Veterinary Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Short Term Treatment Monitoring of Renal and Inflammatory Biomarkers with Naturally Occurring Leishmaniosis: A Cohort Study of 30 Dogs.","authors":"Valeria Pantaleo, Tommaso Furlanello, Michela Campigli, Laura Ventura, Laia Solano-Gallego","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11110517","DOIUrl":"10.3390/vetsci11110517","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Various inflammatory and renal biomarkers have already been assessed for monitoring the response to anti-leishmanial therapy in canine leishmaniosis. This study assessed the parasite load, various inflammatory and renal biomarkers pre- and post-treatment, and any association between the studied variables and the degree of disease severity at diagnosis. This is a prospective cohort study of 30 client-owned dogs with leishmaniosis, classified according to LeishVet's guidelines as stage I (n = 2), stage IIa (n = 7), stage IIb (n = 6), stage III (n = 8), and stage IV (n = 7). In addition to <i>Leishmania</i> real-time PCR in the bone marrow, blood and urine, previously studied biomarkers, and several inflammatory and renal markers never investigated in canine leishmaniosis, such as fibrinogen, antithrombin, urinary fractional excretion of sodium, and urinary amylase-to-creatinine ratio were measured pre- and post-treatment (meglumine antimoniate or miltefosine + allopurinol). A positive <i>Leishmania</i> real-time PCR in the blood at diagnosis predicted a positive <i>Leishmania</i> real-time PCR in the bone marrow post-treatment (<i>p</i> = 0.003). Following treatment, antithrombin and urinary amylase-to-creatinine ratio were significantly changed (<i>p</i> < 0.001, respectively). Urinary amylase-to-creatinine ratio, total iron-binding capacity, and antithrombin were the variables most strongly associated with disease severity (<i>p</i> < 0.005, respectively). Urinary amylase-to-creatinine ratio can be a useful marker to monitor treatment response and to classify the degree of disease severity.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"11 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142733107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"B-Flow and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) Features of Subcutaneous Masses and Nodular Lesions in Dogs.","authors":"Andrea De Bonis, Francesco Simeoni, Andrea Paolini, Martina Rosto, Francesca Del Signore, Laura Bongiovanni, Amanda Bianchi, Roberto Tamburro, Massimo Vignoli","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11100516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100516","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Subcutaneous lesions in dogs are common in clinical practice. This prospective clinical study aims to compare B-flow and CEUS for the characterization of subcutaneous lesions evaluating their usefulness to distinguish benign subcutaneous lesions from malignant ones. Dogs were enrolled and ultrasound cine-loops were achieved in B-mode, Colour Doppler, Power Doppler, B-flow and CEUS. Lesions vascularisation highlighted through B-flow and CEUS were classified into five patterns: P1, absence of contrast uptake; P2, enhancement only in the peripheral area of the lesion; P3, thin (<2 mm) and few vessels (<5/field); P4, thicker (>2 mm) and more numerous vessels (>5/field); P5 enhancement with a reticular aspect and both thick and thin bands inside. Patterns highlighted with B-flow and CEUS were compared to a histological diagnosis of subcutaneous lesions. A total of 24 dogs and 30 subcutaneous nodules were included and divided into three groups: 3 non-neoplastic, 16 benign tumours and 11 malignant tumours. There was a statistically significant difference for B-flow and CEUS to differentiate benign tumours from malignant tumours. B-flow and CEUS had an excellent agreement. B-flow and CEUS displayed similar ability to evaluate different patterns and could be helpful in the evaluation of subcutaneous nodules.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"11 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11512324/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142509163","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":"In Situ Expression of Yak <i>IL-22</i> in Mammary Glands as a Treatment for Bovine <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>-Induced Mastitis in Mice.","authors":"Zening Wang, Daojie Riqing, Liangliang Ma, Mingfeng Jiang, Ciren Zhuoma, Xiaowei Li, Yili Liu","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11100515","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100515","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since the development of dairy farming, bovine mastitis has been a problem plaguing the whole industry, which has led to a decrease in milk production, a reduction in dairy product quality, and an increase in costs. The use of antibiotics to treat mastitis can cause a series of problems, which can bring a series of harm to the animal itself, such as the development of bacterial resistance and dramatic changes in the gut flora. However, the in vivo and in vitro antibacterial activity of yak Interleukin-22 (IL-22) and its application in mastitis caused by <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> have not been reported. In this study, the mammary gland-specific expression plasmid pLF-IL22 of the yak <i>IL-22</i> gene was constructed and expressed in MAC-T cells and mammary tissue of postpartum female mice. The coding region of the <i>IL-22</i> gene in yaks is 573 bp, which can encode 190 amino acids, and the homology difference in the <i>IL-22</i> gene in yaks is less than 30%, which indicates