Suchergebnisse

The present study aimed to verify the occurrence of displacement of the abomasum (DA) in dairy herds from a high-yielding dairy region of Southern Brazil. Data on breed, age, lactation number, days after calving, breeding system, number of animals, and number of lactating cows in the herd were obtained from 135 cases of DA. A total of 39 herds, and 6,454 cows, including 2,987 lactating cows from the municipality of Palmeira, Paraná State, were included in this study. The overall prevalence of DA was 2.09%, and occurrence of DA during lactation was 4.42%. Left displacement was more prevalent, with 94.07% of the cases. The mean number of lactations and age of the cows were 2.5±1.16 lactations and 50.9±18.5 months, respectively. DA occurred predominantly in the semi-intensive breeding system (68.1% of cases), during the first 4 weeks postpartum (84.4% of cases), in Black and White Holstein-Friesian cows (94.07% of cases), and during the winter (31.1% of cases). Cows with DA in high-yielding dairy farms in Southern Brazil were similar to cows from herds of high-milk-yielding regions of North America and Europe. Multiparous Black and White Holstein-Friesian cows showed the highest prevalence of DA during the transition period, mostly on the left side.

During a physical examination of cattle, it is often difficult to evaluate inflammatory processes, particularly in cases where the inflammation occurs in deeper regions. The glutaraldehyde test (GT), carried out using a sample of whole blood, allows the visual and semiquantitative identification of an inflammatory process in cattle. Considering that there are few biochemical tests that can be used in the field, the objective of this study was to verify the efficacy of the GT in detecting and predicting mild and severe inflammatory processes in bovine species, classified according to a physical examination, and in the presence of different diseases or lesions. The GT was used in conjunction with a physical examination in 176 cows over 12 months of age, with additional laboratory evaluations of packed cell volume, total protein, albumin, globulin, and fibrinogen. Using a cutoff point at 3 minutes of coagulation, the GT showed a sensitivity of 35.1%, specificity of 94.1%, positive predictive value of 74.1%, and negative predictive value of 75.2%. The GT correctly detected the most severe inflammatory processes under the field conditions of this study. The GT is a diagnostic aid that can be used as a fast and simple screening test during the physical examination of cattle.

Surgical procedures for the correction of abomasal displacement are one of the most frequently performed in dairy cows, and many surgical techniques have been described since the first cases of this disease were reported in the 1950s. Although no report to date has described the use of one-step laparoscopy in Brazil, the technique has several advantages over the traditional techniques, e.g., better abdominal visualization and minor trauma resulting from the minimally invasive technique. Accordingly, one-step laparoscopy, as described by Christiansen and Barisani, was performed to treat left abomasal displacement in 21 high-yielding dairy cows from two dairy regions of Paraná State. The technique was performed without complications in 12/21 (57.14%) cows. Ruminal (four animals), abomasal (two animals), both ruminal and abomasal (one animal), and splenic (one animal) perforations occurred during surgery but without any postoperative complication. One cow developed pyloric obstruction caused by the toggle bar suture, but early removal restored abomasal flux. Three animals died of different causes. One cow showed recurrence of displacement 1 month after surgery. A third access was necessary in cows that weighed more than 700 kg. One-step laparoscopy is an efficient, fast, and safe technique for the correction of left abomasal displacement.

Important physiological changes affect the blood profile of ruminants during the growth phase, but few studies approach the factors involved in these dynamics in lambs. The aim of this study was to characterize the dynamics of hematological parameters, of total plasma protein (TPP), and of fibrinogen in healthy female lambs during the first four months of life. Blood samples of 35 female lambs were collected at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days old to perform the complete blood count (CBC). The erythrocyte and leukocyte parameters, TPP, and fibrinogen were determined. The means for total red blood cell (RBC) counts at 60 and 120 days differed (P < 0.05) from the initial mean, showing a peak of 13.6 x 106 cells µL-1 at 60 days old. The mean values for packed cell volume (PCV) and hemoglobin (Hgb) concentration increased (P < 0.05) until 90 days and decreased at 120 days (36.6% to 33.7% and 11.4 g dL-1 to 10.6 g dL-1 between 90 and 120 days, respectively). The means for mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and for mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) increased (P < 0.05) between 30 and 120 days (27.5 µm3 to 29.7 µm3 and 26.6% to 31.4%, respectively). The total white blood cell (WBC) count increased (P < 0.05) and reached a peak at 90 days (9,314 cells µL-1). The peaks for segmented neutrophils (5,141 cells µL-1) and lymphocyte counts (4,236 cells µL-1) occurred at 60 and 90 days, respectively. The means for neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio were similar (P > 0.05) between the ages (mean of 1.8) but higher than the reference value for adult sheep (0.5). The initial mean for eosinophil counts (2 cells µL-1) was lower (P < 0.05) than all subsequent ones, and the monocyte count showed the lowest level (P < 0.05) at 120 days (232 cells µL-1). The mean for TPP at 60 days (6.4 g dL-1) was higher (P < 0.05) than the other ages. Except for band neutrophil and basophil counts, and fibrinogen concentration, the hematological parameters and the TPP of female lambs are influenced by age until four months of life and differ from the reference intervals established for adult sheep. Therefore, the interpretation of CBCs performed in female lambs should be made on the basis of age group-specific reference intervals.

