Areas within the United States at the Highest Risk for African Swine Fever, Classical Swine Fever, and Foot-and-Mouth Disease Introduction

Domestic livestock production is a major component of the agricultural sector, contributing to food security and human health and nutrition and serving as the economic livelihood for millions worldwide. The impact of disease on global systems and processes cannot be understated, as illustrated by the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic through economic and social system shocks and food system disruptions. This study outlines a method to identify the most likely sites of introduction into the United States for three of the most concerning foreign animal diseases: African swine fever (ASF), classical swine fever (CSF), and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). We first created an index measuring the amount of potentially contaminated meat products entering the regions of interest using the most recently available Agricultural Quarantine Inspection Monitoring (AQIM) air passenger inspection dataset, the AQIM USPS/foreign mail, and the targeted USPS/foreign mail interception datasets. The risk of introduction of a given virus was then estimated using this index, as well as the density of operations of the livestock species and the likelihood of infected material contaminating the local herds. Using the most recently available version of the datasets, the most likely places of introduction for ASF and CSF were identified to be in central Florida, while FMD was estimated to have been most likely introduced to swine in western California and to cattle in northeastern Texas. The method illustrated in this study is important as it may provide insights on risk and can be used to guide surveillance activities and optimize the use of limited resources to combat the establishment of these diseases in the U.S.

Resilience of U.S. cattle and beef sectors: lessons from COVID-19. (Special Issue: COVID-19 impacts on selected commodities.)

The upheaval wrought on the U.S. beef industry by the global COVID-19 pandemic carried with it several lessons that might help improve resiliency should there be a reoccurrence. First, the futures market for fed cattle fell well before cash prices, which sent a signal to market cattle early, and those who did so benefited. Second, the decline in futures anticipated the closure of slaughter plants and provided an opportunity to purchase and store beef primals in anticipation of future scarcity. Third, the beef industry has ways of slowing or stopping the pipeline of animals destined for feed yards and can "store" these animals in background feeding facilities or on pasture or rangeland. Producers who waited to sell feeder cattle benefited from higher feeder cattle prices once the processing facilities reopened. Fourth, cow slaughter plants responded to the pandemic and subsequent scarcity of labor much better than large fed-cattle plants. Cow plants are not as sophisticated and complex as fed-cattle plants. This relative simplicity may help explain the superior performance of these plants during the crisis. Sixth, the academic work on the value of building smaller plants as a response against concentration provides mixed results-these plants require more labor per animal and can be even more susceptible to labor scarcity. Seventh, the observed increase in boxed beef prices, even as fed cattle prices fell, demonstrates the risk-mitigating impact of producer ownership of downstream activities in the value chain.

Herders Mobility, Food Security and Covid-19 Pandemic Challenges during Lockdown in Nigeria

Climate change is one of the cores of the herders' movement in Nigeria. Some other variable is the classification of the Fulanis as indigenous peoples that have no specific abode of their own;they roam around looking for water and foliage for their animals. During the dry season, they move towards the southern part of Nigeria where they would find foliage and water for their animals because of their status under international law. A notion that in a bid to look for food for their animals, these herders sometimes feed their animals with grown corn, cassava, millet, sweet potato and even yam of the sedentary farmers. One of the geneses of food insecurity in many communities of the southern part of Nigeria. Food availability, affordability and accessibility in the country was compromised in 2020 due to these challenges by the urban dwellers which was compromised due to the activities of mobile herders. With general lockdown in Nigeria, many farmers were unable to go to farm while the Fulanis who were hardly affected by lockdown had their field-days in feeding their animals on crops planted by small scale farmers, the only source of food security in the country. The core of this paper is to interrogate Fulanis mobility as indigenous peoples based on relevant international law and its impact on small-scale farmers' sources of income and food availability for the teeming population of Nigeria. We contextualised this based on the COVID-19 pandemic that restricts the movement of people between March and December 2020. We conclude that the rights of the indigenous peoples at the domestic level need further interrogation to create an atmosphere of peaceful co-existence through aversion of herders-farmers clashes that envelope southern Nigeria.

Special Issue: COVID-19 impacts on selected commodities. (Special Issue: COVID-19 impacts on selected commodities.)

This special issue consists of seven articles examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the markets of selected commodities, including: seafood, lumber, crawfish, cattle/beef, fruits and vegetables in the USA, cotton and garments in Bangladesh, and fuel oil globally.

