Behaviour, illness and management during the periparturient period in dairy cows

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 988 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Sepúlveda-Varas ◽  
J. M. Huzzey ◽  
D. M. Weary ◽  
M. A. G. von Keyserlingk
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Herd Health ◽  
Behavioural Changes ◽  
Resting Behaviour ◽  
Periparturient Period ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Before And After

The periparturient period, typically defined as the period immediately before and after calving, is a challenging time for dairy cattle that must cope with physiological, metabolic and endocrine changes, as well as a variety of environmental and management-related stressors. These challenges likely contribute to the high incidence of disease observed during the weeks following parturition. Changes in behaviour during the period around parturition can be used to identify animals that are ill or at risk of disease. The aim of this review is to summarise current knowledge on the behavioural changes of dairy cattle during the periparturient period and how these changes relate to illness. We provide an overview of the concept of sickness behaviour and describe the normal changes in feeding behaviour, social behaviour, and resting behaviour around parturition and how these behaviours differ between animals that become ill after parturition and those that remain healthy. We also review the literature on behavioural responses to common farm management practices around parturition drawing on examples related to early cow–calf separation, space restriction, social re-grouping, and housing conditions. This review focuses primarily on indoor group-housed dairy cattle as the majority of research has been focussed in this area; however, literature related to pasture-based dairy production, other farm animal species, and rodents is also discussed. Reduced feeding time and intake, increased standing time, restlessness, and a reluctance or inability to successfully compete for access to important resources are examples of the behavioural changes that have been associated with illness after calving. Using behaviour to identify sick cattle and those at increased risk of becoming ill will facilitate prompt treatment and provide opportunities to identify management changes that prevent disease, improving overall herd health and animal welfare.

scholarly journals Bovine Immunology: Implications for Dairy Cattle

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia N. Vlasova ◽  
Linda J. Saif
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
World Population ◽  
Cattle Industry ◽  
Agricultural Industry ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Optimal Health

The growing world population (7.8 billion) exerts an increased pressure on the cattle industry amongst others. Intensification and expansion of milk and beef production inevitably leads to increased risk of infectious disease spread and exacerbation. This indicates that improved understanding of cattle immune function is needed to provide optimal tools to combat the existing and future pathogens and improve food security. While dairy and beef cattle production is easily the world’s most important agricultural industry, there are few current comprehensive reviews of bovine immunobiology. High-yielding dairy cattle and their calves are more vulnerable to various diseases leading to shorter life expectancy and reduced environmental fitness. In this manuscript, we seek to fill this paucity of knowledge and provide an up-to-date overview of immune function in cattle emphasizing the unresolved challenges and most urgent needs in rearing dairy calves. We will also discuss how the combination of available preventative and treatment strategies and herd management practices can maintain optimal health in dairy cows during the transition (periparturient) period and in neonatal calves.

Reduction of Milk Contamination with Aflatoxin-M1 through Vaccination of Dairy Cattle with Aflatoxin-B1 Vaccine

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Aflatoxin B1 ◽  
Booster Vaccination ◽  
Primary Vaccination ◽  
Nano Particles ◽  
Aflatoxin M1 ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Serum Albumins ◽  
Milk Contamination ◽  
Before And After

Aflatoxin M1 is one of mycotoxin derivatives, which is secreted in milk of dairy cattle fed on feed contaminated with Aflatoxin-B1 (AFB1). The current study was designed to prepare a vaccine against AFB1and to evaluate its efficacy in reducing or preventing secretion of AFM1 in milk. Aflatoxin-B1 was prepared, purified and transformed into oxime, then it was fixed on bovine serum albumins. The AFB1-BSA conjugate was adjuvanted with Gold Nano particles then Montanide ISA 206. The prepared vaccine was used for immunization of rabbits by S/c routes as 100 µg/dose and dairy cattle by I/M routes as 500 µg/dose. The vaccinated animals were boosted at 3 weeks post primary immunization. Serum samples were collected and examined for the anti-AFB1 using AGPT. A mean titer of 15.2 AGPU/ml was detected at 2 weeks post primary vaccination then significantly increased till reached to 76.8 AGPU/ml at 6 weeks post Booster vaccination. All vaccinated rabbits were challenged with dose of 0.3 mg AFB1 toxin/Kg. The vaccinated rabbit showed 100% protection and no AFB1 toxin residue was detected in their livers. Milk samples were collected from non-vaccinated and AFB1-immunized dairy cattle then examined with ELISA for quantitation of AFM1 residues before and after vaccination. The results showed that the prepared AFB1 vaccine was safe, potent and able to reduce AFM1 release in milk of vaccinated heifers by 70%. So the vaccination of lactating animals with the AFB1vaccine might represent a valid tool for the prevention of AFM1 contamination of milk and dairy products.

scholarly journals Fitness of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds: Current Knowledge and Implications for Management

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vila-Aiub
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Herbicide Resistance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Resistance Management ◽  
Fitness Cost ◽  
Plant Fitness ◽  
Resistance Mutations ◽  
Fitness Costs ◽  
Wide Range

