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BackgroundA high rate of euthanized and spontaneously dead sows causes production losses and likely indicates underlying welfare problems. Identification of predisposing factors to on-farm deaths requires a thorough understanding of the causes. Post-mortem examination is needed for a proper diagnosis. The aims of this descriptive study were to determine causes of spontaneous deaths and euthanasia in sows in a convenience sample of Finnish herds and to describe pathological findings in the locomotor system and in teeth and gums.ResultsThis study described post-mortem findings in 65 sows found dead or euthanized on 15 farms. All but one of the sows presented with two or more pathological findings. The majority of primary pathologic-anatomic diagnoses (PAD-1) were inflammatory. The most prevalent diagnoses were arthritis and peritonitis (9% of sows each). The locomotor system was the body part most commonly affected by lesions. Findings in the locomotor system unassociated with death were present in 85% of the animals, additionally 29% of PAD-1 s concerned the locomotor system. The prevalence for both degenerative joint disease and tooth wear was 71%. Farmers had noted clinical signs within 30 days of death in every euthanized sow and in half of the spontaneously dead ones. The farmer’s impression of the cause of death agreed at least partly with the PAD-1 in 44% of the cases.ConclusionMultiple pathologies were the norm in the present animals. This may indicate an extended course of illness and therefore also an unnecessary delay in medical treatment or euthanasia. The prevalence and clinical relevance of the most common disorders, including degenerative joint disease and tooth wear, need to be elucidated.

There is a need for feasible and reliable measures to improve and evaluate production animal health and welfare. Oxytocin is a promising novel stress-related biomarker and procalcitonin may be a measure of sepsis. Both have potential for use in pigs and can be measured from saliva, which allows on-farm sampling with minimal impact on the animals. The current study sought to further validate these measures using a spontaneous situation that causes both stress and an increased risk for infections in pigs, namely a tail-biting outbreak. Grower pigs on a commercial farm belonging to three different phenotype groups were selected: control pigs from control pens (CC, N = 30), control pigs (CTB, N = 10), and pigs with tail lesions from pens with a tail-biting outbreak (LTB, N = 27). A single sample of saliva was collected from each pig and analysed for a range of biomarkers related to stress, infection, inflammation, and immune activation. Oxytocin tended to be higher in CC pigs than in LTB pigs, while cortisol was higher in CTB than CC pigs. Procalcitonin tended to be higher, and haptoglobin was higher in LTB than in CC pigs. Adenosine-deaminase levels were similar between phenotypes. These results provide further evidence for the link between stress and tail biting, and indicate that tail-biting lesions are potential routes for systemic spread of bacteria. Further research into saliva oxytocin as a stress biomarker and saliva procalcitonin as a sepsis biomarker in pigs is warranted.

Objective To investigate the pharmacokinetics of orally and intravenously (IV) administered meloxicam in semi domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). Study design A crossover design with an 11 day washout period. Animals A total of eight young male reindeer, aged 1.5-2.5 years and weighing 74.3 +/- 6.3 kg, mean +/- standard deviation. Methods The reindeer were administered meloxicam (0.5 mg kg(-1) IV or orally). Blood samples were repeatedly collected from the jugular vein for up to 72 hours post administration. Plasma samples were analysed for meloxicam concentrations with ultraperformance liquid chromatography combined with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Noncompartmental analysis for determination of pharmacokinetic variables was performed. Results The pharmacokinetic values, median (range), were determined. Elimination half-life (t(1/2)) with the IV route (n = 4) was 15.2 (13.2-16.8) hours, the volume of distribution at steady state was 133 (113-151) mL kg(-1) and clearance was 3.98 (2.63-5.29) mL hour(-1) kg(-1). After oral administration (n = 7), the peak plasma concentration (C-max) was detected at 6 hours, t(1/2) was 19.3 (16.7-20.5) hours, C(max )1.82 (1.17-2.78) mu g mL(-1) and bioavailability (n = 3) 49 (46-73)%. No evident adverse effects were detected after either administration route. Conclusions and clinical relevance A single dose of meloxicam (0.5 mg kg(-1) IV or orally) has the potential to maintain the therapeutic concentration determined in other species for up to 3 days in reindeer plasma.

The worldwide problem of increasing dairy cow mor-tality is widespread in modern production systems, it causes economic losses, and indicates problems with herd health and welfare. Most studies on causes of dairy cow mortality are limited as they are based on secondary register data, or questionnaires for producers or veterinarians, and neither necropsies nor histopatho-logic analyses are usually performed. For this reason, no definite causes for dairy cow deaths have been deter-mined making it difficult or impossible to implement ef-fective preventive measures. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the causes of on-farm mortality of Finnish dairy cows, (2) determine the usefulness of routine histopathologic analysis in bovine necropsies, and (3) assess how reliable producers' perception about the cause of death is. Underlying diagnoses of on-farm deaths were determined through necropsy of 319 dairy cows at an incineration plant. The necropsy data were combined with background information obtained from online questionnaires covering cow and herd records. Mastitis was the most common underlying diagnosis of death (26.6%), followed by digestive disorders (15.4%), other known disorders (13.8%), calving-associated dis-orders (12.2%), and locomotion disorders (11.9%). The underlying diagnoses of death varied during different stages of lactation and with parity. A large proportion of the study cows (46.7%) died during the first 30 d after calving, and of those, 63.6% died during the first 5 d. A routine histopathologic analysis was performed in every necropsy, and it changed the preliminary gross diagnosis in 18.2% of the cases. Producers' perception about the cause of death agreed with the necropsy -based underlying diagnosis of death in 42.8% of the cases. It was most consistent for mastitis, calving disorders, locomotion diseases, and accidents. In cases where producers had no insights about the cause of death, necropsy revealed the final underlying diagnosis in 88.2% of cases, demonstrating the usefulness of nec-ropsy. Based on our findings, necropsies provide useful and reliable information to develop control programs for cow mortality. Including routine histopathologic analysis in necropsies, more accurate information may be obtained. Furthermore, targeting preventive mea-sures on transitional cows may be most effective, as the number of deaths was highest at this time.

Highlights • Different fishes were collected and were subjected to form an in vitro biofilm. • Huge array (up to 107 cfu/ml or g) of pathogenic bacteria. • Few of the isolates were sensitive and few were resistant against the antibiotics but after bio-film formation all the species acquired resistance., Background The ability of many bacteria to adhere on the host surfaces and forming biofilms has major implications in a wide variety of industries including the food industry, where biofilms may create a persistent source of contamination. In the same environmental condition, the multiple bacterial species can closely interact with each other and may easily enhance their drug resistance capability, which finally increases the multi-drug resistant (MDR) attribute of the species. Objective The present study examined whether the mixed-species biofilm possesses any impact on the enhancement of the antibiotic resistance of the planktonic or single-cell bacterial isolates present in the fish samples. Methods In this regard, Cyprinus rubrofuscus (Koi), Heteropneustes fossilis (Shing) and Mystus vittatus (Tengra) fishes were collected and subjected to form an in vitro biofilm by shaking condition into the wise bath. The drug-resistant pattern was determined by the Kirby Bauer technique. Results All the samples exhibited a huge array (up to 107 cfu/ml or g) of bacteria such as E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Vibrio spp., Salmonella spp., Proteus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. The isolates from both the bulk samples and their corresponding biofilms were subjected to antibiogram assay using antibiotics such as Ampicillin (10 µg), Erythromycin (15 μg), Streptomycin (STP 10 μg), Oxacillin (10 µg), Nalidixic acid (30 µg). Before biofilm formation, few of the isolates were found to be sensitive and few were resistant against the antibiotics. But when the species were isolated from the biofilm the sensitive one acquired drug resistance and resistant strain unveiled more resistance towards the same antibiotics. The present study revealed extensive bacterial contamination in fish samples among those some were resistant against the supplied drugs. Conclusion After the formation of multi-species biofilm, the isolates became more resistant against the same drugs that is alarming for consumers and major obstacles to maintain sustainable health.

