Important Disease Of Cattle Research Articles

Seroprevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus in Wild Pigs (Sus scrofa) in 17 States in the USA.

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are among the most detrimental invasive species in the USA. They are damaging to crops and agriculture, pose a public health risk as reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens, and may also spread disease to livestock. One pathogen identified in wild pigs is bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a virus that causes an economically important disease of cattle (Bos taurus and Bos indicus). We sought to determine the BVDV seroprevalence in wild pigs in 17 states across the US and to determine whether age category, sex, or location were associated with a positive antibody titer. Serum samples from 945 wild pigs were collected from 17 US states. Virus neutralization assays were performed to determine antibody titers against BVDV-1b and BVDV-2a. Total BVDV seroprevalence for the study area was 5.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.11-8.89). Seroprevalence across all evaluated states was determined to be 4.4% (95% CI, 2.48-6.82) for BVDV-1b and 3.6% (95% CI, 1.54-5.60) for BVDV-2a. The seroprevalence for individual states varied from 0% to 16.7%. There was no statistical difference in median antibody titer for BVDV-1b or BVDV-2a by sex or age category. State seroprevalences for both BVDV-1b and BVDV-2a were associated with wild pig population estimates for those states.

Employment of mastoparan-like peptides to prevent Staphylococcus aureus associated with bovine mastitis.

Bovine mastitis is a frequent infection in lactating cattle, causing great economic losses. Staphylococcus aureus represents the main etiological agent, which causes recurrent and persistent intramammary infections because conventional antibiotics are ineffective against it. Mastoparan-like peptides are multifunctional molecules with broad antimicrobial potential, constituting an attractive alternative. Nevertheless, their toxicity to host cells has hindered their therapeutic application. Previously, our group engineered three mastoparan-L analogs, namely mastoparan-MO, mastoparan-R1, and [I5, R8] MP, to improve cell selectivity and potential. Here, we were interested in comparing the antibacterial efficacy of mastoparan-L and its analogs against bovine mastitis isolates of S. aureus strains, making a correlation with the physicochemical properties and structural arrangement changes promoted by the sequence modifications. As a result, the analog's hemolytic and/or antimicrobial activity was balanced. All the peptides displayed α-helical folding in hydrophobic and membrane-mimetic environments, as determined by circular dichroism. The peptide [I5, R8] MP stood out for its enhanced selectivity and antibacterial features related to mastoparan-L and the other derivatives. Biophysical approaches revealed that [I5, R8] MP rapidly depolarizes the bacterial membrane of S. aureus, causing cell death by subsequent membrane disruption. Our results demonstrated that the [I5, R8] MP peptide could be a starting point for the development of peptide-based drugs for the treatment of bovine mastitis, with the advantage of no residue in milk, which would help reduce the use of classical antibiotics.IMPORTANCEStaphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of mastitis, the world's most important dairy cattle disease. The multidrug resistance and zoonotic potential of S. aureus, besides the likelihood of antibiotic residues in milk, are of critical concern to public and animal health. Antimicrobial peptides offer a novel antimicrobial strategy. Here, we demonstrate that [I5, R8] MP is a potent and selective peptide, which acts on S. aureus by targeting the bacterial membrane. Therefore, understanding the physicochemical determinants and the modes of action of this class of antimicrobials opens novel prospects for peptide development with enhanced activities in the bovine mastitis context.

A 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial of a commercial M. bovis (CMB) vaccine and a conditionally licensed M. bovoculi vaccine (CLMB) to prevent IBK

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) is an economically important disease of beef cattle. Currently, there is little pub­lic evidence from randomized controlled trials that the differ­ent vaccines and vaccination regimes available to prevent IBK in cattle are effective, including autogenous and commercial vaccines directed at Moraxella bovis or Moraxella bovoculi. The combined use of a commercial M. bovis (CMB) vaccine and a conditionally licensed M. bovoculi vaccine (CLMB) has yet to be publicly evaluated.

