The Impact of Pseudoloma neurophilia Infection on Body Condition of Zebrafish

Abstract This research communication describes the relationship between the occurrence of lameness and body condition score (BCS) in a sample of 288 cows from a single farm that were repeatedly scored in the course of 9 months while controlling for confounding variables. The relationship between BCS and lameness was evaluated using generalised linear mixed-effects models. It was found that the proportion of lame cows was higher with decreasing but also with increasing BCS, increased with lactation number and decreased with time since the last claw trimming. This is likely to reflect the importance of sufficient body condition in the prevention of lameness but also raises the question of the impact of overcondition on lameness and the influence of claw trimming events on the assessment of lameness. A stronger focus on BCS might allow improved management of lameness that is still one of the major problems in housed cows.

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Plant Succession, Ecological Restoration and the Skinks of Stephens Island / Takapourewa

10.26686/wgtn.16900549 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Cielle Stephens

Keyword(s):

Ecological Restoration ◽

Body Condition ◽

Plant Succession ◽

Food Sources ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Thermal Range ◽

Tail Loss ◽

The North ◽

Occupancy Rates ◽

The Impact

Ecological restoration often involves revegetation. I have investigated the impact of revegetation on the distribution, abundance and body condition of skinks on Stephens Island (Takapourewa). I tested the prediction that only one, Oligosoma infrapunctatum, of the four skink species (Oligosoma lineoocellatum, O. nigriplantare polychroma, O. infrapunctatum andO. zelandicum) will benefit in terms of abundance and distribution from revegetation. Stephens Island is a Wildlife Sanctuary in the north-western Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. The island is known for its diverse and abundant reptile community. Prior to the mid 19th century Stephens Island was covered in forest. Nearly 80% of this forest was destroyed following the establishment of a lighthouse and farm on the island in 1894. In 1989, when the control of Stephens Island passed to the Department of Conservation, reforestation became a key conservation goal. Stephens Island is currently a mosaic of different habitat types from pasture to coastal forest. Pitfall traps caught skinks for a mark-recapture study in four replicated habitat types: forest, tussock, pasture and replanted. Oligosoma lineoocellatum comprised 75% of all individuals caught. Densities of O. lineoocellatum were higher in replanted habitat (3020/ha in December and 3770/ha in March) than tussock (2690/ha in December and 2560/ha in March) and lowest in the pasture (1740/hain December and 1960/ha in March). Rates of captures were too low to perform density estimates for the other three species. Trap occupancy rates indicate O. nigriplantare polychroma is more common in the tussock habitat, and O. infrapunctatum is more common in the replanted habitat. Few O. zelandicum were found, primarily in the tussock habitat. Pasture areas replanted 13 years ago (now scrub habitat) support a higher diversity and abundance of skinks. Forest areas remain depauperate of skinks. Skink preference for replanted areas suggests that, for now, revegetation benefits their populations, possibly due to greater food sources, lower predation pressure and a wider thermal range. Body condition (log weight/ log snout-vent length) and proportion of tail loss of skinks were similar in the different habitat types. However, both O. nigriplantare polychroma and O.lineoocellatum had higher body condition in the replanted than the tussock habitat. Juvenile skinks had significantly lower body condition and a lower proportion of tail loss. Skink body condition was not negatively affected by revegetation or by different habitats, despite the large differences between the habitats. Revegetation currently benefits skink populations. Maintaining a mosaic of habitat types is recommended, because, should revegetation create more forest habitat through plantations or plant succession, it is likely that the population of all four species of skink will decline.

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The impact of botfly parasitism on the health of the gracile mouse opossum (Gracilinanus agilis)

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s003118201900026x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 146 (8) ◽

pp. 1013-1021

Author(s):

Priscilla Lóra Zangrandi ◽

André Faria Mendonça ◽

Ariovaldo Pereira Cruz-Neto ◽

Rudy Boonstra ◽

Emerson M. Vieira

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Body Condition ◽

Animal Health ◽

Haemoglobin Concentration ◽

Blood Parameters ◽

Small Population ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Food Supplementation ◽

