Frontiers in Veterinary Science最新文献

{"title":"Changes in hoof morphology in racing Thoroughbreds during a period of ninety days unshod.","authors":"Gavin R Moody, Simon J Curtis, A J Northrop, Jaime H Martin","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1863433","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1863433","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Low hoof angles and discrepancies in the dorsal heel are linked to musculoskeletal breakdown, suspensory apparatus failure, and retirement in Thoroughbred racehorses. Evidence-based research on correcting hoof adaptations is limited, which leads to a reliance on therapeutic shoeing.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to test the hypothesis that morphological changes occur during active unshod training and that trimming immediately affects hoof angles.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>This is a controlled, quantitative, longitudinal study that uses a convenience sample.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 36 racehorses were divided into an unshod treatment group (<i>n</i> = 23) and a control group (<i>n</i> = 13) that remained shod between hoof-care cycles. Trimming followed a recognised standard. Photogrammetry was used to compare initial, endpoint, pre-, and post-trim lateral and solear images.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Trimming improved the dorsal hoof wall angle (DHWA), heel angle (HA), and the DHWA-HA difference (<i>p</i> = 0.001) and altered solear morphometrics (<i>p</i> = 0.001, treatment; <i>p</i> = 0.003, control). Quantified longitudinal, pre-trim treatment data at the end of the 90-day study revealed that the DHWA remained stable (51.22 ± 3.28° to 51.31 ± 3.03°), while the HA increased (29.97 ± 8.81° to 34.62 ± 7.77°) (<i>p</i> = 0.005), and the DHWA-HA difference decreased (21.25 ± 6.90° to 16.69 ± 6.44°) (<i>p</i> = 0.001). Control group results were non-significant. A moderate negative correlation between the DHWA and age (<i>r</i> = -0.412, <i>p</i> = 0.001) indicated that the DHWA decreased as the horses aged.</p><p><strong>Main limitations: </strong>The study utilised a convenience cohort of racehorses; a larger control group was preferred.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A 90-day period of unshod training restores hoof morphology, offering non-invasive solutions to mitigate hoof-angle-related injury, early retirement, and financial loss. Increased HA and a decreased DHWA-HA difference suggests that the stimulation of the frog, digital cushion (DC), and neuroreceptors drives hoof remodelling. Farriers are often pressured to manipulate the DHWA through trimming the dorsum, this study provides evidence that heel angle, and palmar hoof function should be prioritised. Immediate post-trim improvements imply that greater deterioration occurred during the hoof-care cycle in the control group, indicating that shorter cycles may be necessary for optimal hoof morphology. The findings show that age-related reduction in the DHWA persists for longer than has previously been reported.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"13 ","pages":"1863433"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668592/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149216147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antimicrobial resistance patterns of <i>Escherichia coli</i> detected from milk, milking environment, and milk consumers in Addis Ababa milksheds, Ethiopia.","authors":"Sitota Tesfaye Tekle, Madelaine Norström, Gro Skøien Johannessen, Jannice Schau Slettemeås, Fasil Ejigu Eregno, Gezahegne Mamo","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1984452","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1984452","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), primarily caused by irrational antimicrobial use in humans, animals, and agriculture, poses a serious global public health threat, particularly in resource-limited low- and middle-income countries, where milk processing, hygiene standards, and prudent antimicrobial use regulations are minimal. Previous studies in Ethiopia reported the prevalence of AMR in <i>Escherichia coli</i> bacteria in milk and dairy environments but have overlooked the relationships to milk consumers. This study aimed to investigate AMR patterns in <i>E. coli</i> isolated from milk, the milking environment, and milk consumers in Addis Ababa milksheds in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was used to collect 404 samples from proportional simple randomly selected milksheds in Addis Ababa, from which raw bulk milk, stool from milk consumers, and milking-environment samples were collected. <i>E. coli</i> was isolated and identified using standard bacteriological protocols and confirmed by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility against twelve antimicrobials from eight antimicrobial classes using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar, following the guidelines of the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST). Multidrug resistance (MDR) and multiple antimicrobial resistance indices (MARI) were calculated, and analyses were performed using R. Presumptive <i>E. coli</i> was isolated from 18.6% and confirmed in 12.6% of the 404 samples analyzed. Overall, 84.3% of isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial tested, with the highest resistance rates for gentamicin (64.7%), ampicillin (52.9%), and tetracycline (41.2%), while resistance to ceftazidime (5.9%) and cefotaxime (7.8%) were low. MDR was observed in 50.9% of the isolates, with MARI values ranging from 0.17 to 1. The study revealed a low detection rate of <i>E. coli</i> but a considerably high proportion of AMR in Addis Ababa milksheds, Ethiopia. The finding underscores the need for targeted One Health surveillance to curb the emergence and simultaneous occurrences of antimicrobial-resistant <i>E. coli</i> at dairy production interfaces and safeguard public health.