Comparison of fecal culture and F57 real-time polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in Swiss cattle herds with a history of paratuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Bovine paratuberculosis is an incurable chronic granulomatous enteritis caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). The prevalence of MAP in the Swiss cattle population is hard to estimate, since only a few cases of clinical paratuberculosis are reported to the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office each year.Fecal samples from 1,339 cattle (855 animals from 12 dairy herds, 484 animals from 11 suckling cow herds, all herds with a history of sporadic paratuberculosis) were investigated by culture and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for shedding of MAP. RESULTS: By culture, MAP was detected in 62 of 445 fecal pools (13.9%), whereas PCR detected MAP in 9 of 445 pools (2.0%). All 186 samples of the 62 culture-positive pools were reanalyzed individually. By culture, MAP was grown from 59 individual samples (31.7%), whereas PCR detected MAP in 12 individual samples (6.5%), all of which came from animals showing symptoms of paratuberculosis during the study. Overall, MAP was detected in 10 out of 12 dairy herds (83.3%) and in 8 out of 11 suckling cow herds (72.7%). CONCLUSIONS: There is a serious clinically inapparent MAP reservoir in the Swiss cattle population. PCR cannot replace culture to identify individual MAP shedders but is suitable to identify MAP-infected herds, given that the amount of MAP shed in feces is increasing in diseased animals or in animals in the phase of transition to clinical disease

Demographic model of the Swiss cattle population for the years 2009-2011 stratified by gender, age and production type

Demographic composition and dynamics of animal and human populations are important determinants for the transmission dynamics of infectious disease and for the effect of infectious disease or environmental disasters on productivity. In many circumstances, demographic data are not available or of poor quality. Since 1999 Switzerland has been recording cattle movements, births, deaths and slaughter in an animal movement database (AMD). The data present in the AMD offers the opportunity for analysing and understanding the dynamic of the Swiss cattle population. A dynamic population model can serve as a building block for future disease transmission models and help policy makers in developing strategies regarding animal health, animal welfare, livestock management and productivity. The Swiss cattle population was therefore modelled using a system of ordinary differential equations. The model was stratified by production type (dairy or beef), age and gender (male and female calves: 0-1 year, heifers and young bulls: 1-2 years, cows and bulls: older than 2 years). The simulation of the Swiss cattle population reflects the observed pattern accurately. Parameters were optimized on the basis of the goodness-of-fit (using the Powell algorithm). The fitted rates were compared with calculated rates from the AMD and differed only marginally. This gives confidence in the fitted rates of parameters that are not directly deductible from the AMD (e.g. the proportion of calves that are moved from the dairy system to fattening plants).

Development and validation of a novel pedometer algorithm to quantify extended characteristics of the locomotor behavior of dairy cows

Behavior is one of the most important indicators for assessing cattle health and well-being. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a novel algorithm to monitor locomotor behavior of loose-housed dairy cows based on the output of the RumiWatch pedometer (ITIN+HOCH GmbH, F��tterungstechnik, Liestal, Switzerland). Data of locomotion were acquired by simultaneous pedometer measurements at a sampling rate of 10 Hz and video recordings for manual observation later. The study consisted of 3 independent experiments. Experiment 1 was carried out to develop and validate the algorithm for lying behavior, experiment 2 for walking and standing behavior, and experiment 3 for stride duration and stride length. The final version was validated, using the raw data, collected from cows not included in the development of the algorithm. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between accelerometer variables and respective data derived from the video recordings (gold standard). Dichotomous data were expressed as the proportion of correctly detected events, and the overall difference for continuous data was expressed as the relative measurement error. The proportions for correctly detected events or bouts were 1 for stand ups, lie downs, standing bouts, and lying bouts and 0.99 for walking bouts. The relative measurement error and Spearman correlation coefficient for lying time were 0.09% and 1; for standing time, 4.7% and 0.96; for walking time, 17.12% and 0.96; for number of strides, 6.23% and 0.98; for stride duration, 6.65% and 0.75; and for stride length, 11.92% and 0.81, respectively. The strong to very high correlations of the variables between visual observation and converted pedometer data indicate that the novel RumiWatch algorithm may markedly improve automated livestock management systems for efficient health monitoring of dairy cows.

