A novel approach in the prevention of mastitis: electrical teat dipping.

Teat dipping is widely used in dairy cattle, especially to protect against contagious mastitis. Here we determine the effect of the device called 'Electrical Teat Dipping' (ETD), which was developed by combining teat dipping application and electrical field stimulation technique on teats. For this purpose, the front teats of 100 Holstein breed milking cows were evaluated in two groups, with ETD being applied once to the left front teat of these cows, and conventional teat dipping (CTD) being applied once to the right front teat, both after milking. Ultrasonographic measurements of the teats were made before milking and after teat dipping. We found that the width of the teat canal (1.88 ± 0.07 mm) in the teat using ETD was narrower after the application compared to those with CTD (2.28 ± 0.05 mm). Based on our findings, we conclude that the effects of ETD on the teat are very positive and can potentially be used as a new approach in the preventative control of mastitis in cows.

Absence of link between abortion and seropositivity of cystic hydatid disease in ewes and female goats in Turkey.

This study was conducted to test whether there is a statistically significant association between seropositivity to cystic echinococcosis and abortion in ewes and female goats from the Turkish provinces of Elazig (east Anatolia), Sanliurfa (south-east Anatolia) and Kayseri (Inner Anatolia) using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 20 of 133 sera (15.1%) from ewes and 5 of 101 sera (4.9%) from goats with a history of abortion gave seropositive results that were not significantly different (p>0.05) from these, 9.9% (10/101) were reported for ewes and 1.6% (2/122) for female goats without a history of abortion. Serological prevalence rates among those animals with a history of abortion were not significantly different from the control group. No positive association was established between seropositivity for cystic echinococcosis and abortion in ewes and female goats.

The effects of Kisspeptin antibodies on delayed estrus in rats.

In recent years, numerous studies have been conducted on the effects of Kisspeptin/GPR54 system on sexual cycle, which proved that this system regulated gonadotropin release through GnRH. This study aims to determine the effects of hyperimmune serum containing antibodies produced against Kisspeptin on the sexual cycle and GnRH receptors in rat pituitaries. To this end, five Wistar female rats were passively immunised using a hyperimmune serum obtained from two Wistar female rats against Kisspeptin 10. Another five rats were selected as the control group. Anti-Kisspeptin antibodies of the hyperimmunised rats in the serum were identified by ELISA. The sexual cycles of the rats were followed by the measurements of vaginal irrigations and the estradiol concentrations in their blood samples. The number of follicles and corpora lutea in their ovaries was determined through histopathological tests, and the GnRH receptors in their pituitaries were identified by immunohistochemistry. Consequently, strong seropositivity was detected in all passively immunised rats and the hyperimmune serum. However, no difference was found between the groups with regard to the number of estrous cycles observed, the interval between estrous periods, estradiol concentrations, the number of follicles and corpora lutea and immunohistochemical results.