Evaluation of candidate data-based welfare indicators for veal calves in Switzerland.

Welfare assessment protocols have been developed for dairy cows and veal calves during the past decades. One practical use of such protocols may be conducting welfare assessments by using routinely collected digital data (i.e.

Seroprevalence of subsp. in Swiss dairy herds and risk factors for a positive herd status and within-herd prevalence.

Introduction: Bovine paratuberculosis (PTB) is a chronic enteric disease caused by subsp. (MAP). Control of PTB is important given its negative economic consequences and the potential zoonotic role of MAP in Crohn's disease in humans.

Assessment of Ammonia Concentrations and Climatic Conditions in Calf Housing Using Stationary and Mobile Sensors.

In calf fattening, housing climate conditions are essential for optimal performance and welfare. Validated methods to measure the long-term housing climate are lacking. The present study investigated climate parameters for 14 weeks in Swiss calf fattening housing with two different ammonia (NH) sensors: six stationary sensors (Dräger Polytron 8100) were installed at animal level and four mobile sensors (Dräger x-AM 5100) were attached to the calves' heads.

Association of results of the glutaraldehyde coagulation test with plasma acute phase protein concentrations and hematologic findings in hospitalized cows.

Introduction: The glutaraldehyde test (GAT) allows for animal-side semi-quantitative estimation of fibrinogen and gamma-globulin concentrations in blood samples of adult cattle and therefore detection of inflammatory disease conditions. However, the test has potential limitations, especially due to the latency period until sufficiently high fibrinogen and/or gamma-globulin concentrations are reached. The aim of the present study was therefore to assess the association between results of GAT with other inflammatory markers including hematologic variables, fibrinogen, plasma haptoglobin and serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations.

A scoping review on associations between paratuberculosis and productivity in cattle.

Paratuberculosis (PTB), or Johne's disease, is a disease with worldwide distribution caused by subsp (MAP) that leads to chronic enteritis, primarily in ruminants. Even subclinical infection significantly reduces the animals' performance, and consequences of the disease lead to high economic losses for the cattle industry. To estimate the economic burden of bovine PTB and to evaluate the benefits of a potential control program, accurate estimates of the production effects associated with the disease are required.

MOCOS-associated renal syndrome in a Brown Swiss cattle.

Background: A recessive form of MOCOS-associated xanthinuria type II is described in Tyrolean grey cattle. A similar case was identified in a 5-month-old Brown Swiss calf with hoof overgrowth, rough coat, urine sediment, and pneumonia.

Hypothesis/objectives: To characterize the disease phenotype, to evaluate its genetic etiology, and to determine the prevalence of the deleterious allele in the Brown Swiss population.

Development of a data-driven method for assessing health and welfare in the most common livestock species in Switzerland: The Smart Animal Health project.

Improving animal health and welfare in livestock systems depends on reliable proxies for assessment and monitoring. The aim of this project was to develop a novel method that relies on animal-based indicators and data-driven metrics for assessing health and welfare at farm level for the most common livestock species in Switzerland. Method development followed a uniform multi-stage process for each species.

Case - Control study: Evaluation of plasma procalcitonin concentration as an indicator of inflammation in healthy and sick cows.

This case - control study aims to evaluate Procalcitonin (PCT) plasma concentrations in healthy and hospitalized cows with a conclusive diagnosis of inflammation due to bacterial infection. Thirty-four healthy and 131 sick cows were included. Procalcitonin concentrations were assessed using an ELISA kit for cattle.

Associations of antimicrobial use with antimicrobial susceptibility at the calf level in bacteria isolated from the respiratory and digestive tracts of veal calves before slaughter.

Objectives: Antimicrobial drugs are frequently administered in veal calves, but investigations on associations with antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria are scarce and convey partly contradictory findings. The aim of this study was to investigate associations of antimicrobial use (AMU) during the fattening period with antimicrobial susceptibility shortly before slaughter.

Methods: Detailed treatment data of 1905 veal calves from 38 farms were collected prospectively during monthly farm visits for 1 year (n = 1864 treatments, n = 535 visits); 1582 Escherichia coli, 1059 Pasteurella multocida and 315 Mannheimia haemolytica were isolated from rectal and nasopharyngeal swabs collected before slaughter and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by microdilution.

Swiss Dairy Farmers' Perceptions Surrounding the Disposal of Waste Milk Containing Antibiotic Residues and Antibiotic Resistance.

The feeding of waste milk containing antibiotic residues (WMA) to calves has been associated with the shedding of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by calves. However, little is known regarding farmers' intrinsic factors affecting this practice, and on which it would be relevant to intervene in order to change this practice. The objectives of this study were (1) to describe the farmers' intrinsic factors, such as perceived benefits, risks, and social norms related to the feeding of WMA to calves, antibiotic resistance, and antibiotic use, and (2) to evaluate how the feeding of WMA to calves is related to farmers' personal values and perceptions related to WMA feeding and antibiotic resistance.

