bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of treatment with buffalo follicular fluid on ovarian function in goats
Authors: Kumar H. , Mogha I. V. , Yadav M. C. 
Published: October 2010

Oestrus was synchronised in 15 nondescript goats with two injections of 7.5 mg luprostiol given 11 days apart. They were randomised into two groups; nine (group 1) received 3 ml charcoal‐extracted buffalo follicular fluid at 12 hour intervals on days 12 to 15 of the cycle and six (group 2) received an equal volume of normal saline at the same times. Luteolysis was induced 96 hours after the treatments began by a single injection of 7.5 mg luprostiol. The onset of oestrus was detected using a vasectomised buck and the ovarian response was determined by visual observation of the ovaries following a midventral laparotomy performed five or six days after oestrus. In the goats of group 1, oestrus occurred 99 3 (4413) hours after the injection of luprostiol, and in the goats of group 2 after 68.0 (6.7) hours. Group 1 does had significantly more ovulations (2.56 [0.29]) and large (≥5 mm diameter) unovulated follicles (2.77 [0.401) than the does of group 2 which had 1.83 (0.16) ovulations and 0.50 (0.34) large unovulated follicles.
Abattoir survey of acquired reproductive abnormalities in ewes
Authors: Smith C. , Parkinson T. J. , Long S. E. 
Published: October 2010

Abnormalities of the reproductive tract of female sheep were studied by examining 9970 reproductive tracts from cull ewes and 23,536 tracts from nulliparous sheep (prime lambs) over a period of 12 months in abattoirs in south‐west England. Overall, 3.37 per cent of the tracts were pregnant (8.11 per cent of cull ewes, and 1.36 per cent of nulliparous sheep), with a peak incidence between September and December. A total of 655 ewes (6.57 per cent) and 459 nulliparous sheep (1.95 per cent) had acquired abnormalities of the reproductive tract. Within these totals, abnormalities of the ovaries accounted for 3.51 per cent (for the ewes) and 10.68 per cent (for the nulliparous sheep) of all the abnormalities, and abnormalities of the ovarian bursa and uterine tube accounted for 42.1 per cent (for the ewes) and 5.23 per cent (for the nulliparous sheep). In addition, uterine lesions (hydrometra and metritis) accounted for 9.92 per cent (for the ewes) and 13.51 per cent (for the nulliparous sheep); lesions of the cervix and vagina (total of 1.44 per cent) and Cysticercus tenuicollis cysts associated with the reproductive tract (total of 3.05 per cent) were less common. Among the ewes the most common ovarian lesions were ovulation tags, and follicular cysts were the most common in nulliparous animals. Lesions such as bursitis, parametritis and abscesses of the reproductive tract were much more common in cull ewes than in nulliparous sheep, probably having arisen from peripartum infections. Hydrosalpinx and hydrometra, in which the intraluminal fluid was clear, were present at relatively high incidence in nulliparous animals, but not in cull ewes. The proportion of tracts containing macerated fetal remnants (2.14 per cent of all abnormalities in cull ewes) was lower than expected. It was considered that the functional significance of many of the lesions, such as ovulation tags and C tenuicollis cysts, was likely to be low, although in some cases of the latter calcification of the cyst had occluded the uterine tubes. Other lesions, notably hydrosalpinx, bursitis and metritis were likely to have made the affected animals sterile. The acquired abnormalities were therefore more significant in terms of individual animal infertility than as a major cause of infertility in flocks.
Epizootic of morbilliviral disease in common dolphins (Delphinus delphis ponticus) from the Black Sea
Authors: Birkun A. , Kuiken T. , Krivokhizhin S. , Haines D. M. , Osterhaus A. D. M. E. , van de Bildt M. W. G. , Joiris C. R. , Siebert U. 
Published: October 2010