Clinical, seroepidemiological and hematological study of Buffaloes Babesiosis in Basrah, Iraq

Objective: Babesiosis is one of the important diseases in cattle and buffaloes, the current study conducting to diagnoses and evaluate the infection by B.pigeamina in buffaloes during the period of November 2022 to September 2023. Methods: The study included 210 animals of both sexes and varied ages. The blood sampling from 220 water buffaloes (Bubalus Bubalis) in the north of Basrah governorate during the period of November 2022 to September 2023; the samples collected from both sexes and different ages ranged between 1 to 5 years. At these ten months 20 blood samples was randomly collected each month to compared with the control 10 animals. Results: The blood smear from infected buffaloes show the parasite clearly while the clinical signs reported as: babesiosis confirm 16% (32 affected animals) represented by fever, emaciation, anorexia, low milk production, jaundice of mucous membrane, corneal opacity and hemoglobinuria. The subclinical infected buffaloes which represented 41% (82 affected animals) appear healthy with no clinical signs. Also indicate that were no significant differences (P less than 0.05) between the infected and control group. The hematological parameters show significant differences (P less than 0.05) in RBCs count, total WBC count, deferential LC, Hb concentration and PCV in the infected buffaloes compare to the control animals while there were no significant differences (P less than 0.05) between the subclinical and control buffaloes except the RBCs count. The serological examination revealed to significant differences (P less than 0.05) in the infected group in posit to the control especially the liver enzymes and kidney function test enzymes which include: AST, ALT, ALP, BUN, creatinine and TP. Moreover, According the season and months the study detects the high infection rate in the summer while there were decrease in the infection rate in the mild or cold weather months. Moreover, the study indicates the high infection percentage in females compare to the male sex. Conclusion: Babesiosis is very important disease in Buffaloes in north of Basrah and there are no significant differences in infection rates between male and female.

Novel CRISPR-Cas-powered pen-side test for East Coast fever

Theileria parvacauses East Coast fever (ECF), one of the most important and lethal tick-borne diseases of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. ECF is a considerable burden to the livestock industry, causing annual losses exceeding US $300 million. Currently, diagnosis of T. parva infections relies mainly on clinical signs, serology, and microscopic identification of parasites in either blood or lymph fluid samples. However, some of these tests might not indicate ongoing infection and they all lack the sensitivity to detect low-level infections. Molecular tests such as nested and quantitative PCR assays offer high sensitivity for detection of T. parva. However, these tests remain highly complex technologies that are impractical to use in resource-limited settings where economic losses due to the disease have the most significant impact. A field-deployable, point-of-care test will be of significant value in the treatment and control of ECF in endemic areas. For this purpose, we have developed a CRISPR-Cas12a-based pen-side tool that can sensitively and specifically detect T. parva based on the p104 gene. We describe a streamlined, field-applicable diagnostic tool comprising a 20 min recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) reaction followed by a 60 min CRISPR-Cas12a reaction using a FAM/Biotin lateral flow strip readout. We tested two different RPA primer pairs and four different CRISPR-RNAs (crRNAs). The p104-based assay displayed high sensitivity, detecting as low as one infected lymphocyte per three microliters of blood and universally detecting eight different T. parva strains without detecting DNA from other Theileria spp. such as Theileria mutans and Theileria lestoquardi. This work opens the way for a field-applicable diagnostic tool for the sensitive point-of-care early diagnosis of T. parva infections in cattle.

