Veterinary Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Suspected Type III Hypersensitivity Post-Inactivated Vaccination Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis in Two Sows.","authors":"Jean-François Da-Costa, Arnaud Lebret, Gwenaël Boulbria, Valérie Normand, Justine Favrel, Mathieu Brissonnier, Nadia Amenna-Bernard, Sophie Labrut, Marion Mosca, Didier Pin","doi":"10.3390/vetsci13080824","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci13080824","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This case report describes the investigation of two cases of cutaneous vasculitis in sows following vaccination. The herd was porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV)-stable, with routine PRRSV-1 and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) sows' vaccination. Two sows developed red-to-purple macules on the udder, flanks, and hind limbs, occurring two and three days after vaccination, respectively. Diagnostic investigations included biochemistry, complete blood count, PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC), serology, histopathology, Gram staining, and immunofluorescence (IF) to assess the involvement of type III hypersensitivity. Clinical examination and herd evaluation revealed no significant abnormalities. Both sows showed biochemistry results within the reference intervals. One sow had lymphocytosis. All PCR PCV2, PCV3 and PRRSV-1/2 on serum and IHC PCV2 conducted on skin biopsies were negative, although both animals were seropositive for PCV2. Histopathology revealed necrotizing leukocytoclastic vasculitis, and Gram staining detected no bacteria. IF failed to identify immune complex or complement deposition. However, type III hypersensitivity could not be excluded, as immune complexes are transient and biopsies were collected about 48 h after lesion onset. Overall, the findings support a vaccine-related adverse reaction. Vaccine adverse effects should therefore be considered in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous vasculitis in swine.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13517510/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148833033","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":"Establishment of RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a Detection Methods for Rapid Largemouth Bass Ranavirus Surveillance.","authors":"Haoyu Wang, Yong Zhou, Peng Chen, Liping Zhang, Wen Zhu, Mingyang Xue, Yan Meng, Zhenyu Huang, Chen Xu, Yuding Fan, Chao Pei, Nan Jiang","doi":"10.3390/vetsci13080825","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci13080825","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The high mortality associated with largemouth bass ranavirus (LMBRaV) disease requires rapid and sensitive diagnosis methods to prevent virus spread and subsequent outbreak. The recombinase polymerase amplification combined with the CRISPR/Cas12a system (RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a) assay and RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a, coupled with lateral flow dipstick (RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-LFD) assay for LMBRaV, were established in this study for low viral load surveillance. The major capsid protein (<i>mcp</i>) gene is highly conserved and is widely used as the target sequence in LMBRaV detection. First, based on the <i>mcp</i> gene sequence of LMBRaV, three candidate crRNAs were designed. Among them, the crRNA-2, which exhibited the highest cleavage activity, was selected through dual evaluation of fluorescence signal intensity and LFD color development. Then, the key reaction conditions for both assays were optimized as follows: LbCas12a protein concentration of 150 nM, crRNA-2 concentration of 200 nM, and ssDNA reporters' concentration of 200 nM. Moreover, specificity evaluation showed that both combined assays specifically recognized LMBRaV, with no cross-reactivity detected against other aquatic pathogens, such as CyHV-2, GSIV, ISKNV, WSSV, GCRV II or CrERV. The detection limit was 1 copy/μL of DNA sample for both RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a and RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-LFD assays. Finally, validation using 24 clinical samples (16 positive, eight negative) showed that both LMBRaV RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assays achieved 100% detection rate, whereas conventional PCR detected 13 positive samples (detection rate 81.26%). ddPCR served as the reference method for clinical validation. Therefore, the LMBRaV RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay and the RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-LFD assay provide sensitive, specific, and easy-to-operate methods for the rapid detection of LMBRaV.