Study of the resistance of cows with mastitis depending on the age of lactation

Relevance. The breeding stock and young cattle in the conditions of industrial technology of animal husbandry experience an increased antigenic load, which leads to disturbances in the immune status and the development of inflammatory processes manifested by endometritis and mastitis, diarrheal and respiratory syndromes. It was relevant to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the immunological reactivity of the animal’s body according to the state of resistance in cattle with clinical and subclinical mastitis, depending on the age of lactation. As a result of complex studies, the specific and nonspecific reactivity of the body of cattle in different periods of lactation was studied.Methods. The object of the study were cows of a black-and-white Holstein breed (n = 450). Groups of animals were formed according to the age of lactation:1st lactation, 2–3rd lactation, 3–4th lactation and for health reasons: clinically healthy animals, with subclinical mastitis and clinical mastitis. Milk samples were taken from cows to count the number of somatic cells, and blood to determine the quantitative content of IgG immunoglobulin and indicators of nonspecific resistance.Results. It was found that with mastitis in cows of different lactation ages, almost identical changes in the immune status were observed. Quantitative determination of IgG levels in animal blood serum is the basis for assessing the immunity of cattle. The immune status in clinically healthy animals was characterized by a higher level of the total amount of IgG immunoglobulin in the blood serum (amounted to 22.25 ± 0.70 mg/ml), whereas in cows with a subclinical form of mastitis, the level of IgG immunoglobulin decreased by 12.3%, with a clinical form of mastitis — by 17.2%. The results also showed that in cows of different lactations with subclinical and clinical mastitis, the bactericidal activity (by 10.8%) and the lysozyme activity of the blood increased significantly (by 8.22%). In cows with clinical mastitis — by 8.6% and 9.7% respectively, compared with the indicators in groups of healthy animals. Thus, mastitis, occurring in acute and subacute form, leads to a decrease in the resistance of the cows’ organism.

First Report of Rickettsia Asembonensis in Small Ruminants

Rickettsioses is an emerging infectious disease in Southeast Asia caused by different organisms in the Rickettsiae bacterial tribe, a gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium. There is limited information regarding the vertebrate hosts of Rickettsia spp. This study aims to detect and identify Rickettsia agents present in wildlife and domesticated animals in Malaysia using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and sequencing approach with phylogenetic analysis. Rickettsia sp. was detected in 2 (0.67%) of 300 animal blood samples. The positive samples were derived from a goat (5.56% of 18) and a sheep (2.22% of 45). Based on the analysis of the Rickettsia citrate synthase gene (gltA), both sequences demonstrated 99.64% sequence similarity to Rickettsia asembonensis, a species that is known to infect humans and macaques. This study reported for the first time the detection of R. asembonensis in sheep and goats in Malaysian farms, suggesting this species may be adapting in a wider range of animals, specifically farm animals, therefore, poses a zoonotic threat to the local populace particularly to the farm workers or animal handlers. The low infection rate of this pathogen yet is of public health importance highlighted the needs of continuous surveillance of emerging and reemerging pathogens among animal reservoirs.

Free-ranging pigs identified as a multi-reservoir of Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma congolense in the Vavoua area, a historical sleeping sickness focus of Côte d’Ivoire

Background The existence of an animal reservoir of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (T. b. gambiense), the agent of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), may compromise the interruption of transmission targeted by World Health Organization. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of trypanosomes in pigs and people in the Vavoua HAT historical focus where cases were still diagnosed in the early 2010’s. Methods For the human survey, we used the CATT, mini-anion exchange centrifugation technique and immune trypanolysis tests. For the animal survey, the buffy coat technique was also used as well as the PCR using Trypanosoma species specific, including the T. b. gambiense TgsGP detection using single round and nested PCRs, performed from animal blood samples and from strains isolated from subjects positive for parasitological investigations. Results No HAT cases were detected among 345 people tested. A total of 167 pigs were investigated. Free-ranging pigs appeared significantly more infected than pigs in pen. Over 70% of free-ranging pigs were positive for CATT and parasitological investigations and 27–43% were positive to trypanolysis depending on the antigen used. T. brucei was the most prevalent species (57%) followed by T. congolense (24%). Blood sample extracted DNA of T. brucei positive subjects were negative to single round TgsGP PCR. However, 1/22 and 6/22 isolated strains were positive with single round and nested TgsGP PCRs, respectively. Discussion Free-ranging pigs were identified as a multi-reservoir of T. brucei and/or T. congolense with mixed infections of different strains. This trypanosome diversity hinders the easy and direct detection of T. b. gambiense. We highlight the lack of tools to prove or exclude with certainty the presence of T. b. gambiense. This study once more highlights the need of technical improvements to explore the role of animals in the epidemiology of HAT.

