Background: Toxoplasma gondii causes reproductive losses in sheep worldwide, including Australia. The reproductive performance of primiparous ewes is typically lower than for mature, multiparous ewes, and younger ewes are more likely to be immunologically naïve and therefore more susceptible to reproductive disease if T. gondii infection occurs during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of infection with T. gondii on the reproductive performance of primiparous ewes in southern Australia using a prospective cohort study. This will inform the need for targeted control strategies for T. gondii in Australian sheep.
Results: Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity using indirect ELISA was detected at 16/28 farms located across southern Australia. Apparent seropositivity to T. gondii was lower in primiparous ewes (1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6, 1.8) compared to mature, multiparous ewes (8.1, 95% CI 6.0, 10.5; P < 0.001). Toxoplasma gondii seroconversion during the gestation and lambing period was confirmed for 11/1097 (1.0, 95% CI 0.5, 1.7) of pregnant primiparous ewes that failed to raise a lamb, and 1/161 (0.6, 95% CI 0.1, 2.9) primiparous ewes with confirmed mid-pregnancy abortion.
Conclusions: Low frequency of detection of T. gondii seroconversion during gestation and low frequency of seropositivity to T. gondii suggests that toxoplasmosis was not an important contributor to reproductive losses in primiparous ewes on farms located over a wide geographical area in southern Australia.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-022-03211-w | DOI Listing |
Animals (Basel)
December 2024
College of Animal Science and Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China.
Prolactin (PRL) plays a key role in the growth and ovulation of animal follicles, but its impact on follicular recruitment in ewes remains uncertain. In this study, a total of sixteen healthy ewes (Hu sheep, aged 2-3 years, with continuous reproduction and housed separately), matched for parity and weight (52.98 ± 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Anim Sci
December 2024
Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Subclinical mastitis, the asymptomatic inflammation of the udder often caused by bacterial infection, is an important economic and welfare concern in meat-producing flocks. We conducted a longitudinal observational study to: (1) characterize the etiology, prevalence, incidence, and persistence of intramammary infections during the first 8 weeks of lactation, and (2) to investigate the potential risk factors of lactation stage, parity, and the number of lambs reared. Duplicate milk samples (n=592) were collected aseptically from each udder half of 37 clinically healthy ewes (9 Hampshire, 22 Polypay, and 6 Targhee) weekly for their first 8 weeks of lactation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReprod Fertil Dev
December 2024
Department of Veterinary Medicine of Sassari, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, Sassari 07100, Italy.
Context Melatonin administration during pregnancy can influence fetal development and lactation. Aims This study aimed to verify whether melatonin treatment of pregnant Sarda ewes in spring improved lamb weight at birth, 7 and 21days of age, time to first colostrum intake, birth behavior and survival. Additionally, we examined melatonin's effect on milk yield and composition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnim Reprod Sci
January 2025
College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China. Electronic address:
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of exogenous hormones on postpartum ultrasonographic changes of uterine horn in Hu sheep. 90 nulliparous Hu sheep were divided into three groups according to the number of lambs. Each group was further randomly subdivided into three groups (n = 10), a control group (sodium chloride), a PG group (cloprostol), and a PG+OT group (cloprostol + oxytocin).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrop Anim Health Prod
November 2024
Division of Livestock Production and Management, SKUAST-K, Shuhama, Srinagar, India.
Lamb mortality poses a serious challenge to the sheep industry, leading to immediate financial losses for livestock owners. Improvement of management practices, particularly through environmental enrichment, has been consistently linked to increased lamb survival and growth in both ewes and lambs due to its substantial impact on their behavior and overall welfare. In our study, we aimed to enhance ewe production and improve ewe behavior through the optimization of water temperature and the inclusion of mineral supplementation.
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