Changes In Husbandry Research Articles

Improving reptile ecological risk assessment: oral and dermal toxicity of pesticides to a common lizard species (Sceloporus occidentalis).

Reptiles have been understudied in ecotoxicology, which limits consideration in ecological risk assessments. The goals of the present study were 3-fold: to improve oral and dermal dosing methodologies for reptiles, to generate reptile toxicity data for pesticides, and to correlate reptile and avian toxicity. The authors first assessed the toxicity of different dosing vehicles: 100 μL of water, propylene glycol, and acetone were not toxic. The authors then assessed the oral and dermal toxicity of 4 pesticides following the up-and-down procedure. Neither brodifacoum nor chlorothalonil caused mortality at doses ≤ 1750 μg/g. Under the "neat pesticide" oral exposure, endosulfan (median lethal dose [LD50] = 9.8 μg/g) was more toxic than λ-cyhalothrin (LD50 = 916.5 μg/g). Neither chemical was toxic via dermal exposure. An acetone dosing vehicle increased λ-cyhalothrin toxicity (oral LD50 = 9.8 μg/g; dermal LD50 = 17.5 μg/g), but not endosulfan. Finally, changes in dosing method and husbandry significantly increased dermal λ-cyhalothrin LD50s, which highlights the importance of standardized methods. The authors combined data from the present study with other reptile LD50s to correlate with available avian data. When only definitive LD50s were used in the analysis, a strong correlation was found between avian and reptile toxicity. The results suggest it is possible to build predictive relationships between avian and reptile LD50s. More research is needed, however, to understand trends associated with chemical classes and modes of action.

Changes in the pastoral sheep systems of semi-arid Mediterranean areas: association with common agricultural policy reform and implications for sustainability

The dynamics of sheep systems the Mediterranean region have been influenced by reforms coming from the Common Agricultural Policy, and the general economic evolution of markets. The aim of this study was the analysis of the structural changes that occurred between 1999 and 2009, and the identification of future implications for the sheep systems in Andalusia region, Spain. Analysis of the structural changes allowed the generation of strategic information, identified trends that should suggest new rural policies and changes that are likely to have social and environmental impacts, and lastly, prioritize future research. The application of multivariate methodology allowed clustering the farm population into four groups. The typology of these systems was determined by variables related to the sheep subsystem, by the set of agricultural activities, and by changes in swine husbandry, within a context of changes in land tenure and the drive for agricultural intensification. Major modifications of extant systems included a 42% reduction in the number of farms, a decrease in sheep numbers, replacement of native rangelands with improved pastures, olive trees and orchards, a reduction of traditional extensive pastoral activities, and increases in hog production in Dehesa grasslands. Given the historical economic and social importance of the sheep-cereal system, the observed substantial modifications of land use suggest a need to assess their consequences in terms of social and environmental impacts, as well as their implications for climate change.

Histomonas meleagridis—New insights into an old pathogen

The protozoan flagellate Histomonas meleagridis is the etiological agent of histomonosis, first described in 1893. It is a fastidious disease in turkeys, with pathological lesions in the caeca and liver, sometimes with high mortality. In chickens the disease is less fatal and lesions are often confined to the caeca. The disease was well controlled by applying nitroimidazoles and nitrofurans for therapy or prophylaxis. Since their introduction into the market in the middle of the previous century, research nearly ceased as outbreaks of histomonosis occurred only very rarely. With the ban of these drugs in the last two decades in North America, the European Union and elsewhere, in combination with the changes in animal husbandry, the disease re-emerged. Consequently, research programs were set up in various places focusing on different features of the parasite and the disease. For the first time studies were performed to elucidate the molecular repertoire of the parasite. In addition, research has been started to investigate the parasite's interaction with its host. New diagnostic methods and tools were developed and tested with samples obtained from field outbreaks or experimental infections. Some of these studies aimed to clarify the introduction of the protozoan parasite into a flock and the transmission between birds. Finally, a strong focus was placed on research concentrated on the development of new treatment and prophylactic strategies, urgently needed to combat the disease. This review aims to summarize recent research activities and place them into context with older literature.