Forty‐seven common dolphins (Delphinus delphis ponticus) were stranded on the northem shores of the Black Sea between mid‐July and early September 1994, more than in previous or subsequent years. Two of the 47 dolphins were examined in detail to try to determine the cause of the increased stranding rate. Their lesions included broncho‐interstitial pneumonia with type 11 epithelial cell hyperplasia and multinucleate syncytial cells, neuronal necrosis, gliosis, and non‐suppurative meningitis of the brain, necrotic stomatitis, gastroenteritis and cholangitis, and lymphoid depletion of the spleen and lymph nodes. The diseased tissues stained positive in an immunoperoxidase test, using a polyclonal antiserum to measles virus as the primary antibody, and electron microscopy showed that they contained regularly‐shaped intranuclear particles about 22 nm in diameter. They were positive by the polymerase chain reaction (PcR) for the nucleoprotein gene of morbillivirus. However, there was no evidence of morbillivirus in frozen tissues either by virus isolation or by antigen capture EUSA. The concentration of ΣDDTS in the blubber of both dolphins was about 50 to 100 times higher than the levels in toothed cetaceans from the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Baltic Sea. The lesions were consistent with those found in other species with morbilliviral disease, and the positive immunoperoxidase test, PCR and electron microscopical examination confirmed a morbillivirus as the primary cause of these lesions.
Behaviour of pigs exposed to mixtures of gases and the time required to stun and kill them: welfare implications
Authors: Raj A. B. M. 
Published: October 2010

Pigs were exposed individually to either 90 per cent argon in air (anoxia), a mixture of 30 per cent carbon dioxide and 60 per cent argon in air (hypercapnic anoxia) or 80 to 90 per cent carbon dioxide in air (hypercapnic hypoxia) and the times to loss of posture, the onset and duration of convulsions, vocalisation and cessation of gagging (respiratory arrest) were determined. The duration of convulsions and the time to onset of respiratory arrest were longer when the pigs were exposed to argon than when they were exposed to the mixture of carbon dioxide and argon or to the high concentration of carbon dioxide in air. A second experiment was carried out under commercial conditions to determine the duration of unconsciousness and insensibility based on the response to a nose prick, and the incidence of death induced by exposing pigs to either 90 per cent argon in air or a mixture of 30 per cent carbon dioxide and 60 per cent argon in air for different periods. The results showed that when pigs were exposed for three minutes to either argon or the mixture of carbon dioxide and argon they should be bled within 25 seconds from the end of exposure to the gas to prevent them regaining consciousness during bleeding. When the pigs were exposed to either argon or the mixture of carbon dioxide and argon for five minutes and bleeding out began within 45 seconds they did not regain consciousness or suffer convulsions while being bled. The majority of the pigs died when they were exposed to argon for seven minutes, and all of them died when they were exposed to the mixture of carbon dioxide and argon for seven minutes.
Relationships between leg disorders and changes in the behaviour of broiler chickens
Authors: Vestergaard S. , Sanotra G. S. 
Published: October 2010

The relationships between the severity of lameness, the presence of tibial dyschondroplasia, and the frequency of dustbathing behaviour and duration of tonic immobility were studied in 96 broiler chicks kept from day‐old in groups of four in wire‐floored cages. Dustbathing was observed when the birds were given access for one hour to a tray containing sand or straw. The duration of tonic immobility and the severity of lameness were scored during weeks 3, 4, 5 and 6. After slaughter at 41 or 45 days of age the birds were examined for tibial dyschondroplasia; 34 birds were classified as having tibial dyschondroplasia and 54 had detectable lameness problems. Birds with tibial dyschondroplasia had a higher lameness score (P<0.001), dustbathed on fewer days (P<0.0001), and had longer periods of tonic immobility (P<0.03) at six weeks than birds which did not have the condition. However, almost all the chicks, including those with tibial dyschondroplasia dustbathed on day 27 after they had not been given access to the tray for three days, significantly more than on days when they had not been deprived of the tray (P<0.0001). Furthermore, lame birds and birds with tibial dyschondroplasia also dustbathed less with age. Studies of the vertical wingshaking element of dustbathing confirmed that tibial dyschondroplasia reduced dustbathing (P<0.05) and also showed that during the one‐hour tests, sand resulted in more dustbathing than straw (P<0.01).
Rinderpest epidemic in wild ruminants in Kenya 1993‐97
Authors: Kock R. A. , Wambua J. M. , Mwanzia J. , Wamwayi H. , Ndungu E. K. , Barrett T. , Kock N. D. , Rossiter P. B. 
Published: October 2010

