Animals最新文献

{"title":"Blood Morphology and Hematology of Adult Baikal Seals (<i>Pusa sibirica</i> Gmelin, 1788) Under Professional Care.","authors":"Polina Esipova, Irina Suvorova, Veronika Yachmen, Igor Pushchin","doi":"10.3390/ani15020217","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15020217","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Studying the blood cell morphology of marine mammals provides an opportunity to elucidate the physiological mechanisms of adaptive changes associated with the aquatic habitat that occur at the cellular level, as well as adaptations to changing environmental conditions and under various physiological and pathological processes. The Baikal seal [<i>Pusa sibirica</i> (family Phocidae)] is endemic to the freshwater Lake Baikal, but comprehensive hematology data are not available. We studied the morphological features of blood cells of twelve clinically normal, adult Baikal seals (<i>n</i> = 6 males, <i>n</i> = 6 females) from two oceanariums under professional care for eight years. The morphology of mature and immature erythrocytes and inclusions are described. The blood of Baikal seals is characterized by the presence of erythrocytes with a size of 8.2 ± 0.6 µm; Howell-Jolly bodies were rarely observed, the number of reticulocytes ranged from 4.1 to 93.1 × 10⁹/L, and nucleated erythrocytes were absent. The morphological features of neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, and platelets were described. Inter-individual and sex differences in the counts of basophils, platelets, red blood cells, and levels of hemoglobin, the mean corpuscular volume, and the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were statistically observed. The results could be useful for Baikal seal veterinary care, immune response research, and comparative studies with other pinnipeds.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11758329/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143035904","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":"Influence of <i>Eimeria</i> spp. and <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> Infection on Growth Performance and Toltrazuril Residues in Chickens.","authors":"Konrad Pietruk, Jacek Karamon, Piotr Jedziniak, Stanisław Tokarzewski, Małgorzata Olejnik","doi":"10.3390/ani15020216","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15020216","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis are among the most common diseases affecting poultry, with economic impact due to reduced production and the costs of treatment and prevention. Eimeria invasion contributes to gut damage that promotes the growth of other harmful pathogens, such as <i>Clostridium perfringens</i>. Coccidiostats, with toltrazuril as an example, are widely used to control these infections. In this study, we assessed the effects of <i>Eimeria</i> spp. infection and coinfection with <i>Eimeria</i> spp. and <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> on chicken weight and toltrazuril concentrations, along with two metabolites-toltrazuril sulfoxide and toltrazuril sulfone-using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The analysis of liver and muscle samples showed lower levels of residues in groups challenged with <i>Eimeria</i> spp. In the case of combined <i>Eimeria</i> and <i>C. perfringens</i> infection, no significant differences were observed. These findings suggest that the combination of <i>Eimeria</i> and <i>C. perfringens</i> does not significantly alter the residue levels of toltrazuril and its metabolites, providing valuable insight into the pharmacokinetics of toltrazuril in poultry under infection conditions. This research contributes to optimizing drug use and residue management in poultry production.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11758670/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143036118","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 Dietary Supplementation of <i>Durvillaea Antarctica</i> Meal on Production and Meat Quality Traits of Lambs.","authors":"John Quiñones, Rodrigo Huaquipán, Rommy Díaz, Isabela Pérez Núñez, Matías Cortes, Ailín Martínez, Gastón Sepúlveda, Lidiana Velaszquez, David Cancino, Erwin Paz, Néstor Sepulveda","doi":"10.3390/ani15020206","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15020206","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Worldwide, there are reports indicating that sheep raised in insular systems spontaneously consume seaweed. In the southern hemisphere, there exists <i>Durvillaea antarctica</i>, a brown seaweed that possesses minerals and fatty acids that could improve some aspects of sheep production and meat quality, respectively. However, the consumption of this algae in lambs has been scarcely studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of <i>Durvillaea antarctica</i> meal on the growth performance, blood profile, and meat quality of fattening lambs. Thirty Araucana Creole lambs were housed and allocated to three pens. One pen served as a control, while the remaining two were supplemented with diets containing 5% and 10% <i>Durvillaea antarctica</i> meal. After 9 weeks, the animals were slaughtered. The dietary treatments did not significantly