Conexi��n con la meseta desde el Ebro medio de las v��as romanas como base de la malla territorial de Espa��a

No tenemos conocimiento de ninguna red de caminos prerromanos que sirvieran como base de una posible malla territorial de Espa��a. Sin embargo, una sociedad prerromana sin caminos, por muy fragmentada y aislada que fuera, es algo improbable y mucho menos en la Edad del Hierro. Por eso en ��poca prerromana exist��an infinidad de caminos, muchos de los cuales hoy han desaparecido y otros han sobrevivido, casi siempre con sus recorridos mejorados. Los pueblos prerromanos aprovecharon v��as naturales de comunicaci��n (r��os, vados, valles, puertos naturales, llanuras, etc.) para tender sus caminos. En sus or��genes no siguieron pautas concretas, si no que los caminos se originaban por el tr��nsito (de personas, ganados, mercanc��as, etc.) de un lugar a otro. De este modo la red viaria prerromana era ca��tica y an��rquica: todo camino ten��a numerosos ramales y variantes, seg��n las necesidades. Pendientes excesivas, anchuras variables, etc., en decir eran v��as espont��neas, surgidas sin ninguna planificaci��n aparente. Los recorridos en general eran cortos, aunque algunas investigaciones actuales est��n demostrando que algunas de las ca��adas ganaderas m��s importantes, como la Galiana, y de largo recorrido, eran de origen prerromano. En el caso de la pen��nsula Ib��rica, y m��s concretamente en el caso de la Meseta, el territorio estaba fragmentado en diversos pueblos y tribus, agrupados seg��n criterios ��tnicos y culturales y con contactos con los pueblos pr��ximos que motivan la preponderancia de caminos de recorrido cortos. Solo la necesidad de llevar los reba��os (de cabras y ovejas sobre todo) desde las serran��as en verano a las llanuras en invierno, motivar��a viajes m��s largos en los que algunas ca��adas ganaderas jugar��an un papel m��s importante. Con la llegada de los romanaos, se implant�� en Hispania una densa red viaria, cuya construcci��n se prolong�� durante toda la dominaci��n romana, siendo reparadas muchas calzadas y v��as en varias ocasiones. En ��poca romana la red caminera era variada y estaba constituida por ���las calzadas��� que comunicaban puntos importantes, eran muy transitadas, de ah�� que la administraci��n romana las mantuviera siempre en buen estado, para asegurar el intercambio comercial entre zonas distintas, cobro de impuestos, etc. ���Los caminos de tierra (viae terrenae)��� que adem��s de las calzadas, que podemos asemejar a las actuales carreteras de primer y segundo orden, constitu��an la infinidad de caminos locales y comarcales. Los trazados se realizaron unos en ��poca romana, y otros muchos apoy��ndose en los caminos de la ��poca prerromana, ��stas v��as no se realizaban buscando el recorrido m��s corto entre dos puntos, ni tampoco el m��s c��modo y con un firme estructural de menor importancia que en las calzadas. Tampoco estaban hechos para un tipo concreto de transporte, por lo que nos encontrar��amos algunos que por su anchura permit��an el paso de carros, y otros que s��lo permitir��an el paso a pie, a caballo o en burro. Sol��an ser, como hemos indicado, caminos de tierra con acabados en zahorras y recorridos en su mayor parte cortos y medianos. Dentro de la malla territorial de Espa��a las calzadas constituir��an las denominadas ���viae publicae��� que constitu��an la red principal y esqueleto vertebrador de Hispania. Los caminos de tierra constituir��an los denominados ���actus��� caminos de car��cter regional que configuraban la mayor parte de la red. Muchas de las ���viae publicae��� y de los ���actus��� tendr��an su origen en las ���viae militares��� que habr��an sido los primeros construidos, apoy��ndose en muchas ocasiones en los caminos prerromanos, por los romanos para realizar la conquista de Hispania y que luego con la Paz romana habr��an tenido otro tipo de uso. Dentro de estas ���viae militares��� tuvieron una importancia relevancia aquellas que se utilizaron en la conquista de la Celtiberia, culminada con la ca��da de Numantia. Dentro de ellas tuvo una importancia fundamental la v��a romana del r��o Alhama, objeto de esta Tesis, que facilitar��a el desplazamiento de los ej��rcitos romanos desde Graccurris, primera ciudad romana fundada en el Ebro medio, hasta Numantia. Desde la ��poca Augusta, la v��a romana del r��o Alhama, pasar��a a formar parte de los denominados ���actus��� formando