Isolation and propagation of an Egyptian Theileria annulata infected cell line and evaluation of its use as a vaccine to protect cattle against field challenge

Tropical theileriosis is an important protozoan tick-borne disease in cattle. Vaccination using attenuated schizont-infected cell lines is one of the methods used for controlling the disease. This study describes the production of attenuated schizont-infected cell lines from Egypt and an evaluation of its use as a vaccine to protect calves against clinical disease upon field challenge. Two groups of exotic and crossbred male calves were divided into vaccinated and control groups. The vaccinated groups were inoculated with 4 ml (1 × 106 cells/ml) of the attenuated cell line. Three weeks after vaccination, calves of both groups were transported to the New Valley Governorate (Egyptian oasis) where they were kept under field conditions and exposed to the natural Theileria annulata challenge. All animals in the control group showed severe clinical signs and died despite treatment with buparvaquone, which was administered after two days of persistent fever due to a severe drop in packed cell volume (PCV). Animals in the vaccinated group became seropositive without developing severe clinical signs other than transient fever. Post-mortem examinations revealed enlarged and fragile lymph nodes, spleen, and liver with necrosis and hemorrhages. These findings indicate that the Egyptian attenuated cell line was successful in protecting both exotic and crossbred animals against tropical theileriosis under field conditions.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Babesia bigemina Attenuated Vaccine and Virulent Strains of Mexican Origin.

Bovine babesiosis, caused by the protozoan Babesia bigemina, is one of the most important hemoparasite diseases of cattle in Mexico and the world. An attenuated B. bigemina strain maintained under in vitro culture conditions has been used as a live attenuated vaccine; however, the biological mechanisms involved in attenuation are unknown. The objective of this study was to identify, through a comparative transcriptomics approach, the components of the B. bigemina virulent parasites that are differentially expressed in vivo, as opposed to those expressed by B. bigemina attenuated vaccine parasites when inoculated into naïve cattle. The biological material under study was obtained by inoculating spleen-intact cattle with infected erythrocytes containing either the attenuated strain or a virulent field strain. After RNA extraction, transcriptomic analysis (RNA-seq) was performed, followed by bioinformatic Differential Expression (DE) analysis and Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment. The high-throughput sequencing results obtained by analyzing three biological replicates for each parasite strain ranged from 9,504,000 to 9,656,000, and 13,400,000 to 15,750,000 reads for the B. bigemina attenuated and virulent strains, respectively. At least 519 differentially expressed genes were identified in the analyzed strains. In addition, GO analysis revealed both similarities and differences across the three categories: cellular components, biological processes, and molecular functions. The attenuated strain of B. bigemina derived from in vitro culture presents global transcriptomic changes when compared to the virulent strain. Moreover, the obtained data provide insights into the potential molecular mechanisms associated with the attenuation or pathogenicity of each analyzed strain, offering molecular markers that might be associated with virulence or potential vaccine candidates.

Review on the Economic Impacts of Lumpy Skin Disease of Cattle and its Prevention and Control Strategies in Ethiopia

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an infectious disease of cattle, caused by a Lumpy Skin Disease Virus. It is an economically important viral disease of cattle affecting all ages and breeds that can be prevented by vaccination in endemic regions including Ethiopia. LSD is an OIE listed disease because of considerable financial losses and in Ethiopia due to the endemic nature of LSD; the country is facing serious difficulties in exporting live cattle and their products. In addition, this situation contributes a negative impact on the national economic growth through the loss of meat and milk production and poor quality of skin and hides. Serious economic losses can follow outbreaks that have a high morbidity and high mortality rates of 40 percent or more have been encountered. There is no specific antiviral treatment available for LSD-infected cattle. The disease is now the problem of almost all the regions and agro ecological zones of Ethiopia. Major outbreaks of LSD have been occurred in different regions of Ethiopia. Two vaccines, however, Neethling and Kenya sheep and goat pox virus, have been used widely in Africa with success. Preventing movement the diseased animals along with vector control, regular annual vaccinations and awareness creation for cattle owners play great role in disease prevention and control. The disease outbreak was observed in the cattle regardless of previous vaccination with Kenyan sheep- and goat pox vaccine the occurrence of LSD outbreak scale, despite the use of a vaccination regime, is suggestive of vaccine failure. Apparent emerging vaccine failure is a serious problem for efficient control of LSD, as the disease has been manifested by high morbidity and mortality rates, regardless of vaccination status. Consequently continuous surveillance on the status of the disease and genetic information on circulating field viruses is mandatory in order to take effective measures for the control of the disease in the country.