affect body weight and blood biochemical parameters. However, changes were observed in meat quality traits, including increased redness and reduced luminosity in the loin for the high inclusion treatment, in addition to slight alterations in pH and lower lipid oxidation in lambs' meat fed <i>Durvillaea antarctica</i>. Furthermore, the meat from lambs supplemented with <i>Durvillaea antarctica</i> exhibited increased levels of linoleic acid and arachidonic acid, along with higher monounsaturated fatty acid content and a reduced omega-3/omega-6 ratio. This study shows that <i>Durvillaea antarctica</i> can be used to feed lambs without impairing growth or production parameters, which has been little studied. It is possible that this brown seaweed could be considered a natural additive to improve the quality and nutritional value of lamb meat. The effect of this seaweed on other ruminant models could be addressed in future studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11758318/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143035947","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":"Morphological, Morphometrical and Radiological Features of the Pelvic Limb Skeleton in African Green Monkeys (<i>Chlorocebus sabaeus</i>) from Saint Kitts and Nevis Islands.","authors":"Cristian Olimpiu Martonos, Alexandru Ion Gudea, Gilda Rawlins, Florin Gheorghe Stan, Calin Lațiu, Cristian Constantin Dezdrobitu","doi":"10.3390/ani15020209","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15020209","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The paper presents a detailed gross anatomical description of the elements of the pelvic limb in the African green monkey and provides comparative and differential elements on pelvic limb monkey osteology. The osteometric investigation adds value to the gross morphological and radiological investigation, adjoining metric data to the gross descriptive data set. The main methodology used was the gross morphological investigation, doubled by regular osteometrical and radiographical assessments. For each of the elements, several morphological aspects are described, pointing to the specific and differential aspects that might serve as landmarks in the specific diagnosis of different adaptative changes, related to the type of locomotion. For the pelvis, the aspect of the symphysis, the overall shape of the pelvic inlet, the iliac wing aspect and the acetabular shape are listed as significant elements. The femur has a spherical head with an inferior position of the femoral fovea and a well-developed (tall) greater trochanter, lacking the third trochanter. The medial condyle of the femur is better developed than the lateral one and an evident extensor's fossa is noted at the level of the distal shaft. The proximal lateral condyloid surface in the tibia is slightly larger than the medial one, with noticeable intercondilar eminences. The fibula is long and unfused with the tibia. Some specific anatomical features are listed only for the talus and calcaneus from tarsals. The study revealed the presence of the gastrocnemius sesamoid bones and the proximal sesamoidi bones as well. Investigation presents a series of osteometrical data with an attempt to show some basic metrical differences among the investigated specimens.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11758301/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143035923","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":"Application of Citizen Science to Sheep as a Model to Sensitize Young Citizens to Biodiversity, Animal Welfare and the Social Utility of Research.","authors":"Sara Moscatelli, Anna Paniccià, Elisa Palmioli, Laura Del Gobbo, Francesca Mercati, Paola Scocco","doi":"10.3390/ani15020201","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15020201","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Citizen science activities were performed using sheep as an animal model and involving 252 students aged between 9 and 11 years. The study focused on three pillars: hill/mountain landscape biodiversity, animal welfare and the social utility of research. Two types of tests-\"attitude questionnaires\" (AQs) and \"maximum performance tests\" (MPTs)-were administered. The AQ was administered before and at the end of the project to compare the children's sensitivity to the treated topics and to assess their awareness of the project's pillars. For each AQ item children expressed their agreement/disagreement by choosing from five response modes. The MPT aim was to evaluate if children had understood the explained topics by true/false options in respect to a sentence. The correlations between MPT scores and school evaluations for science subjects were analyzed. Among the fifteen AQ items specific to the pillars, four items related to biodiversity, three items related to animal welfare and two items related to the social utility of research, showing a significant difference (<i>p</i> < 0.05) for the second AQ's responses. Two items showed sex-related differences. The analysis of the data from the MPT showed that the didactic methodology used was effective and improved the position of most children by bringing them into higher science evaluation groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11758304/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143035925","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":"Assessing and Improving Animal Welfare Using Applied Ethology.","authors":"Emma Fàbrega, Maria J Hötzel","doi":"10.3390/ani15020213","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15020213","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The papers in this Special Issue, entitled \"Editorial Board Members' Collection Series: Behaviour, Applied Ethology and Welfare of Farmed Animals\", bring to the forefront empirical data and theoretical discussions that contribute to the discussion of contemporary issues, from environmental enrichment to improvements in animal welfare, the intensification of animal rearing systems, and innovations like virtual fencing and dietary adjustments to improve animal health and welfare in organic systems [...].</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11759149/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143035936","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":"Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) Supplementation in Adult Horses Supports Improved Skeletal Muscle Inflammatory Gene Expression Following Exercise.","authors":"Madison R Barshick, Kristine M Ely, Keely C Mogge, Lara M Chance, Sally E Johnson","doi":"10.3390/ani15020215","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15020215","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a sulfur-containing molecule with reported anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Exercise causes the formation of free radicals and stimulates inflammatory gene expression in leukocytes and skeletal muscle. The hypothesis that dietary supplementation with MSM alters the exercise-mediated inflammatory and oxidant response was assessed in unfit adult thoroughbred geldings. Ten geldings (6.7 ± 1.6 yr) were assigned to a diet supplemented without (CON, <i>n</i> = 5) or with 21 g of MSM (<i>n</i> = 5) for 30 days. Following the supplementation period, horses performed a standardized exercise test (SET) with blood collections before (t = 0), 10 min, 1 h, 4 h, and 24 h post-SET. Skeletal muscle biopsies were retrieved from the middle gluteus before and 1 h post-SET for total RNA isolation. All horses were rested for 120 days before the experiment was repeated in a cross-over design. Plasma total antioxidant capacity was unaffected (<i>p</i> > 0.05) by either exercise or MSM. Plasma glutathione peroxidase activity was less (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in MSM horses than in the CON. Plasma IL6, IL8, IL10, and TNFα were unaffected (<i>p</i> > 0.05) by either exercise or diet. Transcriptomic analysis of skeletal muscle revealed 35 genes were differentially expressed (DEG; <i>p</i> < 0.05) by 2-fold or more in response to exercise; no MSM DEGs were noted. A comparison of the exercise by diet contrasts revealed that horses supplemented with MSM contained a greater number of exercise-responsive genes (630; logFC > 0.2; q < 0.05) by comparison to the CON (237), with many of these mapping to the immune response (71) and cytokine signal transduction (60) pathways. These results suggest supplementation of MSM as a dietary aid for improved anti-inflammatory responses in skeletal muscle following exercise.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11758608/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143036140","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":"Conspicuous Animals Remain Alert When Under Cover but Do Not Differ in the Temporal Course of Vigilance from Less Conspicuous Species.","authors":"Gerhard Hofmann, Claudia Mettke-Hofmann","doi":"10.3390/ani15020214","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15020214","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Conspicuousness increases the risk of predation. One strategy to reduce this risk is to increase vigilance. We investigated the frequency of head movements as a measure of vigilance at waterholes in two related songbird species that differed in their conspicuousness: the Gouldian finch and the long-tailed finch. While both species showed a high frequency of head movements (high vigilance) when sitting in an open tree, the more colourful Gouldian finch remained more vigilant than the less conspicuous long-tailed finch when sitting under cover. Moreover, juvenile Gouldian finches had similar vigilance levels than adults; whereas, juveniles of the long-tailed finch were less vigilant, possibly because of staying in the family group. Furthermore, both species showed a similar temporal course of vigilance with a fast decrease in vigilance after landing in the tree, which was affected by group size. Single individuals had much higher vigilance than groups of birds. Finally, vigilance was higher at small waterholes. The results show that conspicuousness, uncertainty when arriving at waterholes, and higher perceived risk at small waterholes increased vigilance.