Farms In Malaysia Research Articles

A Review: Drinking Water and Wastewater Quality Assessment in Ruminant Farms

Water is an essential part in any livestock production and it is more so in ruminant production that is highly water intensive. Water is not only essential as a medium of animal metabolism, but it is also an important cleaning medium. Therefore, it is important that the quality of drinking water is maintained at a certain level so as to lessen the possible adverse effects on the animals. Despite there being some standards set by the various agencies on the minimal water quality deemed suitable for livestock consumption, they are still vague and this, combined with poor compliance and the water sourcing of dubious sources in ruminant farms makes it hard to regulate the drinking water quality in ruminant farms. This, in turn, might lead to possible adverse effects in livestock production due to water contaminants. At the same time, most ruminant farms in Malaysia do not do proper treatment of their wastewater before releasing them into water bodies such as drains, rivers and lakes which could lead to possible adverse effects to the environment.

A Comparative Study on Physicochemical Characteristics of Raw Goat Milk Collected from Different Farms in Malaysia.

This study was conducted to determine the physical and chemical composition of goat milk produced by eight local farms located in the central region of Malaysia. Farms 1 to 4 (F1-SC, F2-SP, F3-SP, F4-SBC) reared Saanen-type goats while farms 5 to 8 (F5-JK, F6-JPEC, F7-JTC, F8-JC), Jamnapari-type goats. The common feedstuffs used in all farms comprised of fresh or silage from Napier grass, feed pellets, and brans while two farms, F5-JK and F6-JPEC supplemented the feeds with soybean-based product. The total solid content, dry matter, and proximate composition of goat milk and feedstuffs from the different farms were determined and the results analysed using principal component analysis. Total solid content of goat milk from the Jamnapari crossbreed had the highest solid content ranging from 11.81% to 17.54% compared to milk from farms with Saanen and Saanen crossbreed (10.95% to 14.63%). Jamnapari-type goats from F5-JK, F6-JPEC, and F8-JC had significantly higher (p < 0.05) milk fat and protein contents (7.36%, 7.14%, and 6.59% fat; 5.08%, 6.19%, and 4.23% protein, respectively) than milk from other farms but, milk produced by Saanen-type goats from F4-SBC contained similar protein content (4.34%) to that from F8-JC. Total ash and carbohydrate contents in milk ranged between 0.67% to 0.86% and 3.26% to 4.71%, respectively, regardless of goat breed. Feeding soybean-based products appear to have a positive influence on milk fat and protein content in Jamnaparitype goats.

Seroprevalence of orf infection based on IgM antibody detection in sheep and goats from selected small ruminant farms in Malaysia

Orf is an infectious disease that affects the skin of sheep and goats resulting in lesions that reduce animal productivity. This study was aimed to determine the status of orf infection among small ruminants from selected farms in the state of the Selangor based on IgM antibody detection. Serum samples were collected from 90 goats and 90 sheep and subjected to qualitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure IgM antibodies followed by chi-square analysis of the data. The result from this study showed that 33 goats (36.7%) and 7 sheep (7.8%) were positive for orf IgM antibodies, indicating higher seroprevalence among goats as compared to sheep. The risk factors such as species, breed, farm location, and history of orf, age, gender, presence of clinical signs, and farm location were shown to significantly affect the seropositivity of IgM antibodies in these species. In conclusion, this study showed that a significant number of goat populations in Selangor, Malaysia, harbor active orf infection in comparison to sheep.

Assessment of gastrointestinal nematode infection, anthelmintic usage and husbandry practices on two small-scale goat farms in Malaysia.

