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1.
Arsenault J Dubreuil P Girard C Simard C Bélanger D 《Preventive veterinary medicine》2003,59(3):125-137
An epidemiological study was conducted to determine the impact of maedi-visna (MV) seropositivity on productivity in commercial sheep flocks of the province of Quebec, Canada. A total of 1734 ewes and 220 rams were selected randomly from 29 flocks distributed in the Bas-St-Laurent and Estrie regions. Serostatus was determined with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using recombinant proteins.Flock-specific, animal-level seroprevalence varied from 3 to 70% (median=29%). Seroprevalence increased with age and size of the flock, and was higher in ewes relative to rams (but was not associated with body score). A decrease of 0.94 kg per lamb in weaning weight was seen only for lambs raised by seropositive ewes >/=4 years old, and seropositivity in ewes of any age was associated with an increase in 0-30 days lamb-mortality (OR: 1.65). The impact of MV infection on weaning weight and lamb mortality did not vary between flocks, and seropositivity in ewes was not associated with litter size or lamb's birth weight. 相似文献
2.
Breeding-soundness examination (BSE) and eradication of Brucella ovis infection in rams are critical components of flock-health programs. The aims of this retrospective, cross-sectional study were to describe the results of BSE in a large sample of rams in the Western USA and to determine the association between BSE outcome and the semen collection method (penis manually extended vs. retained in the preputial cavity), ram body-condition score (BCS), the presence of ulcerative posthitis, and the size of the flock of origin. We evaluated the first BSE in a given year for rams from Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, USA, from 2000 through 2007. Breeding-soundness examination consisted of physical examination, scrotal circumference and BCS measurement, semen collection by electroejaculation, and microscopic examination of semen motility, morphology, and leukocyte concentration. We assigned a reason for failure to each failed BSE and used multivariable logistic and Poisson regressions to measure associations between ram and flock variables and the risk or reason for failure on BSE. A non-random, owner-selected subset of rams was tested for antibodies to B. ovis by serum indirect ELISA (iELISA). The Rogan-Gladen corrected B. ovis seroprevalence was measured. Of the 14,667 BSEs performed on 11,804 rams, 29.0% were classified as "failed;" the most common reason for failure was substandard semen parameters (43.8%). Breeding-soundness examinations were more likely to have been categorized as failure for inflammatory causes when performed on rams from medium-sized flocks (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.1, 2.3) and large flocks (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.0, 1.9) (P=0.02), suggesting that larger flocks are at higher risk of contagious diseases. The adjusted seroprevalence of B. ovis antibodies among tested rams in this study was 10.0%. Of 233 rams seropositive to B. ovis, 125 (53.6%) were subclinical, a finding that supports the importance of this test in ram BSE. We found that emaciation in rams was associated with an increased risk of BSE failure from substandard semen parameters (P<0.001), but ulcerative posthitis and the semen collection method were not (P=0.09 and 0.34, respectively). However, collection of semen with the penis retained in the preputial cavity resulted in greater odds of leukospermia relative to semen collection with the penis extended (OR 4.1; 95% CI 2.9, 5.9; P<0.001), presumably from contamination of the semen sample with preputial leukocytes. For ram BSE, therefore, semen collection with the penis manually extended from the sheath is recommended to limit leukocyte contamination of the sample. 相似文献
3.
Buckrell BC McEwen SA Johnson WH Savage NC 《The Canadian veterinary journal. La revue veterinaire canadienne》1985,26(10):293-296
Epididymitis was diagnosed in three rams in a commercial sheep flock in southern Ontario. The affected rams had palpably enlarged epididymides and two rams had semen which contained inflammatory cells and was of poor quality. Serum compliment fixation titers for Brucella ovis were 1:20, 1:80 and 1:90. Five other rams in the flock were clinically normal and without titers. Two of the affected rams had lesions similar to those produced by experimental infection with B. ovis. The infection in the rams had no apparent affect on ewe performance. The source of the infection remains unknown, but the rams were purchased from a flock which had imported ewes from the western U.S.A. 相似文献
4.
