Die Mastitis beim Milchrind hat eine große ökonomische Bedeutung, daher liegt derzeit ein Forschungsschwerpunkt auf der Aktivierung und Stabilisierung der körpereigenen Abwehr zur Bekämpfung von Euterentzündungen. Besonders im peripartalen Zeitraum liegt eine Prädisposition für Infektionen vor, da eine physiologische Abwehrschwäche besteht. Daher erscheint die Förderung der Bildung von Antikörpern durch Impfungen sinnvoll. Getestet wurde der Einfluss von bestandsspezifischen E. coli-Vakzinen auf das Immunsystem, das Erregervorkommen in der Milch und die Eutergesundheit. Differenziert wurden Impfstoffe, die einerseits aus den Originalkulturen der antigenen Erreger (sogenannte large colony variants, LCV) oder aber aus den kleineren, intrazellulär persistierenden Erregern (small colony variants, SCV) hergestellt wurden. Letztlich zeigte sich bei Anwendung der Vakzinen an Milchrindern kein Unterschied zwischen LCV und SCV, bei beiden Impfstoffen war eine vakzinationsbedingte deutliche Steigerung der Antikörpertiter, welche einen Einfluss auf Erregervorkommen und Eutergesundheit hatte, erkennbar.

The objective of this study was to determine the ability of a passive temperature monitoring system consisting of radio frequency identification (RFID) boluses with thermistors and receiver panels to detect ovulation in high performing dairy cows. The twice-daily reticulo-rumen temperature (Trr) acquisitions of 41 early-lactation Holstein dairy cows were analyzed. The data were analyzed using two criteria: six baseline days (2d, 3d, 4d, 5d, 6d, 7d) and four temperature deviations (0.2°C, 0.3°C, 0.4°C, 0.5°C). The best criteria were chosen by selecting the baseline/deviation combination that gave the best positive predictive value (PPV). The system detected 93 true positive and 267 false positive alerts of ovulation, with a monitoring rate (MR) of 47% and a PPV of 46.2%. There were indications that the Cow Temperature Monitoring System could have a future as an ovulation detection aid, but due to the unreliability of the Wi-Fi transmission of acquisitions, more research needs to be conducted before definite conclusions can be drawn.

This thesis is an investigation of the prevalence of, and factors associated with, hock, knee, and neck injuries on dairy cattle in Canada. Tie-stall (n = 100) and free-stall farms (n = 90) were visited in Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta, Canada. Cows were scored for hock (tarsus), knee (carpus), and neck injuries on a 3 or 4-point scale combining the attributes of hair loss, broken skin, and swelling. Animal-based and environmental measures were taken which were hypothesized to be risk factors for injury. On tie-stall farms the mean herd-level prevalence of hock, knee, and neck injuries was 56, 43, and 30%, respectively. On free-stall farms the mean herd-level prevalence of hock, knee, and neck injuries was 47, 24, and 9%, respectively. Having sand stall bases, feed rail heights above 140 cm and managing cows to reduce slips and falls were associated with reduced injury prevalence. / Dairy Research Cluster (Dairy Farmers of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Dairy Commission)

The objective of this thesis was to determine the effects of frequency of milking and feed delivery on the behavioural patterns and productivity of lactating dairy cows. In two independent experiments, twelve free-stall housed, lactating Holstein dairy cows were exposed to either varying milking frequency or varying feed delivery frequency over 21-d periods. In the first study, cows milked three times per day and multiparous cows produced more milk than those milked twice per day and primiparous cows. Milking three times per day altered the distribution of feeding activity throughout the day. Multiparous cows had longer, and larger meals, while primiparous cows had smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day when milked three times per day. In the second study, cows delivered feed three times per day consumed more DM than those fed once per day and twice per day. Feed delivery frequency had little effect on feeding behaviour and the distribution of feeding activity, but altered the magnitude of DMI following feed delivery. Cows delivered feed more frequently achieve greater daily DMI by consuming more feed following the return from milking and the delivery of feed. / This project was financially supported by a Dairy Farmers of Ontario (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) research grant and an Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA; Guelph, Ontario, Canada)/University of Guelph Production Systems research grant. Additional project support was received from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) and the Ontario Research Fund (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).

