Improvement of the Welfare Quality scoring model for dairy cows to fit experts' opinion.

After several years of implementation, the original Welfare Quality scoring model for dairy cows appears to be highly sensitive to the number and cleanliness of drinkers and not enough to the prevalence of diseases, and as a consequence may not fit the opinion of some animal welfare experts. The present paper aims to improve the Welfare Quality calculations for the criteria 'Absence of prolonged thirst' and 'Absence of disease' in dairy cows, so that the results are more sensitive to input data and better fit experts' opinion. First, we modified the calculation of 'Absence of prolonged thirst' by linearising the calculation for drinkers' availability to avoid threshold effects. Second, we modified the calculation of 'Absence of disease' by applying a Choquet integral on the three lowest spline-based scores for each health disorder to limit compensation between health disorders. Third, we performed a global sensitivity analysis of the original and the alternative scoring models. Fourth, we compared the results obtained with the original and the alternative models with eight experts' opinions on two subsets composed of 44 and 60 farms, respectively, inspected using the Welfare Quality protocol and on which experts gave their opinion on the overall level of animal welfare. Results show that the alternative model significantly reduced the 'threshold effects' related to the number of drinkers and the compensation between health disorders. On the first subset, the alternative model fits the experts' opinion slightly better than the original model (P = 0.061). On the second subset, the models performed equally. In conclusion, the proposed refinements for calculating scores are validated since they significantly reduced 'threshold effects' and the influence of measures related to drinkers. It also reduced the compensation between health disorders by considering only the three lowest scores and thus increasing the influence of measures related to health disorders, and slightly improve at overall score level the accordance with experts' opinion.

Using behavioral observations in freestalls and at milking to improve pain detection in dairy cows after lipopolysaccharide-induced clinical mastitis.

This study aimed to determine the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mastitis with or without nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) on dairy cows' clinical, physiological, and behavioral responses in the milking parlor and freestalls as well as the specificity (Sp) and sensitivity (Se) of behavioral responses in detecting cows with LPS-induced mastitis. Twenty-seven cows received an intramammary infusion of 25 µg of Escherichia coli LPS in 1 healthy quarter. Following LPS infusion, 14 cows received a placebo (LPS cows), and 13 cows received 3 mg/kg of body weight of ketoprofen i.m. (LPS+NSAID cows). Cow response to the challenge was monitored at regular intervals from 24 h before to 48 h postinfusion (hpi) through direct clinical observations, markers of inflammation in milk, and via point-in-time direct behavioral observations in the barn and at milking. In LPS cows, infusion induced a significant increase of plasma cortisol levels at 3 and 8 hpi, milk cortisol levels at 8 hpi, somatic cell counts from 8 to 48 hpi, IL-6 and IL-8 at 8 hpi, milk amyloid A (mAA) and haptoglobin at 8 and 24 hpi, rectal temperature at 8 hpi, and respiratory rate at 8 hpi. Their rumen motility rate decreased at 8 and 32 hpi. Compared with before the challenge, significantly more LPS cows stopped feeding/ruminating and pressed their tail between their legs at 3 and 5 hpi, increased feeding/ruminating at 24 hpi, and had the tendency to be less responsive, dropping their head, and dropping their ears at 5 hpi. At milking, compared with before challenge, significantly more LPS cows lifted their hooves at forestripping at 8 hpi. The 2 groups showed similar patterns of response for milk cortisol, somatic cell count, respiratory rate, mAA, haptoglobin, and IL-6, IL-1ß, and IL-8. Compared with LPS cows, LPS+NSAID cows had significantly lower plasma cortisol levels at 3 hpi, their rectal temperature decreased at 8 hpi, their rumen motility rate increased at 8 and 32 hpi, and their heart rate increased at 32 hpi. Compared with LPS cows, a significantly larger proportion of LPS+NSAID cows were feeding/ruminating, a lower proportion had ears down at 5 hpi, and a larger proportion lied down at 24 hpi. At milking, whatever the phase of milking, for "hoof to belly," 9 out of 14 cows did not show this behavior before infusion (Sp = 64%) and 14/14 did not kick during pre-infusion milking (Sp = 100%). Regarding sensitivity, at maximum, 5 cows out of 14 (Se = 36%) displayed "hoof to belly" after infusion. For "lifting hoof," 14/14 did not show hoof-lifting before infusion (Sp = 100%) and 6/14 displayed it after infusion (Se = 43%) at forestripping only. In the freestall barn, 9 behaviors had a Sp >75% (at minimum, 10/14 did not show the behavior) whatever the time point but Se < 60% (at maximum, 8/14 displayed the behavior). Finally, "absence of feeding and ruminating" had Sp of 86% (12/14 ate/ruminated) and Se of 71% (10/14 did not eat/ruminate) at 5 hpi. This study shows that feeding/ruminating, tail position, and reactivity at forestripping could be used as behavioral indictors for early detection of mastitis-related pain in dairy cows.

