Introduction: This article presents the analysis of the correlation between the category and health status of calves and the results of their rearing and levels of selected blood parameters.Material and Methods: The study included 105 Polish Holstein-Friesian and beef (Limousine, Charolaise and Hereford) crossbred calves. Young bulls were purchased at the age of two to four weeks. The animals underwent quarantine, were dehorned, and 46 young bulls were castrated. The germ horns were removed by burning out. Castration was carried out with a bloodless method using a rubber band. The calves were kept in groups and fed a milk replacer administered via teats from automated milk-feeding stations. After the period of milk feeding, the calves were fed grass silage ad libitum and a concentrate at 2.5 kg/animal/day. The calves were weighed every two weeks. Blood for analyses was sampled at 43 d of age.Results: After the rearing period finished at the age of six months, young bulls and steers had similar body weights (176.17 and 176.55 kg) and approximate average daily weight gains from birth (0.756 and 0.767 g/day). The healthy calves at six months of age weighed 180.47 kg, whereas the animals which at least once suffered from some diseases during rearing were lighter by approx. 30 kg (P ≤ 0.01). A statistically significant (P ≤ 0.01) difference was found for the count of red blood cells and white blood cells. In comparison with healthy individuals, the diseased animals had less RBC (8.33 and 9.42 10¹²/L respectively) and more WBC (27.03 and 12.26 10⁹/L respectively).Conclusion: Castration of young bulls did not have any impact on the results of rearing and health status of the calves. The magnitude of the analysed parameters depended on the health status of the calves. Thus RBC and WBC parameters may be used to predict the health status of calves during rearing.

Dairy cows may infrequently give milk tinged with blood after calving, which is a condition termed haemolactia. Economic losses for dairy farmers are caused by cases of haemolactia because of the condemnation of such milk, potential contamination of good bulk tank milk with haemolactic milk, and need for veterinarian intervention. This study was performed to elucidate the oxidative status of dairy cows with haemolactia during the peripartum period. Plasma glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase concentrations along with serum vitamin A, C and E concentrations were determined as indices of oxidative stress. The sampled dairy cows comprised two haemolactic (n = 11 and n = 6) and two non-haemolactic (n = 11 and n = 6) groups. On the first day when haemolactia was identified in colostrum (at mean 2.1 days after parturition), a significantly increased concentration of plasma MDA was noted in the haemolactic group. During the prepartum period, low levels of serum vitamin E were continuously observed from prepartum week 4 to the parturition day but only in the haemolactic group. These results demonstrate that continuous low levels of serum vitamin E in the prepartum period may play a pivotal role as a requisite factor in the onset of haemolactia after calving.

The characteristics of immune factors in somatic cells from lactating dairy cows and their association with commensal bacteria in normal milk have not been clarified. This study investigated the relationship between the pathogenic bacteria in milk and somatic cell immune factors in healthy lactating cows. In total 44 healthy Holstein cows were studied on one farm. Milk samples were collected aseptically using a cannula and these samples were cultured for detection of bacteria and analysis of mRNA of immune factors expressed by somatic cells. Cows were divided into two groups based on the microbial status of their milk samples: 12 cows showed bacteria in cultures (positive group), and the other 32 cows did not (negative group). The mRNA levels of IL-6, lactotransferrin, and cathelicidin expressed by somatic cells after milking decreased significantly compared to those before milking in both groups (P < 0.05). There were significantly lower mRNA levels of IL-6 and cathelicidin in the positive group compared to those in the negative group before milking. These results suggest that mRNA levels of IL-6 and cathelicidin expressed by the somatic cells may be affected by the presence of bacteria in healthy lactating dairy cows.

