Postweaning diarrhoea (PWD) is a frequent multifactorial disease occurring in swine stocks worldwide. Since pathogenic Escherichia (E.) coli play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of PWD and porcine E. coli are often resistant to different antibiotics, colistin is frequently applied to treat piglets with PWD. However, the application of colistin to livestock has been associated with the emergence of colistin resistance. This case report describes the detection of the colistin resistance gene mcr-1-1 in two E. coli isolated from piglets with PWD in an Austrian organic piglet-producing farm, which was managed by two farmers working as nurses in a hospital. Both mcr-1-positive E. coli were further analysed by Illumina short-read-sequencing, including assemblies and gene prediction. Both isolates belonged to the same clonal type and were positive for eaeH and espX5, which are both virulence genes associated with enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). Due to the detection of mcr-1-positive EPEC and based on the results of the antimicrobial resistance testing, the veterinarian decided to apply gentamicin for treatment instead of colistin, leading to improved clinical signs. In addition, after replacing faba beans with whey, PWD was solely observed in 2/10 weaned batches in the consecutive months.

The interest in studies focused on applying probiotic microorganisms is increasing due to sustainable agriculture development. In this research, we aimed to evaluate the impact of two commercial plant probiotics-ProbioHumus and NaturGel on carrot growth, yield, and quality in organic and nonorganic production systems. The research was carried out under laboratory and field conditions. Plants were treated with probiotics (2 L/ha) at the nine leaves stage. Biometrical measurements and chemical analyses were performed at a maturation stage. The average weight of carrot roots increased by 17 and 20 g in the test variant with ProbioHumus as compared to the control in the organic and nonorganic farms, respectively. Plant microbial biostimulants ProbioHumus and NaturGel had a positive effect on the quality of carrots from organic and nonorganic farms: applied in couple they promoted the accumulation of monosaccharides, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenols, and increased antioxidant activity. Quantitative nitrate analysis regardless of the biostimulant used revealed about twofold lower nitrate content of carrots from organic than nonorganic farms, and probiotics did not show a significant effect on nitrate accumulation. Finally, ProbioHumus and NaturGel were effective at low doses. The use of microbial biostimulants can be recommended as an element of cultivation for creating ecologically friendly technologies.

Infectious laryngotracheitis is an economically significant viral disease of chickens, that mainly affects the upper respiratory tract, and is present worldwide. This case reports the first outbreak of infectious laryngotracheitis in a four-week-old organic broiler farm and surrounding flocks in Greece, with typical clinical symptoms and lesions, allegedly provoked by a wild strain of infectious laryngotracheitis virus. Our findings contradict the general perception indicating that the disease appears mainly in older birds and that vaccine strains are the primary cause of infectious laryngotracheitis outbreaks in most continents. A recombinant vectored vaccine was administered, supplementary to biosecurity measures, containing the viral spread. The responsible strain was potentially circulating in the area; therefore, an industry-wide holistic approach was applied, including the vaccination of neighboring broilers and breeders with the same vaccine, the rapid molecular diagnosis of the disease, and strict biosecurity protocols. The results of this holistic effort were effective because, following the application of vaccine and management protocols, manifestations of the disease in regional flocks dropped significantly, and there was no recurrence to date. These findings suggest that vaccination protocols should be modified, especially for organic broilers, to include vaccination against infectious laryngotracheitis.

