Milk-producing Animals Research Articles

From raw milk cheese to the gut: investigating the colonization strategies of Bifidobacterium mongoliense.

The microbial ecology of raw milk cheeses is determined by bacteria originating from milk and milk-producing animals. Recently, it has been shown that members of the Bifidobacterium mongoliense species may become transmitted along the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production chain and ultimately may colonize the consumer intestine. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms that mediate the interaction between B. mongoliense and the human gut. Based on 128 raw milk cheeses collected from different Italian regions, we isolated and characterized 10 B. mongoliense strains. Comparative genomics allowed us to unveil the presence of enzymes required for the degradation of sialylated host-glycans in B. mongoliense, corroborating the appreciable growth on de Man-Rogosa-Sharpe (MRS) medium supplemented with 3'-sialyllactose (3'-SL) or 6'-sialyllactose (6'-SL). The B. mongoliense BMONG18 was chosen, due to its superior ability to utilize 3'-SL and mucin as representative strain, to investigate its behavior when co-inoculated with other bifidobacterial species. Conversely, members of other bifidobacterial species did not appear to benefit from the presence of BMONG18, highlighting a competitive scenario for nutrient acquisition. Transcriptomic data of BMONG18 reveal no significant differences in gene expression when cultivated in a gut simulating medium (GSM), regardless of whether cheese was included or not. Furthermore, BMONG18 was shown to exhibit high adhesion capabilities to HT29-MTX human cells, in line with its colonization ability of a human host.IMPORTANCEFermented foods are nourishments produced through controlled microbial growth that play an essential role in worldwide human nutrition. Research interest in fermented foods has increased since the 80s, driven by growing awareness of their potential health benefits beyond mere nutritional content. Bifidobacterium mongoliense, previously identified throughout the production process of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, was found to be capable of establishing itself in the intestines of its consumers. Our study underscores molecular mechanisms through which this bifidobacterial species, derived from food, interacts with the host and other gut microbiota members.

Potential effects of gingerol topical application on components of the innate immunity in lactating goat mammary glands.

In the mammary glands, production of antimicrobial components and formation of less-permeable tight junctions (TJs) are important for safe milk production. Previously, we reported that local heat treatment of udders using disposable heating pad enhances the components of innate immunity in lactating goat mammary glands. Gingerol is a polyphenol present in ginger that can induce heat-like effects. However, oral administration of polyphenols causes a decrease in biological activity through conjugation and metabolic conversion. Here, we investigated the effects of gingerol on antimicrobial components and TJs by topically applying it to lactating goat udders. Gingerol application increased the somatic cell count, cathelicidin-2 concentration, and proportion of polymorphonuclear cells in the milk and interleukin-8 production. Moreover, gingerol treatment enhanced β-defensin-1 production in milk, cultured mammary epithelial cells, and cultured somatic cells. Contrastingly, gingerol treatment did not affect the concentrations of blood-derived components (Na+, albumin, and IgG) in the milk or the TJ barrier function of cultured mammary epithelial cells. These findings suggest that the topical application of gingerol, similar to local heat treatment, to udders enhances the components of innate immunity in mammary glands. These findings may be useful for the prevention of mastitis in milk-producing animals and, hence, safe and stable dairy production.

Investigation of the presence of some antibiotics in Raw Goat milk collected from Ankara, Kırıkkale and Çankırı provinces

Antibiotics used in food producing-animals may cause residual problems in food in terms of public health. This situation can lead to serious problems in terms of human health. Raw milk is one of the foods that are likely to contain antibiotics, even in trace amounts. This study aimed to determine the residue levels of commonly used antibiotics of raw goat's milk samples offered for sale in Ankara, Çankırı and Kırıkkale. One active ingredient was selected from the five most commonly used antibiotic groups in animals and it determined the residue levels of these substances in milk. For this purpose, within one year and in two different periods, 150 raw goat milks analyzed in terms of antibiotics using HPLC method. The values for enrofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, tylosin, penicillin G and oxytetracycline were 7.9, 9.7, 11.5, 5.4 and 7.3 minutes for retention times, 1.47, 0.8; 7.51; 2.69 and 8.89 µg/L for limit of detection (LOD) and 4.47, 2.44, 22.78, 8.16 and 26.96 µg/L for limit of quantification (LOQ), respectively. No antibiotic residues were detected in the goat milk samples. It is predicted that the higher resistance of goats to diseases compared to other milk-producing animals, and therefore the lower use of antibiotics in these animals, leads to this result. The findings obtained as a result of this study are valuable in terms of public health. It is important that no antibiotic residues are found in the analyzes.

