[en] This report describes the history and current status of avian influenza (AI) infection and control in Bulgaria. The country has a unique geographic position in Europe with regard to wild bird populations and their migration routes which pass through its territory. In recent years, Bulgaria did not remain free from AI. The region with the highest rate of isolation of H5N1 virus strains were the Black Sea coast and wet territories connected with the Via Pontica migration pathway in the administrative districts of Dobrich, Varna and Bourgas. Low pathogenic (LP) AI strains isolated from ducks were subtypes H3, H4 and H6 from the areas of Plovdiv, Pazardjik, St. Zagora, Yambol, Sliven and Haskovo. Raising ducks for liver production is a popular practice in south and southeast Bulgaria. From an epidemiological standpoint, controlling circulation of AI viruses among duck flocks, especially before their gathering in larger farms for fattening is a mandatory requirement of official authorities. To prevent the spread of highly pathogenic (HP) AI, surveillance of domestic poultry as well as wild birds should be strengthened in countries at risk, especially along bird migration routes. Monitoring, sampling and analysis of the viral subtypes of AI found in wild birds needs to be carried out to fully understand their role in the propagation and spread of HPAI viruses. (author)

[en] The productivity veterinary services, which include disease control and management of reproduction, udder health and nutrition, are not practised in smallholder dairy farms although they are proven to increase milk production in large dairy herds. We introduced an on-farm service with the participation of farmer associations where individual veterinarians made a scheduled visit to perform preventive and emergency cattle health care, reproduction, and feed management. We examined 1 849 animals on 862 farms guided by specific forms, a breeding calendar and a herd summary generated from data of the initial visit by using a Microsoft Access based computer application. On average, 53% anoestrous heifers and 67% anoestrous cows resumed their oestrous cycle when treated with hormones, vitamin AD₃E or nutritional supplements. Forty percent of cows with uterine infections conceived when treated with intrauterine antibiotics or prostaglandin F₂α (PGF₂α) was injected intramuscularly before artificial insemination (AI) was done. When GnRH was injected at the time of AI, 73% repeat breeder cows conceived. About 78% of cows recovered from mastitis and 88% of sick animals recovered when treatment was given based on clinical diagnosis. A database on common cattle diseases was established. More than 75% of farms that received the service had an income increase ranging from US$1 to US$40.7/month/cow. Productivity veterinary services can increase farmers' incomes and the number of cows available for breeding. (author)

[en] Cattle were fed rice straw treated with urine (1 kg urine/1 kg DM rice straw, and kept in the container for a week) ad libitum and a concentrate mixture (50:50) of wheat bran and beer cake. One group of cattle (C25, four animals) was fed the concentrate at 25% of estimated dry matter intake (DMI) at 3% of body weight, while the other four cattle (C75) received concentrate at 75% of estimated DMI for a period of six weeks. Daily DMI, methane (CH4) production and live weight gain (LWG) were measured. Dry matter intakes were similar in both groups (6.72 kg/d and 7.59 kg/d), but LWG of C75 (1.07 kg/d) was higher (P < 0.05) than that of C25 (0.47 kg/d). Methane production was similar in both groups (219.3 L/d vs 240.4 L/d and 29.29L/kg DMI vs 35.15 L/kg DMI for C25 and C75 respectively). However, when calculated per kg LWG, CH4 production was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that of C25 (205.8 L/kg LWG and 967.2 L/kg LWG, respectively). The results suggest that better feeding not only increases productivity but also leads to significant mitigation of CH4 emissions. Feeding management should therefore be considered for controlling CH4 emissions in the animal industry. (author)

