[Inappropriate lactation syndrome in a Holstein heifer]. / Lactatio sine graviditate bei einer Holstein-Färse.

The present case describes an unusual lactation of a 15-month-old,unbred Holstein-Friesian heifer, which had four swollen, ampouleshaped udder quarters with milk secretion. Examination of the heifer using rectal palpation and transrectal ultrasonography revealed enlargement of the right ovary and partial replacement of original tissue by multiple cysts of variable size. Treatment of the assumed follicularcystic ovary disease was unsuccessful. At slaughter 8 months later, the ovaries were examined pathologically and a granulosa cell tumor on the right ovary was diagnosed. Udder development and lactation in cattle is regulated normally hormonally. Follicular and cystic changes and granulosa cell tumors may also display hormonal activity. Therefore, we assume one or both of these could have been the cause of the unusual lactation in this case. We thus advise careful examination of the inner reproductive tract when facing the symptom of unusual lactation in unbred heifers.

Foot-and-mouth disease and its effect on milk yield: an economic analysis on livestock holders in Pakistan.

A longitudinal study has been conducted in the provinces of Sindh, Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory area, Pakistan, to evaluate the impact of foot-and-mouth disease on milk yield in a sample of farmers owning cattle and buffaloes. The sample consisted of 50 farms where the presence of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus was initially suspected on the basis of clinical signs and subsequently confirmed through either a field test or laboratory confirmation. In each farm, the total number of clinical cases was registered, and clinically diseased milking cattle and buffaloes were followed up for the next 60 days from the onset of clinical signs and the amount of milk yield measured. The average milk yield, estimated to be around 10 l per animal before the onset of FMD, decreased significantly in the 2 months following the onset of acute clinical disease. The loss of milk production in the 60 days following the onset of clinical signs was estimated to be around 220 and 201 l for cattle and buffaloes, respectively. Under the assumption that the administration of a good-quality vaccine matching circulating FMD strains could protect against clinical disease, the benefit/cost ratio for having all animals vaccinated in all 50 farms was estimated to be 5.7.

Decrease in milk yield associated with exposure to bluetongue virus serotype 8 in cattle herds.

Decreased milk yield and reduced fertility are the primary consequences of infection by bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8). These effects must be quantified to fully assess the economic benefit of vaccination. This can be estimated by measuring the effect of BTV-8 exposure on milk yield and fertility for all cows belonging to an infected herd. The objectives of this study were (1) to quantify the mean effect of exposure to BTV-8 on milk yield following natural challenge for cows in herds previously naïve, (2) to determine the duration of reduced milk yield before and after the date disease was first detected in the herd to estimate the cumulative loss of milk yield during this period, and (3) to evaluate the influence of the proportion of infected neighboring herds on the reduction in milk yield following exposure to BTV-8. The effects of exposure to BTV-8 during the French outbreak of 2007 were assessed using mixed linear models, which allow adjustment for factors known to influence milk yield. Exposure to BTV-8 was associated with a sharp decrease in milk yield over a period of 6 mo (2 mo before to 4 mo after the reported date of disease detection in the herd). The cumulative loss of milk yield was more than 3% of annual production. The relatively earlier reduction in milk yield in infected herds detected later in the outbreak period suggests that detection of clinical signs was delayed in these herds. Finally, the greatest decrease in milk yield was observed in herds detected early during the outbreak period and located in areas with the highest disease incidence. This may be due to a greater within-herd incidence or to a greater amount of virus injected by midges to individual cows in these herds.

Lactancia materna y protección contra las infecciones respiratorias en los primeros meses de vida / Breastfeeding and the protection against respiratory infections in the first months of life

Introducción: entre las ventajas de la lactancia materna (LM) se incluye su papel protector ante infecciones respiratorias (IR). Objetivos: describir el patrón de LM de una cohorte de recién nacidos (RN) y su protección contra las IR en el lactante. Material y métodos: estudio prospectivo de 316 RN, de las áreas 8 y 9 de Madrid, desde el nacimiento mediante llamadas telefónicas quincenales durante el invierno, registrando datos clínicos y epidemiológicos. Si presentaban sintomatología compatible con IR se recogió aspirado nasofaríngeo. Resultados: mil ochocientas sesenta y cinco llamadas (mediana: 4,2 [1-11]) y 106 visitas programadas. Al mes, el 56,1% recibía LM exclusiva; a los tres meses, el 39,4%, y a los cinco meses, el 31,9%. La LM exclusiva se mantuvo 65,1 días (desviación estándar: 43,49) y ningún factor se asoció a una mayor duración. Hubo 89 episodios de IR aguda. Los hermanos escolares multiplican por 1,74 (intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC 95%]: 1,12-2,72) el riesgo de IR en todos los estratos de duración de LM exclusiva. El riesgo de infección se multiplica por cinco (IC 95%: 2,07-12,19) si la LM exclusiva dura menos de un mes, por 9,8 (IC 95%: 4,06-23,66) si dura entre 30 y 60 días y por 3,4 (IC 95%: 1,28-9,19) si dura entre 60 y 90 días. Conclusiones: aunque muchos RN inician LM exclusiva, solo la tercera parte la mantiene a los cinco meses. Ningún factor se asoció a mayor duración de la misma. La LM es un factor protector de IR cuando dura más de 90 días. Se debe fomentar el mantenimiento de la LM más allá del tercer mes, especialmente en aquellos con hermanos escolares (AU)

Background: the protective role against respiratory infections is included among the advantages of breastfeeding (BF). Objective: to describe the pattern of BF in a cohort of newborns and its protective role against respiratory infections (RI) in the infant. Material and methods: a cohort of 316 newborns (NB) from Madrid Health Districts 8 and 9 was followed by telephone calls every fortnight during the winter season recording clinical and epidemiological data. Nasopharyngeal aspirate was obtained in every patient with symptoms compatible with RI. Results: one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-five phone calls [median: 4.2 (1-11)], and 106 scheduled visits were conducted. At the age of 1 month 56.1% of the infants were exclusively breastfed, at 3 months 39.4% and at 5 months 31.9%. The duration of BF was 65.1 days (SD: 43.49) and no factors were associated to a longer duration. Eighty nine acute RI were registered. The presence of siblings in school age increased the risk of RI by 1.74 (CI 95%: 1.12-2.72) in all the strata of duration of exclusive BF. The risk of RI increased by 5 (CI 95%: 2.07-12.19) if breastfeeding lasted less than 1 month, by 9,8 (CI 95%: 4,06-23,66) between 30-60 days and by 3,4 (CI 95%: 1.28-9,19) if it lasted 60-90 days. Conclusions: though many NB begin BF, only a third part of them go on with it at the age of 5 months. No covariant was associated with a longer duration. BF is a protector factor against RI when it lasts more than 90 days. So it must be promoted specially in those infants with siblings in school age (AU)

Detection of a bovine group C rotavirus from adult cows with diarrhea and reduced milk production.

Only two strains (Shintoku and porcine-like WD534tc) of group C rotavirus (GCR) from cattle have been reported to date. A GCR designated the Yamagata strain was the only pathogen detected in an outbreak of adult cow diarrhea accompanied by a decrease in milk production. The nucleotide sequences of the VP6 and VP7 genes from strain Yamagata were determined. Comparative sequence analysis showed that the sequence identities between strains Yamagata and Shintoku were markedly high in both VP6 gene (98.1%) and VP7 gene (93.5%), and that these strains belonged to the same clusters which were distinguished from GCRs from different host species in phylogenetic trees of these genes. These results suggested strongly that cattle species is one of the natural hosts of GCR infection, and that GCRs are a cause of adult cow diarrhea.