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MERS antibodies produced in cattle safe, treatment well tolerated in phase 1 trial
An experimental treatment developed from cattle plasma for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus infection shows broad potential, according to a small clinical trial led by National Institutes of Health scientists and their colleagues. The treatment, SAB-301, was safe and well toler...Read more -
Common treatments used on cattle have devastating impacts on wildlife, new study reveals
Experts have stressed an urgent need to find alternatives to wormers and anti-ectoparasitic products used widely on cattle, following the findings of a study just published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Researchers from the University of Sussex looked at a body of published evidence ...Read more -
Calcium added to acidified prepartum diets for dairy cows benefits future reproduction
Achieving an appropriate calcium balance in dairy cows is critical near calving, but not only to ensure a healthy transition to lactation. According to a new study from the University of Illinois, calcium added to acidified prepartum diets can improve a whole suite of postpartum outcomes, includi...Read more -
Heat stress in gestating dairy cows impairs performance of future generations
It is estimated that in the United States, environmental heat stress in cows costs the dairy industry more than $1.5 billion annually due to decreased milk production, impaired reproductive performance, increased rates of illness, and shortened lifespans. But what effects do heat stress in pregna...Read more -
Mystery about history of genetic disease in horses
Warmblood fragile foal syndrome is a severe, usually fatal, genetic disease that manifests itself after birth in affected horses. Due to the defect, the connective tissue is unstable. Under force, for instance, the skin tears from the tissue underneath and the joints can suffer dislocation. A res...Read more -
Cattle vs. hippopotamus Dung in rivers of the Savannah
In many regions of the world, populations of large mammalian herbivores have been displaced by cattle breeding, for example in Kenya the hippos by large herds of cattle. This can change aquatic ecosystems due to significant differences in the amount and type of dung input. Researchers from the Un...Read more -
Efficacy of drugs against pork tapeworm
Taenia solium – also called pork tapeworm — is a parasite which causes disease around the world, particularly in very poor communities with deficient santiation and where pigs roam free. Researchers have now analyzed the efficacy and adverse effects of three chemotherapeutics against ...Read more -
Breakthrough in the hunt for a vaccine against foal pneumonia
A vaccine against deadly foal pneumonia might finally be within reach, thanks to Morris Animal Foundation-funded research conducted at two major universities. The breakthrough could potentially save the lives of thousands of foals every year. “After many decades of efforts, our research, fu...Read more -
Vitamin A in cattle fodder is potentially protecting against cow’s milk allergy
A real milk allergy occurs in about three to five percent of European children and more rarely in adults. The disease is different from lactose intolerance, in which a lack of the enzyme lactase results in the inability to properly break down lactose, a sugar found in milk products. In the case o...Read more -
Virus-resistant pigs to vastly improve global animal health
Researchers at the University of Missouri have successfully produced a litter of pigs that are genetically resistant to a deadly porcine virus. Coronaviruses, highly contagious and widespread viruses known for their distinctive microscopic halos, are responsible for a variety of deadly intestinal...Read more -
Virus genomes help to explain why a major livestock disease has re-emerged in Europe
Livestock diseases like bluetongue virus (BTV) can have devastating economic and health consequences, but their origins can be difficult to establish. New research published in the open access journal PLOS Biology this week shows that the recent re-emergence of BTV in France could have been cause...Read more -
Vampire bat immunity and infection risk respond to livestock rearing
The availability of livestock as a food source for vampire bats influences their immune response and infection by bacterial pathogens, according to a new paper in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Because cattle ranching is common in areas where the bats live, the findings have i...Read more -
Securing the future of cattle production in Africa
A ‘world-first’ study of the genomes of indigenous cattle in Africa has revealed vital clues that will help secure the future of cattle production on the continent. Cattle are an increasingly important resource in Africa as sustainable sources of food, milk, traction and manure. With ...Read more -
Researchers find genetic ‘dial’ can control body size in pigs
Researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated a connection between the expression of the HMGA2 gene and body size in pigs. The work further demonstrates the gene’s importance in body size regulation across mammalian species, and provides a target for gene modification. ...Read more -
Pathogen Resistance To Antibiotics In Animals Could Lead To Resistant Human Pathogens
It’s bad enough when pathogenic bacteria work their way into the animal food supply. Here’s a related problem that has recently attracted scientists’ attention: some of the pathogens may become resistant to the antimicrobials that are used to fight animal disease, and that might lead to more huma...Read more -
New experimental vaccine for African swine fever virus shows promise
Government and academic investigators have developed a vaccine against African swine fever that appears to be far more effective than previously developed vaccines. The research appears this week in the Journal of Virology, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. Currently, there ...Read more -
How foot-and-mouth disease virus begins infection in cattle
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have identified the primary site where the virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) begins infection in cattle. This discovery could lead to development of new vaccines to control and potentially eradicate FMD, a highly contagious and sometim...Read more -
Healthy soil lifts animal weight
Managing soil by well-designed grazing is the key to an animal’s growth and wellbeing shows new research that links soil health, pasture value and sustainable production Individual pastures on livestock farms yield surprisingly dissimilar benefits to a farm’s overall agricultural in...Read more -
Gene-edited pigs are resistant to billion-dollar virus
Scientists have produced pigs that can resist one of the world’s most costly animal diseases, by changing their genetic code. Tests with the virus — called Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, or PRRS — found the pigs do not become infected at all. The animals show no ...Read more -
Experts advise using benchmarking to identify farms with high antibiotic use
Findings provide additional insight and potential routes through which antibiotic use can be reduced A number of British dairy farms are using extremely high levels of antibiotics in their cattle, finds a study published by Vet Record today. The findings from a large sample of farms across the UK...Read more -
DNA study of cow stomachs could aid meat and dairy production
Meat and milk production from cattle could one day be boosted, thanks to analysis of microbes in cows’ stomachs. The study paves the way for research to understand which types of microbe — such as bacteria — are best at helping cattle to extract energy from their food, experts s...Read more -
Deadly bacterial infection in pigs deciphered
New-born piglets often die painfully from infection with an intestinal bacterium. A team of researchers from 3 faculties at the University of Bern has now discovered how the bacterium causes fatal intestinal bleeding. They have thus made a breakthrough in veterinary research. Promising prospects ...Read more -
Cracking the genetic code for complex traits in cattle
Global genomic study accurately maps height in cattle, humans and dogs A massive global study involving 58,000 cattle has pinpointed the genes that influence the complex genetic trait of height in cattle, opening the door for researchers to use the same approach to map high-value traits including...Read more -
Conflict between farmers and livestock predators
A new Journal of Wildlife Management study conducted in South Africa has found that black-backed jackals, a similar species to coyotes and dingoes, prefer to eat livestock rather than similar-sized wild prey, which has important consequences for livestock husbandry and the management of predators...Read more
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