A performance data set from 376 Ripollesa purebred ewes of the experimental flock of the Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona was analyzed using a bivariate Bayesian threshold-linear model. The data set contained 1,598 litter size records and 1,699 days-to-lambing records. The model included the additive genetic effect of each animal and 3 nongenetic sources of variation: ewe age, year of lambing, and the permanent environmental effect characterized by the ewe. The flock was phenotypically selected for litter size since 1986, and replacement ewes and rams were selected from the progeny of the more prolific ewes, which had at least 3 deliveries recorded. The phenotypic trend for litter size was positive, whereas days to lambing followed an unclear pattern. Both traits had low heritabilities; 0.13 for litter size and 0.11 for days to lambing. Response to selection was evaluated through (a) the average breeding value of the ewe lambs chosen annually, and (b) the average breeding value of the overall flock. The first measurement suggested a positive trend for litter size, although it showed important oscillations. On the other hand, the average breeding value for the overall flock showed a stable positive tendency after yr 4 of selection, with estimates clearly different from zero after yr 11 of selection. A significant increase in the incidence of multiple births was observed, with a mode of approximately 10%. The correlated response in days to lambing did not show a significant trend. The effect of year of lambing also positively influenced both litter size and days to lambing, although important oscillations were observed between years. Results indicated that litter size in sheep can be effectively improved through phenotypic selection, even in small flocks; moreover, days to lambing could also be genetically improved, given the estimate obtained for its heritability. 相似文献
5.
W O Cottrell 《The Cornell veterinarian》1985,75(4):505-511
The ram is an important member of the flock, particularly in smaller, intensively managed flocks such as are found in the Northeast. An infertile ram can spell reproductive and financial failure for the producer. A highly fertile ram can settle more ewes in a shorter time, produce more twins, and confer valuable traits on his offspring. These include wool type, rate of gain and higher sperm production and ovulation rates. Details of the breeding soundness examination, including semen evaluation are discussed. Ram management techniques appropriate for Northeastern sheep producers are presented. 相似文献
6.
W M Barr 《The Veterinary record》1984,114(24):587-590
Examination of 1260 rams, involving 1540 semen examinations, revealed that 9 per cent of rams in hill flocks in Argyll were subfertile as assessed by semen evaluation. Although 34 lesions of the genitalia were identified, only 13 were associated with poor semen quality. A five year survey of one blackface flock resulted in the elimination, after three years, of a 17 per cent level of infertility following routine examination of all rams, with an increase of 2.27 per cent in the lamb crop. Based on the 1981 lamb prices for this flock an increased income of 1085 pounds was achieved. 相似文献
7.
T E Carpenter S L Berry J S Glenn 《Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association》1987,190(8):983-987
The epidemiology and economics of Brucella ovis control in a hypothetical, commercial sheep flock (100 rams and 2,500 ewes) were investigated. The investigation consisted of an epidemiologic simulation model, reported in a companion paper, and a decision-tree analysis, reported here. It was predicted from the simulation model that B ovis could be eradicated successfully in 2 test periods (less than 1 year) from a flock by using intensive screening and culling. A computerized decision-tree program was used to determine the economically optimal control strategy among several alternatives. Two versions of the program were used to determine the optimal alternative, based on minimizing the expected monetary loss (deterministic) and minimizing the associated risk (stochastic). The economically optimal alternative was to screen the rams by means of palpation, semen testing, and ELISA prior to the mating season. Rams positive to any test were culled. After the mating season was completed, the optimal action was to use ELISA for the remaining rams and to cull all that were ELISA positive. The cost of this alternative was approximately $6,150, or less than one half the annual cost of a vaccination program ($12,800) or no program ($13,550). Continuing palpation and semen testing were considered worthwhile on the basis of detecting new cases of B ovis infection and in maintaining high flock fertility. Similarly, the cost of annual use of ELISA was small (approximately $100), compared with the potential cost of not detecting a new case of B ovis infection. 相似文献
8.
Ward MP 《Preventive veterinary medicine》2001,49(1-2):61-69
The use of a time-space scan statistic--defined by a cylindrical window with a circular geographic base and height corresponding to time--was investigated as a method of detecting clustering in veterinary epidemiology whilst controlling confounding. The example data set consisted of farmer-recorded occurrence of body strike and breech strike between August 1998 and May 1999 in 26 sheep flocks located in two local government areas of southeastern Queensland, Australia. This information was derived from a questionnaire survey mailed to farmers. Potentially confounding factors included in the investigation were flock size (< or = median, > median), flock structure (proportion of lambs, wethers, ewes and rams), pesticide application for flystrike control (yes, no) and rainfall (< or = median, > median). The total sheep population within selected flocks was 92,660; 1012 (1.09%) and 518 (0.56%) cases of body strike and breech strike were reported in 16 and 10 flocks, respectively.Clustering analyses of body strike and breech strike were undertaken separately, because different predisposing factors are associated with these diseases. Significant clustering of body strike (28.76 degrees S, 151.82 degrees E) during March 1999 and breech strike (28.73 degrees S, 151.16 degrees E) between February and May 1999 was detected. Adjusting for flock structure, flock size, pesticide use and rainfall did not alter the most likely cluster of body strike identified--although the relative risk changed (> 10%) after adjusting for flock structure. Adjustment for flock structure and rainfall resulted in different clusters of breech strike being identified. 相似文献
9.