parte de la malla territorial de la Pen��nsula Ib��rica como v��a de comunicaci��n entre la Meseta y el Ebro Medio. We do not have knowledge of any network of ways prerromanos that were serving as base of a possible territorial mesh of Spain. Nevertheless, a company prerromana without ways, for very fragmented and isolated that was, is something improbable and great less in the Age of the Iron. Because of it in epoch prerromana existed infinity of ways, many of which today have disappeared and others have survived, almost always with his improved tours. The people prerromanos took advantage of natural routes of communication (rivers, fords, valleys, natural ports, plains, etc.) to stretch his ways. In his origins concrete guidelines did not continue, if not that the ways were originating for the traffic (of persons, cattle, goods, etc.) to and from. Thus the network viaria prerromana was chaotic and anarchic: all way had numerous branches and variants, according to the needs. Excessive slopes, variable widths, etc., in saying were spontaneous routes arisen without no apparent planning. The tours in general were short, though some current investigations are demonstrating that some of the most important cattle glens, as the Galiana, and of crossed length, were of origin prerromano. In case of the Iberian Peninsula, and more concretely in case of the Plateau, the territory was fragmented in diverse peoples and tribes, grouped according to ethnic and cultural criteria and with contacts with the near peoples that motivate the prevalence of short ways of tour. Only the need to take the flocks (of goats and sheeps especially) from the mountainous countries in summer to the plains in winter, would motivate longer trips in which some cattle glens would play a more important paper. With the arrival of the romanos, a dense network was implanted in Roman Spain viaria, whose construction extended during the whole Roman domination, being repaired many causeways and routes in several occasions. In Roman epoch the pertaining to roads network was changed and constituted by " the causeways " that were communicating important points, they were very travelled, of there that the Roman administration was supporting always in good condition, to assure the commercial exchange between different zones, collection of taxes, etc. "The dirt tracks (viae terrenae)" that besides the causeways, which we can make alike to the current roads of the first and second order, were constituting the infinity of local and regional ways. The tracings were realized some in Roman epoch, and great others resting on the ways of the epoch prerromana, these routes were not realized looking for the most short tour neither between points, two nor neither most comfortable and with a structural road surface of minor importance that in the causeways. They were not also done for a concrete type of transport, for what some of us would think that for his width they were allowing the step of cars, and others that only would allow the step afoot, astride or in donkey. They were in the habit of being, since we have indicated, dirt tracks with ended in zahorras and tours in his most short and medium. Inside the territorial mesh of Spain the causeways would constitute the called ones "viae publicae" that constituted the principal network and skeleton vertebrador of Roman Spain. The dirt tracks would constitute the "actus��� called ways of regional character that were forming most of the network. Many of "viae publicae" and of the "actus" they would have his origin in " viae military" that would have been the first ones constructed, resting on many occasions on the ways prerromanos, for the Romans to realize the conquest of Roman Spain and that then with the Roman Peace they would have had another type of use. Inside these "viae military" had an importance relevancy those that were in use in the conquest of the Celtiberia, reached with Numantia's fall. Inside them a fundamental importance had the Roman route of the river Alhama, object of this Thesis, which would facilitate the displacement of the Roman armies from Graccurris, the first Roman city been founded on the average Ebro, up to Numantia. From the August epoch, the Roman route of the river Alhama, would happen to form a part of the "actus��� forming a part of the territorial mesh of the Iberian Peninsula as road link between the Plateau and the Average Ebro.

