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The objective of this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded field trial was to investigate the effects of oral administration of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L. (EP)) on performance, health and immune parameters in calves. Calves (n = 27) were enrolled to three groups (9 calves per group): 0.5 g EP/calf per day (ECL), 5 g EP/calf per day (ECH) or placebo. Calves were vaccinated with Bluetongue-Virus (BTV) serotype 4 vaccine to investigate EPs effects on seroconversion. Clinical and performance parameters, inter alia body weight, health and milk intake were recorded for 57 days. Blood samples were analyzed for BTV antibodies and IgG by ELISA, white and red blood cell counts by flow cytometry and mRNA abundance of various inflammatory markers in leukocytes (IL-1β, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox-2) and prostaglandin E synthase) was studied. The findings demonstrated no differences between groups regarding performance parameters. In all groups, calves suffered from diarrhea for a minimum of 2 days, but EP reduced the number of diarrhea days by 44% in ECL and increased the body temperature. Interestingly, ECL resulted in an increased number of respiratory disease days during the follow-up period. EP did not change blood cell and IgG counts, whereas eosinophil granulocytes were reduced in ECL. Decreased levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit were found in ECH. Prostaglandin E synthase levels in leukocytes were higher in ECL and ECH, whereas no differences were obtained for IL-1β, IL-8, TNFα and Cox-2. Due to the unexpected occurrence of BTV seropositive calves before the first vaccination, 13 calves were excluded from the evaluation on seroconversion and no statistical analyses could be performed regarding antibody production. BTV-4 antibodies were not produced in 4 placebo-calves, whereas 4 of 5 and 1 of 6 ECL- and ECH-calves produced antibodies. Further investigations are needed to draw final conclusions on mode of action and efficacy of EP in calves.

For reasons of aspired naturalness and cost reduction, vitamin additions should be kept low in organic livestock systems. To define safe lower threshold levels of riboflavin supplementation in organic poultry feeding, 135 hybrid layers were allocated to three dietary treatments supplemented with either 4.5 (R4.5), 3.0 (R3.0) or 1.5 mg (R1.5) GMO-free riboflavin added per kg feed. This resulted in total measured concentration averages of 5.0, 4.5, and 3.1 mg kg−1 feed for R4.5, R3.0 and R1.5, respectively. For 18 weeks, each treatment was replicated in three groups of 15 hens. Feed consumption, laying performance, egg quality, riboflavin concentration in the yolk, and clinical health scores were assessed. Two hens per group (six per treatment) were slaughtered in weeks 11 and 18, respectively, for measurement of pancreas, spleen, liver and heart weights, and determination of liver riboflavin. No treatment effects on feed consumption, body weight, laying performance, egg weights, eggshell strength and yolk colour or plumage and keel bone integrity were observed. No symptoms of lameness or footpad damage were found. The riboflavin concentration in egg yolks in R1.5 was lower than in other treatments. Liver riboflavin concentration increased between week 11 and 18 in all treatments, but it was also lower in R1.5. Based on these results, the addition of 3 mg riboflavin kg−1 feed appeared to be sufficient with respect to the health and performance of laying hens. Supplementation with only 1.5 mg kg−1 resulted in some metabolic signs of deficiency. These results apply only to organic winter diets.