[Genetic diversity of Siberian bovine coronavirus isolates (Coronaviridae: Coronavirinae: Betacoronavirus-1: Bovine-Like coronaviruses)].

INTRODUCTION: Bovine coronaviruses (BCoVs) are causative agents of diarrhea, respiratory diseases in calves and winter cow dysentery. The study of genetic diversity of these viruses is topical issue. The purpose of the research is studying the genetic diversity of BCoV isolates circulating among dairy cattle in Siberia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Specimens used in this study were collected from animals that died or was forcedly slaughtered before the start of the study. The target for amplification were nucleotide sequences of S and N gene regions. RESULTS: Based on the results of RT-PCR testing, virus genome was present in 16.3% of samples from calves with diarrheal syndrome and in 9.9% with respiratory syndrome. The nucleotide sequences of S gene region were determined for 18 isolates, and N gene sequences - for 12 isolates. Based on S gene, isolates were divided into two clades each containing two subclades. First subclade of first clade (European line) included 11 isolates. Second one included classic strains Quebec and Mebus, strains from Europe, USA and Korea, but none of sequences from this study belonged to this subclade. 6 isolates belonged to first subclade of second clade (American-Asian line). Second subclade (mixed line) included one isolate. N gene sequences formed two clades, one of them included two subclades. First subclade included 3 isolates (American-Asian line), and second subclade (mixed) included one isolate. Second clade (mixed) included 8 sequences. No differences in phylogenetic grouping between intestinal and respiratory isolates, as well as according to their geographic origin were identified. CONCLUSION: The studied population of BCoV isolates is heterogeneous. Nucleotide sequence analysis is a useful tool for studying molecular epidemiology of BCoV. It can be beneficial for choice of vaccines to be used in a particular geographic region.

Establishment and applications of a duplex quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay for simultaneous detection of bovine rhinitis A virus and bovine rhinitis B virus

Bovine rhinitis virus (BRV) is an important pathogen responsible for the bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) and can be divided into two genotypes (BRAV and BRBV). To establish a duplex quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay for simultaneous detection of BRAV and BRBV, specific primers and TaqMan probes targeting the 5'NTR of BRAV and 3'NTR of BRBV were designed. A duplex quantitative real- time RT- PCR assay for simultaneous detecting BRAV and BRBV was preliminarily established by optimizing reaction conditions for each step. The assay specifically detects BRAV and BRBV, and no crossreaction with other common bovine respiratory pathogens, including IDV, BCoV, BVDV-1, BRSV, BPIV-3, BAdV-3, mycoplasma bovis, Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella, was observed. In addition, the sensitivity test showed that the detection limits of this assay were 3.2x101 copies/L for both BRAV and BRBV plasmid standards. Besides, the repeatability test showed that the variation coefficients of this assay were less than 0.05 from both lot-to-lot and intra-lot. These results showed that the assay has high specificity, extreme sensitivity, and good repeatability. Moreover, a total of 43 nasal swabs of BRDC cattle were tested by our assay and four other quantitative real-time RT-PCR assays, including 3 BRAV assays and 4 BRBV assays. The results showed that the detection rates of our assay were 32.56%(14/43) for BRAV and 30.23%(13/43) for BRBV, and the detection rates of other quantitative real-time RT-PCR assays were 0(0/43), 2.33%(1/43), 23.26%(10/43) for BRAV and 27.91% (12/43), 27.91%(12/43), 27.91%(12/43), 27.91%(12/43) for BRBV, indicating that our assay has a more substantial detection capability than other assays. This study firstly established a duplex quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay for simultaneous detection of BRAV and BRBV, and the assay exhibited high specificity, sensitivity, and stability. Moreover, the study firstly confirmed the existence of BRAV in China, contributing to the prevention and control of BRDC.

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on milk production per hectare in Ecuadorian herds

Dairy production systems in Ecuador have been studied in the last 10 years. During the Covid-2019 pandemic, the entire human society was harmed and agricultural activities affected by the disease and by the restrictions implemented to prevent its spread. The dairy industry did not escape this global situation and was affected in various countries. Reports from Ecuador and Asian countries indicate the unfavorable effect that this global health emergency situation had on dairy production. However, according to a report by the Argentine Dairy Chain Observatory1, world milk production had a constant growth of around 3%. It is considered that the activities carried out by veterinarians, milking and animal handling operators, inseminators and by the personnel dedicated to the management of paddocks were affected by Covid-19. Likewise, the supply of medicines, agricultural inputs and technology had a critical situation due to the pandemic. In addition, the response times were not always adequate, especially due to the absenteeism of livestock personnel, human mortality and effects on the health and well-being of people . Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the effects the pandemic could have on the country's cattle farms. The objective of this work was to evaluate whether the pandemic period affected milk production per hectare per year in Ecuadorian herds.