Bionomics of temperate and tropical Culicoides midges: knowledge gaps and consequences for transmission of Culicoides-borne viruses.

Culicoides midges are abundant hematophagous flies that vector arboviruses of veterinary and medical importance. Dramatic changes in the epidemiology of Culicoides-borne arboviruses have occurred since 1998, including the emergence of exotic viruses in northern temperate regions, increases in global disease incidence, and enhanced virus diversity in tropical zones. Drivers may include changes in climate, land use, trade, and animal husbandry. New Culicoides species and new wild reservoir hosts have been implicated in transmission, highlighting the dynamic nature of pathogen-vector-host interactions. Focusing on potential vector species worldwide and key elements of vectorial capacity, we review the sensitivity of Culicoides life cycles to abiotic and biotic factors. We consider implications for designing control measures and understanding impacts of environmental change in different ecological contexts. Critical geographical, biological, and taxonomic knowledge gaps are prioritized. Recent developments in genomics and mathematical modeling may enhance ecological understanding of these complex arbovirus systems.

English

Ensuring food safety to protect public health remains a significant challenge in both developing and developed countries. In the last decade, large efforts have been made on the global level towards development and implementation of food safety management systems to assure food safety in the agri‐food chain. Current and new challenges to food safety include changes in animal husbandry, food or agricultural technology, lifestyle and consumer demands and others. In Ethiopia, key stakeholders involved in food safety management include Ministry of Health , Ministry of Agriculture, Quality and Standards Authority of Ethiopia, Environmental Protection Authority, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Trade, different Federal and Regional Governmental Bodies, Research Institutions, Ministry of Education, Food Manufacturers, Food distributors and Hotels. Even though effective food safety systems are vital to maintain consumer confidence in the food system and to provide a sound regulatory foundation for domestic and international trade in food, there are gaps in Ethiopian food safety system on legal and policy frame work, food-borne diseases surveillance, coordination of organizations involved in food safety management, and laboratory services for relevant food hazards. Lack of appropriate food safety assurance systems are problems that have become obstacles to Ethiopia’s economic development and public health safety. There is no appropriate policy framework that guides food safety management. Initiating the establishment of National food safety Authority/policy, upgrading the capacity of existing public health laboratory, personnel, food-borne diseases surveillance, and legal and policy frame work are as such suggested to overcome these problems. Key words: Ethiopia, food safety, regulatory body, policy.

At the Malthusian ceiling: Subsistence and inequality at Bridge River, British Columbia

The Bridge River Village, located in the Middle Fraser Canyon of British Columbia, was established and grew to maximum size during the period of ca. 1800–1100cal. B.P. Village expansion occurred in two distinct stages resulting in a stepped pattern of demographic growth. We suggest that this could reflect two distinctly different periods, the first (Bridge River 2) a relatively comfortable equilibrium with little subsistence stress; the second (Bridge River 3) a truly Malthusian ceiling associated with reduction in critical subsistence resources, social change, and eventual abandonment. In this paper we explore the interactions between resource productivity, food harvest and storage, animal husbandry, demographic growth, and socio-political change in the late Holocene Middle Fraser Canyon. The study provides us with the opportunity to compare and contrast histories of hunter–gatherer–fisher people with that of other complex hunter–gatherers and agriculturalists on similar demographic scales.

Animal husbandry and farming in East Anglia from the 5th to the 10th centuries CE

Archaeological research that has been carried out in East Anglia since the 1960s has shed light on the changes in animal husbandry and farming that took place in eastern England between the 5th and the 10th centuries CE. The sites of West Stow and West Stow West have shed light on animal husbandry during the Early Saxon period. The rural estate centres of Brandon, Suffolk and Wicken Bonhunt, Essex provide evidence for Middle Saxon animal husbandry practices. Animal bones from the proto-urban ‘wic’ site of Ipswich in Suffolk show how this site was provisioned, while data from the Late Saxon contexts at Ipswich can shed light on the transition of this site from an emporium to a local market town. This paper takes a multi-proxy approach to changes in animal husbandry, farming, and landscape in Eastern England between the end of the Roman period and the 10th century, drawing on faunal data including species ratios, age profiles, biometrical data, and butchery patterns, as well as other classes of data that can inform us about changes in agriculture and landscape use.

