Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), are among the most damaging arthropod pests of cattle worldwide. The last estimate of their economic impact on United States cattle production was published 20 yr ago and placed losses at $608 million. Subsequently, several studies of effects of stable flies on beef cattle weight gain and feed efficiency have been published, and stable flies have become i...

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of sub-clinical and clinical mastitis and the associated factors in cows from selected smallholder dairy farms in Zimbabwe. Physical examinations were conducted on all lactating cows for evidence of signs of clinical mastitis. Composite milk samples were collected from all lactating cows for bacterial culture and somatic cell cou...

The use of appropriate method for genetic evaluation of dairy animals is an important aspect of dairy cattle production. Traditional 305-day lactation model does not account for the changes in environmental factors within 305-day lactation and may involve unjustified projection of incomplete lactations. The use of test-day model in the recent past has made it possible to economize the genetic e...

| Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a major infectious disease among cattle, other farm animals, and human population. It results from infection ofMycobacterium bovis.A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1000clinically suspected bovine animals (435 cows and 565 buffaloes) of smallholder dairy farms in five towns i.e., Bin Qasim, Gaddap, New Karachi, Korangi and Super highway of Karachi, Pakistan...

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine prevalence and risk factors of cryptosporidiosis in bovine from two contrasting production system in and around Tanga municipality between May 2003 and January 2004. The study populations comprised 117 calves aged ≤3 months, randomly selected from 44 smallholders dairy and traditional managed herds, respectively. Individual calf and herd-level ...

Dairy cattle are a primary reservoir of Coxiella burnetii, which causes Q fever. However, no recent nationwide studies have assessed the prevalence and risks of Q fever in dairy cattle. We report >or=94% prevalence in samples of bulk tank milk from U.S. dairy herds tested during the past 3 years.

AIMS To estimate prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of enterococci in faeces collected in 2007 from U.S. dairy cattle. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 718 faecal samples from 122 dairy cattle operations from 17 US States were collected and cultured for the presence of enterococci. One hundred and eighteen of the 122 operations (96·7%) had at least one dairy cow positive for enterococc...

The objective of this study was to determine whether dairy farms with poor cow welfare could be identified using a national database for bovine identification and registration that monitors cattle deaths and movements. The welfare of dairy cattle was assessed using the Welfare Quality(®) protocol (WQ) on 24 Portuguese dairy farms and on 1930 animals. Five farms were classified as having poor we...

A narrative integrative review on the evidence for hoof trimming found 16 articles on efficacy, frequency, and associations with behavior and physiologic parameters. Review of these studies revealed (1) hoof trimming is associated with behavior and physiologic changes; (2) increasing the frequency of hoof trimming seems to decrease the incidence of hoof lesions; (3) there is limited research to...

BACKGROUND Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infections in cattle are generally challenging to detect and cost-effective test strategies are consequently difficult to identify. MAP-specific antibody ELISAs for milk and serum are relatively inexpensive, but their utility is influenced by a number of factors such as herd size, herd composition and diagnostic sensitivity. The sensi...