Alternatives to Antibiotics in Animal Health
The history of antibiotic use in animal production and alternative strategies that work are reviewed by Sandra Avant of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in the latest issue of Agricultural Research.

Prevalence and Characterisation of Clostridium difficile from Feedlot Beef Cattle
C. difficile was found by researchers in the intestinal tracts of a small percentage of feedlot cattle in Alberta, Canada, at the start of feeding and throughout the period studied. Ribotype 078/NAP7 was the dominant strain in these animals,...

Longitudinal Study on Morbidity and Mortality in White Veal Calves in Belgium
In a rare study of the health of veal calves reared commercially, researchers based in Ghent found an average mortality rate of just over five cent in the 15 groups they studied.

Dynamics of Salmonella Serotype Shifts in an Endemically Infected Dairy Herd
In cows from a typical dairy herd in the US, the prevalence of faecal shedding of Salmonella over the six-year study period ranged from eight per cent to 97 per cent, and most of them were shedding most of the time, according to researchers. Kentucky...

Determining How Breed and Longevity are Related
Texas AgriLife Research is trying to help the dairy industry determine how breed and conformation affects dairy cow longevity.

Combating Health Issues
Every day, new reports are published in newspapers worldwide reporting about the effects of antibiotic resistant bacteria and their consequences on human health, according to Biomin.

Diagnosis of Experimental H-Type and L-Type BSE in Cattle
Researchers in the UK have reported on their observation of two clinical syndromes and the diagnostic challenges presented by these two atypical forms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Difficulty rising was a consistent feature of both disease...

Emerging Threats Quarterly Report - October-December 2011
After cases in Wales, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratory Agency report for October to December 2011 has reported the first case of psoroptic mange in cattle in Northern England.

Dairy Cows Have individual temperaments
From a young age, dairy cows react differently from each other to stimuli from their surroundings. An animal’s temperament determines how it reacts in stressful situations, but may also influence its general health. In the future, temperament could...

Antihelmintic Resistance in Cattle
Anthelmintic resistant cattle nematodes have been reported in different regions around the world. However, in Western Europe the assessment of the problem relies largely on case reports and no prevalence data based on wide-scale surveys are available,...

Antibiotic Use in Livestock Under Increased Scrutiny
Antibiotics have been powerful tools in the development of livestock systems that produce a marvellous quantity of economical, safe and nutritious food in the United States. These products are not without risks and drawbacks, however. Increasing opinion...

Parasitic Gastro-Enteritis in Cattle
Reports of Haemonchus contortus in calves in the UK, as well as a case of the parasite in a water buffalo were reported as being detected by passive surveillance by the Veterinary Laboratory Agency in 2011. All were differentiated by molecular...

Do Cattle Understand Death?
Whether cattle understand death or not is an interesting concept, which Joe Epperly, Marketing Director of the North American Limousin Foundation, discusses in his recent blog,