Hasil untuk "Cattle"

R. J. Gruninger, M. L. McCormack, N. C. Chomistek et al.

ABSTRACT Liver abscesses in cattle reduce animal performance, increase the environmental footprint of beef production, and cause significant economic losses. The low pH of the rumen resulting from the consumption of high grain diets damages the rumen epithelium and facilitates the translocation of opportunistic pathogens from the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream where they can colonize the liver, causing infection. Recently, 16s rRNA sequencing has revealed that 25%–50% of liver abscess microbiomes have prominent levels of Bacteroides. Due to the inability to reliably classify amplicon sequences beyond the genus level, the identity of these microbes remains unknown. We have employed a combination of culture-independent and culture-based methods to isolate and identify the Bacteroides associated with liver abscesses in cattle. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing and assembly of metagenome-assembled genomes generated four high-quality genomes, two of which were putatively identified as Bacteroides. These microbes were subsequently isolated from the purulent material of liver abscesses. Whole-genome sequencing conclusively identified these isolates as Bacteroides pyogenes and a previously unknown species of Bacteroides, revealing distinct differences from Bacteroides typically found in the gut. Carbohydrate utilization assays revealed that both organisms metabolize glycogen and glycosaminoglycans found in the extracellular matrix of the liver but display differences in substrate specificity. These data not only identify Bacteroides found in bovine liver abscesses but also provide new insights into the potential role that these organisms may play in this production-limiting disease.IMPORTANCELiver abscesses (LAs) are commonly found in cattle raised in feedlots and result from a bacterial infection of the liver. Not only are LAs a concern for animal health, but they also impact growth efficiency, animal welfare, and cost the North American beef industry upwards of $120 million per annum. Recently, it has been found that 25%–50% of liver abscess microbiomes have prominent levels of Bacteroides; however, to date, the biological relevance in LA pathogenesis and the identity of these bacteria are unknown. This research describes the isolation, identification, and genomic characterization of the Bacteroides found in bovine liver abscesses. These data provide a critical foundation for expanding our knowledge of the potential role Bacteroides play in liver abscess development and could contribute to the identification of novel targets for developing treatments to prevent this important production-limiting disease.

T.S. Sundaram, C. Giromini, R. Rebucci et al.

ABSTRACT: In vitro meat cultivation, a cutting-edge innovation in food science, may represent a more sustainable and ethical source of animal proteins compared with conventionally grown meat. An important challenge for meat cultivation lies in eliminating the use of fetal bovine serum (FBS) in cell culture media due to ethical concerns. Milk whey is a nutrient-rich liquid portion of the milk, derived as a byproduct of dairy industry. Similar to FBS, whey contains proteins that are crucial for nutrition, cell adhesion, and biomolecular transport. In this study, we investigated whether whey proteins (WP) can replace FBS in supporting muscle cell cultivation, using the C2C12 myoblast model. Accordingly, under serum-free conditions, cells were treated with 2 WP mixtures, grouping high (β-LG 1.25%, α-LA 1.25%, BSA 1.25%) and low (β-LG 0.07%, α-LA 0.15%, BSA 0.15%) selected concentrations of individual proteins that positively affected cell growth in a preceding dose–response study. Cells cultured in only basal Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium were included as a negative control, and cells cultured in 10% FBS as a positive control. Cells were maintained in the treatment media for 48 h (d 1 and 2) to support myoblast proliferation. Subsequently, all the treatments were replaced with a standard low mitogenic 2% horse serum (HS) medium until full differentiation (d 6). The treatment effects on morphology, viability, and lactate dehydrogenase release were assessed after d 1, 2, and 6, respectively. The results showed that WP stimulated cell proliferation under serum-free culture conditions, similar to the FBS control, and subsequently facilitated myotube formation when the WP or FBS treatments were switched to HS medium. After differentiation, these cells also exhibited increased expression of cell differentiation markers such as creatine kinase and citrate synthase and underwent morphological changes from spindle-shaped cells to fused elongated myotubes, in contrast to the negative control. This study demonstrates that WP are a promising and sustainable alternative for considerably replacing FBS-based growth supplements for use in cultivated animal products.

Claudia F. Viana, Ana C.C. Lopes, Rosemary S. Conrrado et al.

