Strategies for keeping dairy cows and calves together - a cross-sectional survey study.

Although it is still most common to rear dairy calves separately from adult cattle, the interest in prolonged contact between dairy calves and lactating cows during early life is increasing. Previous research has documented positive effects of cow-calf contact (CCC) on for example early calf growth and udder health of suckled cows, but also negative effects such as increased separation distress and reduced weight gains after weaning. The aim of this study was to use information from European farms with prolonged cow-calf contact to identify innovative solutions to common challenges for CCC farms. Commercial dairy farms that kept calves with adult lactating cows for seven days or more after birth were invited to participate, and interviews were performed with 104 farmers from six countries. During interviews, information about farm management, calf rearing, farmers' perception of animal health on their farm, and farmers' drivers and barriers for implementing CCC were collected. We found that CCC was practised in a large variety of housing and management systems, and that calves could be reared together with their dam, with foster cows, or using a combination of the two. The contact period varied considerably (7-305 days) between farms and about 25% of the farms manually milk fed the calves during parts of the milk feeding period. Daily contact time varied between farms, from 30 minutes per day to permanent contact except at milking. Behaviours indicative of separation distress, most commonly vocalisation in cows and calves, were reported by 87% of the farmers. Strategies to alleviate separation distress, for example simultaneous gradual weaning and separation, were used on some farms. Building constraints were most often mentioned as a barrier for implementing CCC. Our findings suggest that CCC is practised in a variety of commonly used husbandry systems. Reported challenges were primarily related to weaning and separation, and to building constraints; these aspects should be areas of future research.

Diabetes mellitus in elkhounds is associated with diestrus and pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Female Elkhounds are shown to be at increased risk for diabetes mellitus, and occurrence of diabetes during pregnancy has been described in several cases. HYPOTHESIS: Onset of diabetes mellitus in Elkhounds is associated with diestrus. ANIMALS: Sixty-three Elkhounds with diabetes mellitus and 26 healthy controls. METHODS: Medical records from 63 Elkhounds with diabetes were reviewed and owners were contacted for follow-up information. Blood samples from the day of diagnosis were available for 26 dogs. Glucose, fructosamine, C-peptide, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1, progesterone, and glutamate decarboxylase isoform 65-autoantibodies were analyzed and compared with 26 healthy dogs. Logistic models were used to evaluate the association of clinical variables with the probability of diabetes and with permanent diabetes mellitus after ovariohysterectomy (OHE). RESULTS: All dogs in the study were intact females and 7 dogs (11%) were pregnant at diagnosis. The 1st clinical signs of diabetes mellitus occurred at a median of 30 days (interquartile range [IQR], 3-45) after estrus, and diagnosis was made at a median of 46 days (IQR, 27-62) after estrus. Diabetes was associated with higher concentrations of GH and lower concentrations of progesterone compared with controls matched for time after estrus. Forty-six percent of dogs that underwent OHE recovered from diabetes with a lower probability of remission in dogs with higher glucose concentrations (odds ratio [OR], 1.2; P=.03) at diagnosis and longer time (weeks) from diagnosis to surgery (OR, 1.5; P=.05). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes mellitus in Elkhounds develops mainly during diestrus and pregnancy. Immediate OHE improves the prognosis for remission of diabetes.

Corynebacterium senegalense sp. nov. and Arthrobacter senegalensis sp. nov., two new Actinobacteria isolated from skin swab from the palm of hand.

Corynebacterium senegalense strain Marseille-P4329T (= CSURP4329) and Arthrobacter senegalensis strain Marseille-P4329T (= CSURP4198) are new species first isolated from human skin. A culturomics approach and taxonogenomics methods were used for these new bacterial species.

Arcanobacterium ihumii sp. nov., Varibaculum vaginae sp. nov. and Tessaracoccus timonensis sp. nov., isolated from vaginal swabs from healthy Senegalese women.

