Contents

#### **Preface XI**


Preface

Since the beginning of civilization, humans and animals developed very strong associations to their mutual benefits. The lives of humans and animals have been connected in all as‐ pects. Early humans learned to raise animals for food and this continues today. Ruminant livestock are the most domesticated animals that includes bovines, ovines and caprines. Livestock, particularly bovines, are important contributors to total food production in the world. Moreover, their contribution increases at a higher rate than that of cereals. These ani‐ mals play very important economic and socio-cultural roles for the welfare of rural house‐ holds. They help in employment, soil fertility, livelihoods, transport, agricultural traction, agricultural diversification, food supply, source of income and also in sustainable agricul‐ tural production. These animals play an important role in food supply for rural and urban areas and contribute to family nutrition. Products such as milk, eggs, and meat are used as a

The social expectations in Science and Technology are increasing because of rapid advances. Prevention and control of infectious diseases in bovines have been among the top-most pub‐ lic health objectives in the last decades. However, controlling diseases due to pathogens that move between animals and humans remains challenging. Such pathogens have been re‐ sponsible for the majority of new human and bovine disease threats as was proved with a number of recent international epidemic incidences. Identifying and addressing emergent cross-species infections will require a newer approach, in which resources from public vet‐ erinary, environmental and human health functions as a part of an integrative system.

The current technological boom has put forth a variety of research techniques, methods and protocols being used in bovine science. There is now a great deal of interaction between the chemical, physical and biological sciences. Nutritional management is required in bovines, as it is an important criterion to match the current increasing need of the population. Meet‐ ing with such issues, dietary requirements maximize production and hence profit potential and minimizes soil, water, diseases and atmospheric impacts. The biologist today depends on recent advances of bovine science in aspects of physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, biotechnology, genetics, pharmacology, toxicology and environmental biology of these ani‐ mals. Several technologies have been developed over the years to address the challenges of bovine science. This book is aimed at young researchers, academicians and industry people. In this book, experts from different continents present some of the important aspects of bo‐ vine science such as louse infestations of ruminants, cytogenetics of bovines, factors of com‐ petitiveness for the bovine livestock, bovine feed manipulation, enhancement of conjugated

source of food, with other livestock products used for domestic consumption.
