Objective-To investigate the epidemiologic and financial impacts of targeted sampling of subpopulations of cows, compared with random sampling of all cows, for classification of dairy herd infection status for paratuberculosis. Animals-All cows from 4 infected herds with a low-to-moderate prevalence of paratuberculosis and from 1 noninfected herd in California. Procedure-The infection status of each cow was classified on the basis of results of an ELISA or combined ELISA and fecal culture results. Thirteen sampling schemes designed to randomly sample cows on the basis of lactation number, stage of lactation, and milk production were evaluated. Sampling without replacement was used to obtain a probability of herd detection of paratuberculosis for each evaluated sampling method and for simulated sample sizes between 30 and 150 cows. Marginal cost-effectiveness analysis was used to determine the cost increase relative to the increase in detection probability. Results-Sampling cows in the third or higher lactation and greater than or equal to 200 days into lactation yielded the highest detection probability in most instances, resulting in a detection probability that was 1.4 to 2.5 times that obtained by sampling 30 cows in the second or higher lactation. Costs of testing via the alternative method with a 95% detection probability were approximately $300 lower in a high-prevalence herd (31 %) and $800 lower in a low-prevalence herd (9%), compared with use of the reference method. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Detection of herds with paratuberculosis could be improved, and costs of testing substantially reduced by sampling targeted groups of cows.

Aujeszky's disease (AD) is a respiratory, infectious viral illness associated with high mortality, especially in neonatal piglets and has frequently been considered an economically important disease in many endemic countries. Although AD is still occurring in a geographically defined region in Korea, little attention has been paid to the economics of AD. In this study, partial budget technique was used to develop a simulation model to measure financial losses following the disease epidemic in a swine operation utilizing stochastic or deterministic parameters from the literatures and the index case herd of AD occurred in 2005, where available and applicable. For the infected case herd with a 12500-pig, the total economic loss for this operation was estimated to be about 199 million Korean won (95% confidence interval [CI] 148,645,000-250,741,000). Given net loss due to death of a pig at sow level was 119,000 won, total loss for the case herd with 1200 sows accounted for 143 million won (95% CI 92,599,000-193,729,000). The net loss of the death of one pig at growing and fattening level resulted in loss of 46,000 won (95% CI 40,000-53,000) and 126,000 won (95% CI 122,000-131,000), respectively. Taking into account for the number of pigs raised in the case herd, total loss amounted to 8 million won (95% CI 7,167,000-9,347,000) and 12 million won (95% CI 11,959,000-12,891,000), for growers and fatteners, respectively, assuming 63% of saved feed intake when a pig dies halfway through the respective period. Under the model's assumptions, suckling pig mortality was the major factors of loss in estimating the economic consequences (approximately 71.8% of the total loss). The high economic losses of a herd infected with AD suggest that the effective and region-specific control measures should be implemented in disease endemic foci.

Approximately 45 Holstein cows that were Mycobacterium paratuberculosis-positive on the basis of fecal culture results were maintained at any one time in a 210-cow dairy herd. Farm management participated in the New York State Paratuberculosis Eradication Program. Paratuberculosis-positive cows were grouped separately from paratuberculosis-negative cows, but they were otherwise managed identically. During a 1-year study, 180 paratuberculosis-negative cows and 113 clinically normal paratuberculosis-positive cows were identified. Quarter milk samples (n = 6,100) were aseptically collected for microbiologic culture of mastitis pathogens from paratuberculosis-negative cows, and 3,129 quarter samples were obtained from paratuberculosis-positive cows. Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) records were used to monitor milk somatic cell count linear scores, mature equivalent milk production, new mastitis infections, and chronic mastitis infections. For second-lactation cows greater than 100 days in milk production, and increasing with age beyond that point, paratuberculosis-positive cows had lower mature equivalent milk production than did negative herdmates. Rates of new and chronic mastitis infections, as measured by DHIA linear scores were significantly (P less than 0.05, P = 0.05, respectively) lower in cows with nonclinical paratuberculosis. Infected cows were cuffed from the herd at a faster rate than were paratuberculosis-negative herdmates. Therefore, paratuberculosis was associated with financial loss attributable to reduced milk production and increased culling of infected cows.

To evaluate economic effects and health and performance of the general cattle population after exposure to cattle persistently infected (PI) with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) in a feedlot. 21,743 high-risk calves from the southeastern United States. PI status was determined by use of an antigen-capture ELISA (ACE) and confirmed by use of a second ACE, reverse transcriptase-PCR assay of sera, immunohistochemical analysis, and virus isolation from sera. Groups with various amounts of exposure to BVDV PI cattle were used. After being placed in the feedlot, identified PI cattle were removed from 1 section, but PI cattle remained in another section of the feedlot. Exposure groups for cattle lots arriving without PI animals were determined by spatial association to cattle lots, with PI animals remaining or removed from the lot. 15,348 cattle maintained their exposure group. Performance outcomes improved slightly among the 5 exposure groups as the risk for exposure to BVDV PI cattle decreased. Health outcomes had an association with exposure risk that depended on the exposure group. Comparing cattle lots with direct exposure with those without direct exposure revealed significant improvements in all performance outcomes and in first relapse percentage and mortality percentage in the health outcomes. Economic analysis revealed that fatalities accounted for losses of $5.26/animal and performance losses were $88.26/animal. This study provided evidence that exposure of the general population of feedlot cattle to BVDV PI animals resulted in substantial costs attributable to negative effects on performance and increased fatalities.