Review: Assessment of dairy cow welfare at pasture: measures available, gaps to address, and pathways to development of ad-hoc protocols.

Pasture is generally perceived as positive for dairy cow welfare, but it nevertheless exposes cows to heat, parasites, and other challenges. This review is intended for people ready to design comprehensive protocols for assessing the welfare of dairy cows at pasture. We provide an overview of the benefits and risks of pasture for cows, and then go on to identify the available and feasible measures for assessing cow welfare at pasture and the gaps that need to be addressed to develop specific welfare measures. Some of the measures from on-farm welfare assessment protocols designed for indoor use (e.g. Welfare Quality®) are relevant for cows at pasture (e.g. lameness scoring). However, the timing, location and/or method for certain measures (e.g. observation of social behaviour) need to be adapted to the pasture context, as cows at pasture can roam over a large area. Measures to address specific pasture-related risks (e.g. heat stress, biosecurity) or benefits (e.g. expression of a wide range of behaviours) should be implemented in order to capture all dimensions of cow welfare at pasture. Furthermore, cow welfare is liable to vary over the grazing season due to changes in weather conditions, grass quality and pasture plots that induce variations in lying surface conditions, food availability, distance to walk to the milking parlour, and so on. It is therefore important to investigate the variability in different welfare measures across the pasture season to check whether they hold stable over time and, if not, to determine solutions that can give an overview across the grazing season. Sensors offer a promising complement to animal and environment observations, as they can capture long-term animal monitoring data, which is simply not possible for a one-day welfare-check visit. We conclude that some measures validated for indoor situations can already be used in pasture-based systems, while others need to be validated for their fitness for purpose and/or use in pasture conditions. Furthermore, thresholds should probably be determined for measures to fit with pasture contexts. If all measures can be made adaptable to all situations encountered on farms or variants of the measures can at least be proposed for each criterion, then it should be possible to produce a comprehensive welfare assessment protocol suitable for large-scale use in near future.

A multiparametric approach to assessing residual pain experienced by dairy cows undergoing digestive tract surgery under multimodal analgesia.

This study assessed residual pain responses of dairy cows undergoing fistulation surgery under multimodal analgesia using a multiparametric method combining behavioural and physiological indicators. A longitudinal study was conducted on five dairy cows, each acting as her own control. The surgery consisted of implanting a ruminal and a duodenal cannula in each cow. The multimodal drug protocol consisted of a combination of N-Methyl-D aspartic Acid antagonists, α2-agonists, and local anaesthetic during surgery, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioid treatment postsurgery. Cow responses to surgery were monitored by direct behavioural observation, physiological assay indicators, and milk production from day (D) -6 days before surgery (D-6) to D13 postsurgery. From the data recorded, the variables that contributed most to the discrimination of days pre- and postsurgery were identified using factorial discriminant analysis. Components 1 and 2 of the factorial discriminant analysis explained 68.2% and 17.9%, respectively, of the total variance. Component 1 was mainly explained by haptoglobin (contribution to axis: 0.885), oxidative stress (ratio of oxidized gluthatione to reduced glutathione (GSH/GSSG), -0.746; vitamin E, -0.683; vitamin A, -0.597; malondialdehyde (MDA), 0.416), and behavioural indicators (general attitude, 0.594). On this axis, the higher the score, the higher were the apathy and haptoglobin and MDA concentrations, and the lower were the GSH/GSSG ratio and concentrations of vitamins A and E. This axis opposed cows on D-6 to cows on D3 and D5; cows on D1 and D13 were intermediate. Component 2 was mainly explained by the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), 0.686; cortisol, 0.669), milk yield (-0.725), oxidative stress (MDA, -0.584; nitric oxide (NO), 0.454), and behavioural indicators of pain (ear position, 0.467; leg postures, 0.431). On this axis, the higher the score, the higher the NEFA, cortisol, and nitric oxide concentrations; the more the ear and leg pain postures; and the lower the milk production and MDA concentrations. This axis opposed cows on D13 to cows on D1. These results suggest that cows may experience some pain only on D1, whereas on subsequent days, the inflammatory response and oxidative stress did not seem to be associated with pain. Our results should be considered for different surgeries to improve analgesia immediately after surgery, and to provide antioxidants along with NSAIDs to promote recovery.