Molecular Detection and Genetic Characterization of Bovine Kobuvirus (BKV) in Diarrhoeic Calves in a Central Italy Herd

Bovine kobuvirus (BKV) is an infectious agent associated with neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD), causing important economic losses to dairy and beef cattle herds worldwide. Here, we present the detection rate and characterize the genome of BKV isolated from diarrhoeic calves from a Central Italy herd. From January to December 2021, we collected blood samples and nasal and rectal swabs from 66 calves with severe NCD between 3 and 20 days of age. After virological (bovine coronavirus, bovine viral diarrhoea virus, and bovine rotavirus), bacteriological (Escherichia coli spp. and Salmonella spp.), and parasitological (Cryptosporidium spp., Eimeria spp., and Giardia duodenalis) investigations, we detected BKV using the metagenomic analysis. This result was confirmed using a specific polymerase chain reaction assay that revealed the number of BKV-positive nasal (24.2%) and rectal swabs (31.8%). The prevalence of BKV was higher than that of BCoV. Coinfection with BKV and BCoV was detected in 7.5% of the rectal swabs, highlighting the involvement of another infectious agent in NCD. Using next generation sequencing (NGS) approach, it was possible to obtain the complete sequence of the BKV genome from other two rectal swabs previously analysed by real-time PCR. This is the first report describing the whole genome sequence (WGS) of BKV from Italy. The Italian BKV genomes showed the highest nucleotide sequence identity with BKV KY407744.1, identified in Egypt in 2014. The sequence encoding VP1 best matched that of BKV KY024562, identified in Scotland in 2013. Considering the small number of BKV WGSs available in public databases, further studies are urgently required to assess the whole genome constellation of circulating BKV strains. Furthermore, pathogenicity studies should be conducted by inoculating calves with either only BKV or a combination with other enteric pathogens for understanding the probable role of BKV in NCD.

Detection of Influenza D-Specific Antibodies in Bulk Tank Milk from Swedish Dairy Farms.

Influenza D virus (IDV) has been detected in bovine respiratory disease (BRD) outbreaks, and experimental studies demonstrated this virus's capacity to cause lesions in the respiratory tract. In addition, IDV-specific antibodies were detected in human sera, which indicated that this virus plays a potential zoonotic role. The present study aimed to extend our knowledge about the epidemiologic situation of IDV in Swedish dairy farms, using bulk tank milk (BTM) samples for the detection of IDV antibodies. A total of 461 and 338 BTM samples collected during 2019 and 2020, respectively, were analyzed with an in-house indirect ELISA. In total, 147 (32%) and 135 (40%) samples were IDV-antibody-positive in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Overall, 2/125 (2%), 11/157 (7%) and 269/517 (52%) of the samples were IDV-antibody-positive in the northern, middle and southern regions of Sweden. The highest proportion of positive samples was repeatedly detected in the south, in the county of Halland, which is one of the counties with the highest cattle density in the country. In order to understand the epidemiology of IDV, further research in different cattle populations and in humans is required.

Assessment of the financial condition of selected dairy cooperatives during the COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of the article is to present the financial condition of selected dairy cooperatives using ratio analysis and selected discriminant models. The main objective of the paper is to assess the overall financial condition of dairy cooperatives during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) and earlier years (2017-2019). The author focused, on the one hand, on the assessment of the financial condition of a selected group and, on the other hand, on the link between the financial situation of selected dairy cooperatives and state aid during the changing economic reality caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus. The financial analysis for dairy cooperatives also reveals a broader comparative context in the time span before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research shows that the analysed dairy cooperatives, with the exception of OSM Jasienica Rosielna, did not have a negative financial results.

Evolutionary adaptation of bovine coronavirus (BCoV): Screening of natural recombinations across the complete genomes.

Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) is a member of pathogenic Betacoronaviruses that has been circulating for several decades in multiple host species. Given the similarity between BCoV and human coronaviruses, the current study aimed to review the complete genomes of 107 BCoV strains available on the GenBank database, collected between 1983 and 2017 from different countries. The maximum-likelihood based phylogenetic analysis revealed three main BCoV genogroups: GI, GII, and GIII. GI is further divided into nine subgenogroups: GI-a to GI-i. The GI-a to GI-d are restricted to Japan, and GI-e to GI-i to the USA. The evolutionary relationships were also inferred using phylogenetic network analysis, revealing two major distinct networks dominated by viruses identified in the USA and Japan, respectively. The USA strains-dominated Network Cluster includes two sub-branches: France/Germany and Japan/China in addition to the United States, while Japan strains-dominated Network Cluster is limited to Japan. Twelve recombination events were determined, including 11 intragenogroup (GI) and one intergenogroup (GII vs. GI-g). The breakpoints of the recombination events were mainly located in ORF1ab and the spike glycoprotein ORF. Interestingly, 10 of 12 recombination events occurred between Japan strains, one between the USA strains, and one from intercontinental recombination (Japan vs. USA). These findings suggest that geographical characteristics, and population density with closer contact, might significantly impact the BCoV infection and co-infection and boost the emergence of more complex virus lineages.

Bibliometric Analysis of The Ecotoxicological Effects of Ivermectin

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic used in human medicine and veterinary medicine. Moreover, its use intensified in Brazil during the pandemic as an early treatment for COVID-19. Bearing in mind that drugs enter the environment via different pathways, ecotoxicological studies are essential to understanding the effects of these compounds on biota. The aim of this study was to perform a bibliometric analysis of the ecotoxicological effects of ivermectin. Searches were conducted using different English, Portuguese and Spanish descriptors in different databases within the 2010-2021 time window. The papers found were subjected to inclusion and exclusion criteria and subsequently studied. Fourteen publications, with records going all the way back to 2012, were assessed. According to their type, most papers were classified as original studies and revealed that the predominant test organisms were flies. In terms of subject areas, the studies fell within the fields of Environmental Science, Toxicology, Molecular Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Pharmacy and Multidisciplinary Chemistry. In all of the papers studied, there was a case of association of researchers from different countries as well as a predominance of English manuscripts. Word cloud analysis based on the keywords highlighted a concern with the impacts of this antiparasitic on the biota present in manure. As a result of the survey conducted, environmental monitoring of this substance and the performance of experiments that contemplate the current situation of occurrence of this drug in different environmental matrices are recommended.

Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis of Bovine Coronavirus in Beef Cattle in Jilin Province.

In order to comprehensively understand the epidemiological situation of bovine coronavirus (BCoV) in beef cattle herds in Jilin Province, blood, nasal swabs, fecal swabs and tissue organs of clinically diseased and dead cattle were collected in different seasons from 12 counties and cities in the east, central and western regions of Jilin Province, using serological and molecular diagnostic testing techniques to conduct an epidemiological investigation of BCoV in the The epidemiological situation of BCoV in some areas of Jilin Province. A total of 1 298 clinical serum samples, 462 clinical samples (including fecal samples, liver, lung, spleen, trachea and other tissue samples) were collected, and PCR detection of clinical samples was performed by applying commercial BCoV antibody detection kits to detect serum antibodies and a novel detection technique of nano-PCR, and sequencing and analysis of positive results detected by nucleic acid. The results showed that the serum positive rate of BCoV antibodies was 1.08%, and the positive rate of clinical samples such as feces and liver was 21.10%. The BCoV prevalent strain in the investigated area was more than 99% homologous to the prevalent strain in Sichuan, China, after sequencing analysis. This study provides a comprehensive survey of BCoV prevalence in central Jilin Province, which enriches the epidemiological survey data of bovine coronavirus and lays the foundation for guiding the prevention and control of bovine coronavirus.Copyright © 2023 Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica. All rights reserved.

Forecast of beef production for Brazilian market between 2021 and 2022

Cattle is one of the main items in the Brazilian productive guideline and an important export product. During the covid-19 pandemic, the price of beef occupied a prominent position in agricultural sector analyzes due to the prices increases. The objective of this research is to observe the national production behavior, exports, and domestic supply. Therefore, a domestic supply forecast was made for January 2021 to December 2022 (24 months). Based on the results obtained, it was found that the beefs supply available to the Brazilian market will not present an expressive upward behavior that compensates the evolution in beef export to international markets. Thus, a shift in the price of beef in the domestic market to higher levels may be observed.

