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The objective of this producer survey was to identify and estimate damage caused by bird-livestock interactions in commercial dairies. The interactions between birds and livestock have previously been implicated in causing economic damage while contributing to the environmental dissemination of microorganisms pathogenic to livestock and humans. Very little research exists to help producers understand what bird species use dairies, why they use dairies, or the scope and nature of damage created as a result of bird-livestock interactions. To better characterize these interactions, we surveyed dairy operators within Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin. Survey results suggest that the most common and destructive bird species found on commercial dairies are invasive to North America, and their use of dairies is associated with the loss of cattle feed, increased operating costs, and an increase in dairies self-reporting Salmonella spp. and Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis. Cattle feed loss estimates generated from this survey were used to parameterize an input-output (IO) economic model using data from 10 counties in the state of Pennsylvania (Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Somerset). This IO model allowed us to estimate direct, indirect, and induced economic effects of feed loss from bird damage to dairies within these counties. The IO model output suggests that feed loss costs Pennsylvania between $4.11 and $12.08 million (mean $10.6 million) in total economic damage, with approximately 43 to 128 jobs (mean 112) forgone statewide in 2009.

Kurzfassung Ermüdung von Beschichtungen und Oberflächen ist ein häufiger Schädigungsmechanismus von Werkzeugen und Maschinenelementen, da in diesen Kontakten weder plastische Deformation noch Dreikörperverschleiß auftreten. In diesen Fällen führt die Ermüdung oftmals zum frühzeitigen Versagen der Komponente, Verlust der Funktionalität und somit zu einer reduzierten Standzeit. In dieser Arbeit wurde eine Methode entwickelt, die es ermöglicht, das zyklische Ermüdungsverhalten von Oberflächen zu charakterisieren. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt erste Charakterisierungsergebnisse einer auf Titan basierenden Hartstoffbeschichtung im tribologischen Kontakt mit einem typischen Umformschmierstoff. Um den zyklischen Tribokontakt nachzustellen, wurde eine Hartmetallkugel mithilfe eines “Scratch-Testers” zyklisch über eine geschmierte und beschichtete Probe bewegt. Nach einer definierten Anzahl von Lastzyklen wurde die Verschleißspur mit sowohl einem optischem als auch mit dem Rasterelektronenmikroskop (REM) untersucht und die Schadensausbildung von Rissen und Delamination bestimmt. Für die Abschätzung der Pressung wurde das Hertz‘sche Kontaktdruckmodell verwendet. Es zeigte sich, dass Schichtsysteme, die für höhere Belastungen optimal sind, nicht für geringere Belastungen geeignet sind und umgekehrt. Für eine optimale Auslegung eines wechselseitig belasteten Systems ist somit ein Oberflächenkonzept zu wählen, welches in dem entsprechenden Lastbereich optimale zyklische Eigenschaften aufweist

To investigate the relationship between European starlings and bovine coccidiosis we collected samples from European starlings, cattle feed bunks, cattle water troughs, and cattle feces within concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). These samples were screened for coccidia spp. to investigate (i) the prevalence of coccidia in starlings using CAFOs; (ii) if there is a relationship between bovine coccidiosis and starling numbers; (iii) if coccidia contamination of cattle feed and water is related to the number of starlings observed on CAFOs. Coccidia belonging to the genus Eimeria were detected in cattle feces and one water sample but no Eimeria spp. were detected in European starlings or cattle feed. However, many European starling samples were positive for Isospora. Starling use of CAFOs did not appear to be associated with coccidia spp. shedding by cattle and there was no correlation between starling numbers and contamination of cattle feed and water, suggesting that starling do not contribute to the amplification and spread of Eimeria in CAFOs.

Summary 1. Characterizing and mitigating the disease risks associated with wildlife use of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) can reduce the spread of micro-organisms throughout the environment while increasing agricultural productivity. To better understand the disease risks associated with bird use of CAFOs, we assessed the capacity of European starlings Sturnus vulgaris to spread Salmonella enterica to cattle, their feed and water. 2. We sampled starlings, cattle feed, cattle water and cattle faeces from 10 CAFOs in Texas, USA. Samples were screened for Salmonella enterica to investigate: (i) the prevalence of S. enterica in starlings using CAFOs, (ii) whether there was a relationship between cattle infections and starling numbers, and (iii) if S. enterica contamination of cattle feed and water was related to numbers of starlings observed on CAFOs. 3. We used generalized linear mixed logistic regression models to assess the importance of starlings, cattle stocking, facility management and environmental variables in the transmission of S. enterica to cattle, feed troughs and water troughs in CAFOs. 4. Starling gastrointestinal tract samples tested positive for S. enterica (2AE5% prevalence; 95% CI = 0AE3%, 8AE6%) and starlings were retained as model covariates in the best supported logistic regression models for S. enterica contamination within cattle feed, water and faeces. 5. Salmonella enterica contamination of both cattle feed troughs and water troughs is significantly related to numbers of starlings. Contamination in cattle feed increased as more starlings entered feed troughs. Contamination in water troughs increased asymptotically as numbers of starlings on CAFOs increased. Starling variables in the cattle faecal shedding model were not significant. 6. Synthesis and applications. The numbers of European starlings better explained S. enterica contamination of cattle feed and water than other variables including cattle stocking, facility management and environmental variables. This suggests that starlings are a source of S. enterica contamination in CAFOs. Thus, starling management tools such as population control, habitat management, exclusionary devises and bird repellents may be used to reduce the amplification and spread of disease within livestock production systems.