Haemonchosis is a common problem on goat farms in tropical countries such as Malaysia. Prevention of production losses generally depends on the use of anthelmintic drugs, but is threatened by the emergence of anthelmintic resistance. This study investigates anthelmintic efficacy on small-scale Malaysian goat farms and describes putative risk factors. Adult goats had moderate to high pre-treatment faecal trichostrongyle egg counts, despite being housed on slatted floors and fed on cut-and-carry forage, raising questions about the source of nematode infection. Our results show multiple resistance to benzimidazole and macrocyclic lactone anthelmintic drugs and allow us to discuss the genetic origins of resistance with reference to farm husbandry and management. We conclude that improvement in Malaysian goat production efficiency will require the development of sustainable helminth control strategies, underpinned by a better understanding of the origins and population genetics of anthelmintic resistance.

Environmental Monitoring and Controlling System for Mushroom Farm with Online Interface

Agriculture sensors play an important role in modern agriculture. The use of sensors in various agriculture sectors minimizes the environmental impact on crops, helps in increasing yield and saving cost of operation. Among all agriculture industries in Malaysia, the mushroom industry is a comparatively new and small. As most of the mushroom farms in Malaysia are small-scaled, their production capability is limited by inadequate environmental control system and the lack of financial resources to upgrade the systems. This paper presents an environmental monitoring and controlling system to monitor and control the environmental conditions in a mushroom farm. It enables user to monitor temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration and light intensity in a mushroom farm on an android device by using ThingSpeak online platform. The control algorithm is able to control devices in a mushroom farm automatically based on feedback from the sensors to maintain the environment in an optimum condition for mushroom growth. The measured percentage error of temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and the light using the developed system was as low as 0.4%, 1.5%, 2.2% and 1.34% respectively.

Environmental Monitoring and Controlling System for Mushroom Farm with Online Interface

Agriculture sensors play an important role in modern agriculture. The use of sensors in various agriculture sectors minimizes the environmental impact on crops, helps in increasing yield and saving cost of operation. Among all agriculture industries in Malaysia, the mushroom industry is a comparatively new and small. As most of the mushroom farms in Malaysia are small-scaled, their production capability is limited by inadequate environmental control system and the lack of financial resources to upgrade the systems. This paper presents an environmental monitoring and controlling system to monitor and control the environmental conditions in a mushroom farm. It enables user to monitor temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration and light intensity in a mushroom farm on an android device by using ThingSpeak online platform. The control algorithm is able to control devices in a mushroom farm automatically based on feedback from the sensors to maintain the environment in an optimum condition for mushroom growth. The measured percentage error of temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and the light using the developed system was as low as 0.4%, 1.5%, 2.2% and 1.34% respectively.

Histopathological evaluation and molecular detection of natural Iridovirus infection in cultured grouper fish in Malaysia

Iridovirus is the causative agent of grouper iridovirus infection (GIV), which causes severe epizootics resulting in large-scale mortalities and huge economic losses in cultured and marine fishes worldwide. The current study evaluated the gross and histopathological lesions, and molecular detection of GIV in naturally infected grouper farms in Malaysia. A total of 150 moribund fish showing different clinical signs, presented to the Aquatic unit were used for this study. The fish were necropsied and visceral organs (spleen, kidney, heart, liver, intestine, brain, eyes, gills, and some parts of skin with ulcer) were collected and fixed in 10 % buffered formalin for histopathological processing and evaluation. Molecular detection of the virus was done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Grossly, the groupers had ulceration on the operculum and close to the caudal fin with hemorrhages on the margin of the caudal fin. In some fish, there was necrosis of the caudal fin, sloughing of the epidermis, dermal ulceration and popeyes Histological sections showed large basophilic cytoplasmic inclusions and vacuolations in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes. Basophilic or eosinophilic enlarged cells with the presence of mononuclear cellular infiltrations were seen in the kidney, liver, eye and gills, which is the distinctive feature of this disease. PCR detection showed positive amplification from 27 groupers. Based on the gross, histopathological and molecular detection GIV infection was established.

