Veterinary Science Collected Works - Research Publications
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ItemAn empirical analysis of the use of agricultural mobile applications among smallholder farmers in Myanmar(WILEY, 2021-03)Abstract Mobile phone applications (apps) designed to assist smallholder farmers improve decision‐making have been revolutionizing the agriculture sector. These apps offer solutions to farmer information needs by providing weather information, crop market trends, pest and disease damage identification, and advice on pesticide and fertilizer use. They also facilitate interaction with fellow farmers, extension workers and other stakeholders in the value chain who are interested in information exchange. Much previous research has investigated the contribution of mobile apps to agricultural production. This study explored the agricultural mobile apps available in Myanmar, analyzed factors affecting their use and assessed the potential for farm‐based decision support. Our findings indicate that when introducing mobile‐based tools, focus should be given to younger, more educated farmers growing more specialized crops. The main constraints to adopt agricultural apps are lack of access to smartphone and/or internet (63%) and lack of digital knowledge (20%). However, smallholder farmers in Myanmar were optimistic and positive toward agricultural apps for effective utilization. We also found that majority of the surveyed farmers were familiar with information received through Facebook groups. Incorporating useful information and functions from an agricultural mobile app to a Facebook Page could have a more useful and sustainable impact.
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ItemSpatial and temporal distribution of foot and mouth disease outbreaks in Amhara region of Ethiopia in the period 1999 to 2016(BMC, 2020-06-09)BACKGROUND: Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an economically important trans-boundary viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals. It is caused by FMD virus, which belongs to the genus Aphthovirus and family Picornaviridae. FMD is a well-established endemic disease in Ethiopia since it was first detected in 1957. This retrospective study was carried out to identify the spatial and temporal distribution of FMD outbreaks in Amhara region of Ethiopia using 18 years (January 1999-December 2016) reported outbreak data. RESULTS: A total of 636 FMD outbreaks were reported in Amhara region of Ethiopia between 1999 and 2016 with an average and median of 35 and 13 outbreaks per year respectively. In this period, FMD was reported at least once in 58.5% of the districts (n = 79) and in all administrative zones of the region (n = 10). The average district level incidence of FMD outbreaks was 4.68 per 18 years (0.26 per district year). It recurs in a district as epidemic, on average in 5.86 years period. The incidence differed between administrative zones, being the lowest in East Gojjam and highest in North Shewa. The occurrence of FMD outbreaks was found to be seasonal with peak outbreaks in March and a low in August. The long-term trend of FMD outbreaks indicates a slight, but statistically significant (p < 0.001) decrease over the study period. CONCLUSION: FMD occurred in all zones of the region and showed statistically significant decrease in the long-term trend. Numbers of outbreaks were relatively higher during dry season. The spatial and temporal distribution identified in this study should be considered in controlling the disease. As unregulated and frequent animal movements are the likely causes of high outbreak occurrence during the dry season, animal movement regulations should be considered for the long-term control of FMD.
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ItemPrevalence and associated risk factors of Bovine mastitis in dairy cows in and around Assosa town, Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State, Western Ethiopia(WILEY, 2021-07)BACKGROUND: Mastitis, a complex disease of multifactorial aetiology, is one of the most costly diseases in the dairy industry worldwide. It can be categorized as clinical and subclinical type relying on the clinical sign. The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of mastitis and to identify its intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors in dairy cows in and around Assosa town, Western Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was followed to address the objectives of the study. A total of 367 lactating cows were selected using simple random and systematic sampling techniques. Thorough clinical examination and California Mastitis Test (CMT) were deployed for detection of both clinical and subclinical mastitis, respectively. RESULTS: Based on CMT result and clinical examination the cow level prevalence of mastitis was 40.3% (n = 148), of which 11.99% (n = 44) and 28.34% (n = 104) were clinical and subclinical mastitis respectively. The corresponding quarter-level prevalence was determined to be 26.9% (n = 394), comprising 11.99% (n = 176) clinical and 14.85% (n = 218) subclinical mastitis. The Chi-square analysis of intrinsic risk factors revealed statistically significant differences (p <.05) in the prevalence of mastitis among breed, stage of lactation and body condition score. Likewise, production system, previous mastitis exposure, hygiene practice and type of floor were extrinsic risk factors significantly associated with the occurrence of mastitis. CONCLUSIONS: In general, this study revealed a high prevalence of bovine mastitis in the study area. Thus, the current study shows the need for applying feasible mastitis intervention strategy with special emphasis on sub-clinical mastitis and associated risk factors.