Culturomics studies the microbial variety of the human microbiome by combining diversified culture conditions, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and 16S rRNA gene identification. This study identifies three putative new bacterial species: Arcanobacterium ihumii sp. nov. strain Marseille-P5647T, Varibaculum vaginae sp. nov. strain Marseille-P5644T and Tessaracoccus timonensis sp. nov. strain Marseille-P5995T, which we describe according to the concept of taxonogenomics.

Effects of a participatory approach, with systematic impact matrix analysis in herd health planning in organic dairy cattle herds.

The animal health and welfare status in European organic dairy production does not in all aspects meet the organic principles and consumers' expectations and needs to be improved. To achieve this, tailored herd health planning, targeted to the specific situation of individual farms could be of use. The aim of this study was to apply herd health planning in a structured participatory approach, with impact matrix analysis, not previously used in this context, in European organic dairy farms and to assess changes in animal health and welfare. Herd health planning farm visits were conducted on 122 organic dairy farms in France, Germany and Sweden. The farmer, the herd veterinarian and/or an advisor took part in the farm discussions. The researcher served as facilitator. Baseline data on the animal health status of the individual farm, collected from national milk recording schemes, were presented as an input for the discussion. Thereafter a systematic impact matrix analysis was performed. This was to capture the complexity of individual farms with the aim to identify the farm-specific factors that could have a strong impact on animal health. The participants (i.e. farmer, veterinarian and advisor) jointly identified areas in need of improvement, taking the health status and the interconnected farm system components into account, and appropriate actions were jointly identified. The researcher took minutes during the discussions, and these were shared with the participants. No intervention was made by the researcher, and further actions were left with the participants. The number of actions per farm ranged from 0 to 22. The change in mortality, metabolic diseases, reproductive performance and udder health was assessed at two time points, and potential determinators of the change were evaluated with linear regression models. A significant association was seen between change in udder health, as measured by the somatic cell count, and country. At the first follow-up, a significant association was also found between change in the proportion of prolonged calving interval and the farmers' desire to improve reproductive health as well as with an increase in herd size, but this was not seen at the second follow-up. The degree of implementation of the actions was good (median 67%, lower quartile 40%, upper quartile 83%). To conclude, the degree of implementation was quite high, improvement of animal health could not be linked to the herd health planning approach. However, the approach was highly appreciated by the participants and deserves further study.

Farm-specific failure costs of production disorders in European organic dairy herds.

On-farm decision support in animal health management requires a tailor-made failure costs (FCs) assessment of production disorders for the individual farm. In our study we defined a generic framework to estimate the FC of production disorders in dairy cows. We converted the framework to a practical tool in which the farm-specific FC of mastitis, ketosis, lameness and metritis were estimated for 162 organic dairy farms in four European countries. Along with the structure of the framework, the FC estimation required three distinct types of model input: performance input (related to herd performance parameters), consequential input (related to the consequences of the disorders) and economic input (related to price levels). Input was derived from official herd recordings (e.g. test-day records and animal health recordings) and farmers' responses (e.g. questionnaire replies). The average FC of mastitis, ketosis, lameness and metritis amounted to € 96, € 21, € 43 and € 10 per cow per year, respectively. The variation in FC outcomes was high among farmers and countries. Overall ranking of the disorders based on absolute values was the same for all countries, with mastitis being the costliest disorder followed in order by lameness, ketosis, and metritis. Farm specific estimates can be used to rank production related disorders in terms of their associated failure costs and thus provide valuable insights for herd health management. The practical calculation tool developed in this study should be considered by farmers or herd health advisors to support their animal health practices or advice.

Vaginisenegalia massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a new bacterium isolated from the vagina flora and its taxono-genomic description.

Strain Marseille-P5643T was isolated from a vaginal sample of a healthy Senegalese woman. It is an anaerobic Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium. Strain Marseille-P5643T exhibits 93.7% similarity levels with the Facklamia hominis strain ATCC 700628T, the phylogenetically closest related species with standing in nomenclature. The draft genome size of strain Marseille-P5643T is 1.79 Mb with 39.0 mol% of G+C content. We propose here the creation of Vaginisenegalia massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., as a new bacterial genus from the phylum Firmicutes.

