Spatial requirements of animals: Allometry and beyond

Space allowance is a major factor influencing animal welfare. For livestock, at least, it plays a critical role in profitability, yet there is little information on the amount of space that animals require. The amount of space an animal occupies as a consequence of its shape and size can be estimated using allometry; linear dimensions (L) can be expressed as L = kW1/3 and surface area (S) as S = kW2/3, where k = a constant and W = the weight of the animal. Such equations have been used to determine the amount of space needed by standing (area [m2] = 0.019W0.66) and lying (area [m2] = 0.027W0.67) animals. Limited studies on the lying down and standing up behaviors of pigs and cattle suggest that the amount of space required can be estimated by area (m2) = 0.047W0.66. Linear space required per animal for behaviors such as feeding or drinking from a trough can be estimated from 0.064W0.33, but in groups this requirement will be affected by social interactions among group members and the amount of competition for the resource. Determining the amount of space for groups of animals is complex, as the amount of useable space can vary with group size and by how group members share space in time. Some studies have been conducted on the way in which groups of domestic fowl use space, but overall, we know very little about the ways in which livestock time-share space, synchronicity in the performance of behaviors, and the effects of spatial restrictions on behavior and welfare.

Regrouping unfamiliar animals in the weeks prior to slaughter has few effects on physiology and meat quality in Bos taurus feedlot steers

The response of cattle to alterations in social groupings can lead to physiological changes that affect meat quality. Feedlot practices frequently lead to a proportion of cattle in a pen being drafted for slaughter with the balance retained for a further period until they meet market specifications. An ability to regroup such retained cattle for short periods without consequences for meat quality would facilitate efficient use of feedlot pen space. The current experiment examined the impact on physiological variables and meat quality of regrouped British breed steers 4, 2 or 1 week before dispatch for slaughter. There was little effect of regrouping cattle on physiological variables associated with stress responses. Physical assessment of meat quality indicated that regrouping steers 1 week before slaughter led to higher compression and a tendency for higher peak force values in animals from one genotype than in their respective controls (1.89 v. 1.71 ± 0.05 kg, P = 0.017); however, these assessments were not matched by changes in sensory perception of meat quality. Average daily gain during feedlot finishing was negatively related to the temperament measure and flight time. It was also associated with breed, white cell count, plasma cortisol and haemoglobin at the midpoint of the 70-day finishing period. The results confirm the impact of flight time on growth rate during feedlot finishing and that regrouping cattle less than 2 weeks before slaughter may reduce meat quality.

A strategic approach to mitigating the impacts of wild canids: proposed activities of the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre

Wild canids (wild dogs and European red foxes) cause substantial losses to Australian livestock industries and environmental values. Both species are actively managed as pests to livestock production. Contemporaneously, the dingo proportion of the wild dog population, being considered native, is protected in areas designated for wildlife conservation. Wild dogs particularly affect sheep and goat production because of the behavioural responses of domestic sheep and goats to attack, and the flexible hunting tactics of wild dogs. Predation of calves, although less common, is now more economically important because of recent changes in commodity prices. Although sometimes affecting lambing and kidding rates, foxes cause fewer problems to livestock producers but have substantial impacts on environmental values, affecting the survival of small to medium-sized native fauna and affecting plant biodiversity by spreading weeds. Canid management in Australia relies heavily on the use of compound 1080-poisoned baits that can be applied aerially or by ground. Exclusion fencing, trapping, shooting, livestock-guarding animals and predator calling with shooting are also used. The new Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre has 40 partners representing private and public land managers, universities, and training, research and development organisations. One of the major objectives of the new IACRC is to apply a strategic approach in order to reduce the impacts of wild canids on agricultural and environmental values in Australia by 10%. In this paper, the impacts, ecology and management of wild canids in Australia are briefly reviewed and the first cooperative projects that will address IACRC objectives for improving wild dog management are outlined.

Norsesquiterpene Glycosides in Bracken Ferns (Pteridium esculentum and Pteridium aquilinum subsp wightianum) from Eastern Australia: Reassessed Poisoning Risk to Animals.

