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Increasing demands for land is necessitating the optimisation of grazing land used for livestock production. Hormonal growth promoter implants (HGPI) are widely used to improve cattle performance and thus land-use efficiency. However, there is limited information on their efficacy in grazing systems. Forty grazing steers, 10 of each breed (Angus, Hereford, Holstein, Overo Colorado), had growth rates monitored for 85 days after which half received HGPI and half continued as a control. Growth rates were monitored for an additional 61 days and performance between the groups compared. Implants had a significant impact on liveweight gain (LWG; p = 0.013), and whilst breed did not (p = 0.65), there was an interaction effect of breed × treatment (p = 0.029). For three of the four breeds, the LWG was greater in the implant group (mean +14.3%). The exception was for Holstein steers which did not respond to the implant. In general, HGPI were found to be effective in increasing LWG of grazing cattle and thus has the potential to increase yield densities and relieve pressures of land use and competition. The efficacy may be affected by breed and other extraneous factors not covered in this study. Furthermore, the use of HGPI must be carefully considered in a wider context since its use might have secondary impacts.
M. Jordana Rivero; Luis Araya; Marcelo Oyarzo; Andrew S. Cooke; Sarah A. Morgan; Veronica M. Merino. Efficacy of Hormonal Growth Promoter Implants on the Performance of Grazing Steers of Different Breeds in Southern Chile. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9135 .
AMA StyleM. Jordana Rivero, Luis Araya, Marcelo Oyarzo, Andrew S. Cooke, Sarah A. Morgan, Veronica M. Merino. Efficacy of Hormonal Growth Promoter Implants on the Performance of Grazing Steers of Different Breeds in Southern Chile. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (16):9135.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Jordana Rivero; Luis Araya; Marcelo Oyarzo; Andrew S. Cooke; Sarah A. Morgan; Veronica M. Merino. 2021. "Efficacy of Hormonal Growth Promoter Implants on the Performance of Grazing Steers of Different Breeds in Southern Chile." Sustainability 13, no. 16: 9135.
Promoting and maintaining health is critical to ruminant welfare and productivity. Within human medicine, faecal lactoferrin is quantified for routine assessment of various gastrointestinal illnesses avoiding the need for blood sampling. This approach might also be adapted and applied for non-invasive health assessments in animals. In this proof-of-concept study, a bovine lactoferrin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), designed for serum and milk, was applied to a faecal supernatant to assess its potential for quantifying lactoferrin in the faeces of cattle. Faecal lactoferrin concentrations were compared to background levels to assess the viability of the technique. A comparison was then made against serum lactoferrin levels to determine if they were or were not reflective of one another. The optical densities of faecal samples were significantly greater than background readings, supporting the hypothesis that the assay was effective in quantifying faecal lactoferrin (T13, 115 = 11.99, p < 0.0005). The mean faecal lactoferrin concentration was 0.269 µg mL−1 (S.E. 0.031) and the mean serum concentration 0.074 µg mL−1 (S.E. 0.005). Lactoferrin concentrations of faecal and serum samples, taken from the same animals on the same day, were significantly different (T21 = 2.20, p = 0.039) and did not correlate (r = 0.2699, p = 0.238). Results support the hypothesis that lactoferrin can be quantified in cattle faeces by ELISA. Whilst further research is required to determine the physiological source of the lactoferrin, this highlights the potential of the method for non-invasive assessment of cattle immunology and pathology.
Andrew S. Cooke; Kathryn A. Watt; Greg F. Albery; Eric R. Morgan; Jennifer A.J. Dungait. Lactoferrin quantification in cattle faeces by ELISA. 2020, 8, 1 .
AMA StyleAndrew S. Cooke, Kathryn A. Watt, Greg F. Albery, Eric R. Morgan, Jennifer A.J. Dungait. Lactoferrin quantification in cattle faeces by ELISA. . 2020; 8 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndrew S. Cooke; Kathryn A. Watt; Greg F. Albery; Eric R. Morgan; Jennifer A.J. Dungait. 2020. "Lactoferrin quantification in cattle faeces by ELISA." 8, no. : 1.