Local Extinctions ◽

The Impact

AbstractFragmented habitats generally harbour small populations that are potentially more prone to local extinctions caused by biotic factors such as parasites. We evaluated the effects of botflies (Cuterebra apicalis) on naturally fragmented populations of the gracile mouse opossum (Gracilinanus agilis). We examined how sex, food supplementation experiment, season and daily climatic variables affected body condition and haemoglobin concentration in animals that were parasitized or not by botflies. Although parasitism did not affect body condition, haemoglobin concentrations were lower in parasitized animals. Among the non-parasitized individuals, haemoglobin concentration increased with the increase of maximum temperature and the decrease of relative humidity, a climatic pattern found at the peak of the dry season. However, among parasitized animals, the opposite relationship between haemoglobin concentration and relative humidity occurred, as a consequence of parasite-induced anaemia interacting with dehydration as an additional stressor. We conclude that it is critical to assess how climate affects animal health (through blood parameters) to understand the population consequences of parasitism on the survival of individuals and hence of small population viability.

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Body Condition Score and Milk Production on Conception Rate of Cows under a Small-Scale Dairy System

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9100800 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 800

Author(s):

Luis Javier Montiel-Olguín ◽

Felipe J. Ruiz-López ◽

Miguel Mellado ◽

Eliab Estrada-Cortés ◽

Sergio Gómez-Rosales ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Milk Production ◽

Body Condition ◽

Body Condition Score ◽

Metabolic Stress ◽

Dairy Farms ◽

Conception Rate ◽

Small Scale ◽

Condition Score ◽

The Impact ◽

Small Scale Dairy

Management and production characteristics impact conception rate to first service (CR1S) in small-scale dairy farms, but the impact of body condition score (BCS) and milk production levels on cows’ fertility is unknown. Our objective is to determine the effect of BCS and milk production on CR1S in small-scale dairy farms of western Mexico. Logistic regression models are used to determine the effect of BCS (at calving and first service), 60-d and 305-d milk production, protein and fat production, lactation number, and days at first service on CR1S. BCS at calving does not affect CR1S in cows with three or more lactations (39.5%; p > 0.1). However, first-lactation cows with BCS < 3.0 at calving and second lactation cows with BCS ≤ 2.5 at calving have higher CR1S (63.2 and 67.9%, respectively; p < 0.1). This result is perhaps due to reduced milk production, which leads to lower metabolic stress. BCS ≤ 2.5 at calving is associated (p < 0.05) with a reduced milk yield, explaining partially the observed higher CR1S in these groups. Cows with BCS ≤ 2.5 at first service in the higher quartile of 60-d milk production (≥ 28kg/day) show lower CR1S (23.9 and 51.1%, respectively; p < 0.01). In conclusion, BCS at calving and at first service, 60-d milk production, and lactation number are factors associated with CR1S.

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The impact of bodyweight and body condition on behavioral testing for painful diabetic neuropathy in the streptozotocin rat model

Neuroscience Letters ◽

10.1016/j.neulet.2008.02.051 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 436 (1) ◽

pp. 13-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Yves M.J.J. Hoybergs ◽

Ria L.V. Biermans ◽

Theo F. Meert

Keyword(s):

Diabetic Neuropathy ◽

Body Condition ◽

Rat Model ◽

Painful Diabetic Neuropathy ◽

Behavioral Testing ◽

Streptozotocin Rat Model ◽

The Impact

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Impact of liveweight, fat and muscle sire breeding values on ewe reproduction is minimal but variable across Australian grazing systems

Animal Production Science ◽

10.1071/an15574 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 57 (9) ◽

pp. 1952 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. F. Walkom ◽

D. J. Brown

Keyword(s):