ABSTRACT: Despite buffalo milk being an important food worldwide, not much is known about factors that influence its quality on Brazilian buffalo milk farms. It ranks second in total volume of milk production, with cow milk in first place, but a lack of minimum legal parameters for buffalo milk is another problem faced by some countries as it happens in Brazil, where the buffalo population represents less than 1% of dairy cows, even though the Brazilian buffalo herd is one of the largest in Latin America, with a successful dairy processing chain. This study investigated the composition and SCC of buffalo milk produced in a high-altitude tropical region in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where buffalo calving naturally happens from February to May. A total of 2,211 samples of raw milk were analyzed for compositional parameters (fat, protein, lactose, TS, and SNF) using Fourier-transform infrared spectra and for SCC using flow cytometry. Official climatological data were also collected. Descriptive, multivariate statistics and principal component analysis were used. The highest fat, protein, solids nonfat, and total solids concentrations were recorded during the summer and spring seasons, 6.01 and 6.31 g/100 g for fat, 4.23 and 4.18 g/100 g for protein, 9.93 and 9.92 g/100 g for SNF, and 15.95 and 16.23 g/100 g for TS, respectively. Lactose, however, had the lowest concentration observed in the same seasons, 4.76 and 4.75 g/100 g, respectively. The component with the highest correlation to SCC was lactose, with the highest SCC values during spring, which was similar to the SCC during the fall. The concentrations of buffalo milk components were influenced by the season, with an opposite trend when compared with cow milk. However, buffalo milk SCC was usually lower than the counts reported for cow milk in the same region. Upcoming studies must include data as well as weighted averages to estimate the financial effect of this oscillation during the year and for milk quality payment.

Eri FURUKAWA, Yojiro YANAGAWA, Akira MATSUZAKI et al.

The present study investigated the applicability of a calving prediction model based on supervised machine learning of ruminal temperature (RT) data in dairy cows. The existence of cow subgroups for prepartum RT changes was also examined, and the predictive performance of the model was compared among these subgroups. RT data were collected from 24 Holstein cows at 10 min intervals using an RT sensor system. The average hourly RT was calculated and data were expressed as residual RTs (rRT = actual RT − mean RT for the same time on the previous three days). The mean rRT decreased beginning at approximately 48 h before calving to a low of −0.5°C at 5 h before calving. However, two cow subgroups were identified: cows with a late and small rRT decrease (Cluster 1, n = 9) and those with an early and large rRT decrease (Cluster 2, n = 15). A calving prediction model was developed using five features extracted from the sensor data (indicative of prepartum rRT changes) through a support vector machine. Cross-validation showed that calving within 24 h was predicted with a sensitivity of 87.5% (21/24) and precision of 77.8% (21/27). A significant difference in sensitivity was observed between Clusters 1 and 2 (66.7 vs. 100%, respectively), while none was observed for precision. Therefore, the model based on RT data with supervised machine learning has the potential to efficiently predict calving, although improvements for specific cow subgroups are required.

Tengfei He, Guang Yi, Xilin Wang et al.

This study explored the effects of drinking heated water in the cold seasons on the serum metabolism, rumen microbial fermentation, and metabolome of beef cattle. Twelve fattening cattle (642 ± 14.6 kg) aged 21 to 22 months were randomly and equally divided into two groups based on body weight: one receiving room-temperature water (RTW; average 4.39 ± 2.55 °C) and the other heated water (HW; average 26.3 ± 1.70 °C). The HW group displayed a significant decrease in serum glucose (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and non-esterified fatty acid (<i>p</i> < 0.01), but increases in insulin (<i>p</i> = 0.04) and high-density lipoprotein (<i>p</i> = 0.03). The rumen fermentation parameters of the HW group showed substantial elevations in acetate (<i>p</i> = 0.04), propionate (<i>p</i> < 0.01), isobutyrate (<i>p</i> = 0.02), and total volatile fatty acids (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Distinct bacterial composition differences were found between RTW and HW at the operational taxonomic unit (OTU) level (R = 0.20, <i>p</i> = 0.01). Compared to RTW, the HW mainly had a higher relative abundance of <i>Firmicutes</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.07) at the phylum level and had a lower abundance of <i>Prevotella</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.01), <i>norank_f_p-215-o5</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.03), and a higher abundance of <i>NK4A214_group</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.01) and <i>Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.05) at the genus level. In addition, <i>NK4A214_group</i> and <i>Lachnospiraceae</i>_<i>NK3A20</i>_<i>group</i> were significantly positively correlated with the rumen propionate and isovalerate (r > 0.63, <i>p</i> < 0.05). <i>Prevotella</i> was negatively correlated with rumen propionate and total volatile fatty acids (r = −0.61, <i>p</i> < 0.05). In terms of the main differential metabolites, compared to the RTW group, the expression of Cynaroside A, N-acetyl-L-glutamic acid, N-acetyl-L-glutamate-5-semialdehyde, and Pantothenic acid was significantly upregulated in HW. The differentially regulated metabolic pathways were primarily enriched in nitrogen metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, and linoleic acid metabolism. <i>Prevotella</i> was significantly positively correlated with suberic acid and [6]-Gingerdiol 3,5-diacetate (r > 0.59, <i>p</i> < 0.05) and was negatively correlated with Pantothenic acid and isoleucyl-aspartate (r < −0.65, <i>p</i> < 0.05). <i>NK4A214_group</i> was positively correlated with L-Methionine and glycylproline (r > 0.57, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Overall, our research demonstrates the important relationship between drinking water temperature and metabolic and physiological responses in beef cattle. Heating drinking water during cold seasons plays a pivotal role in modulating internal energy processes. These findings underscore the potential benefits of using heated water as a strategic approach to optimize energy utilization in beef cattle during the cold seasons.

