Acoustic characteristics of voiceless bellowing typical of bovine rabies.

The use of auditory data visualization techniques was useful for distinguishing voiceless bellows of a rabid cow from the bellows of estrus-oriented cows, because rabid cows created two distinct sounds with a very short silence between inhalation and exhalation of the respiratory cycle. The auditory visualization techniques as a diagnostic tool may have the potential to serve as a basis for an Internet-based application for the early diagnosis of rabies.

Isolation of Mycobacterium spp. from milking buffaloes and cattle in Nepal.

In Nepal, mycobacterial isolates obtained from the milk and feces of buffaloes and cattle that were positive for the single intradermal cervical tuberculin (SICT) tests were genetically identified. A total of 36 mycobacterial strains were isolated from 39% of the buffaloes (14 of 36) and 34% of the cattle (11 of 32). Of the 36 strains, 13 were identified as M. bovis, and these strains were isolated from 17% of the buffaloes (6 of 36) and 16% of the cattle (5 of 32). M. bovis was isolated from both the milk and feces of one buffalo and one cattle, the milk alone of three buffaloes and three cattle, and the feces alone of two buffaloes and one cattle. These results suggest that milking buffaloes and cattle infected with M. bovis exist in Nepal. The remaining 23 strains were atypical mycobacteria. A program for the elimination of bovine tuberculosis should be implemented as soon as possible, and the public health education and proper hygienic practices may be required.