Herbicide resistance is the ultimate evidence of the extraordinary capacity of weeds to evolve under stressful conditions. Despite the extraordinary plant fitness advantage endowed by herbicide resistance mutations in agroecosystems under herbicide selection, resistance mutations are predicted to exhibit an adaptation cost (i.e., fitness cost), relative to the susceptible wild-type, in herbicide untreated conditions. Fitness costs associated with herbicide resistance mutations are not universal and their expression depends on the particular mutation, genetic background, dominance of the fitness cost, and environmental conditions. The detrimental effects of herbicide resistance mutations on plant fitness may arise as a direct impact on fitness-related traits and/or coevolution with changes in other life history traits that ultimately may lead to fitness costs under particular ecological conditions. This brings the idea that a “lower adaptive value” of herbicide resistance mutations represents an opportunity for the design of resistance management practices that could minimize the evolution of herbicide resistance. It is evident that the challenge for weed management practices aiming to control, minimize, or even reverse the frequency of resistance mutations in the agricultural landscape is to “create” those agroecological conditions that could expose, exploit, and exacerbate those life history and/or fitness traits affecting the evolution of herbicide resistance mutations. Ideally, resistance management should implement a wide range of cultural practices leading to environmentally mediated fitness costs associated with herbicide resistance mutations.

scholarly journals Epilepsy in Down Syndrome: A Highly Prevalent Comorbidity

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 2776
Author(s):  
Miren Altuna ◽  
Sandra Giménez ◽  
Juan Fortea
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Functional Outcomes ◽  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Epileptic Seizures ◽  
Myoclonic Epilepsy ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Number Of Individuals

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have an increased risk for epilepsy during the whole lifespan, but especially after age 40 years. The increase in the number of individuals with DS living into late middle age due to improved health care is resulting in an increase in epilepsy prevalence in this population. However, these epileptic seizures are probably underdiagnosed and inadequately treated. This late onset epilepsy is linked to the development of symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is the main comorbidity in adults with DS with a cumulative incidence of more than 90% of adults by the seventh decade. More than 50% of patients with DS and AD dementia will most likely develop epilepsy, which in this context has a specific clinical presentation in the form of generalized myoclonic epilepsy. This epilepsy, named late onset myoclonic epilepsy (LOMEDS) affects the quality of life, might be associated with worse cognitive and functional outcomes in patients with AD dementia and has an impact on mortality. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge about the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of epileptic seizures in the DS population, with a special emphasis on LOMEDS. Raised awareness and a better understanding of epilepsy in DS from families, caregivers and clinicians could enable earlier diagnoses and better treatments for individuals with DS.

scholarly journals Effect of Pheromone Blend Components, Sex Ratio, and Population Size on the Mating of Cadra cautella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeysinghe Mudiyanselage Prabodha Sammani ◽  
Dissanayaka Mudiyanselage Saman Kumara Dissanayaka ◽  
Leanage Kanaka Wolly Wijayaratne ◽  
William Robert Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Mating Disruption ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Mating Status ◽  
Cadra Cautella ◽  
Synthetic Chemicals ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Lepidoptera Pyralidae

Abstract The almond moth Cadra cautella (Walker), a key pest of storage facilities, is difficult to manage using synthetic chemicals. Pheromone-based management methods remain a high priority due to advantages over conventional management practices, which typically use insecticides. Cadra cautella females release a blend of pheromone including (Z, E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate (ZETA) and (Z)-9-tetradecadien-1-yl acetate (ZTA). The effect of these components on mating of C. cautella and how response varies with the population density and sex ratio remain unknown. In this study, the mating status of C. cautella was studied inside mating cages under different ratios of ZETA and ZTA diluted in hexane and at different population sizes either with equal or unequal sex ratio. The lowest percentage of mated females (highest mating disruption [MD] effects), corresponding to roughly 12.5%, was produced by a 5:1 and 3.3:1 ratio of ZETA:ZTA. Populations with equal sex ratio showed the lowest percentage of mated females, at 20% and 12.5% under lower and higher density, respectively. The next lowest percentage of mated females was produced when the sex ratio was set to 1: 2 and 2:1 male:female, with just 25% and 22.5% of moths mated, respectively. This study shows that mating status of C. cautella is influenced by ZETA:ZTA ratio, sex ratio, and population size. This current knowledge would have useful implications for mating disruption programs.

scholarly journals Endocannabinoid System Dysregulation from Acetaminophen Use May Lead to Autism Spectrum Disorder: Could Cannabinoid Treatment Be Efficacious?