Introduction: Quercetin is a polyphenolic flavonoid which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a natural therapeutic agent with a broad spectrum of activities (antioxidant, anticancer, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial). The aim of this study was to develop and validate a rapid and simple ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination of quercetin in milk. Material and Methods: Sample preparation was based on a liquid-liquid extraction with 0.5% formic acid in acetonitrile. The chromatographic separation was performed on a ZORBAX SB-C18 column with methanol and 0.5% formic acid as a mobile phase. Results: The procedure was successfully validated. The mean recovery of the analyte was 98%, with the corresponding intra- and inter-day variation less than 10% and 15%, respectively, and the repeatability and reproducibility were in the range of 3%–7.2% and 6.1%–12%, respectively. The lowest level of quantification was 1.0 μg/kg. Conclusion: The proposed method was successfully applied in evaluating the pharmacokinetics of quercetin in milk obtained from dairy cows with clinical mastitis after intramammary administration.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of enterococci in inflammatory secretions from mastitic bovine udders and to assess their antimicrobial resistance. Material and Methods: A total of 2,000 mastitic milk samples from cows were tested in 2014–2017. The isolation of enterococci was performed by precultivation in buffered peptone water, selective multiplication in a broth with sodium azide and cristal violet, and cultivation on Slanetz and Bartley agar. The identification of enterococci was carried out using Api rapid ID 32 strep kits. The antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated using the MIC technique. Results: Enterococci were isolated from 426 samples (21.3%). Enterococcus faecalis was the predominant species (360 strains), followed by E. faecium (35 isolates), and small numbers of others. The highest level of resistance was observed to lincomycin, tetracycline, quinupristin/dalfopristin (Synercid), erythromycin, kanamycin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, and tylosin. Single strains were resistant to vancomycin and ciprofloxacin. All isolates were sensitive to daptomycin. E. faecalis presented a higher level of resistance in comparison to E. faecium, except to nitrofurantoin. Conclusion: The results showed frequent occurrence of enterococci in mastitic cow’s milk and confirmed the high rate of their antimicrobial resistance.

Introduction: There are many veterinary products containing β-lactam antibiotics which are used for mastitis treatment in cows. The aim of the study was to determine whether mastitis could have any effect on amoxicillin (AMX) or penicillin G procaine (PEN) withdrawal period from milk, in the context of current maximum residue limits established by the European Commission. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 17 dairy Black and White cows with clinical mastitis during the lactation period. The first group (n = 8) received 200 mg of amoxicillin (AMX), whereas the second group (n = 9) received 200,000 IU/mg of penicillin G procaine (PEN) by intramammary administration. For the measurement of AMX and PEN concentrations in milk, the liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was applied. Pharmacokinetic calculations were performed using Phoenix WinNonlin 6.4 software. Results: The determined AMX and PEN half-life values in the mammary gland suggest that the drug withdrawal is at a level of 99.9% within 81 h (≈3.5 days) and 116 h (≈5 days) after administration of AMX and PEN, respectively. The present research indicates that, at 60 h after administration, the average PEN concentration in the milk from cows with clinical signs of mastitis may still reach 4.96 g/kg and that of AMX can even be 6.92 g/kg. Conclusion: The results obtained confirm that, in mastitis cases, a 72-h withdrawal period is sufficient for elimination of AMX to a lower level than the established maximum residue limit (MRL) values. However, in the case of PEN, at 69 h after administration, the drug concentration may be close to that of the determined MRL.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to describe a pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) approach for determination of a rational dosage of ampicillin (AMP) and depletion of the antibiotic residues in milk after intramammary administration to cows.Material and Methods: The cows came from different farms from the Lublin Province area. They (n = 9) received 5 g of the drug, containing 75 mg of AMP sodium in physiological solution, through a syringe tube by intramammary administration. Following single intramammary administration, the milk samples (5 mL) were collected after 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 24, 36, 48, and 60 h. The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was performed on the Agilent 1200 system connected to an AB Sciex API 4000™ mass spectrometer. The pharmacokinetic analysis of the concentrations of the antibiotic in milk was performed using software Phoenix® WinNonlin® 6.4. Calculations were made in non-compartmental (slopes, highest, amounts, and moments) and compartmental analysis.Results: The pharmacokinetic characteristics of AMP after intramammary administration indicate rapid elimination of the drug from milk. The mean residence time had a several-fold lower value than the designated elimination half-life and amounts to only 3.4 h. The concentration of the drug in the milk dropped relatively quickly and the process was very dynamic.Conclusion: The conducted research confirms the rationale of using the PK/PD model in order to verify the dosing regimen for other antibiotic groups and various indicators of the applied PK/PD model.

