In vitro efficacy of selected medicinal plants from Cholistan desert, Pakistan, against gastrointestinal helminths of sheep and goats

Gastrointestinal helminths are a major constraint to small ruminants in extensive husbandry systems of tropical regions. Yet, unavailability, high prices, side effects, and development of parasite resistance often limit the use of synthetic anthelmintics. Traditional medicinal plants might be an effective low-cost alternative. Therefore the in vitro anthelmintic activity of leaf extracts of the ligneous plants Capparis decidua, Salsola foetida, Suaeda fruticosa, Haloxylon salicornicum, and Haloxylon recurvum from Cholistan, Pakistan, was investigated against adult worms of Haemonchus contortus, Trichuris ovis, and Paramphistomum cervi. Various concentrations (from 7.8 to 500 mg dry matter ml^(−1)) of three extracts (aqueous, methanol, and aqueous-methanol) of each plant were tested at different time intervals for their anthelmintic activity via adult motility assay. Plant species (p<=0.01), extract type (p<=0.001), parasite species (p<=0.001), extract concentration (p<=0.001), time of exposure (p<=0.001) and their interactions (p<=0.001) affected the number of immobile or dead helminths. The 50% lethal concentration (LC_(50)) values indicated that the methanol and aqueous-methanol extracts of C. decidua, H. recurvum, and H. salicornicum as well as the methanol extract of S. fruticosa have the potential to be developed into plant-based remedies against the studied helminths. Further studies are needed to investigate the in vivo anthelmintic activity of these extracts, in order to develop effective, cheap and locally available anthelmintics for pastoralists in Cholistan and neighbouring desert regions.

Agreed-upon procedures report on the Iowa Sheep and Wool Promotion Board for the period July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2015

Agreed-upon procedures report on the Iowa Sheep and Wool Promotion Board for the period July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2015

Bovine Streptococcus uberis Intramammary Infections and Mastitis

Streptococcus (S.) uberis is a causative agent for clinical and subclinical bovine mastitis which significance for the udder health has increased over the last decades. Molecular diagnosis methods revealed that S. uberis may be subdivided into many different varieties with different epidemiological properties. In addition, some varieties were reclassified as Streptococcus parauberis and Globicatella sanguinis. The present paper reviews S. uberis and its role in modern dairy farming. This pathogen is ubiquitous for which it is considered as environment- associated. Straw bedding and pasture, but also the bovine skin and digestive mucosae are typical localizations inhabited by S. uberis. Due to its capacity to persist within the mammary tissue, some infections may eventually turn cow-associated. In other cases, the infection is short, but in any case, there is a high risk of re-infection. Although many varieties remain susceptible to most antimicrobial agents, the problem for the dairy farm lies in the high rate of re-infection. This paper also reviews risk factors, therapies and measures to control S. uberis at farm level.

El empleo de la ozonoterapia en ganadería de leche como alternativa de tratamiento para la mastitis clínica

La mastitis es una enfermedad que causa daño en el tejido parenquimatoso y estructural de la glándula mamaria bovina. Los tratamientos usados actualmente tienen muchos problemas colaterales (resistencia de antibióticos, eliminación de antibióticos en la leche, etc) que podrían complicar posteriores infecciones ya que generalmente no existe una buena respuesta terapéutica por agentes antibacterianos. En la presente investigación se ha utilizado la ozonoterapia como método alternativo para el tratamiento de la mastitis, por tener propiedades bactericidas, fungicidas, viricida, mejorar la micro-circulación sanguínea y optimizar el funcionamiento del sistema inmunológico. El objetivo general de la investigación fue buscar una alternativa para el control de la mastitis con ozonoterapia ya que, con los problemas ambientales y mal uso de los antibióticos, las bacterias causales han adquirido resistencia, consecuentemente animales altamente productivos mueren y problemas de salud pública por la calidad sanitaria y bioquímica de la leche se vuelven constantes, afectando la agroindustria en la calidad de sus derivados. Para la investigación, se aplicó ozonoterapia a través de la administración de solución salina ozonificada y solución gaseosa, se la comparó frente a un tratamiento tradicional (Ceftiofur), y se realizó una evaluación económica y sanitaria en la que se comprobó que la ozonoterapia tiene ventajas en ambos aspectos respecto al tratamiento alopático utilizado. Los resultados dejaron conocer que al ganado que se aplicó gas ozono sanaron un 76.7%, que a aquellas que se les aplicó suero ozonificado fueron curadas un 33.3% y a los que se aplicó Ceftiofur sanaron un 83%.

