The aim with this report is to formulate a strategic method to optimize selection processes of DNA-samples from a Faeces inventory to identify as many individuals in as few analyzes as possible, and by that keep down the costs of brown bear management. Brown bear management in Sweden founds today on results from Faeces inventory and is substantially led by the county administration boards. Data from the years of 2004 and 2009´s inventories in Västerbotten was used to test and evaluate different methods in selection processes of which Faeces that should be sampled. Comparison were made between making selection by chance, by spatial distribution and by calculating variations in logistic regressions coefficient b, in other words bear density and probability in finding same individual in several Faeces. We can show making selection by chance is the most uncertain method.

Lawsonia intracellularis is an important pathogen in the intestine, causing diarrhea and retarded (or poor) growth in pigs. Diagnostics is based on sampling of small amounts of Faeces. Several publicated scientific papers mention the use of faecal swabs as sampling material for diagnosis in experiments and in prevalence studies. Therefore the need of an evaluation of this sampling technique is urgent since, to our knowledge, this has not previously been done. Here reported work compare the use of rectal swabs for feacal sampling, with sampling and analysis of 0.1-0.2 gram of Faeces. The studie included twelve herds with a case history of earlier or ongoing problems with diarrhoea where Lawsonia intracellularis could be suspected as the causative agent. A total of 120 growing pigs where examined.

The aim of this study was to investigate if the botanical composition of haylage affects pH, dry matter content and microbial composition of the Faeces in horse and pig and ileal environment in pigs. Two separate studies were conducted where pigs and horses were fed two diets containing haylages with different botanical composition. The first haylage was from a tilled land dominated by timothy and meadow fescue and the other haylage came from a meadowland with a large inclusion of dandelion, 25 % and common couch. The dry matter content (70.8 % and 73.0 % respectively) and the pH-value (5.7) were similar in both feeds. The first study was made as a three-periods switch-back study with 7 Standardbred horses. In the first and the third period, 7 and 9 days long respectively, the diet consisted of the haylage from the tilled land, oats, sugar beet pulp, soy bean oil meal, lucerne pellets and brewers yeast.

Twenty-four calves, which had not grazed previously, were divided into four groups. They were subsequently inoculated orally with either E. alabamensis oocysts, O.ostertagi/C. oncophora larvae, or both. One group remained uninfected and was used as a control.

Time of harvest affects nutritional value and digestibility of haylage since plants are in different developmental stages. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of plant maturity of haylage cut in June, July and August on digestibility and faecal particle size in horses.Forage and faecal samples used for the analysis of apparent dry matter digestibility (DMd) and particle size distribution in Faeces were from a feed-study performed in the autumn of 2009. Twelve horses were used in the study, divided into three groups in a change-over experiment. Each group was fed haylage harvested in June, July or August during three periods. Faecal grab samples were taken from each horse and pooled so that one sample represented one horse during one period.

Långvarig stress ger hos djur precis som hos människor psykisk och fysisk ohälsa. Upptäckt och bedömning av stress är därför av stor vikt. Det finns flera stressindikatorer som förhöjd hjärtfrekvens och stressbeteenden men kortisol anses idag vara huvudindikatorn. Kortisol är involverat i immunförsvaret, stressvaret och energiregleringen. Frisättning stimuleras av exempelvis fysisk aktivitet, födointag och stress. Hos hund varierar kortisolnivån med fysiologiska parametrar som ras, ålder och eventuellt kön, men saknar en tydlig dygnsrytm. Stressvaret varierar mellan individer och efter typ av stresstimuli.

Haemonchus contortus is the most important bloodsucking gastrointestinal nematode in small ruminants worldwide. It is often controlled by anthelmintics. Even though other methods to control are available, the most efficient way to treat an animal with clinically manifested haemonchosis is to use one of the available broad spectrum anthelmintics: benzimidazoles (BZ), macrocyclic lactones (ML) or imidothiazoles-tetrahydropyromidines or the narrow spectrum drugs salisylanilides or nitrophenols. Anthelmintic resistance (AR) against all groups of anthelmintics in nematode parasites has been reported from many countries, and even multiple AR has been observed. In this study I have investigated the resistance levels to all major classes of broad spectrum anthelmintics in a naturally infected flock of sheep of Red Maasai sheep (RM), Dorper sheep (D) and their offsprings on a research farm in Kenya.

Healthy calves are the foundation in order to run a profitable diary production. Being healthy as calf results in a better start in life and good growth is expected to follow. Within dairy production it becomes more common to rear calves in groups and feed them by an automatic milk feeder. The milk feeder enables for the calves in greater extent to ingest milk or milk replacer several times per day and they are also able to perform natural behaviors in greater extent. Group rearing of calves puts higher demands on the animal keepers to localize individual calves in the group pen, showing signs of illness.

The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the possibility to use sampling of Faeces, urine and plasma, and measurements of blood pressure as methods of discovering hypomagnesemia in horses, as well as the application handiness of these methods. The most commonly used method of checking the magnesium status of a horse is to analyze samples of serum or plasma. The trial was of a switch-back design, in which the horses were used as their own controls. The animal material was five Swedish warm blooded trotters between six to ten years old, and weighing between 485-620 kg. The trial consisted of three periods that were two months each.

Methane (CH4) is a greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to the global warming. One of the largest sources of methane is livestock, preferably ruminants which alone counted for 30% of the total agricultural anthropogenic methane emissions in the year of 2000. The reason to why ruminants are such large contributors of methane are that the gas is produced in the rumen by enteric formation and leaves the animals by belching, exhaling or by the excreta.Diets high in concentrates can result in a lower emission of methane. Also diets with a high content of starch, such as alfalfa-grass, have a methane-decreasing. It is profitable to reduce enteric methane formation since that form of methane is unavoidably lost.

The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable molecular-genetic method to determine the different species of helicobacter in dogs. The study is part of a larger project to map the prevalence of Helicobacter spp in healthy and sick dogs in Sweden, and to determine the possible connection of Helicobacter spp infection with gastrointestinal diseases in dogs. Several published studies have reported on the prevalence of Helicobacter spp in dogs. The problem is that three of the most common species are so alike that a 16SrRNA-PCR with sequencing is not able to differentiate between them. In this study, DNA has been purified from samples and then a Multiplex PCR has been performed. Multiplex PCRs use multiple primers in one single PCR.

It is well known that dogs often have Helicobacter spp in their stomach. The importance of these bacteria in the development of gastrointestinal disease in dogs is still unknown. In humans, Helicobacter pylori is a causative agent of chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers. In contrast to humans, dogs seldom harbour naturally acquired H. pylori.

Clostridium difficile is a pathogen for both humans and animals and is often associated with antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Recently, several human cases of C. difficile-infection with increased mortality and morbidity have been reported. In studies performed in different countries C. difficile has been found in meat.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan parasite causing diarrhoea in many different animal species including cattle and man. It is an important enteric pathogen in neonatal calves and it is the second most common pathogen found in diarrhoeic calves in Sweden. Subclinically infected adult cattle have, in international studies, been shown to shed a low number of oocysts in Faeces and this has been recognised as a potential source of infection for new-born calves. The detection methods used for diagnostic purposes are based on microscopic investigation of faecal smears. These methods have a fairly low sensitivity and samples from subclinically infected cattle have to be concentrated before analysis.

Cows affected by mastitis caused by Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae often become seriously ill. In some cases herdproblems may occur. Contaminated bedding material is considered to be one of the most common risk factors for klebsiella mastitis. In a recently performed study in USA it was found, however, that more than 80 % of healthy, lactating dairy cows excreted K. pneumoniae in Faeces.