Objective: In recent years, lead (Pb) has arisen as a foremost contaminant due to overpopulation, rapid industrialization, and expansion that could contaminate the human food chain. However, the correlation between the environmental contamination of Pb and its spatial transfer to the dairy products is still unmapped. In this paper, we intend to evaluate the concentration of environ¬mental Pb and its spatial distribution in dairy feed and products in Narayangonj, a highly polluted district of Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: A total of 125 samples of soil, water, forage, and milk were collected from five upazilas (Narayangonj Sadar, Bondor, Rupgonj, Araihazar, and Sonargoan) of Narayangonj. The samples were digested by acid digestion, and Pb was detected by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer. The bioconcentration factor of the samples was also calculated. Results: In this study, 25% of the soil, 20% of the water, 5% of the forage, and 2% of the milk samples contained Pb at a variable level. Among the environmental samples, the highest concen¬tration (2639 μg/kg) of Pb was detected in the soil, followed by in the water (0.0230.059 μg/ kg) and forage (0.0170.035 μg/kg). The contamination (0.0410.068 μg/kg) in the milk, however, was lower than the soil but higher than the water and forage. The concentration of Pb in all the samples was within a safer limit. None of the forage samples was the potential bioaccumulator. Conclusion: Although no linear correlation was established between the environmental samples, forage, and milk, the study identifies the potentials of the spatial distribution of Pb from the environment to the dairy feed and products. Therefore, feasible procedures should be adapted to cease the residue to the human food chain. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2020; 7(4.000): 621-625]

Objective: To analyze the presence of selective antibiotic residues (oxytetracycline, amoxicillin, and ciprofloxacin) in milk during the antibiotic treatment course, and to evaluate the thermal effect on antibiotics residual status in milk of antibiotic-treated cows. Materials and Methods: The raw fresh milk was collected from 18 lactating cows before antibiotics treatment, which were brought to the veterinary hospital and suffered from either mastitis, foot and mouth disease, fever, local wound, or non-specific diarrhea, and so on. Out of the 18 lactating cows, six were treated with oxytetracycline, six were treated with amoxicillin, and six were treated with ciprofloxacin parenterally. Milk samples were also collected at 2nd day during treatment and final collection was done after maintaining the withdrawal period. Since milk is heated before con¬sumption, it was boiled at 100&#xb0;C for 20 min to evaluate the thermal effect on antibiotics residual status. Thin-layer chromatography was done for screening of antibiotics residue before and after boiling of the milk. Results: At day 0 (before antibiotic treatment), no antibiotics (oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin and amoxicillin) residue was detected in raw milk of antibiotic treated cows. In contrast, on day 2 (during antibiotic treatment), 100% raw milk samples showed positive for antibiotics residue. After boiling, all milk samples showed positive for such specific antibiotics residue. On the other hand, no antibiotics residues were detected on day 9, which indicates the completion of the withdrawal period of the respective antibiotic. The intensities of bands for antibiotic on thin-layer chromatography plate of antibiotic residues in milk samples (oxytetracycline, amoxicillin, and ciprofloxacin) expressed that the respective antibiotic residual status was higher in the boiled milk compare to the raw milk. Conclusion: Proper maintenance of withdrawal period after antibiotic treatment would mini¬mize the risk of antibiotic residues in milk, and boiling does not change these specific antibiotics residual status in milk. Therefore, awareness regarding the proper maintenance of withdrawal period after antibiotic treatment in lactating cows is one of the best strategies that may positively reduce the risk of antimicrobial drugs residue in milk. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2019; 6(4.000): 516-520]

Objective: The present study aimed to assess for the first time, in Medina, the prevalence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in ruminants due to its potential zoonotic importance. Materials and methods: A total of 823 sera samples and 364 milk samples were used to deter¬mine the incidence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. Paratuberculosis (MAP) using the indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Results: The seroprevalence of MAP was 11.1% in sheep and 13.8% in goats, while no infection was recorded among camels. MAP infection was not influenced by the animals gender, but it was influenced by its locality since the infection rate in local animals was higher than that in imported ones with a significant correlation (p < 0.05). MAP infection had a significant correlation (p < 0.05) with 2 years aged animals. On the other hand, the detection of MAP in milk revealed that 17 (13.8%) goats and 12 (4.9%) sheep were infected. The prevalence of MAP in milk samples was not influenced by either the animals age or locality. Conclusion: Sheep and goats may act as a reservoir for MAP to the Medina community. Since Medina is an active area of mass gatherings as a destination for pilgrims throughout the year, therefore, necessary control measures should be implemented to lower the economic losses, zoonotic infections, and the possibility of a global epidemic. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2020; 7(1.000): 69-76]