Due to its distinct properties, wild boar meat is considered a highly desirable consumer product, in a market that is expanding. Outdoor production is also favoured by consumers who value animal welfare and environmental sustainability when choosing meat products. There is evidence that farms that include pasture for grazing typically have reduced feeding costs. Such production systems can also be more environmentally sustainable as the input (pasture) is inedible to humans, compared to conventional indoor systems, which use human-edible feeds (e.g., soya). However, some wild boar farms have performed poorly compared to those rearing other swine such as hybrid wild boar and domestic pigs. Diet is central to all livestock production and is likely a significant influencing factor of wild boar performance, both in terms of forage consumption and nutritional composition. Other factors may also influence performance, such as weather, behaviour and grazing management. Wild boar production systems hold their own intrinsic value in a growing marketplace. However, information gathered through the study of wild boar has external applications in informing outdoor domestic pig production systems to encourage the use of pasture as part of the habitat of domestic pigs.
M. Jordana Rivero; Vicente Rodríguez-Estévez; Silvana Pietrosemoli; Cecilia Carballo; Andrew S. Cooke; Anne Grete Kongsted. Forage Consumption and Its Effects on the Performance of Growing Swine-Discussed in Relation to European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa L.) in Semi-Extensive Systems: A Review. Animals 2019, 9, 457 .
AMA StyleM. Jordana Rivero, Vicente Rodríguez-Estévez, Silvana Pietrosemoli, Cecilia Carballo, Andrew S. Cooke, Anne Grete Kongsted. Forage Consumption and Its Effects on the Performance of Growing Swine-Discussed in Relation to European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa L.) in Semi-Extensive Systems: A Review. Animals. 2019; 9 (7):457.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Jordana Rivero; Vicente Rodríguez-Estévez; Silvana Pietrosemoli; Cecilia Carballo; Andrew S. Cooke; Anne Grete Kongsted. 2019. "Forage Consumption and Its Effects on the Performance of Growing Swine-Discussed in Relation to European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa L.) in Semi-Extensive Systems: A Review." Animals 9, no. 7: 457.
Background: Promoting and maintaining health is critical to ruminant welfare and productivity. Within human medicine, faecal lactoferrin is quantified for routine assessment of various gastrointestinal illnesses avoiding the need for blood sampling. This approach might also be adapted and applied for non-invasive health assessments in animals. Methods: In this proof-of-concept study a bovine lactoferrin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), designed for serum and milk, was applied to a faecal supernatant to assess its potential for quantifying lactoferrin in the faeces of cattle. Faecal lactoferrin concentrations were compared to background levels to assess the viability of the technique. A comparison was then made against serum lactoferrin levels to determine if they were or were not reflective of one another. Results: The optical densities of faecal samples were significantly greater than background readings, supporting the hypothesis that the assay was effective in quantifying faecal lactoferrin (T13, 115 = 11.99, p < 0.0005, n = 115). Lactoferrin concentrations of faecal and serum samples, taken from the same animals on the same day, were significantly different (T21 = 2.49, p = 0.022) and did not correlate (r = 0.069, p = 0.767).
Andrew S. Cooke; Kathryn Watt; Greg F. Albery; Eric R. Morgan; Jennifer A. J. Dungait. Lactoferrin quantification in cattle faeces by ELISA. 2019, 1 .
AMA StyleAndrew S. Cooke, Kathryn Watt, Greg F. Albery, Eric R. Morgan, Jennifer A. J. Dungait. Lactoferrin quantification in cattle faeces by ELISA. . 2019; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndrew S. Cooke; Kathryn Watt; Greg F. Albery; Eric R. Morgan; Jennifer A. J. Dungait. 2019. "Lactoferrin quantification in cattle faeces by ELISA." , no. : 1.
