R.E. Harris

Epidemiology of leptospirosis in dairy farm workers in the Manawatu Part I: A cross-sectional serological survey and associated occupational factors

Abstract A serological survey of 213 randomly chosen dairy farm residents in the Manawatu showed that 66 (34%) of the people who milked cows had leptospiral titres ≤ 1:24 by the Microscopic Agglutination Test. Forty-eight (72.7%) of these people had titres to hardjo, while 29 (43.9%) had titres to pomona. Dual hardjo/pomona titres occurred in 12 people. Ballum and Copenhageni accounted for 8% of the titres found. Women milkers and farm residents who did not milk were all serologically negative. A third of the seropositive milkers had a history of clinical leptospirosis. Other factors which significantly correlated with leptospiral titres included the time spent in the dairy shed during milking, the wearing of shorts, the keeping of pigs for sale, and the number of years the individual had been working on a dairy farm. The type of milking shed and the size of the herd were interrelated and both showed strong trends towards a correlation with serological prevalence.

Observations on the epidemiology of malignant catarrhal fever

Summary Geographical differences in the reported incidence of MCF in New Zealand are related to sheep/cattle and beef/dairy cattle ratios in the area. Apparent differences in age susceptibility may be due to differential reporting, but this point needs experimental clarification. The seasonal pattern suggests an increased risk during the peri- and post-lambing periods.

Some aspects of reproductive performance in selected town-supply dairy herds

Abstract Breeding and production data were collected from 20 town-supply dairy herds in the Manawatu/Horowhenua region. Calving interval, calving to first service interval, first service to conception interval, inter-service interval, calving rate to first service and services per cow calving were 384, 85, 11, 43 days, 51% and 1.7, respectively, for the pooled population of 12, 056 calvings. The mean milk yield was 3730 litres per cow and the mean lactation length 291 days. Age, herd, season within year, and year, had statistically significant effects on reproductive performance, although the amount of variation due to these variables was small. The younger cows (2-year-olds) were relatively poor performers. Reproductive performance was best during the spring. Days from calving to first service, and from first service to conception, were of similar importance in determining differences in calving interval. A high incidence (25%)of return intervals of more than 49 days was found between first and second se...

Petechial haemorrhages in carcass fat of slaughtered lambs

Abstract A newly recognised problem of petechial haemorrhages in external adipose tissue of lambs was investigated at a meat works. The causal factor was electrical stunning, but animal- associated predisposing factors were also important as indicated by a decline in prevalence as the killing season progressed. It is suggested that these are associated with the age of the lambs and, thereby, the maturity of tissues. Histologically, the lesions showed focal capillary haemorrhage, platelet and fibrin thrombi, and concentration of leucocytes about the thrombus. Although this distribution superficially resembled a reactive change, it was concluded that it was an agonal lesion and suggested that the concentration of leucocytes was a result of a filtration phenomenon.

Opinions of Massey University veterinary students 2: Potential employment

Abstract Massey University veterinary students stated a strong preference for careers in practice. They appeared to have entered the course with this orientation and were not influenced by their subsequent experiences. Personal freedom and an interesting job were highly correlated with their expectations of overall job satisfaction, but anticipated salary was not.

Opinions of Massey University veterinary students. 1: the curriculum.

Abstract Massey University veterinary students rated subjects in their curriculum more highly for interest and usefulness than for the way in which they were taught. There were few statistically significant differences between the scores given by different years or sexes, but there was a tendency for higher scores to be given to subjects during the years in which they were studied, and females usually gave slightly higher scores than males. Scores for interest and usefulness were highly correlated (r = .90). Subjects in the clinical area of the course were usually rated more highly than those in the pre-clinical years.

Evaluation of herd and flock health programmes.

Abstract Extract Rural veterinary practice faces difficulties in many parts of the world. Falling farm incomes and increasing costs have sometimes resulted in reduced use of veterinary services. There seems to be widespread agreement that an increased emphasis on preventive medicine would improve the situation for both the farmer and his veterinarian. There appear to be no commonly agreed formal criteria for the development and evaluation of health programmes, either in human or veterinary medicine, but increasing attention is being paid to the problem(1) (12) (14) (15), In some ways the evaluation of animal health programmes should be the easier, for there are fewer ethical problems and economic criteria are of paramount importance in rural practice.