certain conservation. IL-22 is a hydrophilic protein with a total positive charge of four, the presence of a signal peptide, and the absence of a transmembrane domain. Sufficient expression of <i>IL-22</i> effectively inhibited the high expression of inflammatory factors caused by <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, reduced the symptoms of mammary gland histopathology, and alleviated mastitis. Under the action of IL-22, the intestinal flora of mastitis mice also changed, the abundance of intestinal Bacilli, <i>Prevotellaceae,</i> and <i>Alloprevotella</i> in mice increased after treatment, and the pathogenic bacteria decreased. These findings provide new insights into the potential application of the yak <i>IL-22</i> gene in the treatment of bovine mastitis in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"11 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11512370/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142509098","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":"Electroencephalographic and Cardiovascular Assessments of Isoflurane-Anesthetized Dogs.","authors":"Jeff C Ko, Carla Murillo, Ann B Weil, Matthias Kreuzer, George E Moore","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11100514","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100514","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigated the use of frontal electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor varying levels of isoflurane anesthesia in dogs. The patient state index (PSI), burst suppression ratio (SR), and waveforms, were continuously recorded while mean arterial blood pressure (MBP), heart rate, responses to electric stimuli, and subjective anesthetic \"depth\" were assessed every 3 min. At deep anesthesia (2.5× MAC - 3.2%), the PSI (6.5 ± 10.8) and MBP (45.6 ± 16.4 mmHg) were the lowest, and SR was the highest (78.3 ± 24.0%). At 1× MAC (1.3%), the PSI and MBP increased significantly to 47.8 ± 12.6 and 99.8 ± 13.2, respectively, and SR decreased to 0.5 ± 2.5%. The EEG was predominantly isoelectric at 2×-2.5× MAC, indicating unconsciousness and unresponsiveness. As anesthesia lightened, waveforms transitioned to flatter and faster activity patterns with a response to noxious stimuli, suggesting regained consciousness. The PSI and MBP exhibited a stronger correlation (ρ = 0.8098, <i>p</i> = 0.001) than the relationship of PSI with heart rate (ρ = -0.2089, <i>p</i> = 0.249). Five of the six dogs experienced rough recovery, possibly due to high SR and low MBP. These findings suggest that EEG monitoring in dogs can be a valuable tool for the real-time tracking of brain states and can be used to guide the management of isoflurane anesthesia.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"11 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11512366/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142509089","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":"Occurrence of Adenovirus in Fecal Samples of Wild Felids (<i>Panthera onca</i> and <i>Leopardus pardalis</i>) from Brazil: Predators as Dispersing Agents?","authors":"Ygor Machado, Laís Santos Rizotto, Hilton Entringer, Helena Lage Ferreira, Gabriel Augusto Marques Rossi, Ana Carolina Srbek-Araujo","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11100511","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100511","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Wild felids are vital to maintaining the ecological balance in natural environments as they regulate prey populations at different levels of the food chain. Changes in the dynamics of predator populations can impact the entire biodiversity of an ecosystem. There are few reports of Adenovirus infections in these animals, and little is known about their epidemiology. Therefore, a deeper understanding of these viruses within a One Health framework is essential, given their importance to animal, human, and environmental health. This study aimed to detect Adenovirus DNA in fecal samples of wild felids from a remnant of the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil, renowned for its high biodiversity. A total of 43 fecal samples, 11 from jaguar (<i>Panthera onca</i>) and 32 from ocelot (<i>Leopardus pardalis</i>), were collected. The samples were subjected to viral nucleic acid extraction and genetic material amplification through PCR, followed by nucleotide sequencing. All phylogenetic analyses were based on the amino acid sequences of the DNA polymerase and IV2a genes. Adenovirus DNA was detected in the feces of both species, with two samples of each feline testing positive. This study reports, for the first time, the occurrence of Adenovirus associated with feces of <i>Panthera onca</i> and <i>Leopardus pardalis</i>. All detected sequences were grouped within the <i>Mastadenovirus</i> genus. Based solely on phylogenetic distance criteria, the identified sequences could be classified as <i>Mastadenovirus bosprimum</i> and <i>Mastadenovirus</i> from the vampire bat <i>Desmodus rotundus</i>. We hypothesize that Adenoviruses were associated with the prey consumed, which may allow the felines to act as eventual viral dispersing agents in the environment, in addition to the risk of being infected. This study provides new information on the association of Adenoviruses with wild felids and their prey, and offers important insights into the ecological dynamics of these viruses in natural environments. It suggests that wild felines may play a crucial role in viral surveillance programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"11 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11512381/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142509172","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":"Early