Search Results (88)

Background: Since the massive outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in South Korea in 2010–2011, cloven-hoofed livestock have been immunized with serotype O and A vaccines across the country. Other serotypes of FMD vaccines were stockpiled in overseas FMD vaccine factories as antigen banks. Once a manufacturing facility has been established in South Korea, the overseas antigen banks will be replaced by domestic one. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the commercial potential of the previously developed SAT2 vaccine candidate (SAT2 ZIM-R). Methods: The optimal condition was determined at various virus concentrations, infection times, and pH levels, resulting in 0.01 MOI for SAT2 ZIM-R for 24 h infection at a pH of 7.5. Results: When the SAT2 ZIM-R virus was produced in flasks from 40 to 1000 mL in fivefold increments, all scales of production yielded > 7.0 µg/mL of antigens. Using a bioreactor, 5.6 µg/mL of antigens was recovered from a 1 L viral culture. The optimal conditions of viral inactivation kinetics were determined to be 1 mM of binary ethyleneimine (BEI) treatment at 26 °C for 24 h, with approximately 91% of the antigen being retained after virus inactivation. When the SAT2 ZIM-R experimental vaccine was administered twice to pigs, the neutralizing antibody titer increased approximately 500-fold after booster immunization. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the antigen productivity, viral inactivation kinetics, and immunogenicity of the SAT vaccine strain in pigs. In the future, the SAT2 ZIM-R vaccine may be a useful candidate vaccine for a domestic antigen bank. Full article

Hoof disorders in small ruminants pose significant challenges to animal welfare and farm productivity. This study presents the first attempt to determine the prevalence of lameness and hoof disorders and their associated risk factors in goat and sheep farms in Selangor, Malaysia. Locomotion scores were collected from 226 animals (126 sheep and 100 goats) across 10 farms. A hoof examination was conducted, and hoof lesions were identified through detailed photographic evaluation. On-farm assessments and interviews were conducted to gather information on management practices from the farms. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and logistic regression models. The prevalence of lameness was 42.8% (95% CI 34.2 to 51.9) in sheep and 23.0% (95% CI 16.3–38.4) in goats. Significant variation (p > 0.05) in lameness prevalence was observed across farms, ranging from 26.7% to 61.5% in sheep and 7.7% to 30.8% in goat farms. The majority of lameness and hoof lesions were observed in the hindlimbs of both species. The prevalence of hoof disorders was 91.3% (95% CI 84.6–95.4) in sheep and 43.0% in goats (95% CI 21.4–58.0). The predominant hoof disorders were overgrown wall horn, white line disease, sole bruise, and wall fissures. No hoof affections of infectious origin were observed in the sampled animals. Risk factors for lameness and hoof lesions in sheep included pregnancy, semi-intensive management, and breeds other than Damara. Higher odds of lameness were observed in exotic goat breeds and those with overgrown wall horns. In conclusion, this study revealed a high prevalence of lameness and hoof disorders in goat and sheep farms, highlighting the need to address these important welfare and economic issues. While the identified risk factors could be considered for the management of hoof disorders in small ruminant farms, a larger sample size that is representative of the sheep and goat population is recommended for more generalizable results. Full article

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a devastating infectious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals. Differentiating FMD from other vesicular diseases is difficult based on only clinical symptoms, requiring an appropriate laboratory diagnostic test. The double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA is a reliable diagnostic technique for antigen detection and serotyping of FMDV. However, classical DAS-ELISAs use polyclonal antibodies (pAbs), which are inconsistent in yields and limited in large-scale applications compared to hybridoma cell-secreted laboratory-made monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Therefore, this study aimed to develop simplified and sensitive FMD serotype-specific DAS-ELISAs using HRP-conjugated mAbs and a TMB substrate. Six FMDV serotype-specific mAb-DAS-ELISAs were developed. All assays were optimized using BEI-inactivated FMD antigens. Real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR (RRT-PCR) was also used to verify the detection efficiency of all assays. Known negative and positive 10% tissue suspensions of different animal origins were examined to calculate the diagnostic specificity (DSp) and sensitivity (DSe). Serotype-specific mAb-DAS-ELISAs demonstrated 100%, 97%, 97%, 99%, 99%, and 94% DSp and 100%, 95%, 90%, 95%, 100%, and 100% DSe for serotypes O, A, Asia-1, SAT-1, SAT-2, and SAT-3, respectively. The detection efficiency of mAb-DAS-ELISAs was better than that of classical DAS-ELISAs. Also, all assays demonstrated minimal cross-reactivity and optimal reproducibility. Therefore, the mAb-DAS-ELISAs developed in this study could be useful for detecting and serotyping FMDV and ultimately replacing the classical DAS-ELISA. Full article