A severe epidemic of rinderpest, affecting mainly wild ruminants, occurred between 1993 and 1997 in East Africa. Buffalo (Syncerus coffer), eland (Taurotagus oryx) and lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) were highly susceptible. The histopathological changes, notably individual epithelial cell necrosis with syncytia formation, were consistent with an infection with an epitheliotrophic virus. Serology, the polymerase chain reaction, and virus isolation confirmed the diagnosis and provided epidemiological information. The virus was related to a strain which was prevalent in Kenya in the 1960s, of a second lineage (II), and distinct from isolations of rinderpest virus in the region since 1986. The source of the virus was presumed to be infected cattle from the Eastem region of Kenya and Somalia. The pathogenicity of the virus varied during the epidemic. The mortality in buffalo populations was estimated to be up to 80 per cent, and population data suggested that the virus had an adverse effect on a wide range of species. The virus caused only a mild disease in cattle, with minimal mortality. The results confirmed the importance of wildlife as sentinels of the disease, but although wildlife were important in the spread of the virus, they did not appear to act as reservoirs of infection.
Pharmacokinetics of florfenicol after treatment of pigs with single oral or intramuscular doses or with medicated feed for three days
Authors: Voorspoels J. , D'Haese E. , de craene B. A. , Vervaet C. , De Riemaecker D. , Deprez P. , Nelis H. , Remon J. P. 
Published: October 2010

The pharmacokinetics of florfenicol, a structural analogue of thiamphenicol, were studied in six pigs after single oral and intramuscular doses of 15 mg/kg bodyweight, and after feeding them with medicated feed containing 250 mg/kg for three days, a concentration which provided approximately the same dose rate of the drug. The oral doses contained a specially prepared pelleted formulation of the drug. The bioavailability of the drug was similar for the oral and intramuscular doses. Florfenicol was absorbed rapidly from the feed and its concentration in plasma remained between 2 and 6 μg/ml ‐ above the minimum inhibitory concentration values for common pig pathogens ‐ during the three days.
Development of a gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone and prostaglandin regimen for the planned breeding of dairy cows
Authors: Peters A. R. , Mawhinney I. , Drew S. B. , Ward S. J. , Warren M. J. , Gordon P. J. 
Published: October 2010

Four studies were carried out to determine the ovarian responses of dairy cows undergoing natural oestrous cycles to sequential injections of gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH), followed seven days later by prostaglandin and, 48 to 72 hours later, by a second injection of GnRH. In study 1, of 60 cows so treated, 47 were in the intended periovulatory phase when a fixed‐time insemination was given 72 hours after the prostaglandin. In study 2, detailed observations were made in 32 cows treated as in study 1, using ultrasound to determine the optimum time to administer the second dose of GnRH. Ovulation was most effectively synchronised by giving GnRH 56 to 60 hours after the prostaglandin. Study 3 investigated the timing of ovulation when no initial dose of GnRH was given. Six cows were injected with prostaglandin on day 12 of the oestrous cycle, followed by GnRH 60 hours later. Five of the six cows ovulated 24 to 36 hours after GnRH, an equivalent timing and synchrony to that in study 2, in which a dose of GnRH had been given seven days before prostaglandin. In study 4, an initial dose of GnRH was given to six cows late (day 17) in the oestrous cycle, and prostaglandin seven days later. The GnRH treatment delayed luteolysis in five of the cows so that they were responsive to the prostaglandin and ovulated 24 to 36 hours after the second dose of GnRH. The use of GnRH (day 0) ‐ prostaglandin (day 7) ‐ GnRH (day 9.5) appears to be an effective means of synchronising ovulation in most cows.
Stillbirth/perinatal weak calf syndrome: a study of calves infected with Leptospira
Authors: Smyth A. , Fitzpatrick D. A. , Ellis W. A. 
Published: October 2010

Leptospiral infection has been reported in calves which were either stillbom or dead from perinatal weak calf syndrome; 356 such calves were examined for evidence of associations between leptospiral infection and macroscopic, histological and microbiological findings, and the parity of the dam. Calves in which leptospiral antigen was detected in the placenta were significantly lighter by an average of 6 to 10 kg than calves with no antigen in the placenta. Calves infected with Leptospira were more likely to be infected by Actinomyces pyogenes or Bacllus species. No other significant associations were detected. The adrenal gland, lung and placenta were the most useful organs to examine for leptospiral antigen. The placenta was the only antigen‐positive tissue 8.9 per cent of the calves submitted with their placenta.
Field trial of a planned breeding regimen for dairy cows, using gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone and prostaglandin F2α
Authors: Mawhinney I. , Biggadike H. , Drew B. 
Published: October 2010

