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Hypomagnesaemia (grass tetany) is a metabolic disorder of ruminants due to a reduced dietary intake of magnesium (primary deficiency), incorrect digestibility or associated metabolic factors reducing Mg intake (secondary deficiency). Grass tetany is a production disease responsible for important economic losses in beef herds from Argentina. Several factors influence the development of grass tetany in cattle, including physiological status, weather, soil and forage. This research described a retrospective analysis over the past 20 years, revising the cases of beef cattle clinical hypomagnesaemia registered at the Veterinary Diagnostic Service in INTA Balcarce, Argentina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in beef cattle slaughtered in the northern region of the state of Paraná, Brazil, was evaluated. A total of 401 blood samples were collected; 281 samples from the municipality of Rolândia and 120 from the municipality of Borrazópolis, between April 2015 and November 2016. Of the total samples, 289 were from females and 112 from males, aged one and a half to eight years. Indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was performed, using a cut-off of 1:100. Variables were tabulated for statistical analyses (Fisher's exact test and chi-square tests, p=0.05). The analysis showed that of the 401 samples, 37 were positive for N. caninum, indicating a prevalence of 9.2 %, and observed titers were 1:100 (16), 1:200 (14), and 1:400 (7). The variables sex, age, and location did not differ statistically (p>0.05). Our results showed a sero-occurrence of N. caninum in cattle slaughtered in the northern region of the state of Paraná. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to describe an outbreak of atypical interstitial pneumonia affecting 15 Angus cattle aged 7-30 months in the south of Rio Grande do Sul. The clinical course of the disease was approximately 1-3 days. The cattle were kept in the native field and had received feed containing the remains of wafers from a food factory before the outbreak. Clinical signs included dyspnea and abdominal breathing, with a clinical evolution period of up to 3 days. Nine animals presented apathy and respiratory difficulty and died within 24h, while three animals exhibited a clinical evolution period of 36-48h. Three other animals died without any clinical signs. The main macroscopic lesions were observed in the lungs, which did not collapse at the opening of the thoracic cavity and showed a rubbery consistency. On the cut surface, the organs were firm and dark red, with marked distension of the interlobular septa due to edema. Histopathological analysis revealed thickening of the interlobular pulmonary septa; interstitial edema and emphysema; mild mononuclear cell, eosinophil, and neutrophil infiltration; areas of type II pneumocyte proliferation, and thickening of the alveolar walls. Fibrin was observed in the alveolar lumen with the formation of hyaline membranes. On the basis of macroscopic and histological examinations and epidemiological data, a final diagnosis of atypical interstitial pneumonia was made. Although, the cause of the disease has not been identified, it is believed that the bran wafer meal contained ingredients that were not suitable for animals, consequently triggering the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este estudo busca enfatizar como o bem-estar animal pode influenciar nos sistemas produtivos pecuários e no produto final - a carne bovina. Surge da preocupação com as condições que os bovinos são manejados e chegam para abate nos frigoríficos, ocasionando prejuízos a todos os agentes da cadeia produtiva e da necessidade de obtenção de produtos seguros, com qualidade, e produzidos de forma sustentável e ambientalmente correta. Um bom manejo durante todo o sistema de criação se reflete na qualidade da carne. Ao se agregar qualidade, mesmo que por meio de características pouco identificáveis, promove-se a diferenciação do produto. Com certeza, assim como os prejuízos ocasionados pelo manejo inadequado, os ganhos da diferenciação, por meio de práticas de bem-estar animal, poderão ser compartilhados por todos os agentes da cadeia produtiva.This paper aims to emphasize how the animal welfare can influence the cattle productive systems and in the final beef product. The study emerges from the preoccupation with the conditions that the cattle is handled and arrive for slaughter in the cold storage room. Impairing all the productive chain agentes, and the necessity to obtain safe products, with quality and produced in a sustainable and environmentally correct way. A good handling during all the breeding systems reflects in the meat quality. Aggregating quality, though by means of not very identifiable characteristics, the product diferenciation is promoted. For sure, as well as the impairment caused by the inadequate handling, the profits of diferenciation, by means of animal welfare practices, could be shared by all the agents of the productive chain.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the bioeconomic efficiency of beef cattle production systems in the south of Brazil. A survey was conducted with 33 beef cattle farmers operating with complete cycle production systems in areas larger or equal to 900 ha. Answers were classified in two drivers, technology (TEC) and management (MAN), which were separated into subfactors with their respective components. Multiple correspondence analysis, Tukey test, cluster analysis, and Pearson correlation were the statistics procedures. The TEC components were above normal for Brazilian farmers, but the gross margin is still lower than that needed to generate financial resources for a proper remuneration of cattle farmer. Farmers were classified into three clusters according to bioeconomic efficiency: low (LEL), intermediate (IEL), or high-efficiency level (HEL). The TEC driver differentiated the LEL x HEL clusters and the MAN, mainly expressed in costs, the IEL x HEL. Positive correlation between age at first mating and age at slaughter in the HEL cluster explains the higher costs when compared to IEL because of the use of differentiated feed resources. Investments in technologies related to herd feeding in HEL cluster improved the productivity by only 20% and the cost per hectare by 95 USD ha-1 in comparison to IEL cluster. The main differences between farmers are because of the use of technologies related to feeding and cost management. Therefore, before implementing a new technology, an economic evaluation is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]