Objectives To investigate the extent of vatinoxan distribution into sheep brain, and whether vatinoxan influences brain concentrations of xylazine; and to examine the utility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a surrogate of brain tissue concentrations for vatinoxan and xylazine. Study design Randomised, blinded, experimental study. Animals A total of 14 adult female sheep. Methods Sheep were randomly allocated into two equal groups and premeditated with either intravenous (IV) vatinoxan (750 mu g kg(-1), VX) or saline (SX) administered 10 minutes before IV xylazine (500 mu g kg(-1)). Sedation was subjectively assessed at selected intervals before and after treatments. At 10 minutes after xylazine administration, a venous blood sample was collected and the sheep were immediately euthanised with IV pentobarbital (100 mg kg(-1)). Plasma, CSF and brain tissues were harvested, and concentrations of vatinoxan and xylazine were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Drug ratios were then calculated and the data were analysed as appropriate. Results The brain-to-plasma and CSF-to-plasma ratios of vatinoxan were 0.06 +/- 0.013 and 0.05 +/- 0.01 (mean +/- standard deviation), respectively. Xylazine brain concentrations were not significantly different (835 +/- 262 versus 1029 +/- 297 ng g(-1) in groups VX and SX, respectively) and were approximately 15-fold higher than those in plasma. The CSF-to-brain ratio of vatinoxan was 0.8 +/- 0.2, whereas xylazine concentrations in the brain were approximately 17-fold greater than those in CSF, with and without vatinoxan. Conclusions and clinical relevance Vatinoxan did not significantly affect sedation with xylazine or the concentrations of xylazine in the brain. CSF is not a good predictor of xylazine concentrations in the brain, whereas vatinoxan concentrations were concordant between the brain and CSF, using the dosages in this study.

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. The human intestine hosts diverse microbial communities that play a significant role in maintaining gut-skin homeostasis. When the relationship between gut microbiome and the immune system is impaired, subsequent effects can be triggered on the skin, potentially promoting the development of skin diseases. The mechanisms through which the gut microbiome affects skin health are still unclear. Enhancing our understanding on the connection between skin and gut microbiome is needed to find novel ways to treat human skin disorders. In this review, we systematically evaluate current data regarding microbial ecology of healthy skin and gut, diet, pre- and probiotics, and antibiotics, on gut microbiome and their effects on skin health. We discuss potential mechanisms of the gut-skin axis and the link between the gut and skin-associated diseases, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, rosacea, alopecia areata, and hidradenitis suppurativa. This review will increase our understanding of the impacts of gut microbiome on skin conditions to aid in finding new medications for skin-associated diseases.

Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s). The extraordinary genetic and behavioural diversity of dog breeds provides a unique opportunity for investigating the heritability of cognitive traits, such as problem-solving ability, social cognition, inhibitory control, and memory. Previous studies have mainly investigated cognitive differences between breed groups, and information on individual dog breeds is scarce. As a result, findings are often contradictory and inconsistent. The aim of this study was to provide more clarity on between-breed differences of cognitive traits in dogs. We examined the performance of 13 dog breeds (N = 1002 dogs) in a standardized test battery. Significant breed differences were found for understanding of human communicative gestures, following a human’s misleading gesture, spatial problem-solving ability in a V-detour task, inhibitory control in a cylinder test, and persistence and human-directed behaviour during an unsolvable task. Breeds also differed significantly in their behaviour towards an unfamiliar person, activity level, and exploration of a novel environment. No significant differences were identified in tasks measuring memory or logical reasoning. Breed differences thus emerged mainly in tasks measuring social cognition, problem-solving, and inhibitory control. Our results suggest that these traits may have come under diversifying artificial selection in different breeds. These results provide a deeper understanding on breed-specific traits in dogs.

Background Litter size is going up in modern pig production. Due to large litter size and increased farrowing duration, newborn piglets, during parturition, can suffer from asphyxiation. This alters their blood energy parameters and can contribute to their reduced vitality at birth, which is detrimental to their growth performance and survival. We aimed to evaluate the effects of vitality score, piglets’ umbilical cord blood lactate, glucose, and butyrate, and birth order on growth performance and the preweaning mortality of piglets. Results The more vital (vitality score 2, VS2) piglets had higher umbilical cord blood glucose and butyrate, lower blood lactate, and higher colostrum intake (CI) at birth, and showed higher body weight at birth and at weaning than did less vital piglets (vitality score 1, VS1). Umbilical cord lactate negatively correlated with vitality, colostrum intake, and growth before weaning. Among the four birth-order groups (BOGs), piglets born earlier during parturition had a higher mean vitality score than those born later. BOG1 and BOG2 had significantly higher CI (p Conclusion Changes in piglets’ body weight, colostrum intake, and umbilical cord lactate are associated with piglet vitality and asphyxiation during farrowing. In addition, asphyxiation induced higher umbilical cord lactate may serve as an indicator of low vitality and low colostrum consumption. Overall, improvement in piglets’ vitality and in the farrowing process can help in reducing piglet mortality.

Digital dermatitis (DD) is the most significant infectious hoof disorder of cattle in Europe. Hoof baths are one of the most common control methods. Copper sulphate and formalin are commonly used in hoof baths, but their use is problematic in many European countries for health, environmental and safety reasons. Ozonated water and acidified copper sulphate were tested as prevention of DD in a 5-month study. Data were derived from 302 hind feet of Holstein and Estonian Red cows (no. of cows = 151) from a commercial dairy farm in Estonia. Altogether 168 hind feet were included in the acidified copper sulphate group and 134 feet in the ozonated water group. Hoof bathing was carried out three days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) for two months and then two days a week (Mon, Wed) for three and a half months, in both groups. Ozonated water was sprayed on to the digital skin of hind feet of cows twice a day on treatment days, while the cows were eating. The copper sulphate bath consisted of copper sulphate (2%) mixed with an organic acid compound to acidify and ionize the solution. Cows walked through acidified copper sulphate solution twice a day on treatment days as they were exiting the milking parlor. DD negative and DD positive test results in both groups were compared and statistically tested for differences. The copper sulphate solution was more effective than ozonated water at preventing acute DD lesions. A random maximum likelihood model demonstrated that the odds ratio for DD in the ozonated water group was six times higher compared with DD in the acidified copper sulphate group. Most of the cows that were initially without any DD lesions (M0 + no other severe hoof lesion), remained lesion-free in both groups (copper sulphate group 97% and ozonated water group 88%). Despite trial design deficiencies, the findings indicate that acidified copper sulphate was a more effective solution in preventing DD than ozonated water.

Background Non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) are the most prevalent group of bacteria isolated in bovine mastitis milk in Finland and many other countries. They usually cause subclinical or mild clinical mastitis. The increase in milk somatic cell count (SCC) during NAS intramammary infection varies from slight to marked, reflecting the severity of infection in the quarter. Limited evidence has indicated that NAS species may have different impact on milk SCC. We used a large data set originating from a prevalence study, including isolates from quarter milk samples and the SCCs of the respective quarters, to study the effect of different NAS species on quarter milk SCC. Results Staphylococcal species of a total of 1265 isolates, originally identified as NAS, were analysed with MALDI-TOF MS. The most prevalent NAS species were S. epidermidis, S. simulans, S. chromogenes and S. haemolyticus. Forty-two isolates appeared to be S. aureus. Geometric mean milk SCC of all quarter samples was 114,000 cells/mL and median 126,000 cells/mL. Staphylococcus species had a significant effect on the SCC of the quarter. The highest SCCs were caused by S. aureus, S. agnetis/S. hyicus (these two species cannot be distinguished with MALDI-TOF MS) and S. simulans. The mean SCCs of milk samples that were culture positive for these three species did not differ significantly from each other but were significantly higher than the mean SCCs of milk samples positive for any other species. The mean SCC of milk samples positive for S. chromogenes was significantly higher than those of milk samples positive for S. epidermidis or S. warneri. Conclusion Our results confirm that different Staphylococcus species have different impacts on milk SCC, as shown in previous studies. S. aureus caused the highest SCC, as expected, but the SCCs caused by S. agnetis/S. hyicus and S. simulans did not differ significantly from that of S. aureus. Other Staphylococcus species may also cause high SCC but are often isolated also from quarters with SCC on the level of healthy quarters.