Body Condition ◽

Reproductive Performance ◽

Breeding Value ◽

Production Cycle ◽

Eye Muscle ◽

Breeding Values ◽

Reproduction Traits ◽

Reproductive Rates ◽

Supplementary Feed ◽

The Impact

Australian sheep producers have the potential to improve reproductive rates through optimising ewe body condition across the production cycle. Managing ewe body condition can become costly when supplementary feeding is required due to poor pasture growth or rainfall and by using appropriate genetics, producers can theoretically reduce the flock’s dependency on supplementary feed and improve reproductive rates. Reproductive records from the Information Nucleus Flock and Sheep Genetics Merino and maternal breed datasets were analysed to examine the influence of sire breeding values for liveweight (post-weaning, yearling and adult assessments), fat and eye muscle depths (post-weaning and yearling assessments) and number of lambs weaned on reproductive performance (fertility, litter size and number of lambs born) across a variety of production environments. To determine the impact of environmental conditions on the relationship between weight, ultrasound body composition, and reproduction traits the daughters’ adjusted reproductive performances were regressed on the sire’s breeding value across flocks, within flocks and within flock × year. Irrespective of age at assessment, sire breeding values for liveweight, fat and eye muscle depths had very little association with the reproductive performance of their daughters, on average. The regressions of reproduction on weight, and fat and eye muscle depth traits varied across flocks from unfavourable to favourable estimates. The very small overall impact of weight, and fat and eye muscle depth traits, on average suggests that using sire breeding values for number of lambs weaned, which had a large impact on reproduction, will provide the most viable method to genetically improve reproductive performance within the production system in question.

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Room without a view – den construction in relation to body size in brown bears

10.1101/865188 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Shotaro Shiratsuru ◽

Andrea Friebe ◽

Jon E. Swenson ◽

Andreas Zedrosser

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Energy Conservation ◽

Physical Properties ◽

Heat Loss ◽

Body Condition ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Adaptive Strategy ◽

Brown Bears ◽

The Impact

AbstractHibernation is an adaptive strategy to survive harsh winter conditions and food shortage. The use of well-insulated winter dens helps animals minimize energy loss during hibernation. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) commonly use excavated dens for hibernation. Physical properties of excavated dens, such as the amount of space between a bear and the inner wall, wall/roof thickness, and bedding materials, are expected to impact heat retention and energy conservation of bears. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of physical properties of excavated dens on energy conservation in hibernating bears. Our hypothesis was that bears excavate dens in a way to minimize heat loss and optimize energy conservation during hibernation. We predicted that physical properties of excavated dens would significantly affect the bears’ post-hibernation body condition. To test our hypothesis and prediction, we analyzed data collected from brown bears in Sweden with linear mixed effects models, examining (i) what factors affect den-excavation behavior and (ii) if physical properties of excavated dens affect post-hibernation body condition. We found that bears excavated a den cavity in relation to their body size, that older bears tended to excavate better-fitting den cavities compared to young bears, and that the physical properties of excavated dens did not significantly affect a bears’ post-hibernation body condition. Older bears excavated better-fitting den cavities, suggesting a potentially experience-based shift with age in den-excavation behavior and an optimum cavity size relative to a bear’s body size. The strong year effect shown by the most parsimonious model for post-hibernation body condition suggests that variations in physical properties of excavated dens are possibly negligible, compared to the large annual variations in biotic and abiotic factors affecting pre-hibernation body condition and heat loss during hibernation.

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Preventive Hoof Trimming and Animal-Based Welfare Measures Influence the Time to First Lameness Event and Hoof Lesion Prevalence in Dairy Cows

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.631844 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammed B. Sadiq ◽

Siti Z. Ramanoon ◽

Wan Mastura M. Shaik Mossadeq ◽

Rozaihan Mansor ◽

Sharifah S. Syed-Hussain

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Body Condition ◽

Preventive Strategy ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Good Body Condition ◽

Hoof Lesions ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Welfare Measures ◽

