Staphylococcal species are frequently isolated from dairy cows milk and are a very common cause of intramammary infections (IMI). First lactation cows may already have an IMI at calving, and these may be acquired during different stages of their development. Moreover, the dry period is another critical “nonlactating” period regarding the acquisition of new IMI, and these may persist until calving. The first objectives of this observational longitudinal cohort study were to: describe staphylococcal species–level IMI prevalence at calving in quarters from primiparous cows; describe staphylococcal species–level IMI prevalence before dry-off and following calving; and report the species-level incidence and persistence of staphylococcal IMI over the dry period in quarters from multiparous cows.

This study aimed to evaluate the production performance, the milk fatty acid profile, and the nutrient digestibility of high-producing dairy cows fed high-forage (HF) or low-forage (LF) diets containing triticale silages harvested at either the boot stage (BT) or the soft-dough stage (SFT) of maturity. A 10-ha field was seeded with 105 kg/ha of triticale. Half of the field was harvested at BT and the other half at SFT. The harvested forage was ensiled in separate concrete-walled bunker silos for at least 60 d.

The objective of this study was to develop, validate, and demonstrate the herringbone parlor model (HPM). The HPM was built using empirical data collected from a sample of commercial Irish dairy farms (n = 16). The HPM is a mechanistic model that accurately simulates the milking process time and milking efficiency of herringbone swing-over parlors, where 1 operator is present at milking, accounting for variances in parlor infrastructure, management practices, and automation specification. The HPM was validated by comparing simulated outputs against empirical recordings from a commercial dairy farm across 2 typical periods during the lactation cycle.

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), presents therapeutic challenges due to the limitations and side effects of current treatments, creating a need for safer and more effective alternatives. Despite several studies on the health benefits of donkey milk, its specific impact on UC remains unsolved. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of donkey whey protein (DWP), a bioactive-rich functional food, in alleviating UC symptoms in a mouse model of dextran sodium sulfate–induced colitis.

Livestock feeds can be contaminated by several fungi. Among these, Fusarium spp. are widespread and produce mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN), and fumonisins B1 and B2 (FB1 and FB2). We investigated whether feeding a TMR contaminated with moderate to high concentrations of ZEN, DON, FB1, and FB2 to dairy cows in early lactation alters (1) their feeding behavior and rumination time; (2) milk yield, composition, and quality; (3) plasma metabolic profile and biochemical traits; and (4) postpartum uterine involution and resumption of cyclicity.

Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants. Simulating breast milk, which maximizes the restoration of composition and proportion in breast milk protein, is the ultimate goal of upgrading powdered infant milk products. Although products upgraded with protein, including lactoferrin and osteopontin, have been sold on the market, their effect on intestinal health is not yet well-defined. This study evaluated the effect of protein-upgraded infant formula on the intestinal barrier of piglets.

In recent years, animal welfare considerations have increased for citizens and public authorities. Within the several dimensions of welfare, chronic stress is particularly difficult to measure objectively, while in its chronic form, it may cause metabolic, inflammatory, and infectious diseases, fertility problems, or lower milk production. Therefore, the goal of this work was to evaluate the potential of milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectra for predicting at the individual cow level the content of 2 chronic stress biomarkers: hair cortisol and blood fructosamine.

The effects of interventions that restrict antimicrobial use (AMU) in food production animals on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remain unclear. We have already established a portrait of AMU and AMR on dairy farms in Québec before a regulation, implemented in 2019, that restricts the use of category I antimicrobials in food production animals. In the current study, involving 84 dairy farms in Québec, we assessed the effects of farm-level changes in AMU on farm-level AMR. Using an observational cohort study design, we gathered AMU data through veterinary invoicing software 2 years before and 2 years after the regulation was implemented.

Streptococcus uberis is one of the most frequently isolated bacterial species from mastitis cows and presents significant control challenges due to its high genetic diversity. This study aimed to determine genetic variations of Strep. uberis causing mastitis across 3 high-prevalence farms (farm A, B, and C). Isolates were obtained from different longitudinal studies and were used to study relationships between virulence factors (VF), antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and strain diversity. Data on farm management and the mastitis control policy were collected during longitudinal collection of milk samples and revealed different policies among the 3 farms.

Disbudding is a standard procedure on most US dairy farms, but organic options to alleviate pain are limited. The objective of this study was to assess the post-disbudding analgesic effects of 2 organic pain relief methods (Dull It, Dr. Paul's Lab, Mazomanie, WI; willow bark, Nature's Way, Green Bay, WI) on the heart rate, ocular temperature, salivary cortisol concentration, and lying behavior (time, bouts, and bout duration) of 53 preweaning Holstein and crossbred dairy calves born at the West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, MN.