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11758665/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143036003","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":"Morphological and Molecular Identification of Obligatory Myiasis-Causing Species in Wild Cervids in Croatia.","authors":"Ema Gagović, Daria Jurković Žilić, Krunoslav Pintur, Adnan Hodžić, Šimun Naletilić, Relja Beck","doi":"10.3390/ani15020208","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15020208","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The infestation of ruminants by fly larvae of the Oestridae family can lead to nasopharyngeal or subcutaneous myiasis, which can harm animal welfare and productivity on sheep and cattle farms. The infestation of wild ruminants allows them to serve as reservoirs for subsequent transfer to domestic animals. The fly species most commonly responsible for myiasis have been well studied in many parts of the world, but less so in southeastern Europe. Here, we identified three botfly species among 197 subcutaneous larvae and 138 nasopharyngeal larvae from 36 wild roe deer (<i>Capreolus capreolus</i>) and 9 wild red deer (<i>Cervus elaphus</i>) at 30 locations across Croatia. Instars were stored in 75% ethanol and their species and developmental stage were identified based on morphological and morphometric keys. Subcutaneous larvae in both cervid species were identified as <i>Hypoderma diana</i>, while nasopharyngeal larvae were identified as <i>Cephenemyia simulator</i> in roe deer and <i>Pharyngomyia picta</i> in red deer. Partial sequencing of the gene-encoding mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I confirmed the taxonomic classification of <i>C. stimulator</i> and <i>P. picta</i> but was unable to confirm that of <i>H. diana</i> for lack of previously published sequences. This study appears to be the first to combine the morphological and molecular characterization of myiasis-causing botflies in wild cervids in southeastern Europe.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11758333/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143035914","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 Dietary Supplementation with <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> Postbiotics on Growth Performance, Intestinal Flora Structure and Plasma Metabolome of Weaned Piglets.","authors":"Dongfeng Sun, Wenfei Tong, Shaochen Han, Mengjun Wu, Peng Li, Youguo Li, Yunxiang Liang","doi":"10.3390/ani15020204","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15020204","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Probiotics and their postbiotics have the potential to improve the health and growth performance of piglets, which has brought them widespread attention in the post-antibiotic era. In the present study, the effects of dietary supplementation of <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> postbiotics on the growth performance, intestinal flora structure and plasma metabolome of weaned piglets were investigated. A total of 816 healthy male piglets with uniform weight were divided into two treatment groups: piglets in the control (CTR) group were fed with a basic diet, and the ones in the LAC group were fed with the basic diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> postbiotics. There were six replicates in each group and 68 piglets in each replicate. The animal trial lasted for 30 days. The feces and blood of piglets were collected for investigation, and the growth performance during the trial was counted. Our outcomes show that dietary supplementation with <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> postbiotics had no effect on the growth performance of piglets; however, it reduced the mortality rate of piglets by 6.37%. The levels of total superoxide dismutase in the serum, propionic acid and butyric acid in the feces were elevated, and the content of malondialdehyde in the serum was decreased with <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> postbiotics-treated piglets (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The fecal flora sequencing results show that the relative abundance of Firmicutes and monoglobus was upregulated, and the relative abundance of Bacteroides was downregulated with <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> postbiotics-treated piglets (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In addition, the levels of propionic acid and butyric acid in the feces were positively correlated with the relative abundance of Firmicutes and negatively correlated with the relative abundance of Bacteroides (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The plasma metabolome results show that dietary supplementation with <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> postbiotics raised the level of coenzyme Q10 in the serum, and the abundance of coenzyme Q10 was positively correlated with the relative abundance of Firmicutes and the level of total superoxide dismutase in the serum. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> postbiotics contributed to improving the antioxidant function and reducing the mortality of piglets by regulating the structure of intestinal flora and upregulating the content of coenzyme Q10 in serum.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11759139/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143036026","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}