Catalina Contreras, Raúl Alegría-Moran, Mario Duchens et al.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic disease mainly caused by Mycobacterium bovis, a zoonotic pathogen with economic significance as it leads to reduced milk and meat production, and high costs for control measures. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, primarily used to prevent tuberculosis in humans, has also been studied for controlling bTB. While showing effectiveness in preventing M. bovis infection and disease in cattle, the BCG vaccine can induce non-specific effects on the immune system, enhancing responses to infections caused by unrelated pathogens, and also having non-specific effects on lactation. The aim of this study is to describe both the specific and non-specific effects of BCG vaccination in calves from a commercial dairy herd in central Chile. Diagnosis of M. bovis infection was performed through the IFNγ release assay (IGRA) using ESAT6/CFP-10 and Rv3615c antigens. The records of milk production, somatic cell count (SCC), clinical mastitis (CM) and retained placenta (RP) during the first lactation were compared between vaccinated and non-vaccinated animals. The breed (Holstein Friesian [HF] v/s HF × Swedish Red crossbred [HFSR]) and the season (warm v/s cold) were also analyzed as categorical explanatory variables. Results of IGRA showed significant differences between vaccinated and control groups, indicating a vaccine efficacy of 58.5% at 18 months post vaccination in HFSR crossbred animals. Although milk production did not vary, SCC and CM showed differences between groups, associated to the breed and the season, respectively. When analyzing CM and RP as a whole entity of disease, BCG showed protection in all but the cold season variables. Overall, the BCG vaccine induced protective specific and non-specific effects on health parameters, which may be influenced by the breed of animals and the season. These results provide new features of BCG protection, supporting initiatives for its implementation as a complementary tool in bTB control.

Shimaa Abd El-Salam El-Sayed, Mohamed A. El-Adl, Mayar O. Ali et al.

Background and Aim: Camels are a unique source of milk and meat, which helps recover from several diseases that affect humans worldwide. In Egypt, one of the great obstacles for this industry is tick-borne diseases. This study aimed to characterize blood parasite infections, such as Babesia (B.) bovis and Trypanosoma (T.) spp. in one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) (n=142) breeds in Halayeb and Shalateen, Egypt, through phylogenetic analysis. Materials and Methods: The prevalence of B. bovis and Trypanosoma spp. was identified in camels using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting the Rhoptry-Associated Protein-1 and internal transcribed spacer 1 genes, respectively. A nested PCR technique was conducted to detect B. bovis. At the same time, KIN multispecies PCR assay was employed to diagnose and classify trypanosome DNA in camels. Results: B. bovis was detected in 4/142 camels with an infection rate of 2.81%. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the strain of B. bovis isolated from this population was closely related to strains isolated from Argentine, the United States, and Brazil. Moreover, Trypanosoma evansi was detected in 8/142 camels with an infection rate of 5.63%. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that this isolated strain T. evansi was closely related to Trypanosoma theileri detected from cattle in Brazil. Conclusion: The obtained data indicated the existence of B. bovis and T. evansi in camels from two provinces of Egypt. The obtained findings have economic significance and reflect the importance of implementing effective prevention and control methods across Egypt to reduce the incidence of B. bovis and T. evansi in camels.