Antibacterial Potential of Seagrass Cymodocea Rotundata (Alismatales: Cymodoceaceae) Extract on The Pathogenic Bacteria Staphylococcus Aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is classified as a pathogenic bacterium in humans and animals. S. aureus infection in humans can cause skin infections, and produce toxins that result in shock syndrome, foodborne disease, bacteremia, endocarditis, metastatic infections, and sepsis, while in milk-producing animals it can cause mastitis infection. Initially, S. aureus can be overcome with penicillin antibiotics but often develops time S. aureus becomes resistant to penicillin to cause new infections, namely the Methicilin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which was first reported in 1961. One of the natural ingredients from the sea that has natural antibacterial content is seagrass or Cymodocea rotundata. Which is one type of seagrass in Indonesia that is included in the round type of grass. Cymodocea rotundata has bioactive components such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenol hydroquinone, steroids, triterpenoids, tannins, and saponins that function as antibacterials. This study aims to determine the potential of seagrass Cymodocea rotundata as an antibacterial against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. This research is experimental research using wells. Samples of Cymodocea rotundata seagrass came from the coastal waters of Ketapang and were converted into a simplified powder form with ethanol solvent. The results showed that the diameter of the inhibition zone formed ranged from 5.5 mm - 9.7 mm, the largest in the 40% treatment. Based on this research, it can be concluded that the extraction of seagrass Cymodocea rotundata has benefits as an antibacterial and potential in the field of pharmacology.

Recent Trends of Antibiotic Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus Causing Clinical Mastitis in Dairy Herds in Abruzzo and Molise Regions, Italy.

This study aimed to investigate the recent trends of antibiotic resistance (AR) prevalence in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the milk of animals with clinical mastitis in areas of the Abruzzo and Molise regions in Central Italy. Fifty-four S. aureus isolates were obtained from routine testing for clinical mastitis agents carried out in the author institution in the years 2021 and 2022 and were analyzed for phenotypic resistance to eight antibiotics recommended for testing by European norms and belonging to the antibiotic classes used for mastitis treatment in milk-producing animals. Moreover, the presence of 14 transferable genetic determinants encoding resistance to the same antibiotics was analyzed using qPCR tests developed in this study. Phenotypic resistance to non-β-lactams was infrequent, with only one 2022 isolate resistant to clindamycin. However, resistance to the β-lactam cefoxitin at concentrations just above the threshold of 4 µg/mL was observed in 59.2% of isolates in both years, making these isolates classifiable as methicillin-resistant. The AR genotypes detected were the blaZ gene (50% of 2021 isolates and 44.4% of 2022 isolates), aphA3-blaZ- ermC/T (one 2021 isolate), aphA3-ant6-blaZ-ermC/T (one 2021 isolate), blaZ-ermB (one 2022 isolate) and mecA-mph (one 2022 isolate). An inquiry into the veterinarians who provided the samples, regarding the antimicrobials prescribed for mastitis treatment and criteria of usage, indicated a possible causal relation with the AR test results. The occurrence of AR genotypes did not increase in time, most probably reflecting how mastitis was treated and prevented in farms. However, the frequently observed cefoxitin resistance needs to be explained genotypically, further monitored and limited by modifying antibiotic usage practices. The identification of a mecA-positive isolate in 2022 suggests further investigation if this genotype is emerging locally.

Tetraconazole interrupts mitochondrial function and intracellular calcium levels leading to apoptosis of bovine mammary epithelial cells