Anaphylaxis to clindamycin following cutaneous exposure.

BACKGROUND: The role and importance of skin barrier as an immunologic organ and as a potent way of sensitization is well known. However, antibiotics anaphylaxis following skin sensitization has not been reported. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the first case of intravenous clindamycin anaphylaxis, with likely sensitization due to previous topical exposure to clindamycin gel for acne in a 14-year-old boy with history of atopy and mild atopic dermatitis. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the potential sensitization to drug allergens, including antibiotics, via the skin.

New recommendations for self-locking barriers to reduce skin injuries in dairy cows.

The design of self-locking barriers can affect cows' skin injuries and impair welfare. This study aimed to propose and refine recommendations, expressed relatively to the cows' dimensions, for self-locking barrier design to reduce risks for skin injuries on the neck/shoulder/back and on carpus of dairy cows. We recorded individual body dimensions and the dimensions of self-locking barriers (e.g. top rail height) and assessed skin injuries on 3801 cows from 131 loose-housing dairy farms. We explored the significant associations between presence/absence of skin injuries and self-locking barrier dimensions using weighted multivariable logistic regression, taking into account the diversity of feeding barriers within each farm. The robustness of the models was assessed by cross-validation. Cows had skin injuries mainly on the neck/shoulder/back (29.0%) and, to a lesser extent, on the carpus (14.0%). The final multivariable logistic regression models comprised 13 factors for skin injuries on the neck/shoulder/back, and 11 factors for skin injuries on the carpus. Skin injuries were significantly reduced when the self-locking barriers were inclined (neck/shoulder/back) and when the cows used a feeding table (i.e. flat) instead of a feeding manger or cribs (i.e. hollow) (carpus). A top rail height >1.05 × cow height (measured at withers) was significantly associated with fewer skin injuries on the neck/shoulder/back and on carpus. Skin injuries on the neck/shoulder/back and carpus were significantly reduced when the bottom rail was on the food side relative to the wall, and at a height <0.39 of cow height. Skin injuries were significantly less frequent when the separation wall had no sharp edges on the food side (neck/shoulder/back), was >0.4 of cow height (carpus), was thinner than 15 cm (neck/shoulder/back and carpus) and when the height of the feeding step was 0.04 to 0.1 of cow height (neck/shoulder/back) and the length of the feeding step was <0.2 of cow length (carpus). A headlock articulation nut positioned between 0.62 and 0.78 of cow height significantly reduced skin injuries on the neck/shoulder/back. Here, by combining the diversity of on-farm self-locking barriers and their respective dimensions, we were able to refine the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering recommendations for self-locking barrier design and to propose new ones. This information now needs to be confirmed on other datasets, but can already help farmers and dairy industry stakeholders improve the design of self-locking barriers to improve dairy cow welfare.