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"13 ","pages":"1984452"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13670373/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149216094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cross-sectional surveillance of bluetongue virus, epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus, and chronic wasting disease in wild cervids in Nebraska.","authors":"Duan S Loy, Marnee K Roundtree, Tanner Hurst, Joel Di Bernardo, Seth Lewin, Ahsan Naveed, Chelsea Lobb, Qin Lin, Colin Brewer, John Dustin Loy","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1944700","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1944700","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) are <i>Culicoides</i>-transmitted orbiviruses, while chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an enzootic prion disease affecting North American cervids, primarily transmitted through contact with prions shed in bodily secretions and excretions. Recent work has shown the potential of retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RPLNs) for virus surveillance in addition to CWD and concurrent surveillance of these distinct diseases is limited. During the 2025 Nebraska hunting season, 780 RPLN samples were tested for CWD, BTV, and EHDV. Overall, 25.0% (195/780) were positive for CWD, followed by 17.9% (140/780) for BTV and 11.9% (93/780) for EHDV. Multivariable logistic regression identified higher odds of CWD detection in males than females [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.12-2.96; <i>p</i> = 0.017] and lower odds in fawns than adults (aOR = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.21-0.62; <i>p</i> < 0.001). For BTV, fawns (aOR = 1.64; <i>p</i> = 0.042) and yearlings (aOR = 1.63; <i>p</i> = 0.032) had greater odds of detection than adults, whereas mule deer had lower odds than white-tailed deer (aOR = 0.34; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Mule deer also had lower odds of EHDV detection (aOR = 0.43; <i>p</i> = 0.013). Co-detection of two or more pathogens was identified in 9.9% (77/780) of animals, most commonly BTV and EHDV (4.2%; 33/780), whereas 1.4% (11/780) were positive for all three pathogens. Spatially, pathogen detection and co-detection rates varied across counties, with hotspots identified in southern Nebraska, particularly in Adams and Harlan counties. These findings demonstrate concurrent circulation and spatial clustering of prion and vector-borne viral pathogens, highlighting the need for integrated surveillance to better understand disease transmission dynamics in cervid populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"13 ","pages":"1944700"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668572/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149216228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of artificial milk on growth performance and intestinal barrier function in suckling piglets: a review.","authors":"Guangyao Song, Jingrong Feng, Han Yuan, Huijin Jia, Wanghong Zhang, Sumei Zhao, Junhong Zhu","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1967552","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1967552","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the continuous improvement of genetic selection in modern swine production, litter size has steadily increased. However, due to the limited capacity of sows to enhance milk production, some piglets experience insufficient milk intake and restricted growth during the lactation period. As an important supplement to sow milk, artificial milk has been widely used in both production practice and scientific research. This review summarizes the effects of artificial milk on the growth performance and intestinal health of suckling piglets. It analyzes how insufficient milk yield and the nutritional composition of sow milk affect piglet growth, and then discusses the positive roles of artificial milk in alleviating the lactational burden on sows, mitigating environmental stress, and improving weaning weight and survival rate of piglets. Furthermore, the potential mechanisms by which artificial milk promotes intestinal development and enhances growth performance are examined from the perspectives of intestinal morphology, digestive function, and the mechanical, mucus, microbial, and immune barriers of the gut. This review aims to provide a theoretical basis for the management of piglets born to sows with extremely large litters.