Background: Promoting and maintaining health is critical to ruminant welfare and productivity. Within human medicine, faecal lactoferrin is quantified for routine assessment of various gastrointestinal illnesses avoiding the need for blood sampling. This approach might also be adapted and applied for non-invasive health assessments in animals. Methods: In this proof-of-concept study a bovine lactoferrin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), designed for serum and milk, was applied to a faecal supernatant to assess its potential for quantifying lactoferrin in the faeces of cattle. Faecal lactoferrin concentrations were compared to background levels to assess the viability of the technique. A comparison was then made against serum lactoferrin levels to determine if they were or were not reflective of one another. Results: The optical densities of faecal samples were significantly greater than background readings, supporting the hypothesis that the assay was effective in quantifying faecal lactoferrin (T13, 115 = 11.99, p < 0.0005, n = 115). Lactoferrin concentrations of faecal and serum samples, taken from the same animals on the same day, were significantly different (T21 = 2.49, p = 0.022) and did not correlate (r = 0.069, p = 0.767).
Andrew S. Cooke; Kathryn Watt; Greg F. Albery; Eric R. Morgan; Jennifer A. J. Dungait. Lactoferrin quantification in cattle faeces by ELISA. 2019, 1 .
AMA StyleAndrew S. Cooke, Kathryn Watt, Greg F. Albery, Eric R. Morgan, Jennifer A. J. Dungait. Lactoferrin quantification in cattle faeces by ELISA. . 2019; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndrew S. Cooke; Kathryn Watt; Greg F. Albery; Eric R. Morgan; Jennifer A. J. Dungait. 2019. "Lactoferrin quantification in cattle faeces by ELISA." , no. : 1.
Antibodies at gastrointestinal mucosal membranes play a vital role in immunological protection against a range of pathogens, including helminths. Gastrointestinal health is central to efficient livestock production, and such infections cause significant losses. Fecal samples were taken from 114 cattle, across three beef farms, with matched blood samples taken from 22 of those animals. To achieve fecal antibody detection, a novel fecal supernatant was extracted. Fecal supernatant and serum samples were then analysed, using adapted enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay protocols, for levels of total immunoglobulin (Ig)A, IgG, IgM, andTeladorsagia circumcincta-specific IgA, IgG, IgM and IgE (in the absence of reagents for cattle-specific nematode species). Fecal nematode egg counts were conducted on all fecal samples. Assays performed successfully and showed that IgA was the predominant antibody in fecal samples, whereas IgG was predominant in serum. Total IgA in feces and serum correlated within individuals (0.581,P= 0.005), but other Ig types did not. Results support the hypothesis that the tested protocols are an effective method for the non-invasive assessment of cattle immunology. The method could be used as part of animal health assessments, although further work is required to interpret the relationship between results and levels of infection and immunity.
A. S. Cooke; K. A. Watt; Eric Morgan; Jennifer Dungait. The latest FAD – Faecal antibody detection in cattle. Protocol and results from three UK beef farms naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes. Parasitology 2018, 146, 89 -96.
AMA StyleA. S. Cooke, K. A. Watt, Eric Morgan, Jennifer Dungait. The latest FAD – Faecal antibody detection in cattle. Protocol and results from three UK beef farms naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes. Parasitology. 2018; 146 (1):89-96.
Chicago/Turabian StyleA. S. Cooke; K. A. Watt; Eric Morgan; Jennifer Dungait. 2018. "The latest FAD – Faecal antibody detection in cattle. Protocol and results from three UK beef farms naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes." Parasitology 146, no. 1: 89-96.
• Assessment of the impact of anthelmintic targeted selected treatment on invertebrates. • Practical risk matrix to assess the impact of treatment programs. • Novel approach to life cycle modelling of invertebrates. • Targeted selective treatment mitigates ecological impact of anthelmintics via refugia.
Andrew S. Cooke; Eric R. Morgan; Jennifer A.J. Dungait. Modelling the impact of targeted anthelmintic treatment of cattle on dung fauna. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 2017, 55, 94 -98.
AMA StyleAndrew S. Cooke, Eric R. Morgan, Jennifer A.J. Dungait. Modelling the impact of targeted anthelmintic treatment of cattle on dung fauna. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology. 2017; 55 ():94-98.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndrew S. Cooke; Eric R. Morgan; Jennifer A.J. Dungait. 2017. "Modelling the impact of targeted anthelmintic treatment of cattle on dung fauna." Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 55, no. : 94-98.