A Clinical Study on Traumatic Pericarditis and Traumatic Reticuloperitonitis in Twelve Holstein Friesian Cattle

Background: Traumatic injury caused by swallowed sharp foreign object is one of the common conditions in dairy animal resulting into development of traumatic pericarditis (TP) and traumatic reticuloperitonitis (TRP). Under field conditions both conditions mimic the same clinical signs making it difficult to differentiate as well as render to choose ideal therapeutic management. The present study was aimed to evaluate clinical, hematobiochemical and ultrasonographic changes in cattle to clinically differentiate between TP and TRP cases. Methods: From the period of January 2020 to December 2020, total twelve Holstein Friesian cattle were investigated for TP and TRP. In the present study, six animals each suffering from TP and TRP were included along with six normal healthy animals as control. Different clinical signs, haemato-biochemical parameters and ultrasonographical findings were recorded in each group and comparative analysis was done. Result: Brisket edema, bilateral jugular vein engorgement and arched back conditions were most reported clinical signs in both the groups. Significant changes were recorded in the values of red blood cells, lymphocyte, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and SGOT between both the groups. Significant drop in hemoglobin level was observed in TP affected group. No significant changes were observed in white blood cells, packed cell volume, monocyte counts and eosinophil counts. Significant increase in fibrinogen concentration recorded in both the groups. In ultrasonography, accumulation of anechoic fluid around heart in TP and reticular wall thickening in TRP was most consistent findings.

Using commercial enzyme immunoassay for measuring pregnancy-associated glycoproteins to diagnose pregnancy in dairy cows under field conditions in Algeria

The purpose of the present work was to study effectiveness for early pregnancy diagnosis in cattle of the new enzyme immunoassay (EIA) sandwich kit commercially available based on the measurement of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs). 120 Holstein-Friesian cattle of mixed age and parity were comprised from different dairy herds. The pregnant females (n = 68) were diagnosed by ultrasonography at day 35-40 after artificial insemination and confirmed by transrectal exploration at 2-3 months after AI. The non-pregnant females (n = 52) were housed in the absence of males during the experimental period. Blood samples were collected from coccygeal vessels of females into EDTA tubes. The serum was obtained by centrifugation and the serum was stored at - 20 C until assay. The PAG concentrations in pregnant and non-pregnant females were determined in serum by EIA kit. The reproducibility inter- and intra-assay of the PAG-EIA is satisfactory (2.78 and 13.19 %, respectively). The accuracy ( 94.8 %) and the test of parallelism were largely acceptable. No cross-reaction was observed with the different hormones tested at different dilutions. PAG-EIA system gave 100 % sensitivity and negative predictive values. Whereas, specificity and positive predictive value were 91.93 and 71.15 %, respectively. The accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis by PAG-EIA was 87.5 %. In conclusion, the present study shows clearly that the EIA kit can be used to measure PAG in serum cows for the detection of gestation in Algeria. Therefore, this alternative technique could be recommended to replace the radioactive methods in immunoassays to improve the reproductive performances and an efficient tool for reproductive management of dairy cattle.

Minimal Erythema Dose Determination in Holstein Friesian Cattle

Cattle on pasture are continuously exposed to solar UV radiation, which has been associated with biological effects such as sunburn, photosensitization, squamous cell carcinoma, and cutaneous vitamin D3 production. The minimal erythema dose (MED) required to produce first-degree sunburn (erythema) is poorly researched in cattle. Since cattle are naturally covered with dense hair coats, the MED is influenced by the UV protection offered by the hair. The objective of this study was to determine the MED on intact-hair-covered (MED-H) and shaved white skin (MED-S) of Holstein Friesian cattle. Twenty-one Holstein Friesian cows and heifers were MED tested using a narrowband UV-B LED light (peak irradiance at 292 nm) on eight hair-covered and eight shaved areas over white skin previously unexposed to direct sunlight. Erythema was visually assessed after 24 h. The mean MED-H and MED-S were 5,595 and 329 J/m2, respectively. Heifers had a higher MED-H compared to cows, 7,600 and 4,969 J/m2, respectively. The mean UV transmittance of white cattle hair was 6.7%. MED-H was correlated with hair length (Spearman's rho = 0.76). A linear regression model showed that each millimeter of hair coat length increased the MED-H by 316 J/m2. In conclusion, this study provides a MED testing protocol for cattle and reports standardized values of MED for cattle on intact-hair-covered and shaved areas.

