Khillar is an indigenous cattle breed, predominant in Karnataka. Although, milk production of these indigenous breed is low as compared to crossbreds, these animals are reared for their sturdy nature, sustainability to draught, heat tolerance, disease resistance, adaptability to harsh climatic conditions and ability to survive and perform under scarce feed and fodder conditions. But, livestock farmers face lots of issues in management of Khillar Cattle. The present study was conducted to analyse the marketing and utilization pattern of Khillar cattle of Karnataka. A total of 240 Khillar cattle owners from 16 villages comprising 80 small farmers, 80 medium farmers and 80 large farmers were considered for the study and interviewed with the help of structured schedule. The results indicated that that majority of the farmers purchased Khillar cattle from the market (54.59 %) and most of them (58.75 per cent) selected the Khillar cattle based on both the breed characteristics and hair whorls, followed by hair whorls (21.25 per cent). Majority (89.58 per cent) of the farmers responded that negotiation followed by undercover method (10.42 %) was followed in the market. Among the overall farmers, Khillar cattle was majorly used for milking purpose (88.75 %), followed by use of Khillar bullocks for agricultural activities (52.5 %). Hence, there is an urgent need to assess and analyze the contribution of indigenous cattle in the livelihood of resource poor which may help the policy makers to take necessary steps to provide subsidized loan and insurance policies for the draught animals and also to provide basic amenities in the cattle markets.

A primiparous Holstein Friesian crossbred cow was brought to VCC, VC&RI Namakkal with ventral swelling. Based on rectal examination and abdominal palpation it was diagnosed as right sided uterine torsion with prepubic tendon rupture. After the fetal delivery by caesarean section and proper postoperative care is given for a period of 10 days, life of the dam was saved.

Leptospirosis is under diagnosed and under reported in developing countries due to lack of diagnostic facilities. The diagnosis of leptospirosis is complex, because the gold standard tests are not easily available. Though rapid tests are available for the past two decades, they have to be combined with the existing gold standard tests for confirmation of diagnosis. It should be adequate to diagnose leptospirosis with rapid tests. I intend to review the literature from developing countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa and suggest the need for utilizing rapid tests for diagnosis. Leptospirosis can be diagnosed only by diagnostic tests and epidemiological data, such as incidence/ prevalence data cannot be obtained without these tests. Without these data, funding cannot be obtained for diagnostic, treatment and control programs, as without diagnostic tests, leptospirosis would be considered a rare disease. In this article, the various guidelines for the diagnosis of leptospirosis will be discussed.

Present study was undertaken to evaluate the shelf life of chhana podo prepared from 1% citric acid and 2% lactic acid and stored at ambient temperature (30+ 20 C). Microbial, physico-chemical and sensory qualities of product were studied during storage. The chhana podo were analyzed Standard Plate Count (SPC), yeast and mould count on alternate days. The SPC, yeast and mould count increased significantly (P<0.05) with the progress of storage at ambient temperature in 1% citric acid and 2% lactic acid products. No significant change in SPC, yeast and mould count was observed up to 2nd day storage but later there was remarkable increase in SPC (2.79 & 2.55) as well as yeast and mould count (12.40 & 12.30) at the end of day four. The significant reduction in pH, moisture and fat content in 1% citric acid and 2% lactic acid products during the progress of storage of 8 days, while protein content showed an increasing trend. All the sensory quality attributes of products made by 1% citric acid and 2% lactic acid were comparable up to 2 days of storage from then on declined significantly with progress of storage. Colour, body & texture, flavour and overall acceptability score of channa podo declined significantly up to the 4th days of storage. Thus, the findings of the study indicated that the channa podo could be safely stored upto 4th days at ambient temperature.  

Bacterial infection followed by implant fixation is a common complication after surgery. In order to reduce the incidence of implant-associated infections, several biomaterial surface treatments have been proposed. In this study, the effect of in vitro antibacterial activity of magnetron sputtered silver nanoparticles was studied. Sputtering was done using radiofrequency magnetron sputtering technology. Film applicator coating assay was used to assess the antibacterial effect of the coated titanium implants. SEM examination revealed successful deposition of silver nanoparticles on the titanium surface. The average diameter of the nanoparticles was 40-60 nm. SEM examination before incubation and after incubation of bacteria was done. The bactericidal ratio between the uncoated and coated implant was determined.

Bacteriological quality of khoa based sweets marketed through different retail outlets of Thrissur city was evaluated based on total viable count, coliform count, yeast & mould count and staphylococcal count. Altogether 72 samples of khoa based sweets such as peda, burfi and gulabjamun were evaluated for their bacteriological quality. Out of the total peda samples tested, coliforms were prevalent in 37.5%, yeast and mould in 91.7% and staphylococcal organisms in 41.7% of the samples. In burfi, coliforms were prevalent in 66.6%, yeast and mold in 95.8% and staphylococcal organisms in 83.3 % of the samples tested. In gulabjamun, coliforms, yeast and mould and staphylococcal organisms were present in 45.8%, 91.6% and 70.8% respectively of the samples tested. The highest rate of contamination was recorded in burfi while the lowest was recorded in peda. Strict hygienic measures during preparation and storage are recommended to ensure the quality of the products. 