Expression of sex-specific molecular markers by Babesia bovis gametes

BackgroundBovine babesiosis caused by Babesia bovis is one of the most important tick-borne diseases of cattle in tropical and subtropical regions. Babesia bovis parasites have a complex lifecycle, including development within the mammalian host and tick vector. In the tick midgut, extracellular Babesia parasites transform into gametes that fuse to form zygotes. To date, little is known about genes and proteins expressed by male gametes.Methods and resultsWe developed a method to separate male gametes from in vitro induced B. bovis culture. Separation enabled the validation of sex-specific markers. Collected male gametocytes were observed by Giemsa-stained smear and live-cell fluorescence microscopy. Babesia male gametes were used to confirm sex-specific markers by quantitative real-time PCR. Some genes were found to be male gamete specific genes including pka, hap2, α-tubulin II and znfp2. However, α-tubulin I and ABC transporter, trap2-4 and ccp1-3 genes were found to be upregulated in culture depleted of male gametes (female-enriched). Live immunofluorescence analysis using polyclonal antibodies confirmed surface expression of HAP2 by male and TRAP2-4 by female gametes. These results revealed strong markers to distinguish between B. bovis male and female gametes.ConclusionsHerein, we describe the identification of sex-specific molecular markers essential for B. bovis sexual reproduction. These tools will enhance our understanding of the biology of sexual stages and, consequently, the development of additional strategies to control bovine babesiosis.Graphical

Comparison of bovine viral diarrhea virus detection methods: Results of an international proficiency trial

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), one of the most important infectious cattle diseases globally, is being combated in multiple countries. The main source for virus transmission within herds and especially to unaffected cattle farms are life-long persistently infected (PI), immunotolerant animals. Therefore, the early identification of PI calves is a major pillar of disease control programs. In addition, rapid and reliable virus identification is necessary to confirm the causative agent in acute clinical cases. Here, we initiated an international interlaboratory proficiency trial in order to evaluate BVDV detection methods.Four ear notch samples and four sera were provided to the participating veterinary diagnostic laboratories (n = 40). Two of the ear notches and two sera contained BVDV and two ear notches and one serum were negative for pestiviruses. The remaining serum was positive for the ovine border disease virus (BDV). The sample panel was analyzed by an ERNS-based ELISA for antigen detection, diverse real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) assays and/or virus isolation. Occasionally, additional typing of the virus strains was performed by sequencing or specific antibody staining of the obtained cell culture isolates. While the antigen ELISA allowed reliable BVDV diagnostics, infectious virus could be isolated only in just under half of the attempts (43.33%). RT-qPCR enabled the sensitive detection of pestiviruses, though an impact of the extraction method on the resulting quantification cycle values was observed. In general, subsequent typing of the detected virus strains is required to differentiate BVDV from BDV infections.In conclusion, for BVDV identification in clinical cases or in the context of disease control, RT-qPCR methods or ERNS antigen ELISAs should be preferentially used.

Epidemiological Characteristics of the Lumpy Skin Disease Outbreak in Nawalpur, Nepal, 2022