M S Bulgin 《Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association》1990,196(2):313-315
A commercial flock of Suffolk and Suffolk-cross breeding rams was monitored for 5 years in an effort to control epididymitis caused by Brucella ovis. Scrotal palpation, semen evaluations, and vaccination against B ovis were used the first 3 years. Serologic evaluation (complement fixation and ELISA) was added the fourth year, and bacteriologic culturing was added to the program the fifth year. Semen culturing in the fifth year revealed 9 (37.5%) of 24 rams were actively excreting B ovis; 6 of those 9 rams were seronegative. Neither semen quality nor the presence of WBC in the semen were dependable criteria to detect these seronegative carriers. In spite of the high percentage of B ovis excretors, few clinical signs of epididymitis were detected in the flock during the last 3 years of the study. It was hypothesized that vaccination protected rams against the clinical disease but not the carrier state. The importance of culturing semen for assessment of a control program was emphasized. 相似文献
10.
Flocks participating in sire referencing schemes can achieve greater genetic gains than those achievable by within-flock selection. However, requirements for joining these schemes can be prohibitive to some producers. The objectives of this study were to determine whether less restrictive schemes or schemes of shorter duration could achieve rates of gain and reduce inbreeding as efficiently as continuous sire referencing schemes (SRS) and to investigate whether bias from different genetic means could be reduced by these alternative schemes. Pedigree and performance data for a single trait with a within-flock heritability of 0.25 were simulated (50 replications) for 15 flocks with 40 to 140 ewes per flock. Founder genetic means for each flock were sampled from a normal distribution with mean 0 and SD equal to the trait's genetic SD. After 10 yr of random mating, flocks had the opportunity to join an SRS and begin selection for the simulated trait. Yearling rams were chosen as reference sires randomly from the top one-sixth of the population ranked on BLUP EBV. Every year, in each flock, 3 reference sires were mated to 10 ewes. Six sire referencing scenarios were considered, in which all flocks participated in a SRS for 1) 15 yr; 2) 5 yr before discontinuing the scheme; 3) 10 yr before discontinuing the scheme; 4) 2 out of every 3 yr; 5) 15 yr with reference sire mating by natural service; and 6) no years (no use of SRS). Ewes not mated to reference sires were mated either to their own home-bred sires exclusively or to a mixture of homebred and unrelated purchased rams of unknown merit. Genetic gain was equivalent whether the SRS used AI or natural service matings, although inbreeding was lower with natural service. Across all scenarios, genetic gain and inbreeding were greater when excess ewes were mated exclusively to homebred sires. Genetic gains without SRS were 80 to 82% lower than when the scheme operated for 15 yr, whereas inbreeding was considerably greater. Other scenarios were intermediate in both gain and inbreeding levels. In all SRS scenarios, bias in EBV attributable to differing flock genetic means rapidly decreased in the first 5 yr of sire referencing. Levels of bias did not substantially increase when flocks discontinued SRS after 5 or 10 yr, suggesting that further participation in an SRS may not be necessary to manage risk. Natural service and noncontinuous SRS are viable options to continuous AI SRS in terms of genetic gain, inbreeding, and bias reduction. 相似文献
11.
SUMMARY The extent and causes of sheep losses in the semi-arid Mallee region of north-western Victoria were assessed by interviewing the owners of 79 randomly selected farms running 241 flocks in 1987/88 and 245 flocks in 1988/89. Mean annual losses were higher in ram flocks (21%) than in ewe flocks (7%), in flocks of non-Merino sheep (rams 24%, ewes 11%, weaners 5%) than in Merino (rams 11%, ewes 6%, wethers 4%, weaners 4%) and in ewe flocks 3 or more years old (10%) than in young ewe flocks (3.5%). In flocks where losses exceeded 5%, the causes most often reported by farmers were blowfly strike (especially in Merino sheep and weaners), ewe losses in autumn close to lambing, and heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum) poisoning. Heliotrope poisoning was considered by the authors to be the main reason for the higher losses in old ewes than in young ewes and in non-Merino sheep than in Merino sheep. Losses of ewes associated with pregnancy and lambing were considered by the authors to be often predisposed by liver damage caused by heliotrope poisoning, and high losses in non-Merino ram flocks were attributed to both heliotrope poisoning and their ability to escape through boundary fences. Reasons for continuing high losses due to enterotoxaemia are discussed. Losses due to gastro-intestinal parasites, footrot and foot abscess were low. 相似文献
12.