Clinical Case of Pregnancy Toxaemia in a Goat - A Case Report on Veterinary Medicine Approach

A pregnant Jamnapari doe was presented with primary complaint of inappetance and recumbency for a week. The most prominent abnormality during physical examination was weakness in both hind limbs typified by difficulty in standing. Ultrasonography revealed that the doe were carrying three viable foetuses that were about 4-months old. Hemato-biochemistry findings showed hypocalcaemia (1.98mmol/L) and hypoglycaemia (2.2mmol/L). Besides that, ketone bodies were also detected from the urine (3+ or 8mmol/L). The doe was treated vigorously for pregnancy toxaemia with 1L of Glucose 20% (G-20) and 5L of 0.9% NaCl, administered intravenously BID for 3 days as glucose replacement and rehydration respectively. 30mL of propylene glycol was also given orally BID for 7 days as glucose precursor. Flunixin meglumine 2.2mg/kg was administered intramuscularly SID for 3 days as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. In addition, 20mL of theracalcium was given intramuscularly SID for two days and 5mL of Catosal® was given intramuscularly SID for 6 days for calcium supplement and to stimulate body metabolism respectively. One vial (2ml) of methylcobalt was administered intramuscularly SID for 3 days as a nerve supplement and physiotherapy was performed after caesarean section for 10 minutes TID for 6 days in order to increase blood circulation and prevent muscle atrophy. However, the does’ condition started to deteriorate on Day 7 and caesarean was performed on the same day where three foetuses were saved. The doe’s condition improved tremendously and was discharged after a week of caesarean section. This clinical case reports the clinical management of pregnancy toxaemia in a goat, which is a common problem in small holder farms in Malaysia.

EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDY OF VIRAL NERVOUS NECROSIS (VNN) IN MALAYSIAN GROUPERS: SEQUENCE ANALYSIS STRATEGIES AND QUASISPECIES DETERMINANT’S

EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDY OF VIRAL NERVOUS NECROSIS (VNN) IN MALAYSIAN GROUPERS: SEQUENCE ANALYSIS STRATEGIES AND QUASISPECIES DETERMINANT’S

Survey of Goat Farmers' Compliance on Proper Herd Health Program Practices

Good herd health management is a practice aimed to prevent the development and spread of diseases and reduce economic losses in farms. There is paucity of information with regards to farmers’ compliance on proper Herd Health Program (HHP) practiced by small ruminant farms in Malaysia. This survey was conducted to study farmers’ compliance on HHP practiced using selected goat farms (n=6) under the Ladang Angkat Program, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UPM. A structured questionnaire was developed based on the Skim Amalan Ladang Ternakan (SALT) by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) of Malaysia. The scores were given in percentages according to the farmers’ knowledge and practice on every component of the HHP. All the farms surveyed were managed under intensive system mainly for meat production. Most farmers (83.3%) were aware of the existence of the herd health program. Farmers (n=6) scored 56±7% for overall HHP practice with maximum score on waste management (75%), followed by environmental management (73%), parasite control program (70%), biosecurity (67%), feeding management (59%), drug management (59%), disease monitoring program (54%), reproductive management (48%) and the least compliance was for vaccination program (40%). None of the farmers practiced the vaccination program in their farms. However, all farmers were willing to invest money for herd health program that guarantee long term profitability in the future. In conclusion, more attention and exposure need to be given on the HHP components that are less complied with by the farmers without neglecting the other components for future development of improved herd health programs.

Tembusu-like flavivirus (Perak virus) as the cause of neurological disease outbreaks in young Pekin ducks