The emergence of echinococcosis in central Asia

SUMMARY Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, there was an increase in the number of cases of human echinococcosis recorded throughout central Asia. Between 1991 and 2001 incidence rates of cystic echinococcosis (CE) increased by 4 fold or more. There also appeared to be increases in prevalence of CE in livestock and prevalences of Echinococcus granulosus reported in dogs. The increase in human echinococcosis was associated with changes in livestock husbandry, decline in veterinary public health services, increases in dog populations and increased poverty, all of which served to promote transmission of E. granulosus. A few years after reports of increased transmission of E. granulosus, the first reports of E. multilocularis infection in dogs were recorded. Further studies indicated that in both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan prevalences of up to 18% were present. Recently there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases of human alveolar echinococcosis recorded in Kyrgyzstan with over 60 cases reported in 2011.

Epidemiological and phylogenetic analysis of institutional mouse parvoviruses

Mouse parvoviruses (MPVs) are small, single-stranded, 5kb DNA viruses that are subclinical and endemic in many laboratory mouse colonies. MPVs cause more distinctive deleterious effects in immune-compromised or genetically-engineered mice than immuno-competent mice. At the University of Louisville (U of L), there was an unexpected increase of MPV sero-positivity for MPV infections in mouse colonies between January 2006 and February 2007, resulting in strategic husbandry changes aimed at controlling MPV spread throughout the animal facility. To investigate these MPVs, VP2 genes of seven MPVs were cloned and sequenced from eight documented incidences by PCR technology. The mutations in these VP2 genes were compared to those found at the Genbank database (NCBI; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) and an intra-institutional phylogenetic tree for MPV infections at U of L was constructed. We discovered that the seven MPV isolates were different from those in Genbank and were not identical to each other. These MPVs were designated MPV-UL1 to 7; none of them were minute virus of mice (MVMs). Four isolates could be classified as MPV1, one was classified as MPV2, and two were defined as novel types with less than 96% and 94% homology with existing MPV types. Considering that all seven isolates had mutations in their VP2 genes and no mutations were observed in VP2 genes of MPV during a four-month time period of incubation, we concluded that all seven MPVs isolated at U of L between 2006 and 2007 probably originated from different sources. Serological survey for MPV infections verified that each MPV outbreak was controlled without further contamination within the institution.

CALCIUM CARBONATE OBSTRUCTIVE UROLITHIASIS IN A RED KANGAROO (MACROPUS RUFUS)

A 6-yr-old male red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) presented for a history of inappetance, abnormal behavior, and unconfirmed elimination for 6 hr prior to presentation. Based on abdominal ultrasound, abdominocentesis, and cystocentesis, a presumptive diagnosis of urinary tract obstruction with uroabdomen and hydronephrosis was reached. Abdominal radiographs did not assist in reaching an antemortem diagnosis. Postmortem examination confirmed a urinary bladder rupture secondary to urethral obstruction by a single urethrolith. Bilateral hydronephrosis and hydroureter were identified and determined to be a result of bilateral ureteroliths. Urolith analysis revealed a composition of 100% calcium carbonate. A dietary analysis was performed, implicating an increased Ca:P ratio from a food preparation miscommunication as a contributing factor. Appropriate husbandry changes were made, and mob surveillance procedures were performed, which resolved the urolithiasis risk for the remaining five animals.

Prediction of welfare outcomes for broiler chickens using Bayesian regression on continuous optical flow data

Currently, assessment of broiler (meat) chicken welfare relies largely on labour-intensive or post-mortem measures of welfare. We here describe a method for continuously and robustly monitoring the welfare of living birds while husbandry changes are still possible. We detail the application of Bayesian modelling to motion data derived from the output of cameras placed in commercial broiler houses. We show that the forecasts produced by the model can be used to accurately assess certain key aspects of the future health and welfare of a flock. The difference between healthy flocks and less-healthy ones becomes predictable days or even weeks before clinical symptoms become apparent. Hockburn (damaged leg skin, usually only seen in birds of two weeks or older) can be well predicted in flocks of only 1-2 days of age, using this approach. Our model combines optical flow descriptors of bird motion with robust multivariate forecasting and provides a sparse, efficient model with sparsity-inducing priors to achieve maximum predictive power with the minimum number of key variables.