The Acute Toxicity of Rutin in Mice

Acute toxicity is a step to evaluate the toxicity of a substance. Rutin is one of the flavonoid compounds with a variety of pharmacological effects. The aim of the study is to calculate the lethal dose that affect fifty percent of the mice used in the experiment (LD50). Thirty Swiss albino male and 30 non-pregnant female mice have been divided equally and randomly into 5 treated groups and one control group (n=5) Rutin has been administered with concentrations 5, 2.5.1.25,0.625 and 0.312 g/kg administered as a single dose intraperitoneally (IP) while the control group received 1% DMSO (IP). Animals were observed for any morbidity and mortality for 14 days. After 14 days the animal blood collected for biochemical and hematological analysis then all animals are euthanized for histopathological evaluation. The results showed the LD50 was 1.51 g/kg for male mice while for female mice was1.49 g/kg. No significant changes were observed at dose of 1.25glkg (female) and 0.625, 0.312 glkg (both sexes) in body weight measurements and in biochemical or hematological assays. Moreover no significant histopathological changes were reported compared to control.. It can be concluded that Rutin is practically a non-toxic substance.

STRESS-PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF SUCCINATE-CONTAINING DRUG ON THE LEUKOCYTE COMPOSITION OF RAT BLOOD UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HYPOXIA

The study of the dynamics of white blood cells in male rats under the conditions of normoxia and in the simulation of hypoxia before and after the use of the succinate-containing drug Cytoflavin ®was carried out. The animals were divided into three groups: two control groups of animals: group 1 – intact rats kept in standard vivarium conditions, and group 2, which were subjected to hourly hypoxic exposure, and group 3 - experimental animals subjected to daily training in a hypoxicator (O2-14%) and received the drug immediately before training. The multidirectional shifts characterizing the morphofunctional state of the white blood of rats under experimental conditions were determined. In group 2 animals, compared to group 3, there was a decrease in the number of white blood cells due to an increase in the pool of granulocyte cells, and an unchanged level of agranlocytes with a tendency to reduce the number of lymphocytes. In-group 2, compared with group 3, the change in the number of white blood cells and their subpopulation composition significantly differed from the control group 1, intact rats, and there was a decrease in the number of phagocytic mononuclears and an increase in granulocyte cells. The differences in the cellular composition of blood in group 2 animals from the data of group 3 are considered as the effect of the succinate-containing drug Cytoflavin ® on the preparation of the body for the implementation of the protective function under the influence of extreme factors and the stress of the body's resistance to load, since the nature of the redistribution of the leukocyte composition of blood in group 2 has a significant similarity in indicators with animals in group 3. The practical significance of the research is related to the search for new biologically active substances that optimally affect the ability of the animal body to adapt to conditions of low oxygen content. New data on the mechanism of redistribution of animal blood, which is realized under the action of the succinate-containing drug Cytoflavin ® in conditions of oxygen deficiency, can be used to study the regularities of the manifestation of an urgent adaptive effect.

Study on Treatment of Blood from Abattoir using Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) Technology with Production of Green Energy

Zero energy technologies and sustainable energy production are the two major concerns of present day researches. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bioreactors that extract chemical energy stored in organic compounds, into electric potential, through bio-degradation. The core reason for the high strength of effluent generated from slaughterhouses is animal blood. The current study evaluates the potential of MFC technology to reduce the pollution strength of cattle blood in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD). The current study was piloted in three stages using lab scale two chambered MFC: The first stage was to determine the best oxidising agent as compared to natural aeration from three accessible options, KMnO4, diffused aeration and tape grass aquatic plant. KMnO4 was found to be the superlative with a 30% reduction in COD in 100 hrs batch reactor and a maximum power of 0.97 mW using 125 mL livestock blood. The second stage of the study optimised the concentration of KMnO4. At 500 mg/L KMnO4 concentration, 50% COD removal efficiency was acquired in a batch reactor of 60 hrs with an average energy output of 1.3 mW. In the final stage on the addition of coconut shell activated carbon with an Anolyte at a rate of 40 mL/125 mL of substrate COD removal efficiency increased to 74.9%.