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"13 ","pages":"1967552"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13671360/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149216242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk-based prioritization of official animal welfare inspections using machine learning.","authors":"Eva Obenaus, Sabrina Kuchling, Tadej Zerak, Corina Schleicher, Ian Kopacka, Sven Budik, Sabine Grimme, Jörg Hiesel, Peter Eckhardt, Johannes Baumgartner, Clair L Firth","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1938469","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1938469","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>For official animal welfare inspections in Austria, at least 2% of agricultural livestock farms must be selected and inspected on the basis of a risk-based random sample. In the federal state of Styria, more than 19,000 farms keep livestock, while the inspection capacity of official veterinarians is limited, requiring efficient prioritization of farm checks. This study aimed to develop a machine learning model leveraging routinely collected administrative and animal health data to identify farms in Styria at higher risk of animal welfare violations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The statistical analyses incorporated the outcomes of animal welfare inspections from 2019 to 2023, aggregated by farm and year. A total of 2,647 aggregated inspection results were used to train an Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model, with a further 475 results used for testing purposes. Information about farms (e.g., production type, farmer and regional data, livestock data), as well as slaughter and meat inspection data, was acquired from the Consumer Health Information System database (<i>Verbrauchergesundheitsinformationssystem</i>, VIS). Additionally, data from local fallen stock rendering plants and information on antibiotics dispensed to farmers were available and incorporated into the model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Results showed a moderate model performance with AUC (Area under the curve) of 0.75 (95%-CI [0.66, 0.82]), MCC (Matthews Correlation Coefficient) of 0.25 (95%-CI [0.19, 0.37]) and AP (Average Precision) of 0.19 (95%-CI [0.11-0.31]) for the test set. <i>Post-hoc</i> model interpretation revealed as most important influencing features antibiotic dispensing in cattle production, particularly overall quantities and European Medicines Agency Category D antibiotics, followed by farmer-related characteristics such as farmer age and the distance between the farm and the farmer's residence. Membership in the Animal Health Service (<i>Tiergesundheitsdienst</i>, TGD) was associated with a decrease in the model-predicted probability of animal welfare violations. Other relevant factors included the number of livestock units (cattle and poultry) on farm, cattle mortality recorded by rendering plants, and certain findings at meat inspection, such as pericarditis in pigs.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>These results indicate that routinely recorded administrative and veterinary data can provide meaningful indicators for identifying farms with a higher risk of animal welfare violations. Although some predictors appear indirectly linked to welfare, they likely reflect broader farm management practices and animal health status. Risk-based sampling could support veterinary authorities in prioritizing farms for inspection and allocating inspection resources more efficiently.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"13 ","pages":"1938469"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13661325/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149181373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of pregabalin added to a multimodal anesthetic protocol in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.","authors":"Margherita Romano, Ismael Hernández-Avalos, Celeste Nanci, Stella Costa, Antonio Lombardo, Simona Di Pietro, Filippo Spadola, Claudia Interlandi","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1910676","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1910676","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Advancement in anesthetic protocols is necessary to address the evolving challenges of perioperative cats' management in veterinary practice. In this study, 54 cats were enrolled and were randomly assigned to either Group P (Pregabalin, PGB) or Group C (Control). Group P received 5 mg/kg of PGB orally 90 min before hospital admission, while Group C received identical empty capsules. Sedation was assessed using a Feline Multiparametric Sedation Scale and a Simple Qualitative Scale. All cats were premedicated with methadone (0.2 mg/kg IM) and alfaxalone (1 mg/kg IM). Anesthesia was induced with propofol at 2 mg/kg and maintained with isoflurane. Physiological parameters (HR, RR, SpO2, EtCO2, Blood Pressure, and Temperature) were monitored throughout surgery. In the immediate postoperative period, the Glasgow Feline Composite Measure Pain Scale short-form and the Feline Grimace Scale were used, measured at 0, 15, 30, and 60 min after extubation. Statistical analysis included Two-way ANOVA for physiological data and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests for pain and sedation scores. Sedation scores increased in Group P by 2.46 (95% CI: 1.69 to 3.23; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Conversely, the scores of the scales used in the immediate postoperative period were significantly lower in the Group P at all evaluation times -2.15 (95% CI: -2.92 to -1.39; <i>p</i> < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in physiological parameters. In conclusion, prehospital administration of PGB provides effective sedation and improves postoperative comfort, making it a valuable adjunct to feline anesthesia protocols.