It was hypothesized that premedication with vatinoxan, a peripheral alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist, would mitigate xylazine-induced pulmonary alterations in sheep. Fourteen adult sheep were allotted into two equal groups and premedicated with either vatinoxan (750 mu g/kg IV) or saline and sedated 10 min later with xylazine (500 mu g/kg IV). Arterial oxygen saturation (SpO(2)) was measured and respiratory rate (RR) counted at intervals. The sheep were euthanized with IV pentobarbital 10 min after xylazine administration. The severity of pulmonary parenchymal alterations was assessed and graded grossly and histologically and correlations of the morphological changes with SpO(2) evaluated. Following xylazine injection, SpO(2) was significantly higher and RR significantly lower with vatinoxan than with saline and the sheep administered vatinoxan exhibited significantly smaller quantities of tracheal foam than those receiving saline. No significant differences in macroscopic oedema scores were detected between treatments. In contrast, the vatinoxan-treated animals exhibited significantly graver microscopic interstitial alveolar oedema and haemorrhage than saline-treated animals. The histological severity scores did not correlate with changes in SpO(2). In conclusion, xylazine induced a marked reduction in SpO(2) which was abolished by the prior administration of vatinoxan. The histologically detected alterations after pentobarbital euthanasia with vatinoxan premedication need to be studied further.

Funding Information: The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHE) project funding (290243/2014–2015) and supported by University of Helsinki project funding (WBS300203, WBS490302), Helsinki University Hospital State funding for university-level health research (Y1014SUL05, TYH2016130), University of Helsinki thesis completion grant, Suomalais-Norjalainen Lääketieteen Säätiö (202000064), the Finnish Dental Society Apollonia, and Alfred Kordelin foundation (200155/28102020). The open access publication charges for this article were covered by HY- FinELib consortium. Publisher Copyright: © International Association for Dental Research and American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research 2021. The clinical translation of bone tissue engineering for reconstructing large bone defects has not advanced without hurdles. The in vivo bioreactor (IVB) concept may therefore bridge between bone tissue engineering and reconstructive surgery by employing the patient body for prefabricating new prevascularized tissues. Ideally, IVB should minimize the need for exogenous growth factors/cells. Periosteal tissues are promising for IVB approaches to prefabricate tissue-engineered bone (TEB) flaps. However, the significance of preserving the periosteal vascular supply has not been adequately investigated. This study assessed muscle IVB with and without periosteal/pericranial grafts and flaps for prefabricating TEB flaps to reconstruct mandibular defects in sheep. The sheep (n = 14) were allocated into 4 groups: muscle IVB (M group; nM = 3), muscle + periosteal graft (MP group; nMP = 4), muscle + periosteal flap (MVP group; nMVP = 4), and control group (nControl = 3). In the first surgery, alloplastic bone blocks were implanted in the brachiocephalic muscle (M) with a periosteal graft (MP) or with a vascularized periosteal flap (MVP). After 9 wk, the prefabricated TEB flaps were transplanted to reconstruct a mandibular angle defect. In the control group, the defects were reconstructed by non-prevascularized bone blocks. Computed tomography (CT) scans were performed after 13 wk and after 23 wk at termination, followed by micro-CT (µCT) and histological analyses. Both CT and µCT analysis revealed enhanced new bone formation and decreased residual biomaterial volume in the MVP group compared with control and MP groups, while the M group showed less new bone formation and more residual biomaterial. The histological analysis showed that most of the newly formed bone emerged from defect edges, but larger areas of new bone islands were found in MP and MVP groups. The MVP group showed enhanced vascularization and higher biomaterial remodeling rates. The periosteal flaps boosted the reconstructive potential of the prefabricated TEB flaps. The regenerative potential of the periosteum was manifested after the transplantation into the mechanically stimulated bony defect microenvironment.

Dry cow therapy (DCT) is an efficient measure to control intramammary infections (IMI) in dairy herds. In a blanket-DCT practice (BDCT), all cows receive antibiotics at dry-off. In a selective-DCT practice (SDCT), treatments are targeted only at infected cows. Our objective was to compare the economy of SDCT and BDCT under Finnish production conditions. Economic analysis is needed to show numerically whether the farms currently applying BDCT can switch to SDCT without the dairy farmer’s economic losses. We applied a partial budgeting approach and built a stochastic calculation model to show the margin for costs that are equal in both DCT policies. Data for modeling were generated by running 100,000 Monte Carlo simulations. The parameters for the model were extracted from the literature and from official statistics. SDCT is a competitive management practice, especially with herds succeeding in keeping their IMI risk low. Therefore, the focus in farm-level decision-making should be on the herd’s udder health status. In those herds with high IMI prevalence, the problem must be tackled primarily by means other than BDCT, which does not support the goal of reducing the use of antibiotics and which, when used routinely, is also contrary to existing EU legislation.

Administering intramammary antimicrobials to all mammary quarters of dairy cows at drying-off [i.e., blanket dry cow therapy (BDCT)] has been a mainstay of mastitis prevention and control. However, as udder health has considerably improved over recent decades with reductions in intramammary infection prevalence at drying-off and the introduction of teat sealants, BDCT may no longer be necessary on all dairy farms, thereby supporting antimicrobial stewardship efforts. This narrative review summarizes available literature regarding current dry cow therapy practices and associ-ated impacts of selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) on udder health, milk production, economics, antimicro-bial use, and antimicrobial resistance. Various methods to identify infections at drying-off that could benefit from antimicrobial treatment are described for select-ing cows or mammary quarters for treatment, includ-ing utilizing somatic cell count thresholds, pathogen identification, previous clinical mastitis history, or a combination of criteria. Selection methods may be enacted at the herd, cow, or quarter levels. Producers' and veterinarians' motivations for antimicrobial use are discussed. Based on review findings, SDCT can be ad-opted without negative consequences for udder health and milk production, and concurrent teat sealant use is recommended, especially in udder quarters receiving no intramammary antimicrobials. Furthermore, herd selection should be considered for SDCT implementa-tion in addition to cow or quarter selection, as BDCT may still be temporarily necessary in some herds for optimal mastitis control. Costs and benefits of SDCT vary among herds, whereas impacts on antimicrobial resistance remain unclear. In summary, SDCT is a vi-able management option for maintaining udder health and milk production while improving antimicrobial stewardship in the dairy industry.

As part of the European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Treatment (ENOVAT), a webinar on the topic “Mastitis Treatment in Lactation” was held, in which eight mastitis experts from different European countries (Spain, The Netherlands, Estonia, Ireland, Poland, Finland, Germany, and Italy) presented their treatment approaches for clinical mastitis in lactation. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic approaches to identify commonalities and differences. In all eight participating countries, the decision to start treatment is usually made by the veterinarians, while the farm personnel are responsible for treatment administration. Antibiotic treatment is then typically administered intramammarily. The treatment duration often depends on the label instructions and is frequently extended if Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus uberis is involved. Administering supportive therapy, especially non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is an established practice in all countries. Penicillin is the first-choice drug for the treatment of mastitis in an increasing number of countries. The use of critically important antimicrobials (CIAs) such as quinolones and third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins is at a low level in Finland and The Netherlands. In Estonia, Germany, Italy, and Spain, the use of CIAs is declining and is only allowed if milk samples are analyzed in advance following the legal framework. Systems for monitoring antibiotic use are being introduced in more and more countries. This exchange of different views will help the European countries to move towards a common high standard of antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary medicine.

As a result of intensive breeding, litter size has considerably increased in pig production over the last three decades. This has resulted in an increase in farrowing complications. Prolonged farrowing will shorten the window for suckling colostrum and reduce the chances for high-quality colostrum intake. Studies also agree that increasing litter sizes concomitantly resulted in decreased piglet birth weight and increased within-litter birth weight variations. Birth weight, however, is one of the critical factors affecting the prognosis of colostrum intake, and piglet growth, welfare, and survival. Litters of uneven birth weight distribution will suffer and lead to increased piglet mortality before weaning. The proper management is key to handle the situation. Feeding strategies before farrowing, management routines during parturition (e.g. drying and moving piglets to the udder and cross-fostering) and feeding an energy source to piglets after birth may be beneficial management tools with large litters. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) -driven recovery from energy losses during lactation appears critical for supporting follicle development, the viability of oocytes and embryos, and, eventually, litter uniformity. This paper explores certain management routines for neonatal piglets that can lead to the optimization of their colostrum intake and thereby their survival in large litters. In addition, this paper reviews the evidence concerning nutritional factors, particularly lactation feeding that may reduce the loss of sow body reserves, affecting the growth of the next oocyte generation. In conclusion, decreasing birth weight and compromised immunity are subjects warranting investigation in the search for novel management tools. Furthermore, to increase litter uniformity, more focus should be placed on nutritional factors that affect IGF-1-driven follicle development before ovulation.

