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< Back 2017-003: Addressing Livestock Water Security Through Sulphate Removal Using Bio-adsorbent Materials and Modified Forms Researcher: Lee Wilson Funding: $20,000 While the Canadian Water Quality Guidelines recommend a maximum sulphate concentration of 1,000 mg/L, many livestock producers in Saskatchewan have reported high levels of sulphates in their water. This has led to a deficiency of copper, zinc, iron, and manganese that in turn causes lower growth rates, infertility, a depressed immune response, and even death in very high concentrations. Some sulphate management practices, like adding copper to feed, can be a cost effective. However, these solutions are more adequate for feedlot cattle. Dr. Wilson’s team will create a prototype of a sulphate removal system that could also ultimately also remove phosphate as well. Results: Dr. Lee Wilson and his research team found more improvements on the modular design for removing sulfate from water in a manner that would not depend on high infrastructure and operational costs, and limited membrane fouling that would necessitate constant monitoring. Using chitosan-based materials, as well as other materials including flax seed gum, this column-based system is still at the laboratory scale. These researchers, which also include Dr. Lope Tabil and Mehdi Nemati, have tested their system in various conditions within their lab, and plan to have field tests on a farm in their next year of research.

< Back 2018-101: Proof of concept study for the delivery of a respiratory probiotic to feedlot cattle via the feed. Researcher: Dr Murray Jelinski Funding: $36,783 Methods to reduce the need for antibiotics are not only desired by consumers but are cost effective for producers. Probiotics have been useful in human health to reduce upper respiratory tract infections. This research will investigate if probiotics could also be top-dressed into feed so that cattle could inhale them nasally, to combat respiratory illnesses in feedlot calves. Results: Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis), the bacteria, has been known to cause or significantly contribute to infections such as mastitis, arthritis, and pneumonia in cattle. It usually affects feedlot cattle later in the feeding period, compared to others that occur shortly after they arrive in the feedlot after weaning. Treating infections caused by Mycoplasma bovis are difficult because they are inherently resistant to multiple different classes of antibiotics. In addition, they are very adept at evading the immune system, allowing them cause chronic pneumonia. There are also no commercially available effective vaccines to prevent disease. Therefore, preventing or inhibiting this bacterium is essential to reducing infections. Dr. Murry Jelinski and his team from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine is investigating the use of probiotics as a method to reduce the prevalence or severity of M. bovis infections. There are several research questions that will need investigation before probiotics can become part of a veterinarian and producer toolbox, including whether they can colonize (or grow) in the same location as the M. bovis bacteria, and inhibit its growth. Also, whether there is an easy way to administer the probiotic. To ensure that the probiotic can easily be provided, Dr. Jelinski’s team screened 64 potential probiotic candidates, and found four that could potentially inhibit M. bovis, with one that had exceptional potential and was therefore used in the next part of the study. Using 60 calves (half as a control), the probiotic was added to the daily ration for 21 days. They found that the feeding method may be a viable method for providing the probiotics to target the nasal cavities. This is significant because M. bovis colonizes the nasal cavities, where it has direct access to the lungs. Inhibiting the nasal growth could lead to a reduction in pneumonia.

< Back 2018-135: Comparison of immune response & respiratory disease sparing effect of homologous & heterologous vaccine programs in neonatal calves Researcher: Nathan Erickson Funding: $17,250 Respiratory disease control research is a major priority for the SCA Board and Research Committee. This project will investigate the best vaccination protocol, based on the vaccines that are already commercially available. It will also note if different forms of vaccines (intranasal priming vaccines with injectable booster vaccines) would be more effective than either intranasal or injectable vaccine protocols alone. Results Waiting for research results.