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"13 ","pages":"1910676"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663024/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149192923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variation in the early-life interdigital skin microbiota of lambs in a commercial sheep flock.","authors":"Katharine Lewis, Marisa Draycott, Laura Green, Rachel Clifton","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1923848","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1923848","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The factors shaping early-life microbial colonisation of the ovine interdigital skin, and their potential relevance to foot health and footrot susceptibility, remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated variation in the interdigital skin microbiota among lambs in different age-location groups.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Interdigital skin swabs were collected from all four feet of 25 lambs aged 0-15 days on a commercial farm. Bacterial community composition was characterised using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and quantitative PCR was used to estimate total bacterial load and detect <i>Dichelobacter nodosus</i>.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Community composition differed markedly among lamb age-location groups. Microbial communities were more tightly clustered in newborn lambs than in older lambs and total bacterial load was higher in lambs ≥ 1 day old. A consistent early-life core microbiome, dominated by <i>Staphylococcaceae</i> and <i>Corynebacteriaceae</i>, was detected across all groups, although dominant amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) differed among age-location groups. <i>D. nodosus</i> was not detected in any lambs; however, ASVs assigned to the genus <i>Porphyromonas</i> were detected in the interdigital skin microbiota at birth.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>These findings demonstrate substantial variation in the early-life interdigital skin microbiota among lamb age-location groups, providing a baseline for future studies investigating microbial community development and ovine footrot.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"13 ","pages":"1923848"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13662760/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149192910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plant extracts as alternatives for chemical disinfectants in veterinary settings in seven sub-Saharan African countries.","authors":"Abass Elhadi, Alaa Ibrahim, Enass M Abdalla, Julius B Okuni, Victoria O Adetunji, Akinlabi Ogunleye, George Ademowo, Yimtubezinash Woldeamanuel, Yakhya Dieye, Michael Frímpong, Sheila Makiala-Mandanda, Annemarie Kaesbohrer, Damalie Nakanjako, Ahmed Abd El Wahed, Uwe Truyen, Kamal H Eltom","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1895590","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1895590","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Extracts of many medicinal plants possess antimicrobial activities and have been suggested in many studies as alternative antimicrobial agents to overcome the increasing antimicrobial-resistant bacteria worldwide. But the potential use of these medicinal plants in disinfection received little or no attention, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.</p><p><strong>Aim of the study: </strong>This review aimed at identifying from available literature candidate medicinal plants for use as alternatives for chemical disinfectants in resource-limited veterinary settings in seven African countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, the Sudan and Uganda).</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Online search in PubMed was conducted for literature from Africa on medicinal plants with reported antimicrobial activity. Then, five medicinal plants were selected based on documented antimicrobial activity of the aqueous extract, the plant part used for extraction, presence in all countries of the study, affordability and availability of sufficient online literature.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The selected plant species were <i>Vachellia nilotica</i> (L.)<i>, Aloe vera</i> (L.), <i>Citrus ×aurantiifolia</i>, <i>Hibiscus sabdariffa</i> (L.) and <i>Moringa oleifera</i> (Lam). Available online literature on these medicinal plants shows activity of their crude aqueous extracts against many bacteria, fungi and viruses, but provides few information on the minimum inhibitory concertation (MIC) of the extracts.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The aqueous extracts of these medicinal plants can be prepared by simple techniques without sophisticated equipment. The long use of these medicinal plants in food or in ethnomedicine support their use as safe, accessible, sustainable and low-cost disinfectants in settings where chemical disinfectants are scarce, expensive, or supply-chain dependent. It should be emphasized that application conditions, concentrations and preparation methods require standardization and evaluation before practical use in disinfection.