Survey on the disposal of waste milk containing antimicrobial residues on Swiss dairy farms.

Feeding waste milk containing antimicrobial residues (WMA) to calves has been associated with increased antimicrobial resistance in calves' commensal bacterial flora. The objectives of this study were (1) to document practices related to the disposal of WMA on Swiss dairy farms and (2) to evaluate the association between farm characteristics and the feeding of WMA to calves. A web-based questionnaire on practices surrounding waste milk disposal was completed by 1,625 dairy producers (10.

TIDE Analysis of Cryptosporidium Infections by gp60 Typing Reveals Obscured Mixed Infections.

Background: Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic disease associated with potentially fatal diarrhea. The most used method in Cryptosporidium subtyping is based on the glycoprotein gene gp60. Each infection can represent a parasite population, and it is important to investigate the influence on transmission and virulence, as well as any impact on public health investigations.

Comparison of Antimicrobial Treatment Incidence Quantification Based on Detailed Field Data on Animal Level with the Standardized Methodology of the European Medicines Agency in Veal Calves, Switzerland, 2016-2018.

Precise quantification of antimicrobial treatment incidence (TI) is crucial for benchmarking. Two widespread methods for treatment incidence quantification were compared for agreement. Field data were obtained from 38 veal farms from 2016 to 2018 (1905 calves, 1864 treatments).

Prevalence of BRD-Related Viral Pathogens in the Upper Respiratory Tract of Swiss Veal Calves.

The prevention of bovine respiratory disease is important, as it may lead to impaired welfare, economic losses, and considerable antimicrobial use, which can be associated with antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of respiratory viruses and to identify risk factors for their occurrence. A convenience sample of 764 deep nasopharyngeal swab samples from veal calves was screened by PCR for bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bovine parainfluenza-3 virus (BPI3V), bovine coronavirus (BCoV), influenza D virus (IDV), and influenza C virus (ICV).

Establishment of a Reverse Genetic System from a Bovine Derived Influenza D Virus Isolate.

The ruminant-associated influenza D virus (IDV) has a broad host tropism and was shown to have zoonotic potential. To identify and characterize molecular viral determinants influencing the host spectrum of IDV, a reverse genetic system is required. For this, we first performed 5' and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) of all seven genomic segments, followed by assessment of the 5' and 3' NCR activity prior to constructing the viral genomic segments of a contemporary Swiss bovine IDV isolate (D/CN286) into the bidirectional pHW2000 vector.

Limitations in the implementation of control measures for bovine paratuberculosis in infected Swiss dairy and beef herds.

Various measures have been advocated for the control of Johne's disease (caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, MAP) in different countries. Farmers' compliance has been reported to be variable depending on disease prevalence and incentives to participate in control programs.

Cerebral Ovine Herpesvirus 2 Infection of Cattle Is Associated With a Variable Neuropathological Phenotype.

Cross-species infection with ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) in cattle causes malignant catarrhal fever (MCF). MCF may involve the central nervous system (CNS) with necrotizing arteritis and/or vasculitis described to be unique to MCF and discriminatory compared to other viral CNS infections. However, a systematic histopathological characterization of the neural form of MCF in cattle is lacking.

Welfare Assessment in Calves Fattened According to the "Outdoor Veal Calf" Concept and in Conventional Veal Fattening Operations in Switzerland.

The "outdoor veal calf" system was developed to encounter the demand for a veal fattening system that allows for reducing antimicrobial use without impairing animal welfare. Management improvements including direct purchase, short transportation, vaccination, three-week quarantine in individual hutches, and open-air housing in small groups in a roofed, straw-bedded paddock with a group hutch were implemented in a prospective intervention study (1905 calves, 19 intervention and 19 control farms, over one year): antimicrobial use was five times lower in "outdoor veal" farms compared to control farms ( < 0.001), but it was crucial to ensure that antimicrobial treatment reduction was not associated with decreased animal welfare, i.

Is a de novo nonsense variant in the ASPDH gene the cause of ulcerative skin lesions in a Holstein calf?

Background: Genetic skin diseases in cattle are rare.

Clinical Summary: A 7-week-old female Holstein calf was presented with epidermal lesions and alopecia in the caudal region of the ears and on the neck, as well as deep bilateral ulcerative lesions on the palmar aspect of the metacarpi and dorsal aspect of the right metacarpus. Clinical, pathological and histopathological examination of the calf was suggestive of a subepidermal vesicular dermatosis.