Farmer and Veterinary Practices and Opinions Related to Fertility Testing and Pregnancy Diagnosis of UK Dairy Cows

Tzelos, Thomas; Howes, Natalie L.; Esteves, Cristina L.; Howes, Martin P; Byrne, T. J.; Macrae, Alastair; Donadeu, F.X.

doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.564209

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…However, a study conducted in Ohio found that the average voluntary waiting period was 56.6 days, with a range of 30 to 90 days, and did not vary by breed (DeJarnette et al 2007). In the Mostaganem region, farmers mostly used non-return of heat as their method of pregnancy diagnosis, while in the United Kingdom, 77% of farmers used ultrasound for this purpose (Tzelos et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of Herd Management on Conventional Dairy Farms in North Algeria

Meskini

Dahou²,

Radja³

et al. 2023

SJAFS

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A survey was conducted to evaluate husbandry practices and herd health management in dairy farms in Mostaganem province, located in north Algeria. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews with 56 farmers, followed by a visit to the production environment of the dairy cows. The results showed that 64% of farmers feed their cows a basic ration of oat hay and straw, while 32% use corn silage. On average, 9.85 ±0.32 kg of concentrate was distributed per dairy cow. Most farms didn’t have efficient forage production, while only 21% of them produced all the necessary forage. The average milk production per cow on the surveyed farms was 18.19 ±0.45 L, with a lactation length of 293.5 ±1.65 days. The cows were milked using a portable milking machine in poor hygienic conditions. Estrus detection was performed occasionally by farmers, and natural breeding was the main method of insemination, occurring at a rate of 63%. The voluntary waiting period was on average 76.6 ±3.56 days, and the average calving interval was 14.35 ±0.2 months. The culling rate in dairy farms was 23% on average, with the most common reasons for culling being mastitis and age at a rate of 23% and 21% respectively. The main diseases reported by the farmers were mastitis (82%), followed by lameness (57%). All surveyed farmers vaccinated their herds against only rabies and foot-and-mouth disease. This survey can help to identify the challenges and potential opportunities for improving dairy farm productivity and welfare in the Mostaganem province. The agricultural and economic sectors should work with farmers towards improving dairy farming techniques and practices, using efficient feeding systems and enhanced technology of dairy herd management, providing training and education to farmers, and resolving herd health issues to increase the economic efficiency of the dairy industry.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of Herd Management on Conventional Dairy Farms in North Algeria

Meskini

Dahou²,

Radja³

et al. 2023

SJAFS

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“…Failure to promptly re-inseminate before the next oestrus, i.e. within 21 days post-insemination, leads to extended calving intervals and a significant reduction in overall herd milk production [3]. Critically, even with more recent advances such as electronic monitoring system, detection of oestrus in dairy farms remains overall inefficient [4], and confirmation of pregnancy using available tools such as transrectal ultrasonography or PAG detection in blood or milk is only possible at 24 days or later.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between blood miR-26a levels following artificial insemination, and pregnancy outcome in dairy cattle

Tzelos,

Lee,

Pegg

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Early pregnancy diagnosis is key to maximise productivity of dairy herds. We previously showed that an increase in the levels of miR-26 could be detected as soon as day 8 of pregnancy in heifers. The aims of this study were to determine whether 1) plasma miR-26 levels would be distinctly elevated, retrospectively, early after artificial insemination in lactating cows with successful compared to failed pregnancies, 2) the early increase in miRNA levels in cows with successful pregnancy could be accounted for by changes in miRNA expression in white blood cells (WBCs), presumably induced by the effects of embryo-derived interferon tau (IFNt), and 3) plasma miRNA levels may provide a reliable early predictor of pregnancy that could be used at a herd level. Blood samples were taken from a total of 34 dairy cows (lactation number 1 to 4) before (D0) and 9 and 18 days after artificial insemination at oestrus, followed by confirmation of pregnancy status by ultrasound on D32. In addition, WBCs collected from non-pregnant cows (n = 4) were stimulated in vitro with recombinant ovine IFNt (0–100 pg/ml). Levels of miRNAs and ISG15, a known IFNt-induced gene, were quantified by qPCR. Relative to D0, a larger increase in plasma miR-26a (P = 0.04) occurred on D9 in cows later confirmed to be pregnant (n = 12) than in cows with a failed pregnancy (n = 22). Expression of miR-26a in WBCs was not affected (P>0.1) by pregnancy status or IFNt stimulation in vitro, in contrast to ISG15 expression which increased markedly (P<0.0001) both in WBC samples collected on D18 from animals later confirmed to be pregnant, and in WBCs after stimulation with IFNt in vitro. Finally, ROC analyses revealed that miR-26a on D9 or D18 could predict pregnancy outcome with much lower accuracy than WBC ISG15 on D18 (Likelihood ratio, 2.3 vs 15.4). In summary, a modest increase in plasma miR-26a levels occurs during early pregnancy in mature dairy cows which may not accounted for by changes in miRNA levels in WBCs or the effects of IFNt. Moreover, compared to ISG15, changes in miR-26a levels may not provide an accurate test for early diagnosis of pregnancy in cows.

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“…Consequently, endometritis can have a significant impact on the reproductive performance of cows negatively and can lead to infertility (Sheldon et al., 2006 ). It is essential for farmers and veterinarians to be aware of the condition and to take appropriate measures to prevent and treat it in order to maximise fertility and reproductive success in their herds (Tzelos et al., 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The curative effect of ozonated bidistilled water on Escherichia coli‐induced endometritis in rats

Kocamüftüoğlu

Bozkurt

Ağaoğlu

et al. 2023

Veterinary Medicine & Sci

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BackgroundEndometritis is a prevalent and challenging condition that affects livestock, and its effective treatment is the use of intrauterine antibiotics. Antibiotic use may lead to negative consequences, including residue in tissues and the emergence of antibiotic resistance.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess the therapeutic potential of ozonated bidistilled water in the treatment of Escherichia coli‐induced endometritis in rat models, comparing it to conventional antibiotic treatment.MethodsA total of 21 female Wistar Albino rats were used for this study. E. coli from the uterus of cows with endometritis at a concentration of 1.0 × 109 cfu/mL inoculated into rat uteruses. After inoculation, it was confirmed macroscopically that experimental endometritis was induced in all individuals. And, the rats with endometritis were randomly divided into three groups treated with intrauterine bidistilled water enriched with ozone, antibiotics and 0.9% NaCl. The uterine tissues were examined histopathologically.ResultsIn the semiquantitative analyses, significantly lower histopathological scores were observed for both the bidistilled water enriched with ozone and antibiotic‐treated endometritis groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05).ConclusionsOzone‐enriched bidistilled water can be used in the treatment of experimentally induced endometritis in rats, and can provide effective microbiological and histopathological improvement. Further studies involving larger populations of different species are needed to determine the medical suitability of this new treatment.

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Farmer and Veterinary Practices and Opinions Related to Fertility Testing and Pregnancy Diagnosis of UK Dairy Cows

Cited by 7 publications

References 19 publications

Survey of Herd Management on Conventional Dairy Farms in North Algeria

Survey of Herd Management on Conventional Dairy Farms in North Algeria

Association between blood miR-26a levels following artificial insemination, and pregnancy outcome in dairy cattle

The curative effect of ozonated bidistilled water on Escherichia coli‐induced endometritis in rats

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