Tetraconazole is a type of fungicide that eliminates pathogens in plants and fruit. To date, studies have focused on the direct exposure of plants and fruits to residual tetraconazole, but no studies have been conducted on the indirect effects of tetraconzaole. Given the importance of cows as milk-producing animals and their potential exposure to pesticides via plant consumption, we analyzed the mechanism by which tetraconazole influences milk production. Here, we confirmed that tetraconazole-induced apoptosis and inhibited cell viability and proliferation by regulating the cell cycle in bovine mammary epithelial cells (MAC-T). In addition, Ca2+ homeostasis in mitochondria was disrupted by tetraconazole, leading to the depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential. Consistent with the proliferation-related findings, tetraconazole downregulated AKT, ERK1/2, P38, and JNK signaling pathways and proliferation-related proteins such as CCND1 and PCNA in MAC-T cells. Meanwhile, it upregulated cleaved caspase 3, BAX, and Cytochrome c under the same conditions in MAC-T cells. Furthermore, MAC-T exposed to tetraconazole causes a failure of proper autophagy functioning. In summary, the results of this study indicated that tetraconazole exposure may lead to a failure of milk production from bovine mammary epithelial cells by disrupting calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial function.

PROSPECTS OF USING COMPLEX GENOTYPES FOR BETA-CASEIN, PROLACTIN AND LEPTIN GENES IN MARKER-ASSISTED BREEDING IN DAIRY CATTLE

The analysis of the prospects of using complex genotypes at the loci of beta-casein, prolactin and leptin in marker-assisted breeding programs of Ukrainian Black-and-White and Red-and-White dairy breeds of cattle to create experimental groups of animals producing A2 milk was carried out. Data are given on the peculiarities of the distribution of allele frequencies and genotypes at the loci of beta-casein (c.350С>А, rs43703011), prolactin (c.35333764C>T, rs211032652) and leptin (c.239C>T, rs29004508) in experimental cattle populations. It was established that in both cattle populations, the loci of beta-casein, prolactin and leptin are polymorphic according to experimental mutations. The expediency of using complex genotypes for each of the polymorphic loci for the selection of individuals of both research breeds for the purpose of use in further selection work is substantiated. The number of individuals with the “desired” complex genotypes in each population was determined as CSN2A2A2PRLCCLEPCC for the Ukrainian Black-and-White dairy breed and CSN2A2A2PRLTTLEPCC for the Ukrainian Red-and-White dairy breed. According to the results of the research, it was found out that in the research group of cattle of the Ukrainian Black-and-White dairy breed, the number of individuals with the “desired” complex genotype is 10%, while in the population of the Ukrainian Red-and-White dairy breed it is 17% of the total sample (n =30). It has been proven that the minimum number of individuals required for genetic population studies (n=30, FAO) is insufficient for the effective selection of animals with the desired complex genotypes based on the identified polymorphic loci in both breeds of dairy cattle. Using the obtained data, it is proposed to carry out further marker-assisted selection in order to obtain experimental groups of A2 milk-producing animals based on the selection of individuals with the desired complex genotypes in both experimental cattle breeds using the Gene Pyramiding method. Gene Pyramiding with the markers aims to obtain individuals with the best economic traits according to the optimal breeding scheme, which involves the selection of the desired target alleles and the pyramiding of their most optimal combinations into one complex genotype.

Influence of gender and parental migration on IYCF practices in 6\u201323-month-old tribal children in Banswara district, India: findings from the cross-sectional PANChSHEEEL study

BackgroundThe interdisciplinary Participatory Approach for Nutrition in Children: Strengthening Health, Education, Engineering and Environment Linkages (PANChSHEEEL) study used a participatory approach to develop locally-feasible and tailored solutions to optimise Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices at an individual, household, community, and environmental level. This paper aims to evaluate the influence of gender; migration; and Health, Education, Engineering and Environmental (HEEE) factors on IYCF practices, with the primary outcomes being three key complementary-feeding practices of Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD), Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF) and Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD).MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 325 households with children aged 6–23 months was conducted in nine purposively selected villages in two blocks of Banswara district, Rajasthan, India. A survey tool was developed, translated into the local language, pre-tested, and administered in a gender-sensitive manner. Data-collection processes were standardized to ensure quality measures. Association of the primary outcome with 27 variables was tested using a Chi-square test (Mantel-Haenszel method); backward stepwise regression analysis was conducted to assess the impact of effect modifiers (gender, parental migration).ResultsHalf of the surveyed children were of each gender, and fathers from half of the households were found to have migrated within the previous year to search for additional income. Parental literacy ranged from 60 to 70%. More than half of the households had access to milk-producing animals. Consumption of each of the seven food groups, eggs (4.7% vs 0.7%; p < 0.02), MDD (10.5% vs 3.2%; p < 0.02) and MAD (9.4% vs 2.6%; p < 0.02) were higher for boys than for girls. After controlling for contextual factors, a male child was 4.1 times more likely to get a diet with MDD and 3.8 times more likely to get a diet with MAD. A child from a non-migrant household was 2.0–2.1 times more likely to get a diet with MDD and MAD as compared to a child from a migrant household. However, this association was not found to be statistically significant after regression. Presence of milk-producing animals in households and consumption of milk/milk products by children in the previous 24 h were the other two strong predictors of MDD and MAD, although access to animal milk in the house did not translate to an increase in consumption of milk/milk products by a child.ConclusionGender discrimination in diet diversity and complementary-feeding practices starts early in childhood with boys having a distinct advantage over girls. In the case of parental migration, further research is required to establish if it has an adverse impact on feeding practices. Emphasis needs to be given to gender issues and other contextual factors when developing strategies to optimise complementary feeding practices.Trial registrationWith UCL ethics [Ethics ID 4032/002] in United Kingdom and with Sigma IRB [10,025/IRB/D/17–18] in India.