Medicinal plants for prophylaxis and therapy of common infectious diseases in poultry have been studied for several years. The goal of this review was to systematically identify plant species and evaluate their potential in prophylaxis and therapy of common diseases in poultry caused by bacteria and gastrointestinal protozoa. The procedure followed the recommendations of the PRISMA statement and the AMSTAR measurement tool. The PICOS scheme was used to design the research questions. Two databases were consulted, and publications were manually selected, according to predefined in- and exclusion criteria. A scoring system was established to evaluate the remaining publications. Initially, 4197 identified publications were found, and 77 publications remained after manual sorting, including 38 publications with 70 experiments on bacterial infections and 39 publications with 78 experiments on gastrointestinal protozoa. In total, 83 plant species from 42 families were identified. Asteraceae and Lamiaceae were the most frequently found families with Artemisia annua being the most frequently found plant, followed by Origanum vulgare. As compared to placebo and positive or negative control groups, antimicrobial effects were found in 46 experiments, prebiotic effects in 19 experiments, and antiprotozoal effects in 47 experiments. In summary, a total of 274 positive effects predominated over 241 zero effects and 37 negative effects. Data indicate that O. vulgare, Coriandrum sativum, A. annua, and Bidens pilosa are promising plant species for prophylaxis and therapy of bacterial and protozoal diseases in poultry.

Hilft bei der Infektionsbehandlung viel viel? Hochdosiert und lang antibiotisch zu behandeln, galt lange Zeit als Goldstandard. Zugrunde lag die Annahme, bakterielle Krankheitserreger durch die Medikation zu 100 %, also vollständig(!) zu eliminieren. Dieses Dogma bröckelt. Durch eine 14 Tage andauernde tägliche Verabreichung von 6 mg Colistinsulfat pro kg Körpergewicht ließen sich die Colony Forming Units (CFU) von E. coli pro g Absetzerferkel(durchfall)kot nach 7 Tagen von ca. 107 auf ca. 103 reduzieren. Weitere 7 Tage später lagen bei andauernder und an das zunehmende Körpergewicht angepasster Dosierung die E. coli-CFU bereits schon wieder 100fach höher bei ca. 105 [2] . Hätte man mit einer noch höheren Dosierung noch mehr bewirkt? Die nach 14 Tagen antibiotischer Dauermedikation ausgeschiedenen Bakterien dürften sich zumindest mit der Medikation in entsprechender Dosierung arrangiert haben. In der Tiermedizin die richtige Dosierung zu finden, ist grundsätzlich schon weitaus schwieriger als in der Humanmedizin. Man hat es nicht nur mit unterschiedlichen Tierarten und zum Teil deutlich unterschiedlichen Wirk- und Abbauphysiologien zu tun, sondern nicht selten schwanken auch Größe und Körpergewicht innerhalb ein und derselben Art erheblich. Man halte sich nur einen Chihuahua und einen Bernhardiner Hund, eine Jersey und eine Holstein Friesian Kuh oder ein Shetland Pony und ein Shire Horse vor Augen. Breit angelegte pharmakokinetische und -dynamische Untersuchungen oder Dosisfindungsstudien für Tierarzneimittel sind rar. Noch wesentlich seltener sind sie im Hinblick auf pflanzliche Wirkstoffe [1] , [22] und es ist nicht zu erwarten, dass sich dieser Zustand in naher Zukunft ändert. In der Tiermedizin gilt es nach wie vor als lege artis, Dosierungen zwischen verschiedenen Tierarten oder verschiedenen Kalibern derselben Tierart, oder auch vom Menschen aufs Tier nicht über das normale Körpergewicht, sondern über das sogenannte metabolische Körpergewicht (kg0.75, MBW; [11] ) umzurechnen. Dosierungsempfehlungen von Arzneipflanzen für Tiere gibt es dennoch mittlerweile wieder in den einschlägigen Fachbüchern, in der Regel auf Basis historischer Literatur. Wie lassen sich zukünftig Arzneipflanzendosierungen für Tiere besser abschätzen, einordnen und weiterentwickeln? Dieser Frage widmet sich der folgende Artikel.