This thesis investigates the relationship between cow lying behavior and udder health in free-stall housed dairy cows milked 3x/d. Two longitudinal studies were undertaken; in the first, associations with risk of elevated somatic cell count (eSCC) were determined and, in the second, associations between management practices, post-milking standing duration (PMSD), and risk of intramammary infection (IMI) were determined. A PMSD of >90 min was associated with reduced odds of eSCC. A PMSD of 90 to 120 min was associated with reduced odds of CNS IMI, as was provision of feed around time of milking. Providing ample feed bunk space, having lower free-stall stocking densities, and providing feed around the time of milking promoted PMSD. Overall, these results suggest that management practices which promote PMSD may help to improve udder health in free-stall cows milked 3x/d.

Johne’s disease (JD) in cattle is a disease of economic importance caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Studies were conducted to estimate the losses due to lower weaning weight of beef calves from MAP test-positive dams, to compare the perceptions of producers and veterinarians on the burden and economic aspects of MAP infection in cow-calf herds, and to evaluate whether testing and culling MAP test-positive cows is economically beneficial. Calves from cows with strong-positive ELISA results were 21.5 kg lighter at weaning compared to calves from ELISA-negative cows. Calves from heavy MAP shedding cows were 58.5 kg lighter, and calves from moderate shedders were 40.8 kg lighter compared to the calves from fecal-culture negative cows. Based on average feeder calf value during 2007 to 2012, these losses corresponded to US $57 per calf for ELISA strong-positive dams, US $157 per calf for heavy fecal shedder dams, and US $109 per calf for a moderate fecal shedder dam. Seedstock producers and the producers enrolled in control programs were more likely to have MAP uninfected herds. The average prevalence reported by producers was 0.8%. Compared to the small herds (<50 head), the average test-positive percentages and estimated prevalences were reported to be higher in medium (50-149) and highest in large (≥150) herds. Veterinarians reported an overall animal level prevalence in their client herds of 5%. Seedstock herds had a lower prevalence and these producers were more likely to enroll in a JD control program. Income lost due to the presence of JD in an infected cattle herd was perceived to be higher by veterinarians. Compared to the veterinarians, seedstock producers were more likely to perceive genetic losses due to culling MAP positive cows. Average annual loss due to JD in a 100 cow herd with a 7% MAP prevalence was $1,644 and $1,747 based on information provided by producers and veterinarians, respectively. Herd level production decreased with increasing prevalence. Compared to test and cull after ELISA or ELISA followed by fecal culture, using fecal culture alone provided the fastest reduction in herd prevalence. Fecal culture was also the least costly alternative based on long-term cumulative costs of an annual test and cull program. Results from the current study suggest that although testing provides faster progress, limiting within herd transmission by sale of all weaned calves and purchasing only low-risk replacements can also reduce prevalence. Results suggest that MAP infection in cows causes significant losses for the calves that are produced. While the knowledge about JD varied between producers and veterinarians, seedstock producers were more enthusiastic about MAP control programs and had lower MAP prevalence in their herds. Overall losses due to MAP infection in the herd might be substantial. It is very costly to control or eliminate MAP once the infection is established in a herd.

A very high proportion of beef cows in Australia are mated to bulls at pasture. A multiplicity of systems for pasture mating are presently in use. Bulls are mated singly or in groups, they are set-stocked during the mating period or rotated about the different groups of cows, they are mated at the rate of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 bulls per 100 cows, young bulls are mated to cows in company with old bulls or other young bulls (Dickson 1966). There is little scientific basis for any of these mating systems since basic information on the sexual and social behaviour of beef bulls at pasture is lacking. Such data are needed so that optimum use can be made of beef bulls in pasture mating. (For complete abstract open document)

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin, 1963. / Typescript (carbon copy). eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 41-43).