Resistance to veterinary antimicrobials of Staphylococcus aureus from mastitic milk

Abstract Background Use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes is one of the main culprits for the selection of antimicrobial resistant bugs that currently threaten human and animal health. Therefore, surveillance on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) selection trends in animal husbandry is of utmost importance to prevent the spread of resistant bugs to humans. The species Staphylococcus aureus (Sa), that is of particular concern for the spread of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains, often causes mastitis in milk producing animals, thus requiring antibiotic treatment that can impact on the AMR status of this pathogen. With the aim of elucidating the current evolution of AMR in Sa involved in mastitis and the threats posed by the consumption of raw milk or inadequately pasteurized dairy products, data from antimicrobial susceptibility testing carried out on Sa strains from mastitis in years 2013 - 2019 in Molise region, Italy, were analyzed. Methods Sa isolates were tested by disk diffusion and inhibition halo sizes were converted in Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) according to the EUCAST standards for the antibiotics there included. One isolate per AMR profile per farm was considered to define the percentage of the antibiotic resistant on the total number of isolates per year. Results The number of diagnosed Sa infections per year ranged between seven and nineteen, with a total of 78 isolates from 70 farms. The percentages of those resistant to aminoglycosides kanamycin, neomycin and paromomycin, to the macrolide tylosin and the multi drug resistant (MDR) isolates increased since 2015. The latter ranged between 26.3 and 85.7%. Conclusions AMR and MDR Sa in milk producing animals pose a serious risk to public health and needs stricter surveillance. Key messages Limiting use of antibiotics is needed to revert the trend. AMR Sa strains in dairy products, need to be kept under control for the strict connection with human health.

Effect of bypass fatty acid and Tinospora cordifolia supplementation on production performance and milk fatty acid profiling in Murrah buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis).

Buffaloes contribute about 49% of total milk production and are considered as major milk-producing animals in India. During the early stage of lactation, mostly high producing animals suffer from negative energy balance (NEB) due to imbalance between the needs and availability of energy, and this NEB has a negative impact on production and health of buffaloes. Taking this into consideration, a study was conducted at National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal on 20 freshly calved healthy Murrah buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). Buffaloes were grouped depending on their previous milk yield, body weight, and parity as T0 (control), T1 (fatty acids), T2 (Tinospora), and T3 (mix) groups having five animals each. Supplementation of 150g of bypass fatty acids in T1 group, 150g of Tinospora powder in T2 group, and combination of 150 of bypass fatty acid and 150g of Tinospora powder in T3 group over and above the standard feeding schedule was done for a duration of 90days whereas standard feeding schedule was followed in T0 group. A significant (P < 0.05) increase in average daily milk yield was observed in T1 (10.06 ± 0.56kg/d/h), T2 (10.30 ± 0.53kg/d/h), and T3 (10.11 ± 0.48kg/d/h) in comparison to control group (8.05 ± 0.38kg/d/h). Significantly (P < 0.05) higher milk fat percent and total solids were also recorded in treatment groups over the control group. Other milk constituents (SNF, protein, lactose, ash) and milk properties (pH, conductivity, freezing point, density) remained unaffected by the supplementations. The somatic cell count values were significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in T2 and T3 with the advancement in the lactation in comparison to T0 and T1. Supplementation also leads to significantly (P < 0.05) higher MUFA and PUFA contents in milk of treatment group buffaloes in comparison to control group. The study outcomes state that combination of bypass fatty acids and Tinospora cordifolia supplementation improves milk production and its composition in lactating Murrah buffaloes.

