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Background: Clostridium perfringens, a common environmental bacterium, is responsible for a variety of serious illnesses including food poisoning, digestive disorders, and soft tissue infections. Mastitis in lactating cattle and sudden death losses in baby calves are major problems for producers raising calves on dairy farms. The pathogenicity of this bacterium is largely mediated by its production of various toxins. Results: The study revealed that Among the examined lactating animals with a history of mastitis, diarrheal baby calves, and acute sudden death cases in calves, C. perfringens was isolated in 23.5% (93/395) of the total tested samples. Eighteen isolates were obtained from mastitic milk, 59 from rectal swabs, and 16 from the intestinal contents of dead calves. Most of the recovered C. perfringens isolates (95.6%) were identified as type A by molecular toxinotyping, except for four isolates from sudden death cases (type C). Notably, C. perfringens was recovered in 100% of sudden death cases compared with 32.9% of rectal swabs and 9% of milk samples. This study analyzed the phylogeny of C. perfringens using the plc region and identified the plc region in five Egyptian bovine isolates (milk and fecal origins). Importantly, this finding expands the known data on C. perfringens phospholipase C beyond reference strains in GenBank from various animal and environmental sources. Conclusion: Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide sequence data differentiated between strains of different origins. The plc sequences of Egyptian C. perfringens strains acquired in the present study differed from those reported globally and constituted a distinct genetic ancestor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to examine the inter-relationships between pig farm management and facilities (as assessed by questionnaire) and post-mortem lung lesion (lung score assesment), which are the result of respiratory infections. The relationships between carcass characteristics and post-mortem lung lesion scores were also investigated. Results: Questionnaire responses were collected from 22 self-selecting pig farmers about their farm facilities/management and health condition of the respiratory system of pigs, including the occurrence of clinical respiratory signs, results of laboratory testing for respiratory pathogens, and the use of respiratory vaccines. When fatteners were sent to the abattoir, their carcasses (n = 1,976) were examined for evidence of respiratory disease by lung lesion (pleuritis pneumonia-like (PP-like) and enzootic pneumonia-like (EP-like) lesions) scoring and the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Index (APPI) was calculated. Carcass characteristics were recorded and, retrospectively, the prevalence of cachectic pigs was calculated. Using these variables, the relationships between farm facilities/management and lung lesions scores and the relationships between the latter and carcass characteristics and cachexia were explored. The key findings relating farm facilities and management to lung lesions were: slatted floors were associated with significantly higher EP-like lesions scores than litter bedding in weaners, single-stage fattening in the same building was associated with significantly higher EP-like lesions scores than two-stage fattening, but herd size, stocking density, use of all-in/all-out (AIAO) rule, technological break duration and variation in daily temperature did not affect lung lesions scores. The key findings relating lung lesion scores to carcass characteristics were: a significant, negative correlation between EP-like scores and carcass weight but not with other carcass characteristics, a significant positive correlation between PP-like scores and carcass meat content and prevalence of cachectic carcasses and a significant positive correlation between lung APPI and prevalence of cachectic carcasses. Conclusions: It can be concluded that both farm facilities and management affect lung lesions scores and that the latter affect carcass characteristics. Lung lesion scoring is an inexpensive technique suitable for rapid monitoring of large numbers of carcasses that can be performed after animal slaughter. It provides useful information to inform producers about possible deficits in farm facilities or management and is a predictor of economic loss due to poorer quality carcasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Subclinical mastitis (SCM) is one of the most economically important diseases affecting the dairy industry. The SCM does not cause visible changes in the udder or physical changes of the milk as compared to clinical mastitis, and a clear overview of the prevalence and risk factors in the different regions of Africa is still lacking. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of SCM and assess the associated risk factors and dominant bacterial pathogens among cattle in Africa. Materials and methods: We gathered and systematically reviewed literature concerning SCM, published in English from January 2010 through December 2020 in two databases (PubMed and Web of Science), and meta-analysis was conducted using the 'meta' and 'metafor' packages in the R statistical software. Results: A total of 258 studies were retrieved and at the end of the screening, 82 full-texts were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of SCM was reported in 11 countries in five regions of Africa, and the random-effects model showed that the weighted pooled prevalence estimate (PPE) was 48.2% (95% CI: 43.6–52.8%). Heterogeneity was high and statistically significant as I2 (proportion of observed variation) was 98.1% (95% CI: 98.0-98.3%), τ2 (true between-study variance) was 0.0433 (95% CI: 0.0322–0.0611), and the Cochran Q statistic was 4362.8 (p < 0.0001). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses showed that East Africa had significantly (p = 0.0092) the highest PPE of SCM (67.7%, 95% CI: 55.7–78.7) followed by West Africa (50.5%, 95%CI: 31.4–69.5), and the lowest was in North Africa (40.3%, 95%: 32.2–48.6). Other significant moderators for SCM were age (p < 0.0001), breed (p = 0.0002), lactation stage (p = 0.019) and parity (p = 0.0008) of cattle. Staphylococcus species (prevalence 43.7%) were the most predominant pathogens, followed by Streptococcus (18.2%) and Escherichia species (9.5%). Conclusion: The present study showed a high variation of SCM prevalence in various parts of Africa, although there is a need for more data in some regions. The reported prevalence is a clear sign of inappropriate management practices among cattle herds and an indicator of the threat that SCM poses to the dairy industry. The information about the predisposing factors may guide effective management and control strategies to reduce transmission of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The determination of the microbiological quality and safety of raw milk and the associated influencing factors at the farm level is very critical given that the quality or safety of subsequent products that are further produced depends on this. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the microbiological quality and safety of bulk milk and identify associated risk factors, and assess the presence/absence of S. aureus in bulk milk with potential contaminating sources in dairy farms in Asella, Ethiopia. Results: The geometric means of bacterial counts in farm bulk milk were 5.25 log cfu/ml, 3.1 log cfu/ml and 2.97 log cfu/ml for total bacterial count (TBC), coliform count (CC) and coagulase-positive staphylococci count (CPS), respectively. Of the 50 dairy farms, 66, 88, and 32% had TBC, CC and CPS counts, respectively, that exceeded the standard international limits for raw cow's milk intended for direct human consumption. TBC tended to increase as CC increased in bulk milk (r = 0.5). In the final regression model, increased TBC, CC and the contamination of farm bulk milk by S. aureus were significantly associated with dirty barns, dirty cows and soiled udder and teats. TBC was higher during the rainy season than during the dry season. The reported practice of washing teats with warm water significantly decreased CC and CPS. The occurrence of S. aureus was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in bulk farm milk (42%) than in pooled udder milk (37.3%), teat swabs (22.5%), milkers' hand swabs (18%), bulking bucket swabs (16.7%), milking container swabs (14%), and water for cleaning of udder and milkers' hands (10%). The questionnaire survey result showed widespred raw milk consumption habits, low level of training and poor hygienic milking practices. Conclusions: This study revealed low-quality bulk farm milk with high bacterial counts and a high occurrence of S. aureus. This indicates the potential food safety risks due to consumption of raw milk or its products. This study suggests awareness creation to dairy farmers and the public on hygienic milk production and heat treatment of milk before consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Central Dry Zone (CDZ) of Myanmar is a critical region of livestock production. This region supports 10 million people whose livelihoods depend on small-scale, dry-land agriculture, but it is also one of the poorest regions of Myanmar. Little is known about the constraints to animal health in multi-species livestock farms in this region or the relationships between husbandry practices and measures of the success of livestock rearing such as income, and successful health management. Results: In this study, we describe associations between husbandry practices and animal health problems affecting different body systems. We also develop a biosecurity and livestock disease prevention index by taking account of different activities (i.e. treatment, vaccination, reducing disease transmission practice, sanitation) that can be compared between livestock species, estimate the income generated from livestock production, and identify factors influencing these parameters. Cross-sectional study was used to collect data on livestock production and health from cattle (N = 382), sheep, goat (N = 303) and village chicken (N = 327) farmers in 40 villages of the CDZ. Survey-design based techniques and F-statistics, ordinal, and binomial regression were used for data analysis. Our results indicate that a significant proportion of farmers' income in the CDZ comes from crop production (43.2%) and livestock production (23.1%) and the rest of the farmers' income is derived from trading, supported by other relatives and employment. Our results indicate that animal health management practices, herd/flock size, and experience of farmers contributed significantly to the presence of animal health problems, in particular