Prevalence of bovine fasciolosis based on faecal examination and abattoir survey in Karnataka
The prevalence of fasciolosis was evaluated in bovines based on coprological examination and postmortem liver examination of slaughtered cattle and buffaloes. The faecal examination of 130 cattle and 135 buffaloes revealed a prevalence of 9.9 % in cattle and 13.3 % in buffaloes respectively. The examination of livers from cattle and buffaloes (155 each) slaughtered at the KMPMCL abattoir revealed the prevalence of fasciolosis was 20.6 % in cattle and 22.5 % in buffaloes. The results were statistically significant in faecal examination and not significant in liver examination from cattle and buffaloes respectively.
Evaluation of losses in carcasses of cattle naturally infected with Fasciola hepatica: effects on weight by age range and on carcass quality parameters.
Although fasciolosis is a relatively common disease, the productive and economic losses resulting from cattle with chronic fasciolosis are unclear. This paper aims to investigate the effect of fasciolosis on the parameters of carcass quality and discuss the hypothesis that the effects on weight differ among age ranges of cattle. For this, we analyzed abattoir data of 30,151 bovines, from 928 farms, slaughtered in Uruguay in 2016, of which 33.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 27.3% - 41.1%) had Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke). A mixed model was built to assess whether the effect of fasciolosis on weight differs depending on the age range, using the interaction term 'age*F. hepatica'. The effect on the carcass parameters was tested using a proportional logistic regression. The interaction of age and F. hepatica was statistically significant (P<0.001). Differences in carcass weights between infected and non-infected animals were observed mostly at younger ages (up to 30 months), with the highest difference observed in the 23-30 months age range (estimated marginal mean difference of 6.34 kg). Overall, the presence of F. hepatica was positively associated with poor conformations and lower fat scores of carcasses (P<0.001). The carcasses of cattle infected with F. hepatica had 0.16 times greater odds of having worse conformation scores than carcasses of cattle without F. hepatica (proportional odds ratio (POR)=1.16; 95% CI: 1.07-1.26). Similarly, carcasses of cattle with F. hepatica had 0.30 times (POR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.23-1.39) greater odds of having poorer fat scores than carcasses of cattle without F. hepatica. Therefore, infection with F. hepatica is associated with poorer carcass quality parameters and lower weights, and the effect on weight differs across age ranges.
On the fractionation of β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin
Abstract Existing methods for the preparation of α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin are examined critically. It is proposed that the most satisfactory method for the preparation of the whey protein fraction from bovine milk is (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 fractionation. A number of new gentle procedures for the fractionation of the whey proteins are compared with some existing methods. The distribution of total protein at various stages is determined by total Kjeldahl nitrogen and the kind of protein by starch-gel electrophoresis. The effect of variables, such as pH, salt concentration and temperature on the separation of α-lactalbumin and serum albumin from β-lactoglobulin is studied. Differences in the behavior ( e.g. solubility) of genetic variants of β-lactoglobulin are noted. The solubility of each of the major whey proteins, under similar conditions to those used in the fractionation, is compared with its solubility in the whey protein mixture. The understanding gained of factors important in the fractionation is used in recommending new procedures for α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin isolation.