Casey J. Shawver, James A. Ippolito, Joe E. Brummer et al.

Abstract Management‐intensive grazing (MiG) on irrigated, perennial pastures has steadily increased in the western United States due to pressure for reducing public lands grazing, overall declining land available for pasture, and decreasing commodity prices. However, there are still many unknowns regarding MiG and its environmental impact, especially with regards to soil health. Over a 2‐yr period, a study evaluating the change in soil health under a full‐scale, 82‐ha pivot‐irrigated perennial pasture system grazed with ∼230 animal units (AUs) using MiG. Soil analysis included 11 soil characteristics aggregated into the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), which outputs results for soil biological, physical, nutrient, chemical, and overall soil health indices (SHIs). Over time, positive impacts were observed in the chemical and biological SHI due to decreases in salt content and increases in microbial and enzymatic activities. Soil organic C (SOC) remained unchanged, yet positive biological SHI changes are potential precursors to future SOC increases. The chemical and nutrient SHI increased in the soil surface due to reductions in salt content in conjunction with increased plant‐available soil P, as a result of salt leaching via irrigation and pre‐study inorganic P fertilizer application in conjunction with manure deposition due to MiG, respectively. Finally, a negative impact was also observed in the physical SHI, driven primarily by increasing bulk density due to hoof pressure from cattle grazing. If managed correctly, compaction issues can be avoided, with MiG systems having potential success in supporting grazing while promoting soil health for environmental and economic sustainability.

Anuj Tewari, Helen Ambrose, Krupali Parekh et al.

In foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-endemic countries, vaccination is commonly used to control the disease, whilst in FMD-free countries, vaccination is considered as an option, in addition to culling the infected and in contact animals. FMD vaccines are mainly comprised of inactivated virions and stimulate protective antibodies to virus structural proteins. In contrast, infection with FMD virus leads to virus replication and additional antibody responses to viral nonstructural proteins (NSP). Therefore, antibodies against NSPs are used to differentiate infection in vaccinated animals (DIVA), in order to estimate the prevalence of infection or its absence. Another advantage of NSP antibody tests is that they detect FMD infection in the field, irrespective of the serotypes of virus in circulation. In cattle, the NSP tests that target the 3ABC polyprotein provides the highest sensitivity, detecting up to 90% of vaccinated animals that become carriers after exposure to infection, with a specificity of around 99%. Due to insufficient diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, detection of a low level of infection is difficult at the population level with a high degree of confidence. The low level of non-specific responses can be overcome by retesting samples scored positive using a second confirmatory test, which should have at least comparable sensitivity to the first test. In this study, six in-house tests were developed incorporating different NSP antigens, and validated using bovine sera from naïve animals, field cases and experimentally vaccinated and/or infected animals. In addition, two (short and long incubation) new commercial NSP tests based on 3ABC competitive blocking ELISAs (ID Screen^® FMD NSP Competition, IDvet, France) were validated in this study. The two commercial ELISAs had very similar sensitivities and specificities that were not improved by lengthening the incubation period. Several of the new in-house tests had performance characteristics that were nearly as good as the commercial ELISAs. Finally, the in-house tests were evaluated for use as confirmatory tests following screening with the PrioCHECK^® and ID Screen^® FMDV NS commercial kits, to assess the diagnostic performance produced by a multiple testing strategy. The in-house tests could be used in series (to confirm) or in parallel (to augment) with the PrioCHECK^® and IDvet^® FMDV NS commercial kits, in order to improve either the specificity or sensitivity of the overall test system, although this comes at the cost of a reduction in the counterpart (sensitivity/specificity) parameter.

P. Krishnankutty Nair, M. Corredig

Concentrated casein micelle suspensions show an altered balance between the colloidal and soluble phases compared with native skim milk. The objective of this research was to probe the role of such a change on the chymosin-driven destabilization of casein micelles. Skim milk was gently concentrated by osmotic stressing to increase the volume fraction of the micelles while maintaining a constant ionic composition. In situ turbidity measurements demonstrated that the secondary stage of gelation was hindered in the concentrated suspensions. Addition of ionic calcium overcame this inhibition, whereas restoring the original concentration by redilution did not. This work clearly demonstrated that calcium plays a major role in decreasing electrostatic repulsion in casein micelles, but also showed the importance of noncolloidal proteins in altering the gelling functionality of casein micelles in concentrated milk. Additional calcium induces aggregation of these soluble caseins, restoring gelation in concentrates.