Optimization and Estimation of Transfer Function Model of Milk Evaporation Process

Development of Mathematical model has significant role in many applications such as estimation of relations between input and output variables. The relations can be deterministic or behavioral. From the point of view of control actions to be estimated for a particular application, behavioral model is considered to be of utmost importance. This also amounts the prediction of process behavior in time, frequency and complex domains. Here in this paper, attempts have been made to develop behavioral model of milk evaporation used in dairy industry which is of prominent importance in India because of its agriculture based economy. Besides India, there are also many milk producing countries in the world and their economy is dependent on milk producing animals. It is also imperative that excess milk production to be converted in its preservable form and evaporated milk has special significance in this context. The Milk evaporation is a complex process and its output control variables depend on many of its input manipulation variables. Because of its complex nature and many variables involved in it poses a challenge real life MIMO problem. In this paper, MIMO model of Milk evaporation model is estimated and described.

Data mining and decision support systems for efficient dairy production.

Gainful livestock farming requires selective breeding of animals with certain heritable desirable traits which gives profitability in terms of farm produce. Modern dairy animals are selected for traits which directly or indirectly contribute to high milk production. The concept of “feed conversion efficiency” in terms of milk production is now vigorously taken up by researchers and farm managers for recognizing and breeding efficient milk-producing animals. The whole concept of economic farming thus requires identification of “elite” animals, meeting above criteria as base population for the farm enterprise. Farmers and animal traders have been selecting best animals based on certain physical characters, which were also accepted by the breeding scientists as phenotypes. Data mining allows uncovering of hidden patterns in the data for better understanding of data relationship for developing suitable models for further improvements. Along with artificial intelligence techniques, data mining has opened new avenues for achieving high resource utilization efficiency and sustainable profitability in livestock production systems. The present review discusses and summarizes various data mining techniques and decision support systems for scientific dairy farming.

CHARACTERIZATION OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS SPECIES ISOLATED IN PRODUCTION STAGES OF BRAZILIAN COLONIAL CHEESE

Colonial cheese is a culturally and economically important product from the south of Brazil. As most of its production is artisanal, the technology employed is mostly knowledge passed down from one generation to the next according to family tradition and may be produced with raw or pasteurized milk. It is noted for its spicy flavour and variable composition and is often classified as a medium to high-moisture cheese. This intrinsic feature increases the risk of microbial spoilage and food poisoning. One of the main bio-indicators of contamination in colonial cheese is coagulase positive Staphylococcus. The purpose of this study was thephenotypic identification of Staphylococcus species isolated from the products and surfaces in the main production stages of colonial cheese. Staphylococcus sp. isolates from the food and the production environment were obtained from two colonial cheese-production agro-industries in Rio Grande do Sul. Samples of fresh milk, curd, ripening and final colonial cheese were collected. In addition, surface sampling was performed on the coagulation tanks, production tables, molds, cheese ripening shelves and on the hands of the handlers. Staphylococcus sp. isolates in the cheese and the production environments tested in this study were identified by phenotypic techniques through biochemical and MALDI-TOF MS analyses. These isolates were subjected to gene expression analysis for enterotoxins A, B, C, D, and E. All isolates (72) were identified as Staphylococcus sp., and 43% of the total isolates tested were coagulase positive. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant species in the raw milk and production tanks. Regarding coagulase negative staphylococci isolates, S. warneri and S. sciuri were most abundant. The sea and seb genes were detected in 4% of the Staphylococcus isolates. The results indicate eleven different species of Staphylococcus present in the colonial cheese production environments studied. The predominant presence of S. aureus in the different samples of milk, curd, ripened cheese, ready-to-eat cheese and hands of the handlers indicates that there are issues with the selection of milk-producing animals, pasteurization process and/or hygiene control of handlers. The sea and seb genes were detected in samples of raw milk and colonial cheese. No enterotoxin genes were detected in coagulase negative staphylococci.&#x0D; KEY WORDS: Enterotoxins; polymerase chain reaction; time-offlight mass spectrometry; coagulase negative staphylococci; phenotypic identification; genotypic analysis; colonial cheese.