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1845
Author(s):  
Stephen Schultz ◽  
Georgianna G. Gould ◽  
Nicola Antonucci ◽  
Anna Lisa Brigida ◽  
Dario Siniscalco
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Cannabinoid Receptors ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Endocannabinoid System ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Blood Levels ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Patterns Of Behavior ◽  
Arachidonoyl Glycerol

Persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities, are the core items characterizing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Strong inflammation states have been reported to be associated with ASD. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) may be involved in ASD pathophysiology. This complex network of lipid signaling pathways comprises arachidonic acid and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol-derived compounds, their G-protein-coupled receptors (cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2) and the associated enzymes. Alterations of the ECS have been reported in both the brain and the immune system of ASD subjects. ASD children show low EC tone as indicated by low blood levels of endocannabinoids. Acetaminophen use has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of ASD. This drug can act through the ECS to produce analgesia. It may be that acetaminophen use in children increases the risk for ASD by interfering with the ECS.This mini-review article summarizes the current knowledge on this topic.

scholarly journals Genomic Analysis, Progress and Future Perspectives in Dairy Cattle Selection: A Review

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 599
Author(s):  
Miguel A. Gutierrez-Reinoso ◽  
Pedro M. Aponte ◽  
Manuel Garcia-Herreros
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Progeny Testing ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Genetic Progress ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Selection Of

Genomics comprises a set of current and valuable technologies implemented as selection tools in dairy cattle commercial breeding programs. The intensive progeny testing for production and reproductive traits based on genomic breeding values (GEBVs) has been crucial to increasing dairy cattle productivity. The knowledge of key genes and haplotypes, including their regulation mechanisms, as markers for productivity traits, may improve the strategies on the present and future for dairy cattle selection. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) such as quantitative trait loci (QTL), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), or single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP) methods have already been included in global dairy programs for the estimation of marker-assisted selection-derived effects. The increase in genetic progress based on genomic predicting accuracy has also contributed to the understanding of genetic effects in dairy cattle offspring. However, the crossing within inbred-lines critically increased homozygosis with accumulated negative effects of inbreeding like a decline in reproductive performance. Thus, inaccurate-biased estimations based on empirical-conventional models of dairy production systems face an increased risk of providing suboptimal results derived from errors in the selection of candidates of high genetic merit-based just on low-heritability phenotypic traits. This extends the generation intervals and increases costs due to the significant reduction of genetic gains. The remarkable progress of genomic prediction increases the accurate selection of superior candidates. The scope of the present review is to summarize and discuss the advances and challenges of genomic tools for dairy cattle selection for optimizing breeding programs and controlling negative inbreeding depression effects on productivity and consequently, achieving economic-effective advances in food production efficiency. Particular attention is given to the potential genomic selection-derived results to facilitate precision management on modern dairy farms, including an overview of novel genome editing methodologies as perspectives toward the future.

scholarly journals Kidney Injury Caused by Preeclamptic Pregnancy Recovers Postpartum in a Transgenic Rat Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3762
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Kedziora ◽  
Kristin Kräker ◽  
Lajos Markó ◽  
Julia Binder ◽  
Meryam Sugulle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rat Model ◽  
Renal Damage ◽  
Kidney Injury ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Renal Diseases ◽  
Transgenic Rat ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Before And After

Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by the onset of hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg) and presence of proteinuria (>300 mg/L/24 h urine) or other maternal organ dysfunctions. During human PE, renal injuries have been observed. Some studies suggest that women with PE diagnosis have an increased risk to develop renal diseases later in life. However, in human studies PE as a single cause of this development cannot be investigated. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect of PE on postpartum renal damage in an established transgenic PE rat model. Female rats harboring the human-angiotensinogen gene develop a preeclamptic phenotype after mating with male rats harboring the human-renin gene, but are normotensive before and after pregnancy. During pregnancy PE rats developed mild tubular and glomerular changes assessed by histologic analysis, increased gene expression of renal damage markers such as kidney injury marker 1 and connective-tissue growth factor, and albuminuria compared to female wild-type rats (WT). However, four weeks postpartum, most PE-related renal pathologies were absent, including albuminuria and elevated biomarker expression. Only mild enlargement of the glomerular tuft could be detected. Overall, the glomerular and tubular function were affected during pregnancy in the transgenic PE rat. However, almost all these pathologies observed during PE recovered postpartum.

scholarly journals Effects of Feeding Time on Markers of Muscle Metabolic Flexibility Following Acute Aerobic Exercise in Trained Mice Undergoing Time Restricted Feeding

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1717
Author(s):  
Aaron Persinger ◽  
Matthew Butawan ◽  
Martina Faietti ◽  
Ashley Pryke ◽  
Kyley Rose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Exercise Training ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Metabolic Flexibility ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Restricted Feeding ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Access To Food

Time-restricted feeding (TRF) is becoming a popular way of eating in physically active populations, despite a lack of research on metabolic and performance outcomes as they relate to the timing of food consumption in relation to the time of exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine if the timing of feeding/fasting after exercise training differently affects muscle metabolic flexibility and response to an acute bout of exercise. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomized to one of three groups for 8 weeks. The control had ad libitum access to food before and after exercise training. TRF-immediate had immediate access to food for 6 h following exercise training and the TRF-delayed group had access to food 5-h post exercise for 6 h. The timing of fasting did not impact performance in a run to fatigue despite TRF groups having lower hindlimb muscle mass. TRF-delayed had lower levels of muscle HSL mRNA expression and lower levels of PGC-1α expression but displayed no changes in electron transport chain enzymes. These results suggest that in young populations consuming a healthy diet and exercising, the timing of fasting may not substantially impact metabolic flexibility and running performance.

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