Relationships between welfare and reproductive performance in French dairy herds.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between cow reproductive performance and welfare evaluated at the herd level using the Welfare Quality protocol. The 11 criteria, four principles (good feeding, good housing, good health and appropriate behavior, scale 0-100) and overall welfare category (excellent/enhanced/acceptable/not classified = poor welfare) were included as risk factors for calving to first service interval (CFSI) and calving rate (CR). The confounding factors cow breed, parity, season of calving and AI, calving to AI interval, rank of AI (1-3) and milk production were taken into account. The sample included 3951 AIs (2172 AI1, 1182 AI2, 597 AI3) in 124 French commercial dairy herds. Median CFSI was shorter for the cows bred in herds with a higher overall welfare category (median 75 and 76 days in enhanced and acceptable herds vs. 86 in poor welfare ones, P = 0.02). The scores for absence of injuries and expression of social behavior tended to be associated with CFSI (P < 0.10). Calving rate (34.5%) was not related to the overall welfare category. However, CR was positively related to the good housing score and a positive trend was observed with the scores for absence of prolonged hunger and absence of injuries. In conclusion, this study confirms a positive relationship between CFSI and welfare in dairy cows with no explicit links with specific aspects of animal welfare.

Benefits of a multimodal analgesia compared to local anesthesia alone to alleviate pain following castration in sheep: a multiparametric approach.

Castration of male ruminants is a common livestock management practice, but induces pain. However, little is known about the effectiveness of multimodal analgesia compared to local anesthesia (LA) alone in reducing pain associated with burdizzo castration in sheep. This study aimed to monitor the pain response induced by castration in sheep and to assess the efficacy of analgesia strategies. Twenty-four 12-month-old male Texel sheep were burdizzo-castrated after administration of physiological serum (Burd), local anesthetic (Burd+LA) or LA plus non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (Burd+LA+NSAID). Sheep responses were monitored using behavioral and physiological indices of pain. Sampling occurred from 24 h pre-castration to 78 h post-castration, split into four periods based on the duration of analgesia: P0 (T-24 to T-1 h), P1 (T0 to T+2 h), P2 (T+3 to T+32 h) and P3 (T+36 to T+78 h). Behavioral indices were attention and head position, ear position, position of the eyelid, other facial expression, standing/lying postures, postures of the legs, clinical signs and abnormal activities. Physiological indices consisted in indicators of inflammation (haptoglobin, serum amyloid A (SAA), body temperature), hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (cortisol, non-esterified fatty acids, glucose), autonomous nervous system (heart rate variability (HRV)) and oxidative stress. The variables contributing most to discrimination of the period×treatment groups were analyzed by factorial discrimination analysis. Pre-castration (P0), there was no significant difference between treatments for all indicators (P > 0.05). Post-castration, eight indicators varied significantly according to period and treatment: cortisol, clinical signs, ratio of low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) bands of the HRV, attention and head position, SAA, haptoglobin, body temperature and glucose. The treatment×periods groups were well discriminated by the 23 indicators. Burd in P0, Burd+LA in P0 and Burd+LA+NSAID in P0, P1 and P2 had low values for all indicators, likely reflecting absence of pain and discomfort. Burd in P1 and P2 and Burd+LA in P2 showed clinical signs and reduced attention, high LF/HF and high cortisol levels, reflecting acute pain. Burd and Burd+LA in P3 had high temperature, high haptoglobin, high glucose and high SAA, but no response from other pathways. These results suggest that (i) behavioral signs of pain were apparent up to 32 h post-castration, (ii) LA was partially effective, but only during its time of action (2 h) and (iii). multimodal analgesia (LA and NSAID) was effective for up to 3 days post-castration. These findings, and especially those related to sheep behavior, can help veterinarians and farmers better detect pain and refine their pain alleviation methods.

TREX-1-Related Disease Associated with the Presence of Cryofibrinogenemia.

PURPOSE: Cryofibrinogenemia is a rare cryopathy presenting as acrocyanosis following exposure to cold. Familial presentation has been described but the underlying molecular cause remained undetermined. METHODS: Forty (40) members from a large family with an initial diagnosis of familial cryofibrinogenemia were interviewed and examined to determine affected status and collect DNA. Exome sequencing was performed on three affected individuals from distinct branches of the pedigree. RESULTS: Seventeen (17) family members reported a history of acrocyanosis with cold exposure. None reported symptoms were suggestive of lupus. Exome sequencing of three subjects identified the heterozygous mutation D18N in the TREX1 gene which was then confirmed by Sanger sequencing in all affected as well as 2 unaffected family members. The mutation is already being associated with familial chilblain lupus erythematosus (CHLE), and a systematic review of literature was undertaken to compare reports of familial CHLE and cryofibrinogenemia. Both entities were found to share highly similar clinical presentations suggesting they are part of a same syndrome in which cryofibrinogenemia and lupus manifestations have variable penetrance. CONCLUSIONS: Familial cryofibrinogenemia without lupus should be added to the spectrum of TREX1-related disease.