Detection of Lumpy Skin Disease in Cattle Using Deep Learning-A Comparative Analysis of Pretrained Models.","authors":"Chamirti Senthilkumar, Sindhu C, G Vadivu, Suresh Neethirajan","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11100510","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100510","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) poses a significant threat to agricultural economies, particularly in livestock-dependent countries like India, due to its high transmission rate leading to severe morbidity and mortality among cattle. This underscores the urgent need for early and accurate detection to effectively manage and mitigate outbreaks. Leveraging advancements in computer vision and artificial intelligence, our research develops an automated system for LSD detection in cattle using deep learning techniques. We utilized two publicly available datasets comprising images of healthy cattle and those with LSD, including additional images of cattle affected by other diseases to enhance specificity and ensure the model detects LSD specifically rather than general illness signs. Our methodology involved preprocessing the images, applying data augmentation, and balancing the datasets to improve model generalizability. We evaluated over ten pretrained deep learning models-Xception, VGG16, VGG19, ResNet152V2, InceptionV3, MobileNetV2, DenseNet201, NASNetMobile, NASNetLarge, and EfficientNetV2S-using transfer learning. The models were rigorously trained and tested under diverse conditions, with performance assessed using metrics such as accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, F1-score, and AUC-ROC. Notably, VGG16 and MobileNetV2 emerged as the most effective, achieving accuracies of 96.07% and 96.39%, sensitivities of 93.75% and 98.57%, and specificities of 97.14% and 94.59%, respectively. Our study critically highlights the strengths and limitations of each model, demonstrating that while high accuracy is achievable, sensitivity and specificity are crucial for clinical applicability. By meticulously detailing the performance characteristics and including images of cattle with other diseases, we ensured the robustness and reliability of the models. This comprehensive comparative analysis enriches our understanding of deep learning applications in veterinary diagnostics and makes a substantial contribution to the field of automated disease recognition in livestock farming. Our findings suggest that adopting such AI-driven diagnostic tools can enhance the early detection and control of LSD, ultimately benefiting animal health and the agricultural economy.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"11 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11512320/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142509072","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":"Effect of Using Prickly Pear Seed Cake (<i>Opuntia ficus indica</i> L.) on Growth Performance, Digestibility, Physiological and Histometric Parameters in Rabbits.","authors":"Nadia Benali, Rafik Belabbas, Mounira Sais, Hacina AinBaziz, Baya Djellout, Fatima Nouara Ettouahria, Nadira Oulebsir, Gabriele Brecchia, Alda Quattrone, Giulio Curone, Laura Menchetti","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11100513","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100513","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prickly pear (<i>Opuntia ficus indica</i> L.) could be used in rabbit nutrition in compliance with circular economy principles, global warming issues, and reduction of production costs. This study aims to evaluate the effects of dietary incorporation of prickly pear seed cake (PPSC) on growth, physiological, and histometric parameters in rabbits. A total of 105 rabbits were divided into three experimental groups (n = 35) and fed different diets: a commercial feed (C group), the same feed with alfalfa replaced by PPSC at 10% (10PP group), and at 20% (20PP group). They were group-housed in cages with 5 animals per cage from weaning until slaughtering. While body weights and weight gains were similar in all groups, the coefficients of nutrient digestibility of dry matter, fibers, and ashes, as well as the characteristics of intestinal villi, were improved in the 10PP group compared to the others (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The 20PP group showed a reduction in perirenal and interscapular fat (<i>p</i> < 0.05), as well as lower plasma concentrations of triglycerides and cholesterol compared to the C group (<i>p</i> < 0.001). In conclusion, PPSC can be incorporated into the diets of growing rabbits up to 20% as a partial substitute for alfalfa without the impairment of growth performance. Additionally, the inclusion of PPSC enhanced nutrient digestibility and increased the intestinal absorption surface area.