Udder health at a Swedish research farm with both organic and conventional dairy cow management.

Our aim was to compare udder health in groups of organically and conventionally managed cows, using data from a longitudinal study in a Swedish dairy-research farm. Management of the groups was identical except for feed composition and the feeding regimen. Our dataset included all lactating cows calving from 1 September 1990 to 31 August 2001 (145 organically and 151 conventionally managed cows). Udder health was assessed by the geometric average somatic-cell count (SCC) within 150 days after calving, by the number of monthly SCC tests >200,000 cells/ml within 150 days after calving and by presence of lactations with veterinary-treated cases of clinical mastitis. The effect of animal group was analysed by multivariable linear, Poisson and logistic-regression models, controlling for factors such as lactation number, breed, year, season and milk yield. The groups did not differ in any measure of udder health. We had power to rule out differences of at least 33,000 cells/ml in the geometric average somatic-cell count, an incidence rate ratio of 0.65 in the incidence of high-SCC milk-testing occasions, and an odds ratio of 0.43 in veterinary treated cases of mastitis.

An observational study on early-lactation metabolic profiles in Swedish organically and conventionally managed dairy cows.

The aim of this observational study was to compare indicators of energy balance in early lactation in organically managed dairy cows (OMC) and conventionally managed dairy cows (CMC) under field conditions. The diets of OMC and CMC differ as a consequence of the rules and principles of organic dairy farming. The study was based on clinical examinations and blood samples from cows within the range from 2 wk prepartum to 6 wk postpartum, collected from 20 organic and 20 conventional dairy farms with 3 visits at each farm. The farms were located in a southeastern area of Sweden and ranged in size from 45 to 120 cows. The blood parameters selected to reflect energy metabolism were nonesterified fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, and insulin. At clinical examination body condition score was registered. The shape of the lactation curve in early lactation was modeled to assess potential differences that could explain the blood parameter profiles. The conventionally managed cows increased their milk yield faster than OMC within the first 2 wk of lactation. Blood nonesterified fatty acid concentrations were similar between the management types, but with a tendency of lesser concentrations in OMC, primarily in early lactation. Postcalving beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations were constantly lesser in OMC during the first 6 wk of lactation. An interaction between season and insulin concentration necessitated stratification on season. During spring the profiles overlapped, but there was a significant difference in the first 4 d post-calving, when organically managed cows had greater insulin concentrations and in d 30 to 34 when conventionally managed cows had greater insulin concentrations. During fall the profiles overlapped completely and there was no significant difference at any point in time. Glucose concentrations tended to decrease slightly postcalving followed by a gradual elevation to a concentration just under the precalving concentration during the study period. Body condition scores decreased slightly over the study period. No differences were found between the management types with regard to glucose concentrations or registered body condition score. In conclusion, the OMC did not show a greater extent of mobilization of body tissue than CMC as expressed by our study variables. Hence, OMC adjusted the production amount according to feed intake.

'Helcococcus massiliensis' sp. nov., a new bacterial species isolated from the vaginal sample of a woman with bacterial vaginosis living in Dielmo, Senegal.

We report here the isolation of a new bacterial species 'Helcococcus massiliensis' strain Marseille P4590 (CSURP4590), isolated from the vaginal sample of a woman with bacterial vaginosis.

[Post-circumcision Tetanus: Epidemiological, Clinical, Prognostic and Evolutionary Aspects of 16 Cases Collected at the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases in Fann Hospital (Dakar)]. / Tétanos postcirconcision : à propos de 16 cas colligés à la Clinique des maladies infectieuses du CHNU de Fann (Dakar).