We conducted a descriptive observational study to quantify the frequency and diversity of winter housing and bedding types used by organic dairy farmers in Vermont. This report describes the survey methods, results, successes, limitations, and lessons learned from administering the survey. Beginning in December 2018, a short questionnaire was administered by web, mail, and telephone to a source population defined as all producers of organic dairy cow milk in Vermont (n = 177) listed in the United States Department of Agriculture Organic Integrity database. Our approach yielded an 82% (n = 145) response from certified organic farms producing cow milk in Vermont at the time of the survey. The 3 most common housing and bedding material combinations used by respondents were tiestall housing with wood (sawdust or shavings) bedding materials (45%), freestall housing with wood bedding materials (14%), and freestall housing with sand bedding (12%). Fifteen percent of respondents reported using more than one type of facility for winter housing of lactating cattle. The median number of lactating cows on farms among respondents was 59.5 (range: 2-400), and the odds of using more than one type of facility to house lactating cows increased positively with the number of lactating cows reported for a herd. Breed distribution was similar across the housing and bedding type categories. An association between frequency of individual cow milk somatic cell count testing and housing type was identified; respondents using freestall sand facilities tested less frequently than respondents using tiestalls with wood bedding. Although the questionnaire length limited the amount of information gathered, the response proportion was exceptional, and overall our survey results provide valuable insight on Vermont organic dairy housing and bedding practices that should inform future extension and outreach efforts for this sector of the dairy industry.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of the partial substitution of maize grain with local ancient wheats by-products in an organic laying hens farm on animal performance and blood profile, as well as on eggs quality. A total of 80 Hy-Line W-36 Single Comb White Leghorn, 18 weeks old hens were homogenously divided into two groups. The two groups (40 laying hens each, 8 replicates, 5 hens/replicate) were fed two isoprotein and isoenergetic diets: the Control group (C) was fed a standard, organic maize-soybean meal diet whereas in the Ancient Grains group (AG) part of the maize grain was replaced by a mix of ancient grains middling, consisting in 50:50 of Triticum aestivum var. spelta (spelt) and Triticum durum dicoccum L. (emmer wheat). The birds fed the maize based-diet (C) showed a higher (P < 0.01) egg weight and feed intake than the Ancient Grains (AG) group. By contrary, the feed conversion ratio was more favourable (P < 0.05) in hens fed the Ancient Grains diet. The eggs produced by the hens fed the Control diet showed higher length and width than the other group (P < 0.01). The shell thickness and strength were also higher in the Control group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). The experimental dietary treatment positively affected some blood parameters. The Control group showed higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (P < 0.05) as well as of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (P < 0.01). In addition, butyrate, which may have great implications for the regulation of the immune response, resulted significantly higher in the caecal content of hens from the Ancient Grains group. Overall, the Ancient Grains diet seemed to be able to guarantee the production performances with positive effects on the animal health.

Conventional and organic production systems mainly differ in feeding strategies, outdoor and pasture access, and the use of antibiotic treatments. These environmental differences could lead to a genotype by environment interaction (G × E) and a requirement for including G × E in breeding decisions. The objectives of this study were to estimate variance components and heritabilities for conventional and organic production systems and investigate G × E under these 2 production systems for female fertility traits in Danish Holsteins. The analyzed traits included the interval from calving to first insemination (ICF), the interval from first to last insemination, number of inseminations per conception (NINS), and non-return rate within 56 d after the first insemination. Records of female fertility in heifers and the first 3 lactations in cows as well as grass ratio of feed at herd level were collected during the period from 2011 to 2016. The performances of a trait in heifers and cows (lactation 1 to 3) were considered as different traits. The (co)variance components and the resulting heritabilities and genetic correlations were estimated using 2 models. One was a bivariate model treating performances of a trait under organic and conventional production systems as 2 different traits using a reduced data set, and the other was a reaction norm model with random regression on the production system and the grass ratio of feed using a full data set. The full data set comprised records of 37,836 females from 112 organic herds and 513,599 females from 1,224 conventional herds, whereas the reduced data set comprised records from all these 112 organic herds and 92,696 females from 185 convention herds extracted from the full data set with grass ratio of feed lower than 0.20. All female fertility performances of the organic production system were superior to those of the conventional production system. Besides, heterogeneities in additive genetic variances and heritabilities were observed between conventional and organic production systems for all traits. Furthermore, genetic correlations between these 2 production systems ranged from 0.607 to 1.000 estimated from bivariate models and from 0.848 to 0.999 estimated from reaction norm models. Statistically significant G × E were observed for NINS in heifers, non-return rate within 56 d after the first insemination in heifers, and ICF from the bivariate model, and for ICF and NINS in cows from the reaction norm model.

Anaerobic digestion of multiple waste vegetables collected from an organic farm in Central Illinois was carried out using a new cartridge design anaerobic digestion system. Waste vegetables, including carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, lettuce, and potato, were chopped and then mixed together to be used as the digestion feedstock. Three cartridges in the digestion chamber were rotated every week. Results showed that the system was stable, in terms of biogas and methane yields, ammonium-nitrogen concentration, and pH value, throughout the 90-day operation. On average, the daily and accumulative methane yield were 23.38 L/day/kg-VS and 490.98 L/kg-VS (21-day retention time), respectively. Rotation of cartridge significantly affected methane yield, methane concentration in biogas, and hydrogen sulfide concentration in biogas. Especially, the average hydrogen sulfide concentration decreased from 1145 ppm, to 695 ppm, and then to 539 ppm, in biogas samples taken on 2 days, 4 days, and 7 days after rotation. No liquid waste was generated throughout the test. A rough estimate of the potential biogas yield shows that if all the waste vegetables and crop residues collected from this farm were used in this new anaerobic digestion system, US$4711 in energy can be saved in a year.