The Impact

Background: The objectives of this study were to, (1) investigate the impact of the Dutch five-step hoof trimming (HT) technique on time to lameness and hoof lesion prevalence in grazing (GR) and non-grazing (NGR) dairy cows, and (2) determine the association between potential benefits of HT and animal-based welfare measures during lactation. A total of 520 non-lame cows without hoof lesions from 5 dairy farms (GR = 2, NGR = 3) were enrolled at early (within 30 days in milk; DIM) and late lactation (above 200 DIM), and randomly allocated to either trimmed (HGR or HNGR) or control groups (CON-GR and CON-NGR). Locomotion scores, body condition, hock condition, leg hygiene, and hoof health were assessed at monthly intervals until the following 270 days in milk. The data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, multivariable Cox, and logistic regression models. The overall incidence rate of lameness was 36.2 cases/100 cows/month, with corresponding rates of 27.4, 31.9, 48.4, and 45.8 cases/100 cows/month in HGR, HNGR, CON-GR, and CON-NGR, respectively. Time to first lameness event was significantly higher in HGR (mean ± S.E; 8.12 ± 0.15) compared to CON-GR (7.36 ± 0.26), and in HNGR (8.05 ± 0.16) compared to CON-NGR (7.39 ± 0.23). The prevalence of hoof lesions in the enrolled cows was 36.9%, with a higher occurrence in CON-GR (48.8%) than HGR (23.2%), and in CON-NGR (52.6%) compared to HNGR (32.2%). The majority of hoof lesions were non-infectious in grazing (HGR vs. CON-GR; 21.3 vs. 33.3%) and non-grazing herds (HNGR vs. CON-NGR; 25.0 vs. 40.4%). The risk of lameness was higher in underconditioned cows (Hazard ratio; HR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.2–7.4), presence of hoof lesion (HR = 33.1, 95% CI 17.6–62.5), and there was variation between farms. Aside HT, lower parity (OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2–0.8), normal hock condition (OR = 0.06; 95% 0.01–0.29), and absence of overgrown hoof (OR = 0.4; 95% 0.2–0.7) were protective against non-infectious hoof lesions. Functional HT is beneficial as a lameness preventive strategy during lactation; however, ensuring older cows are in good body condition and free from hock injuries are equally important.

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Age, size and body condition do not equally reflect population response to habitat change in the common spadefoot toad Pelobates fuscus

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.11678 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e11678

Author(s):

Dan Cogălniceanu ◽

Florina Stănescu ◽

Diana Székely ◽

Theodor-Sebastian Topliceanu ◽

Ruben Iosif ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Condition ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Habitat Degradation ◽

Spadefoot Toad ◽

Pelobates Fuscus ◽

Median Lifespan ◽

Terrestrial Habitats ◽

The Common ◽

The Impact ◽

Physical Expansion

Urbanization impacts biodiversity both directly through physical expansion over land, and indirectly due to land use conversion and human behaviors associated with urban areas. We assessed the response of a common spadefoot toad population (Pelobates fuscus) to habitat loss and fragmentation resulting from urban development by studying changes in size, body condition and age parameters. We compared samples collected in the early 2000s (sample A) and later on during 2012–2014 (sample B). The terrestrial habitats in the study area were severely reduced and fragmented due to the expansion of the human settlement. We found no significant differences in the age parameters between the two sampling periods; the median lifespan shortened from 3.5 (sample A) to 3.0 years (sample B), while the other age parameters were similar in both samples. In contrast, snout-vent length, body mass and body condition experienced a significant decrease over time. Our results suggest that changes in body size and body condition, rather than age parameters, better reflect the response of the common spadefoot toad population to declining habitat quality. Therefore, body measurements can provide reliable estimates of the impact of habitat degradation in amphibian populations.

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Relationship between body weight and leptin concentrations in mink dams and the birth parameters of kits

Medycyna Weterynaryjna ◽

10.21521/mw.5600 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 72 (12) ◽

pp. 755-759 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Monika Bryl ◽

Hanna Bis-Wencel ◽

Brygida Ślaska ◽

Bożena Nowakowicz-Dębek ◽

Zbigniew Bełkot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Body Condition ◽

Scoring System ◽

The Body ◽

The Other ◽

Blood Samples ◽

Serum Leptin ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Analysis Of Results ◽

The Impact

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the leptin concentration and body weight of mink females on the birth parameters of their kits. Blood samples were collected 3 times during preparation for reproduction, 7±2 days before mating. Total leptin concentration in serum was measured using commercial RIA kits (Millipore, St. Charles, Missouri USA). Research was conducted on 20 clinically healthy scanbrown female minks (Neovison Vison) aged 2-3 years. To evaluate their body condition, the females were divided into two groups based on the BCS scoring system. In the first group, referred to as BCS 2, lean females were included, and the second group (BCS 4) consisted of obese females. In mink dams belonging to BCS 2, the average leptin values were one-fourth of those in the BCS 4 group. The results obtained indicate the influence of the body mass of minks during preparation for reproduction on serum leptin concentration. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test showed a statistically significant difference between weights and leptin concentrations in groups BCS 2 and BCS 4. Among the other traits, such differences were not found. The analysis of results obtained in the two mink groups did not reveal a clear relationship between leptin in the serum of mothers before mating and the birth parameters of their kits.

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