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The aim of this study was to investigate serum paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity and lipid status in cows with subclinical and clinical mastitis in order to evaluate systemic inflammatory and oxidative stress responses. The study was conducted on a total of 90 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows kept in farms in eastern Croatia. Cows were assigned into three groups: the cows suffering from clinical mastitis (CLM), the cows with subclinical mastitis (SCM) and control (CTL) group. In collected sera, PON1, lipid status and calcium concentration were measured. Total cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and calcium concentrations were significantly lower in the CLM group of cows compared to the SCM and CTL groups (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the lipid status and calcium level between the CTL and SCM groups. PON1 activity was significantly lower in both the SCM and CLM groups compared with CTL indicating that PON1 could be considered as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of subclinical form of the disease.

The objectives of this study were to determine whether or not dietary clinoptilolite (CPL) has an influence on the levels of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sodium (Na) in the blood serum of dairy cows during gravidity and early lactation. The study was conducted on 78 dairy cows of Holstein-Friesian breed. The cows were randomly assigned into two groups: the CPL-fed treated group (n = 38) which received 50 g of natural powdered zeolite CPL twice a day from day 180 days before to 60 days after parturition, and the control non-treated group (n = 40). Blood samples were taken on days 180, 90, 60, 30 and 10 before parturition, on the day of calving and on days 5, 12, 19, 26, 33, 40 and 60 following parturition. There were no significant differences in the Ca concentrations between the CPL-fed and the control group. However, after parturition it was noticeable that the Ca concentration was higher in the CPL-fed group, especially on

In this research uterine swab and biopsy samples were collected from 40 infertile dairy cows kept at five dairy cattle farms in Hungary. Samples were tested for bacteria including Coxiella burnetii chlamydiae, Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma, and for the viruses Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) and Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV). Chlamydiaceae DNA was detected by real-time PCR in 22/40 (55%) samples. Coxiella burnetii DNA was detected in 3/40 (7.5%) cases by real-time PCR. Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma DNA was found in 2/40 (5%) and 4/40 (10%) cows, respectively. BVD and BoHV-1 DNA was not detected in any samples. Escherichia coli as a recognised uterine pathogen was found in two cases. The following potential uterine pathogens were found: Bacillus licheniformis (one case), non- haemolytic streptococci (five cases), Histophilus somni (two cases) and Candida krusei (two cases). Blood samples were collected at same time as swab samples from all 40 cows, and their examination for C. burnetii antibodies by ELISA revealed seropositivity in 26/40 cows (65%). Histological examination of the uterine biopsy samples showed the presence of mild lympho-histiocytic infiltration in the mucosain 22 cases (59%). Moderatelympho-histiocytic infiltration of the endometrium was evident in 13 cases (35%), while in two cases (6%) severe inflammatory cell infiltration of the endometrium with lympho-histiocytes and neutrophil granulocytes was found. Although no statistical correlation could be demonstrated between the severity of histological lesions of the endometrium and the uterine pathogenicity of the bacteria (P = 0.8555), endometritis of a certain severity grade and/or a recognised or potential uterine pathogen were found in all samples. The latter may play a role in the development of infertility either collectively or independently.

The study aimed to determine the influence of air temperature, amount of precipitation and sunlight duration on the reproductive traits of the Romanov sheep in the Bilogora region, Croatia.Animals were kept in a fenced rotating pasture with access to stables during the night. Sheep were naturally mated. During three consecutive years (2019-2021), reproductive performance data were collected for four sheep flocks (n=26-57). Data on air temperature, sunlight duration, and daily precipitation volumes were obtained from the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (CMHS), Zagreb, Croatia, from the nearest meteorological recording station, located within 5-15 km of farms. A total of 425 ewes were mated, of which 399 successfully conceived and 851 lambs were born, with an average litter size of 1.63. The average fertility during the study was 93.88%. Lambing distribution was not equally distributed throughout the year as 73% of all lambs were born during winter and spring (winter 51.88%; spring 21.31%; summer 13.53% and autumn 13.28%). Sexual activity was lowest from the end of March to May, while the peak of sexual activity was from the end of August to October. There was a positive or negative correlation (P&lt;0.0001 (Kruskall-Wallis)) between air temperature, sunshine duration and amount of precipitation with certain reproductive traits (number of pregnant and non-pregnant ewes). Daily average air temperatures were highest in summer but drop suddenly at the start of the breeding season in early autumn. Also, the day begins to shorten, and night begins to become longer which is crucial for shortday breeder species such as sheep and goats. Other factors, such as relative humidity and rainfall, can also directly or indirectly impact sexual activity and significantly affect fertility. The results indicate that air temperature, amount of precipitation, and sunlight duration during different months or seasons could influence the reproductive traits of Romanov sheep in Bilogora region, Croatia.