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13517407/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148832586","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 an Antibiotic Alternative Additive on Growth Performance, Intestinal Histomorphology, Multi-Omics Profiles, and Microbiome-Host Interactions in Tibetan Pigs.","authors":"Zhaolong Li, Hongyang Zhao, Peimin Li, Song Peng, Junru Mo, Guiheng Mei, Meiqin Li, Fengqiang Lin, Quanwang Wu, Dexicuomu, Danzengzhuoga, Sangjiebazhu, Pubuzhaxi","doi":"10.3390/vetsci13080826","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci13080826","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ban on antibiotic growth promoters has created an urgent need for effective alternatives to maintain intestinal health and production performance. This exploratory study evaluated the effects of a novel antibiotic alternative additive at graded inclusion levels (control, 1%, 3%, 5%) on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, gut microbiome ecology, and host metabolome in Tibetan pigs (<i>n</i> = 40). Forty Tibetan pigs were randomly assigned to four dietary treatment groups for a 21-day feeding trial. Growth performance, intestinal histopathology, metatranscriptomic sequencing (bacteria, viruses, fungi), and untargeted metabolomics were analyzed. Tibetan pigs fed the 3% additive diet exhibited the highest numerical average daily gain (0.197 vs. 0.148 kg/d, +33.1%) and lowest feed conversion ratio (2.61 vs. 3.59, -27.3%), with overall treatment effects reaching statistical significance (ADG: <i>p</i> = 0.027; FCR: <i>p</i> = 0.023). Metatranscriptomic profiling revealed fundamentally distinct microbial communities between the duodenum and colon. Multi-omics integration identified 79 significant microbiome-pathology associations in the duodenum and 38 in the colon, with SCFA-producing bacteria positively correlated with mucosal architectural parameters. The multi-omics network revealed a core-periphery architecture with <i>Eubacterium</i>, <i>Lactobacillus</i>, and <i>Escherichia</i> as keystone hubs. Dietary supplementation at 3% showed the most favorable effects on growth performance and metabolic modulation without compromising intestinal structural integrity, supporting its potential as a viable antibiotic alternative.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13517117/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148832876","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":"Mechanisms of <i>Moringa oleifera</i> Leaf Extract Influences Productive Performance, Immunity, Milk Composition, and Rumen Microbiota in Ruminants: A Review.","authors":"Mudathir Y Abdulrahman, Nasir A Ibrahim, Mohamed Osman Abdalrahem Essa, Saber Y Adam, Raza Mohai Ud Din, Abdelkareem A Ahmed, Rifat Ullah Jan, Hamdi Bendif, Nosiba S Basher, Ahmed A Saleh, Hosameldeen Mohamed Husien, Mengzhi Wang","doi":"10.3390/vetsci13080821","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci13080821","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Moringa oleifera</i> leaf extract (MOLE), including polysaccharides, polyphenols, amino acids and other extracts, are increasingly being used as feed additives in ruminant nutrition due to their high profiles of bioactive compounds. This comprehensive narrative review aims to review current research on their use in ruminant production regarding their productive performance, immune status, rumen microbiota and fermentation. Dietary supplementation with MOLE enhances growth rates and feed conversion efficiency, as well as immune status, milk yield and rumen microbiology, in ruminants by improving nutrient digestibility and metabolic efficiency. Additionally, MOLE exerts significant immunomodulatory effects, and studies indicate that immunoglobulins, antioxidants, cytokines, and enzymes reduce oxidative stress markers and incidence of subclinical diseases in dairy animals. Furthermore, supplementation with MOLE often increases milk fat and protein content while reducing somatic cell counts (SCCs) in milk. MOLE enhance the function of the rumen fermentation profile by increasing volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, especially propionate, and also regulating the stability of rumen pH. Additionally, it also selectively promotes microbial community diversity, enhances the population of cellulolytic bacteria and has a suppression function in protozoa and methanogens. Moreover, MOLE also contributes to improving fiber degradation and reducing the emissions of methane. In conclusion, MOLE is considered as a viable natural strategy to promote productivity, immune function, health, and environmental sustainability while decreasing methane production in ruminant production.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13517253/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148832987","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":"A Descriptive Analysis of Morbidity Patterns Among Insured Pet Cats in China Based on Insurance Claims.","authors":"Kaixin Zhang, Chang Wang, Richard Laven, Baiyu Li, Meng Li, D Aaron Yang","doi":"10.3390/vetsci13080817","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci13080817","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Population-level information on feline morbidity in China remains limited despite the rapid growth of the pet cat population. This study described morbidity patterns among insured cats in China using insurance claims from a major pet insurance provider, with