Trained-user opinion about Welfare Quality measures and integrated scoring of dairy cattle welfare.

The Welfare Quality (WQ) protocol for on-farm dairy cattle welfare assessment describes 27 measures and a stepwise method for integrating values for these measures into 11 criteria scores, grouped further into 4 principle scores and finally into an overall welfare categorization with 4 levels. We conducted an online survey to examine whether trained users' opinions of the WQ protocol for dairy cattle correspond with the integrated scores (criteria, principles, and overall categorization) calculated according to the WQ protocol. First, the trained users' scores (n = 8-15) for reliability and validity and their ranking of the importance of all measures for herd welfare were compared with the degree of actual effect of these measures on the WQ integrated scores. Logistic regression was applied to identify the measures that affected the WQ overall welfare categorization into the "not classified" or "enhanced" categories for a database of 491 European herds. The smallest multivariate model maintaining the highest percentage of both sensitivity and specificity for the "enhanced" category contained 6 measures, whereas the model for "not classified" contained 4 measures. Some of the measures that were ranked as least important by trained users (e.g., measures relating to drinkers) had the highest influence on the WQ overall welfare categorization. Conversely, measures rated as most important by the trained users (e.g., lameness and mortality) had a lower effect on the WQ overall category. In addition, trained users were asked to allocate criterion and overall welfare scores to 7 focal herds selected from the database (n = 491 herds). Data on all WQ measures for these focal herds relative to all other herds in the database were provided. The degree to which expert scores corresponded to each other, the systematic difference, and the correspondence between median trained-user opinion and the WQ criterion scores were then tested. The level of correspondence between expert scoring and WQ scoring for 6 of the 12 criteria and for the overall welfare score was low. The WQ scores of the protocol for dairy cattle thus lacked correspondence with trained users on the importance of several welfare measures.

A multiparametric approach to discriminate the impacts of different degrees of invasiveness of surgical procedures in sheep.

Traumatic situations in animals induce responses including pain, expressed through behavioural and physiological pathways such as inflammation, oxidative stress, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system. As some of these systems can also be activated during excitement and situations with a positive valence, their use as a means to assess pain response is difficult. We explored (i) how these five aforementioned pathways change in sheep exposed to various degrees of invasiveness of surgical procedures despite a therapeutic regimen and (ii) whether a multiparametric analysis that combines information from these five pathways enhances the discrimination between these situations, and estimates the relative importance of these pathways in the response. We used 24 adult sheep split into four treatments: Control (C; no fasting, no anaesthesia, no surgery), Sham (S; fasting, anaesthesia, no surgery), Rumen Canulation (R; fasting, anaesthesia, rumen cannulation) and Rumen-Duodenal-Ileum cannulation (RDI; fasting, anaesthesia, cannulation of the rumen, duodenum and ileum). Sheep' responses were measured for 5 days after surgery. When considering each behavioural or physiological pathway independently, discrimination between treatments was acceptable, its sensitivity (Se) ranging from 0% to 100%, and its specificity (Sp) ranging from 62% to 100%. The multiparametric analysis gathering information from the five pathways enhanced the effectiveness of discrimination between treatments (Se, 50% to 100%; Sp, 82% to 100%), and gave additional information on the relative contribution of each pathway to the global sheep response. Sheep global response was higher when exposed to a surgery, and increased with the surgery invasiveness. This response relied mostly on inflammation (absolute correlation for haptoglobin, 0.89), HPA (cortisol, 0.85) and behaviour (antalgic postures, 0.85). The multiparametric approach seems to be a promising tool to discriminate between different degrees of invasiveness of surgical procedures.

Consultation with registered dietitian to prevent accidental reactions to food: insight from an egg allergy influenza vaccination cohort.