The nonlactating period is a critically important time for dairy cow health and optimal subsequent milk yield. Regarding udder health, at the beginning and end of this period, cows are most susceptible to new intramammary infections. In addition, dry-off is also the optimal time to cure any existing mammary-gland infections. Hence, intramammary-infused antibiotic dry cow therapy (DCT) after final milking is an important and widely used mastitis control measure. DCT can be administered either to all quarters of all cows or only to infected cows or quarters. The global antibiotic resistance problem causes an increasing need to reduce antibiotic use in livestock, but a shift in management should not harm animal welfare or impair farm profitability. Although selective treatment of only infected cows is a more sustainable approach, accurate and cost-effective identification of cows or quarters in need of medication is a challenge. The objective of this epidemiologic study was to determine ideal drying-off practices to maintain good udder health and productivity while implementing prudent use of antibiotics. The specific focus of interest was on DCT, and an additional aim was to examine risk factors for post-calving udder health problems and reduced milk yield. The three cohort studies comprised retrospective herd- and cow-level dairy-herd-recording data registered from conventional, commercial Finnish dairy farms. The first study evaluated herd-level associations between milk somatic cell count (SCC), milk yield, and various farm characteristics, with an emphasis on antibiotic usage at dry-off. The second study investigated whether the herd-level DCT practice was associated with cow-level udder health in early lactation. The third study determined cow-level milk yield and SCC differences within the first half of lactation between selectively DCT-treated and -untreated cows. Results show that herd-level selective-DCT strategy, even with a very moderate proportion of medicated cows, is no hindrance to maintenance of low herd-average SCC and good milk yield. Regardless of the farm’s DCT practice, average milk yield increased over time, while average SCC remained rather constant. However, the large variation between farms in average yield and SCC over DCT practices suggests the need for farm-specific protocols. The practice of treating all cows in a herd was associated with lower test-day SCC within early lactation compared with the selective-DCT practice. Moreover, a DCT-treated cow on a selective-DCT farm had lower SCC after calving than did an untreated cow. This indicates that DCT continues to be an effective mastitis control practice. Most selective-DCT farms administered DCT to only one-third of their cows, or less. The DCT effect on milk yield differed depending on late-lactation SCC, so that a higher SCC near dry-off led to an increased difference in yield between treated and untreated cows within the first half of lactation. A missed DCT for a high-SCC cow thus had an adverse effect on subsequent lactation milk yield and on SCC, highlighting the need for accurate selection of cows to be treated. Risk factors associated with higher post-calving SCC included high late-lactation SCC, lactational mastitis treatment, high parity, high preceding-lactation average SCC, and high milk yield near dry-off. Rising awareness of the selective-DCT approach currently is emerging in those countries where it is common to treat all cows at the end of lactation. The successful implementation of selective DCT on Finnish farms will hopefully encourage these countries to gradually reduce antibiotic use in dairy livestock. Such a development would perhaps have a positive effect on consumer confidence in the dairy industry. On Finnish dairy farms, rapid structural change in agriculture continues, and therefore maintaining the current low consumption of antibiotics requires optimal farm management, professional advice, and active monitoring. Umpikausi on lypsylehmän tulevan terveyden ja optimaalisen maidontuotannon kannalta kriittisen tärkeä tuotantokierron vaihe. Lehmät ovat kaikkein alttiimpia uusille utaretulehduksille heti umpeutuksen jälkeen ja juuri ennen poikimista. Lisäksi umpeutusvaihe on paras aika lääkitä jo olemassa olevia utaretulehduksia. Tämän vuoksi umpihoito antibioottia sisältävillä, utareen sisäisesti annosteltavilla lääkkeillä lypsykauden lopuksi on tehokas ja yleinen keino vähentää utaretulehduksen esiintyvyyttä. Umpihoito voidaan antaa karjan kaikille lehmille tai valikoidusti vain piilevää utaretulehdusta sairastaville lehmille. Maailmanlaajuisen antibioottiresistenssiongelman myötä on tarve vähentää antibioottien käyttöä kotieläinten hoidossa. Valikoidusti toteutettu umpihoito on vastuullisempi toimintatapa, mutta sen haasteena on umpihoitoa tarvitsevien lehmien tunnistaminen tarkasti ja kustannustehokkaasti. Tämän epidemiologisen tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli kartoittaa umpeutuskäytäntöjä, joilla saavutetaan hyvä utareterveys ja maidontuotanto vastuullisesti antibiootteja käyttäen. Tutkimuksen erityisen kiinnostuksen kohteena olivat lääkkeelliset umpihoidot. Lisäksi tutkimus kartoitti umpeutukseen liittyviä riskitekijöitä, jotka altistavat utareterveysongelmille sekä alentuneelle maidontuotannolle umpikauden jälkeen. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostui suomalaisten lypsykarjatilojen karja- ja lehmäkohtaisista tuotosseurantatiedoista. Ensimmäinen osatutkimus kartoitti umpihoitokäytäntöjen ja erilaisten tilaominaisuuksien yhteyksiä lypsykarjojen maidon keskisolulukuun ja keskituotokseen. Toinen osatutkimus selvitti tilojen umpihoitokäytäntöjen yhteyksiä lehmien alkulypsykauden utareterveyteen. Kolmas osatutkimus kartoitti valikoidusti umpilääkittyjen ja lääkitsemättömien lehmien välisiä eroja maitotuotoksessa ja soluluvussa seuraavan lypsykauden alkupuoliskolla. Tulokset osoittavat, että jopa hyvin maltillisella umpihoidettujen lehmien osuudella voidaan saavuttaa karjan hyvä utareterveys ja keskituotos. Riippumatta tilan umpihoitokäytännöstä, tarkasteltujen vuosien aikana maidon keskituotos nousi, ja maidon keskisoluluku pysyi melko muuttumattomana. Tilojen väliset erot keskituotoksessa ja -soluluvussa olivat suuria, mikä viittaa tilakohtaisten umpeutusohjeiden tarpeeseen. Verrattuna valikoivaan umpihoitokäytäntöön, karjan kaikkien lehmien lääkitseminen oli yhteydessä lehmien alhaisempaan solulukuun alkulypsykaudella. Tiloilla, jotka toteuttivat valikoivaa umpihoitokäytäntöä, poikimisen jälkeinen soluluku oli alhaisempi lääkityillä kuin lääkitsemättömillä lehmillä. Tämän perusteella umpihoito on edelleen tehokas utaretulehduksen torjuntakeino. Suurin osa valikoivasti hoitavista maidontuottajista lääkitsi enintään kolmanneksen lehmistään. Umpihoidon vaikutus tuotokseen vaihteli loppulypsykauden soluluvun mukaan. Loppulypsykaudella korkean soluluvun omaavan lehmän lääkitsemättä jättäminen vaikutti haitallisesti myöhempään maitotuotokseen ja utareterveyteen, mikä korostaa hoidettavien lehmien tarkan valinnan merkitystä. Umpeutukseen liittyviä utaretulehdusongelmien riskitekijöitä olivat loppulypsykauden korkea soluluku, aiemmin sairastettu ja lääkehoitoa vaatinut utaretulehdus, korkea ikä, edeltävän lypsykauden korkea keskisoluluku ja korkea päivämaitotuotos lähellä umpeutusta. Maissa, joissa on tavanomaista lääkitä kaikki lehmät lypsykauden lopuksi, tiedostetaan enenevässä määrin, että valikoiva hoito on vastuullisempi hoitokäytäntö. Toivottavasti suomalaisilla lypsykarjatiloilla onnistuneesti toteutettu valikoiva umpihoito toimii kannustavana esimerkkinä kansainvälisille pyrkimyksille vähentää antibioottien käyttöä. Maatalouden nopea rakennemuutos jatkuu suomalaisilla maitotiloilla, ja vallitsevan, vähäisen antibioottikulutuksen ylläpitäminen edellyttää ihanteellista maatilanhoitoa, ammattitaitoista neuvontaa ja aktiivista seurantaa.