diagnoses derived from veterinary records. Disease events were classified into hierarchical diagnostic categories and subcategories using disease names and clinical descriptions. The study population included 163,890 insured cats contributing 194,284 cat-years at risk. A total of 42,867 disease events were identified in 31,870 cats, and ~ 19.5% of insured cats had at least one disease event during follow-up. The overall incidence rate was ~22 events per 100 cat-years. Digestive disorders were the most commonly claimed disorders, followed by urinary disorders, infectious diseases, respiratory disorders, and dermatological disorders. Gastroenteritis and lower urinary tract disease were the most frequent diagnostic subcategories. Cats aged less than one year had the highest overall incidence rate. Male cats had a higher incidence rate than female cats, mainly reflecting the higher burden of lower urinary tract disorders. Descriptive differences were also observed among British Shorthair, Maine Coon, and Devon Rex cats. This study provides the first broad insurance-based description of feline morbidity across multiple diagnostic categories in China. The findings offer baseline evidence for future disease-specific epidemiological studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13517770/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148832864","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":"Mechanistic Insights into Wildlife Cancer and Conservation Strategies Under the One Health Framework.","authors":"Qiangqiang Wang, Xiaoxuan Feng, Yurun Su, Naiwen Zhang, Yevheniia Dudnyk, Hongxuan He","doi":"10.3390/vetsci13080815","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci13080815","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer is increasingly recognized as an emerging concern in wildlife health and biodiversity conservation in the Anthropocene. Although traditionally viewed as an individual disease associated primarily with aging, wildlife cancer is shaped by complex interactions among environmental changes, species-specific evolutionary adaptations, and ecological processes. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the ecological and evolutionary drivers of wildlife cancer by integrating evidence from comparative oncology, environmental toxicology, wildlife pathology, and conservation biology. We examine how anthropogenic stressors, including pollution, habitat degradation, climate change, and infectious agents, influence cancer susceptibility in wild populations, and summarize intrinsic mechanisms underlying interspecific variation in cancer vulnerability, including Peto's paradox, enhanced tumor suppression, and adaptive immune surveillance. We further highlight major methodological challenges, including limited surveillance capacity, fragmented datasets, taxonomic biases, and insufficient integration between cancer biology and conservation science. Finally, we discuss emerging interdisciplinary approaches, such as standardized monitoring frameworks, multi-omics technologies, artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis, and One Health-based strategies, to advance wildlife cancer research and management. Collectively, this review positions wildlife cancer as an important ecological and evolutionary phenomenon and provides perspectives for incorporating cancer surveillance into biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health assessment.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13517172/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148832993","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":"Integrated Multi-Omics Reveals Gut Microbiota-Ovarian Crosstalk of Laying Performance Between High- and Low-Laying Muscovy Ducks.","authors":"Xiujun Duan, Rui Zhu, Youqing Bian, Xiaoming Li, Guobo Sun, Yue Wang, Qingyi Zhou, Lei Zhang","doi":"10.3390/vetsci13080816","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci13080816","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As a high-value meat duck breed, Muscovy ducks exhibit marked individual differences in egg production that limit the economic efficiency of commercial farming. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, we integrated phenotypic observation, ovarian transcriptome sequencing, and cecal 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to compare high- and low-laying black-feathered Muscovy duck populations. We recorded 40-day egg production, assessed ovarian morphology, quantified gene expression profiles, and characterized microbial community structure. High-laying ducks produced significantly more eggs (24.60 ± 9.22) than low-laying ducks (15.80 ± 6.64, <i>p</i> < 0.01), with larger ovaries and a greater number of follicles at all developmental stages. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 823 DEGs, with KEGG enrichment implicating pathways governing ovarian physiology, including MAPK, Calcium, Notch, and Wnt signaling. Microbial profiling demonstrated significant differences in α/β diversity between groups, with high-laying ducks exhibiting an elevated <i>Firmicutes</i>/<i>Bacteroidota</i> ratio and decreased abundance of <i>Ligilactobacillus</i>. Integrative correlation analysis identified significant associations between <i>Ligilactobacillus</i> abundance and the expression of <i>Arhgap27</i> and <i>HOXA10</i>, two genes linked to reproductive function, and highlighted the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway as a convergently enriched signaling cascade shared between gut microbiome and ovarian transcriptome. This multi-omics study uncovers the molecular and microbial basis of egg production variation in Muscovy ducks, offering potential targets for improving breeding efficiency through microbiota-directed or gene-based interventions. These findings deepen our understanding of host-microbe interactions in poultry reproduction and identify candidate genes and microbial taxa that may serve as potential targets for future nutritional or genetic interventions to enhance laying performance in commercial duck production.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13517328/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148833025","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":"Liquid Storage and Cryopreservation of Ram Semen: Storage-Associated Damage and the Role of Non-Enzymatic Antioxidants.","authors":"Tariq Sohail, Mohamed Tharwat, Aftab Shaukat, Nourhan Nassar, Fuhao Chen, Xiaomei Sun, Fahad A Alshanbari, Yongjun Li","doi":"10.3390/vetsci13080818","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci13080818","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The successful use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) such as artificial insemination (AI) in small ruminants and other mammals depends on many factors, the most important of which is the quality of the semen used. The liquid storage and cryopreservation of spermatozoa at lower temperatures are associated with artificial insemination and rapid genetic improvement programs in the sheep production industry. Several studies have reported increased lipid peroxidation (LPO) and highly reactive oxygen species (ROS) production during liquid storage or cryopreservation of ram semen, leading to oxidative stress (OS), decreased antioxidant defense, and changes in sperm quality parameters like biokinetic and biochemical characteristics, viability, functional membrane and DNA integrity, along with mitochondrial activity. Therefore, supplementing ram semen extenders with exogenous antioxidants before preservation could mitigate this harmful effect. Various in vitro studies have reported improvements in ram sperm quality parameters like motility indexes, vitality, functional membrane/DNA integrity, antioxidant enzyme activity, total antioxidant content, mitochondrial activity, in vivo/in vitro fertility with significant decline in sperm abnormality, free radical production, LPO, ROS, apoptosis rate, and cytochrome C release from the mitochondrial matrix after the addition of various natural and synthetic antioxidant (vitamins, glutathione, taurine, pyruvate, melatonin, cysteine, selenium, zinc, plant extracts, sugars, amino acids, polyphenols) substances during preservation. Therefore, this review summarizes recent findings on oxidative stress-induced damage to sperm quality parameters in various ram breeds during chilling storage and cryopreservation. Moreover, supplementing basic semen extenders with different non-enzymatic antioxidant substances as a method to maintain sperm quality-along with their efficacy in reducing or preventing sperm damage during preservation-was discussed in detail.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13517431/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148833012","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":"Development of a Visual RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a Assay Targeting <i>Bcsp31</i> for Rapid Detection of <i>Brucella</i> spp.","authors":"Shuairan Zhang, Yu Zhang, Cai Yin, Xiaona Zang, Minjing Jin, Yawen Wu, Taotao Bai, Long Ma, Yong Shi, Zhixin Li, Xiaoliang Wang","doi":"10.3390/vetsci13080820","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci13080820","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To establish a rapid nucleic acid detection method for field screening of <i>Brucella</i> spp., a visual assay based on recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with CRISPR/Cas12a was developed. Four pairs of RPA primers and two crRNAs were designed according to the conserved <i>Brucella bcsp31</i> sequence. The optimal RPA primer-crRNA combination was screened using agarose gel electrophoresis and fluorescence readout, and the concentrations of Cas12a protein, crRNA, and ssDNA fluorescent reporter were optimized. RPA primer pair 2 showed the best amplification performance, and RPA2-crRNA1 was selected as the optimal combination for the assay. The final reaction conditions were 200 nM Cas12a protein, 200 nM crRNA, and 250 nM ssDNA fluorescent reporter. The limit of detection of the established method was 2.47 × 10⁰ copies/μL. No cross-reactivity was observed with <i>Mycoplasma capricolum</i> subsp. <i>capripneumoniae</i>, <i>Chlamydia abortus</i>, <i>Chlamydia