A neurological disease of young Pekin ducks characterized by ataxia, lameness, and paralysis was observed at several duck farms in Malaysia in 2012. Gross pathological lesions were absent or inconsistent in most of the cases, but severe and consistent microscopic lesions were found in the brain and spinal cord, characterized by non-purulent panencephalomyelitis. Several virus isolates were obtained in embryonated duck eggs and in cell cultures (Vero and DF-1) inoculated with the brain homogenates of affected ducks. After exclusion of other viruses, the isolates were identified as a flavivirus by flavivirus-specific reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays. Inoculation of 2-week-old Pekin ducks with a flavivirus isolate by the subcutaneous or intramuscular route resulted in typical clinical signs and histological lesions in the brain and spinal cord. The inoculated virus was detected by RT-PCR from organ samples of ducks with clinical signs and histological lesions. With a few days delay, the disease was also observed among co-mingled contact control birds. Phylogenetic analysis of NS5 and E gene sequences proved that the isolates were representatives of a novel phylogenetic group within clade XI (Ntaya virus group) of the Flavivirus genus. This Malaysian Duck Tembusu Virus (DTMUV), named Perak virus, has moderate genomic RNA sequence similarity to a related DTMUV identified in China. In our experiment the Malaysian strain of DTMUV could be transmitted in the absence of mosquito vectors. These findings may have implications for the control and prevention of this emerging group of flaviviruses.

A case-control study of risk factors for bovine brucellosis seropositivity in Peninsular Malaysia.

Bovine brucellosis was first reported in Peninsular Malaysia in 1950. A subsequent survey conducted in the country revealed that the disease was widespread. Current knowledge on the potential risk factors for brucellosis occurrence on cattle farms in Malaysia is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a case-control study to identify the potential herd-level risk factors for bovine brucellosis occurrence in four states in the country, namely Kelantan, Pahang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. Thirty-five cases and 36 controls of herds were selected where data on farm management, biosecurity, medical history and public health were collected. Multivariable logistic regression identified that Brucella seropositive herds were more likely to; have some interaction with wildlife (OR 8.9, 95% CI = 1.59–50.05); originated from farms where multiple species such as buffalo/others (OR 41.8, 95% CI = 3.94–443.19) and goat/sheep (OR 8.9, 95%Cl = 1.10–71.83) were reared, practice extensive production system (OR 13.6, 95% CI 1.31–140.24) and have had episodes of abortion in the past (OR 51.8, 95% CI = 4.54–590.90) when compared to seronegative herds. Considering the lack of information on the epidemiology of bovine brucellosis in peninsular Malaysia and absence of information on preventing the inception or spread of the disease, this report could contribute to the on-going area-wise national brucellosis eradication program.

Oil Palm Leaf Nutrient Estimation by Optical Sensing Techniques

<abstract> <bold><sc>Abstract.</sc></bold> This study evaluated four optical sensor systems in an effort to characterize a robust nondestructive technique to estimate tree-specific oil palm leaflet nutrient deficiency and aid in determining the required fertilizer dosage rates. The four sensor systems used were a handheld reflectance sensor (GreenSeeker 505), a chlorophyll meter (SPAD 502 Plus), a fluorescence sensor (Multiplex 3), and a spectroradiometer (FieldSpec 3). Spectral responses were collected using the above sensors for leaf samples from 164 randomly selected trees from three commercial farms in Malaysia. The spectral data were processed using either stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) or rank features techniques for feature extraction. The feature datasets were analyzed using support vector machine (SVM), soft independent modeling of class analogies (SIMCA), and artificial neural network (ANN) classifiers. The SVM and ANN classifiers performed better compared to SIMCA for most nutrient prediction cases. Overall, with SMLR as a feature extraction technique and SVM as a classifier, a spectroradiometer can be used to effectively predict N, P, K, Mg, Ca, and B nutrient levels in oil palm leaflets. The average overall prediction accuracies for the above conditions were in the range of 59% to 85%. The spectroradiometer dataset was further analyzed using SVM regression models for estimating nutrient levels. Either SMLR-selected features or partial least square (PLS) latent variables were used for establishing the above regression models. The models fitted on the SMLR features performed better for N, Mg, Ca, and B, with correlation coefficients (r) for test datasets in the range of 0.45 to 0.78. The best fitted SVM regression models were for boron estimation, with a correlation coefficient of 0.78 and root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) of 2.82.

