Lungworm Infections in German Dairy Cattle Herds — Seroprevalence and GIS-Supported Risk Factor Analysis

Schunn, Anne-Marie; Conraths, Franz J.; Staubach, Christoph; Fröhlich, Andreas; Forbes, Andrew Benjamin; Schnieder, Thomas; Strübe, Christina

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0074429

Cited by 26 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Niedocenianym, często zapomnianym problemem w hodowli bydła jest inwazja nicieni płucnych, której występowanie u bydła wypasanego na pastwiskach potwierdzono u około 7% zwierząt. Również w innych krajach o podobnym klimacie stanowi ona lokalnie duży problem W Niemczech stwierdzana jest w badaniach serologicznych w około 17% prób i dotyka około 30% stad (27). Natomiast badania bezpośrednie (larwoskopowe), wykazujące inwazje w fazie patentnej, potwierdziły obecność tych nicieni u 0,9% badanych zwierząt (24).…”

Section: Ryc 3 Prewalencja Inwazji Pasożytów Wewnętrznych Bydła W Zunclassified

Occurrence of internal parasites in cattle in various management systems in South-East Poland

Tomczuk¹,

Szczepaniak²,

Demkowska-Kutrzepa³

et al. 2018

Medycyna Weterynaryjna

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The changes in the cattle farming system in Poland observed in the last two decades and related to its evolution into massive scale, specialized farming may have an influence on the occurrence of parasitoses. The study was aimed at showing differences in the prevalence of internal parasites in cattle depending on the herd size, management system and production type. In the period of October to December in 2016 and 2017, the study covered 46 farms with a livestock density from 2 to 160 animals (over 1 year of age), including 25 farms with a confined management system, 12 farms using pastures occasionally and 7 farms with animals using pastures during the whole season. Out of these farms, 36 were oriented towards dairy cattle and 10 to beef cattle. The analytical methods involved flotation, sedimentation and the Baermann technique. In total, 276 feces samples were analyzed. The analysis involved a representative number of samples from each farm, depending on the herd size: from 100% of the animals in the smallest farms to 10% in the largest ones. In total, eleven different taxa of parasites were identified, and their general prevalence was as follows: Eimeria spp. 24.6%, Buxtonella sulcata 25.7%, Strongyloides papillosus 7.6%, gastrointestinal nematodes (Trichostrongylidae, Chabertia, Oesophagostomum) 35.1%, Nematodirus spp. 4.7%, Bunostomum phlebotomum 7.6%, Trichuris spp. 6.2%, Fasciola hepatica 6.9%, Paramphistomum spp 2.5%, Moniezia spp. 2.9%, Dictyocaulus viviparus 2.5%. The forms of parasites were found in samples coming from all studied herds. Invasions of protozoa (Eimeria, Buxtonella) were most commonly found in dairy cattle, in large herds managed in a free stall barn system and in beef cattle, in large herds managed in a pasture system. These herds were also most frequently infected with gastrointestinal nematodes. The invasions of trematodes, tapeworms and pulmonary nematodes were detected only in cattle using pastures, most commonly in large herds..

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Section: Ryc 3 Prewalencja Inwazji Pasożytów Wewnętrznych Bydła W Zunclassified

Occurrence of internal parasites in cattle in various management systems in South-East Poland

Tomczuk¹,

Szczepaniak²,

Demkowska-Kutrzepa³

et al. 2018

Medycyna Weterynaryjna

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“…Similarly, in the northern German region East Frisia, BTM ELISA showed 21.1% of dairy herds to be seropositive for D. viviparus on at least one sampling occasion in 2008 [ 12 ]. For the whole of Germany, Schunn et al [ 2 ] reported a BTM seroprevalence of 17.1%, with rates up to 31.2% in the federal state Saxony-Anhalt. In Ireland, a BTM seroprevalence of 62.8% was noted [ 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of patent Dictyocaulus viviparus (re)infections on individual milk yield and milk quality in pastured dairy cows and correlation with clinical signs