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an economically important and notifiable transboundary viral disease of cattle and water buffalo, predominantly transmitted by arthropod vectors. In recent times, LSD has emerged as a notable concern in Nepal, with the first outbreak reported in June 2020, in Morang district. In 2022, outbreaks of LSD were observed in several districts with Nawalpur district being the hard‐hit district. The objective of this study is to provide insights into the epidemiological characteristics of LSD, to identify potential sources and associated risk factors for LSD outbreak in Nawalpur, and its financial impact. The overall morbidity rate was observed to be 28.02% (n = 431/1,538) and the mortality rate was 3.06% (n = 47/1,538), resulting in a case fatality rate of 10.90% (n = 47/431). The predominant clinical symptoms were skin nodules, lameness, and decreased milk production in milking animals. Dry cattle, including pregnant cows and cattle heifers were the most affected. Univariable logistic regression analysis identified factors linked to disease outbreaks, such as importing animals from disease prevalent regions, sharing feed and water, herd size, and the presence of clinical signs in neighboring farms. Multivariable analysis highlighted the significance of neighboring farms having sick animals in resulting disease outbreaks. Because of the substantial economic impact due to LSD, it is imperative to implement effective control and preventive measures. These include animal movement control and quarantine, following biosecurity protocols during nearby outbreaks, and targeted vaccination of susceptible populations to prevent further disease spread.

Characterisation of reproductive tract microbiome and immune biomarkers for bovine genital campylobacteriosis in vaccinated and unvaccinated heifers.

Bovine genital campylobacteriosis (BGC) is a globally important venereal disease of cattle caused by Campylobacter fetus subspecies venerealis. Diagnosis of BGC is highly challenging due to the lack of accurate diagnostic tests. To characterise the biomarkers for C. fetus venerealis infection, a total of twelve cycling heifers were selected and categorised as vaccinated (n = 6) with Vibrovax® (Zoetis™) and unvaccinated (n = 6). All heifers were oestrous synchronised with a double dose of prostaglandin (PGF2α) 11 days apart and when in oestrous intravaginally challenged with 2.7 x 109 CFU live C. fetus venerealis. DNA extracted from vaginal mucus samples was screened using a C. fetus qPCR and 16S rRNA was characterised using Illumina sequencing (V5-V8 region). Relative abundances of serum proteins were calculated using sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion spectra coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (SWATH-MS) for all heifers at three timepoints: pre-challenge, post-challenge and post-recovery. In 16S rRNA sequencing of vaginal mucus, Campylobacter spp. appeared two days following challenge in unvaccinated compared to 14 days in vaccinated animals, consistent with the qPCR results. Increased relative abundances of Firmicutes and Campylobacterota were identified after C. fetus venerealis challenge and were associated with C. fetus venerealis in vaccinated and unvaccinated heifers. Greater relative abundance of Streptococcus spp. was observed during oestrous rather than dioestrous. In both vaccinated and unvaccinated heifers, Acinetobacter spp. increased after challenge with higher abundance of Corynebacterium spp. in the vaccinated group. A total of 130 unique proteins were identified in SWATH analysis of the serum samples, and the number of differentially abundant proteins found was higher in the vaccinated group after recovery from infection compared to pre-and post-challenge (adjusted P < 0.05 and Log2FC > 0.2). Coglutinin, clusterin, HP homologs, vitamin D binding protein and fetuin B were identified as potential biomarkers for C. fetus venerealis infection and need further study to validate their efficiency as immune biomarkers for BGC.

Dry LAMP: A point of care diagnostics for diagnosis of bovine tropical theileriosis.

Theileriosis is an important tick-bome hemoprotozoan disease of cattle which causes severe economic loss due to morbidity and mortality. A diagnostic test having high sensitivity, specificity and easy application at the field level is the need of the hour. In this regard Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is proven to be a sensitive, easy and time efficient method. One of the major obstacles for the application of LAMP is the difficulty in maintaining the cold chain to preserve reagents. Thus, the challenge is to develop a LAMP kit in a ready-to-use format with dried reagents useful for quick and simple application in field conditions. The optimized reaction of wet LAMP was followed for the standardization of dry LAMP with certain modifications which are needful. The major modification is vitrification technology of enzyme using trehalose. LAMP assay (dry and wet LAMP) was found to be more sensitive (100%) when compared to microscopy (69.5%) and PCR (86.9%). It was observed that the dry LAMP reaction tubes at room temperature as well as refrigeration temperature provided successful amplification till 7 weeks. The drying conditions of LAMP reagents were optimized, and finally managed to dry them in a single reaction tube without reducing the sensitivity. This technology enables us to transport LAMP kits to areas where the cold chain is not easily available.

