Using Mastitis Records and Somatic Cell Count Data

On-farm records are essential for managing mastitis in dairy herds. Mastitis records are a useful tool for caring for an individual cow, to monitor compliance of farm personnel working with groups of animals, to understand the epidemiology of mastitis in the herd, to ensure responsible drug utilization, and to document accountability in care of the cow. Herds have become larger and more people are involved with individual animal care. This article describes a records plan that can be used to monitor mastitis at the herd level, aid in decision-making processes for individual cows, and improve drug use on dairy herds.

Identification of quantitative trait loci affecting resistance to gastrointestinal parasites in a double backcross population of Red Maasai and Dorper sheep

A genome-wide scan for quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting gastrointestinal nematode resistance in sheep was completed using a double backcross population derived from Red Maasai and Dorper ewes bred to F1 rams. This design provided an opportunity to map potentially unique genetic variation associated with a parasite-tolerant breed like Red Maasai, a breed developed to survive East African grazing conditions. Parasite indicator phenotypes (blood packed cell volume PCV and faecal egg count FEC) were collected on a weekly basis from 1064 lambs during a single 3-month post-weaning grazing challenge on infected pastures. The averages of last measurements for FEC (AVFEC) and PCV (AVPCV), along with decline in PCV from challenge start to end (PCVD), were used to select lambs (N = 371) for genotyping that represented the tails (10% threshold) of the phenotypic distributions. Marker genotypes for 172 microsatellite loci covering 25 of 26 autosomes (1560.7 cm) were scored and corrected by Genoprob prior to qxpak analysis that included BoxCox transformed AVFEC and arcsine transformed PCV statistics. Significant QTL for AVFEC and AVPCV were detected on four chromosomes, and this included a novel AVFEC QTL on chromosome 6 that would have remained undetected without BoxCox transformation methods. The most significant P-values for AVFEC, AVPCV and PCVD overlapped the same marker interval on chromosome 22, suggesting the potential for a single causative mutation, which remains unknown. In all cases, the favourable QTL allele was always contributed from Red Maasai, providing support for the idea that future marker-assisted selection for genetic improvement of production in East Africa will rely on markers in linkage disequilibrium with these QTL.

Minimum inhibitory concentrations of Staphylococcus aureus recovered from clinical and subclinical cases of bovine mastitis

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Anthelmintic effects of condensed tannins on Trichostrongylus colubriformis in experimentally infected sheep

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ovariectomy by laparotomy, a video-assisted approach or a complete laparoscopic technique in Santa Ines sheep

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

In vitro Anthelmintic effect of Melia azedarach L. and Triclinia claussenii C. against sheep gastrointestinal nematodes

The control of parasitic diseases in small ruminants is mainly done with the use of synthetic anthelmintics. However, incorrect and indiscriminate use of these products has caused the emergence of parasite resistance. Plants with anthelmintic activity are used in folk veterinary medicine, but it is necessary to investigate and scientifically validate low-cost phytotherapeutic alternatives for future use to control gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminants by family farmers. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro anthelmintic effect of plant extracts from Melia azedarach and Trichilia claussenii by the egg hatch test (EHT) and larval development test (LDT) against sheep gastrointestinal nematodes. The hexane extract of M. azedarach fruits was extracted through cold percolation and the methanol extract of T. claussenii leaves was obtained by extraction at room temperature in solvents in order of increasing polarity. The efficacy results were analyzed using the Probit program of SAS. The M. azedarach extract showed a LC50 of 572.2 mu g/mL and LC99 of 1137.8 mu g/mL in the EHT, and LC50 of 0.7 mu g/mL and LC99 of 60.81 mu g/mL in the LDT. In turn, the T. claussenii extract presented a LC50 of 263.8 mu g/mL and LC99 of 522.5 mu g/mL in the EHTand LC50 of 1.11 mu g/mL and LC99 of 26.4 mu g/mL in the LDT. Comparing the extracts of the species from the Meliaceae family, T. claussenii showed greater anti-parasite potential in vitro than M. azedarach. However, studies on the isolated compounds, toxicity and administration forms to animals are also needed to validate low-cost alternative herbal remedies for use to control gastrointestinal nematodes by family farmers. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Epidemiology of sheep myiases in São Paulo State, Brazil

A survey of Diptera species causing cutaneous myiases on sheep in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil was made to determine seasonal incidence, predilection sites and the factors predisposing to infestation. Sheep were checked daily for myiases for one year. At two week intervals larvae from wounds were collected for identification. Only larvae of Dermatobia hominis and Cochliomyia hominivorax were found. Myiases due to C. hominivorax were observed during the whole year with high incidence from January to April. The feet, vulva, tail and scrotum were most frequently infested. Wounds were the commonest predisposing factor. © 1992 Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh.

Effect of air temperature and humidity on ingestive behaviour of sheep

Thirty-two Polwarth ewes, of ages up to 1 year, were observed in a climatic chamber (24 to 45° C) for eight periods of 5 h each. The observations were made through a window in the chamber wall. All animals were observed four times, then shorn and observed four times again. The animals were given weighed quantities of water and feed consisting of commercial concentrate plus Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) hay. The water and feed remaining after 5 h of observation were weighed. The following traits were analysed: time eating hay (TEH), time eating concentrate (TEC), time drinking water (TDW), weight of hay eaten (WHE), weight of concentrate eaten (WCE), volume of ingested water (VIW), ruminating time standing up (RTS), ruminating time lying down (RTL), idling time standing up (ITS), and idling time lying down (ITL). Shearing had a significant effect for all traits except ITS. Shearing resulted in higher values for all traits except for ITS and ITL. Ingestion of hay (TEH and WHE) decreased with increased air temperature and humidity, while the ingestion of concentrate (TEC) and WHE) and water (TDW and VIW) increased. Rumination decreased with increased air temperature and humidity, and was higher in shorn than in unshorn sheep. © 1992 International Society of Biometeorology.

Influence of hot environments on some blood variables of sheep

Thirty-two Polwarth sheep of ages up to 1 year were observed under temperatures varying from 10.5 to 46.5°C. The following blood cell counts were made: erythrocyte (RBC), leucocyte (WBC), eosinophil (EOS), neutrophil (NEU), lymphocyte (LYM) and monocyte (MON). Other traits measured were: haemoglobin (HB), haematocrit (HT), blood glucose (GLU) and serum protein (PROT). Multivariate analysis of variance was used and the results showed a significant (P<0.001) effect for the interaction of shearing and temperature treatment. Under temperatures >25°C, sheep presented a decrease of RBC, WBC, HB and HT, these differences being greater in the shorn than in the unshorn animals. Unshorn animals presented higher variations in EOS, NEU, LYM, MON and GLU. Blood glucose increased under high temperatures in the shorn animals (from 56.36±0.65 mg/100 ml to 60.52±0.69 mg/100 ml) as in the unshorn animals (from 54.72±0.74 mg/100 ml to 57.56±0.77 mg/100 ml). © 1992 International Society of Biometeorology.

Optic neuropathy in sheep associated with overdosage of closantel

This report describes clinical and pathological findings in 2 flocks in Brazil where blindness and deaths in sheep occurred after closantel overdosage. Depression, weakness, and blindness affected 37 animals and 17 died in 2 flocks of 190 animals. Two animals submitted for ophthalmic examination showed no inflammation in the anterior segment of both eyes; posterior segment evaluation by indirect ophthalmoscopy suggested retinal degeneration. One postmortem evaluation local spongy vacuolization was in several regions of the brain and the optical nerves had severe axonal degeneration.