Elimination of human rabies in Goa, India through an integrated One Health approach.

Dog-mediated rabies kills tens of thousands of people each year in India, representing one third of the estimated global rabies burden. Whilst the World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have set a target for global dog-mediated human rabies elimination by 2030, examples of large-scale dog vaccination programs demonstrating elimination remain limited in Africa and Asia. We describe the development of a data-driven rabies elimination program from 2013 to 2019 in Goa State, India, culminating in human rabies elimination and a 92% reduction in monthly canine rabies cases. Smartphone technology enabled systematic spatial direction of remote teams to vaccinate over 95,000 dogs at 70% vaccination coverage, and rabies education teams to reach 150,000 children annually. An estimated 2249 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were averted over the program period at 526 USD per DALY, making the intervention 'very cost-effective' by WHO definitions. This One Health program demonstrates that human rabies elimination is achievable at the state level in India.

Investigation of productivity in a south Indian Malabari goat herd shows opportunities for planned animal health management to improve food security.

Here the authors report the objective veterinary clinical measurement of productivity in a representative south Indian Malabari goat herd. The authors show failure to meet pragmatic production targets that are commensurate with the animals' genetic potential or adequate to meet the demands of global food security. The authors suggest that this situation may have arisen as a consequence of animal husbandry constraints and protein undernutrition and imply the involvement of nematode parasitism. Benzimidazole resistance was detected in Haemonchus species, showing the need for better understanding of the principles of sustainable helminth parasite control within the southern Indian context. This study highlights the need to understand the true costs of goat production in seasonally resource-poor environments, while also considering its impact on the overall ecosystem in which the animals are placed. They conclude that pragmatic opportunities for improvements in goat production efficiency lie in the development of problem-focused planned animal health and nutrition management.

Polymorphisms in the bovine leptin gene associated with perinatal mortality in Holstein-Friesian heifers.

Leptin is an important regulator of fetal and placental growth. This study evaluated the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the leptin gene with perinatal mortality (stillbirths and mortality within 24h of parturition) in 385 Holstein-Friesian heifers on 18 dairy farms in the United Kingdom. The 3 SNP evaluated were exon 2FB, UASMS1, and UASMS2. The mean age at first calving was 27.0+/-0.2 mo. Associations between each SNP and perinatal mortality (calf alive or dead) were tested using a generalized linear model that included herd-year-season, calf sex, age at first calving, and age and pedigree of the dam. The overall level of perinatal mortality in the population was 16.9%, with significant allelic substitution effects for exon 2FB and UASMS1. These 2 SNP were in close linkage disequilibrium with each other (r(2)=0.98) but not with UASMS2 (r(2)=0.10). For exon 2FB, perinatal mortality was similar between heifers carrying the CT and TT alleles (20%), but was higher than in heifers carrying the CC allele (11%). For UASMS1, mortality was 21% with the CC and CT alleles but only 10% with the TT allele. No associations of perinatal mortality with SNP were found in the UASMS2 data set, possibly influenced by the low frequency (2%) of the TT genotype. No significant effects of herd-year-season, age at first calving, or calf sex were found. In conclusion, polymorphisms in the leptin gene were associated with 2-fold differences in perinatal mortality in dairy heifers.

An open socket technique for through-knee amputations in relation to skin problems of the stump: an explorative study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the conventional socket for through-knee amputees with an open socket system for skin problems and other relevant items. DESIGN: All data were collected during three visits to the prosthetic clinic. At the second visit the conventional socket was replaced by the open socket. The use of both socket types was evaluated with a questionnaire and stump inspection. SETTING: The subjects were evaluated at the Rehabilitation Centre, St Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. SUBJECTS: Twenty subjects with a unilateral through-knee amputation were included and 13 subjects had a trial with the open socket. RESULTS: There is a significant decrease of hyperhydrosis when wearing the open socket, there is no significant decrease in skin irritation or ulcers. The open socket also gives more comfort in sitting position. CONCLUSION: A further trial is needed in a selected group of prosthesis users among through-knee amputees to establish the long-term acceptance and benefits of the prosthesis with an open socket.

Anterior column fractures of the acetabulum.

We retrospectively reviewed 20 patients at three to 19 years after displaced anterior fracture-dislocations of the hip. Eighteen of them were treated by traction, after ensuring that the femoral head was adequately reduced beneath the undisrupted part of the weight-bearing dome. Two required operation. Although none of the 18 conservatively treated fractures was reduced anatomically, the results were good in ten patients and excellent in the seven in whom the fracture did not involve the weight-bearing dome. We conclude that anterior column fractures have a favourable prognosis after conservative treatment.