This retrospective, descriptive study carried out in the Infectious Diseases Department of CHNU, Fann from 1st January 2012 to 3st December 2016 aimed to describe the epidemiological aspects and the course of post-circumcision tetanus and to formulate public health recommendations. During our study period, 16 cases of post-circumcision tetanus were collected out of a total of 452 patients with tetanus, equivalent to a rate of 3.5%. The median age was 8 years (3-40). None of the patients had a vaccination card. In 63% of cases, circumcision was performed at home, by a practitioner whose qualification was not documented in 63% of cases. All signs of tetanus were found with trismus (100%), dysphagia (63%) and paroxysms (88%). These were mostly Mollaret stage II forms in 14 cases, and grade 3 Dakar score in 7 cases. The median duration of hospitalization was 10 days [6-15]. Mechanical or infectious complications were noted in two cases, with a lethality rate of 13%. Post-circumcision tetanus is a reality in Senegal. Good community awareness, continuous training of staff and implementation of vaccination catch-up strategies for children of circumcised age should eradicate this form of tetanus.

Cette étude rétrospective descriptive, réalisée à la Clinique des maladies infectieuses du CHNU de Fann du 1er janvier 2012 au 31 décembre 2016 avait pour but de décrire les aspects épidémiologiques et évolutifs du tétanos postcirconcision et de formuler des recommandations en termes de prévention. Durant la période d'étude, 16 cas de tétanos postcirconcision ont été colligés sur un total de 452 patients atteints de tétanos, soit une fréquence hospitalière de 3,5 %. L'âge médian était de huit ans (3­40). Aucun des patients ne disposait de carnet de vaccination. Dans 63 % des cas, la circoncision a été effectuée à domicile, par un praticien dont la qualification n'a pas été documentée dans 63 % des cas. Tous les signes du tétanos ont été retrouvés avec le trismus (100 %), la dysphagie (63 %) et les paroxysmes (88 %). Il s'agissait surtout de formes de moyenne gravité classées au stade II de Mollaret dans 14 cas, et au score 3 de Dakar dans sept cas. La durée médiane d'hospitalisation était de dix jours [6­15]. Des complications mécaniques ou infectieuses ont été notées dans deux cas, avec une létalité de 13 %. Le tétanos postcirconcision est une réalité au Sénégal. Une bonne sensibilisation de la communauté, la formation continue du personnel et la mise en place de stratégies de rattrapage vaccinal des enfants en âge d'être circoncis devraient permettre d'éradiquer cette forme de tétanos.

[Tuberculosis Abscess of the Chest Wall on an Immunocompetent Patient in the Teaching Hospital of Dakar (Senegal)]. / Abcès tuberculeux de la paroi thoracique chez une patiente immunocompétente au centre hospitalier universitaire de Dakar (Sénégal).

Tuberculosis remains a problem of public health, in spite of the numerous significant advances noted in the diagnosis in recent years. The involvement of the thoracic wall is a rare extra lung shape. Its clinical presentation is not specific and a collected thoracic tumefaction is the main clinical demonstration. The diagnosis is improved by the use of non-invasive tools such as the Xpert MTB/Rif® test with a good sensibility on the pus. Medical care is based on medical treatment and sometimes associated with surgical treatment.

La tuberculose demeure un problème de santé publique, malgré les nombreuses avancées significatives notées dans le diagnostic ces dernières années. L'atteinte de la paroi thoracique est une forme extrapulmonaire rare. Sa présentation clinique est non spécifique, et une tuméfaction thoracique collectée en est la principale manifestation clinique. Le diagnostic est amélioré par l'utilisation d'outils non invasifs tels que le test Xpert MTB/Rif® avec une bonne sensibilité sur le pus. La prise en charge repose sur le traitement médical quelquefois associé à un traitement chirurgical.

Prevalence of TB/HIV coinfection in antiretroviral-naïve patients at the Fann Ambulatory Treatment Center in Dakar.