Evaluating an intervention to reduce lameness in dairy cattle

Lameness in dairy cattle remains a significant welfare concern for the UK dairy industry. Farms were recruited into a 3-yr study evaluating novel intervention approaches designed to encourage farmers to implement husbandry changes targeted toward reducing lameness. All farms completing the study were visited at least annually and received either monitoring only (MO, n=72) or monitoring and additional support (MS, n=117) from the research team. The additional support included traditional technical advice on farm-specific solutions, facilitation techniques to encourage farmer participation, and application of social marketing principles to promote implementation of change. Lameness prevalence was lower in the MO (27.0±1.94 SEM) and MS (21.4±1.28) farms at the final visit compared with the same MO (38.9±2.06) and MS (33.3±1.76) farms on the initial visit. After accounting for initial lameness, intervention group status, and year of visit within a multilevel model, we observed an interaction between year and provision of support, with the reduction in lameness over time being greater in the MS group compared with the MO group. Farms in the MS group made a greater number of changes to their husbandry practices over the duration of the project (8.2±0.39) compared with those farms in the MO group (6.5±0.54). Because the lameness prevalence was lower in the MS group than the MO group at the start of the study, the contribution of the additional support was difficult to define. Lameness can be reduced on UK dairy farms although further work is needed to identify the optimum approaches.

Livestock Helminths in a Changing Climate: Approaches and Restrictions to Meaningful Predictions.

Simple SummaryParasitic helminths represent one of the most pervasive challenges to livestock, and their intensity and distribution will be influenced by climate change. There is a need for long-term predictions to identify potential risks and highlight opportunities for control. We explore the approaches to modelling future helminth risk to livestock under climate change. One of the limitations to model creation is the lack of purpose driven data collection. We also conclude that models need to include a broad view of the livestock system to generate meaningful predictions.Climate change is a driving force for livestock parasite risk. This is especially true for helminths including the nematodes Haemonchus contortus, Teladorsagia circumcincta, Nematodirus battus, and the trematode Fasciola hepatica, since survival and development of free-living stages is chiefly affected by temperature and moisture. The paucity of long term predictions of helminth risk under climate change has driven us to explore optimal modelling approaches and identify current bottlenecks to generating meaningful predictions. We classify approaches as correlative or mechanistic, exploring their strengths and limitations. Climate is one aspect of a complex system and, at the farm level, husbandry has a dominant influence on helminth transmission. Continuing environmental change will necessitate the adoption of mitigation and adaptation strategies in husbandry. Long term predictive models need to have the architecture to incorporate these changes. Ultimately, an optimal modelling approach is likely to combine mechanistic processes and physiological thresholds with correlative bioclimatic modelling, incorporating changes in livestock husbandry and disease control. Irrespective of approach, the principal limitation to parasite predictions is the availability of active surveillance data and empirical data on physiological responses to climate variables. By combining improved empirical data and refined models with a broad view of the livestock system, robust projections of helminth risk can be developed.