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ItemA disrupted transsulphuration pathway results in accumulation of redox metabolites and induction of gametocytogenesis in malaria(NATURE PORTFOLIO, 2017-01-16)Intra-erythrocytic growth of malaria parasite is known to induce redox stress. In addition to haem degradation which generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), the parasite is also thought to efflux redox active homocysteine. To understand the basis underlying accumulation of homocysteine, we have examined the transsulphuration (TS) pathway in the parasite, which is known to convert homocysteine to cysteine in higher eukaryotes. Our bioinformatic analysis revealed absence of key enzymes in the biosynthesis of cysteine namely cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase in the parasite. Using mass spectrometry, we confirmed the absence of cystathionine, which is formed by enzymatic conversion of homocysteine thereby confirming truncation of TS pathway. We also quantitated levels of glutathione and homocysteine in infected erythrocytes and its spent medium. Our results showed increase in levels of these metabolites intracellularly and in culture supernatants. Our results provide a mechanistic basis for the long-known occurrence of hyperhomocysteinemia in malaria. Most importantly we find that homocysteine induces the transcription factor implicated in gametocytogenesis namely AP2-G and consequently triggers sexual stage conversion. We confirmed this observation both in vitro using Plasmodium falciparum cultures, and in vivo in the mouse model of malaria. Our study implicates homocysteine as a potential physiological trigger of gametocytogenesis.
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ItemInsights into physiological roles of unique metabolites released from Plasmodium-infected RBCs and their potential as clinical biomarkers for malaria(NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP, 2019-02-27)Plasmodium sp. are obligate intracellular parasites that derive most of their nutrients from their host meaning the metabolic circuitry of both are intricately linked. We employed untargeted, global mass spectrometry to identify metabolites present in the culture supernatants of P. falciparum-infected red blood cells synchronized at ring, trophozoite and schizont developmental stages. This revealed a temporal regulation in release of a distinct set of metabolites compared with supernatants of non-infected red blood cells. Of the distinct metabolites we identified pipecolic acid to be abundantly present in parasite lysate, infected red blood cells and infected culture supernatant. Further, we performed targeted metabolomics to quantify pipecolic acid concentrations in both the supernatants of red blood cells infected with P. falciparum, as well as in the plasma and infected RBCs of P. berghei-infected mice. Measurable and significant hyperpipecolatemia suggest that pipecolic acid has the potential to be a diagnostic marker for malaria.
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ItemNo Preview Available"I Had No Idea That Other People in the World Thought Differently to Me": Ethical Challenges in Small Animal Veterinary Practice and Implications for Ethics Support and Education(University of Toronto Press, 2020-12-01)Although veterinarians encounter ethical challenges in their everyday practice, few studies have examined how they make sense of and respond to them. This research used semi-structured interviews and a qualitative methodology (phenomenological and constructivist/interpretivist approaches) to explore ethical challenges experienced by seven small animal city veterinarians and their ethical decision-making strategies. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts identified four broad ethical issues: The first concerned disagreements about the best interests of the animal; the second centered on clinical uncertainty about the most appropriate treatment for the animal; the third involved factors influencing ethical reasoning and decision making; and the fourth concerned how ethics education might prepare veterinary students for future ethical decision making. An overarching theme identified in the analysis was one of enormous personal distress. Furthermore, a sense of veterinarians being interested in how others might think and feel about ethical challenges came through in the data. The results give insight into how veterinarians experience and respond to ethical challenges. The research also provides empirical information about everyday practice to inform future education in ethics and ethical decision making for veterinary students.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableChemical pollution: A growing peril and potential catastrophic risk to humanity(PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 2021-11)Anthropogenic chemical pollution has the potential to pose one of the largest environmental threats to humanity, but global understanding of the issue remains fragmented. This article presents a comprehensive perspective of the threat of chemical pollution to humanity, emphasising male fertility, cognitive health and food security. There are serious gaps in our understanding of the scale of the threat and the risks posed by the dispersal, mixture and recombination of chemicals in the wider environment. Although some pollution control measures exist they are often not being adopted at the rate needed to avoid chronic and acute effects on human health now and in coming decades. There is an urgent need for enhanced global awareness and scientific scrutiny of the overall scale of risk posed by chemical usage, dispersal and disposal.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableAbsence of high priority critically important antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella sp. isolated from Australian commercial egg layer environments(ELSEVIER, 2021-02-16)The development of antimicrobial resistance in foodborne pathogens is a growing public health concern. This study was undertaken to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica isolated from the Australian commercial egg layer industry. S. enterica subspecies enterica (n=307) isolated from Australian commercial layer flock environments (2015-2018) were obtained from reference, research and State Government laboratories from six Australian states. All Salmonella isolates were serotyped. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for 16 antimicrobial agents was performed by broth microdilution. Antimicrobial resistance genes and sequence types (STs) were identified in significant isolates by whole genome sequencing (WGS). Three main serotypes were detected, S. Typhimurium (n=61, 19.9%), S. Senftenburg (n=45, 14.7%) and S. Agona (n=37, 12.1%). AST showed 293/307 (95.4%) isolates were susceptible to all tested antimicrobial agents and all isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanate, azithromycin, ceftiofur, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, colistin, florfenicol, gentamicin, kanamycin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Low levels of non-susceptibility were observed to streptomycin (2.3%, n=7), sulfisoxazole (2.0%, n=6), chloramphenicol (1.3%, n=4) and tetracycline (1.0%, n=3). Very low levels of non-susceptibility were observed to ampicillin (2/307; 0.7%) and cefoxitin (2/307; 0.7%). Two isolates (S. Havana and S. Montevideo), exhibited multidrug-resistant phenotypes to streptomycin, sulfisoxazole and tetracycline and possessed corresponding antimicrobial resistance genes (aadA4, aac(6')-Iaa, sul1, tetB). One S. Typhimurium isolate was resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline, and possessed both tetA and blaTEM-1B. WGS also identified these isolates as belonging to ST4 (S. Montevideo), ST578 (S. Havana) and ST19 (S. Typhimurium). The absence of resistance to highest priority critically important antimicrobials as well as the extremely low level of AMR generally among Australian commercial egg layer Salmonella isolates likely reflect Australia's conservative antimicrobial registration policy in food-producing animals and low rates of antimicrobial use within the industry.