related to the physical, respiratory and digestive systems. Animal health management was usually conducted in traditional ways. Among different livestock species farms, cattle farms (cattle median BDPI: 45; IQR: 35–55) practised better biosecurity than other livestock species farms (i.e. small ruminant and village chicken farms) (small ruminant and village chicken BDPI: 10; IQR: 0–20). Interestingly, the ownership groups (i.e. rearing singly or multispecies) did not show any impact on biosecurity and disease prevention index of the farms. Conclusions: This study identified good practice households and these findings will be useful for designing intervention trials to improve the production and health outcomes evaluated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Structural changes in dairy farming increase farm complexity, thereby inducing a need to combine herd health management, technological solutions, legislation, and human relations among farmers, farm workers, and advisors. This complex situation may require 'transdisciplinary advisory service', i.e., a highly integrated network of both non-academic and different academic disciplines. While working in these networks, advisors need to offer specialized knowledge from their own field, interact in a dynamic relationship between different types of professions and facilitate complex processes. The objectives of this study were: (1) to identify and describe different advisor and farmer styles based on their reasons to engage in transdisciplinary advisory services at farm-level, (2) to identify any possible conflicting perspectives between advisors and farmers' demand, and (3) to discuss these styles and conflicts in the context and future of advisory services for dairy herd health and production management. Results: Using Q methodology, we explored the purpose of transdisciplinary advisory service on dairy farms. The results were derived from correlations between 40 statements for 25 advisors and 33 statements for nine farmers. We identified three similar styles among advisors and farmers, characterized as: (1) the teamwork and knowledge-focused style, (2) the production and economy-focused style, and (3) the economy and strategy-focused style. These styles included reflections on financial aspects, production, knowledge-exchange and the teamwork process itself. In addition, different emphasis on animal welfare, farm strategy and follow-up procedures between the styles became evident. Conclusions: This Q-study suggests three comparable styles between advisors and farmers. The main differences between the styles related to the teamwork process and purpose, follow-up process, financial aspects, farm strategy, and operational production objectives. Therefore, styles and expectations should be explored and discussed to create a mutual understanding within a farmer-advisor(s)-team, and to clarify the farmer's needs and demands, and how the advisors can best meet these expectations. This study illustrates the importance of exploring different advisor and farmer styles to get a mutual understanding of the purpose of the transdisciplinary collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: India is the largest milk producer globally, with the largest proportion of cattle milk production coming from smallholder farms with an average herd size of less than two milking cows. These cows are mainly undefined multi-generation crosses between exotic dairy breeds and indigenous Indian cattle, with no performance or pedigree recording. Therefore, implementing genetic improvement based on genetic evaluation has not yet been possible. We present the first results from a large smallholder performance recording program in India, using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes to estimate genetic parameters for monthly test-day (TD) milk records and to obtain and validate genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV). Results: The average TD milk yield under the high, medium, and low production environments were 9.64, 6.88, and 4.61 kg, respectively. In the high production environment, the usual profile of a lactation curve was evident, whereas it was less evident in low and medium production environments. There was a clear trend of an increasing milk yield with an increasing Holstein Friesian (HF) proportion in the high production environment, but no increase above intermediate grades in the medium and low production environments. Trends for Jersey were small but yield estimates had a higher standard error than HF. Heritability estimates for TD yield across the lactation ranged from 0.193 to 0.250, with an average of 0.230. The additive genetic correlations between TD yield at different times in lactation were high, ranging from 0.846 to 0.998. The accuracy of phenotypic validation of GEBV from the method that is believed to be the least biased was 0.420, which was very similar to the accuracy obtained from the average prediction error variance of the GEBV. Conclusions: The results indicate strong potential for genomic selection to improve milk production of smallholder crossbred cows in India. The performance of cows with different breed compositions can be determined in different Indian environments, which makes it possible to provide better advice to smallholder farmers on optimum breed composition for their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]