Growing Need for Agriculture Experts

Issues related to the safety and security of our food supply top the news on a regular basis [e.g., ([ 1 ][1], [ 2 ][2])]. Yet the news media continue to undermine the entry of students into the study of agriculture ([ 3 ][3], [ 4 ][4]). Statistical data from the U.S. Department of Labor ([ 5 ][5]) and U.S. Department of Agriculture ([ 6 ][6]) indicate an expected growth in most agriculture-related fields, including inspectors, scientists, and veterinarians. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that over the next five years, there will be a 5% increase in the need for graduates in these disciplines, but a 10% decline in the number of students choosing these important programs as their career path ([ 7 ][7]). This means a shortfall of qualified workers in the areas where we need them most—horticulture, animal husbandry, food science, and climate change or environmental analysis. There are also growing opportunities in industries with activities linked to agriculture, such as transporting food, specialty processing (e.g., coffee brewing), addressing dietetic concerns, protecting animal welfare, and producing pet foods. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also suggests an 8% increase in the need for qualified, well-educated agriculture managers to keep pace with quickly advancing technological methods of farming across the United States and abroad, along with changes in regulations at all government levels ([ 7 ][7]). ![Figure][8] CREDIT: BART COENDERS/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM The bottom line: Agriculture isn't dead. In fact, no other industry feeds the world's population, which could hit 9 billion by 2050 ([ 8 ][9]). The need for graduates in agriculture, horticulture, and animal science programs will be critical to finding ways of safely doubling food production in order to meet the demand of a growing population. 1. [↵][10] Food and Drug Administration, Orange Juice Products and Carbendazim: Addendum to FDA Letter to the Juice Products Association (January 9, 2012) ([www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/FruitsVegetablesJuices/ucm287783.htm][11]). 2. [↵][12] Fresno County, Department of Environmental Health, Consumer Food Product Recalls ([www.co.fresno.ca.us/DepartmentPage.aspx?id=908][13]). 3. [↵][14] 1. T. Loose , “College majors that are useless,” Yahoo Education ([http://education.yahoo.net/articles/most\_useless\_degrees.htm?kid=1KWNU][15]). 4. [↵][16] “20 most useless degrees,” The Daily Beast Blog ([www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/04/27/20-most-useless-degrees.slide3.html][17]). 5. [↵][18] U.S. Department of Labor, Statistical Information ([www.dol.gov/dol/audience/aud-workers.htm#stats][19]). 6. [↵][20] U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Agricultural Projections to 2019 ([www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/archive_projections/USDAAgriculturalProjections2019.pdf][21]). 7. [↵][22] Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition ([www.bls.gov/oco/ocos046.htm][23]). 8. [↵][24] Feedstuffs FoodLink, “Ag must ‘freeze food footprint,’” Feedstuffs, 4 April 2010. [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-2 [3]: #ref-3 [4]: #ref-4 [5]: #ref-5 [6]: #ref-6 [7]: #ref-7 [8]: pending:yes [9]: #ref-8 [10]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [11]: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/FruitsVegetablesJuices/ucm287783.htm [12]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [13]: http://www.co.fresno.ca.us/DepartmentPage.aspx?id=908 [14]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text [15]: http://education.yahoo.net/articles/most_useless_degrees.htm?kid=1KWNU [16]: #xref-ref-4-1 View reference 4 in text [17]: http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/04/27/20-most-useless-degrees.slide3.html [18]: #xref-ref-5-1 View reference 5 in text [19]: http://www.dol.gov/dol/audience/aud-workers.htm#stats [20]: #xref-ref-6-1 View reference 6 in text [21]: http://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/archive_projections/USDAAgriculturalProjections2019.pdf [22]: #xref-ref-7-1 View reference 7 in text [23]: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos046.htm [24]: #xref-ref-8-1 View reference 8 in text

An integrated program to prevent, mitigate and compensate wolf ( Canis lupus ) damage in Piedmont region (northern Italy)

Wolves’ natural recolonization in the Western Alps in the early 1990s resulted in increased in depredation events. The Piedmont Regional Administration has been running a program aimed at monitoring the wolf expansion process and mitigating the human-wolf conflict since 1999. Three key actions, i)compensationofcanids(wolfanddog)damage; ii)asubsidysystem to promote good livestock husbandry practices; iii) promotion of preventive measures, were used to prevent and compensate damage caused by wolves. Direct damage was verified by veterinarians and refunded according to an annually updated price list. In addition indirect losses were compensated on a lump-sum basis proportional to the herd size for each attack. Since 2007 a subsidy system has rewarded shepherds who, pasturing within the home range of wolf packs and in neighbouring areas, have adopted good management practices and preventive measures. Ad hoc damage prevention plans have mainly addressed chronic situations. Changes in animal husbandry (removal of dead livestock from pastures, confiningsickanimals, synchronizingbirthsandusingshedlambing), promotion of use of electric fences and introduction of livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) have been the most common interventions. A new model of electrified net has been developed and LGDs have been selected and diffused; LGDs behavioural research is in progress. The Regional wolf Program integrates dierent measures to manage the human-wolf conflict: not only to compensate depredation damages, but also to stimulate the adoption of husbandry practices compatible with the presence of wolves. Actually, in order to promote wolf tolerance by livestock owners, theProgramaimedtodistributewolfconservationcostsmoreequitably and involve farmers in decisional processes.