Austral bracken Pteridium esculentum contains three unstable norsesquiterpene glycosides: ptaquiloside, ptesculento-side, and caudatoside, in variable proportions. The concentration of each of the glycosides was determined in this study as their respective degradation products, pterosin B, pterosin G and pterosin A, by HPLC-UV analysis. Samples of P. esculentum collected from six sites in eastern Australia contained up to 17 mg of total glycoside/g DW, with both ptaquiloside and ptesculentoside present as major components accompanied by smaller amounts of caudatoside. Ratios of ptaquiloside to ptesculentoside varied from 1:3 to 4:3, but in all Australian samples ptesculentoside was a significant component. This profile differed substantially from that of P. esculentum from New Zealand, which contained only small amounts of both ptesculentoside and caudatoside, with ptaquiloside as the dominant component. A similar profile with ptaquiloside as the dominant glycoside was obtained for Pteridium aquilinum subsp. wightianum (previously P. revolutum) from northern Queensland and also P. aquilinum from European sources. Ptesculentoside has chemical reactivity similar to that of ptaquiloside and presumably biological activity similar to that of this potent carcinogen. The presence of this additional reactive glycoside in Australian P. esculentum implies greater toxicity for consuming animals than previously estimated from ptaquiloside content alone.

Multidrug-resistant extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli of sequence type ST131 in animals and foods.

Multidrug-resistant Escherichia colt sequence type 131 (51131) has recently emerged as a globally distributed cause of extraintestinal infections in humans. Diverse factors have been investigated as explanations for ST131's rapid and successful dissemination, including transmission through animal contact and consumption of food, as suggested by the detection of ST131 in a number of nonhuman species. For example, ST131 has recently been identified as a cause of clinical infection in companion animals and poultry, and both host groups have been confirmed as faecal carriers of ST131. Moreover, a high degree of similarity has been shown among certain ST131 isolates from humans, companion animals, and poultry based on resistance characteristics and genomic background and human and companion animal ST131 isolates tend to exhibit similar virulence genotypes. However, most ST131 isolates from poultry appear to possess specific virulence genes that are typically absent from human and companion animal isolates, including genes associated with avian pathogenic E. coli. Since the number of reported animal and food-associated ST131 isolates is quite small, the role of nonhuman host species in the emergence, dissemination, and transmission of ST131 to humans remains unclear. Nevertheless, given the profound public health importance of the emergent ST131 clonal group, even the limited available evidence indicates a pressing need for further careful study of this significant question.

Do Human Extraintestinal Escherichia coli Infections Resistant to Expanded-Spectrum Cephalosporins Originate From Food-Producing Animals? A Systematic Review

To find out whether food-producing animals (FPAs) are a source of extraintestinal expanded-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli (ESCR-EC) infections in humans, Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were systematically reviewed. Thirty-four original, peer-reviewed publications were identified for inclusion. Six molecular epidemiology studies supported the transfer of resistance via whole bacterium transmission (WBT), which was best characterized among poultry in the Netherlands. Thirteen molecular epidemiology studies supported transmission of resistance via mobile genetic elements, which demonstrated greater diversity of geography and host FPA. Seventeen molecular epidemiology studies did not support WBT and two did not support mobile genetic element-mediated transmission. Four observational epidemiology studies were consistent with zoonotic transmission. Overall, there is evidence that a proportion of human extraintestinal ESCR-EC infections originate from FPAs. Poultry, in particular, is probably a source, but the quantitative and geographical extent of the problem is unclear and requires further investigation.