A series of coupled differential equations was used to model the temporal dynamics of rabies in raccoons in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The model takes explicit account of the development of natural immunity to rabies and was used to evaluate culling and vaccination elimination strategies. For habitats typical of the mid-Atlantic states, and given the assumptions of the model, it was estimated that elimination of rabies in raccoons by culling may involve the annual removal of over 32% of the raccoon population or the yearly vaccination of up to 99% of the susceptible fraction. Assuming a constant marginal cost for both culling and vaccination, the model suggests that, whatever the actual cost of each method, the cheapest strategy will always involve either culling or vaccination alone. A combined strategy of culling and vaccination will be cheaper than culling alone only when the per capita cost of vaccination is around one-fifth or less the per capita cost of culling.

The objective of this study was to evaluate cost-effective intervention for enhanced fertility in buffaloes, which could otherwise remain un-bred for variable long time. A total of 165 postpartum anestrus buffaloes were examined gynaeco-clinically at farmer's door. The animals identified with corpus luteum in either of the ovary, were treated with 500 £gg of Cloprostenol, single injection or double injection at 11 days interval (Gr. I). The remaining animals with smooth and inactive ovaries were randomly divided in three different groups. The group II animals were injected 100-150 mg progesterone for successive 5 days and single injection of 500 I.U. of PMSG on seventh day. The animals of group III were administered with 20 £gg of GnRH analogue and 7 days later, with 500 _Ýg of Cloprostenol. A second injection of 10 £gg GnRH analogue was given after 48 hrs of Cloprostenol injection. Group IV animals received 50 gm mineral mixture daily for 30 days along with 30 Nutrisacc boli (1 bolus b.i.d. for 15 days). The proportion of animals that exhibited estrus were 89.13, 86.84, 82.35 and 59.57% and the mean treatment-estrus intervals were 3.97¡Ó0.46, 4.38¡Ó0.49, 3.08¡Ó0.23 and 21.78¡Ó2.56 days in group I, II, III and IV, respectively. The animals detected in estrus were bred by natural service using fertile bulls and diagnosed for pregnancy per rectum 50 days post service. The first service conception rate was 46.34, 33.33, 53.57 and 28.57 % in-group I, II, III and IV, respectively, while the overall conception rate was significantly higher (78.57%) in GnRH-treated animals. The cost of treatment in different groups was Rs. 160 or 320, 220, 525 and 150, respectively. The results indicate that better fertility in postpartum anestrus buffaloes can be obtained by GnRH therapy though; the cost of intervention seems to be higher than other treatments.

A study was carried out in the month of September, 2022 to know the economics on rearing of indigenous (local) comparative broiler birds at the Poultry Unit of SCS college of Agriculture, Rangamati, Assam Agricultural University, Dhubri, Assam. For the study, day old chicks of indigenous and broiler, 100 numbers each were introduced in deep litter system of management. Broilers were marketed at the completion of 6 th week, while the indigenous birds were kept up to 8 th week and then marketed. Mean body weight was found to be 2082.67±14.85 g and 658.29±3.49 g in the case of broilers and indigenous birds at 6 th week and 8 th week respectively. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) was recorded as 1.64 and 2.29 for broiler and indigenous birds, respectively. The cost of production per kg bird is Rs.114.70 and Rs. 227.90 for broiler and indigenous birds respectively. The net profit calculated in production of broilers and indigenous was Rs. 5100.00 and Rs. 7450.00 respectively. Benefit cost ratio (BCR) in broiler and indigenous bird was found to be 1.22.1.00 and 1.53:1.00, respectively.

Many pig and broiler farmers struggle to reduce the use of antimicrobials on their farms. The improvement of the level of biosecurity certainly is one of the most effective ways to prevent pathogens entering the farm. Research is focused however also on other strategies, which may reduce the reliance on antimicrobials: increase animals’ resilience, early detection of diseases and targeted use of antimicrobials. These three strategies may exert a long term effect on the necessity tofight animal diseases. Several innovations are being tested that belong to these strategies, but most of these techniques have not yet been applied at farm scale In this paper a first analysis has been carried out to estimate the costs and benefits of innovations to improve resilience, to early detect diseases and to implement a targeted use of antimicrobials. As most of the innovations have been tested in experimental settings, the results of the economic analysis still have be treated with care. It provides however a first assessment of the economic convenience of the innovations and a list of key performance indicators that need to be taken into account in the analysis. For this analysis the partial budgeting approach has been used. Where broilers are concerned the analysis has been centred on on-farm hatching, elevated platforms, use of probiotics, automatic weighing systems and targeted use of non-antimicrobial feed and/or water additives. For pigs the analysis has been focused on innovative enrichment material to improve pig welfare and video-surveillance systems to early detect diseases.