Egg is an ubiquitous allergen found in many food products. Current food allergy guidelines recognize the importance of consultation with a registered dietitian to ensure nutritional adequacy. However, there is a lack of evidence on its impact on the implementation of allergen avoidance strategies. Taking advantage of a well-characterized cohort of influenza vaccination in egg-allergic children (n=397), we tested the hypothesis that real-life professional dietary advice was associated with a decrease in accidental reactions to egg in allergic children with retrospective questionnaires. Lack of consultation with a dietitian was associated with a 1.89-fold increase in the risk of accidental reactions to egg (confidence interval: 1.47-2.42). The only other independent variable that predicted reactions was having had a history of acute reaction to egg prior diagnosis (relative risk=2.02; confidence interval: 1.64-3.00). These findings support the usefulness of referral to a food allergy-specialized dietitian at time of diagnosis in order to prevent future accidental reactions to egg.

Introduction of peanuts in younger siblings of children with peanut allergy: a prospective, double-blinded assessment of risk, of diagnostic tests, and an analysis of patient preferences.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of peanut allergy in younger siblings of children with peanut allergy has been reported between 7% and 8.5%, but the anaphylactic risk at the time of introduction is currently unknown, which limits our ability to best counsel parents on this issue. OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk of anaphylaxis and working parameters of allergy testing in this context. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-four peanut-naïve younger siblings of peanut-allergic children underwent double-blinded skin testing, followed by parent-led peanut introduction. Questionnaires were dispensed to parents to investigate preferences with regard to peanut introduction in this subgroup. RESULTS: Eight participants (5.2%) presented unequivocal IgE-mediated reactions to peanut upon introduction, including five anaphylaxes. These participants were significantly older compared to the rest of the cohort (median 4.0 vs 1.9 years, P = 0.04). The negative predictive value of skin prick test with peanut extract and peanut butter and of specific IgE was 99%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Six peanut-tolerant participants had positive peanut allergy tests. The option of introducing at home without prior skin testing was associated with high levels of anxiety (median 8.4 on 10-point Likert scale) when compared to supervised introduction (median 3.8, P < 0.0001) or home introduction after negative skin test (median 4.3, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: There is an increased risk of anaphylaxis upon peanut introduction in siblings of children with peanut allergy, and parents are reluctant to introduce at home without testing. Allergy testing prior to introduction is negative in over 90% of cases and carries a high negative predictive value.

Oral pancreatic enzyme supplements can reduce excretion of ovalbumin in breast milk

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Description and factors of variation of the overall health score in French dairy cattle herds using the Welfare Quality(®) assessment protocol.

Extensive information is available in the literature on the specific risk factors of the main health disorders afflicting dairy cattle herds. However, it remains difficult to manage a herd's overall health because measures to control one risk factor can exacerbate the risk of another disease. To achieve and maintain good overall herd health, livestock systems and management practices need to simultaneously take into account all of the main health disorders. We aimed to identify the characteristics of systems and practices conducive to good herd health using the Welfare Quality(®) assessment protocol for cattle. This protocol allows an assessment of the level of health and welfare at the herd level according to the opinion of a selected group of 13 experts from animal sciences. Our objectives were to (i) describe the distribution of dairy herds' health scores in a representative sample of French dairy cattle herds, and (ii) to investigate systems (housing system, milking system, herd size, breed, farm location) and management practices associated with variations of the overall health score of dairy herds. This protocol was carried out on 130 farms between December 2010 and March 2011. A multivariable analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to investigate the factors of variation of the overall health score at the herd level. The overall health scores of the farms in the sample were classified as moderate for the vast majority of farms (95.4%) (mainly due to subclinical mastitis, dystocia and pain induced by disbudding/dehorning) and varied little between farms. Some livestock systems were associated with a higher overall health score: straw yards and milking parlors (P<0.0001), highland vs. lowland locations (P=0.013), Montbeliarde rather than Holstein breeds (P=0.006). Some management practices also were associated with a higher level of health: medium herd average parity (P=0.03), low proportion of dirty cows (P=0.002) and low proportion of cows with abnormal body condition (P=0.04). These results suggest that some systems contribute to better health and that improvement of health can be obtained in the short term by the modification of routine management practices.