Tail biting is a serious behavioural problem in modern pig production, causing impaired animal welfare and economic losses. In most countries, the detrimental effects of tail biting are counteracted by docking pigs tails. Finland is one of the few countries where tail docking in pigs is totally forbidden. The aim of this paper was to look in detail at features of pig production in Finland in order to try to understand how Finnish producers manage to rear non-docked pigs. The way pigs are housed and managed in Finland is influenced by both European and national legislation, but also by governmental subsidies, industry recommendations and voluntary initiatives. Several features of Finnish pig production might indeed have a preventive role regarding the tail biting risk: these include, among others, a comparably larger space allowance, partly slatted flooring, use of manipulable materials, a good animal health status and meal feeding from long troughs. In addition, Finnish producers are motivated to rear non-docked pigs, which is possibly one of the most important prerequisites for success. The experiences from Finland show that even though tail biting is still a challenge on some farms, in general, it is possible to rear non-docked pigs in intensive production. Potential positive side-effects of enhancing management and housing to facilitate the rearing of non-docked pigs include a good growth rate, a reduced need for antimicrobials and better animal welfare levels. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Animal Consortium.

A bit that fits is essential for horse welfare and good communication with the ridden, driven or led horses. The bit causes pressure on the sensitive structures of the horse mouth. The aim of this study was to investigate variation in oral dimensions related to bit fit in adult horses and ponies and to evaluate bit fit by comparing oral dimensions with the currently used bit size selected by the horse owner. The study population consisted of 554 horses and ponies, 308 geldings and 246 mares, age 5-29 years, presented for routine dental care. Oral dimensions: mouth width, distance between upper and lower jaw, tongue thickness and lower jaw width, were measured under sedation. Oral dimensions were compared with the most used bit mouthpiece size presented to the researcher by the owner. Bit type and material were recorded. All oral dimensions in adult horses and ponies varied by breed and sex. Mouth width and distance between upper and lower jaw correlated positively with age. Oral dimensions were significantly smaller in mares than in geldings. In coldblood Finnhorses, oral dimensions were greater than in other breeds; in ponies they were smaller. The majority of the oral dimensions correlated positively with each other. Lower jaw width did not correlate with tongue thickness. It was common to use a bit that did not fit the horse: the bit was either too short or too long (over 10 mm longer) compared to mouth width, compressed the tongue in between the upper and lower jaw, or the center link was of similar length compared to lower jaw width, thus possibly causing pressure points or a nutcracker effect on the bars of the lower jaw. Horses had, on average, space for a 14 mm thick bit without compressing the tongue. The results of this study can aid in choosing a horse bit size that fits correctly and does not cause discomfort. It is recommended that the fit of the bit is evaluated regularly as the horse ages.

Societal interest in all aspects of sustainability has increased. Therefore, pig farmers need to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses in all dimensions of sustainability: economy, environment, social wellbeing, and animal health and welfare. Our aim was to describe and critically discuss the development of a sustainability assessment tool for pig farms and to evaluate its suitability by applying it to 63 European pig farms (13 breeding, 27 breeding-to-finishing, and 23 finishing farms). The multi-criteria assessment tool was developed in several steps (the selection and scaling of indicators and their aggregation and weighting) in order to summarise the indicators into subtheme and theme scores. The indicators contributing the most to the subtheme/theme scores were identified and discussed in order to evaluate the procedure of the development. For example, some indicators, such as Ecological compensation area, Fairness of prices, and Tail docking, for which farms were scored low, were also identified as "real world problems" in other studies. For other sustainability aspects with low performance, the threshold might have been set too ambitiously, e.g., for Number of sows per annual working unit. Furthermore, to analyse the suitability of the tool, we assessed the best and worst median theme scores (good and poor performances) for each dimension, as well as the variability of the performances of the farms within the themes. Some themes were found to be moderate, such as Pig comfort, Biodiversity, or Resilience, whereas others were found to be good, e.g., Water and the Human-animal relationship, as well as several themes of the social wellbeing dimension. Overall, the sustainability tool provides a comprehensive assessment of the sustainability of pig production. Furthermore, this publication contributes to both the theory (development of a robust sustainability tool) and the practice (provision of a tool to assess and benchmark the sustainability on farms). As a next step, a sensitivity analysis should be performed, and the tool should be applied for further development.

Background Bit-related lesions in competition horses have been documented, but little evidence exists concerning their potential risk factors. Objectives To explore potential risk factors for oral lesions in Finnish trotters. Study design Cross-sectional study. Methods The rostral part of the mouth of 261 horses (151 Standardbreds, 78 Finnhorses and 32 ponies) was examined after a harness race. Information on bit type, equipment and race performance was collected. Results A multivariable logistic regression model of Standardbreds and Finnhorses showed a higher risk of moderate or severe oral lesion status associated with horses wearing a Crescendo bit (n = 38, OR 3.6, CI 1.4–8.9), a mullen mouth regulator bit (n = 25, OR 9.9, CI 2.2-45) or a straight plastic bit (n = 14, OR 13.7, CI 1.75-110) compared with horses wearing a snaffle trotting bit (n = 98, P = .002). Bar lesions (67 horses) were more common in horses wearing unjointed bits than in horses wearing jointed bits (Fisher's exact test P < .001). Lesions in the buccal area and the inner lip commissures were not associated with bit type. Using a tongue-tie or an overcheck, galloping, placement in the top three or money earned in the race were not associated with lesion risk. Main limitations The sample size for certain bit types was insufficient for statistical analysis. Conclusions Moderate and severe oral lesion status was more common in horses wearing a Crescendo bit, a mullen mouth regulator bit or a straight plastic bit than in horses wearing a single-jointed snaffle trotting bit. However, lesions were observed regardless of bit type. Further studies on rein tension, the interaction between bit type and rein tension and prevention of mouth lesions in trotters are warranted.

In this Research Topic, we present a collection of papers focusing on the role of One Health education and research to promote and protect the health of human, animals, and environment. Covid-19 is the most recent demonstration of a human health crash in the post vaccine era, the pandemic has reminded that human health is inextricably linked to that of animals and the environment. Boriani et al. discussed the planetary aspects of the pandemic, and proposed a method aimed at easing the approach to systems and inter- and trans-disciplinary thinking to find nature-based solutions (NbS) for preventing future pandemics. A reclassification of Covid-19, as an emerging infectious disease (EID) was suggested by Haider et al. Withdrawing the designation of SARS-CoV-2 as a zoonosis and reviewing COVID-19 as an EID will be important to address the underlying drivers of the emergence of such pathogens and reduce the risk of inappropriate animal persecution or other unsuitable interventions. Looking at COVID-19 as an EID, makes it no less valuable that research confirms whether an animal reservoir actually exists becoming potential sources of future human infection. Emerging zoonoses are a rising threat to global health, having caused severe economic impacts in the past years. However, the greatest burden on human health and livelihoods is caused by endemic zoonoses that are persistent health problems around the world. This Research Topic particularly focuses on “neglected” zoonotic diseases, affecting poor, and marginalized populations in low-resource settings. For these diseases, whose burden has proven difficult to estimate, it is still virtually impossible to assess the real impact on the social wellbeing and the mental health of affected communities, livestock owners, and their families (1). Tuberculosis and Brucellosis are important chronic infections that are endemic in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries (2). Endemic diseases cannot be readily eradicated but best be monitored and acted upon with a control plan in the animal reservoir if and when the threshold of concern is reached. Therefore, surveillance plans play a crucial role in keeping neglected zoonoses at bay (3) as suggested by some authors in this Research Topic.

The establishment of the intestinal microbiota is critical for the digestive and immune systems. We studied the early development of the rectal microbiota in horse, a hindgut fermenter, from birth until 7 days of age, by qPCR and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. To evaluate initial sources of the foal microbiota, we characterised dam fecal, vaginal and oral microbiotas. We utilised an amplicon sequence variant (ASV) pipeline to maximise resolution and reproducibility. Stringent ASV filtering based on prevalence and abundance in samples and controls purged contaminants while preserving intestinal taxa. Sampled within 20 minutes after birth, rectal meconium contained small amounts of diverse bacterial DNA, with a profile closer to mare feces than mouth. 24 hours after birth, rectum was colonised by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, some foals dominated by single genera. At day 7, the rectal genera were still different from adult feces. The mare vaginal microbiota contributed to 24 h and 7 day microbiotas. It contained few lactobacilli, with Corynebacterium, Porphyromonas, Campylobacter and Helcococcus as the most abundant genera. In the oral mucosa, Gemella was extremely abundant. Our observations indicate that bacteria or bacterial components are present in the intestine immediately after birth, but the newborn microbiota changes rapidly.

