The Rural Voice, 2003-04, Page 66The leading edge
Don't blame the family dog for infection
The family farm dog is not a
particular danger to cattle herds,
University of Guelph researchers
have found.
The discovery that dogs can be
carriers for a parasite that can cause
abortion in dairy cattle has caused
some producers to get rid of the farm
dog as a precaution but Ontario
Veterinary College researchers think
the danger of the Neospora caninum
parasite spreading from dogs to cattle
is not large.
The results of a province -wide
dairy herd study by Prof. Andrew
Peregrine and Jamie Hobson of the
Department of Population Medicine
which revealed that some dogs living
on dairy farms were positive for the
parasite had created fear among some
producers that their dogs could
potentially spread the parasite. OVC
researchers.decided to explore the
danger further.
Prof. Cathy Gartley of the
Department of Population Medicine
joined the research team to help
determine if the transmission of N.
caninum between dogs and cows was
a real or perceived risk and to see if
the parasite caused abortions in dogs
as it did in cattle.
The researchers examined the
prevalence of the parasite in both
urban dogs, that had never been
exposed to cattle, and dogs on dairy
farms. They found 23 per cent of
blood samples from dogs on dairy
farms showed positive for the
parasite, but seven per cent of dogs
that had never been around cattle also
showed positive.
The results indicate that
transmission of the parasite is
different in dogs and cattle. N.
caninum is transferred from cow to
calf in the uterus but dogs primarily
acquire the parasite via the
environment.
"The longer a dog resides on a
farm with N. Caninum-infected cattle,
the more likely it is to be
seropositive," says Gartley. "This
suggests that repeated exposure to the
parasite on farms increases the risk of
acquiring it."
Although the effects of N.
Caninum on canine health are still
largely speculative, Peregrine and his
team believe there's no great need for
alarm. They stress the importance of
preventative action such as spaying
and neutering to reduce roaming
behaviour and limiting dog's
exposure to other animals that might
be carriers of the phrasite.0
— Source: University of Guelph
Research Magazine
Poultry litter could soak up pollution
Scientists with the United States Department of Agriculture's agricultural
research service may have found a new use for poultry litter — as a source of
activated carbons used in environmental clean-ups.
Activated carbons, which soak up unwanted pollutants in environmental
remediation operations, are traditionally made from coal and coconut shells.
However coal is an expensive, non-renewable resource, costing between $60 and
$80 US per ton, while coconut shells are not readily available.
Government chemist Isabel Lima turned to poultry litter which is inexpensive
and available. When pelletized and activated under specific conditions, the litter
becomes a highly porous material with a large surface area. In early tests, these
litter -based carbons performed well in absorbing copper, which suggests they
may do well as a waste water filter for other metal ions. The absorption rate of
litter -based carbons also make them more cost effective than carbons now on the
market.
The use of animal manure to clean up water would be an ironic turn when so
many modern concems are that over -application of manure can build up levels of
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in soils which can then leach into the water
supply. USDA researchers feel the technology could provide fanners with an
acceptable way to beneficially use their animal manure.°
— Source: United States Department of Agriculture
62 THE RURAL VOICE
Antler velvet may take
on liver disease
A University of Saskatchewan
researcher says elk and deer
antlers may provide future treat-
ments for human liver disease.
Susan Hemmings, a physio-
logist and researcher at the
university's medical school, says
antlers from cervids, animals
belonging to the deer family, may
hold the key to liver treatment.
"It was there staring everyone
in the face," she said. "It was in
the Chinese literature and set aside
any bias about Asian medicine,
you would see it. And many did
but that was as far as it went."
Hemmings said she has tested
the effect of the enzyme extracted
from elk antlers on rats in her lab
and has found "protective ... (and)
regenerative" results for the liver.
Liver disease affects one in 12
Canadians, and is the fourth
leading cause of death according
to the Canadian Liver Foundation.
Hemmings first showed that
cervid antler wasn't toxic to
humans, which confums a study
done by Jeong Sim, a scientists at
the University of Alberta.
Hemmings next tested for
protective effects on the liver.
When the liver is in good health,
one particular enzyme, gamma
glutamyl transferase, or GGT, is
found in lower amounts in the
system but the enzyme's levels are
elevated in most cases of liver
disease. She found that rats fed
antler velvet in their feed had a
decrease in GGT levels compared
to a control group, showing the
velvet gave protection to the liver.
Next she poisoned the rats with
carbon tetrachloride to induce
moderate liver damage and tested
them for another enzyme,
transaminase which is released
into the blood stream if serious
liver damage is occurring. The
animals that had been fed antler
velvet showed a 300 per cent drop
in transaminase compared with the
control group.0
— Source: Western Producer
1