psittaci</i>, or <i>Salmonella enterica</i> serovar Typhimurium. Among 56 clinical sheep nasal swab samples collected during routine surveillance, qPCR identified 22 positive and 34 negative samples, while the RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay identified 20 positive and 36 negative samples. The positive agreement, negative agreement, overall agreement, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and Cohen's kappa value were 90.91%, 100.00%, 96.43%, 100.00%, 94.44%, and 0.924, respectively. These findings provide preliminary evidence that the developed bcsp31-targeted RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay is rapid and visually interpretable and may be useful for preliminary <i>Brucella</i> spp. screening in routine veterinary surveillance settings. Larger-scale validation using different sample types and samples from different regions is still required.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13517256/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148832824","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":"Sexual Dimorphism and Aging Effects on Pituitary Gonadotroph Structure and Secretion in Dromedary Camels: Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Insights.","authors":"Shaukat Ali Shaukat Jaspal, Hanan Al-Khalaifah, Muhammad Mubashar Shaukat, Robina Shaukat, Tahmina Shaukat, Shabana Naz, Rifat Ullah Khan, Vincenzo Tufarelli, Caterina Losacco, Luciana Rossi, Mutassim M Abdelrahman","doi":"10.3390/vetsci13080813","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci13080813","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study investigated age- and sex-related variations in pituitary gonadotroph morphometry and serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations in 90 clinically healthy dromedary camels (&lt;i&gt;Camelus dromedarius&lt;/i&gt;). Animals were grouped into three age categories (2-4, 5-10, and ≥11 years), with equal representation of males and females. The precise reproductive status of the female camels (e.g., estrous stage or pregnancy status) was not determined and should be considered when interpreting the endocrine findings. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed significant age- and sex-related differences in gonadotroph number and morphometric characteristics (&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05). Gonadotroph counts were 8.3 ± 0.4, 9.4 ± 0.5, and 8.1 ± 0.4 cells in the 2-4, 5-10, and ≥11-year age groups, respectively, with males showing a higher overall count than females (9.1 ± 0.4 vs. 8.2 ± 0.3; &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05). Overall cell size, cell area, cell volume, nucleus area, and nucleus volume were also greater in males than females (&lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05). The largest nucleus size, nucleus area, and nucleus volume were observed in camels ≥11 years of age, with values of 4.7 ± 0.1 µm, 18.5 ± 0.8 µm&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, and 60.3 ± 4.1 µm&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively. Ultrastructural analysis further showed a significant sex difference in granule size (58.0 ± 0.7 vs. 52.2 ± 0.8 nm) and granule percentage (56.2 ± 3.6 vs. 43.5 ± 3.3% in males and females, respectively; &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05). Serum FSH concentrations were higher in males than females (4.8 ± 0.1 vs. 4.2 ± 0.1 µIU/mL; &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05), whereas LH concentrations were 1.2 ± 0.1 and 1.2 ± 0.1 µIU/mL in males and females, respectively. LH concentration was highest in 5-10-year-old males (1.3 ± 0.2 µIU/mL), while FSH concentration was highest in ≥11-year-old males (4.8 ± 0.2 µIU/mL). Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated significant positive associations between gonadotroph morphometric parameters and circulating gonadotropins, with correlations ranging from 0.52 to 0.74 for cell/nuclear measurements with LH and FSH. Overall, the findings demonstrate marked age- and sex-associated differences in gonadotroph morphology, ultrastructure, and circulating gonadotropin concentrations in dromedary camels, with males generally exhibiting greater gonadotroph dimensions and secretory granule characteristics. These structural and endocrine differences provide evidence of age- and sex-related variation in pituitary gonadotrophic activity, although the findings should be interpreted in light of the cross-sectional design and the undetermined reproductive status of female camels. Overall, these findings demonstrate pronounced age- and sex-associated differences in pituitary gonadotroph morphology, ultrastructure, and endocrine activity, with males generally exhibiting greater cellular and secretory characteristics. The findings provide novel morphological and endocrine evidence of reproductive aging and sexual dim","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"13 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13517487/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148832880","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}