Bird populations are influenced by a variety of factors at both small and large scales that range from the pres- ence of suitable nesting habitat, predators, and food supplies to climate conditions and land-use patterns. We evaluated the influences of regional climate and land-use variables on wetland breeding birds in the Canada section of Bird Conservation Region 11 (CA-BCR11), the Prairie Potholes. We used bird abundance data from the North American Breeding Bird Sur- vey, land-use data from the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, and weather data from the National Climatic Data and Information Archive to model effects of regional environmental variables on bird abundance. Models were constructed a priori using information from published habitat associations in the literature, and fitting was performed with WinBUGS using Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques. Both land-use and climate variables contributed to predicting bird abundance in CA-BCR11, although climate predictors contributed the most to improving model fit. Examination of regional effects of climate and land use on wetland birds in CA-BCR11 revealed relationships with environmental covariates that are often overlooked by small-scale habitat studies. Results from these studies can be used to improve conservation and management planning for regional populations of avifauna. Resume ´ : Les populations d'oiseaux sont influencees par une foule de facteurs, tant apetite qu'agrande echelle, qui vont de la presence d'un habitat adequat de nidification, de predateurs et de ressources alimentaires jusqu'aux conditions clima- tiques et aux patrons d'utilisation des terres. Nous evaluons les influences des variables du climat et de l'utilisation region- ale des terres sur la reproduction d'oiseaux nichant dans les terres humides dans la region 11 de protection des oiseaux au Canada (CA-BCR11), soit les mares des prairies. Nous utilisons les donnees d'abondance des oiseaux de l'Inventaire nord- americain des oiseaux nicheurs, les donnees d'utilisation des terres de l'Administration du retablissement agricole des prai- ries et les donnees climatiques des Archives nationales d'information et de donnees climatologiques pour elaborer un mod- ele des effets des variables environnementales regionales sur l'abondance des oiseaux. Nous avons construit des modeles a priori apartir de donnees sur les associations d'habitat dans la litterature et nous les avons ajustesal'aide du logiciel Win- BUGS avec des techniques de Monte Carlo par chao ˆnes de Markov. Tant les variables du climat que de l'utilisation des terres contribuent ala prediction de l'abondance des oiseaux dans la region CA-BCR11, bien que ce soient les variables climatiques explicatives qui contribuent le plus al'amelioration de l'ajustement du modele. L'examen des effets regionaux du climat et de l'utilisation des terres dans la region CA-BCR11 montre des relations avec les covariables environnemen- tales qui sont souvent ignorees dans les etudes d'habitat apetite echelle. Les resultats de nos etudes peuvent servir aame ´- liorer la planification en vue de la conservation et l'amenagement des populations regionales de la faune aviaire.

This study was designed to explore the role that red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) may have played in disseminating West Nile virus (WNV) across the United States. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays designed to detect WNV antibodies in avian species we were able to determine the WNV antibody prevalence in a cohort of red-winged blackbirds in central North Dakota in 2003 and 2004. The peak WNV antibody prevalence was 22.0% in August of 2003 and 18.3% in July of 2004. The results of this study suggest that red-winged blackbird migratory populations may be an important viral dispersal mechanism with the ability to spread arboviruses such as WNV across the United States.

Blackbird (family Icteridae) depredation on sunflower (Helianthus annuus) crops in the prairie states of the United States has motivated the proposed use of an avicide, DRC-1339 (3-chloro-4-methylaniline), to decrease their numbers. The resulting mortality of black- birds at wetland roosts could increase the potential of avian botulism occurring in affect- ed marshes. To assess this possibility, we seeded (artificially placed) blackbird carcasses in selected wetlands in Stutsman County, North Dakota, during August-September 2000 and July-September 2001 to evaluate their rate of decomposition and role in initiating avian botulism outbreaks. We monitored carcasses to determine their persistence, the frequen- cy and amount of maggots produced, and the presence of type C botulinum toxin. In 10 of our 12 study wetlands, blackbird carcasses were not rapidly removed by scavengers, thus providing substrate for maggot growth and potential production of Clostridium botu- linum toxin. Decomposition of carcasses occurred rapidly, and maggot production aver- aged 4-5 g per carcass within 9 days. We were unable to detect C. botulinum type C toxin in any of the 377 blackbird carcasses or the 112 samples of maggots we collected in 2000 or 2001. None of the 25 blackbird carcasses we tested contained botulinum spores, the most probable explanation for the absence of botulinum toxin production. Our results indicate that the likelihood of DRC-1339-poisoned blackbirds causing botulism outbreaks would be minimal in North Dakota wetlands during late summer and early autumn.