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ItemExpression of HIF-1α and VEGF in feline mammary gland carcinomas: association with pathological characteristics and clinical outcomes(BMC, 2020-05-06)BACKGROUND: The microenvironment within solid malignant tumors, including feline mammary gland carcinomas (FMGCs), is commonly hypoxic, possibly due to the lack of functional blood vessels in rapidly proliferating neoplastic tissue. Malignant cells can undergo genetic and adaptive changes that prevent them from dying due to oxygen deprivation through expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Therefore, HIF-1α and VEGF are ideal biomarkers for cancer therapy and prognostic evaluation. The aims of this study were to evaluate the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF in feline mammary carcinomas and analyze their correlations with clinical and pathological factors, such as clinical stage, histologic grading, regional metastasis, and overall survival rate. RESULTS: Paraffin-embedded tissue samples collected from 72 cats with FMGCs were retrospectively studied. Histologic pattern and histologic grading (Elston and Ellis grading system) of these FMGCs were determined. Our data indicated that grade II tubulopapillary carcinomas (43/72, 59.7%) prevailed in this study, and most FMCGs showed apparent necrosis, squamous metaplasia, and intratumoral stromal response. According to the results of immunohistochemical (IHC) stainings performed in tissue microarrays (TMAs), HIF-1α and VEGF overexpressions were respectively noted in 69.4% (50/72) and 77.8% (56/72) of FMGC cases. Chi-square test showed no correlation of HIF-1α overexpression with clinical and pathological factors. VEGF overexpression was significantly correlated with histologic pattern (p = 0.021), stromal response (p = 0.048), squamous metaplasia (p = 0.001), and lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.007). However, neither HIF-1α nor VEGF overexpression was correlated with histologic grading and metastasis. Of 38 cats with 1-year follow-up, IHC stainings of HIF-1α and VEGF were performed on whole tissue sections. The results showed that overexpression of HIF-1α was significantly correlated with the overall survival rate (p < 0.05) (log-rank test), whereas there was no significant correlation between VEGF overexpression and overall survival rate. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the overexpression of HIF-1α may indicate poor prognosis/overall survival rate in cats with FMGCs. Developing compounds that inhibit HIF-1α may be a potential approach to FMGC treatment.
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ItemCBM: An IoT Enabled LiDAR Sensor for In-Field Crop Height and Biomass Measurements.(MDPI AG, 2021-12-29)The phenotypic characterization of crop genotypes is an essential, yet challenging, aspect of crop management and agriculture research. Digital sensing technologies are rapidly advancing plant phenotyping and speeding-up crop breeding outcomes. However, off-the-shelf sensors might not be fully applicable and suitable for agricultural research due to the diversity in crop species and specific needs during plant breeding selections. Customized sensing systems with specialized sensor hardware and software architecture provide a powerful and low-cost solution. This study designed and developed a fully integrated Raspberry Pi-based LiDAR sensor named CropBioMass (CBM), enabled by internet of things to provide a complete end-to-end pipeline. The CBM is a low-cost sensor, provides high-throughput seamless data collection in field, small data footprint, injection of data onto the remote server, and automated data processing. The phenotypic traits of crop fresh biomass, dry biomass, and plant height that were estimated by CBM data had high correlation with ground truth manual measurements in a wheat field trial. The CBM is readily applicable for high-throughput plant phenotyping, crop monitoring, and management for precision agricultural applications.