Utilización de la solución hipertónica (agua de mar), para el tratamiento de la mastitis bovina en la Finca “Las Cañas”, del municipio de la Trinidad, departamento de Estelí 2015

El presente estudio se realizó con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto de la utilización de la solución hipertónica (agua de mar) en el tratamiento de la mastitis bovina en la finca “Las Cañas” del Municipio de la Trinidad, departamento de Estelí, ubica a una latitud norte de 14° 30.71", longitud oeste de 58° 51.79" a 517 msnm, temperatura media anual de 25°C, clima tropical seco con poca precipitación pluvial . Se trabajó con 18 hembras bovina con dos y tres meses de lactación, positivas a mastitis sub - clínicas, mediante la pru eba de Mastitis California Test (MCT) . Los tratamientos evaluados fueron Tratamiento 1 A gua de mar 10 ml; T ratamiento dos 2 químico Cloxacilina - Ampicilina ( Masticen Pomada ® ) 10 ml . Durante tod o el muestreo el cuarto más afectado fue el cuarto anterior izquierdo (CAI) con (35.25%). Según el examen bacteriológico realizado a las muestras enviadas al laborator io, los microorganismos identificados de la mastitis en la finca, fueron: Streptococcus spp, Staphilococcus aureus , y Pseudomonas spp, E . coli ). Los dos tratamientos presentaron buenos resultados en el control de la mastitis bovina, donde el tratamiento TI (agua de mar 10ml) alcanzó s u mayor efecto a la quinta semana con un (34.3%) con respecto a mastitis subclínica y con un (11.4%) Con respecto a mastitis clínica - crónica y el Tratamiento TII (Masticen Pomada 10ml) alcanzó su mayor ef ecto a la quinta semana con un (33.3%) con respecto a mastitis sub clínica y con un (8.3%) con respec to a mastitis clínica - crónica

Guardian dogs protect sheep by guarding sheep, not by establishing territories and excluding predators

Guardian animals have been a common non-lethal method for reducing predator impacts on livestock for centuries in Europe. But elsewhere, livestock producers sometimes doubt whether such methods work or are compatible with modern livestock husbandry practices in extensive grazing systems. In this study we evaluate the hypothesis that guardian dogs primarily ‘work’ by establishing and defending territories from which canid predators are excluded. Eight maremmas and six free-ranging wild dogs of different sexes were fitted with GPS collars and monitored for 7 months on a large sheep property in north Queensland, Australia. Wild dog incursions into the territories of adjacent wild dogs and maremmas were recorded. Wild dog territories never overlapped and their home ranges infrequently overlapped. In contrast, 713 hourly locations from 120 wild dog incursions into maremma territories were recorded, mostly from three wild dogs. These three wild dogs spent a mean of 2.5–5.9 h inside maremma territories during incursions. At this location, maremmas worked by guarding sheep and prohibiting fine-scale interaction between wild dogs and sheep, not by establishing a territory respected by wild dogs. We conclude that shepherding behaviour and boisterous vocalisations of guardian dogs combined with the flocking behaviour of sheep circumvents attacks on sheep but does not prevent nor discourage wild dogs from foraging in close proximity. Certain husbandry practices and the behaviour of sheep at parturition may incur greater predation risk.

Studies on Haemonchus contortus infections in Merino sheep

The work described in this thesis was initially directed towards the elucidation of the self-cure phenomenon as a flock phenomenon under natural grazing conditions. As a consequence of these studies it became apparent that several important aspects of the epidemiology and of the clinical syndromes associated with haemonchosis required further investigation. The thesis is therefore essentially a description of haemonchosis of sheep in an endemic area supported, where indicated, by observations obtained by experimental infections. Each of the separate aspects studied is prefaced by a review of the relevant literature and the details of many individual observations which are not included in the text may be found in the various appendices. Some results, for example the individual faecal egg counts and worm burdens at autopsy, were too voluminous to be included and these are available at The Veterinary School of the University of Glasgow.

