The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of Q fever in sheep and goats in Kasur, Okara, and Pakpattan in the Punjab of Pakistan. Q fever is a widely reported zoonotic disease caused by (.) . The main reservoirs are small ruminants that excrete the bacteria in birth by-products in high numbers. Thus, the bacteria can also be detected in the air and the dust of livestock farms. The infection is often asymptomatic in ruminants, but it can lead to reproductive disorders. This cross-sectional study found that a significant number (n = 43; 11.3%) of 300 randomly selected small ruminants of nine tehsils were seropositive using a commercially available ELISA. Seroprevalence was significantly higher in goats (17.1%) than in sheep (4.9%). Binary logistic regression analysis proved that species, age, and breed have a significant effect on the prevalence of Q fever. Tick infestation, contact with animal fomites, contact with other animals, production system, and health status of an animal had a significant impact on the prevalence of Q fever. These findings on Q fever in animals can be used to improve the visibility of this zoonotic disease. These findings will help local health authorities to focus on the origin of the problem and facilitate applying preventive measures to the affected livestock farms.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11060664 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand.
Aging is a complex process characterized by biological decline and a wide range of molecular alterations to cells, including changes to DNA methylation. In this study, we used a male-specific epigenetic marker of aging to build an epigenetic predictor that measures long-term androgen exposure in sheep and mice (median absolute error of 4.3 and 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America.
Rabies is a zoonotic infectious disease of global distribution that impacts human and animal health. In rural Latin America, rabies negatively impacts food security and the economy due to losses in livestock production. The common vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus, is the main reservoir and transmitter of rabies virus (RABV) to domestic animals in Latin America.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFData Brief
February 2025
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Latokartanonkaari 5, 00014, Finland.
High Nature Value (HNV) farming systems occur in areas where the major land use is agriculture and are characterized by their significance in promoting biodiversity and ecosystem services due to their extensive land use. Despite their importance for ecological and socio-economic resilience of rural regions, these systems are often overlooked in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies due to challenges in data compilation, especially from small local farms and because of the diversity of production. To address this gap, we established an international collaborative network across Europe, involving professionals directly engaged with farmers, farmer associations, and researchers to collect data on HNV farms employing a developed questionnaire examining inputs and outputs, farm structures, and herd characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimals (Basel)
January 2025
Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Science, Nanchang 330200, China.
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of early weaning (EW) on the growth performance, gastrointestinal development, serum parameters, and metabolomics of Hu sheep lambs. Twenty-four male Hu lambs were initially ewe-reared. A total of 12 lambs were weaned at 30 d of age (D30) as the EW group, and the remaining 12 lambs were weaned at 45 d of age (D45) as the control (CON) group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimals (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Livestock and Poultry Production, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan.
This study determined the interaction between soybean hulls (SHs) and enzymes (β-mannanase) to improve the sustainability and efficacy of feeding programs for laying hens during peak production while ensuring the best health and efficiency. In a completely randomized design (CRD), 200 golden-brown hens were fed for four weeks (33 to 36 weeks) and randomly distributed into four groups, each containing four replicates of ten birds, with one group receiving a control diet (P0) and the others receiving diets that contained four combinations of SHs and enzymes (ENZs). e.
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