[en] The objective of this study was to determine the effects of nutrition on milk production and fertility in lactating multiparous Friesian and Sahiwal cows. Forty in-calf cows comprising 20 Friesians and Sahiwals were selected and upon calving were randomly assigned to five dietary groups consisting of concentrate supplementation at the rates of zero to four kg fed twice daily after grazing on pasture for 24 weeks postpartum. Each group consisted of four Friesians and four Sahiwals. Pastures and concentrates were analysed using proximate analysis, milk samples were collected weekly to determine composition using infrared spectroscopy while blood was collected bi-weekly to determine progesterone levels using radioimmunoassay. Parameters recorded included milk yield and composition (percentages of fat, protein, solids not fat (SNF) and density. Reproductive data included d to beginning of luteal activity (progesterone >3nm/L), d to first insemination and conception to first service. Data were analysed by GLM of SAS. Level of supplementation, breed, parity and BWt of cow significantly affected milk yield. Heavier cows produced more milk with a mean increase of 0.2 kg for each kg increase in weight. Animals receiving four kg supplements twice daily had the highest mean milk yield per week (P < 0.05) in both breeds averaging 72.2 ± 4.4 and 43.1 ± 1.7 L for Friesians and Sahiwals respectively. Breeds differed also in terms of d to reach peak milk production and peak milk yield with Friesians and Sahiwal cows averaging 31.6 ± 6.0 and 42.2 ± 3.8 d to reach peak milk yield, while peak milk yields were 79.5 ± 5.9 and 58.4 ± 2.7 L respectively. Significant breed differences were also observed for percent fat, protein, SNF and density of milk. Sahiwal cows exhibited better reproductive performance than Friesians. It was observed that 18% of in-calf cows lost their foetus before term and 25% of them never showed heat by 120 d postpartum. Of these, 15% never showed any luteal activity, while 10% had silent heat. Sahiwals came into heat and started cycling earlier (P < 0.05) than Friesians but more Friesian cows (P < 0.05) conceived at first insemination and showed luteal activity later than the Sahiwals. There were within-breed differences between supplementation regimes (P < 0.05) for d to first heat and to start of luteal activity. However, the outcomes were quite variable and there were no clear patterns for effects of supplementation in both breeds. It is concluded that breed effects were more important than nutritional effects in determining milk production, composition and reproductive performance. (author)

[en] Landscape genomics is an emerging research field that bridges genetics and genomics to geo-environmental resources analysis. It aims to study genome/environment interaction to discover the genetic basis of adaptation by processing of many simultaneous DNA-environment association models, exploiting GIS (Geographical Information Systems) science and statistical methods. In this paper, we review the literature related to the recent history of this discipline, describing its application to livestock genetics, discussing its potential contribution to Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) conservation and management, explaining its role in the analysis of the local adaptation of autochtonous breeds and showing how the upcoming next-next generation of DNA sequencing methods, in parallel with the availability of an increasing number of high quality environmental data sets, will allow a real take-off of this novel approach. (author)

[en] This study determined how supplementing bahiagrass hay (Paspalum notatum Fluegge cv. 'Pensacola') with soybean (Glycine max) meal or warm-season legume hays affected intake, digestibility, and N utilisation by lambs. Dorper x Katadhin crossbred lambs (30.6 ± 5.5 kg; n = 42) were fed bahiagrass hay ad libitum and supplemented with nothing (control), soybean meal, or hays of annual peanut (Arachis hypogaea), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), perennial peanut (Arachis glabrata), pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan), or soybean. Legume hays were supplemented at 50% of diet dry matter (DM); soybean meal was supplemented at 4.25% of diet DM to match the average crude protein (CP) content (10.8%) of the legume hay supplemented diets. Cowpea, pigeonpea, and soybean were harvested at maturities that maximised DM yield and nutritive value, and peanuts were first cuttings. Diets were fed to six lambs per treatment for two consecutive 21-d periods. Supplementation with annual and perennial peanut, cowpea, and soybean hay increased (P < 0.01) DM intake versus control, but apparent DM digestibility was only increased (P = 0.03) by supplementation with either peanut. Nitrogen intake, digestibility, and retention were increased (P < 0.01) by supplementation particularly with annual or perennial peanut hay. Ruminal ammonia concentration was increased (P < 0.01) by all legume hay supplements versus the control. Microbial N synthesis and ruminally degraded organic matter (OM) were increased (P = 0.03) by perennial and annual peanut hay supplementation, but the efficiency of microbial synthesis was not different (P = 0.52) among diets. Annual and perennial peanut hays were the best supplements for the bahiagrass hay in this study. (author)

[en] The effects of plant secondary metabolites (PSM), specifically polyphenols (tannins) and saponins on rumen fermentation and methnogenesis were investigated using the Hohenheim gas method. We evaluated the effects of: (1) polyphenol-containing plants, (2) simple phenols in the form of phenolic acids, (3) purified tannins, (4) saponin-containing plants, and (5) isolated saponin-rich fractions on rumen methanogenesis. Statistically significant negative relationships between total phenols, total tannins or tannin activity and methane (CH₄) production were observed, whereas no correlation existed between condensed tannins and CH₄ production. Cinnamic, caffeic, p-coumaric and ferulic acids decreased CH₄ production significantly when added at 5 mM. Addition of purified chestnut and sumach tannins (hydrolysable tannins) at 1 mg/mL to the in vitro rumen fermentation system containing hay:concentrate (70:30) decreased CH₄ production (P < 0.05), by 6.5 and 7.2% respectively. However, addition of mimosa and quebracho tannins (condensed tannins) at this concentration did not decrease CH₄ production. For studying the effects of saponins, leaves of Sesbania, Knautia and seeds of Fenugreek, and their saponin-rich fractions were evaluated. Addition of Fenugreek and Sesbania plant materials to hay or the hay-concentrate mixture increased partitioning factor (PF, expressed as mg truly degraded substrate/mL gas produced; a measure of efficiency of microbial protein synthesis) and decreased CH₄ production per unit substrate degraded. These plant materials and their saponin-rich fractions did not reduce CH₄ production in absolute amounts despite decreases in protozoal numbers by 40-50%. The saponins altered the microbial community towards proliferation of fibre-degrading bacteria and inhibition of fungal population. The results with saponin-containing plant materials and their isolated fractions indicated a weak association between anti-protozoal activity of saponins and methanogenesis. Nevertheless, the saponin-containing plants possess potential to partition higher proportions of the substrate to microbial mass production. (author)