WITHDRAWN:Principal component analysis of linear udder type traits and their relationship with milk yield and composition in indigenous Sahiwal cattle.

Ahead of Print article withdrawn by publisher.

A novel analytical methodology for the determination of hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in breast and cow milk samples

Hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OHPAHs) in biological fluids, such as milk, are considered as biomarkers of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in organism. The presence of OHPAHs in milk samples indicates a potential contamination on human organisms and milk producing animals. In this way, infants can be contaminated by lactation through the consumption of milk of both, human and animal origins. In this paper, eight OHPAHs have been analyzed in commercial cow milks and in human breast milk using HPLC and fast scanning fluorimetric detection (FSFD). Extraction and cleaning procedures of OHPAHs from milk samples have been investigated, and the experimental results using two bibliographic protocols and a new proposed protocol have been compared. The new protocol using enzymatic hydrolysis, proteins precipitation and, solvent extraction using acetonitrile, was proposed as the most adequate for the determination of 2-hydroxyfluorene, 1-/9-, 2-/3- and 4-hydroxyphenanthrenes, 1-hydroxypyrene and 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene. The method recoveries ranged from 80–102% and 75–91% for fresh cow milk and for human breast milk, respectively, for all components except for 3-OHBz[a] Py. Low recovery values were calculated for 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene in all cases. No statistical difference in the method performance was observed between fresh cow milk and human breast milk.

Commentary: Closantel - A lesser-known evil.

Closantel is an antiparasitic agent routinely used in veterinary practice against some parasites of livestock. It is not used against agricultural and household pests. Recently, it has been discovered that closantel also acts against Onchocerca volvulus, a filarial nematode causing river blindness in humans.[1] Closantel belongs to the chemical class of the salicylanilides, which acts as an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation in the cell mitochondria and disturbs ATP production. This impairs the parasite's motility and probably other processes as well. Closantel also disturbs the liquid and ion transport mechanisms in the parasite's membranes. Closantel is a narrow-spectrum anti-helminthic effective against a few roundworms (mainly blood-sucking species), against flukes (e.g., Fasciola hepatica) and also against certain myiasis. It is ineffective against tapeworms or most external parasites. It is not used in swine, poultry, horses, or pets. It is used moderately in ruminants both as an injectable or a drench, often mixed with other anti-helminthics. After oral administration, closantel is readily absorbed into the bloodstream. Four days after treatment up to 60% of the injected and 30% of the drenched closantel is absorbed to blood. In the blood, >99% of the unchanged closantel binds strongly to plasma albumins. Peak plasma levels are reached between 10 and 48 h after administration, both after oral or intramuscular administration. Half-life in plasma is 3 to 4 weeks. Owing to the strong binding to plasma albumins, closantel residues in the tissues are rather low. Closantel is poorly metabolized. Approximately, 80% of the administered dose is excreted through the feces, of which >98% in the parent molecule form. Excretion 48 h after oral administration reaches ~45% of the administered dose, but only ~10% after intramuscular injection. Excretion half-life in the organism is 2 to 3 weeks. In dairy cows, about 1% of the administered dose is excreted unchanged through the milk. The routinely used safe-dose for the anti-helminthic action of closantel varies from 3 to 10 mg/kg depending upon the type of parasite and the animal affected. The established lethal dose limit for oral closantel in rats is 342 mg/kg, and for subcutaneous administration is 67 mg/kg of the active ingredient. Closantel intoxication has been reported in animals such as sheep, cattle, goats, and dogs.[2345] Closantel intoxication often presents with neurological and ocular features. The central nervous system, retina, and optic nerve are commonly affected. Histopathological changes noted are spongiosis in the brain white matter and spinal cord. These changes are symmetrical and affect periventricular white matter, optic radiation, brain stem, thalamic nuclei, and cerebellar peduncles. The induced histopathological changes in optic nerve following closantel overdosage include significant spongiform change, edema, and myelin vacuolization resulting in optic disc atrophy.[6] This results in edema in the intracanalicular portion of the optic nerve, which being in the osseous part gets compressed, resulting loss of myelinated axons.[6] In retina, there is destruction and apoptosis of the outer retinal layers, especially photoreceptors. The most frequent symptoms following closantel intoxication include loss of appetite, ataxia or uncoordinated movements, weakness, visual disturbances, and blindness. Other symptoms reported in sheep include depression, prostration, colic, reduced skin sensitivity, opisthotonos, nystagmus, mydriasis, loss of pupillary reflex, and blindness. Mortalities can also happen. The use of closantel in humans and milk-producing animals is strongly avoided. However, accidental ingestion of closantel leading to overdose and adverse effects in humans has been reported in literature.[78910] In humans, ocular symptoms following closantel overdosage range from sudden onset blurring of vision to total blindness. The onset of symptoms has been reported to occur from as early as 3 days to 22 years following closantel intake.[910] Depending upon the severity of damage, ocular features show optic nerve involvement ranging from blurring of disc margins and disc edema in acute stage to optic atrophy in the late stages. There is outer retinal layer thinning with spicule like hyper-pigmentation owing to the involvement of photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium layer. Destruction in outer retinal layers and visual pathway leads to changes in electroretinography and visual evoked potential (VEP) test. On electro-retinography, there is a reduction in both a- and b-wave amplitudes, whereas VEP shows a reduction in amplitude and delay in latency. The effects of closantel intoxication are often permanent and irreversible. There is no specific antidote for closantel. Treatment consists of supportive and symptomatic measures. Partial visual recovery with plasma exchange has been reported in a man who ingested closantel because of helminthiasis fearing.[8] To conclude, accidental closantel intake can lead to blinding visual symptoms due to outer retinal degeneration and optic atrophy.