Objective:Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common psychiatric disorder. The nosological status of this diagnostic entity was critically discussed because of the very high rate of comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders, the assumed low degree of social disability associated with GAD in the absence of other disorders, and an ambigious definition. Method:We explored the frequency and associated social disability of GAD, and examined whether the ICD-10 definition of GAD is appropriate. The analysis was based on the WHO study on ‘Psychological Problems in Primary Care’ conducted in a standardized manner in 14 countries. Results:We found GAD (total and without another psychiatric disorder) to be common in primary care in nearly all countries (mean 1-month prevalence rate, 7.9%), with 25% of these cases presenting with GAD in the absence of any comorbid psychiatric disorder. GAD in general, as well as non-comorbid GAD, are associated with social disability which is as severe as that in chronic somatic diseases. Conclusion:It remains questionable whether the current ICD-10 diagnosis of GAD defining 6 months as a minimum duration and requiring at least four associated symptoms for diagnosis is the most appropriate option. Using this definition, a substantial proportion of psychosocially disabled subjects characterized by anxiety, tension and worrying remain undetected, and are possibly therefore not adequately treated.

We report a case of a patient who developed a postoperative anterior spinal artery syndrome that was masked by the use of epidural analgesia. We wish to alert other anaesthetists that the use of epidural anaesthesia in this setting may mask the symptoms and delay the diagnosis of this rare complication.The patient was a 22-yr-old obese man with metastatic testicular carcinoma who underwent a left-sided thoracoabdominal retroperitoneal tumour resection. A lumbar epidural catheter was placed preoperatively for pain management. Postoperatively, the patient developed bilateral lower extremity weakness, which was at first attributed to epidural administration of local anaesthetics. Despite discontinuation of the local anaesthetics, the symptoms persisted. Further work-up led to the diagnosis of anterior spinal artery syndrome. The patient was sent to a rehabilitation hospital and had a partial recovery.Anterior spinal artery syndrome can occur following retroperitoneal surgery. It is important to recognize the potential for this complication when postoperative epidural analgesia is contemplated, especially following a left-sided surgical dissection. The use of epidural local anaesthetics immediately after surgery delays the diagnosis of a postoperative neurological deficit. Moreover, when the deficit is recognized the epidural itself may be falsely blamed for postoperative paraplegia. If epidural analgesia is used, opioids may be preferred over local anaesthetics in the immediate postoperative period to prevent masking of an anterior spinal artery syndrome.

SUMMARY. The prevalence of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolated from the feces of wild European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) humanely trapped at a feedlot in central Kansas was assessed. All E. coli and Salmonella isolates recovered were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System panels and the E. coli isolates were classified as to their content of genes associated with pathogenic E. coli of birds and cattle, including cvaC, iroN2, ompTp, hlyF2, eitC, iss, iutA, ireA, papC, stxI, stxII, sta, K99, F41, and eae. Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis were not detected and Salmonella was isolated from only three samples, two of which displayed antimicrobial resistance. Approximately half of the E. coli isolates were resistant to antimicrobial agents with 96% showing resistance to tetracycline. Only one isolate was positive for a single gene associated with bovine pathogenic E. coli .A n interesting finding of this study was that 5% of the E. coli isolates tested met the criteria established for identification as avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC). Thus these findings suggest that starlings are not a significant source of Salmonella spp., Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, E. coli O157, or other shiga toxin–producing E. coli in this feedlot. However, they may have the potential to spread APEC, an important pathogen of poultry and a potential pathogen to human beings. RESUMEN. Presencia de Escherichia coli, Salmonella y Mycobacterium avium subesp. paratuberculosis en estorninos pintos silvestres en un lote de engorde de ganado en Kansas.