Review on the Economic Impacts of Lumpy Skin Disease of Cattle and Its Prevention and Control Strategies in Ethiopia

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an infectious disease of cattle, caused by a Lumpy Skin Disease Virus. It is an economically important viral disease of cattle affecting all ages and breeds that can be prevented by vaccination in endemic regions including Ethiopia. LSD is an OIE listed disease because of considerable financial losses and in Ethiopia due to the endemic nature of LSD; the country is facing serious difficulties in exporting live cattle and their products. In addition, this situation contributes a negative impact on the national economic growth through the loss of meat and milk production and poor quality of skin and hides. Serious economic losses can follow outbreaks that have a high morbidity and high mortality rates of 40 percent or more have been encountered. There is no specific antiviral treatment available for LSD-infected cattle. The disease is now the problem of almost all the regions and agro ecological zones of Ethiopia. Major outbreaks of LSD have been occurred in different regions of Ethiopia. Two vaccines, however, Neethling and Kenya sheep and goat pox virus, have been used widely in Africa with success. Preventing movement the diseased animals along with vector control, regular annual vaccinations and awareness creation for cattle owners play great role in disease prevention and control. The disease outbreak was observed in the cattle regardless of previous vaccination with Kenyan sheep- and goat pox vaccine the occurrence of LSD outbreak scale, despite the use of a vaccination regime, is suggestive of vaccine failure. Apparent emerging vaccine failure is a serious problem for efficient control of LSD, as the disease has been manifested by high morbidity and mortality rates, regardless of vaccination status. Consequently continuous surveillance on the status of the disease and genetic information on circulating field viruses is mandatory in order to take effective measures for the control of the disease in the country.

Epidemiology of Bovine Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome in Belgium and The Netherlands.

Hemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS) is a poorly understood, sporadic and often fatal disease in cattle. Although, HBS is considered an important disease in dairy cattle, epidemiological data is largely lacking. This study describes the epidemiology of HBS in Belgium and the Netherlands, based on necropsy records from 2009 to 2022, and reports characteristics from 27 cows and 35 dairy operations with HBS, gathered through a survey. The annual incidence of HBS has a significantly increasing trend both at cow and herd level, with incidence above 3.2% in necropsied mature dairy cattle in the most recent years. Estimated herd-level incidence in the Netherlands was double the estimated incidence in Belgium, which might be explained by higher herd size in the Netherlands. Occurrence of HBS was most prevalent in fall, being 40.1% higher than the average of the other seasons. In 35 Flemish (Belgian) surveyed dairy herds with HBS, manifestation of HBS was mostly as solitary cases, and if multiple cases occurred, the time interval was highly variable. In addition, the majority of cows with HBS (61.1%; 16/26) were in more than 100 days lactation. In conclusion, HBS is an important and possibly emerging disease in dairy cattle in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Evaluation of a novel dipotassium phosphate bolus for treatment of metabolic disorders in dairy cattle.

