Another important issue is the influence of pathogens from different animal manure (slurry, farm yard manure etc.) on human health and well-being as a direct or indirect cause of human enteric illness, especially in areas with large livestock operations and/or a direct contact between farm animals and humans, be it the general public or farm workers a transmission of diseases is likely. Less im...

The content of trace elements (Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in hair and skin of silver fox (Vulpes vulpes) and arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) were determined. The content of elements were determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Samples of animal hair and skin were collected from two farms located in mid-western Poland: farm A, situated in a rural area and far...

host-pathogen interactions that occur in outbred populations. A fundamental point in the development of new and improved intervention strategies is the understanding of host differences in the innate immune response, which primes the subsequent adaptive immune response. Although the innate immune system has been largely conserved during evolution, marked variations and diversity exist between d...

1 Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Genetic Resources and Utilization of the Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100193 Beijing, China 2 College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036 Hefei, China 3 College of Animal Science and Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, 071000 Baoding, China 4 State Key La...

IMPORTANCE The association between early exposure to animals and childhood asthma is not clear, and previous studies have yielded contradictory results. OBJECTIVE To determine whether exposure to dogs and farm animals confers a risk of asthma. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS In a nationwide cohort study, the association between early exposure to dogs and farm animals and the risk of asthma...

In 2011, Dutch animal production sectors started recording veterinary antimicrobial consumption. These data are used by the Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Authority to create transparency in and define benchmark indicators for veterinary consumption of antimicrobials. This paper presents the results of sector wide consumption of antimicrobials, in the form of prescriptions or deliveries, for ...

BACKGROUND An inverse association between early contact with microbial compounds and respiratory allergies is well established. The protective effect of infant contact with animals was also shown for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aimed to test the association between animal contact in infancy and oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (OA JIA)...

The greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural systems contribute significantly to the national budgets for most countries in Europe. Measurement techniques that can identify and quantify emissions are essential in order to improve the selection process of emission reduction options and to enable quantification of the effect of such options. Fast box emission measurements and mobile plume measu...

If farmers are risk averse, greater farm income variability should increase off-farm labor supply. This effect is confirmed for a sample of Kansas farmers. Off-farm employment of farmers and their spouses is also found to be significantly influenced by farm experience, off-farm work experience, farm size, leverage, efficiency, and farm-specific education. In addition, farm operators and spouses...

Animal welfare standards have been incorporated in EU legislation and in farm assurance schemes, based on scientific information and aiming to safeguard the welfare of the species concerned. Recently, emphasis has shifted from resource-based measures of welfare to animal-based measures, which are considered to assess more accurately the welfare status. The data used in this analysis were collec...