the 697 negatives, only 423 (61%) were reexamined at the end of the follow-up; 151 (36%) of them converted to a positive MST. Only dog culling had some statistically significant effect on reducing the incidence of infection, with estimates of effectiveness varying between 27% and 52%, depending on the type of analysis performed.Conclusions/SignificanceIn light of the continuous spread of VL in Brazil despite the large scale deployment of insecticide spraying and dog culling, the relatively low to moderate effectiveness of dog culling and the non-significant effect of insecticide spraying on the incidence of human infection, we conclude that there is an urgent need for revision of the Brazilian VL control program.

Prepartum stocking density: Effects on metabolic, health, reproductive, and productive responses

The objectives of the current experiment were to determine the effects of 2 prepartum stocking densities on milk yield, concentration of metabolites during the peripartum period, and health and reproductive parameters of dairy cows. Jersey cows enrolled in the experiment at 254±3 d of gestation were balanced for parity (nulliparous vs. parous) and previous lactation projected 305-d mature equivalent milk yield (parous) and assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: 80% headlock stocking density (80SD; 38 animals/48 headlocks) and 100% headlock stocking density (100SD; 48 animals/48 headlocks). The number of experimental units was 8 (4 replicates and 2 pens/treatment per replicate). In total, 154 nulliparous and 184 parous animals were enrolled in the 80SD treatment and 186 nulliparous and 232 parous animals were enrolled in the 100SD treatment. At the start of each replicate, treatments were switched within pen. Cows were milked thrice daily and monthly milk yield, fat and protein content, and somatic cell count data were recorded up to 155 d postpartum. Plasma nonesterified fatty acid concentration was measured weekly, from −18±3 to 17±3 d relative to calving, and plasma β-hydroxybutyrate was measured weekly, from 1±2 to 17±3 d relative to calving. Cows were examined 1, 4±1, 7±1, 10±1, and 13±1 d relative to calving for diagnosis of uterine diseases. Blood was sampled for determination of progesterone concentration and resumption of ovarian cycles 35±3 and 45±3 d relative to calving. Average headlock (74.1±0.4 vs. 94.5±0.3%) and stall (80.8±0.4 vs. 103.1±0.4%) stocking density was lower for the 80SD treatment compared with the 100SD treatment. Treatment did not affect incidence of retained fetal membranes (80SD=5.1, 100SD=7.8%), metritis (80SD=21.2, 100SD=16.7%), acute metritis (80SD=9.9, 100SD=9.4%), and vaginal purulent discharge (80SD=5.8, 100SD=7.9%). Concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (80SD=251.5±6.1, 100SD=245.9±5.6μmol/L) and β-hydroxybutyrate (80SD=508.2±14.3, 100SD=490.9±13.6μmol/L) were not different between treatments. Treatment had no effect on percentage of cows removed from the herd on the first 60 d postpartum (80SD=6.1, 100SD=5.1%) and on rate of removal from the herd up to 305 d postpartum 80SD=referent, 100SD [adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval)]=1.02 (0.75, 1.38). Percentages of cows pregnant to first (80SD=41.9, 100SD=48.4%) and second (80SD=49.3, 100SD=42.0%) postpartum AI were not different between treatments. Finally, treatment did not affect energy-corrected milk yield up to 155 d postpartum (80SD=33.8±0.5, 100SD=33.4±0.5kg/d). In herds with weekly or twice weekly movement of new cows to the prepartum pen and separate housing of nulliparous and parous animals, a target stocking density of 100% of headlocks on the day of movement is not expected to affect health, metabolic, reproductive, and productive parameters.

Genetic parameters of three methods of temperament evaluation of Brahman calves 1

The objective of this study was to estimate the heritability of 3 measures of temperament in Brahman and Brahman-influenced calves (n = 1,209). Individual animal pen scores (PS) were determined by a trained observer who evaluated groups of 5 or 4 calves at a time for willingness to be approached by a human. Exit velocity (EV) was the rate (m/s) at which each calf exited a squeeze chute. Temperament score (TS) was calculated individually as (PS + EV)/2. Temperament was evaluated at 5 different times of record (28 d preweaning, weaning, 28 d postweaning, 56 d postweaning, and yearling). Contemporary groups (n = 34) comprised calves of the same sex born in the same season of the same year. There were an average of 36 calves per contemporary group and group size ranged from 3 to 78 calves. Average weaning age (186 d) ranged from 105 to 304 d. Calves were born from 2002 through 2012. Random effects included additive genetic and the permanent environmental variance. The fixed effects analyzed were age of dam, sex of calf, contemporary group, fraction of Brahman (2 levels: 1 and 0.5), age of calf at record, and weaning age. At weaning, the mean PS was 2.68 ± 0.1, the mean EV was 2.41 ± 0.1, and the mean TS was 2.48 ± 0.1. The PS was affected by fraction of Brahman (P = 0.034) and tended to be affected by age of dam (P = 0.06). The EV was affected by contemporary group (P < 0.001) and tended to be affected by weaning age (P = 0.074). Contemporary group affected TS (P < 0.001). All 3 methods of temperament evaluation were affected by time of record (P < 0.001). The regression coefficients for PS, EV, and TS were 0.0023 ± 0.0014, 0.0022 ± 0.0012, and 0.0015 ± 0.0012 m·s(-1)·d(-1) of age, respectively. Estimates of maternal genetic effects were always 0 and omitted from final models. Estimates of heritability were 0.27 ± 0.1, 0.49 ± 0.1, and 0.43 ± 0.1 for EV, PS, and TS, respectively. Estimates of permanent environmental variances as proportions of phenotypic variance were 0.33 ± 0.1, 0.23 ± 0.1, and 0.33 ± 0.1 for EV, PS, and TS, respectively. There appears to be sufficient additive genetic variance for selective improvement of temperament characteristics in Brahman cattle.

Because Neglect Isn't Cute: Tuxedo Stan's Campaign for a Humane World

Because Neglect Isn't Cute: Tuxedo Stan's Campaign for a Humane World