A dipotassium phosphate bolus (K Phos-Boost) has been developed to treat both hypophosphatemia and hypokalemia, as the clinical signs of both conditions are similar and occur in the early post-partum period. The objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy and application of the bolus for prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases that are common in dairy production systems. Study 1 (Pharmacokinetic study): Healthy post-partum cows were either untreated or received two K Phos-Boost boluses at times 0, 24, and 48 h. Blood was taken at t = 0, 2-, 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 24-, and 52-h post-treatment for analysis of total serum minerals. There was an increase in serum phosphorous to normal levels within 2 h of treatment with the bolus, but control cows remained hypophosphatemic. Serum potassium was significantly elevated 2 h after bolus administration relative to control, while calcium, magnesium, sodium, and chloride levels were not affected by the K Phos-Boost bolus. Study 2 (Downer Cow Treatment): K Phos-Boost boluses were provided to cows that were unresponsive to intravenous calcium therapy and had been unable to stand for over 24 h ("downer cows"). Most cows (16 of 19) treated with two boluses were standing without assistance between 1 and 24 h after treatment and the serum phosphorous was increased to normal levels in five of five tested animals. Study 3 (Ketosis Treatment): cows with clinical ketosis were provided with propylene glycol and K Phos-Boost boluses (n = 29) or only propylene glycol (n = 23). Cows treated with the K Phos-Boost bolus showed a more rapid recovery by increased milk production (3.9 kg/day) and rumination rate (97 min/day). Study 4 (Health Promotion): cows in herds with >40% post-partum hypophosphatemia received K Phos-Boost boluses (n = 130) or no treatment (n = 146) following calving. There was a trend for treated 2nd-lactation animals to have higher milk production after 30 DIM (49.1 vs. 46.2 kg/day; P = 0.09). There were no significant differences between control and bolus treated animals in the incidence of subclinical ketosis, post-calving total health events, or culling rates. The K Phos-Boost bolus is a novel product and has the potential to treat and prevent several important metabolic diseases in dairy cattle. The studies described in this paper are early investigations and further research should be conducted to demonstrate the applications of a dipotassium phosphate bolus in dairy cows.

Review on Bovine Pneumonic Pasteurellosis

Bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis is an economically important disease of cattle mainly in feedlot industry; and is characterized clinically by acute bronchopneumonia with toxemia. The bacteria have many virulence factors like capsule, fimbriae, endotoxin and leukotoxin. The disease is mostly associated with stress factors as the bacteria are commensals in the upper respiratory tract. The most common predisposing factors that expose cattle to bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis are transportation, the presence of concurrent bacterial, viral and parasitic disease, overstocking, any mass veterinary and animal husbandry practices like mass vaccination, prophylactic treatment, castration, docking, dehorning etc. Suddenly change of macro and micro climatic conditions, starvation and water deprivation of cattle can also expose the cattle to pneumonic pasteurellosis. Because they are stress factors that reduce the immune status of animals; as the result the commensal organism becomes pathogenic to stressed cattle and cause bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis. Bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis can be diagnosed by considering the epidemiology, clinical signs and the necropsy findings. However, confirmatory diagnose of bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis is done by isolation and identification of the causative agent from clinical specimens. Bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis must be differentiated from CBPP; Infectious Bovine Rhinotrachitis (IBRT), lung worms that have almost similar clinical findings. Treatment of the disease is effective in the early stage of the disease by using different antimicrobial drugs. However, the bacteria have many antimicrobial resistance factors and resistant to many antimicrobial drugs. The disease can be prevented and controlled by reducing stress factors, by improving management, by using antimicrobial drugs in their prophylactic treatment and using effective vaccines. But the presence of many serotypes and antimicrobial resistance factors of the organism make the disease difficult to prevent and control. So that reducing stress factors, performing qualitative antibiogram and using efficient vaccine which contains the major serotypes of Mannheimia haemolytica are crucial to control the disease.

Participatory survey of risk factors and pathways for Rift Valley fever in pastoral and agropastoral communities of Uganda

To assess pastoralists’ and agropastoralists’ knowledge on Rift Valley fever (RVF), participatory epidemiological studies were conducted with 215 livestock keepers and 27 key informants in Napak, Butebo, Isingiro and Lyantonde districts, Uganda, between January and February 2022. Livestock keepers in all four districts had knowledge of RVF and even had local names or descriptions for it. Pastoralists and agropastoralists possessed valuable knowledge of RVF clinical descriptions and epidemiological risk factors such as the presence of infected mosquitoes, living in flood-prone areas, and excessive rainfall. RVF was ranked among the top ten most important cattle diseases. Pastoralists called RVF Lonyang, symbolizing a disease associated with jaundice, high fever, abortions in pregnant cows, and sudden death in calves. Key informants identified infected domestic animals, the presence of infected mosquitoes, livestock movement and trade, and infected wild animals as risk pathways for the introduction of RVF into an area. Drinking raw blood and milk was perceived as the most likely pathway for human exposure to RVF virus; while the highest consequence was high treatment costs. The results indicate that pastoralists provided key epidemiological information that could be essential for designing an effective national RVF surveillance and early warning system.