abstract: In the United States, Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) is the most frequent cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and it is also the primary cause of acute renal failure in children. The most common route of the infection is ingestion of contaminated meat or dairy product originating from cattle or vegetables contaminated with bovine manure. Since cattle are the main reservoir for human infection with E. coli O157:H7, the reduction of intestinal colonization by these bacteria in cattle is the best approach to prevent human infections. Intimin is an outer membrane protein of E. coli O157:H7 that plays an important role in adhesion of the bacteria to the host cell. Hence, I proposed to express intimin protein in tomato plants to use it as a vaccine candidate to reduce or prevent intestinal colonization of cattle with E. coli O157:H7. I expressed His-tagged intimin protein in tomato plants and tested the purified plant-derived intimin as a vaccine candidate in animal trials. I demonstrated that mice immunized intranasally with purified tomato-derived intimin produced intimin-specific serum IgG1and IgG2a, as well as mucosal IgA. I further demonstrated that mice immunized with intimin significantly reduced time of the E. coli O157:H7 shedding in their feces after the challenge with these bacteria, as compared to unimmunized mice. Shiga toxin is the major virulence factor that contributes to HUS. Since Shiga toxin B subunit has an important role in the attachment of the toxin to its receptor, I fused intimin to Shiga toxin B subunit to create multivalent subunit vaccine and tested the effects upon immunization of mice with the B subunit when combined with intimin. His-tagged intimin, Shiga toxin B subunit, and Shiga toxin-intimin fusion proteins were expressed in E. coli and purified. I demonstrated that this multivalent fusion protein vaccine candidate elicited intimin- and Shiga toxin B-specific IgG1, IgG2a, and IgA antibodies in mice. I also showed a reduction in the duration of the bacterial shedding after the challenge compared to the control sham-immunized groups. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Plant Biology 2010

The aim of this bachelor´s thesis was to capture the basic behaviour categories in dairy cattle breeding cows in production stable in relation to their reproductive cycle. The research was carried out on four groups: after calving (12 pcs), between 1st - 3rd insemination (50 pcs), heavily pregnant (39 pcs) and cows in the dry period (32 pcs). The milk and combined utility type of dairy cows were housed in a large scale stable. Milk yield was monitored as a factor of milk performance traits. Milk yield of Holstein cattle (H) and Czech Fleckvieh cattle (C) were 35.10 kg and 30.88 kg (P>0.05) during increasing milk flow. In a group of dairy cows in insemination period Holstein and Czech Fleckvieh cows produced 31.16 kg of milk respectively 25.15 kg. The differences in milk yield were statistically significant (P0.01). In the group of heavily pregnant cows decreased milk yield in both Holstein and Czech Fleckvieh cattle to 18.18 kg respectively 17.31 kg of milk (P>0.05). The length of insemination interval (from the group of fertility traits) reached 75.57 days within group of dairy cows H and 67.82 days within group C. Service period of dairy cows H was 151.99 days and 152.25 days within dairy cows C (P>0.05). The length of feed intake was determined while differences in behaviour were being assessed between groups. In the group after calving took the feed intake 25.7 % days, in the group of dairy cows in insemination period 23.9 %, by heavily pregnant cows 25.8 % and by dairy cows standing in the dry period 29.6 % of total time. The length of standing achieved by the group after calving was 18.8 %, by the group of dairy cows in the insemination period 24.0 %, by heavily pregnant dairy cows 16.5 % and by dry cows 15.7 % of total time. The length of rest was by the group after calving 42.0 %, by the group of dairy cows in the insemination period 37.1 %, by heavily pregnant dairy cows 53.9 %, and by dry cows 53.2 % of total time. The average aggression in the group after calving reached a value 3.67 per one cow. In the group of dairy cows in the mating period increased aggressiveness on 4.68. In the group of heavily pregnant dairy cows fell the average to 0.33 and nearly the same was in the group of dry cows (0.38). The incidence of comfort behaviour in a group of cows after calving was for one cow 11.08. In the group of inseminated cows decreased significantly to 3.78. Other decrease was observed within the group of heavily pregnant dairy cows and by the group of dry cows too (1.44 or 1.28 per one dairy cow).