núm. 17 (2009)

In order to know the genetic correlations between the growth characteristics in bulls and the reproductive characteristics in Zebu cows of Cuba, 9.490 registries of bulls were used. They finished the test of behavior in pasturing, and to which the final weight (PF ) at 18 months of age, and 13.575 registries of their half-sisters was registered with the age to the first insemination (EPI), the age to the first childbirth (EPP) and the services by gestation (SXG). The data were collected in five Genetic Centers between 1988 and 2001. All the animals were children of 267 bulls. The values found averages were of 343,3 kg, 26,5 months, 37,7 months and 1,76 for PF, EPI, EPP and SXG, respectively. The indices of inheritance (h2) were of 245, 054, 091 and 021 for PF, EPI, EPP and SXG, respectively. The genetic correlations between the reproductive PF and characteristics oscillated between -216 and -0.340. Between the reproductive characters, the genetic correlations went from 544 to 0.982. One concluded that the values of h2 considered for Zebú cattle in Cuba are within the rank published in the international literature and that the selection continued for the increase of the corporal weight to the 18 months of age in the bulls would not negatively affect the reproductive efficiency in cows.

Bioethics is a knowledge field built upon dialogue. Nonetheless, for the case of acts, habits and costumes relevant to animals, absence of veterinaryclinical-practice knowledge is notorious. Veterinary Medicine is a scientific speaker absolutely valid to offer theoretical contributions in this subject. In the present article, a review is made on some authors and viewpoints on the epistemological basis for Animal Bioethics and its clinical relevance. A term is proposed: Zooethics as a concept that includes ethical studies on animal life among Bioethics learning. A call is done in order to remember history, animal medicine, spirituality, and veterinarians as professionals who are concern and deeply know animals, on a daily basis, as beings that feel and interact in society.

Today diseases shared by man and animals are increasing not only in the number of zoonotic pathologies but in its general tendency to increase in diffusion. This problem is due to climatic change, the increase of diseases transmitted by vectors, man interference, man and animal movement, animal products and its derivatives movement, the adaptation and modification of zooethic agents that had changed to zoonotic, and some of them do not need animals as a reservoir to be present in man. In these zoonoses an important role is for the emerging diseases, that seems to be “new zoonoses” and some that men considered under control are getting worst as re-emerging diseases. Though is important to take a look of basic concepts in zoonoses control with the aim to generate state policies for its control and elimination.

The purpose of this work was to carry out a study about the effects of subclinical mastitis in cows of 34 dairy farms in the Upper Chicamocha region (Boyacá department).The farms are registered in the livestock farmers association of Boyacá (FABEGAN). This study was done with the aim to know about the infection status of cows and establish which are the principal etiologic agents associated with the disease and its relation with the milking routine. To this aim, applied comparison even tests for the productive variables to relate with the California Mastitis Test (CMT) and the microbiological characterization, a blocks design under factorial 2 x 4 array to analyze the existence of significant differences between the mastitis grades, the sample season and its interaction, and blocks design under factorial 2 x 4 array to analyze the existence of significant differences among the mastitis subclinical grades, the sampling season and its interaction. 6616 quarters were submitted to the California Mastitis Test (CMT) in two times and different season. The results did not show any significant differences between the two times of sampling. The positive samples according with CMT (CMT-2 and CMT-3) were submitted to microbiological tests where, in the most of the cases of mastitis, the presence of Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus was detected. They are the main etiologic agents in the disease. The results indicate the close relation between the milking routine and mastitis. The deficient practices in the milking process are the cause of dissemination and prevalence of mastitis in farms.

Injuries of the ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) syndrome in the different pathophysiological states from clinical situations, as well as in surgical procedures of high vascular and tissue manipulation, are of great importance in equine medicine; for that reason, most studies are made in the particularities of the equine specie due to the increase in frequency of presentation in intestinal accidents (White et al. 1980; Moore et al. 1995; Faleiros, 1997; Kooreman et al. 1998; Faleiros et al. 2002). In spite of the recent advances in therapeutics and surgical clinic, mortality in equines carrying strangling diseases is elevated, having great importance the intestinal ischemia. Similarly an efficient drug for the treatment of the injury by reperfusion in the clinical routine of the acute abdomen in equines is not available (Hinnebusch et al. 2002; Dabareiner et al. 1998). They either do not know absolutely the class of injuries that a problem in the vascularization could cause in organs highly employees in the vascular provision as heart, lungs, liver and kidney, because it is verified that the damage by reperfusion brings in consequence cellular death and endothelial dysfunction caused by the restoration of the blood flow (Alfonso et al. 2000).

The infectious bursal disease or Gumboro disease is an immunosuppressive pathology of birds, which has great importance in the poultry industry due to large economic losses that it produces not only for its direct effect, but because of the susceptibility to secondary infections, interference with commercial vaccines, reducing the effective use of them. The disease is produced by the infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), which is an RNA genome birnavirus, with high capacity for mutation, so the agent is continually evolving. The pathology has three types of clinical presentation: a subclinical form, a mild or moderate clinical form and a severe clinical form. However, the type of manifestation is determined mainly by three factors: the age of birds at the time of infection, the type of strain or acting or genetic variability of it, and the immunity degree. In this article, we discuss each of these factors and their importance in the presentation of the disease. These elements are vital in order to establish effective prevention and control programs.

Preliminary investigation results in physiological traits and changes due to exercise (horse jumping competition) in equines in Colombia are presented. 24 horses were selected (Silla argentina, PSI and crossbred) at the National Army Cavalry school, where cardiac and respiratory rate, creatinkinase (CK), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and lactic acid were monitored. Horses jumped obstacles of 1.10 to 1.20 m, and samples were taken before, immediately after and six hours following exercise. Cardiac rate was determined using a Polar S625 cardiac monitor; for respiratory rate, stethoscopes and blood samples were analyzed by spectophotometric methods. For muscle enzymes and lactic acid, statistic analysis (ANAVA) was carried out and for cardiac and respiratory rates descriptive statistics were performed. Results showed that lactic acid and creatinkinase had a notorious change with exercise, while lactic dehydrogenase had no alteration. Cardiac and respiratory rate had a significant increase after exercise, but return to normal in the next six hours. Lactic acid increased in a significant way and return to normal six hours after, unlike what other authors have reported. The research shows that changes are maybe due to type and time of exercise or altitude. Further research is necessary to complement topic related studies.

The inadequate colostrum consumption by foals at the moment of birth can be very harmful for the following hours of life, since it can place a high risk on the newborn´s life, as well as the development of a series of illness. A 33% of the deaths in foals up to 2 months of age are attributed to septic processes and only 26% of these foals survive, even when a correct and early diagnosis is performed. When the foal survives, it generally develops local infections such as pneumonias and polyarthritis, as it is the case in this report. These infections can be acquired intra or extra uterine, being the respiratory and the digestive systems the most common paths of infection, as a result of a deficient and poor passive immunity during the first hours after birth.