AW PHILBEY JRW GLASTONBURY JT ROTHWELL IJ LINKS JE SEARSON 《Australian veterinary journal》1991,68(12):387-390
Histophilus ovis was isolated from 29 sheep in 20 flocks and 2 artificial insemination (AI) centres in southern New South Wales from 1984 to 1990. The clinical and pathological findings were consistent with previous reports and included polyarthritis (7 flocks), epididymo-orchitis (5), meningoencephalitis (3), pneumonia (3), septicaemia (2), mastitis (1) and metritis (1). Six sheep had meningoencephalitis, a syndrome not previously associated with H ovis infection in sheep, which was similar pathologically to thromboembolic meningoencephalitis in cattle, caused by the related organism, Haemophilus somnus. H ovis was isolated from the semen of 12-month-old rams in a flock that had polyarthritis due to H ovis, in 4-month-old ram lambs and from the uterus of a ewe in a flock that had sporadic cases of H ovis septicaemia. 相似文献
13.
Effectiveness of photoperiod stimulation on reproductive performance of sheep housed continuously indoors on an accelerated breeding schedule. 
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下载免费PDF全文 Over five breeding periods, the reproductive performance (fertility, prolificacy and fecundity) of three strains of sheep housed continuously indoors was measured. The sheep were maintained as two separate flocks, A and B, with similar genetic background on an eight month accelerated breeding schedule under one of three lighting regimes, abrupt, contracted or constant, to induce ovarian activity. Overall fertility to one estrus was 59%. For flock A, fertility was greatest under the contracted lighting regime and lowest under the constant lighting regime; the opposite was true for flock B. Among the three strains, fertility was lowest for the Dam 2 strain in flock A. Prolificacy averaged 1.8 lambs per ewe lambing and was similar under each of the three lighting regimes. Fecundity (averaging 106%), the number of lambs born per 100 ewes exposed to rams, generally followed the pattern of fertility. 相似文献
14.
The prevalence of Haemophilus somnus in the prepuce of young rams was examined. Of 473 rams entering Record of Performance (ROP) stations at 50 days of age, 43 (9.1%) were positive. Average daily gain was not affected by Haemophilus status, but was influenced by breed of ram. Suffolks were predicted to gain 0.515 kg daily compared to 0.427 kg for a group combining all other breeds. Using logistic regression to identify risk factors for individual H. somnus infection, rams in 1989 were 0.382 times as likely to be infected as rams in 1988, and Suffolks were 0.314 times as likely to be infected as the other breeds group, but these factors were not significant at the flock level. Of 80 eligible flocks of origin, 22 (27.5%) were classified as infected with H. somnus, based on rams submitted to the ROP station. Infected flocks contributed 133 rams, 43 (32.3%) of which were positive. There was no association between H. somnus status and lambing percent of the percent of abortions and stillbirths, but there was a statistically significant association with the percent of ewes which failed to lamb. In the model developed, 6% of the bred ewes in noninfected flocks failed to lamb, compared to a rate of 12% in infected flocks. These results suggest H. somnus may influence ewe fertility earlier, rather than later in gestation. Purchasing replacement animals and having cattle on the farm were risk factors for Haemophilus infection in the flock. Where replacements had been purchased within the previous year, the risk of flock infection rose 8.5 times, and on farms having cattle as well as sheep, the risk rose 13.2 times.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) 相似文献
15.
16.
C V Bagley W C Burrell G M Esplin J L Walters 《Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association》1984,185(8):876-877
To better document the detrimental effect of ram epididymitis (RE) in large range flocks, a study was conducted to determine the correlation of palpable RE lesions and semen quality. Presence of leukocytes in the semen of rams affected with RE also was evaluated and found to correlate positively with RE lesions and inversely with semen quality. Rams with palpable RE lesions usually produced semen of reduced quality; however, some affected rams did produce good quality semen. The mean scrotal circumference varied significantly when rams were analyzed by breed, but not when grouped by RE status or classified by semen quality. 相似文献
17.