Postweaning diarrhoea (PWD) is one of the most serious problems in pig production, leading to a high antimicrobial use. Preventive oral administration of Allium sativum L. (AS, garlic) represents an option to reduce antimicrobial medication by improving health and performance in postweaning pigs. A trial was conducted on a commercial Swiss farm [1]. Six-hundred piglets were randomly assigned to three treatment groups. For the first two weeks post weaning, the piglets received orally 0.3 g dried AS-powder/kg body weight/day, 6 mg colistin-sulphate/kg body weight /day or a placebo (PL). Piglets were observed until the end of the third week post weaning. For the time of the study, daily weight gain (DWG) was measured weekly on individual basis. Data were analysed using generalized mixed effect models. DWG of placebo-treated piglets was significantly lower compared to AS (61 g; p=0.008) and colistin-treated piglets (61 g; p=0.001) on the third week post weaning [Fig. 1]. Due to severe diarrhoea, three out of nine (33%) of AS and the placebo pens were treated with antibiotics. In conclusion, oral administration of dried AS-powder does not prevent severe PWD but improves the growing performance compared to placebo. Thus, AS contributes to limiting the use of antimicrobials to strictly therapeutic indications.

Postweaning diarrhoea (PWD) due to

Phytotherapy becomes increasingly popular in veterinary medicine. To fully exploit the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants and ensure their safe use, knowledge about the effective plant parts and preparations is required. Improper use and overdosage of medicinal plants can be toxic. With www.phytoarznei.ch, we provide an online decision support aid that allows for the retrieval of currently available information on medicinal plants and their use in domestic animals. This decision support system is based on the available literature in the field, which after critical evaluation has been incorporated into a structured database. For each medicinal plant or drug, we have listed therapeutic indications, different application types, organoleptic properties, plant ingredients, pharmacological effects, dosages, duration of treatment, toxicity, legal frame for use in livestock and relevance for doping. A user-friendly access to all data is achieved by means of two search programs, either by entering the plant name or name of the drug in a search field or by selecting the desired animal species and therapeutic application from respective drop-down lists. This database on medicinal plant applications in animals is linked to the poisonous plant database of the University of Zurich and, for marketed preparations, to the Swiss compendium of veterinary medicinal products as well as to an index of related veterinary products., Die Phytotherapie gewinnt auch in der Veterinärmedi­zin zunehmend an Beliebtheit. Um das therapeutische Potenzial der Arzneipflanzen auszuschöpfen und deren sicheren Einsatz zu gewährleisten, bedarf es aber beson­derer Kenntnisse der wirksamen Pflanzenteile bezie­hungsweise Zubereitungen. Unsachgemässe Anwendun­gen und Überdosierungen von Arzneipflanzen können toxisch sein. Deshalb haben wir mit www.phytoarznei.ch eine Entscheidungshilfe geschaffen, die online einen raschen Zugriff auf das aktuelle Wissen zu Arzneipflan­zen und deren Gebrauch bei Tieren erlaubt. Dieses Informationssystem basiert auf der verfügbaren Fach­literatur, die nach kritischer Auswertung in eine struk­turierte Datenbank eingebracht wurde. Für jede Arz­neipflanze beziehungsweise pflanzliche Droge sind therapeutische Indikationen, Anwendungsarten, orga­noleptische Eigenschaften, Inhaltsstoffe, pharmakolo­gische Wirkungen, Dosierungen, Behandlungsdauer, Toxizität, gesetzliche Vorschriften bei Nutztieren sowie Dopingrelevanz aufgeführt. Zwei Suchprogramme ge­währleisten einen benutzerfreundlichen Zugang, entwe­der durch die Eingabe des Pflanzennamens, des Dro­gennamens bzw. der Inhaltsstoffe der Pflanze in einem Suchfeld oder durch die Auswahl der gewünschten Tierspezies sowie therapeutischen Anwendung aus ent­sprechenden Dropdown­Listen. Diese Datenbank zu Arzneipflanzen ist mit der Giftpflanzendatenbank der Universität Zürich und, falls entsprechende Fertigprä­parate vorliegen, mit dem Schweizerischen Tierarznei­mittelkompendium sowie einem Verzeichnis von Vete­rinärprodukten verknüpft.