A planned breeding regimen, using gondadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH), prostaglandin F2α, and a second dose of GnRH, followed by a fixed time insemination, was evaluated in comparison with a negative control on eight commercial dairy farms in the south of England. Fertility data were collected from the 220 cows in the planned breeding group and from 220 matched control cows inseminated at observed oestrus. The planned regimen induced visible oestrus in the vast majority of the cows, and serving the cows at this oestrus reduced the calving to conception interval by 15 days, resulting in 12 per cent more cows being pregnant by 125 days after calving, and 6 per cent more by 150 days. The results from the individual farms suggested that more benefit may be derived from using the regimen in herds with only average fertility indices. There was also evidence to suggest that the second GnRH injection was important, even in cows that came on heat and were served before the fixed time insemination.
Relationship between food deprivation before transport and aggression in pigs held in lairage before slaughter
Authors: Brown S. N. , Knowles T. G. , Edwards J. E. , Warriss P. D. 
Published: October 2010

Pigs from three farms were deprived of food for up to one hour, 12 hours or 18 hours before being sent for slaughter. In lairage, the animals' behaviour was monitored, and at slaughter a blood sample was collected and analysed for cortisol, lactate and creatine phosphokinase, potential indicators of stress and physical activity. The carcases were assessed for skin damage as an index of fighting, and rigor in the hind leg as an indicator of stress and/or fatigue. Measurements were also made of cold carcase weight, backfat thickness and liver glycogen concentration. General activity was very high on entry to the lairage pen. Drinking and mounting occurred almost immediately. Fighting developed after an exploratory period, and could last up to 60 minutes. There were large differences in the behaviour of pigs from the three farms. Pigs from farm A fought frequently but showed little mounting activity, whereas pigs from farm C were involved in mounting but little fighting. The period of food deprivation had no effect on average skin damage or rigor score, but the frequency of carcases with the highest scores was different. The pigs deprived of food for up to an hour had the lowest incidence of severe skin damage and high rigor scores. Boars had a higher incidence of severe skin damage but a lower incidence of carcases with a high rigor score than gilts. Liver glycogen was almost completely depleted in the pigs deprived of food for 12 and 18 hours and was lower in the pigs deprived for up to an hour than in animals fed immediately before slaughter. The period of food deprivation had no effect on the levels of cortisol, creatine phosphokinase or lactate in the blood.
Incidence of foot and skin lesions in nursing piglets and their association with behavioural activities
Authors: Mouttotou N. , Green L. E. 
Published: October 2010

A total of 356 piglets from one farm were examined for foot and skin lesions every day for the first 10 days after birth, and then on altemate days until they were weaned. Over a period of 24 days 100 per cent of the after birth, and then on altemate days until they were weaned. Over a period of 24 days 100 per cent of the piglets examined developed sole bruising, and 49‐1 per cent developed sole erosions. Sole bruising lasted for an average of 13 days and sole erosions for seven days. At the beginning of the study, a higher proportion of piglets had mild sole bruising; from three to nine days of age piglets had moderate sole bruising but from days 10 to 20 mild bruising was again observed more frequently. Skin lesions were observed on the carpal aspect of the front limbs; 60.9 per cent of the piglets developed skin abrasions, 70.7 per cent developed healed wounds and 90 per cent developed hairless patches. The skin abrasions lasted on average for six days, the healed wounds for five days and the hairless patches for eight days. Piglets which developed sole bruising and/or sole erosions on the first day of life were significantly heavier than those which did not. Continuous observations of the piglets' behaviour during the first six days of life showed that sole bruising increased as the total time spent in the creep area or lying near the sow on the solid floor increased. During the first three days of life skin abrasions increased as the total time spent lying in the creep area increased. There was a positive correlation between the total time piglets spent suckling and the incidence of carpal skin abrasions between four and six days of age. Piglets with sole bruising, sole erosions or carpal skin abrasions spent less time during the day in ‘other’ activities such as walking, playing or fighting.
Comparison of the measurement of total carbon dioxide and strong ion difference for the evaluation of metabolic acidosis in diarrhoeic calves
Authors: Grove‐White D. H. , Michell A. R. 
Published: October 2010