[en] The Genus Capripoxvirus (CaPV) of the Poxviridae family comprises sheep poxvirus (SPPV), goat poxvirus (GTPV) and lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) which are responsible for economically important diseases affecting sheep, goats and cattle respectively. To date, there have been no molecular criteria upon which to base strain designation. The complexity of CaPVs host specificity shows the need to develop more reliable tools for CaPVs identification than the current method which is based on the host origin. Previous reports, based on partial or full genome sequencing indicated that CaP viruses are genetically distinct from each other and can be grouped as three different species: SPPV, GTPV and LSDV. In contributing to the creation of more stringent data for geno-typing CaPVs, we have analysed the RPO30 gene of several isolates. The phylogenetic reconstructions have shown that the viruses can be segregated into three different lineages according to their host origins: the SPPV, the GTPV and the LSDV lineages. In addition, a 21-nucleotides deletion found in all individuals within only the SPPV group was exploited to design a classical PCR method to differentiate SPPV from GTPV. This test allows the rapid differential diagnosis of diseases caused by either SPPV or GTPV strains. (author)

[en] The animal health service policy in Albania represents an integral component of overall governmental, social and economic policy in the field of agricultural and rural development, public health, food processing and import/export of animal products. In order to obtain the necessary political, economic and public support, the animal health service attempts to contribute effectively to the overall development of the country which aims at improving the standards of living of its inhabitants. Practical means of contributing to national development include reducing food loses due to animal morbidity and mortality, increasing the productivity of the livestock population, protecting human health against zoonotic diseases and ensuring humane treatment of animals. An animal health strategy contributes to the creation of conditions necessary for uninterrupted animal disease surveillance and control in the country. The main animal health problem in Albania is brucellosis in ruminants, caused by B. melitensis. This infection currently affects the entire country, reaching a prevalence of 10% in several districts. The latest and most severe outbreaks of classical swine fever were identified on 1996 when 5 515 animals were infected and 3 683 animals died. The circulation of bluetongue virus (BTV) was detected for the first time in Albania in 2002 with a seroprevalence of 15%. The evidence of BTV circulation in Albania and the absence of the main vector C. imicola suggest that other Culicoides species could be implicated in virus transmission. H5N1 avian influenza in Albania was confirmed in March 2006 in backyard flocks in the villages of Cuke and Peze-Helmes. In both villages there were no human cases. Rabies was of concern in Albania from 1928 until 1976. The disease re-emerged in March 2001 in the village of Morine in Kukes district affecting a domestic dog and three persons were bitten. Other cases have been reported in northern Albania. (author)

[en] Worldwide the goat is an important agricultural species that is highly adaptable to many environmental conditions, and goat production is a rapidly growing industry within the USA. A better understanding of the goat genome could lead to new discoveries based on the genetic diversity and environmental adaptations important to ruminant health and production. An effort is underway to increase our understanding of the goat genome and develop a radiation hybrid (RH) map for stronger comparative genomic analyses. An embryo/uterine cDNA library was sequenced and about 12 800 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) added to the public database. In this study, comparative analyses among goat, sheep, and cattle maps were used to predict the location of the assembled EST contigs (n = 1 920) and singlets (n = 4 400) in the goat genome. Prediction of goat EST locations was determined through comparisons with the goat and sheep genetic maps using the bovine map as a backbone. Alignments of ESTs were predicted based on the relative location of mapped goat markers on the bovine sequence and refined by comparisons with the sheep maps. The predicted map attempts to localise the relative genomic position of the unique contigs and singlets developed from the avail- able ESTs. Additionally, the degree of conservation among goat, cow, sheep, human, mouse, and rat genomes has been indicated and comparative maps generated. The predicted map will be a crucial resource for comparative genomic analyses and for the determination of EST and microsatellite markers during development of a goat RH map. (author)