The influence of the rearing period on intramammary infections in Swiss dairy heifers: A cross-sectional study

Healthy replacement heifers are one of the foundations of a healthy dairy herd. Farm management andrearing systems in Switzerland provide a wide variety of factors that could potentially be associated withintramammary infections (IMI) in early lactating dairy heifers. In this study, IMI with minor mastitispathogens such as coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), contagious pathogens, and environmentalmajor pathogens were identified. Fifty-four dairy farms were enrolled in the study. A questionnaire wasused to collect herd level data on housing, management and welfare of young stock during farm isitsand interviews with the farmers. Cow-level data such as breed, age at first calving, udder condition andswelling, and calving ease were also recorded. Data was also collected about young stock that spent aperiod of at least 3 months on an external rearing farm or on a seasonal alpine farm. At the quarterlevel, teat conditions such as teat lesions, teat dysfunction, presence of a papilloma and teat lengthwere recorded. Within 24 h after parturition, samples of colostral milk from 1564 quarters (391 heifers)were collected aseptically for bacterial culture. Positive bacteriological culture results were found in 49%of quarter samples. Potential risk factors for IMI were identified at the quarter, animal and herd levelusing multivariable and multilevel logistic regression analysis. At the herd level tie-stalls, and at cow-level the breed category ���Brown cattle��� were risk factors for IMI caused by contagious major pathogenssuch as Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). At the quarter-level, teat swelling and teat lesions were highlyassociated with IMI caused by environmental major pathogens. At the herd level heifer rearing at externalfarms was associated with less IMI caused by major environmental pathogens. Keeping pregnant heifersin a separate group was negatively associated with IMI caused by CNS. The odds of IMI with coagulase-negative staphylococci increased if weaning age was less than 4 months and if concentrates were fed tocalves younger than 2 weeks. This study identified herd, cow- and quarter-level risk factors that may beimportant for IMI prevention in the future.

Cowphilosophy; the art of practical dairy practice

Mode of access: Internet.

Brucellosis eradication budget proposals [microform] : hearing before the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry of the Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, second session, June 22, 1982.

"Serial no. 97-UUU."

Lameness, metabolic and digestive disorders, and technical efficiency in Danish dairy herds: a stochastic frontier production function approach

The relationship between reported treatments of lameness, metabolic disorders (milk fever, ketosis), digestive disorders, and technical efficiency (TE) was investigated using neutral and non-neutral stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). TE is estimated relative to the stochastic frontier production function for a sample of 574 Danish dairy herds collected in 1997. Contrary to most published results, but in line with the expected negative impact of disorders on the average cow milk production, herds reporting higher frequencies of milk fever are less technically efficient. Unexpectedly, however, the opposite results were observed for lameness, ketosis, and digestive disorders. The non-neutral stochastic frontier indicated that the opposite results are due to the relative. high productivities of inputs. The productivity of the cows is also reflected by the direction of impact of herd management variables. Whereas efficient farms replace cows more frequently, enroll heifers in production at an earlier age, and have shorter calving intervals, they also report higher frequency of disorder treatments. The average estimated energy corrected milk loss per cow is 1036, 451 and 242 kg for low, medium and high efficient farms. The study demonstrates the benefit of the stochastic frontier production function involving the estimation of individual technical efficiencies to evaluate farm performance and investigate the source of inefficiency. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Johne���s Disease-Dairy, September 2009, Vol. 1, no.2

Animal science newsletter about Johne's Disease in cattle. Statistics, treatments, information about the disease itself and more.

Johne���s Disease-Dairy, Spring 2010, Vol. 1, no.4

Animal science newsletter about Johne's Disease in cattle. Statistics, treatments, information about the disease itself and more.

Johne���s Disease-Dairy, Winter 2009, Vol. 1, no.3

Animal science newsletter about Johne's Disease in cattle. Statistics, treatments, information about the disease itself and more.

Johne���s Disease-Dairy, Fall 2011, Vol. 4, no.1

Animal science newsletter about Johne's Disease in cattle. Statistics, treatments, information about the disease itself and more.

Johne���s Disease-Dairy, Spring 2011, Vol. 3, no.3

Animal science newsletter about Johne's Disease in cattle. Statistics, treatments, information about the disease itself and more.

Johne���s Disease-Dairy, Summer 2010, Vol. 2, no.1

Animal science newsletter about Johne's Disease in cattle. Statistics, treatments, information about the disease itself and more.

Johne���s Disease-Dairy, Summer 2011, Vol. 3, no.4

Animal science newsletter about Johne's Disease in cattle. Statistics, treatments, information about the disease itself and more.