RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Animal health surveillance is important in ensuring optimal animal health and welfare. Monitoring of diagnostic submissions, including post-mortem examination of carcasses, at the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine laboratories, provides the basis for this type of passive surveillance in Ireland. The process requires engagement from veterinarians and farmers from all sectors of the agricultural spectrum. This study aims to identify the reasons why farmers engaged in dairy, beef, sheep, and mixed farming enterprises submit carcasses or not to the Regional Veterinary Laboratories. RESULTS: Surveys were distributed in hard copy format at Regional Veterinary Laboratories, and fifty Teagasc facilitated farmer discussion groups. There were 1179 responses collected in 54 locations. The top reasons participants submitted to the laboratories were 1) to guide treatment/ vaccination, 2) fear of a contagious disease, and 3) if their veterinarian advised them to. The top reasons for not submitting were 1) the vet making a diagnosis on the farm, 2) the distance from the laboratory, and 3) lack of time and labour. Implementation of vaccination protocols was the main change implemented based on results, followed by management changes and the use of different treatments, e.g., switching from antibiotic to parasite treatment. Sheep enterprises were more likely than dairy to choose distance and cost as a reason not to submit. Dairying enterprises were more likely than other enterprise types to submit if they feared a contagious or zoonotic disease. CONCLUSION: Positively, this survey shows the desire of participants to submit to the laboratories to guide treatment and vaccination protocols, potentially indicating that positive engagement between stakeholders and the RVLs will help promote optimal animal health and promote responsible antimicrobial use. Results also show the critical role of veterinarians in continued disease surveillance on farms. Maintaining engagement with all farming sectors will be essential in promoting successful animal health surveillance.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Failure of passive transfer of maternal immunity via colostrum can occur in the bovine, and a number of blood tests have been developed to test calves for this failure. It is not clear which test is most suitable for this purpose. The objective was to examine the most commonly used tests for failure of passive transfer and to decide which is most suitable for routine laboratory use. 126 serum samples were taken from calves of dairy cows after birth but prior to colostrum feeding, and at 48 h of age. Five different tests were compared against radial immunodiffusion which is considered the appropriate reference method. These tests were serum gamma-glutamyltransferase levels, serum protein levels, serum globulin levels, an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and the zinc sulphate turbidity test. RESULTS: The tests examined displayed high sensitivity but widely varying specificity. Examination of the use of different cut-off points allowed some improvement in specificity at the expense of sensitivity, but the tests which had performed best at the original cut-off points still displayed the best performance. Gamma-glutamyltransferase levels as a measure of colostrum absorption returned, in this study, the best balance between sensitivity and specificity. The ELISA used in this study and serum globulin levels displayed performance similar to the gamma-glutamyltransferase levels. Serum total protein was less successful than others examined at providing both sensitivity and specificity but may, when performed via refractometer, be useful for on-farm testing. As currently performed the poor sensitivity for which the zinc sulphate turbidity test is most often criticized is evident. Modification of the cut-off point to increase specificity is less successful at balancing these parameters than the ELISA, gamma-glutamyltransferase levels, and globulin levels. CONCLUSIONS: Gamma-glutamyltransferase levels, ELISA testing and circulating globulin levels performed best in detecting failure of passive transfer in serum samples, although all three had some practical considerations.
RESUMO
Calfhood diseases have a major impact on the economic viability of cattle operations. A three part review series has been developed focusing on calf health from birth to weaning. In this paper, the last of the three part series, we review disease prevention and management with particular reference to pneumonia, focusing primarily on the pre-weaned calf. Pneumonia in recently weaned suckler calves is also considered, where the key risk factors are related to the time of weaning. Weaning of the suckler calf is often combined with additional stressors including a change in nutrition, environmental change, transport and painful husbandry procedures (castration, dehorning). The reduction of the cumulative effects of these multiple stressors around the time of weaning together with vaccination programmes (preconditioning) can reduce subsequent morbidity and mortality in the feedlot. In most studies, calves housed individually and calves housed outdoors with shelter, are associated with decreased risk of disease. Even though it poses greater management challenges, successful group housing of calves is possible. Special emphasis should be given to equal age groups and to keeping groups stable once they are formed. The management of pneumonia in calves is reliant on a sound understanding of aetiology, relevant risk factors, and of effective approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Early signs of pneumonia include increased respiratory rate and fever, followed by depression. The single most important factor determining the success of therapy in calves with pneumonia is early onset of treatment, and subsequent adequate duration of treatment. The efficacy and economical viability of vaccination against respiratory disease in calves remains unclear.