Physics letters / B 834, 137393 (2022). doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2022.137393, Correlations between mean transverse momentum p$_T$ and anisotropic flow coefficients v$_2$ or v$_3$ are measured as a function of centrality in Pb–Pb and Xe–Xe collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV and 5.44 TeV, respectively, with ALICE. In addition, the recently proposed higher-order correlation between p$_T$, v$_2$, and v$_3$ is measured for the first time, which shows an anticorrelation for the presented centrality ranges. These measurements are compared with hydrodynamic calculations using IP-Glasma and TRENTo initial-state shapes, the former based on the Color Glass Condensate effective theory with gluon saturation, and the latter a parameterized model with nucleons as the relevant degrees of freedom. The data are better described by the IP-Glasma rather than the TRENTo based calculations. In particular, Trajectum and JETSCAPE predictions, both based on the TRENTo initial state model but with different parameter settings, fail to describe the measurements. As the correlations between p$_T$ and v$_n$ are mainly driven by the correlations of the size and the shape of the system in the initial state, these new studies pave a novel way to characterize the initial state and help pin down the uncertainty of the extracted properties of the quark–gluon plasma recreated in relativistic heavy-ion collisions., Published by North-Holland Publ., Amsterdam

Colostrum being the sole source of immunoglobulin and energy plays an essential role for piglet survival and growth. Studies have shown that colostrum and milk intake also influence the gut development and maturation of piglets. The early life colonization and development of the gut microbiota primes the development of the adult microbiome and has long-term impact on the health of the pigs. Growing number of evidences suggest that certain microbial species can exert beneficial effect on the sow and piglets, and thus improve production performances like colostrum yield, colostrum quality, sow physiology around farrowing, piglet weight gain, and health during lactation and weaning. The gut microbiota of pig which is unique at suckling stage, largely acquired from the mother, shifts over time. Multiple factors like age, environment, production system, diet can influence the gut microbiota of sow and piglets. The improvement of the sow and piglets microbiota toward beneficial bacteria can also be done by probiotic, prebiotic, and different feed additive applications.

The effects of bedding material on air quality are important amongst horses worldwide. Respiratory diseases, especially equine asthma, are highly prevalent with air hygiene playing a major role on the pathophysiology of these diseases. The objective of our study was to investigate the effects of four bedding materials on the respiratory signs, tracheal mucus score, and tracheal wash (TW) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology in healthy adult horses. The study design was a prospective controlled cross-over study, and the subjects were healthy adult riding school horses (n = 32) from a single stable. Wood pellet, straw pellet, and loosely stored peat (Peat 3) were compared to peat packed in plastic-covered bales (Peat 2). Lower airway endoscopy and sampling (TW and BALF) for cytological examination were performed after each 35-day bedding period. The tracheal mucus scores (P = 0.014) and respiratory rate (P = 0.026) were higher during the straw pellet period compared to the Peat 2 period. The respiratory rate was lower during the wood pellet period compared to the Peat 2 period (P = 0.004). The TW neutrophil percentage during the straw pellet period was higher compared to the Peat 2 period (P = 0.0003). The BALF neutrophil percentage was higher during the straw pellet period (P = 0.005) and during the Peat 3 period compared to the Peat 2 period (P = 0.04). We conclude that baled peat (Peat 2) caused lower neutrophil percentages in the airway samples compared to straw pellet and loosely stored peat (Peat 3). No difference was observed between Peat 2 and wood pellet. The information gained from this study may assist veterinarians and horse owners in selecting appropriate bedding materials, especially for horses with equine asthma.

Damaging behaviour, especially tail and ear biting, are common problems in modern pig production. It has been suggested that a low birth weight could predispose pigs to become tail biters. Further, previous studies have shown somewhat contradictory links between growth rate and damaging behaviours, as well as resulting lesions. The aim of this study was to investigate, under practical farm conditions, if birth weight and growth of pigs are related to the risk for damaging behaviours and their outcomes, namely tail and ear lesions. A total of 386 pigs were followed from birth until the end of finishing period on four commercial farm pairs (piglet-producing and finishing farms). Based on birth weight, pigs were categorised as Small and Others, and pigs were weighed around weaning and in the growing and finishing units. At the two latter phases, they were scored for lesions and observed for pig- and environment-directed manipulative behaviour (PMB and EMB, respectively). PMB was not more common in Small than in Other pigs. However, PMB in the growing unit was positively associated with growth rate during suckling and growing periods (p = 0.04 and 0.05, respectively) and EMB was reduced in pigs with high growth rate (p = 0.02) in the finishing unit. Additionally, ear lesions in the growing unit were related to high growth rate in both the suckling (p = 0.03) and the growing period (p < 0.01). The current study shows no evidence that low birth weight predisposes to become a performer of damaging behaviours. Instead, a high growth rate in the suckling and growing period increased the risk for a high level of pig-directed manipulation as well as for becoming a victim of damaging behaviour in the growing unit. We suggest that this could be a consequence of increased feeding motivation in fast-growing pigs: they might experience more competition for feed, and consequently a higher level of stress, which predisposes to damaging behaviour.

In pigs, antimicrobial use (AMU) practices vary at different production phases between herds and between countries. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) development is linked to AMU but recognized as a multi-factorial issue, and thus, any information increasing knowledge of AMU and AMR relationships is valuable. We described AMU and screened the carriage of different AMR phenotypes of indicator Escherichia coli in 25 selected Finnish piglet-producing and finishing herds that formed nine birth-to-slaughter production lines. Moreover, we studied associations between AMU and AMR in both herd types and throughout the production line. Treatment records were obtained from the national Sikava register for 1year, and AMU was quantified as mg/PCU (population correction unit) and TIs (treatment incidences). For phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing, ten pen-level pooled feces samples (n=250) in each herd were collected from one room representing the oldest weaned piglets or the oldest finishing pigs. Majority of the medications (96.8%) was administered parenterally, and penicillin was the predominant antimicrobial in every herd. More different antimicrobial substances were used in piglet-producing than in finishing herds (median 5 and 1, respectively, p

Infectious and inflammatory conditions are common especially in growing pigs. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an important antigenic structure of Gram-negative bacteria and can be used to induce inflammation experimentally. As pigs are usually group-housed in commercial conditions, it is difficult to detect sick individuals, particularly at an early stage of illness. Acute phase proteins such as haptoglobin (Hp) are known indicators of an activated innate immune system whereas adenosine deaminase (ADA) is a relatively novel inflammatory biomarker in pigs. Both parameters can be measured in saliva and could be used as indicators of inflammation. Compared with blood sampling, saliva sampling is a less stressful procedure that is rapid, non-invasive and easy to perform both at group and at individual level. In this blinded randomized clinical trial, 32 female pigs at their post-weaning phase were allocated to one of four treatments comprising two injections of the following substance combinations: saline-saline (SS), ketoprofen-saline (KS), saline-LPS (SL), and ketoprofen-LPS (KL). First, ketoprofen or saline was administered intramuscularly on average 1 h before either LPS or saline was given through an ear vein catheter. In all groups, saliva was collected prior to injections (baseline) and at 4, 24, 48, and 72 h post-injection for determination of ADA, Hp, and cortisol concentrations. A multivariate model was applied to describe the dynamics of each biomarker. Pairwise relationships between ADA, Hp, and cortisol responses from baseline to 4 h post-injection within the SL group were studied with Spearman correlations. A significant increase in the SL group was seen in all biomarkers 4 h post-injection compared to baseline and other time points (pairwise comparisons, p < 0.01 for all) and ketoprofen alleviated the LPS effect. We found a significant positive correlation between ADA and Hp within the SL group (r = 0.86, p < 0.05). The primary and novel findings of the present study are the response of ADA to LPS, its time course and alleviation by ketoprofen. Our results support the evidence that ADA and Hp can be used as inflammatory biomarkers in pigs. We suggest further studies to be conducted in commercial settings with larger sample sizes.

