Knowledge bank

Read about findings from research and environmental monitoring and assessment. The knowledge bank also contains expertise on SLU connected issues.

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Feed ingredients for farmed fish – an opportunity for Sweden Fish can be farmed with low environmental impact and without antibiotics. What is lacking is domestic feed ingredients for fish feed that do not compete with our own food, and that suits the fish. Sweden has an advanced management of by-products, and the technology to process these by-products into other products.
Who asks the farmed fish? Today, more than half of the fish we eat globally are raised in fish farms and the proportion originating from farming continue to increase. Unfortunately, there are some problems associated with fish farming. One of these is that it is difficult to assess the animal welfare of fish as they lack many of the behaviours that signal discomfort and disease in other animal species.
Hang your hat on fish welfare! All fish kept by humans must be stunned before slaughter. However, how to do this in an ethically defensible manner is unclear. The lack of knowledge when it comes to stunning methods for fish is based on the difficulty of verifying whether a fish is unconscious or not.
Genes of the black sheep studied By studying genes associated with coat colour, we can understand the role of these genes in pigmentation but also gain insight into selection history. North European short‐tailed sheep, including Swedish breeds, have variation in their coat colour, making them good models to expand current knowledge of mutations associated with coat colour in sheep.
Neuromas at the castration site in geldings Inguinal pain, unexplained hind limb lameness, back pain or behavioural problems in geldings could be attributable to painful neuromas that develop as a consequence of crushing and severing the testicular nerves during castration. The presence of neuroma in this anatomical location has never been reported, hence the knowledge of possible clinical relevance is limited.
Alternative to antibiotics in equine semen extenders Bacteria contaminate semen during collection and handling. The objective of this study was to identify the bacteria in pony stallion semen, the effects of antibiotics included in commercial semen extenders (lincomycin and spectinomycin) and the effect of modified single layer centrifugation (MSLC), on bacterial load.
Equine chondrocytes express pain mediators Osteoarthritis is a pain-associated progressive disease and pain mediators, such as opioid receptors, expressed in articular cartilage could represent novel therapeutic targets. Acute and chronic stages of OA indicate different metabolic abilities of the chondrocytes depending on inflammatory state. This study aimed to investigate the response of healthy and osteoarthritic chondrocytes and their expression and release of pain mediators in response to acute inflammation.
Otitis externa in horses - clinical signs, treatment and prognosis Otitis externa is rare in horses and the condition is poorly described in the literature. The objective of this study was to describe clinical signs, treatment regimens and prognosis of otitis externa in eight horses diagnosed with otitis externa during 2011–2018. The methods used were retrospective review of medical records and follow‐up contact with owners.
Genetic studies confirm the history of horse breeds The spectrum of modern horse populations encompasses populations with a long history of development in isolation and relatively recently formed types. To increase our understanding of the evolutionary history and provide information on how to optimally conserve or improve these populations with varying development and background for the future, we analyzed genotype data of 184 horses from 9 Dutch or common horse populations in the Netherlands: The Belgian draft horse, Friesian horse, Shetland...
The horse Y chromosome as a marker for tracing sire lines Analysis of the Y chromosome is the best-established way to reconstruct paternal family history in humans. Here, we applied fine-scaled Y-chromosomal haplotyping in horses with biallelic markers and demonstrate the potential of our approach to address the ancestry of sire lines.
Impact of year-round grazing by horses on pasture nutrients Horse grazing may benefit biodiversity, but the impact of year-round grazing on nutrient dynamics has not been evaluated previously. This study compared pasture quality in a forest-grassland landscape grazed year-round by horses with that in exclosed mown areas.
Hepatozoon canis infection disrupting blood counts In this case report, a Swedish flat‐coated retriever was diagnosed with an extensive Hepatozoon canis infection. The dog had a prominent monocytosis (14.0 × 109/L) with H canis gamonts detected in most monocytes, but none were found in the neutrophils.
Resorption time for surgical implant evaluated A resorbable self-locking device (LigaTie) was developed to enable safe and easy surgical ligation of blood vessels. The aim of this study was to compare the long-term in vivo resorption of the device to a commercially available suture of equivalent material (Maxon) following ovarian pedicle ligation.
Genetic improvement through sire selection across countries Breeding against canine hip dysplasia (HD) may benefit from the importation of foreign sires. When foreign sires are evaluated on a different HD scale, this may diminish the efficacy. Using stochastic simulations, we evaluated genetic change and inbreeding levels for different scenarios of importing sires with high genetic merit for HD. Population size and genetic parameters (e.g. heritability, accuracy of selection, genetic correlation) were based on actual data for HD in Golden retrievers a...
Antibody interference in immunoassays for dogs Canine anti‐mouse antibodies are a potential source of immunoassay interference, but erroneous immunoassay results are not always easily identifiable. Anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a marker for the presence of gonads in dogs, but elevated AMH concentrations in neutered dogs could also be caused by antibody interference. For other assays, a discrepant result obtained after antibody precipitation might indicate antibody interference.
Novel protocol to distinguish and quantify cattle parasites Cooperia sp. and Ostertagia sp. are two cosmopolitan parasitic nematodes often found in mixed gastrointestinal infections in cattle across temperate regions. In light of the recent increase in the emergence of anthelmintic resistance in these and other nematodes derived from cattle around the globe, and their negative impact on animal health and productivity, novel molecular assays need to be put forth in order to facilitate the monitoring of parasite burden in infected herds, using pasture...
Small-holder perceptions on control of African swine fever In Africa, intensified pig production is frequently accompanied by increased occurrence of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks, leading to high case fatality rates and socio-economic impact for the farmers. ASF control relies on prevention of disease transmission and control of outbreaks.
Combined filtration makes removal of PFAS in drinking water more efficient At SLU, researchers have developed a method that improves the removal of PFAS in drinking water by combining so-called nanofiltration with additional filtration. SLU researchers therefore help in the planning phase of Uppsala’s new drinking water plant.
Ozonation breaks down certain PFAS substances PFAS are chemicals that are both difficult to break down and harmful to health. We can absorb the substances from drinking water, among other. A research group at SLU has, with the help of ozone, been able to clean water from the most common PFAS.
Udder health has potential to improve in Rwanda Dairy cows have cultural and economic importance in Rwanda, and are needed for enhanced human nutrition and food security. The Rwandan Ministry of Agriculture has prioritized research aiming at disease control for increased dairy production and productivity. Mastitis is one of the most common diseases in dairy cows. The disease lower the milk yield, also in cows with subclinical mastitis (without visible changes in udder and milk).

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