Emergence of suspected type D botulism in ruminants in England and Wales (2001 to 2009), associated with exposure to broiler litter

Scanning surveillance by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency revealed the emergence of suspected botulism in ruminants in 2003, presented as flaccid paralysis. From 2003 to 2009, 168 cattle and 19 sheep...

Smothering in commercial free-range laying hens: a preliminary investigation

SMOTHERING in poultry occurs when birds mass together, often on top of each other, resulting in death from suffocation. Smothering is reported anecdotally as a major and unpredictable problem within...

The land use changes in agricultural areas between 1980 and 2005 with particular emphasis on permanent grasslands - an example of the upper Raba River basin

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the agricultural land use with particular focus on pastures and meadows in relation to transformation in agriculture in selected communes located in mountain areas of the Raba River catchment. Changes in husbandry were described with production parameters such as animal stock (expressed in LU) and NPK load originating from all agricultural sources. The area of agricultural lands, particularly arable lands, decreased in the years 1980–2005 but meadow areas increased. A close relationship was shown between the reduction of agricultural production, expressed in animal stock, and changes in NPK loads. The conclusions from the paper will help shaping the functional space in mountain areas and sustainable development there.

Climate change and livestock parasites: integrated management of sheep blowfly strike in a warmer environment

The incidence of parasite-mediated livestock disease is the result of a complex interaction of factors such as parasite and host abundance, host susceptibility, climate and, critically, farmer husbandry and intervention strategies, all of which change seasonally in space and time. Given the complexity of the interacting factors, the effects of environment changes on disease incidence are hard to predict, as accordingly are the optimal husbandry responses required to ameliorate any effects. Here a model system is used to explore these issues. Cutaneous myiasis (blowfly strike) is common disease of livestock and would be expected to be highly sensitive to even small changes in climate; it provides a good model for highlighting the problems inherent in attempting to predict the effect of climate change on livestock disease incidence. For this, a stochastic simulation model is used to examine the changes in the seasonal incidence of ovine cutaneous myiasis on farms in the United Kingdom and the likely effects of changes in husbandry and control strategies. The simulations show that the range of elevated temperatures predicted by current climate change scenarios result in an elongated blowfly season with earlier spring emergence and a higher cumulative incidence of strike. Overall, higher temperatures increased strike incidence disproportionately in ewes in early summer, but had relatively less direct effect on the pattern of lamb strike incidence; a +3 °C increase in average temperature approximately doubles the cumulative incidence of strike in lambs but results in four times more strikes in ewes. A range of strike management options is examined and the models show that changes in husbandry practices are also likely to have an important effect in reducing early season ewe strike incidences. The simulations suggest that integrated changes in husbandry practices are likely to be able to manage expected increases in strike, given the range of climate changes currently predicted.

Toward a better understanding of pig behavior and pig welfare

Pork production began to flourish in the USA after the practice of finishing pigs on corn was popularized in the late 1600s. By the 1840s, there were 35 million pigs and 20 million people in the USA and Cincinnati was the world's largest pork market. Between 1890 and the present, the total number of pigs in the USA has remained at 50-60 million, but dramatic changes in swine husbandry over the course of the 20th century have metamorphosed pig production from small, extensive (outdoor), labor-dependent enterprises into large, intensive (indoor), capital-dependent, production systems. This development has led to debate concerning the impact of swine production on animal/human health, the environment, and the welfare of the animals under our care. In a very tangible way, the future of pork production depends on effectively addressing the public's concerns regarding animal welfare and health. Here, we review basic sensory and behavioral aspects of swine with the objective of reaching a better understanding of pig behavior and pig welfare. The premise of this discussion is that safeguarding animal welfare and health is good for pigs, pork producers and the animal-conscious public.