PHOTO: CHRIS MCCULLOUGH
PHOTO: CHRIS MCCULLOUGH
Italy, Ireland, Germany, United States, Argentina and Israel. “We were able to show over 70% cure rates and over 10% in- crease in milk yield and without any drugs, in a non-invasive, simple and without side effects technology.”
How it works The current APT-X system consists of a pulse generator (APT-X1) which is a hand-held device that generates the acoustic pulses through ballistic impact. It also contains an applicator unit (AM-1) which is disposable and needs to be re- placed every 20 to 80 cows. And of course there is the control unit, high-pressure air tank, air compressor and accessories. The design of Armenta’s APT solution means it uses pulses that are generated via ballistic impact powered by high pres- surised air covering a large area at therapeutic levels and all that in a short treatment time. Hakim added: “APT has been in use for more than 20 years in orthopaedics, physiotherapy, sports medicine, urology, and veterinary medicine. It has been shown to speed up recovery by producing new blood vessels, reducing inflammation and improving tissue functioning, alongside other long-term positive effects. “Currently antibiotics are used as a treatment of mastitis dur- ing the lactation period and as a prevention method during the dry-period, the period between lactations. “Using APT, the farmer could reduce the use of antibiotics as a treatment tool and abolish its use as a prevention. “In field studies involving more than 850 dairy cows in nine dif- ferent countries, Armenta’s APT-based solution was used to treat clinical and subclinical mastitis, with unmistakable results. “These showed over 70% recovery rates (normalised SCC and infection-free) and an increased milk yield of around 10% or more. These numbers were remarkably consistent with the academic paper by Prof Gabriel Leitner on APT use for treat- ing bovine mastitis published in 2017,” he said. Armenta and its developments are supported by a number of investors including farmers. “The lead investor of the company is an Israeli Agritech Ven- ture Capital. Other investors include dairy farms and dairy industry experts that have seen the company technology, how it works, and who understand it’s high potential and de- cided to invest. I personally invested in the company as well, together with several high-net worth individuals,” he said.
The future Gil Hakim says the future goal of the company is to transform herd health management. “Implementing APT in every dairy farm will allow cost effec- tive herd health management, with a focus on lifting the economic burden of inflammatory diseases on profit,” he said. “Bovine mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland, lowers milk production and milk quality and can lead to forced culling. Existing state of the art solutions are either treating
▶DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 7, No. 1, 2020
mastitis by a variety of drugs and biological treatments or by targeted actions to prevent the disease occurrence. “Both approaches show clear shortcomings and do not over- come the main problem which is regaining the udder health and function. “APT has been therefore developed as a novel non-antibiotic- based device providing biological boost to the cow’s immune system, increasing its overall health and welfare and trans- forming the standard care of dairy cattle diseases,” he stated.
Apt-X being used on the farm.
The current APT-X system consists of a pulse generator (APT-X1) which is a hand-held device that gen- erates the acoustic pulses through ballistic impact.
23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28
