Buffalo milk quality: a study of seasonal influence on composition and somatic cell count.

Despite buffalo milk being an important food worldwide, not much is known about factors that influence its quality on Brazilian buffalo milk farms. It ranks second in total volume of milk production, with cow milk in first place, but a lack of minimum legal parameters for buffalo milk is another problem faced by some countries, as it happens in Brazil where buffalo population represents less than one percent of dairy cows, even though Brazilian buffalo herd is one of the largest in Latin America, with a successful dairy processing chain. This study investigated the composition and somatic cell counts (SCC) of buffalo milk produced in a high-altitude tropical region in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where buffalo calving naturally happens from February to May.

Acaricide effect of plants from the Brazilian savanna on a population of Rhipicephalus microplus with phenotypic resistance to cypermethrin and trichlorfon.

Rhipicephalus microplus is among the most important ectoparasites for livestock. The use of synthetic acaricides has raised some concerns due to the selection of tick populations that are resistant to acaricides and environmental contamination. Therefore, plant extracts have been used as alternatives for the treatment of animals infested with ticks.

Genetic material from buffalo and cattle: crucial importance in the formalization of bilateral trade between India and Brazil.

The trade in live animals between India and Brazil dates from the late nineteenth century when European travellers traded animals of Indian origin for display in zoos. Considering the origin of coffee and sugar cane, as well as the expertise related to mineral evaluation, we need to consider that India was involved in important economic cycles of Brazil, even indirectly. This virtuous flow of trade has been maintained and intensified throughout modern history, especially after these two nations gained political independence from their colonisers, thereby becoming independent in mercantile affairs.

Report of in a House in a Circulation Area.

is a tick that has medical and veterinary importance as, in Brazil, it is the main vector of , a disease affecting humans. The presence of ticks was observed outside a residence in a peri-urban area of the Atlantic Forest region in Brazil, as well as on two dogs that lived there. Eighteen adults were seen walking on a cemented pillar at the porch of the house and sheltering inside the pillar's crevices; meanwhile on the dogs, only lato ticks were found.

"Which Factors Affect Pregnancy Until Calving and Pregnancy Loss in Buffalo Recipients of Produced Embryos?".

embryo production and embryo transfer (ET) in buffaloes has been developed for decades. However, most studies are focused on the donor or laboratory improvements, and there is a lack of reports regarding the recipients. Therefore, our aim was to investigate factors associated to pregnancy (P/ET), pregnancy loss (PL), and calving rates in buffalo recipients.

Molecular method for the semiquantitative identification of gastrointestinal nematodes in domestic ruminants.

Standard diagnostic methods currently in use for the identification of helminth infections in ruminants are based on the morphological analysis of immature and adult stages of parasites. This paper describes a method for the semiquantitative identification of nematodes, mainly Trichostrongyloidea, at species-level resolution. The method is based on amplification and fragment analysis followed by minisequencing of the ITS-2 region (internal transcribed spacer 2) of the ribosomal DNA of parasite eggs or larvae.

Apparent Digestibility of Nutrients, Blood Parameters and Body Development of Dewormed and Not Dewormed Weanlings.

Weanlings undergo rapid body development in the first year of life and, in this period, are more susceptible to helminth infection that can impair their growth. The objective of this study was to compare the apparent digestibility of nutrients, blood parameters, and body development of deworming and not deworming weanlings. Fourteen Mangalarga Marchador weanling colts, on a farm in Northern Minas Gerais, Brazil, were divided into two groups: dewormed (D) and not dewormed (ND) groups.

Comparison of McMaster and Mini-FLOTAC fecal egg counting techniques in cattle and horses.

The aim of this study was to compare two fecal egg count (FEC) techniques; McMaster (McM) and Mini-FLOTAC (mF), for the detection of cattle and horse gastrointestinal nematode eggs, in different locations. Experiment 1: feces were collected from 16 cattle and FEC was performed individually, using mF with the sensitivity of 5 eggs per gram of feces (EPG) and McM with a sensitivity of 50 EPG at Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais - EPAMIG and the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases of the University of Parana - LDP/UFPR. Experiment 2: Fecal samples from 30 horses were analyzed with mF (sensitivity of 5 EPG) and McM (sensitivity of 25 EPG) at the University of Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS and LPD/UFPR.

Design and validation of a 90K SNP genotyping assay for the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis).