An increasing proportion of animal welfare violations in Finland are related to companion animals. However, only a small number of these issues are investigated or prosecuted. The aims of this study were (i) to describe the inspection findings and the resulting actions of the official municipal veterinarians in the Finnish Capital Region and (ii) to identify the factors that predict their submissions of investigation requests to the police. Our data consisted of animal welfare complaints and official veterinarians' inspection reports and decisions from 811 cases of animal welfare control in the Finnish Capital Region. The data covered the period from March 2019 to April 2020. We performed logistic regression analyses to identify the factors that best predict when official veterinarians detect non-compliances and report the cases for police investigation. In 86% (696/811) of the cases, the veterinarians performed at least one animal welfare inspection, and/or received information from the police, or otherwise investigated the complaint. The most common forms of non-compliance were lack of basic maintenance and care (42%, 295/696) and insufficient veterinary care (27%, 185/696). The veterinarians requested for a police investigation in 9.6% (44/460) of all cases with detected non-compliances. The best predictors for detecting non-compliances with the animal welfare legislation were complaints of insufficient veterinary care (OR 1.9, CI 1.1–3.4), the cases assessed by the information from the police and/or an animal shelter (OR 15.2, CI 7.9–29.2), at least one inspection in an animal's premises with prior warning (OR 11.2, CI 5.5–22.6), and without prior warning (OR 17.0, CI 9.7–29.5). Complaints of violence against animals were negatively associated with detecting non-compliances (OR 0.5, CI 0.3–0.9). However, the detection of violence against animals predicted requests for police investigations (OR 9.3, CI 3.1–27.9), as did the execution of permanent urgent measures by official veterinarians (OR 4.9, CI 1.9–12.9). To improve the animal welfare control system and the investigation of crimes against animals, cooperation between officials should be developed. Further studies are needed to improve the understanding of the prevalence of violence against animals, and to advance methods used by animal welfare control to identify cases of violence.

The immune system can influence social motivation with potentially dire consequences for group-housed production animals, such as pigs. The aim of this study was to test the effect of a controlled immune activation in group-housed pigs, through an injection with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and an intervention with ketoprofen on centrality parameters at the individual level. In addition, we wanted to test the effect of time relative to the injection on general network parameters in order to get a better understanding of changes in social network structures at the group level. 52 female pigs (11-12 weeks) were allocated to four treatments, comprising two injections: ketoprofen-LPS (KL), ketoprofen-saline (KS), saline-LPS (SL) and saline-saline (SS). Social behaviour with a focus on damaging behaviour was observed continuously in 10 x 15 min bouts between 0800 am and 1700 pm 1 day before (baseline) and two subsequent days after injection. Activity was scan-sampled every 5 min for 6 h after the last injection in the pen. Saliva samples were taken for cortisol analysis at baseline and at 4, 24, 48, 72 h after the injections. A controlled immune activation affected centrality parameters for ear manipulation networks at the individual level. Lipopolysaccharide-injected pigs had a lower in-degree centrality, thus, received less interactions, 2 days after the challenge. Treatment effects on tail manipulation and fighting networks were not observed at the individual level. For networks of manipulation of other body parts, in-degree centrality was positively correlated with cortisol response at 4 h and lying behaviour in the first 6 h after the challenge in LPS-injected pigs. Thus, the stronger the pigs reacted to the LPS, the more interactions they received in the subsequent days. The time in relation to injection affected general network parameters for ear manipulation and fighting networks at the group level. For ear manipulation networks, in -degree centralisation was higher on the days following injection, thus, certain individuals in the pen received more interactions than the rest of the group compared to baseline. For fighting networks, betweenness decreased on the first day after injection compared to baseline, indicating that network connectivity increased after the challenge. Networks of tail manipulation and manipulation of other body parts did not change on the days after injection at the group level. Social network analysis is a method that can potentially provide important insights into the effects of sickness on social behaviour in group-housed pigs. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Animal Consortium. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Sex differences in a variety of cognitive traits have long been reported in various species, including dogs. However, only a few canine studies have taken the possible effect of reproductive hormones into account. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sex and reproductive status of pet dogs (N = 1032) on two cognitive traits: inhibitory control and social cognition. Inhibitory control was assessed using the cylinder test, and the dogs’ tendency to initiate social contact with a human during a problem-solving situation was assessed using the unsolvable task. Female dogs had a significantly higher success rate in the cylinder test compared to males, and they spent significantly more time in human-directed behavior during the unsolvable task. In contrast, males spent significantly more time in independent behavior during the unsolvable task. Reproductive status had no significant effect on the results of the cylinder test or the unsolvable task. Our results showed that female dogs asked for more help/used a more cooperative strategy during a problem-solving situation and had greater inhibitory control compared to males. According to our results, it seems likely that these sex differences were not influenced to a large extent by reproductive hormones.

Simple Summary Welfare requirements from an animal point of view are the same regardless of the country. However, differing requirements of animal welfare schemes make it hard for consumers to make informed choices. Therefore, an open and coherent labeling scheme that provides information on farm animal welfare will be beneficial from the consumer perspective. We reviewed 12 pig welfare schemes. We aimed to identify consistencies and differences in welfare requirements between these schemes. The studied welfare requirements were heterogeneous in the potential each scheme had to advance pig welfare. Certain requirements barely exceeded the minimum standards for the protection of pigs in European Union (EU) legislation, but the more demanding tiers of multitier schemes had the potential to enhance animal welfare. The most ambitious tiers could improve animal welfare substantially and, in terms of resources available to the animal, they often were convergent with organic animal farming standards. Because of variation of welfare requirements between the labels, it was challenging to compare existing labeling schemes. Adopting a harmonized labeling terminology and standard, increased use of animal-based measures, and open communication will make labeling more reliable and transparent, which will contribute to the availability of standardized animal-friendly products and will be equitable from an animal welfare perspective. Animal welfare labeling schemes have been developed to respond to consumers' expectations regarding farm animal welfare. They are designed to certify that labeled products comply with certain animal welfare standards. In this study, 12 pig welfare labeling schemes were reviewed, and their criteria related to pig welfare were compared. Information regarding farrowing criteria, space allowance, outdoor access, mutilations, and provision of enrichments and bedding material were gathered from the labels' internet pages and documentation. The results indicated a substantial variation between the labels in terms of the level of animal welfare they ensure. While certain schemes barely exceeded the minimum standards for the protection of pigs in the European Union, more demanding tiers of the multitier schemes had the potential to improve animal welfare substantially. The most ambitious tiers of multistage schemes were often comparable to organic standards providing outdoor facilities and additional space. The heterogeneity of the labels' standards complicates the comparison of labels.

We investigated connections between antimicrobial use (AMU), biosecurity, and the numbers of pigs and staff in ten Finnish farrow-to-finish herds. Data on AMU in each herd were collected for 12 months. AMU was quantified as treatment incidences per 1000 days at risk (TI) using the consensus defined daily dose calculation. Biosecurity was scored using the Biocheck.UGent T system. We also examined antimicrobial resistance patterns of indicator E. coli isolated from faeces of selected pigs. In each herd, two groups of five pigs were formed: 1) antimicrobial treatment group (ANT: at least one pig in the litter was identified as sick and treated with antimicrobials) and 2) non-antimicrobial treatment group (NON: the litter was not medicated). Faecal samples were taken from these pigs at 5 and 22 weeks of age, cultured, and indicator E. coli isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibilities. The AMU varied considerably between the herds. Altogether, most of the antimicrobial treatment courses were assigned to weaned piglets. When AMU was quantified as TIs, suckling piglets had the highest TI (mean 46.6), which was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than TIs in fatteners and breeders (9.3 and 7.3, respectively). The difference between TI in suckling and TI in weaned piglets (19.1) was not statistically significant. There was a tendency for a negative correlation between the TI in breeders and the number of sows (r = 0.56, P = 0.09). Larger herds had higher external biosecurity scores than smaller herds (LS-means; 72 vs. 66, P < 0.05). The proportions of E. coli isolates resistant to at least one antimicrobial were higher in pigs at 5 weeks than in pigs at 22 weeks of age (Binomial proportion means; 40.5 % vs. 15.5 %, P < 0.05); as well as proportions of isolates resistant to at least three antimicrobial classes (23.0 % vs. 3.7 %, P < 0.01). These proportions did not differ between the ANT and NON groups at either 5 or 22 weeks of age (P> 0.05). We found few connections: enhanced external biosecurity levels found in the large herds co-occurred with lower use of antimicrobials and herds with low biosecurity scores - especially in the internal subcategories - appeared to have higher proportions of resistant isolates. Conclusively, we suggest that enhancing internal biosecurity might contribute to a reduction in the spreading of antimicrobial resistance in pig herds.