T E Carpenter S L Berry J S Glenn 《Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association》1987,190(8):977-982
The epidemiology and economics of Brucella ovis control in a hypothetical, commercial sheep flock (100 rams and 2,500 ewes) were investigated. The investigation consisted of an epidemiologic simulation model, reported here, and a decision-tree analysis, reported in a companion paper. The epidemiologic model was designed to simulate the transmission and persistence of B ovis in a ram flock during the mating season as well as the nonmating (isolation) season. A constant contact rate was selected for the nonmating season and a varying contact rate was selected for the mating season to reflect changes in numbers of ewes in estrus. These contact rates were used to evaluate all possible combinations of 5 control alternatives for flock infection rates ranging from 0% to 38%. Vaccination was found to be more effective as a control strategy when the prevalence of flock infection was high (greater than 15%); however, it did not substantially reduce B ovis transmission when the prevalence of flock infection was low (less than 10%). The effect of increasing vaccine efficacy from 40% to 80% had minimal effect on incidence of new cases. The speed with which B ovis could be eradicated depended on the initial prevalence of infection and the screening tests used (palpation, semen testing for leukocytes, and ELISA). All combinations of screening tests verified the usefulness of palpation. Simulation model results indicated that it may be feasible to eradicate B ovis from flocks with moderate to high (10% to 38%) prevalence of infection by culling on the basis of 2 sequential tests.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) 相似文献
18.
A series of 10 farm trials was conducted in which the lambing performance of ewes immunised against polyandroalbumin was compared with that of untreated ewes in the same flock. The trials show that polyandroalbumin treatment is a reliable method of increasing lambing and tailing percentages in New Zealand flocks. An average of 39 extra lambs born per 100 ewes tupped was achieved on farms where ewes were given two treatments about four weeks apart and rams were introduced 18-26 days after the second dose. On farms where rams were introduced less than 12 days after this booster injection an average of 19 extra lambs born per 100 ewes tupped resulted. On farms where rams were introduced at 18-26 days post booster injection an average of 35 extra lambs were tailed for every 100 ewes tupped. The response for immunization increased in direct relation to the liveweight of the ewes at tupping. 相似文献
19.
Despite challenges in the implementation of livestock genetic improvement programs in developing regions, including centralized nucleus breeding schemes, these programs can contribute to the improvement of the livelihood of smallholder farmers. In this paper, we present a community- or village-based breeding scheme in which breeding activities are carried out by communities of smallholder farmers. We evaluated genetic responses and the rate of inbreeding from alternative village sheep breeding schemes that were based on a survey of existing flock structure and breeding management in a sheep-barley system in Ethiopia. This survey showed that individual flock sizes were small, and that the majority of farmers practiced mixed grazing and uncontrolled mating of their flocks in communal grazing lands within villages. Here we evaluated within-village schemes (selection across flocks within a village) and across-village schemes (selection across villages) at different intensities of ram selection (i.e. proportions of rams selected, P). Our results showed that under within-village schemes, intensity of selection could not be increased (i.e. P could not be decreased below 0.149) when the rate of inbreeding was constrained to an acceptable level of 0.01, resulting in low genetic gain. The most optimal scheme was found to be across-village selection with at least three villages cooperating and P = 0.05. Our results also indicated that genetic gain from village breeding schemes with mass selection and BLUP selection is comparable. Village breeding schemes can make a significant contribution to the genetic improvement of livestock in Ethiopia and other developing countries. 相似文献
20.
C V Kimberling K S Arnold D J Schweitzer R L Jones H VonByern M Lucas 《Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association》1986,189(1):73-76
A breeding soundness evaluation was conducted on 824 Colorado range rams. These rams were determined to be free from epididymitis via testicular palpation. Semen evaluation included microscopic observation for the presence of WBC. Of the 824 rams, 15.5% failed the breeding soundness evaluation on the basis of the semen evaluation: 10.6% had WBC in the semen and 4.9% had poor sperm morphology. The prevalence of Brucella ovis isolation varied from 0% to 16.2% within flocks. The prevalence of subclinical B ovis infection was 10% in the control flocks. Brucella ovis was isolated from 71.9% of the rams that had WBC in their semen. From this study, it appeared that palpation and vaccination may be inadequate for control of ram epididymitis. 相似文献