Oral and Poster Abstracts

prevalence of JD within a herd. Of the herds 42.2% did not have any
animals that tested positive, whereas 57.8% of the herds had at least one
JD-test positive or suspect cow. Many of the farmers saw JD as a
problem for their herd, yet believed that JD could be eradicated from
farms. About two-thirds (69%) of the farmers suspected that JD entered
the herd through a purchased animal, yet the first diagnosed JD case in
52% of the herds was in a home raised animal. Responses to many of the
RA questions were correlated; e.g., if one management area was
considered unhygienic then other areas were also dirty. In this study, the
JD prevalence was not associated with herd size, number of purchased
animals in the last five years, number of farms purchased from, or the
hygienic state of the calving pen (p > 0.1). Most of the farms had
maternity box-stalls, which tended to be cleaner than non-box-stall
environments. However, more than 50% of the farms did not remove
calves from the calving pen within 30 minutes of birth. This extended
exposure to a contaminated environment might explain why neither the
age at removal from the dam, nor the colostrum source (e.g. artifical vs.
from dams with unknown JD status), were associated with the apparent
JD prevalence. In conclusion, the RA appears to identify critical areas
correctly, although there are clearly areas of the instrument that need to
be further refined. Given the homogeneous nature of responses to some
of the questions, there is opportunity to reduce the length of the
instrument while increasing its discriminatory power.
149 The Effect of Infection with Mycobacterium Avium Subsp.
Paratuberculosis on Tuberculin Testing in Suckler Herds in
Ireland
P. Mullowney, M. Good, E. Costello, D. Barrett
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Animal Health,
Dublin, Ireland
To assess the degree of interference with bovine tuberculin testing in
suckler herds in Ireland that infection with Mycobacterium avium ssp
paratuberculosis would be likely to cause.
Aim: To assess the degree of interference with bovine tuberculin
testing in suckler herds in Ireland that infection with Mycobacterium
avium ssp paratuberculosis would be likely to cause.
Methods: In the period 2002 to 2006 a total of 94 beef suckler herds
submitted faecal samples to the Central Veterinary Research
Laboratory, which yielded a culture positive result for Mycobacterium
avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). The bovine tuberculin
testing history of these herds over a twenty-year period is analysed.
These findings are compared with those from a control group of 243
suckler herds which gave ELISA negative results as part of a survey
which was conducted to estimate the prevalence of paratuberculosis
(Johne’s disease) in the Irish cattle population. Tuberculin testing data
on individual animals that were confirmed positive by faecal culture
both prior to and subsequent to the sample submission were compared
with those from matched animals in the control herds.
Results: Thirty one percent of the animals in the infected group had
had a response greater than 2mm to the avian tuberculin and 18% had
had a response greater than 2mm to the bovine tuberculin. In the control
group the responses were 24% to the avian tuberculin and 15% to the
bovine tuberculin. Forty-four of the 94 case herds had been restricted
for TB in the period 1989- 2007 (47%) whereas the figure for the
control herds was 136 out of 243 (56 %). In the case herds 26% had
lesions whereas in the control group 31% had lesions.
Conclusions: These findings would suggest that in Ireland, which has
a herd incidence of infection with Mycobacterium bovis of 5.87%,
infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis may
interfere with the diagnostic test used for M. bovis infection.
Key words: M. bovis, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis, bovine
tuberculosis, Johnes
193 Parameters of the Antioxidative Status in Calves and
Growing Cattle
T. Sattler, D. Haser, M. Fürll
University of Leipzig, Medizinische Tierklinik, Leipzig, Germany
Objective of study: The antioxidative status is an important system for an
organism to fight free radicals. It consists of intracellular, extracellular,
enzymatic and non enzymatic components. The development of those
components in crowing animals is important for the ability to prevent
diseases. Stohrer et al. (2004) measured a decrease of the serum
antioxidants in calves in the first days of live, determined with the Trolox
equivalent antioxidative capacity (TEAC). Other important parameters of
the antioxidative status are the intracellular enzymes superoxide
dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX). Objective of the
study was to examine the development of parameters of the antioxidative
status (SOD, GPX, TEAC) in young cattle.Material and methods: We
examined 39 clinically healthy female Holstein Friesian calves and took
blood samples on the first and 7 th day of life as well as on the end of the
first, 3 rd , 6 th , 9 th , 12 th and 18 th month of life. SOD activity in erythrocyte
lysate (Photochem ® , AnalyticJenaAG), TEAC concentration in blood
serum (Spectrophotometer DU 640B, Beckmann) and GPX activity in
heparinized whole blood (UV-method) were measured. The feeding was
up to the 5 th day of life colostrums, up to the 3 rd month milk changer, hay
and concentrates and after this gras silage, hay and concentrates.
Results: The SOD activity in erythrocyte lysate increases in the first
three month of life from 4967 U/g Hb (median, 1 st quartile 4495; 3rd
quartile 5598) on the first day of life to 6966 U/g Hb (5661; 6827) on
the third day of life and decreases later on to 4287 U/g Hb (3772;
4931). The GPX activity in whole blood increased from 60,9 U/g Hb
(49,5; 78,7) on the first day of life to 143,8 U/g Hb (120,6; 178) on the
6 th month of life and stayed than on an even level. The TEAC
concentration in serum showed also an increase from 254 µmol/l (220;
286) on the first day of life to 307 µmol/l (258; 336) in the sixth month
of life and after that a very slight but not significant decrease.
Conclusion: In this study we measured a continuous increase of all
measured parameters of the antioxidative status up to an age of six
month. After this stayed the antioxidative status on an even level,
except for the SOD activity which showed a decrease. The SOD and
GPX activities as well as the TEAC concentrations in 18 month old
cattle were on the same level as in grown up cows. The above
mentioned decrease of TEAC in young calves was not to be found.
Key words: calves, cattle, antioxidative status, SOD, GPX
194 Acute Phase Proteins and Variables of Enzymatic and
Hepatic Profile in Dairy Cows during the Pre- and Postpartal
Period
G. Kovac, Cs. Tothova, O. Nagy, H. Seidel, J. Novotny, J. Tomcova
University of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Cattle and Sheep
Diseases, Kosice, Slovakia
During the time around parturition, there are big changes in whole
metabolism of dairy cows, which reflect multiple disturbances in the
homeostatic control of the animals. The production of acute phase
proteins by liver is one of numerous reactions, by which the
organism responds to the impaired homeostasis. The objective of
this study was to evaluate the concentrations of selected acute phase
proteins: haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA) - in blood
serum of dairy cows during the reproduction cycle in relation to
some variables of enzymatic and hepatic profile - aspartate
aminotransferase (AST), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT),
alkalic phosphatase (AP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine
phosphokinase (CPK), and total bilirubin (TBil). The analyses were
performed in 64 dairy cows of a Slovak spotted breed and its
crossbreds. The animals were divided into groups according to the
reproduction period from 4 weeks before parturition to 10 weeks
after parturition. Hp and SAA were determined by method of
enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using diagnostic kits in
microplates. Significant differences we found in average values of
the Hp and SAA concentrations in several groups during the
monitored period (P