Programming rumen bacterial communities in newborn Merino lambs

Establishment of the rumen microbiome can be affected by both early-life dietary measures and rumen microbial inoculation. This study used a 2 × 3 factorial design to evaluate the effects of inclusion of dietary fat type and the effects of rumen inoculum from different sources on ruminal bacterial communities present in early stages of the lambs’ life. Two different diets were fed ad libitum to 36 pregnant ewes (and their lambs) from 1 month pre-lambing until weaning. Diets consisted of chaffed lucerne and cereal hay and 4% molasses, with either 4% distilled coconut oil (CO) provided as a source of rumen-active fat or 4% Megalac® provided as a source of rumen-protected fat (PF). One of three inoculums was introduced orally to all lambs, being either (1) rumen fluid from donor ewes fed the PF diet; (2) rumen fluid from donor ewes fed CO; or (3) a control treatment of MilliQ-water. After weaning at 3 months of age, each of the six lamb treatment groups were grazed in spatially separated paddocks. Rumen bacterial populations of ewes and lambs were characterised using 454 amplicon pyrosequencing of the V3/V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. Species richness and biodiversity of the bacterial communities were found to be affected by the diet in ewes and lambs and by inoculation treatment of the lambs. Principal coordinate analysis and analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) showed between diet differences in bacterial community groups existed in ewes and differential bacterial clusters occurred in lambs due to both diet and neonatal inoculation. Diet and rumen inoculation acted together to clearly differentiate the bacterial communities through to weaning, however the microbiome effects of these initial early life interventions diminished with time so that rumen bacterial communities showed greater similarity 2 months after weaning. These results demonstrate that ruminal bacterial communities of newborn lambs can be altered by modifying the diet of their mothers. Moreover, the rumen microbiome of lambs can be changed by diet while they are suckling or by inoculating their rumen, and resulting changes in the rumen bacterial microbiome can persist beyond weaning.

The Occurrence and Toxicity of Indospicine to Grazing Animals

Indospicine is a non-proteinogenic amino acid which occurs in Indigofera species with widespread prevalence in grazing pastures across tropical Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. It accumulates in the tissues of grazing livestock after ingestion of Indigofera. It is a competitive inhibitor of arginase and causes both liver degeneration and abortion. Indospicine hepatoxicity occurs universally across animal species but the degree varies considerably between species, with dogs being particularly sensitive. The magnitude of canine sensitivity is such that ingestion of naturally indospicine-contaminated horse and camel meat has caused secondary poisoning of dogs, raising significant industry concern. Indospicine impacts on the health and production of grazing animals per se has been less widely documented. Livestock grazing Indigofera have a chronic and cumulative exposure to this toxin, with such exposure experimentally shown to induce both hepatotoxicity and embryo-lethal effects in cattle and sheep. In extensive pasture systems, where animals are not closely monitored, the resultant toxicosis may well occur after prolonged exposure but either be undetected, or even if detected not be attributable to a particular cause. Indospicine should be considered as a possible cause of animal poor performance, particularly reduced weight gain or reproductive losses, in pastures where Indigofera are prevalent.

First detection of extended-spectrum cephalosporin- and fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli in Australian food-producing animals

This study aimed to define the frequency of resistance to critically important antimicrobials (CIAs) [i.e. extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs), fluoroquinolones (FQs) and carbapenems] among Escherichia coli isolates causing clinical disease in Australian food-producing animals. Clinical E. coli isolates (n = 324) from Australian food-producing animals [cattle (n = 169), porcine (n = 114), poultry (n = 32) and sheep (n = 9)] were compiled from all veterinary diagnostic laboratories across Australia over a 1-year period. Isolates underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing to 18 antimicrobials using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute disc diffusion method. Isolates resistant to CIAs underwent minimum inhibitory concentration determination, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), phylogenetic analysis, plasmid replicon typing, plasmid identification, and virulence and antimicrobial resistance gene typing. The 324 E. coli isolates from different sources exhibited a variable frequency of resistance to tetracycline (29.0–88.6%), ampicillin (9.4–71.1%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (11.1–67.5%) and streptomycin (21.9–69.3%), whereas none were resistant to imipenem or amikacin. Resistance was detected, albeit at low frequency, to ESCs (bovine isolates, 1%; porcine isolates, 3%) and FQs (porcine isolates, 1%). Most ESC- and FQ-resistant isolates represented globally disseminated E. coli lineages (ST117, ST744, ST10 and ST1). Only a single porcine E. coli isolate (ST100) was identified as a classic porcine enterotoxigenic E. coli strain (non-zoonotic animal pathogen) that exhibited ESC resistance via acquisition of blaCMY-2. This study uniquely establishes the presence of resistance to CIAs among clinical E. coli isolates from Australian food-producing animals, largely attributed to globally disseminated FQ- and ESC-resistant E. coli lineages.