S. S. Onischenko, P. V. German, A. S. Savelieva

The archaeological studies developed two concepts concerning the character of Tagar economy: semi-nomadic and sedentary. They are based on different approaches to burial assemblage materials, accidental findings, and general opinion on stock-raising economy in Eurasian forest-steppes and steppes. The zooarchaeological profile of Tagar settlements can resolve this argument. A high share of horse bones may mean a semi-nomadic or nomadic lifestyle, while low share of equine remains can be a sign of a sedentary economy. The research featured Tagar settlements in the forest-steppe areas of the interfluve area between the Kiya and the Chulym. The paper describes the zooarchaeological collection of the archeological site of Kоsоgol I, the largest Early Iron Age settlement in the area. The collection includes 6,634 samples, of which 687 belong to horses. The authors believe that cattle breeding was the main branch of the Tagar economy. Horses were the third most important group. However, horses were not meat animals, as bones of young horses were quite rare among the kitchen waste. The Tagars killed mature or old work horses (older than 12–13), which could not work anymore. Hunting was a secondary branch of their economy: they hunted does, as well as water and moor fowl near the settlement. The results of Kosogol I zooarchaeological assemblage study proved the theory about the sedentary cattle breeding of the early Tagar people.

Magdalena Materniak-Kornas, Martin Löchelt, Jerzy Rola et al.

Foamy viruses (FVs) are widely distributed and infect many animal species including non-human primates, horses, cattle, and cats. Several reports also suggest that other species can be FV hosts. Since most of such studies involved livestock or companion animals, we aimed to test blood samples from wild ruminants for the presence of FV-specific antibodies and, subsequently, genetic material. Out of 269 serum samples tested by ELISA with the bovine foamy virus (BFV) Gag and Bet antigens, 23 sera showed increased reactivity to at least one of them. High reactive sera represented 30% of bison samples and 7.5% of deer specimens. Eleven of the ELISA-positives were also strongly positive in immunoblot analyses. The peripheral blood DNA of seroreactive animals was tested by semi-nested PCR. The specific 275 bp fragment of the <i>pol</i> gene was amplified only in one sample collected from a red deer and the analysis of its sequence showed the highest homology for European BFV isolates. Such results may suggest the existence of a new FV reservoir in bison as well as in deer populations. Whether the origin of such infections stems from a new FV or is the result of BFV inter-species transmission remains to be clarified.

Clóvis Moreira, Marcos R. A. Ferreira, Carlos E. P. da Cunha et al.

Botulism is a potentially fatal intoxication caused by botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) produced mainly by Clostridium botulinum. Vaccination against BoNT serotypes C and D is the main procedure to control cattle botulism. Current vaccines contain formaldehyde-inactivated native BoNTs, which have a time-consuming production process and pose safety risks. The development of non-toxic recombinant vaccines has helped to overcome these limitations. This study aims to evaluate the humoral immune response generated by cattle immunized with non-purified recombinant fragments of BoNTs C and D. Cattle were vaccinated in a two-dose scheme with 100, 200 and 400 &micro;g of each antigen, with serum sampling on days 0, 56, 120, and 180 after vaccination. Animals who received either 200 or 400 &mu;g of both antigens induced titers higher than the minimum required by the Brazilian ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply and achieved 100% (8/8) seroconversion rate. Animals vaccinated with commercial toxoid vaccine had only a 75% (6/8) seroconversion rate for both toxins. Animals that received doses containing 400 &micro;g of recombinant protein were the only ones to maintain titers above the required level up until day 120 post-vaccination, and to achieve 100% (8/8) seroconversion for both toxins. In conclusion, 400 &micro;g the recombinant Escherichia coli cell lysates supernatant was demonstrated to be an affordable means of producing an effective and safe botulism vaccine for cattle.

A. Elbers, A. Backx, K. Mintiens et al.

F. B. L. Palmeira, P. Crawshaw, C. M. Haddad et al.

Nicholas N. Jonsson, R. Bock, W. Jorgensen

G. Simm

E. Kebreab, Kristen A. Johnson, S. Archibeque et al.

S. Alexandersen, M. Quan, C. Murphy et al.

K. Stanley, J. S. Wallace, J. E. Currie et al.