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"13 ","pages":"1895590"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663173/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149192949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First report of novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genetic characteristics of the prion-like protein gene (<i>PRND</i>) in cynomolgus monkeys.","authors":"Chung-Bae Oh, Da-In Choi, Byung-Hoon Jeong","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1946289","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1946289","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by misfolded prion protein. The prion-like protein (Doppel), encoded by the prion-like protein gene (<i>PRND</i>), is linked to neurodegeneration and TSE susceptibility. While <i>PRND</i> polymorphisms have been studied in various species, their genetic features in non-human primates remain unexplored. Cynomolgus monkeys (<i>Macaca fascicularis</i>), which are genetically close to humans, are a valuable model to study the role of <i>PRND</i> polymorphisms in prion disease susceptibility. We performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the monkey <i>PRND</i> gene and investigated genetic polymorphisms in cynomolgus monkeys (<i>n</i> = 121). Genotype, allele, and haplotype frequencies, as well as linkage disequilibrium (LD), were analyzed to assess the genetic architecture of the population using Haploview (v4.2). Monkey <i>PRND</i> amino acid sequences were compared with those of several species using ClustalW. The effects of non-synonymous SNPs and the structural analysis of monkey Doppel were evaluated using <i>in silico</i> tools. We identified 15 novel genetic polymorphisms in the monkey <i>PRND</i> gene, including 12 variants located within the open reading frame (ORF), one in the upstream region, and two in the downstream region. In addition, LD analysis revealed several strong LD relationships among <i>PRND</i> polymorphisms in monkeys. ClustalW analysis showed that humans and monkeys shared the same <i>PRND</i> sequence length and exhibited high sequence homology. <i>In silico</i> analyses demonstrated that the non-synonymous SNPs, c.61C>T (L21F) and c.370G>C (D124H), were predicted to have damaging effects. This is the first report on the genetic and structural features of <i>PRND</i> polymorphisms in monkeys, showing that several non-synonymous amino acid substitutions may affect the structural stability of monkey Doppel proteins.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"13 ","pages":"1946289"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13661434/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149181385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Polystyrene nanoplastics potentiate cadmium-induced pyroptosis and apoptosis in primary duck hepatocytes: differential responses to N-acetylcysteine.","authors":"Zhixuan Chen, Yan Chen, Zhili Yu, Qingqing Xu, Qihang Li, Yonggang Ma, Xishuai Tong, Haibo Jin, Wei Liu, Hongyan Zhao, Jianhong Gu, Yan Yuan, Jianchun Bian, Zongping Liu, Hui Zou","doi":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1946639","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fvets.2026.1946639","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Nanoplastics (NPs) can act as carriers for heavy metals, and co-exposure to NPs and co-pollutants may produce greater toxicity than single exposure. However, the combined toxicity of nanoplastics and heavy metals in poultry liver cells remains poorly understood.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Primary duck embryonic hepatocytes (PDEH) were used as an <i>in vitro</i> model. Cells were exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs, 80 nm, 10 μg/mL) and/or cadmium chloride (CdCl2, 4 μg/mL) for 12 h. Pyroptosis- and apoptosis-associated endpoints were assessed by brightfield microscopy, PI staining, SEM, flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC, 5 μg/mL) was used to evaluate the responses of these pathways.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Co-exposure to PS-NPs and Cd potentiated cadmium-induced pyroptosis-associated morphological changes, including cell swelling, rounding, membrane blebbing, and surface pore formation. Mechanistically, co-exposure activated the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD signaling axis, as indicated by increased NLRP3, cleaved Caspase-1 (P20/P10), GSDMD-NT, and intracellular IL-1β maturation. Co-exposure also exacerbated apoptosis-associated changes, including an increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and a higher Annexin V-positive cell population. NAC effectively reversed the apoptosis-associated endpoints but did not significantly alter the selected pyroptosis-associated markers under the present <i>in vitro</i> exposure conditions.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>These findings suggest that PS-NPs potentiate Cd-induced hepatotoxicity in primary duck hepatocytes, with concurrent activation of pyroptosis- and apoptosis-associated signaling. The differential responses to NAC indicate that antioxidant intervention may preferentially attenuate apoptosis-associated injury under the present <i>in vitro</i> exposure conditions, while pyroptosis-associated signaling may require alternative targeted interventions. These results provide new insights into the combined toxicity of nanoplastics and heavy metals in avian hepatocytes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12772,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Veterinary Science","volume":"13 ","pages":"1946639"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13661366/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149181400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}