To determine the prevalence of tuberculosis and describe its epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical, and therapeutic characteristics and its outcome in patients with HIV. This retrospective, descriptive, and analytical study examined the records of patients with HIV at our outpatient treatment center and selected those who were antiretroviral-naive and presented tuberculosis between January 2008 and December 2012. Among a total of 757 HIV-positive patients, 76 had tuberculosis, for a prevalence of 10 %. The sex ratio of 1.23 favored men. The average age was 42.5 years (range: 25 to 69 years. Nearly all these patients (71 cases) had HIV-1. A history of tuberculosis was reported by 39.5 %. Seventeen patients were malnourished. Management included chemoprophylaxis with cotrimoxazole for 64 patients. The pulmonary form predominated (72.4 %). Among these forms, there were 34 cases of negative microscopy tuberculosis and 21 cases of positive microscopy tuberculosis. The extrapulmonary forms (21 cases) were dominated by tuberculosis in the lymph nodes (11 cases), the pleura (7), pericardium (2), and peritoneum (1). Anemia was found in 44 patients. Severe immunosuppression was noted in 90 %, with CD4+ cell counts <350/mm3. Lethality was 7.9 %. TB/HIV coinfection is a major public health problem in Africa. Better coordination of activities in support of programs for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are needed.

[Skin tuberculin test (STT) for screening tuberculosis in contacts of tuberculosis patients]. / Interet de l'intradermoreaction a la tuberculine (IDRT) dans le depistage de la tuberculose chez les sujets contacts.

INTRODUCTION: Many studies have underlined the theorical and practical role of Skin Tuberculin Test (STT) as an important tool for the diagnosis and for the screening of tuberculosis in the population. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This prospective study evaluated STT in 51 smear positive tuberculosis patients and 108 contacts tuberculosis patients apparently in a good health condition. Twenty seven patients have disappeared before the end of the study and 7 patients were excluded for non suitable results. So we analysed only 73 cases. RESULTS: The mean age was 34 years, with extreme of 1 and 77 years. There were 33 male and 40 female patients for a sex-ratio of 0,8. BCG vaccination scar was found in 64% of patients. We calculated the Body-Mass-Index and we found a proteinocaloric malnutrition (BMI<18,5) in 30%. The mean diameter of STT induration was 12,3mm with extremes of 7 and 20mm. Considering a STT < 7 mm as negative, 4 patients (5%) had a negative STT and 69 (95%) a positive STT. 13 of these 69 patients had a STT > 15mm. The age group of the 10 to 50 years had more positive STT. Meanwhile, according to the sexe and to the nutritional status, there was no statistical difference. All patients with a negative STT received BCG vaccination after 2 months of follow-up. Those with STT>15mm were examinated and had a chest X-ray the day of their enrolment, at the second month and at the sixth month and we didn't find any evolutive tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: According to these results, we can conclude that STT is not an important test for the screening of pulmonary tuberculosis in contact patients. Clinical examination, chest X-ray and sputum smear remain very important for the diagnosis. Despite these results, STT remain the only validated technic between the different tuberculin tests. Its interest was twofold: the research of an acquired immunity against tuberculosis after BCG immunisation and it is clinical test for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in children.

Assessing, and understanding, European organic dairy farmers' intentions to improve herd health.

Many believe the health status of organic dairy herds in Europe should be improved to meet consumers' and legislators' expectations to improve animal welfare. This paper reports on a study in four countries that examined dairy farmers' intentions towards improving the health status of their organic herds through the use of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. It was found that farmers across the countries were positive about taking additional preventative measures to improve the health status of their herds. They believed this would not only improve herd physical performance, such as milk yield and fertility, but also achieve greater cost effectiveness and improved job satisfaction for them. Most study farmers would implement a tailored package of improvement measures designed by the study team with higher uptake most likely being by younger farmers, those who make greater use of veterinarians and professional advisory services, and those supplying specialist milk-marketing chains. Furthermore, farmers will be most likely to take-up additional health promotion if compatible with their everyday activities and if they have strong business performance goals aimed at maximising the physical performance of the herd.