Susceptibility of different animal species to experimental infection with SARS-CoV-2 (review)

The susceptibility of animal species to SARS-CoV-2, under experimental conditions, is a subject of great interest for the international scientific community. Compared to observational studies of natural disease outbreaks in different animal species, experimental studies based on in silico, in vitro and in vivo research, are important alternatives to evaluate the prediction of potential hosts for SARS-CoV-2 infection. In order to determine the susceptibility of a host species and the risk of acting as a potential animal reservoir, a large number of different animal species, domestic and wild, were experimentally infected with SARS-CoV-2, which were classified as permissive or resistant. Experimental infections have proven to be crucial for clarifying aspects of the pathogenetic mechanism, viral persistence and elimination, immune response, antiviral sensitivity, vaccine production, immunotherapy and improving diagnostic methods. In this article, some experimental infections carried out in different animal species will be reviewed, according to the data from the literature.

Prospect of Vaccinia virus vector vaccine for wildlife

Against a pandemic of emerged infectious disease, COVID-19, new generation vaccines based on nucleic acids or recombinant viruses, which had not been used as vaccines in humans, have been inoculated and shown to be successful. They are, however, heat-labile and need a cold-chain including deep-freezers for storage and transportation. Vaccinia virus (VAC) vector vaccine (VACV) is a pioneer of new generation of vaccines constructed by using molecular biological technology. VACV, which has contributed to eradication of smallpox, has excellent characteristics of vaccinia virus such as a high heat-stability and long-lasting immunological effects. It is possible to distinguish the immunological responses of vaccination from those of natural infections. We started our developmental researches 35 years ago, using attenuated VAC strains established in Japan. In this article, we first describe the early researches of VACVs;development of two VACVs for Bovine leukemia virus and Rinderpest morbillivirus antigens and their protective immunity in large mammals, sheep and cows. Second, application of VACV is described;Rabies-VACV, which has already been licensed, used in the field in Europe and USA, and resulted in a prominent decrease of rabies. Then, current status of VACV research is described;non-replicating VACVs in mammalian cells have been developed as new-generation and ultimately-safe vaccines. We discuss the possibility of future application of VACV for wildlife.

Impact of the "coronavirus" emergency on Italian livestock systems

This report describes the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the productive and economic aspects of livestock and aquaculture production in Italy, including farm management, labour, income, marketing and consumption of animal products (meat, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products), consumer behaviour, food safety, agrotourism and disease control.

Viral enteritis in cattle: To well known viruses and beyond

Livestock products supply about 13 percent of energy and 28 percent of protein in diets consumed worldwide. Diarrhea is a leading cause of sickness and death of beef and dairy calves in their first month of life and also affecting adult cattle, resulting in large economic losses and a negative impact on animal welfare. Despite the usual multifactorial origin, viruses are generally involved, being among the most important causes of diarrhea. There are several viruses that have been confirmed as etiological agents (i.e., rotavirus and coronavirus), and some viruses that are not yet confirmed as etiological agents. This review summarizes the viruses that have been detected in the enteric tract of cattle and tries to deepen and gather knowledge about them.Copyright © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Emergent Research Themes on Sustainability in the Beef Cattle Industry in Brazil: An Integrative Literature Review

Brazil is one of the world's biggest beef producers and its largest exporter. However, beef cattle ranching is a leading cause of deforestation and habitat conversion in the Brazilian Amazon, which challenges sustainable development. We adopted the triple bottom line (TBL) as a guiding theory of sustainability and assumed the necessity of a production system-specific approach. Based on an integrative literature analysis, we aimed to assess sustainability pillars in beef cattle production. The Web of Science, Scopus and Science Direct databases were searched for studies on mitigating the adverse impacts of beef cattle production before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. We found 108 references in these databases, 46 of which met the criteria for eligibility assessment, and ten studies were selected for textual cluster analysis and thematic synthesis. The review shows emergent research themes on sustainability in beef cattle production. It also elaborates a conceptual model of the sustainability pillars in the technique, science, and social aspects of the beef cattle sector that may guide the managerial and political strategies for the beef cattle supply chain in Brazil and other emerging markets. This study indicates that sustainable beef cattle development requires new digital technologies and ideas about sustainable supply chain management, which provides human, environmental, and animal welfare. © 2023 by the authors.