Assessment of grazing selectivity in relation to land cover: a comparison between sheep and goats

Portugal’s Northeast production of sheep and goats are based on the exploitation of landscape by-products such as spontaneous native vegetation and agriculture leftovers. Shepherds tend the flocks throughout grazing itineraries every day, crossing a mosaic of patches of varied land uses. During the journey, the shepherd acts together with the sheep and goats to select each patch in creating an ordered sequence of land uses. The focus of the research is on the land-use composition of the grazing itineraries; determinate how they depend on the patterns of the landscape mosaic. It is utilized a data set of 26 monthly herd’s itineraries, 13 of sheep and 13 of goats, to investigate the relationship of the land uses crossed by the flocks and the land uses of the landscape, evaluating the land-use preferences and selectivity of the sheep and goats. It is utilized the divergences in the time spent and distance travelled by the herds and the area of the land uses in the landscape, the chi-square test to relate the preferred land used and the season, and the discriminate analysis to distinguish the preferences and the selectivity of the herd of sheep and the herd of goats. The herds of the sheep and the goats presented different land-use preferences over the seasons and the discriminant analysis shows that they have different landscape preferences. The herd of sheep has the highest selectivity indexes for the annual irrigated crops, the agricultural complex systems and the agroforestry land uses. The highest selectivity indexes for the herd of goats were found for the deciduous forest, the agriculture with natural and semi-natural spaces and the shrublands land uses. It was concluded that the landscape management for sheep and goats herding has to be different: the agricultural land uses are essential to the flocks of sheep and the forest land uses are decisive to the flocks of goats.

Correlação entre o California Mastitis Test (CMT) e a Contagem de Células Somáticas (CCS) do leite de búfalas Murrah

O objetivo neste trabalho foi estimar as correlações entre o California Mastitis Test (CMT), a contagem células somáticas (CCS) e a produção de leite. Foram colhidas 544 amostras de leite de 38 búfalas em lactação nos anos de 2002 e 2003. O manejo de ordenha consistiu em uma ordenha diária, em que os tetos das búfalas eram desinfectados com solução de iodo, secos individualmente com papel toalha e submetidas à ordenha mecânica. O CMT foi realizado imediatamente após higienização dos tetos e as amostras de leite foram enviadas ao laboratório do DHVSP da Unesp/Botucatu, para realização da Contagem de Células Somáticas, em aparelho eletrônico Somacount 300. Foram efetuadas correlações entre Contagem de Células Somáticas, CMT, produção de leite, proteína, gordura e sólidos totais, que foram analisadas pelo SAEG (1997). A média de células somáticas foi de 63.380 células/mL, a produção diária de leite, de 4,07 ± 1,3 kg e a produção ajustada para os 270 dias, de 1214,25 ± 293,54 kg. Não foram encontradas correlações entre produção de leite, contagem de células somáticas e CMT. Para CCS e CMT, a correlação foi positiva e significativa (r = 0,53).

Antimicrobial potential of Eucalyptus globulus against biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine mastitis

Staphylococcus aureus are among the most common species isolated from bovine mastitis. The pathogenesis of this bacterium is facilitated by a number of virulence factors, including the ability to adhere to abiotic surfaces and/or host tissues often leading to biofilms' formation. From the clinical perspective, the most important feature of Staphytococcus species' biofilms is their high tolerance to the conventional antimicrobial therapy. So, the increasing number of bovine mastitis and the higher levels of Staphylococcus species resistance to traditional antimicrobial agents are considered an important alert for the necessity to focus the future research on identification and development of new strategies to combat S. aureus mastitis. RecenUy, the interest in natural alternatives based on plant extracts has been rising. In add~ion to their health benefits, their antimicrobial potential has been increasingly reported. Taking this into consideration, the evaluation of hydromethanolic extracts of E. globulus against S. aureus biofilms was tested and compared with penicillin, one of the antibiotics most often used in the treatment of cattle infections. All mastitis' isolates tested were good-biofilm producers. As expected penicillin has demonstrated poor activity against S. aureus biofilms (<1 log reduction). However, E. globulus Labill was bactericidal, promoting a biofilm cell reduction of 2-3 log. Therefore, the present work showed the potential antimicrobial activity of E. g/obulus against S. aureus from bovine mastitis, namely in biofilm mode of growth and drew attention to its promising use as an alternative to penicillin.

