A prospective survey was conducted to estimate the prevalence and geographical distribution of cattle infected with Anaplasma marginale throughout Alabama to gain a greater understanding of the risk anaplasmosis poses to the Alabama cattle industry.

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus infections in Alabama (USA) beef bulls through prospective and retrospective surveys. The prospective survey included 240 Alabama beef bulls that were sampled between January 2005 and March 2006. Preputial smegma was collected from the 240 bulls with a dry pipette and cultured in an InPouch™ TF T. foetus culture pouch (BioMed Diagnostics; White City, OR, USA). The samples were evaluated microscopically once a day for 6 days for growth resembling T. foetus. To avoid false-positives due to fecal trichomonads, all suspect cultures were sent to both the Alabama Department of Agriculture Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Auburn, AL, USA and the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine Parasitology Laboratory (Auburn, AL, USA) for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmatory assays. Of the 240 bulls cultured in the prospective survey, 3 (1.25%) cultures were considered suspect on microscopic evaluation. However, PCR-based assays were negative for T. foetus, suggesting that the samples most likely contained fecal trichomonads. The retrospective analysis included 374 T. foetus cultures performed at the Alabama Department of Agriculture Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory between October 2002 and March 2005. Of the 374 bulls included in the retrospective analysis, only 1 (0.27%) was confirmed positive by a PCR-based assay.

The relationships of circulating estradiol, estrone, and progesterone levels to plasma lipid levels and ovulatory frequency were studies in sexually mature hens. New Hampshire X Columbian (NH X C) cross-bred hens, which have a relatively low frequency of ovulation, were compared with pure-bred White Leghorn (WLH) hens with a high frequency of ovulation. A mutant strain of WLH hen, exhibiting the phenotypic characteristic of restricted ovulation (RO) was also tested. It was fund that NH X C hens had a basal circulating estrogen: progesterone ratio 2.7 X greater than WLH hens. Furthermore, WLH-RO hens exhibited 3 X HIGHER BASAL PLASMA ESTROGEN AND 4 X lower progesterone than normal WLH hens, resulting in an estrogen:progesterone ratio which was l2.6X higher. In additional, WLH-RO hens did not exhibit any diurnal variation in circulating progesterone levels, and had smaller primary sex organs and also intermittent hyperlipidemia. It is concluded that the basal circulating estrogen:progesterone ratio in sexually mature hens is a good indicator of ovulatory frequency, and that the magnitude of the ratio is determined primarily by the progesterone component.