Nanotechnology has been used in a variety of medical applications, including diagnostics, immunisation, medication and gene delivery. Nanotechnology has opened up new ways for molecular biology and biotechnology applications, and it has revolutionised practically every area of veterinary and animal sciences by introducing new, small-scale instruments and materials that are advantageous to living species. Metallic nanoparticles, quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, magnetic nanoparticles, fullerenes,  liposomes, and dendrimers are among the several forms of nanomaterials employed in detection of various diseases, therapy, drug administration, animal nutrition and breeding. It is concluded that, before making nano-products available for animal use, extensive risk evaluations should be carried out to ensure their safety. So, this article provides an overview of existing and promising nano applications in veterinary research that may lead to increased efficiency and production.

Oxidative stress is a common mechanism contributing to initiation and progression of hepatic damage in a variety of liver disorders. Hence, there is a great demand for the development of agents with potent antioxidant effect. The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the efficacy of raw and nanoforms of resveratrol and silibinin as a hepatoprotective and an antioxidant against diethylnitrosamine induced hepatocellular damage. 0.01% diethylnitrosamine administration to rats resulted in significantly elevated levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and decreased levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione reductase (GSH) and total protein (TP) in the liver tissue. Post-treatment with the nano resveratrol (50 mg/kg), nano silibinin (50 mg/kg), raw resveratrol (50 mg/kg), raw silibinin (50 mg/kg) orally for 30 days significantly reversed the diethylnitrosamine induced alterations in the liver tissue and offered almost complete protection. The results from the present study indicate that both nano forms exhibit good hepatoprotective and antioxidant potential against diethylnitrosamine induced hepatocellular damage in rats as compared to raw forms.

Nutritional evaluation of different pulse chunnies was carried using Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) and validated with wet analysis for inclusion in livestock feeds. The portable NIRS spectrophotometer FOSS XDS RCA and FOSS 6500 chemometrics software were used for the study. A total of 324 samples of four pulse chunnies (red gram (RGC), green gram (GGC), black gram (BLGC) and bengal gram (BGC)) were assessed using NIRS. It revealed that RGC had significantly (P<0.01) highest DM content than other three samples. The mean CP content was highest (P<0.01) in GGC and lowest in BGC and significantly (P<0.01) higher ether extract (EE) was recorded in BLGC and RGC and lowest in BGC samples. The ash content was significantly (P<0.01) highest in BLGC and lowest in RGC samples. Neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) contents were higher (P<0.01) in BGC and lower in GGC samples. Wet analysis shown, the DM content did not differ (P>0.05) among pulse chunni samples, while significantly (P<0.01) higher organic matter was recorded in RGC and lowest in BLGC samples. The CP was higher (P<0.01) in BLGC and lower in BGC and significantly (P<0.01) highest crude fibre recorded for BGC, RGC and was lowest in BLGC and GGC samples. Highest (P<0.05) EE was observed in BLGC while lowest in BGC. There was no significant (P>0.05) difference in nitrogen free extract among pulse chunnies, while ash content was significantly (P<0.01) higher in BLGC and lower in RGC samples. NDF, ADF and ADL were significantly (P<0.01) higher in BGC and lower in GGC samples. The study concludes that the NIRS technique can be used to screen large number of samples in lesser time for using them in livestock feed formulations as there is a high correlation between NIRS and conventional feed analysis.

Leptospirosis is one of the most important zoonotic disease caused by the pathogenic leptospires Leptospira interrogans. In this study, four pathogenic Leptospira serovars were selected based on the seroprevalence data, their LPS extracted, assessed for its purity and seroreactivity and processed for the determining the fatty acid profiles. The average concentration of the LPS extracted from the cultures across the serovars was 742.75+19.4 µg/ml with the polysaccharides contributing to 77.2 % of the LPS (573.6+18.01 µg/ml). The common fatty acids that were present in all the four serovars included butyric acid (C4:0), capric acid (C10:0), palmitoleic acid (C16:0),  eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n3) and docosapentaenoic acid (C22:6n3). The heptadecanoic acid (C17:1) was present in serovars australis and autumnalis; pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) in canicola and hardjo serovars and caproic acid (C6:0) in the serovars autumnalis and canicola. The fatty acid eicosatrinoic acid (C20:3n3) was unique to the serovar autumnalis and the myristic (C13:0) and docosadienoic acid (C22:2) being unique to the serovar hardjo. Future studies to understand the fatty acid profile of the other common pathogenic circulating Leptospira LPS will add scientific evidence to the minor cross-reactivity observed across the serovars in MAT.