Eighty−four calves with diarrhoea were treated with fluids and 13 apparently healthy calves of similar ages were sampled as controls. Their total blood carbon dioxide (TCO2) was measured with a Harleco apparatus and 31 of the calves were treated with oral fluids and 53 with parenteral fluids. The oral fluid contained 1 18 mmol/litre Na+, 25 mmol/litre K+, 1 10 mmol/litre glucose, 108 mmol/litre bicarbonate (HCO3− as citrate), 43 mmol/litre Cl−, 4 mmol/litre Ca++, 4 mmol/litre Mg++ and 20 mmol/litre glycine, and the parenteral fluid contained 144 mmol/litre Na+, 4 mmol/litre K+, 35 mmol/litre HCO3 − and 1 13 mmol/litre Cl−. Both treatments resulted in significant improvements in acid−base status as demonstrated by an increase in TCO2, and the treatment was successful in 27 of the 31 calves receiving oral fluids and in 45 of the 53 calves receiving parenteral fluids. Thirty−seven of the calves treated parenterally were very severely acidotic (TCO2 <8 mmol/litre) initially and they received an additional 400 mmol HCO3 − added to the first 5 litres of infusion. Treatment was successful in 33 of these calves. The decision to administer additional bicarbonate was made on the basis of their acid−base status as measured with a Harleco apparatus. The strong ion difference (Na++K+−CI−) (SID) of the calves was calculated retrospectively. There was a significant correlation between the SID and TCO2 of the calves treated with oral fluids but not among the control calves or the calves treated parenterally. Furthermore, measurements of the change in SID during therapy gave little indication of the change in acid−base status as measured by the Harleco apparatus, with the SID decreasing (suggesting a worsening of acid−base status) in 16 calves in which the TCO2 increased (suggesting an improvement in acidbase status). There was a significant correlation between the change in SID and the change in TCO2 during treatment in the calves receiving oral fluids but not in the calves treated parenterally.
Prevention and treatment of Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in rabbits with fenbendazole
Authors: Suter C. , Müler‐Doblies U. U. , Deplazes P. , Hatt J‐M. 
Published: October 2010

The efficacy of fenbendazole for preventing an experimental infection of Encephalitozoon cuniculi and for eliminating the spores from the central nervous system of naturally infected rabbits was investigated. Fenbendazole (20 mg/kg bodyweight daily) was administered from seven days before until two or 21 days after rabbits had been infected orally with 106 spores of E cuniculi. Both regimens were effective in preventing the establishment of the parasites, as demonstrated by negative parasitic‐specific serology and by the failure to isolate the parasite from brain tissue. In naturally infected, seropositive rabbits, parasites were successfully isolated from seven of nine untreated animals, but not from the brain tissue of eight animals treated with fenbendazole‐medicated pellets for four weeks.
Ultrasonographic appearance of the superficial supramammary lymph nodes in lactating dairy cattle
Authors: Bradley K. J. , Bradley A. J. , Barr F. J. 
Published: October 2010

The superficial supramammary lymph nodes of 54 lactating dairy cows were examined ultrasonographically with a 7‐5 MHz linear transducer; each node was measured in two planes within 24 hours of recording the milk somatic cell count. In most cows, the nodes were well demarcated from the surrounding tissue. The parenchyma of the nodes ranged from hypoechoic to anechoic, with a central bright hyperechoic area, and a thin hyperechoic line surrounded the nodes. The size of the nodes varied, but their internal architecture remained relatively consistent. Their mean length was 7.4 cm (range 3.5 to 15 cm) and their mean depth was 2.5 cm (range 1.2 to 5.7 cm). They were significantly larger in cows with more lactations (P<0.05), but there were no correlations between their size and either the time calved or the milk somatic cell count. The lymph nodes on sides which were positive in a California milk test were significantly larger than those on sides which were negative (P<0.05).