[Clear-fluid meningitis in HIV-infected patients in Dakar]. / Les méningites à liquide clair chez les patients infectés par le VIH à Dakar.

This retrospective study was carried out to describe the epidemiological, clinical and aetiological aspects of clear-fluid meningitis among HIV-positive patients admitted at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Fann Teaching Hospital in Dakar Data were collected for analysis from patients files recorded from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2003. Forty-six cases of clear-fluid meningitis were found among HIV-infected patients, representing 51.7% of cerebro-meningeal diseases and 92% of meningitis encountered in those patients. Sex ratio MIF was 1.5 and the mean age of patients was 40.7 years [range 23-61 years]. Clinical presentations comprised headache (80%), fever (67%), meningeal syndrome (74%), coma (28%), convulsions (9%), focal neurological deficits (11%), cranial nerves dysfunction (9%). Aetiologies were represented by neuromeningeal cryptococcosis (29 cases) and tuberculous meningitis (5 cases). In 26% of cases no aetiology was found. The case fatality rate was 63% overall (29 deaths) and 83.3% among cases with unknown aetiology. It did not vary significantly according to epidemiological and clinical variables studied. Neurological sequelae were found in 4 patients who recovered. A better management of clear-fluid meningitis among HIV-positive patients should benefit from the reinforcement of our diagnostic capacities, the availability of effective systemic antifungal drugs and the prevention of opportunistic infections in the course of HIV/AIDS infection.

[Epidemiological, clinical, etiological features of neuromeningeal diseases at the Fann Hospital Infectious Diseases Clinic, Dakar (Senegal)]. / Profil épidémiologique, clinique et étiologique des affections cérébroméningées observées à la clinique des maladies infectieuses du CHU de Fann à Dakar.

OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study was carried out to determine the prevalence of cerebromeningeal diseases at the Fann Teaching Hospital Infectious Diseases Clinic, in Dakar, and to describe their epidemiological, clinical, and etiological features. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data was collected for analysis from patients files recorded from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2003. RESULTS: Four hundred seventy cases were identified (11.4% of total admissions) with a M/F sex ratio of 1.38 and a mean age of 33 years. Eighty-nine patients were infected by HIV and clinical presentations included fever (78%), meningeal syndrome (57.4%), coma (64.9%), convulsions (19%), focal neurological deficits (15.5%), and cranial nerves dysfunction (7.2%). Etiologies presented as cerebral malaria (85 cases), purulent meningitis (51 cases), neuromeningeal cryptococcosis (37 cases), tuberculous meningitis (11 cases), intracranial abscess (10 cases), toxoplasma encephalitis (4 cases), cerebrovascular attack (11 cases), and cerebromeningeal hemorrhages (3 cases). In as many as 248 cases (52.8%) no etiology could be found. The case fatality rate was 44.5% overall (209 deaths) and 68.5% among HIV-infected patients. Neurological sequels were found in 22 survivors (8.8%), consisting in focal neurological deficit (12 cases), deafness (5 cases), diplopia (2 cases), dementia (2 cases), postmeningitic encephalitis (1 case). CONCLUSION: These results show the need to improve our technical capacities in our diagnostic laboratories, the prevention of opportunistic infections in the course of HIV/AIDS infection, and the involvement of various specialists in the management of cerebromeningeal diseases.