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"11 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11512238/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142509076","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 Overview of Zoological Medicine on Iberian Countries.","authors":"Fábio Cardoso-Freitas, Vanessa Silva, Albert Martinez-Silvestre, Ângela Martins, Patrícia Poeta","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11100512","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100512","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The role of veterinary doctors, particularly those dedicated to Zoological Medicine, is becoming increasingly relevant and essential within the One Health framework. Educational and employment opportunities in this field vary widely across Europe, prompting us to characterise the sector in Portugal and Spain. A survey was conducted, resulting in 169 valid responses from veterinarians. Respondents were characterised based on gender, age, work environment, the highest level of education, additional training, whether they attended zoological medicine classes at university and their perception of the adequacy of that training. Further factors included years of experience, the percentage of their work involving zoological medicine, sectors they work in, the types of animals they treat, their confidence in treating these animals, sources of information they use, and membership in relevant professional associations. Relationships between these variables were examined. The results describe Iberian professionals working with non-traditional pets, wildlife, and zoo animals. Notably, only half of these professionals had taken zoological medicine classes at university; among those, the majority felt they inadequately prepared them for their work. Given the findings, enhancing the training and resources available to these professionals is crucial to prepare them for their roles better.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"11 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11512273/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142509092","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":"The Effects of Adding Hempseed Cake on Sperm Traits, Body Weight, Haematological and Biochemical Parameters in Rabbit Males.","authors":"Andrej Baláži, Andrea Svoradová, Anton Kováčik, Jaromír Vašíček, Peter Chrenek","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11100509","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100509","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Incorporating of agro-industrial co-products into animal nutrition could represent an opportunity to lessen the environmental impact of the food production chain. One such co-product is a hempseed cake originating from cold pressing hemp seeds to extract oil for human consumption. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the action of hempseed cake in the diet on male rabbit reproductive and some non-reproductive indexes. Male rabbits were fed either a standard diet (control group; C; n = 10) or a diet enriched with hempseed cake (experimental group E5 with 5% of a hempseed cake; n = 10, and experimental group E10 with 10% of a hempseed cake; n = 10) in 100 kg of the milled complete feed mixture. Rabbit weight gain, sperm concentration, motility, progressive motility, and sperm quality were evaluated using CASA and flow cytometry. Feeding with a hempseed cake, given at both tested concentrations, had no effect on weight gain per week and the total average weight gain compared to the control group (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Hempseed cake addition had no effect on sperm concentration in ejaculate, sperm motility, and progressive motility (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Selected haematological and biochemical indexes were examined. The E5 group showed positive tendencies in hepatic profile parameters, while in the E10 group the tendencies were opposite, though within the reference values. Based on our results, no negative effects of hempseed cake feeding on rabbit reproduction and health status were found, and we can recommend the use of hempseed cake at doses up to 10% in the nutrition and feeding of rabbits. Therefore, agro-industrial co-products can decrease the feeding cost.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"11 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11512224/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142509184","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":"Abundance Trends of Immature Stages of Ticks at Different Distances from Hiking Trails from a Natural Park in North-Western Italy.","authors":"Rachele Vada, Stefania Zanet, Elena Battisti, Ezio Ferroglio","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11100508","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100508","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hiking trails may act as hotspots at the wildlife-human interface, posing an acarological risk for people and their pets. Ticks that are maintained in the environment by wild animals may quest on people walking along the trails. Assessing the risk of tick bites for people involved in outdoor activities is a further step in mitigating the risk of tick-borne diseases. This work describes the variation of tick abundance along a gradient of distances from hiking trails, where wildlife passage is favored by higher accessibility. Hiking trails with dense vegetation on the sides were sampled for ticks along a 100 m dragging transect, located in a natural park in North-Western Italy. Additional transects were replicated at 1, 2 and 4 m away from the trail on both sides. After morphological identification, descriptive statistics and modeling were applied to determine the abundance patterns across distances. Larvae were most abundant near the trail, peaking at 1 m and dropping sharply at further distances. Nymphs showed a more gradual and consistent decrease at progressing distance from the trail. Few adults were collected, preventing the identification of a clear trend. With higher tick abundance, the immediate vicinity of hiking trails may represent a source of acarological risk for humans and pets.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":"11 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11512362/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142509157","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}