Author(s): LeJeune, Jeffrey; Homan, Jeffrey; Linz, George; Pearl, David L. | Abstract: Routes that cattle become exposed to and contaminated with Escherichia coli O157 remain enigmatic. To ascertain the potential role of wild birds, particularly European starlings, in the transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 among dairy farms, the ecology of this pathogen in these birds was studied. Bird movement from roost sites to farms was monitored using radio-telemetry (n = 49). Concurrently, frequency of livestock feed contamination and E. coli O157:H7 carriage in birds and in cattle was ascertained. Most of the birds tagged from farms in the limited geographic region roosted communally at a location within 20 km of the farms where they were tagged. Individual birds returned frequently to the same farm on a daily basis for feeding. E. coli O157:H7 was cultured from approximately 3% of starlings and 4% of cattle in the study population. We have previously reported the isolation of indistinguishable molecular subtypes of E. coli O157 from starlings from different farms. Clearly, European starlings can serve as a vehicle to disseminate this pathogen from farm to farm. What remains to be determined is the magnitude of the contribution that birds have in the overall ecology of E. coli O157 in livestock populations, and how this might be mitigated.

Author(s): Gaukler, Shannon M.; Homan, H. Jeffrey; Dyer, Neil W.; Linz, George M.; Bleier, William J. | Abstract: Kansas is a major producer of livestock and has an abundance of over-wintering European starlings. Roost sizes for over-wintering starlings can be as large as 5 million individuals. Starlings cause a substantial amount of economic damage to farmers. Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella can cause illness in both livestock and humans, and cattle with Johne’s disease must be culled. Crohn’s disease in humans is suspected to be caused from Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Johne’s disease). We banded, leg-flagged, and radio-tagged starlings using feedlots near Great Bend, Kansas. Our objectives were to track daily movements of starlings visiting feedlots in this area and screen starlings for E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and M. a. subsp. paratuberculosis. Preliminary data show that starlings in Kansas are moving among feedlots rather than remaining at one feedlot. Pathogens were detected at a low prevalence. Our results can be used to develop plans for the management of transmissible diseases carried by starlings.

Celiac crisis is a rare presentation of celiac disease that is characterized by life-threatening electrolyte abnormalities, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and diarrhea. Triggers for celiac crisis include major surgeries, pancreatitis, and infections of cytomegalovirus, and salmonella. A 24-year-old woman presented with celiac crisis associated with severe herpes simplex virus (HSV) esophagitis. This case demonstrates that nutritional deficiencies seen in celiac disease can result in a relative immunodeficiency, which may lead to other infectious complications. Additionally, early recognition of celiac crisis is imperative as the metabolic derangements may be life-threatening, and therapy with gluten restriction and nutritional repletion is effective.

Schizophrenia, like all other common diseases, aggregates in families. The patterns of familial transmission are irregular and do not fit a Mendelian pattern. Simultaneously, twin and partly also adoption studies revealed for all common diseases a strong genetic influence without ruling out nongenetic environmental factors. It can be derived from incomplete concordance rates among monozygotic twins that nongenetic factors also contribute to all common disorders. The impact of nongenetic determinants is thought to be comparable by magnitude to genetic factors in most common diseases; twin studies - as far as they are available - support this assumption. The term “complex diseases” indicate a presence of genetic determination in the absence of Mendelian, monogenic transmission and of nongenetic environmental factors.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) are presumed predators of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in the northern Great Plains. Their esophageal contents varied temporally and among three provinces and three states in relation to regional agricultural bases but males contained more sunflower and small grains than females whereas females contained more weed seeds and insects than males. The diets of both sexes frequently included insects but insects comprised only a small proportion of the total dry weight of esophageal contents. In north-central North Dakota, sunflower represented about 50% of the esophageal contents of males in spring and fall but comprised less than 20% of the female diet. Small grains comprised about 25% of the female diet in all seasons and about 40% of summer diet of males. Insects represented about 50% of the diet of females until mid-summer when insects were largely replaced by weed seeds.

A sample of 502 schizophrenic patients, who had been admitted to the University Psychiatric Clinic between 1945 and 1959, was systematically followed up between 1967 and 1973. The same well-defined diagnostic criteria were used throughout the study. At the time of the last followup, the average duration of illness was 22.4 years. Twenty-two percent of the patients showed complete psychopathological remissions, 43% had noncharacteristic types of remission, and 35 percent suffered from characteristic schizophrenic deficiency syndromes. Psychopathological outcome in the patients studied was assessed in relationship to such factors as duration of illness, social remission, family history of schizophrenia, primary personality, educational level, social class, age at onset, and presence of precipitating factors. It is concluded that prognostic predictions are possible only when several factors with a similar influence on long-term outcome occur in combination and when factors with a contrary prognostic influence are absent. Even under these circumstances, the individual course is by no means certain. The hypothesis that presenting symptomatology can be used to differentiate between true schizophrenias and schizophreniform psychoses is not supported.

We have presented a case in which clinical improvement in a patient with septic arthritis of the hip was achieved as a result of the removal of gross dental sepsis. The patient had previously received medical treatment for three weeks without proper oral evaluation and treatment.