The aim of this paper was to highlight the most recent findings from research that utilized infrared thermography in diagnosing hoof disease and lameness in dairy cows. Scientific references were selected from databases based on their application of infrared thermography in detecting and preventing diseases in cattle. Studies have established that measuring view, leg position, and the presence of disease or different levels of lameness significantly affect the temperature values of cow’s feet. Additionally, the timing of measurements is also important, while factors such as lactation stage, animal activity, and ambient temperature substantially impact the infrared readings. The potential of using infrared thermography has been recognized. However, further research is needed to develop optimal combinations of different diagnostic methods to improve the accuracy and efficiency of detecting hoof disease and lameness. Full article

Background/Objectives: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious class 1 animal disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, pigs, and goats. Diagnosis and research on live FMD virus (FMDV) typically require biosafety level 3 facilities, which are challenging to maintain due to strict protocols and high costs. The development of NanoBiT-based assays has accelerated in response to the coronavirus disease pandemic, providing safer alternatives for viral research, and is now applicable for general laboratories. This study aimed to develop a NanoBiT-based virus-like particle (VLP) assay for the rapid and safe screening of neutralizing antibodies against FMDV Asia1 Shamir (AS). Methods: We developed an AS VLP with an inserted HiBiT tag that enabled the detection of entry into LgBiT cells through luminescence signals. Results: HiBiT-tagged AS VLPs mixed with anti-serum and introduced into LgBiT-expressing cells led to a reduction in luciferase activity. Therefore, we established a NanoBiT-based viral neutralizing antibody test (VNT) that demonstrated a high correlation (R² = 0.881) with the traditional gold standard VNT. Conclusions: The assay demonstrated high sensitivity and could be performed in BL-2 facilities, offering a safer and more efficient alternative to traditional assays while reducing the need to handle live viruses in high-containment facilities. This method provides a valuable tool for rapid screening of neutralizing antibodies and can be adapted for broader applications in FMDV research. Full article

The objective of the EU project Resilience for Dairy (R4D) is to develop and strengthen a self-sustainable Thematic Network on resilient dairy farms in 15 European countries. This article focusses on those solutions (practices and techniques) that are assessed contributing to a resilient dairy farming sector. The opinions of experts, farmers, and stakeholders were collected and scored through surveys and in a series of local workshops. Six key contributing knowledge fields are included: economic and social resilience, technical efficiency, environment, animal welfare and health, and societal perception. Assessing these knowledge fields proved to be a good predictor for measuring resilience. Only the impact fields of animal welfare and health and societal perception overlapped each other in response. This study shows differences in the choice of solutions across Europe. Experts from South and East Europe are more positive about the contribution of solutions to resilience than their colleagues from North and West Europe, except for social life items. Expert and farmer/stakeholder opinions differ regarding several of the solutions. Technical efficiency is a leading strategy. Priority topics of interest are communication with society, renewable energy production, strategic hoof trimming, early detection of diseases, monitoring fertility and health, and calf rearing. Besides resilience, attractiveness and readiness of the solutions were also assessed. Full article

Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is a cattle infection causing hoof lesions and lameness, with treponemes as key pathogens. We analyzed the metabolic activity of Treponema phagedenis and Treponema pedis using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for organic acids (OAs), amino acids (AAs), and fatty acids (FAs), and high-performance liquid chromatography for short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Key findings include a 61.5% reduction in pyruvic acid in T. pedis and 81.0% in T. phagedenis. 2-hydroxybutyric acid increased by 493.8% in T. pedis, while succinic acid increased by 31.3%, potentially supporting T. phagedenis. Among AAs, glycine was reduced by 97.4% in T. pedis but increased by 64.1% in T. phagedenis. Proline increased by 76.6% in T. pedis but decreased by 13.6% in T. phagedenis. Methionine and glutamic acid were competitively utilized, with methionine reduced by 41.8% in T. pedis and 11.9% in T. phagedenis. Both species showed significant utilization of palmitic acid (reduced by 82.8% in T. pedis and 87.2% in T. phagedenis). Butyric acid production increased by 620.2% in T. phagedenis, and propionic acid increased by 932.8% in T. pedis and 395.6% in T. phagedenis. These reveal metabolic interactions between the pathogens, contributing to disease progression and offering insights to BDD pathogenesis. Full article

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly infectious disease of cloven-hoofed animals with a significant economic impact. Early diagnosis and effective prevention and control could reduce the spread of the disease which could possibly minimize economic losses. Epitope characterization based on monoclonal antibodies provide essential information for developing diagnostic assays and vaccine designs. In this study, monoclonal antibodies raised against FMD virus (FMDV) were produced. Sixty-six monoclonal antibodies demonstrated strong reactivity and specificity to FMDV. The purified monoclonal antibodies were further used for bio-panning to select phage expressing specific epitopes from phage-displayed 12 mer-peptide library. The phage peptide sequences were analyzed using multiple sequence alignment and evaluated by peptide ELISA. Two hybridoma clones secreted monoclonal antibodies recognizing linear epitopes on VP2 of FMDV serotype O. The non-neutralizing monoclonal antibody 6F4.D11.B6 recognized the residues 67–78 on antigenic site 2 resinding in VP2, while the neutralizing monoclonal antibody 8D6.B9.C3 recognized a novel linear epitope encompassing residues 115–126 on VP2. This information and the FMDV-specific monoclonal antibodies provide valuable sources for further study and application in diagnosis, therapeutics and vaccine designs to strengthen the disease prevention and control measures. Full article

Digital dermatitis (DD) is a costly hoof infection, causing lameness and pain in feedlot cattle. DD lesions can develop nonlinearly through a series of clinical stages, which can be classified by Dopfer’s M-stage scoring system. This widely adopted lesion scoring system recognizes five DD stages, where M1 (early lesion), M2 (acute ulcerative lesion), and M4.1 (chronic proliferative lesion with new developing lesion) are considered active but separate stages of the disease. This study assessed the skin surface microbiota of the active DD lesions of feedlot cattle. The DD lesions from three commercial feedlots were swabbed and then scored according to Dopfer’s M-stage scoring system. Swab samples were collected from 12 M2- and 15 M4.1-stage lesions. A total of 21 control swab samples from healthy contralateral feet (DD control) were classified as stage M0. An additional six skin swabs (M0) were collected from completely healthy (CH control) cattle with no lesions. The bacterial communities of active DD lesions (M2 and M4.1) and healthy skin (M0) were profiled using 16S amplicon sequencing. Diversity analyses showed that the hoof bacterial communities of M2 and M4.1 lesions were each distinct from those of M0 skin. However, the bacterial communities between the two active lesion stages were not different from each other. A significant increase in the relative abundance of Spirochaetota and Fusobacteriota and an overall decrease in bacterial diversity contributed to the altered bacterial communities in M2 and M4.1 lesions compared to those of healthy skin (M0). Although stages M2 and M4.1 are considered clinically different stages, the lesion-associated bacterial community is similar between the two active stages. Full article