Theileria equi is the causative agent of worldwide piroplasmosis, an important tick-borne disease of equids associated to a lifetime carrier state of infected horses. Since rapid, accessible and reliable tests have been posted as a challenge for clinicians, the aim of the present study was to verify the agreement between an in-house immunofluorescence antibody assay (IFA) and a commercial competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) in a population of 198 carthorses from Southern Brazil. The horse seroreactivity for T. equi revealed 152/198 (76.8%) positive samples by IFA and 155/198 (78.3%) by cELISA. Using cELISA as gold standard, IFA has shown a sensitivity of 91.6% (95% CI = 86.18-95.03%) and specificity of 76.7% (95% CI = 62.26-86.85%), with a substantial degree of agreement (k = 0.8445). In conclusion, the in-house IFA may be used as a screening test for diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis.

Porcine virus type 2 (PCV2) is an emergent virus found in commercial pig farms and may cause clinical or subclinical infection. Wild pigs such as collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) and white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) may also be infected by PCV2. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to molecularly identify PCV2 in whole blood samples of captive peccaries (16 collared and 6 white-lipped) by conventional and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Although the housekeeping gene (?-actin) DNA was successfully amplified, all 22 peccaries tested negative for PCV2 by both molecular methods. Previous studies have shown no antibodies against PCV2 in 49 free-range collared peccaries of Southern Brazil but PCV2 DNA was detected by PCR in tissue samples of 9/10 (90.0%) collared and 3/3 (100%) white-lipped free-ranging peccaries from Central and Northern Brazil. In conclusion, although PCV2 may be endemic in free ranging wild pigs of Central and Northern Brazil, lack of serological and molecular PCV2 evidence (in whole blood) of both captive and free-range wild pigs may indicate low risk of disease in Southern Brazil.

The present study aimed to monitor Holstein cows in the postpartum period, and to evaluate the occurrence of clinical diseases and their relationship with metabolic profile, milk yield and composition, and reproductive performance. One hundred and five Holstein cows, 32 primiparous and 73 multiparous, from two dairy herds in Arapoti, Paraná State, were clinically monitored up to ten days after calving. The clinical occurrences diagnosed were: dystocia, metritis, retained placenta, clinical hypocalcemia, displaced abomasum, mastitis, pneumonia, and digital dermatitis. Blood samples were collected at one, two, five, and ten days postpartum for analysis of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and total calcium. Individual milk yield was measured up to 100 days in milk (DIM), and the first test-day was evaluated for milk composition. Statistical analyses were conducted using the MIXED procedure of SAS, and the fixed effects of farm (A and B), parity (primiparous and multiparous), and occurrence of clinical diseases (sick and healthy cows) were included. Forty-eight cows (45.7%) had one or more clinical occurrences. In these sick cows, the BHB concentration at five DIM was higher (P = 0.06) than in healthy cows; 0.78 and 0.57 mmol L-1, respectively. Regarding milk yield, cows with one or more clinical occurrences had lower (P < 0.01) daily milk yield up to 30 DIM, and had a tendency of lower (P = 0.09) accumulated production up to 100 DIM than healthy cows. Sick cows had a tendency to show lower (P = 0.08) milk total solids content than healthy cows; 12.04 and 12.60%, respectively. There were no significant differences between sick and healthy animals in the remaining milk components, or the reproductive parameters assessed. The differences observed for days in the first artificial insemination (AI), AI number, and days open occurred due to the effect of the herd.

<p>Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is an infectious viral disease caused by a <em>Lentivirus</em>, which affects equids worldwide. The disease has no currently treatment and euthanasia of infected animals is mandatory by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) as basis for disease control. Carthorses are used to move daily throughout the cities with their owners to collect recycling materials. Considering the socio-economic importance of this group of horses, the aim of this study was to determine the infection rate of EIA virus in carthorses from urban areas of Curitiba and surroundings. The detection of anti-EIA virus antibodies was performed by the agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID). One out of 97 (1.03%) horse was positive for EIA. Active surveillance programs are crucial for monitoring, prevention and control of infectious diseases, particularly in carthorses, which may act as disseminators of pathogens.</p>