The morphology and morphogenesis during cell division of a new stylonychine hypotrich, Rigidocortex quadrinucleatus n. sp., were investigated using live observation and protargol staining. The new species was isolated from soil samples collected from an organic farm in the Marche Region, Italy, in framework of the MOSYSS project. Rigidocortex quadrinucleatus is characterized as follows: cell size about 180 × 80 μm in vivo; four ellipsoidal macronuclear nodules; 44 adoral membranelles: 18 fronto-ventral-transverse cirri consisting of three frontal, four frontoventral, one buccal, three ventral, two pretransverse, and five transverse cirri; dorsal kinety 3 with multiple fragmentation; resting cyst with hyaline ridges. Rigidocortex quadrinucleatus mainly differs from the type species R. octonucleatus in having four (vs. eight) macronuclear nodules. Rigidocortex quadrinucleatus can be easily confused with Sterkiella cavicola since both have a rather similar ventral ciliature; however, they can be separated by the slightly higher number of cirri in the left marginal row that runs along the posterior cell\'s margin in R. quadrinucleatus. Morphogenesis on the ventral surface is highly similar to that of Sterkiella species, but differs significantly on the dorsal surface (multiple vs. simple fragmentation of dorsal kinety 3). Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rRNA gene sequences consistently place the new species within the stylonychine oxytrichids, clustering closer to Gastrostyla steinii than to S. cavicola.

The present case reports the detection of Salmonella (S.) Choleraesuis var. Kunzendorf and porcine circovirus type 2 in an organic fattening pig suffering from septicaemic salmonellosis and porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome. Six weeks after pigs had been housed in an organic fattening farm, an increase in mortality, diarrhea and coughing was observed. In recent years, S. choleraesuis var. Kunzendorf has been frequently detected in wild boars in Germany, whereas the same serovar did not play an important role in the Western European domestic pig population. A direct transmission of this serovar from wild boars to domestic pigs in this case could not be proven. However, because wild boars are important reservoirs for the spread of epizootic diseases to the domestic pig population, this case emphasises the importance of taking epidemiological relationships under consideration and to comply with biosecurity measures according to German law (Schweinehaltungshygieneverordnung).

Extended-spectrum and AmpC β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL/AmpC-EC) are found throughout the broiler production pyramid. Transmission of resistance between broilers and humans could occur at any point, representing a potential public health issue. Insight in farm transmission dynamics could provide a basis for control, leading to fewer contaminated broilers. The aim was quantifying transmission rates and routes of ESBL/AmpC-EC, and specific phylogenetic groups, in an organic broiler flock without antibiotic use. In each of two consecutive production rounds, 80 randomly chosen broilers were followed individually. Cloacal swabs from these, 20 other randomly chosen broilers, and 11 environmental samples were taken at several moments from arrival till slaughter. ESBL/AmpC-EC were isolated by selective pre-enrichment, and ESBL/AmpC-genes and E. coli phylogenetic groups were determined. Transmission parameters (β) were estimated using a Generalised Linear Model with a susceptible-infectious-susceptible model. Effect of direct broiler contact as compared to contact through the environment and previous carriage c.q. infectious status and their interaction were included as explanatory variables. Multiplying β by the length of the infectious period gives the reproduction ratio (R). On day 1, prevalence was 28.8% (95%CI 19.2-40.0%) and 0.0% (95%CI 0.0-4.5%) among individually followed broilers, in round 1 and 2 respectively. In round 2, the environment was positive before arrival of day-old chicks. After 3 days, almost 100% of broilers and environmental samples were positive in both rounds. Most samples were positive for CTX-M-1 group genes, and A1 and B1 were predominant phylogenetic groups. From day 3 there was a shift towards more phylogenetic groups. R was 1.70 (95%CI 0.55-5.25) for total ESBL/AmpC-EC. Risk for broilers to become infectious was lower if previously infectious (βpreviously infectious=0.02 vs. βnot previously infectious=3.41; P<0.0001). For phylogenetic groups separately, R was 0.88 (95%CI 0.38-2.07), 0.51 (95%CI 0.27-0.98), 0.99 (95%CI 0.65-1.51) for A1, B1 and rest (i.e. A0, B2, D1, D2) groups, respectively. The interaction effect for A1 and B1 was reflected in the fact that when broilers were previous infectious, the environment was relatively more important for transmission of the A1 group, while this was direct contact between broilers for the B1 group. Positive day-old chicks and the environment both play a role in introduction and transmission of ESBL/AmpC-EC in flocks. These results suggest that, even without selective pressure from antibiotics, total ESBL/AmpC-EC persistence, and resulting endemic situation, seem to be caused by shifts in carriage of different phylogenetic groups. It implies that contaminated broilers enter the slaughterhouse.