Chemopreventive effects of standardized papaya leaf fraction on oxidatively stressed human liver cells

Extract from papaya leaves, a waste material from fruit farms in Malaysia was previously reported to possess remarkable antioxidative activities. In this study, papaya leaf extract was separated into fractions of different polarities [petroleum ether (PE), ethyl acetate (EA), n-butanol (NB) and water (W) fractions]. The aim of this research was to determine the most active fraction in terms of its chemopreventive effects towards oxidative stress and the chemical constituents involved. The cytoprotective nature of the papaya fractions was observed against t-BOOH-induced oxidative stress on HepG2 liver cell line. ROS assay indicated that only PE and EA effectively reduced the increment of radical due to the pro-oxidant, t-BOOH. Nevertheless, PE was a stronger ROS scavenger by demonstrating ROS reducing activity in a dose-dependent manner to the basal level. This fraction was also found to inhibit cell death caused by t-BOOH toxicity, attenuating lactate dehydrogenase enzyme leakage by more than 90% (p<0.05). In addition, gene expression of phase II antioxidant enzymes (hmox-1 and nqo-1) and their transcription factor (nrf-2) were shown to be upregulated upon PE treatment during a time-course study. A GC-MS fingerprint of the active fraction was subsequently obtained with standardization using the marker compound; α-tocopherol, a well known antioxidant. However, this pure compound was not as effective as its corresponding PE concentrations in ROS reduction. Hence, PE of papaya leaf extract was a strong antioxidant and cytoprotectant with tremendous potential to be harnessed into the next therapeutic remedy against oxidative stress of the liver.

Yield Prediction Modeling Using Data Envelopment Analysis Methodology for Direct Seeding, Wetland Paddy Cultivation

A yield prediction model was developed using measured energy inputs data from 40 wetland paddy farms in Malaysia. Energy inputs from six sources were optimized using benchmarking and data envelopment analysis. The model developed based on Cobb-Douglas production function has coefficient of determination (R2) of 91%. Analysis on the model revealed direct relationship of yield with machinery, fuel, fertilizer and pesticides energy expenditures and an inverse relationship of yield with seeding rate. Hence, suggesting the need to reduce farmers’ present seeding rate of 149 kg/ha to the optimum seeding rate of 128 kg/ha for higher yield and cost reduction.

Verification of Ganoderma (lingzhi) commercial products by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy and two-dimensional IR correlation spectroscopy

Ganoderma commercial products are typically based on two sources, raw material (powder form and/or spores) and extract (water and/or solvent). This study compared three types of Ganoderma commercial products using 1 Dimensional Fourier Transform infrared and second derivative spectroscopy. The analyzed spectra of Ganoderma raw material products were compared with spectra of cultivated Ganoderma raw material powder from different mushroom farms in Malaysia. The Ganoderma extract product was also compared with three types of cultivated Ganoderma extracts. Other medicinal Ganoderma contents in commercial extract product that included glucan and triterpenoid were analyzed by using FTIR and 2DIR. The results showed that water extract of cultivated Ganoderma possessed comparable spectra with that of Ganoderma product water extract. By comparing the content of Ganoderma commercial products using FTIR and 2DIR, product content profiles could be detected. In addition, the geographical origin of the Ganoderma products could be verified by comparing their spectra with Ganoderma products from known areas. This study demonstrated the possibility of developing verification tool to validate the purity of commercial medicinal herbal and mushroom products.

