■为了调查在新西兰牧区条件下奶牛的胃肠道寄生虫(GIP)与动物行为之间的关系,使用动物安装,基于加速度计的传感器。
■三十六,5-6个月大,Friesian-Jersey,装有动物活动传感器以跟踪行为的小母牛被随机分配到两个治疗组之一。一半的动物每周一次口服20,000只Ostertagiacircincta和Cooperia龙骨幼虫,持续3周,一半没有受到攻击。最后一次给药五周后,用口服驱虫药(AHC)治疗7只感染的动物和9只未感染的动物,并再收集一周的数据.加速度计数据分为每天吃饭的分钟数,沉思,中高活性或低活性。在研究期间每周记录活重和粪便卵计数(FEC)。所有动物都在新播种的牧场上共同放牧,这些牧场以前没有被反刍动物放牧,并每周转移到新鲜放牧。治疗状态对那些管理动物的人是盲的,否则这些动物被相同地治疗。
■可以从30/36小牛获得完整的行为记录,(13个受到挑战,17个未受到挑战)。在用AHC治疗之前,在研究中,感染和未治疗的小牛的FEC增加,而未感染的动物保持接近零的FEC。在研究期间,两组之间的活体重增加没有差异。贝叶斯,多项回归预测了在初始感染后7周内未使用AHC处理的感染动物和未感染动物之间的动物行为差异。未经AHC处理的寄生小牛的活动较少,在低水平活动中减少了多达6(95%最高密度间隔(HDI)=1-11)分钟/天,在中等至高水平活动中减少了多达15(95%HDI=7-20)分钟/天。与未经AHC处理的对照小牛相比,他们每天多思考多达9(95%HDI=2-15)分钟/天,并且每天多吃多达10(95%HDI=2-19)分钟/天。AHC对每种行为花费的时间的影响在感染和未感染的小牛之间有所不同,并增加了行为数据的分散系数。
■用GIP可以在小牛中测量动物行为的微小差异。然而,用这个来靶向治疗,需要进一步的验证研究来确认行为分类的准确性,并了解动态和可变的牧场-寄生虫-宿主环境中动物行为的复杂驱动因素。
UNASSIGNED: To investigate the association between gastrointestinal parasites (GIP) and animal behaviour in dairy calves under New Zealand pastoral conditions, using animal-mounted, accelerometer-based sensors.
UNASSIGNED: Thirty-six, 5-6-month-old, Friesian-Jersey, heifer calves fitted with animal activity sensors to track behaviour were randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups. Half the animals were challenged with an oral dose of 20,000 larvae of Ostertagia ostertagi and Cooperia oncophera once a week for 3 weeks and half were unchallenged. Five weeks after the last dose, seven infected and nine uninfected animals were treated with an oral anthelmintic (AHC) and data collected for a further week. Accelerometer data were classified into minutes per day eating, ruminating, in moderate-high activity or in low activity. Live weight and faecal egg counts (FEC) were recorded weekly over the study period. All animals co-grazed a newly sown pasture not previously grazed by ruminants and were moved every week to fresh grazing. Treatment status was blinded to those managing the animals which were otherwise treated identically.
UNASSIGNED: Complete behavioural records were available from 30/36 calves, (13 challenged and 17 unchallenged). Before treatment with AHC, FEC increased in infected and un-treated calves over the study, while uninfected animals maintained a near zero FEC. There was no difference in live weight gain between the two groups over the study period. Bayesian, multinomial regression predicted differences in animal behaviour between infected and uninfected animals that were not treated with AHC over the 7 weeks following initial infection. Parasitised calves not treated with AHC were less active and spent up to 6 (95% highest density interval (HDI) = 1-11) minutes/day less in low level activity and up to 15 (95% HDI = 7-20) minutes/day less in moderate to high level activity. They ruminated up to 9 (95% HDI = 2-15) minutes/day more and ate up to 10 (95% HDI = 2-19) minutes/day more than control calves that were not treated with AHC. The effect of AHC on time spent in each behaviour differed between infected and uninfected calves and increased the coefficient of dispersion of the behavioural data.
UNASSIGNED: Small differences in animal behaviour can be measured in calves with GIP. However, to use this to target treatment, further validation studies are required to confirm the accuracy of behavioural classification and understand the complex drivers of animal behaviour in a dynamic and variable pasture-parasite-host environment.