Yearly, 2500–4000 reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) bulls are castrated in Finland, mostly without pain alleviation. No previous research exists concerning pain-related behaviours during castration in reindeer. Our aims were to investigate the effects of Burdizzo clamp castration on reindeer behaviour and rectal temperature during the procedure, and how these are affected by handling, local anaesthesia (LA) with lidocaine, and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug meloxicam. A total of 44 1.5-year-old-reindeer were clamp castrated with either no pain alleviation (TRAD), perioperative meloxicam (NSAID), local lidocaine anaesthesia (LA), or with a combination of LA and NSAID (LA+NSAID), n = 11 in each treatment group. The fifth group was a non-castrated control (CONTROL), n = 11. We scored the reindeer behaviours, i.e., head, neck, and leg movements, nostril closure, panting, defecation, abdominal muscle contractions, and respiratory rate, from video recordings prior to and during castration and LA injection. We measured rectal temperatures (T) during the experiment and scored the number of reindeer reaching a T of at least 39.5ºC. Differences between treatments were analysed with the Kruskal-Wallis and chi square tests and differences between sampling intervals with the Wilcoxon signed rank and Friedman tests. During castration, nostril closures and abdominal muscle contractions occurred more often and for longer duration in the TRAD, NSAID, LA, and LA+NSAID groups than in the CONTROL group (p < 0.05 for all) or prior to castration (p < 0.001 for all). T increased during the experiment for all treatments. Overall, a total of 25 animals reached T 39.5ºC and treatments differed (p < 0.05): a larger number reached T 39.5ºC in the LA+NSAID group (11/11) than in the TRAD (2/10), NSAID (3/11), LA (4/11), or CONTROL (5/11) groups. The median respiratory rates decreased overall during the experiment for all treatments. During castration, TRAD had the highest median respiratory rate, differing from LA (38(40) vs. 32(20) breaths per min, n = 10 and 11, respectively, p = 0.003). Reindeer appear to express pain during clamp castration by closing their nostrils and contracting their abdominal muscles. Local lidocaine anaesthesia failed to significantly reduce the pain-related behaviours, at least with the 5-minute effect time used in this study. Moreover, a long handling time increased the rectal temperature of reindeer, especially when combined with other stressors such as injecting NSAIDs.

The prevalence of tail lesions evaluated at the slaughterhouse varies considerably between herds. These lesions result mainly from tail biting, a harmful behavior with multifactorial origin. This study sought to investigate if a batchwise inspection of tails at slaughterhouse could be a useful method to estimate the animal welfare situation in finishing pig herds, and if so, what type and detail of tail scoring such an inspection should utilize. We investigated the distribution of different types of tail lesions and how well their scoring at slaughterhouse was associated with the situation recorded on-farm by a veterinarian as part of routine herd health visits. We also wanted to determine if animal welfare-related herd-level parameters, recorded by herd veterinarians during herd health visits, are associated with tail scoring at the slaughterhouse. A total of 10,517 pigtails from 84 herds were scored for this study. Herd data were collected from the national health classification register for pig farms in Finland and also included annual herd production quality data collected by the slaughterhouse. The scores of the tails varied considerably between the herds. On average, 48.1% (sd = 19.3) of the tails with an average length of 30.4 cm (sd = 2.7) were fully intact, 37.3% (13.9) had healed (length = 26.4, sd = 5.1 cm), 12.4% (9.0) (length = 28.9, sd = 4.3 cm) had minor acute wounds, and 2.3% (2.1) (length = 24.2, sd = 6.0 cm) had major acute wounds. Proportions of different tail lesions at slaughterhouse were associated with or tended to be associated with the following herd-level parameters in regression models: use of wood as enrichment (p < 0.1), one health parameter (leg problems other than arthritis, p < 0.05), and long-term animal welfare estimate (annual mortality, p < 0.05). Detailed tail evaluation at the slaughterhouse shows potential in estimating the tail lesions and long-term welfare level on the farm. By recording only one type of tail condition (such as tails with major acute lesions) at the slaughterhouse, it is not possible to estimate the total tail lesion situation in the herds before slaughter. A more detailed scoring similar to the one used in this trial is recommended. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly prevalent cause of mastitis in dairy herds worldwide, capable of causing outcomes that vary from subclinical to peracute gangrenous mastitis. We performed a comparative genomic analysis between 14 isolates of S. aureus, originating from peracute bovine mastitis with very severe signs (9 gangrenous, 5 non-gangrenous) and six isolates originating from subclinical or clinical mastitis with mild to moderate signs, to find differences that could be associated with the clinical outcome of mastitis. Of the 296 virulence factors studied, 219 were detected in all isolates. No difference in the presence of virulence genes was detected between the peracute and control groups. None of the virulence factors were significantly associated with only a single study group. Most of the variation in virulence gene profiles existed between the clonal complexes. Our isolates belonged to five clonal complexes (CC97, CC133, CC151, CC479, and CC522), of which CC522 has previously been detected only in isolates originating from caprine and ovine mastitis, but not from bovine mastitis. For statistical analysis, we sorted the CCs into two groups. The group of CCs including CC133, CC479, and CC522 was associated with gangrenous mastitis, in contrast to the group of CCs including CC97 and CC151. The presence of virulence genes does not explain the clinical outcome of mastitis, but may be affected by allelic variation, and especially different regulation and thus expression in the virulence genes.

Bacillus anthracis infecting cattle is usually identified based on the typical symptom: sudden death. Bacillus anthracis causing atypical symptoms may remain undiagnosed and represent a potential occupational health hazard for, that is veterinarians and producers, butchers and tanners. In the year 2004, one case of sudden death in a dairy farm in southern Finland was diagnosed as bovine anthrax. Four years later 2008, an atypical case of anthrax was diagnosed in the same holding. The bull was taken to the Production Animal Hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki because of fever, loss of appetite and a symmetrically swollen scrotal sac. Penicillin treatment cured the fever but not the swollen scrotum. Before the intended therapeutic castration, a punctuate consisting of 10 ml fluid collected into a syringe from the scrotal sac was cultivated on blood agar at 37 degrees C. After 24 hr, an almost pure culture of a completely non-hemolytic Bacillus cereus-like bacteria was obtained. The strain was identified as B. anthracis using Ba-specific primers by the Finnish Food Safety Authority (RUOKAVIRASTO). After the diagnosis, the bull was euthanized and destroyed, the personnel were treated with prophylactic antibiotics and the clinic was disinfected. In this particular case, treatment with water, Virkon S and lime seemed to be effective to eliminate endospores and vegetative cells since no relapses of anthrax have occurred in 10 years. This case is the last reported anthrax case in Finland.

Detecting Mycoplasma bovis on cattle farms represents a challenge in the absence of an outbreak or cases of M. bovis mastitis, yet identification of an infection is essential to control the spread of the disease successfully. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine whether meat inspection records can aid identification of cattle farms supporting M. bovis infection, and (2) to compare the average daily weight gain estimated from carcass weight for cattle originating from farms differing in M. bovis test-status. Meat inspection records were collected from two abattoirs in 2015; 80 677 animals in total. All the dairy and mixed breed cows and bulls used for meat production were categorized according to known M. bovis infection status of the farms from which the cattle were derived; positive, contact or control farms. The associations between animals from different M. bovis categories and lung lesions of bulls and cows (pneumonia and pleuritis), identified during meat inspection, and estimated average daily gain (ADG) of bulls, were investigated. The odds ratios for lung lesions, especially pleuritis, were higher in M. bovis test-positive or contact farms compared with control farms. Additionally, odds ratios for pleuritis were higher among animals from M. bovis test-positive farms and animals from contact slaughtering farms originating from M. bovis-free rearing farms. Bulls originating from M. bovis test-positive farms had higher estimated average daily gain than cattle from control farms. Meat inspection records can be used alongside other methods to detect M. bovis-positive farms where M. bovis causes lung lesions. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.