Background: The availability of the bovine genome sequence and SNP panels has improved various genomic analyses, from exploring genetic diversity to aiding genetic selection. However, few of the SNP on the bovine chips are polymorphic in buffalo, therefore a panel of single nucleotide DNA markers exclusive for buffalo was necessary for molecular genetic analyses and to develop genomic selection approaches for water buffalo. The creation of a 90K SNP panel for river buffalo and testing in a genome wide association study for milk production is described here.

Frequency of benzimidazole resistance in Haemonchus contortus populations isolated from buffalo, goat and sheep herds.

Anthelmintic resistance is an increasing problem that threatens livestock production worldwide. Understanding of the genetic basis of benzimidazole resistance recently allowed the development of promising molecular diagnostic tools. In this study, isolates of Haemonchus contortus obtained from goats, sheep and buffaloes raised in Brazil were screened for presence of the polymorphism Phe200Tyr in the β-tubulin 1 gene, which confers resistance to benzimidazole.

The efficacy and safety of alphacypermethrin as a pour-on treatment for water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) infested with Haematopinus tuberculatus (Phthiraptera: Haematopinidae).

The sucking louse Haematopinus tuberculatus (Burmeister 1839) is an ectoparasite of buffaloes, cattle, camels, and American bison. Alphacypermethrin (ACYP) is a pyrethroid insecticide commonly used to control arthropods of veterinary and public health interest. Therapeutics, such as antiparasitic compounds, is often administered to buffaloes based on dosage and intervals recommended for cattle because very few drugs have buffalo-specific label indications.

Genetic diversity patterns of Haemonchus placei and Haemonchus contortus populations isolated from domestic ruminants in Brazil.

Parasitic nematodes of the genus Haemonchus infect a range of ruminant hosts and are of major veterinary and economic importance. In this study, the genetic variability of seven isolates of Haemonchus placei and Haemonchus contortus was evaluated using the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I and the nuclear gene b-tubulin isotype 1. A total of 156 specimens were obtained from cattle, sheep, goat and buffalo herds raised on commercial properties from the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil and identified to the species level by sequencing of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2.

Effects of urea on the cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae).

This study aimed at evaluating the effects of urea on Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. The experiment was divided into two stages. In Stage I, Brachiaria brizantha was placed into 30 pots, each with an area of 18 cm(2).

Possible acquired resistance of dogs successively infested by Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) (Acari: Ixodidae) nymphs.

The present study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of immune resistance in dogs successively infested with Amblyomma cajennense nymphs. Five animals were submitted to four consecutive infestations with A. cajennense nymphs, at fourteen-day intervals.

[First notification of Eimeria bareillyi (Apicomplexa: Eimeridae) in feces of buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis) naturally infected in Minas Gerais, Brazil].

In this study the evolution of Eimeriosis in naturally infected calves was analyzed during 23 days starting at birth. The specie E. bareillyi was first identified in feces culture.

[Effect of the urea fertilization in pasture on Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae)].

The objective of this study was to verify the effect of the urea fertilization in pasture on Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus population in free living stage. Two groups had been made, a control group and a urea treatment group, each group with 10 lots of Mombaça grass (Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça).

[Control of Anocentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) (Acari: Ixodidae) on equines].

This trial evaluated control practices of Anocentor nitens on equines, using spraying devices and application of acaricide paste formulation in the auricular pavilion and nasal diverticulum. The study was carried out from October 2003 to March of 2008 and the evaluations had been divided in the following stages: Phase 1--out/03 mar/04 and Phases 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively, correspondents to the month's periods until março/08. It was used score of 0 to 3 to classify infestation levels.

[Strategic control of Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) (Acari: Ixodidae) on horses, Minas Gerais, Brazil - Part I].

The aim of this study was to verify the efficiency of a strategic control program of Amblyomma cajennense in horses under field conditions. Acaricide treatments were applied at seven days intervals and divided in two series, the first one beginning in April 2004 (eight treatments), and the second one beginning in July 2004 (five treatments), aiming to control larvae and nymphs of the tick. A pyrethroid chemical base cypermethrin 0.

[Effect of the strategic control of Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) (Acari: Ixodidae) on the population of Anocentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) (Acari: Ixodidae) in equines].

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Amblyomma cajennense strategic control program on the Anocentor nitens population. The acaricide treatments were carried out every seven days and divided in two series, the first one beginning in April 2004 (eight treatments) and the second beginning in July of the same year (five treatments), using pyrethroid chemical base - cypermethrin in the concentration of 0,015%. Monthly it was evaluated the infestation of A.