Support : Publications : Chronolog Archives : January/February 2004

Highlight: Focus on CAB Abstracts

As a comprehensive database on agriculture and related sciences, CAB Abstracts (File 50/CABI) covers all aspects of animals in agriculture and also provides a valuable tool for chemistry research.

Animal Production and Health

An important part of the coverage of CAB Abstracts is the basic science for improving the productivity and health of farm animals. Livestock can be improved through breeding, which requires an understanding of breeds, traits and genetics. The genetic improvement of animals has been aided greatly by the development of reproductive techniques such as artificial insemination and embryo transfer. The efficiency of these techniques is constantly improving, and the findings of the latest research in this field can be found in the CAB Abstracts database.

One of the fastest moving areas of the science of farm animals is in the use of biotechnology to improve productivity. The production of recombinant proteins such as bovine growth hormone (BST) has enabled dairy farmers to increase milk yield from their animals. However, the use of such hormones to improve productivity is controversial, and the use of BST is banned in some countries, including those in the European Union. When considering the arguments for and against the use of BST and other types of biotechnology, it is important to refer to the latest scientific evidence and, for this, it is useful to start with CAB Abstracts, which has a strong coverage of animal biotechnology.

Fish farming and other types of aquaculture are now an extremely important part of animal agriculture, particularly as wild fish stocks are diminishing. The demand for aquaculture produce has led to increased research into the genetics, breeding, production, nutrition and health of new and traditionally farmed species. Because aquaculture is a truly global activity, it is important that researchers are up to date with scientific developments throughout the world. In aquaculture, as in all its other subjects, CAB Abstracts covers the world's scientific literature.

CAB Abstracts extends beyond agriculture in some key areas. For example, it covers veterinary medicine comprehensively, including all aspects of veterinary pharmacology, surgery, diagnostics, immunology, and veterinary public health. In the developed countries of North America and Europe, many of the veterinary developments are directed toward the health of non-agricultural species such as companion animals and horses kept for leisure activities. Sophisticated medical interventions are adapted from human medicine for the treatment of these animals. To reflect this, CAB Abstracts covers research into the medicine of companion animals, exotic pets, sports horses, as well as zoo animals, game animals and wild species requiring veterinary treatment.

CAB Abstracts as a Chemical Tool

Chemical information is fundamental to the life sciences, so it is no wonder that there is a lot of chemistry in CAB Abstracts. Chemistry forms a substantial part of the database's crop protection coverage, including all pesticides (from fungicides, insecticides, acaricides, molluscicides and nematicides to herbicides, algicides and fumigants), as well as adjuvants. Botanical pesticides are covered comprehensively, to include literature on plant compounds of medical and veterinary importance, as well as agricultural compounds. Pesticide topics to be found in the database range from synthesis, modes of action and formulations to toxicology, degradation and environmental effects.

Coverage is not limited to just pesticides. The biochemistry of pest organisms, biocontrol agents and farmed animals is also featured in CAB Abstracts. The database's coverage of plant biochemistry encompasses many compounds, such as plant growth regulators, allelopathins, essential oils and all plant metabolites with potential medicinal or industrial uses. In keeping with research trends, fermentation technology in biofuels is an expanding area of the database. In the environmental sciences, literature on the chemistry of soils, fertilizers, freshwater, waste water and sewage is abstracted. Human and veterinary pharmacology and toxicology, diagnostic techniques, food and feed composition and chemistry, and nutritional biochemistry form part of the database's coverage of human and animal health. This broad and diverse coverage makes CAB Abstracts a valuable tool for chemists.

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