Review of Infections With Bovine Herpesvirus 1 in Slovenia

In the 1950s, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV) disease was clinically detected and documented in cattle for the first time in Slovenia. The bovine herpes virus 1 (BoHV-1) was confirmed several times from infected herds by virus isolation on cell cultures. To keep the IC virus-free, high biosecurity measures were introduced. Before entering the IC, all calves are serologically tested and quarantined. Bulls in Slovenian insemination centres (IC) have been negative for IBR /IPV infection since 1979. From 1985 to 1991, few large-scale studies of the prevalence of IBR/IPV were carried out. In 1985, a high percentage (56.9%) of serologically positive animals were found in large state farms with Holstein Friesian cattle. Epidemiological studies in farm with bulls' mother herds were also carried out in the farms with Simmental and Brown cows. Antibodies against BoHV-1 were detected in the serum of 2.3% of Brown cattle and 3.5% of Simmental cattle. In the year 2000, 3.4% of bulk tank milk samples from 13,349 dairy farms were detected BoHV-1 antibodies positive. The highest percentage of positive animals was found in regions with an intensive grazing system (6.2% positive) and the lowest percentage in the east part of Slovenia (0.9% positive) on farms with mostly Simmental cattle. In 2006, a total 204,662 sera of cattle older than 24 months were tested for the presence of BoHV-1 antibodies and positive cattle were detected in 3.6% of tested farms. These farms kept 34,537 animals that were potential carriers of the BoHV-1. Most of the positive farms kept Holstein Friesian cattle, descendants from the state-owned farms, which were privatised or closed after 1990. In 2015, the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Food Safety, Veterinary and Plant Protection issued a rule that describes the conditions for granting and maintaining the status of BoHV-1 free holdings. The rule provides a voluntary control programme for breeders who want to obtain BoHV-1 free status and are willing to cover all the cost of acquiring and maintaining that status. There has been very little response from breeders.

Genetic Analysis of the pX Region in Bovine Leukemia Virus genotype 1 in Holstein Friesian Cattle with Different Stages of Infection

The pX genetic region of the Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV) includes four genes with overlapping reading frames that code for the Tax, Rex, R3 and G4 proteins. These proteins are involved in the regulation of transcriptional and post-transcriptional viral expression, as well as having oncogenic potential. Our goal was to determine the pathogenic role associated with BLV genotype 1 pX region genetics in terms of lymphocytosis, lymphomas and proviral load. We screened 724 serological samples from mixed-age Holstein Friesian cattle from six states in Mexico. Once peripheral blood leukocytes were isolated from whole blood with anticoagulant, we extracted genomic DNA using a commercial kit. Then, we designed in silico primers that hybridize in conserved regions of the BLV pX region, which allowed for PCR standardization to detect proviral DNA in infected cells. Positive amplicons were sequenced using the Sanger method, obtaining 1156 nucleotide-long final sequences that included the four pX region genes. The 30 heads of cattle that formed the genetic study population included 12 with lymphocytosis, 12 without lymphocytosis and six with lymphoma. Lymphoma presence was determined in six bovine tumor tissues using histopathology, and we identified BLV presence with in situ hybridization.Phylogenetic analysis determined that the 30 sequences were associated with genotype 1, and genetic distance between the sequences ranged from 0.2% - 2.09%. We identified two sequences in the G4 gene, one with a three-nucleotide deletion (AGU_7488L, in a cow with lymphocytosis), and one with a nine nucleotide deletion (AGU_18A, in a cow without lymphocytosis). PX region analysis identified positive selection in the G4, rex and R3 genes, and we found no difference in proviral load between the studied groups. It was not possible to establish an association between pX region variability and the development of lymphocytosis, lymphoma, asymptomatic status and proviral load in BLV-infected cattle.