Somatic cell count is widely used for large-scale udder health monitoring and remains a proxy for mastitis incidence still used in many genetic evaluation systems. This trait and its log-transformation, SCS, are thus also available to study the effect of heat stress on mammary gland health. Currently, a new trait called differential somatic cell count (DSCC), which represents the percentage of neutrophils and lymphocytes in the total SCC, is increasingly phenotyped simultaneously with SCC. By combining information, they could more closely reflect the direct trait than SCS alone, providing a better proxy for mastitis incidence including during heat stress events.

Fat mobilization and elevated circulating levels of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) resulting from severe negative energy balance (NEB) are the major causes of hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammation in dairy cows during the transition period. However, there is a lack of promising therapeutic agents to control NEFA-induced lipotoxicity in the liver of dairy cows. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of salidroside (Sal), the principal bioactive component of Rhodiola, on NEFA-induced lipotoxicity in bovine hepatocytes, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Animal scientists use controlled experiments to test hypotheses and evaluate treatment effects within populations. Due to the impracticality of studying entire populations, representative samples are necessary. Assessing statistical power is a crucial step in designing robust experiments. However, many published articles in dairy science lack adequate power analysis, raising concerns about the applicability of findings. An analysis of trends from 1995 to 2023 based on publications in the “Production: Animal Nutrition” section of the Journal of Dairy Science reveals that only 4.73% of 4,376 articles reported power analysis.

The efficiency of the milking process is the key to dairy farm management. However, due to the high variability of data from single or multiple milk meters, it is difficult to know whether the milking process is under control or not. The main objectives of this study were to develop a model to assess whether the milking process in herringbone and parallel parlors is out of control (i.e., deviates significantly from normal milking patterns) and to filter out the out of control points from the historical milking parlor data.

Mycoplasma bovis causes severe diseases among cattle. Sweden has a favorable situation for control of this disease, with a low prevalence of M. bovis infected and seropositive herds detected only in the southern parts of the country. To prevent the spread of the infection, analyzing antibody levels is a cost-effective method to determine herd pathogen exposure status. In this study, our aims were to monitor the antibody dynamics in infected herds over time using IDvet ELISA, to both evaluate risk-based sampling and investigate the effect of M.

The quantity of milk produced by dairy animals is determined by a complex interplay of genetic, nutritional, environmental, and health factors. In this study, a conceptual model for milk yield was developed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEqM) to integrate multiple latent variables representing milk freshness, microbiological quality, chemical quality, flavor, and color, which are attributes not directly measurable by a single observed value. Data were collected from 38 Awassi ewes with synchronized lambing times.

Ultra-high-temperature-treated cheese products can be stored at ambient temperature for over 6 mo, reducing costs and broadening market reach. However, maintaining texture consistency during storage remains a challenge. This study investigated the textural changes and underlying mechanisms in UHT-treated ambient cheese products stored at 4°C and 25°C for 9 mo. The results revealed that hardness significantly increased over time in both storage conditions, with the 25°C group exhibiting a more pronounced increase.

Transposable elements (TE) are widespread genetic components that affect the structure and function of eukaryotic genomes. However, the comprehensive genomic and transcriptome characterization of buffalo TE remains unclear. Here, we first constructed a pan-TE library from 7 buffalo genomes representing both river and swamp buffalo breeds. We identified 46,389 unique TE comprising 15,975 cores and 30,414 variable elements. These TE span approximately 1.04 Gb and its length account for 33.53% of the buffalo reference genome.

Camel milk is a vital dietary component in African and Middle Eastern cultures, particularly in countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Therefore, it is crucial to monitor pesticide levels in camel milk samples to maintain high standards of food safety. In this study, 4 carbamate pesticide residues and their metabolites were detected using tandem mass spectrometry coupled with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC-MS/MS). Pasteurized and raw camel milk samples were collected from various parts of the UAE, and liquid-liquid extraction was used to extract carbamates and their metabolites from the samples.

Osteoporosis has emerged as a major public health concern, exacerbated by a global aging population. Although pharmaceutical agents, dairy products, and probiotics have shown potential in managing osteoporosis, safer and more effective therapeutic options remain limited. In this study, Lactococcus lactis 3-1 was identified as a bone health–promoting strain, exhibiting high butyrate production, upregulation of osteogenic genes (Runx2, Bglap, and ALP), and enhancement of pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 differentiation and calcium nodule formation.