The statistics of rabies cases in Volyn, Lviv, and Zakarpattia oblasts of Ukraine from 2012 to 2016 were analyzed to establish spatial–temporal distribution of rabies endemic outbreaks and to identify causes of widespread infections among wild and domestic animals. The occurrence of rabies outbreaks in wild and domestic animals in Ukraine was also assessed to determine the effectiveness of oral rabies vaccination (ORV) efforts. According to our analysis, parenteral vaccination of domestic animals and ORV campaigns in foxes have proved unsuccessful in providing a sustainable, long-term reduction in endemic rabies outbreaks. ORV campaigns in foxes were deemed ineffective based on our studies of the endemic rabies outbreaks in Volyn, Lviv, and Zakarpattia oblasts in 2012–2016. The current rabies prevention system (parenteral vaccination) failed to offer protection to domestic animals based on our review of the occurrence of endemic rabies outbreaks in dogs and cats. ORV campaign shortcomings and their causes must be identified in order to provide maximum rabies vaccine coverage for dogs and cats. Altogether, the results presented here provide information that can assist public health agencies to devise more effective disease control plans to curtail the spread of rabies in domestic animals and wildlife in Ukraine.

The article presents data on serological studies of 573 sera samples of cattle that were collected from the farms affected by leptospirosis in different regions of Ukraine in the period of 2014–2015. Samples were investigated by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), which was conducted within eight serological groups of Leptospira and nine serovars: Sejroe (serovars polonica and hardjo), Hebdomadis (serovar kabura), Tarassovi (serovar tarassovi), Pomona (serovar pomona), Grippotyphosa (serovar grippotyphosa), Canicola (serovar canicola), Icterohaemorrhagiae (serovar copenhageni), and Australis (serovar bratislava). The circulation of L. interrogans serovar hardjo among cattle has been observed in all 11 regions of Ukraine investigated within 25.8–60.0% of the leptospirosis-positive serum samples in these regions.Antibodies in the cattle sera against serovar hardjo (serogroup Sejroe) were detected in 139 of the 370 cows reacting positively in MAT. Overall, they were detected in 24.3% animals out of the total of 573 cows investigated. These are the preliminary results, however, in our opinion, they should allow to include the serovar hardjo in a standard panel of strains for MAT in Ukraine.

The data present the prevalence of leptospirosis in cattle on the territory of Ukraine over the last eight years (2005-2012) and the dynamics of changes of the etiological structure of the agent. Territorial diffusion of leptospirosis outbreak has also been studied. The outbreaks? density map was completed based on these data, depending on the number of cases in cattle. All areas of the country were divided into risk of infection four zones: low, medium, high and extra high risk.

One of the tasks that imply increasing the milk productivity of cows is to create optimal maintenance conditions that ensure the increased use of the genetic potential of cattle based on the implementation of engineering and technological solutions. A mathematical model has been built that links the technical and technological parameters of the vacuum system of milking equipment, namely, the value of the working vacuum P, the pulsation frequency n, the ratio of pulsation cycles, and the tension strength of milking rubber FH to cows’ milk yield rate V. The range of milking plant operating parameters for milking in the milk line has been determined, at which the milk yield rate is maximum: P=52 kPa, n=57.6–58.8 min–1, δ=0.59–0.64, FH=59.3–60.4 H. Under these parameters, the milk yield rate is V=1.48–1.53 l/min. The results of the multifactor experiment have helped construct an adequate mathematical model of the second order, which confirms the theoretical dependence of the influence of the technical and technological parameters of the vacuum system of milking equipment on milk yield rate and the air flow of the milking machine. Analysis of the mathematical model has made it possible to establish the rational structural and technological parameters for the vacuum system of a milking machine: the value of the working vacuum, P=50.6 kPa; pulsation frequency, n=55.9 min–1, the ratio of pulsation cycles and the tension force of milking rubber FH=64.8 H. Under these parameters, the milk yield rate is maximum: V=1.47–1.52 l/min; the air flow consumption of the milking machine is Q=2.19 m3/h. The mathematical model built fully reveals the influence of technical and technological parameters of milking equipment on the efficiency of machine milking. Owing to this, the issue related to the rational choice of equipment is resolved.

In Ukraine, prevention and control measures of bovine leukosis were regulated by relevant legislation, regulations and instructions developed in the period 1960–1992. Currently, the instruction on prevention and rehabilitation of this disease in cattle is used (approved in 2007). According to it, the identification of infected animals is carried out from 6 months of age by serological (first scheme in AGID or another in ELISA) and genomic (PCR) methods. The infected animals are removed from the herd or slaughtered. In general, because of the diagnostic and preventive measures carried out during the analyzed period (26 years) 10 519 farms were rehabilitated from leukosis (2 346 affected farms remained from previous years). At the same time, more 4 million infected cattle were slaughtered. The majority of affected farms (more than 1 000) were registered in the period between 1994 (2 346 farms) and 2003 (1 247 farms). Since 2014, the number of affected farms has remained mostly below 10 and the number of infected cattle has decreased to 2 000 animals per year. At the same time, the number of rehabilitated farms also decreased (from 1 307 farms in 1998 to 4 farms in 2014). The same trend was registered with the dynamics of the number of animals that were removed from the herd due to leukosis. Thus, in 1995 and 1997 their numbers were 321 178 and 558 649 animals, respectively, and in 2014 it was 1 124. The obtained indicators of intensity and extensiveness of the epizootic process show that the incidence rate was maximal during 1998–2000 and amounted to 3.7–4.3%. The maximum indicators of the coefficient of affection were recorded in 1997–2000 and equal 11.8–15.3%. The rate of foci remained on the level of 90–270 throughout the all analyzed period. During 2008–2019, specialists of the Ukrainian veterinary laboratories investigated more than 47 million samples of cattle blood sera for enzootic bovine leukosis by AGID and ELISA. However, despite the significant diagnostic work, the important factor in the decrease of the number of affected farms and infected animals is the decrease in the total number of cattle in Ukraine (almost 22 million animals in 1994 against 3 million in 2019). Graphic trends of these indicators are comparable and agree with the decrease in the number of cattle in our country by analyzed period. After 2014, the number of affected farms ranged 10–17 per year (mostly in private households). However, the full recovery of cattle in Ukraine from bovine leukosis has not taken place, although our country is closer than ever to this.