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) belongs to the Picornaviridae family and is an important pathogen affecting cloven-hoof livestock. However, neither effective vaccines covering all serotypes nor specific antivirals against FMDV infections are currently available. In this study, we employed virtual screening to screen for secondary metabolite terpenoids targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), or 3D^pol, of FMDV. Subsequently, we identified the potential antiviral activity of the 32 top-ranked terpenoids, revealing that continentalic acid, dehydroabietic acid (abietic diterpenoids), brusatol, bruceine D, and bruceine E (tetracyclic triterpenoids) significantly reduced cytopathic effects and viral infection in the terpenoid-treated, FMDV-infected BHK-21 cells in a dose-dependent manner, with nanomolar to low micromolar levels. The FMDV minigenome assay demonstrated that brusatol and bruceine D, in particular, effectively blocked FMDV 3D^pol activity, exhibiting IC50 values in the range of 0.37–0.39 µM and surpassing the efficacy of the antiviral drug control, ribavirin. Continentalic acid and bruceine E exhibited moderate inhibition of FMDV 3D^pol. The predicted protein–ligand interaction confirmed that these potential terpenoids interacted with the main catalytic and bystander residues of FMDV 3D^pol. Additionally, brusatol and bruceine D exhibited additive effects when combined with ribavirin. In conclusion, terpenoids from natural resources show promise for the development of anti-FMD agents. Full article

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly contagious virus that affects cloven-hoofed animals and causes severe economic losses in the livestock industry. Given that this high-risk pathogen has to be handled in a biosafety level (BSL)-3 facility for safety reasons and the limited availability of BSL-3 laboratories, experiments on FMDV call for more attention. Therefore, we aimed to develop an FMDV experimental model that can be handled in BSL-2 laboratories. The NanoBiT luciferase (Nano-luc) assay is a well-known assay for studying protein–protein interactions. To apply the NanoBiT split luciferase assay to the diagnosis and evaluation of FMD, we developed an inactivated HiBiT-tagged Asia1 Shamir FMDV (AS-HiBiT), a recombinant Asia1 shamir FMDV with HiBiT attached to the VP1 region of Asia1 shamir FMDV. In addition, we established LgBiT-expressing LF-BK cell lines, termed LgBit-LF-BK cells. It was confirmed that inactivated AS-HiBiT infected LgBiT-LF-BK cells and produced a luminescence signal by binding to the intracellular LgBiT of LgBiT-LF-BK cells. In addition, the luminescence signal became stronger as the number of LgBiT-LF-BK cells increased or the concentration of inactivated AS-HiBiT increased. Moreover, we confirmed that inactivated AS-HiBiT can detect seroconversion in sera positive for FMDV-neutralizing antibodies. This NanoBiT split luciferase assay system can be used for the diagnosis and evaluation of FMD and expanded to FMD-like virus models to facilitate the evaluation of FMDV vaccines and antibodies. Full article

The aim of this review was to analyse the health problem of lameness in dairy cows by assessing the health and economic losses. This review also presents in detail the etiopathogenesis of lameness in dairy cattle and examples of its treatment and prevention. This work is based on a review of available publications. In selecting articles for the manuscript, the authors focused on issues observed in cattle herds during their clinical work. Lameness in dairy cattle is a serious health and economic problem around the world. Production losses result from reduced milk yield, reduced feed intake, reproductive disorders, treatment costs, and costs associated with early culling. A significant difficulty in the control and treatment of lameness is the multifactorial nature of the disease; causes may be individual or species-specific and may be associated with the environment, nutrition, or the presence of concomitant diseases. An important role is ascribed to infectious agents of both systemic and local infections, which can cause problems with movement in animals. It is also worth noting the long treatment process, which can last up to several months, thus significantly affecting yield and production. Given the high economic losses resulting from lameness in dairy cows, reaching even >40% (depending on the scale of production), there seems to be a need to implement extensive preventive measures to reduce the occurrence of limb infections in animals. The most important effective preventive measures to reduce the occurrence of limb diseases with symptoms of lameness are periodic hoof examinations and correction, nutritional control, and bathing with disinfectants. A clean and dry environment for cows should also be a priority. Full article

The silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is among the most valuable conifers in Europe for ecological and economic reasons. Throughout the course of history, primarily in the 20th century, its share in stands has been declining due to ill-suited management practices, especially clear-cut management, air pollution (SO₂ and NO_X emissions), and wildlife-induced damage. This literature review compiles findings from 338 scientific papers. It describes futures for silver fir and its distribution, ecological requirements, threats and diseases, seed production and nurseries, and forest management practices with emphasis on ongoing climate change. Based on recent knowledge of fir ecology and population dynamics, small-scale shelterwood and selection management have been introduced in fir stands, which have also stabilized them. Fir is an essential species for maintaining high stability and biodiversity, especially on planosols and in waterlogged habitats. Owing to its shade tolerance and environmental plasticity, it can coexist very well with many tree species in mixtures, which can increase the productive potential of stands within the natural range in Europe. The average stand volume of mature fir stands ranges from 237–657 m³ ha⁻¹. For its successful natural regeneration, it is essential to reduce cloven-hoofed game and thus prevent bud browsing damage. The attractiveness of fir in terms of heavy browsing is the highest of all conifers (52% damage). On the other hand, fir is a species relatively resistant to bark stripping and the spread of secondary rot compared with Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.). Under global climate change, fir is expected to shift to higher elevations with sufficient precipitation, while in the southern part of its natural range or at lower elevations, outside water-influenced habitats, it is likely to decline. Climate change is intricately linked to the heightened prevalence of forest pathogens with significant damage potential in Europe, necessitating careful consideration and strategic adaptation within management practices of fir forests. Full article

Bovine Dewclaw Dermatitis (BDCD) is a hoof disease characterized by inflammation of the second and fifth accessory digits and the skin in this region. This pathology is poorly described in the literature; however, it has recently been observed in beef cattle in the Amazon Biome, Brazil. The objective of this study was to perform a clinical diagnosis and identify the risk factors associated with BDCD onset in cattle in the studied biome. Samples were collected from eight farms with extensive breeding systems located in Xinguara, Rondon do Pará, Curionópolis, and Ipixuna do Pará in the state of Pará, Brazil. A total of 706 Nellore and Nellore crossbred with taurine bovine of both sexes were evaluated, with males aged between 2 and 4 years and a mean weight of 650 kg, and females aged between 2 and 11 years and a mean weight of 400 kg. Distal extremities were inspected during cattle management, and in cases of dewclaw lesions, a specific examination was carried out after proper restraint. Cattle were diagnosed with BDCD on all farms analyzed. Of the 706 cattle inspected, 49 (6.94%) showed BDCD, of which 19 (38.77%) were Nellore and 30 (61.22%) were crossbred. This was the first study to determine BDCD’s occurrence in extensive farming systems in the Amazon region, also showing that pastures with large amounts of stumps and stones, the physical structure of pens, and trauma and injury incidence during animal management are the most important predisposing factors for the onset of BDCD. Full article

Haberlea rhodopensis Friv., known also as Rhodope silivryak and the Orpheus flower, is a Balkan endemic “resurrecting” plant belonging to the Gesneriaceae family. In folk medicine, the leaves of Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. were widely used to treat wounds and some infectious diseases of stock such as foot-and-mouth disease and hoof rot, while the herb of Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. is still used to cleanse the stomach, liver, kidneys, and blood vessels. Because of the content of myconoside, during the last decade, Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. extracts have been recognized as valuable cosmetic ingredients. In the present study, we aim to (i) evaluate the cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity of two herb extracts of Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. that are commercially used for the preparation of cosmetic ingredients on different cancer cells, with one normal cell line used as a reference, and (ii) compare the investigated effects with those observed for the reference anticancer, non-selective compound doxorubicin. Herein, we observed a decrease in the inhibitory activity of both extracts compared to those of doxorubicin against all tested cell lines. However, the myconoside-enriched Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. plant Extract 2 (designated also as M2) showed increased inhibitory activity (cytotoxicity and antiproliferative effects) compared to the Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. plant Extract 1 (designated also as E1). Moreover, the Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. plant Extract 2 showed a significant increase in cytotoxicity (at 24 h) and antiproliferative activity (at 48 and 72 h post-treatment) at its highest-tested concentration of 100 µg/mL compared to Haberlea rhodopensis Friv. plant Extract 1. Full article