Effectiveness of conventional and hydrosurgical debridement methods in reducing Staphylococcus aureus inoculation of equine muscle in vitro.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: The success of primary healing of equine traumatic wounds is dependent on thorough debridement. A specific hydrosurgical debridement device (Versajet(TM) )(a) is gentle to viable tissues, yet effectively removes macroscopic contaminants and debris. We wished to investigate whether it is effective in reducing bacterial burden and whether it differs from traditional methods. No previous reports compare hydrosurgical debridement and conventional wound debridement with regard to bacterial reduction from in vitro inoculated soft tissue. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of hydrosurgical debridement in reducing the Staphylococcus aureus load from in vitro inoculated equine muscle compared with conventional wound debridement methods. STUDY DESIGN: In vitro experimental study. METHODS: The surface of equine masseter muscle was inoculated with a S. aureus broth and subsequently debrided using one of the following 4 methods: saline irrigation; sharp debridement; saline irrigation and sharp debridement; or hydrosurgical debridement. Tissue samples for quantitative cultures were collected before and after debridement, and the colony-forming units per gram of tissue were calculated and log transformed. The reductions in bacterial counts were analysed statistically using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Friedman two-way ANOVA. RESULTS: Hydrosurgical debridement was more effective than conventional debridement methods in reducing the S. aureus load (P<0.05). Hydrosurgical debridement reduced the bacterial load by 99.7%, in comparison to saline irrigation and sharp debridement (87.4%), sharp debridement (82.2%) and saline irrigation (46.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Hydrosurgical debridement reduces the S. aureus load from in vitro contaminated equine muscle significantly more than conventional debridement methods.

[Preliminary study of the association of tuberculosis and pregnancy: about 9 cases]. / Etude préliminaire sur l'association tuberculose et grossesse: apropos de neuf cas.

From June 1668 to June 2002, we have studied at the Pneumology Clinic of Fann Hospital, pulmonary tuberculosis among 9 pregnant women. The average age was 26 years old and the consultation's delay was 5 months. All our patients had a productive cough and an evening fever coupled with a thoracic pain and a deterioration of the general condition in 7 patients (77.7%). The dyspnea and the heamoptisis were a consultation motive for 44.4% and 33.3% of the patients. The evolution of pregnancies was 29 weeks. They had all benefited from the intradermal reaction with tuberculin (IDRT) with an average diameter of 11.7 mm; it was negative in one patient. The bacilloscopy systematically done was negative in 2 patients. At the front thoracic radiography, we have found basal lesions unilateral in more than half of the cases and excavated in 44.4% of cases. They benefited from an antitubercular treatment (Rifampicine (R) + Isoniazide (H) + Pyrazinamide (Z) with a good clinical, biological, bacteriological and radiological progression. From the obstetrical point of view, there was an abortion after 5 months, 2 premature deliveries between the 7th and the 8th month and 6 normal deliveries at 9 months. Babies born from bacillary mothers systematically received an antitubercular treatment with breast feeding. In conclusion, pregnant women with pulmonary tuberculosis essentially pose a therapeutic problem, requiring a good collaboration between the lung specialist, the gyneco-obstetrician and the pediatrician. It could be more hazardous not to act early in treating a pregnant women with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Exposure to pasture borne nematodes affects individual milk yield in Swedish dairy herds.

The association between exposure to gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasitism, indicated by elevated individual optical density ratio (ODR) to Ostertagia ostertagi, and individual milk production was analysed in dairy cows. The multivariable analysis also accounted for other sources of variation than exposure to GIN parasitism. Intra- and inter-herd variation in parasite exposure was also evaluated. Organic and conventional herds located in south-east Sweden (13 herds per system) were visited during the housing period 2009-2010. Levels of all major pasture-borne helminths in Sweden (O. ostertagi, Fasciola hepatica and Dictyocaulus viviparus) were determined in bulk tank milk, cow milk and serum (only for O. ostertagi). Their specific antibodies were detected using three different ELISAs (Svanova Biotech) and the optical density of the sample was expressed as ODR. Positive cases of Dictyocaulus and Fasciola were seldom found. Variation in ODR in serum samples for Ostertagia was higher within herds than between herds. Correlations between ODR for Ostertagia in serum and milk parameters were significant and negative. In the multivariable analysis, two models were performed separating data from primiparous and multiparous cows. Results from mixed models showed that daily milk yield was significantly influenced by Ostertagia ODR for multiparous cows. No interactions were found between Ostertagia ODR values and herd type.