168 Characterization of the Culturable Fraction of Bovine Ocular Microbiota and Its in Vitro Antimicrobial Activities Against Pinkeye Pathogens

Abstract Pinkeye, clinically known as infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), is considered one of the most important ocular diseases in cattle, causing an estimated $226 million in annual losses to U.S. cow-calf producers. While Moraxella bovis is considered the principal IBK pathogen, Moraxella bovoculi has also been associated with the pathogenesis of IBK. Thus, these Moraxella species are often the target for antibiotic and/or vaccine-based treatment and prevention strategies. Despite extensive use of antibiotics, IBK infections are challenging to treat, highlighting the increased need for an antibiotic-alternative approach to control IBK. Recent evidence suggests that the microbial community associated with the bovine oculus is important for eye health, and that the ocular microbiota can be a target for enhancing disease resistance against IBK in cattle. The objectives of this study were to characterize the ocular microbiota of healthy and IBK infected cattle using sequencing and culturing techniques, and to isolate and screen commensal ocular isolates for their antimicrobial activity against M. bovis and M. bovoculi. Ocular swabs (n = 64) were collected using eSwabs from cattle diagnosed with IBK or without IBK (healthy control) before antibiotic treatment from beef herds across North Dakota. Swabs were plated onto four different agar plates (blood, Columbia blood, MRS and multi-sliced agar plates), and cultured aerobically and anaerobically. A total of 658 bacterial isolates were obtained via culturing and cryopreserved. Taxonomic identification was performed on a subset of banked isolates (n = 277) by near full-length sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. These isolates taxonomically belong to 6 different bacterial phyla: Bacillus (42%), Firmicutes (27%), Actinomycetota (13%), Pseudomonadota (11%), Actinobacteria (5%), and Proteobacteria (2%). A total of 55 different genera were identified with Bacillus (25%), Streptococcus (13%), Staphylococcus (10%), Moraxella (6%), Macrococcus (5%), Paenibacillus (3%), Caldibacillus (3%), and Rummeliibacillus (3%) being the most dominant genera. Next, a subset of these commensal isolates (n 53) were screened for their growth inhibition against M. bovis and M. bovoculi using an agar slab method. Among the screened isolates, 6 isolates showed inhibition against M. bovis and M. bovoculi with zones of inhibition ranging from 12 mm to 28 mm. Ocular isolates identified as Weizmannia coagulans (43Y-MRSC), Lentillactobacillus buchneri (23D-MRSA) and Paenibacillus polymyxa (785-WCF) exhibited relatively strong inhibition against both Moraxella isolates. Scanning electron microscopy revealed noticeable structural and morphological damages in M. bovis and M. bovoculi cells due to Weizmannia coagulans culture-supernatant treatment. Overall, our results indicate that ocular mucosa of beef cattle is inhabited by relatively rich and diverse culturable bacterial communities, and that some ocular commensals can inhibit IBK pathogens. This suggests the potential for the development of bacterial therapeutics based on commensal ocular bacteria to mitigate IBK in cattle.

Complete genome sequence of the lumpy skin disease virus reported from Jammu and Kashmir, India, during 2022 outbreak.

Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) is the causative agent of an economically important disease of cattle and water buffaloes. Here, we announce the complete genome sequence of the LSDV from Jammu and Kashmir, India. LSDV/02/KASH/IND/2022 was detected in skin biopsy sample of an LSD-infected dairy cow on 24 October 2022.