et al. 2018

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BackgroundInfections with the bovine lungworm Dictyocaulus viviparus might lead to reduced milk production and detrimental impacts on milk quality resulting in considerable economic losses in dairy farming.MethodsIn the presented field study, 1988 faecal samples were collected from 1166 Black and White dairy cows allocated in 17 small and medium-sized German grassland farms. Faecal samples were collected in summer and autumn 2015 to assess D. viviparus larvae excretion. Test-day records were used to estimate the association between patent D. viviparus infections in individual cows and the milk production parameters milk yield, milk protein and milk fat content by using linear mixed models. Bulk tank milk (BTM) samples from each farm and individual milk samples from those cows which were excreting larvae in summer were collected in autumn. In addition, occurrence of the clinical symptom “coughing” was noted in individual cows during autumn sampling to determine its association with patent lungworm infections.ResultsPatent D. viviparus infections were found on 23.5% (4/17) of farms with a prevalence at the individual cow level of 0.9% (9/960) in summer and 3.4% (35/1028) in autumn. No BTM sample exceeded the BTM ELISA cut-off value of 0.410 optical density ratio (ODR), the mean value was 0.168 ODR. Only one individual milk sample exceeded the individual milk ELISA cut-off value of 0.573 ODR (mean value of 0.302 ODR). A patent D. viviparus infection status was associated with a lower average daily milk yield of 1.62 kg/cow/day (P = 0.0406). No significant association was found with milk protein or fat content representing milk quality parameters. Coughing was observed in 5.9% (61/1028) of cows. Of the coughing cows, only 4.9% (3/61) had a patent lungworm infection. Fisher’s exact test showed no significant difference between infected and non-infected coughing cows.ConclusionsFarmers and veterinarians should be aware that patent lungworm (re)infections in dairy cows reduce milk yield, despite the absence of clinical signs. Furthermore, if dairy cows present with coughing, other differential diagnoses need to be considered in addition to dictyocaulosis.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-017-2602-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…In addition, a significant detrimental effect on productivity of older cattle was observed (Charlier et al, 2009). Schunn et al (2013) reported seroprevalence rates up to 31.2% for German cattle herds for D. viviparus. Infections with the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica in adult cattle were mainly subclinical (Kaplan, 2001); nevertheless, substantial economic loss due to reduced milk production has been reported even for subclinical infections (Knubben-Schweizer et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic line comparisons and genetic parameters for endoparasite infections and test-day milk production traits

May

Brügemann

Yin

et al. 2017

Journal of Dairy Science

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Keeping dairy cows in grassland systems relies on detailed analyses of genetic resistance against endoparasite infections, including between- and within-breed genetic evaluations. The objectives of this study were (1) to compare different Black and White dairy cattle selection lines for endoparasite infections and (2) the estimation of genetic (co)variance components for endoparasite and test-day milk production traits within the Black and White cattle population. A total of 2,006 fecal samples were taken during 2 farm visits in summer and autumn 2015 from 1,166 cows kept in 17 small- and medium-scale organic and conventional German grassland farms. Fecal egg counts were determined for gastrointestinal nematodes (FEC-GIN) and flukes (FEC-FLU), and fecal larvae counts for the bovine lungworm Dictyocaulus viviparus (FLC-DV). The lowest values for gastrointestinal nematode infections were identified for genetic lines adopted to pasture-based production systems, especially selection lines from New Zealand. Heritabilities were low for FEC-GIN (0.05-0.06 ± 0.04) and FLC-DV (0.05 ± 0.04), but moderate for FEC-FLU (0.33 ± 0.06). Almost identical heritabilities were estimated for different endoparasite trait transformations (log-transformation, square root). The genetic correlation between FEC-GIN and FLC-DV was 1.00 ± 0.60, slightly negative between FEC-GIN and FEC-FLU (-0.10 ± 0.27), and close to zero between FLC-DV and FEC-FLU (0.03 ± 0.30). Random regression test-day models on a continuous time scale [days in milk (DIM)] were applied to estimate genetic relationships between endoparasite and longitudinal test-day production traits. Genetic correlations were negative between FEC-GIN and milk yield (MY) until DIM 85, and between FEC-FLU and MY until DIM 215. Genetic correlations between FLC-DV and MY were negative throughout lactation, indicating improved disease resistance for high-productivity cows. Genetic relationships between FEC-GIN and FEC-FLU with milk protein content were negative for all DIM. Apart from the very early and very late lactation stage, genetic correlations between FEC-GIN and milk fat content were negative, whereas they were positive for FEC-FLU. Genetic correlations between FEC-GIN and somatic cell score were positive, indicating similar genetic mechanisms for susceptibility to udder and endoparasite infections. The moderate heritabilities for FEC-FLU suggest inclusion of FEC-FLU into overall organic dairy cattle breeding goals to achieve long-term selection response for disease resistance.

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Lungworm Infections in German Dairy Cattle Herds — Seroprevalence and GIS-Supported Risk Factor Analysis

Cited by 26 publications

References 27 publications

Occurrence of internal parasites in cattle in various management systems in South-East Poland

Occurrence of internal parasites in cattle in various management systems in South-East Poland

The effect of patent Dictyocaulus viviparus (re)infections on individual milk yield and milk quality in pastured dairy cows and correlation with clinical signs

Genetic line comparisons and genetic parameters for endoparasite infections and test-day milk production traits

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