Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) is a veterinary university founded in 1989 in Madhavaram Milk Colony, Chennai, India. It is composed of the Madras Veterinary College, Vepery, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli; Veterinary College and Research Institute, Orathanadu, Thanjavur and the Institute of Food and Dairy Technology, Koduvalli, Chennai-52. Research farms are for leprosy bacteria, for prawn and edible fish culture, and for animal feed safety..
The contamination of soil by heavy metals has turned out to be an increasingly greater global environmental concern attracting much public attention, mainly increasing anxiety over the safety of agricultural products. Heavy metal exposure in agricultural produce has turned out to be an emerging concern in the developing nation of India due to anthropogenic activities like industrialization, farming practices, and poor environmental management. Heavy metals are defined as various metals and metalloids, with biological toxicity, among which lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and chromium (Cr) indeed pose serious threats to crop viability and food safety. The bioaccumulation of heavy metals in crops ultimately results in decreased agro-productivity and lower nutritional quality and these metals lead into future health hazards in humans. The heavy metals can bind to soil surfaces and then be absorbed by plant tissues. Cereals, pulses, fruits, and vegetables are the major supply of micronutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients essential for human growth. Therefore, the consumption of agro crops grown in wastewater-irrigated land poses a potential threat to humans. Since wastewater irrigation cannot be eliminated in the Indian (semi-)urban areas because of the ever-increasing demand for irrigation water, it is important to assess the impact of heavy metals grown by wastewater irrigation. The current review emphasizes the long-term consumption of agro products cultivated in wastewater-irrigated lands from the Indian sites and the health risks factor with humans, and to create awareness on food safety and security in India. This review provides rigorous data of heavy metal infiltration into the Indian food supply, evaluating the mechanisms of bioaccumulation and public health vulnerability. It addresses a critical research gap by characterizing the specific contaminant profiles of a developing nation’s agro-industrial ecosystem. Ultimately, this work offers a systematic framework for understanding the pathways of heavy metal transmission and the resulting imperatives for risk mitigation in the region.
Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), once regarded as environmental pathogen, are now recognized as opportunistic pathogens capable of infecting humans and animals, interfering with the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis and posing significant therapeutic challenges in humans. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of NTM in bovines and to characterize circulating species using genetic and protein mass profiling methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a total of 409 bovine samples, including nasal swabs (154), faecal samples (157), milk (50) and lung tissues (48) collected from farms and slaughterhouses across Tamil Nadu. Samples were processed using standard bacteriological protocols and acid-fast isolates were confirmed by PCR targeting the hsp65 gene, followed by partial gene sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS for species identification. The overall prevalence of NTM was 2.2% (9/409). Identified species included Mycobacterium kansasii, Mycobacterium asiaticum, Mycobacterium kyorinense, Mycolicibacterium fortuitum and Mycolicibacterium smegmatis. All species identified in this study, except M. kansasii, are reported for the first time from animals in India, and M. kyorinense is reported for the first time from animals globally. Sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS showed good concordance for species identification. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the broth microdilution method against selected first and second line antimycobacterial drugs, revealing diverse resistance patterns, with several isolates exhibiting resistance to first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. This study provides novel data on NTM prevalence and species diversity in bovines, highlighting their zoonotic potential and emphasizing the need for improved surveillance, accurate diagnostics and antimicrobial stewardship in livestock-public health interfaces.
Feline coronavirus (FCoV), the etiological agent of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), represents a major clinical and economic challenge in feline populations worldwide. However, molecular prevalence and genetic diversity data from India remain limited, and the relatedness of circulating strains to vaccine isolates is poorly defined. In this study, 24 suspected feline cases from Chennai were screened by RT-PCR targeting a 698 bp fragment of the spike (S) gene, and FCoV was detected in 10 cats (41.7
Given livestock’s crucial role in global food security and economic stability, the alarming threat of climate change calls for the implementation of effective mitigation strategies for climate-resilient livestock production. Management and nutritional strategies offer temporary relief, whereas genetic approaches represent a permanent solution. The role of genetic tools in enabling the development of climate-resilient livestock breeds is widely recognized. Genetic tools like microarrays, RNA-seq, omics, and GWAS can improve the understanding of livestock’s climate adaptability at a molecular level. These tools facilitate the identification of biomarkers for thermo-tolerance, bordering on climate-resilient livestock breeding. Among them, studies employing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have increased in recent years. GWAS have the potential to improve the genetic basis of thermo-tolerance in heat-stressed livestock populations. GWAS have been used to identify candidate genes for complex and economically important traits in livestock. These include growth, reproduction, disease resistance, milk, meat, and wool production traits under heat stress conditions. This makes GWAS a useful tool for identifying biomarkers that can be incorporated in breeding programs through marker-assisted selection (MAS). The integration of these potential biomarkers into selection and breeding programs would allow GWAS to substantially refine breeding strategies, thereby advancing the climate-resilient potential and sustainability of the livestock sector. Furthermore, GWAS, when utilized along with emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL) for genomic prediction, can predict genetic aspects of livestock adaptation more efficiently and precisely. Thus, future studies should focus on integrated modeling approaches for improving the climate resilience of livestock without jeopardizing their production potential. Such an effort will contribute to sustainable livestock production as well as ensure food security for the growing human population amid changing climate conditions.
Gastrointestinal parasitism severely impacts small ruminant production in tropical regions. This study investigated prevalence, risk factors, infection intensity, and co-infection patterns in 1013 goats across five districts in Southern India, while evaluating the field applicability of FAMACHA© scoring as a practical clinical indicator. Overall parasite prevalence was 80.4