Bluetongue virus (BTV) antibodies were analysed in 27 Swiss calves born in 2016 at the age of 16-19 days using competitive enzyme-linked-immunosorbent-assay (cELISA) and virus neutralization test (VNT) (animal trial permission number: 75684). Obligatory documentation proved that 15 of 27 dams were BTV-8 vaccinated once or three times in 2008-2010. The offsprings of the non-vaccinated dams were seronegative. Two of three calves and 11 of 12 calves descending from dams who had been vaccinated one or three times, respectively, had BTV specific serum antibodies. As Switzerland is considered BTV-free from 2010 to 2016, it is likely that BTV-8 antibodies were transferred via colostrum. Furthermore, we confirmed neutralizing cross-reactivity of BTV-8 with BTV-4 antibodies as 5 samples positive for BTV-8 were also reactive with BTV-4 antibodies.

Postweaning diarrhoea (PWD) due to Escherichia coli is an economically important disease in pig production. In this placebo-controlled study performed in Switzerland, the effects of oral supplementation of Allium sativum L. (garlic, AS) on performance (bodyweight (BW) and daily weight gain (DWG)) and health (body condition and clinical score) were investigated in postweaning piglets. Piglets (n=600) were randomly assigned to the treatment groups (placebo, AS or colistin) and observed from birth until three weeks postweaning. The treatments were administered for the first two weeks postweaning. Faecal dry matter (FDM) and coliform bacteria on pen level were measured weekly. Data were analysed using generalised mixed-effect models in R. BW and DWG of the AS group were significantly higher compared with placebo in the third week postweaning. No differences in body condition and FDM were observed. The clinical score of AS-treated animals was significantly better compared with the colistin group. About 33 per cent of the piglets of the AS and the placebo group had to be treated with antibiotics due to the occurrence of severe PWD. The major finding of this study showed that AS supplementation increased growth performance and improved clinical health, but did not reduce the incidence and severity of PWD.

Background Gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases in calves and piglets lead to significant economic losses in livestock husbandry. A high morbidity has been reported for diarrhea (calves ≤ 35 %; piglets ≤ 50 %) and for respiratory diseases (calves ≤ 80 %; piglets ≤ 40 %). Despite a highly diverse etiology and pathophysiology of these diseases, treatment with antimicrobials is often the first-line therapy. Multi-antimicrobial resistance in pathogens results in international accordance to strengthen the research in novel treatment options. Medicinal plants bear a potential as alternative or additional treatment. Based on the versatile effects of their plant specific multi-component-compositions, medicinal plants can potentially act as ‘multi-target drugs’. Regarding the plurality of medicinal plants, the aim of this systematic review was to identify potential medicinal plant species for prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases and for modulation of the immune system and inflammation in calves and piglets. Results Based on nine initial sources including standard textbooks and European ethnoveterinary studies, a total of 223 medicinal plant species related to the treatment of gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases was identified. A defined search strategy was established using the PRISMA statement to evaluate 30 medicinal plant species starting from 20’000 peer-reviewed articles published in the last 20 years (1994–2014). This strategy led to 418 references (257 in vitro, 84 in vivo and 77 clinical trials, thereof 48 clinical trials in veterinary medicine) to evaluate effects of medicinal plants and their efficacy in detail. The findings indicate that the most promising candidates for gastrointestinal diseases are Allium sativum L., Mentha x piperita L. and Salvia officinalis L.; for diseases of the respiratory tract Echinacea purpurea (L.) MOENCH, Thymus vulgaris L. and Althea officinalis L. were found most promising, and Echinacea purpurea (L.) MOENCH, Camellia sinensis (L.) KUNTZE, Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and Origanum vulgare L. were identified as best candidates for modulation of the immune system and inflammation. Conclusions Several medicinal plants bear a potential for novel treatment strategies for young livestock. There is a need for further research focused on gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases in calves and piglets, and the findings of this review provide a basis on plant selection for future studies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-016-0714-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.