Acinetobacter kookii sp. nov., isolated from soil

Two Gram-stain-negative, non-fermentative bacterial strains, designated 11-0202(T) and 11-0607, were isolated from soil in South Korea, and four others, LUH 13522, LUH 8638, LUH 10268 and LUH 10288, were isolated from a beet field in Germany, soil in the Netherlands, and sediment of integrated fish farms in Malaysia and Thailand, respectively. Based on 16S rRNA, rpoB and gyrB gene sequences, they are considered to represent a novel species of the genus Acinetobacter. Their 16S rRNA gene sequences showed greatest pairwise similarity to Acinetobacter beijerinckii NIPH 838(T) (97.9-98.4 %). They shared highest rpoB and gyrB gene sequence similarity with Acinetobacter johnsonii DSM 6963(T) and Acinetobacter bouvetii 4B02(T) (85.4-87.6 and 78.1-82.7 %, respectively). Strain 11-0202(T) displayed low DNA-DNA reassociation values (<40 %) with the most closely related species of the genus Acinetobacter. The six strains utilized azelate, 2,3-butanediol, ethanol and dl-lactate as sole carbon sources. Cellular fatty acid analyses showed similarities to profiles of related species of the genus Acinetobacter: summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c, C16 : 1ω6c; 24.3-27.2 %), C18 : 1ω9c (19.9-22.1 %), C16 : 0 (15.2-22.0 %) and C12 : 0 (9.2-14.2 %). On the basis of the current findings, it is concluded that the six strains represent a novel species, for which the name Acinetobacter kookii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 11-0202(T) ( = KCTC 32033(T) = JCM 18512(T)).

Severe Anthelmintic Resistance in Two Free Grazing Small holder Goat Farms in Malaysia

The use of anthelmintics in Kinta district has been ineffective in varying degrees in small ruminants due to anthelmintic resistance. In 2012, two goat farms experiencing severe mortality up to 30% in the flock were tested for anthelmintic resistance using the Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) with four anthelmintic from the group; Benzimidazoles, Imidazothiazoles, Macrocyclic Lactones and Salicylanilides. Fifteen animals were used in each group and treated according to the recommended dose rates based on body weights and faecal egg counts and larval cultures were conducted. Results showed that Haemonchus contortus and Trichostongylus colubriformis in these two farms were resistant to all the four anthelmintic group tested. As these two farms were actively exporting their animals to the other farm, the results in this paper indicate that nematode resistant worms are actively dispersed to the other farms in the country. This would be a factor that will hinder the actions taken to alleviate the nematode anthelmintic resistance problem in Malaysia.

First molecular characterization of Giardia duodenalis from goats in Malaysia

In the present study, 310 faecal samples from goats from eight different farms in Malaysia were tested for the presence of Giardia using a PCR-coupled approach. The nested PCR for SSU amplified products of the expected size (∼200 bp) from 21 of 310 (6.8%) samples. Sixteen of these 21 products could be sequenced successfully and represented six distinct sequence types. Phylogenetic analysis of the SSU sequence data using Bayesian Inference (BI) identified Giardia assemblages A, B and E. The identification of the ‘zoonotic’ assemblages A and B suggests that Giardia-infected goats represent a possible reservoir for human giardiasis in Malaysia.

Field assessment of synthetic attractants and traps for the Old World screw-worm fly, Chrysomya bezziana

The performance of newly developed trapping systems for the Old World screw-worm fly, Chrysomya bezziana has been determined in field trials on cattle farms in Malaysia. The efficacy of non-sticky traps and new attractants to trap C. bezziana and non-target flies was compared with the standard sticky trap and Swormlure. The optimal trap was a modified LuciTrap® with a new attractant mixture, Bezzilure-2. The LuciTrap/Bezzilure-2 caught on average 3.1 times more C. bezziana than the sticky trap with Swormlure (P<0.05) and provided selectivity for C. bezziana against Chrysomya megacephala and Chrysomya rufifacies with factors of 5.9 and 6.4, respectively. The LuciTrap also discriminates with factors of 90 and 3.6 against Hemipyrellia sp. and sarcophagid flesh flies respectively, compared to the sticky trap. The LuciTrap/Bezzilure-2 system is recommended for screwworm fly surveillance as it is more attractive and selective towards C. bezziana and provides flies of better quality for identification than the sticky trap.