Production, Optimization, Purification, Kinetic analysis and applications of alkaline proteases produced from Bacillus subtilis through solid state fermentation of agricultural byproducts

Proteases have gained more commercial value to date due to multiple applications in different industrial sectors. Current research was aimed to use the cheaper agricultural waste for optimal protease production. Maximum level of protease production was achieved at 37 °C, incubation period of 24 h, pH 9.0, inoculum size 3%, 1.5 g sucrose as a carbon source and 30% moisture content by using solid-state fermentation. Among the various inorganic and organic nitrogen sources, ammonium nitrate and yeast extract tremendously increased the production of protease. Among metal ions and surfactants tested, Ca2+ and Tween 40 showed the optimal protease production. The purification of protease was carried out by ammonium salt precipitation followed by sephadex G-100 gel filtration chromatography. The purification resulted in 1.3 fold of purified protease with a specific activity of 51.5 and a total yield of 37.5 %. Molecular weight of purified protease was predicted upon SDS-PAGE with a single band of ~36 kDa. The protease was quite stable over a temperature range of 35-45 °C and pH 7-9 with maximal activity at 40 °C and pH 9. The kinetic parameters Vmax (maximum rate) and Km (Michaelis-Menten constant) were calculated as 0.307 U/g and 11.2 mg/mL, respectively. The alkaline protease significantly de-hair the goat skin and successfully removed the animal blood stain from cotton cloth.

The Role of Endogenous Metal Nanoparticles in Biological Systems

The blood and tissues of vertebrate animals and mammals contain small endogenous metal nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were observed to be composed of individual atoms of iron, copper, zinc, silver, gold, platinum, and other metals. Metal nanoparticles can bind proteins and produce proteinaceous particles called proteons. A small fraction of the entire pool of nanoparticles is usually linked with proteins to form proteons. These endogenous metal nanoparticles, along with engineered zinc and copper nanoparticles at subnanomolar levels, were shown to be lethal to cultured cancer cells. These nanoparticles appear to be elemental crystalline metal nanoparticles. It was discovered that zinc nanoparticles produce no odor response but increase the odor reaction if mixed with an odorant. Some other metal nanoparticles, including copper, silver, gold, and platinum nanoparticles, do not affect the responses to odorants. The sources of metal nanoparticles in animal blood and tissues may include dietary plants and gut microorganisms. The solid physiological and biochemical properties of metal nanoparticles reflect their importance in cell homeostasis and disease.

Parasitological and molecular characterization of the avian schistosomatid cercariae infecting lymnaeidae snails in Phayao, Northern Thailand

Background and Aim: Cercarial dermatitis or swimmer's itch is an allergic skin reaction caused by penetrating cercaria of animal blood flukes. It is considered as a zoonotic water-borne skin condition that is found globally. Among the schistosomatid trematodes, avian schistosomes are the most responsible for cercarial dermatitis. Very little is known regarding the occurrence of dermatitis-causing cercariae in Thailand. Therefore, the objective of this study was to preliminarily investigate the presence of larval blood fluke infection among local lymnaeidae snails in Phayao by the incorporation of morphological and molecular methods. Materials and Methods: Overall 500 Radix (Lymnaea) rubiginosa (Michelin, 1831) were collected from freshwater reservoirs near Phayao Lake in San Kwan village in Phayao, Thailand, from October to December 2020. The snails were examined for avian blood fluke infection by the cercarial shedding technique followed by morphological and molecular characterization. Results: Only one type of furcocercous cercaria was observed to emerge from six infected snails (1.2%). Our molecular analyses demonstrated that the emerging cercariae showed most similarity to either the 28S ribosomal RNA gene (28S rDNA) or cytochrome oxidase C subunit 1 gene (cox1 or COI) sequences to those of Trichobilharzia species. In addition, phylogenetic tree analyses of both loci revealed similar results; the emerging cercariae were consistently clustered together with Trichobilharzia regenti. Conclusion: Our results clearly confirmed that the detected furcocercous cercariae belonged to the genus Trichobilharzia and displayed the highest homology to T. regenti. This study provides important data on the occurrence of dermatitis causing cercariae infection among local lymnaeidae snails, encouraging effective management, and control measures for this zoonotic infectious disease.