The aim of this paper is to review the most significant livestock-associated zoonoses. Human and animal health are intimately connected. This idea has been known for more than a century but now it has gained special importance because of the increasing threat from zoonoses. Zoonosis is defined as any infection naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. As the frequency and prevalence of zoonotic diseases increase worldwide, they become a real threat to public health. In addition, many of the newly discovered diseases have a zoonotic origin. Due to globalization and urbanization, some of these diseases have already spread all over the world, caused by the international flow of goods, people, and animals. However, special attention should be paid to farm animals since, apart from the direct contact, humans consume their products, such as meat, eggs, and milk. Therefore, zoonoses such as salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, tuberculosis, swine and avian influenza, Q fever, brucellosis, STEC infections, and listeriosis are crucial for both veterinary and human medicine. Consequently, in the suspicion of any zoonoses outbreak, the medical and veterinary services should closely cooperate to protect the public health.

The starch content of triticale and oat grains provides much of their readily available energy. Synchronizing energy and nitrogen in the rumen is important in optimizing profitability; for this reason, ammonia processing of these grains was evaluated for its potential to modify ruminal fermentation and to improve milk production performance. A mixture of ground triticale and oats (CONG, in a 60:40 ratio 40 by DM) was treated with urea (5 kg/1000 kg) and urease additive (20 kg/1000 kg) containing 200 g/kg of moisture, for 2 wk (UREG). The urea treatment enhanced the pH and CP content of grains by 34% and 52%, respectively. In a batch culture study, CONG or UREG as the only substrate was incubated in a buffered ruminal fluid. Compared to CONG, UREG increased pH, total VFA concentration, total gas, and disappearance of DM, while reducing CH4 production, whereas NH3 concentration increased and entodiniomorph counts tended to increase. In the in vivo study, cows were randomly allocated to two dietary groups (n = 24) and were offered TMR based on maize and grass silage, containing either 155 g/kg of CONG and 80 g/kg of soybean meal (CONT) or 155 g/kg of UREG and 59 g/kg of soybean meal (URET) for 31 d. Ruminal fluid was collected (n = 10) using rumenocentesis. The relative abundances of Streptococcus bovis decreased, but Megasphaera elsdenii, methanogens, and ammonia-producing bacteria increased by URET. Entodiniomorph and holotrich counts were decreased by URET. Feeding with URET increased ruminal pH and concentrations of total VFA, acetate, branched-chain VFA, and NH3. Feeding with URET also increased milk yield. These results demonstrate that replacing untreated triticale and oat grains with urea-treated grains can beneficially modulate ruminal microbiota and fermentation, consequently improving production performance and profitability.

We review canine dietary supplements, in particular silymarin and its hepatoprotective properties. Dietary supplements should be considered complements to conventional drug treatments, helping to prevent health issues, such as nutritional deficiencies and organ dysfunctions. The market for veterinary supplements is growing rapidly. Pet owners are increasingly eager to provide their animals with the best care available. The rapidly growing market of supplements is an opportunity for both the industry and veterinarians, who can introduce new treatment protocols supported by dedicated dietary supplements. The liver is one organ that can be nutritionally supported in case of dysfunction. In dogs, hepatopathies may be primary or may be secondary to an underlying problem. Toxins, drugs, and neoplasia are reported among the causes of liver dysfunctions. There are several substances with proven liver-beneficial properties. One of these is silybin, a hepatoprotector extracted from Silybum marianum. Dietary supplementation with silybin seems a reasonable tool to support a core treatment for liver disease. Laboratory tests have additionally shown that silybin supplementation helps reduce liver damage. The literature indicates that silybin acts not only as an antioxidant, but also as an antifibrotic agent and a stimulator of cell regeneration. Due to its multidirectional action, it can effectively reduce liver damage, or help prevent it. Independent of the reason for its administration (prevention or therapy), it has been reported effective in laboratory animals, dogs, and humans. This was confirmed by an observational study performed at the University Center for Veterinary Medicine at Poznań University of Life Sciences. A total of 15 dogs with diagnosed liver conditions were supplemented with silybin for 30 days. Significant improvements were reported in the liver blood markers after the supplementation period. All things considered, silybin dietary supplementation is a noteworthy strategy in prevention and treatment of liver diseases in dogs.

Background: The purpose of the study described here was to evaluate the effects of different supportive treatments-such as antioxidants, immunomodulators, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)-in mastitic cows treated with intramammary antibiotics on the efficacy of mastitis therapy and fertility indices. Fertility indices, including time to first insemination, conception rate, time between calving and conception (open days), and number of services per conception (insemination index), were evaluated for 300 dairy cows. Sixty cows without apparent clinical signs of mastitis were assigned 100 days after calving to a Control group. Another 240 cows with clinical mastitis were systematically divided into four experimental groups (I-IV) of 60 cows each. All mastitic cows were treated with approved intramammary antibiotics in recommended doses. Cows in Group I were treated with intramammary antibiotics only. Cows in Groups II, III, and IV, received intramammary antibiotic therapy and a single injection with antioxidants, an immunomodulator (lysozyme dimer), or an NSAID (flunixin meglumine), respectively. Results: The lowest treatment efficacy of mastitic quarters and cows was noted in Group I (51.6 and 53.3%; p > 0.05). The best recovery rate was noted in Group II (63.3 and 66.7%; p > 0.05), followed by Group III (58.3 and 60.9%) and Group IV (58.3 and 58.0%; p > 0.05). The above data did not differ statistically (p > 0.05). The animals with mastitis (Groups I-IV) showed prolonged time to first insemination, more open days, higher insemination index, and lower conception rate than the control cows (p < 0.05). The conception rate of healthy cows and of successfully treated cows was insignificantly lower than that of cows required prolonged antibiotic therapy. Supportive treatments improved the mastitis recovery rate compared with intramammary antibiotics only. The efficacy of mastitis treatments affected the reproduction indices: in cows requiring prolonged treatment with antioxidants, a shorter time to first insemination was needed than in other groups (p < 0.05). Fewer days open were observed between the group with antioxidants and the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Clinical mastitis negatively affects reproductive indices (days open, pregnancy rate after first AI, NSC) in dairy cows. Different types of supportive medicine, such as antioxidants (vitamin C and E, and β-carotene), lysozyme dimer, or NSAID can be useful in improving fertility in mastitis cows treated with antibiotic only. It has been proven that each supportive treatment improved antibiotics efficiency and the antibiotic combined with the antioxidants was the most effective treatment.

Background This is the first report describing levels of APPs in European bison. Serum concentration of acute phase proteins (APPs) may be helpful to assess general health status in wildlife and potentially useful in selecting animals for elimination. Since there is a lack of literature data regarding concentration of APPs in European bisons, establishment of the reference values is also needed. Methods A total of 87 European bison from Polish populations were divided into two groups: (1) healthy: immobilized for transportation, placing a telemetry collar and routine diagnostic purposes; and (2) selectively culled due to the poor health condition. The serum concentration of haptoglobin, serum amyloid A and α1-acid-glycoprotein were determined using commercial quantitative ELISA assays. Since none of the variables met the normality assumptions, non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used for all comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistica 13.3 (Tibco, USA). Results The concentration of haptoglobin and serum amyloid A was significantly higher in animals culled (euthanised) due to the poor condition in respect to the clinically healthy European bison. The levels of α1-acid-glycoprotein did not show statistical difference between healthy and sick animals. Conclusions Correlation between APPs concertation and health status was proven, therefore the determination of selected APPs may be considered in future as auxiliary predictive tool in assessing European bison health condition.