Effect of maternal cold exposure and nutrient restriction on insulin-like growth factor sensitivity in adipose tissue of newborn sheep

Adipose tissue mass in the newborn is determined in part by insulin-like growth factor (IGF)s, which are dependent on the maternal nutritional and metabolic environment during late gestation. The present study was designed to determine whether maternal cold exposure (CE) commencing in mid gestation could modulate some of the adaptive effects of nutrient restriction in late gestation on adipose tissue endocrine sensitivity in the resulting offspring. Twenty eight pregnant sheep were entered into the study and were either shorn, i.e. cold exposed, from 70 days gestation (term = 147 days), or remained unshorn, and were fed either their total calculated metabolisable energy (ME) requirements for body weight and pregnancy from 110 days gestation or 50% of this amount (n=7 per group). Adipose tissue was sampled from the offspring at one day of age and the mRNA abundance for IGF-I, II their receptors (R) and GH secretagogue receptor-1a (GHSR-1a) were determined. CE mothers produced larger offspring with more perirenal adipose tissue, an adaptation prevented by maternal nutrient restriction. Nutrient restriction in unshorn mothers increased IGF-I and IIR mRNA abundance. The mRNA abundances for IGF-I, II and IIR in adipose tissue were reduced by CE, adaptations independent of maternal food intake, whereas CE plus nutrient restriction increased GHSR-1a mRNA. In conclusion, maternal nutrient restriction with or without CE has very different effects on IGF sensitivity of adipose tissue and may act to ensure adequate fat stores are present in the newborn in the face of very different maternal endocrine and metabolic environments.

Ontogeny and nutritional programming of the hepatic growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-prolactin axis in the sheep

The liver is an important metabolic and endocrine organ in the fetus but the extent to which its hormone receptor (R) sensitivity is developmentally regulated in early life is not fully established. We, therefore, examined developmental changes in mRNA abundance for the growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) receptors (R) plus insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and –II and their receptors. Fetal and postnatal sheep were sampled at either 80, or 140 days gestation, 1, 30 days or six months of age. The effect of maternal nutrient restriction between early to mid (i.e. 28 to 80 days gestation, the time of early liver growth) gestation on gene expression was also examined in the fetus and juvenile offspring. Gene expression for the GHR, PRLR and IGF-IR increased through gestation peaking at birth, whereas IGF-I was maximal near to term. In contrast, IGF-II mRNA decreased between mid and late gestation to increase after birth whereas IGF-IIR remained unchanged. A substantial decline in mRNA abundance for GHR, PRLR and IGF-IR then occurred up to six months. Maternal nutrient restriction reduced GHR and IGF-IIR mRNA abundance in the fetus, but caused a precocious increase in the PRLR. Gene expression for IGF-I and –II were increased in juvenile offspring born to nutrient restricted mothers. In conclusion, there are marked differences in the developmental ontogeny and nutritional programming of specific hormones and their receptors involved in hepatic growth and development in the fetus. These could contribute to changes in liver function during adult life.

Efecto de la fuente de suplementación de Selenio (Se) en parámetros productivos e incidencia de mastitis de vacas lecheras multíparas

El periodo de posparto en vacas lecheras es crítico, caracterizado por presencia de estrés, baja el consumo de alimento y además, los mecanismos de defensa se encuentran comprometidos. El Se es un micronutriente esencial siendo este elemento necesario para el mantenimiento de la salud y reproducción y bajos ciertas condiciones, la suplementación de Se es una práctica habitual en ganado lechero 3 semanas antes del parto. La actividad de Se, expresada a nivel fisiológico con la actividad de Glutation peroxidasa, depende de la fuente de Se (i.e. fuentes orgánicas vs inorgánicas). Sin embargo, no existen datos de comparación directa entre fuentes de Se fácilmente disponibles, en su efecto sobre la producción de vacas durante el periodo fresco (i.e. 3 semanas después del parto). Por ende, el objetivo de este experimento fue evaluar el efecto de la fuente de Se en parámetros productivos, componentes de la leche e incidencia de mastitis en vacas lecheras multíparas en el periodo fresco de la lactancia en condiciones de pastoreo.

Determinación de la prevalencia de mastitis clínica y subclínica en búfalas lecheras (bubalus bubalis) en un hato búfalero del magdalena medio y uno de los Llanos Orientales

Tesis (Médico Veterinario). -- Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Programa de Medicina Veterinaria, 2014