Deciphering the transcriptome of prepubertal buffalo mammary glands using RNA sequencing.

Although water buffaloes are the main milk-producing animals in Indian subcontinent, only limited attempts have been made to identify canonical pathways and gene regulatory networks operating within the mammary glands of these animals. Such information is important for identifying unique transcriptome signatures in the mammary glands of diseased animals. In this report, we analyzed the transcription profile of 3 prepubertal buffalo mammary glands and identified common genes (mean FPKM > 0.2 in all samples) operating in the glands. Among 19,994 protein coding genes, 14,678 genes expressed and 5316 unique genes did not express in prepubertal buffalo mammary glands. Of these 14,678 expressed genes, 79% comprised a ubiquitous transcriptome that was dominated by very lowly expressed genes (51%). The percentage of rarely, moderately, and abundantly expressed genes was 25%, 2%, and 1%, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) terms reflected in the expression of common genes (mean FPKM >5.0) for molecular function were related to binding and catalytic activity. Products of these genes were involved in metabolic and cellular processes and belong to nucleic acid binding proteins. The canonical pathways for growth of mammary glands included integrin signaling, inflammation, GnRH and Wnt pathways. KEGG enriched pathways revealed many pathways of cancer including ribosome, splisosome, endocytosis, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, pathways for viral infection, and bacterial invasion of epithelial. Highly expressed genes (mean FPKM > 500 included beta-actin (ACTB), beta-2 microglobulin (B2M), caseins (CSN2, CNS3), collagens (COL1A1, COL3A1), translation elongation factors (EEF1A1, EEF1G, EEF2), keratins (KRT15, KRT19), major histocompatibility complex genes (CD74, JSP.1), vimentin (VIM), and osteopontin (SPP1). Interestingly, expression of milk protein genes in prepubertal glands opens possible roles of these genes in development of mammary glands. We report the whole transcriptomic signature of prepubertal buffalo mammary gland and indicated its molecular signature is similar to cancer type.

Using beef-breed semen in seropositive dams for the control of bovine neosporosis

A program for controlling bovine neosporosis based only on the use of beef semen, without culling seropositive animals, was evaluated in a closed dairy cattle herd over a 5-year period (2013–2017). The program was based on individual and periodic serological screenings to identify seropositive breeders. Seropositive cows were inseminated with beef-breed semen, thus excluding their descendants from the remount in order to prevent the vertical transmission of the disease. Seronegative animals, as well as heifers at first insemination, were tested before each insemination.Sera of 1097 cattle were examined by a commercial indirect ELISA for the detection of antibodies anti-Neospora caninum. To verify the difference in seropositivity values among years of sampling, statistical analysis through generalized estimation equations (GEEs) was performed, also considering the effects of age, lineages, and occurrence of abortion. A seroprevalence of 33.8% was found in the first screening. The prevalence and incidence of the infection within the herd decreased significantly in 2017 (P = 28.9%, I = 1.4%) (p-value = 0.0001). The family line investigation detected a higher risk of being seropositive for a cow born to a seropositive dam (p-value = 0.0001) than to a seronegative dam, decreasing both the apparently vertical and horizontal transmissions. The number of spontaneous abortions decreased after the first year of the study (23 in 2013 to 6 in 2017). Seropositive animals were associated with abortion events (p-value = 0.0001).Although an eradication of N. caninum was not achieved at the end of the study period, a significant reduction in prevalence and incidence of neosporosis in the herd and a reduction of the abortion rate was achieved with the application of this control plan in five years, without culling a high number of seropositive potential milk-producing animals.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers as Extracting Media for the Chromatographic Determination of Antibiotics in Milk.

Milk-producing animals are typically kept stationary in overcrowded large-scale farms and in most cases under unsanitary conditions, which promotes the development of infections. In order to maintain sufficient health status among the herd or promote growth and increase production, farmers administer preventative antibiotic doses to the animals through their feed. However, many antibiotics used in cattle farms are intended for the treatment of bacterial infections in humans. This results in the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which pose a great risk for public health. Additionally, antibiotic residues are found in milk and dairy products, with potential toxic effects for the consumers. Hence the need of antibiotic residues monitoring in milk arises. Analytical methods were developed for the determination of antibiotics in milk, with key priority given to the analyte extraction and preconcentration step. Extraction can benefit from the production of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) that can be applied as sorbents for the extraction of specific antibiotics. This review focuses on the principals of molecular imprinting technology and synthesis methods of MIPs, as well as the application of MIPs and MIPs composites for the chromatographic determination of various antibiotic categories in milk found in the recent literature.

Registration of a high-yielding khusilal [nor-sesquiterpene (C14) aldehydes] rich variety CIM-Samriddhi of vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Nash.

Vetiver (Khus) of the family 'Poaceae' is native to India and is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries as a perennial crop. It is cultivated for the production of its root derived hydro distilled essential oil that imparts a strong and persistent woody odor. The oil can also have earthy, grapefruit-like, flowery, smoked and ambery, undertones, depending upon the geographic origin of the crop. Vetiver oil is a high value basic ingredient of modern perfumery today. The total world production of this essential oil is estimated to be around 600-700 tonnes per year as compared to only 20-25 tonnes produced annually in India. Therefore, khus cultivation in Indian context is a viable option for increasing farmer's income as its oil demand for perfume and soap industries is constantly rising. However, its long gestation nature and poor oil content have always been a deterring factor for its acceptance among the farmers. Over last 10-15years, CSIR-CIMAP has developed nine khus cultivars for maximizing the benefits of its cultivation to khus growers in different parts of the country. Khus cultivation often results an average net profit of over Rs 1.5 lacs in a span of 10-12 months with 25-30kg/ha oil yield. In addition, co-cultivation of khus with wheat, lentil, peas, mint, basil etc. can further add to the profit margin by Rs. 30, 000/ha. Looking at the huge import requirement of Vetiver oil in the country, the need to enhance the unit area productivity and quality of vetiver oil is evident. Continuing with our effort towards genetic enhancement in vetiver, we have now developed a new genotype, namely V-18(Selection 23) that is capable of producing 35 kg/ha of high grade essential oil in comparisons to 25kg/ha oil yield of best available check ie. CIM-Vriddhi (also developed by CSIR-CIMAP). The new genotype, in addition to improved root biomass 35q/ha and oil yields, also have a much desired quality profile with 31% khushilal and 19% khusol contents in its oil. The new genotype V-18 (selection 23) is ideally suited for its cultivation in entire North-Indian plains and southern region of the country. The unique yellow-green inflorescence and broad dark green leaves are the two unique distinctive features of this variety It also fits in crop rotation/intercropping cycles between mint and paddy and with other vegetables crops grown by farmers with small land holding. Leaves of this variety are nutritive and can be used as fodder for milk producing animals. The new genotype has now been christening as CIM-Samriddhil" and is being registered here as a new improved variety of vetiver for its commercial release.