BMC Veterinary Research最新文献

{"title":"Differential rotational and translational movements along the thoraco-lumbo-sacral spine of load and non-load pulling military and police horses walking and trotting on hard and soft surfaces.","authors":"K Horan, S E Warner, P Day, N Housby-Skeggs, E Lane-Ley, H Telfer, D Berner","doi":"10.1186/s12917-026-05804-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12917-026-05804-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To improve detection of equine back-related disorders, it is important to establish how movement dynamics in horses' thoraco-lumbo-sacral spine are normally affected by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This cross-sectional study aimed to quantify how discipline, gait, and surface impact differential rotational and translational movements along the backs of 107 horses from the military and police forces. The horses were walked and trotted in-hand in a straight-line over hard and soft surfaces. During the exercises, nine inertial sensors (XSens MTw) were mounted to the poll, withers, thoracic vertebrae-13 (T13) and 18 (T18), lumbar vertebra-3 (L3), sacrum (between tubera sacrale), left and right tubera coxae, and caudal sacrum ('tail'). Linear mixed models assessed whether horse discipline (load pulling or non-load pulling), surface (soft or hard), age, or stride time influenced rotational and translational range of motion differences between adjacent sensors at either walk or trot (significance at p < 0.05). When compared to non-load pullers, it was apparent that the load pullers had reductions in differential rotational movements (0.5-3.1º in walk, p ≤ 0.039; and 0.5-2.3º in trot, p ≤ 0.049) and reductions in differential cranio-caudal, medio-lateral and dorso-ventral translations (2.2-15.0 mm in walk, p ≤ 0.039; and 1.2-7.6 mm, p ≤ 0.045 in trot), plus an increase in differential cranio-caudal translation at the Poll-Withers (12.8 mm in trot, p < 0.001). Soft surfaces increased differential rotational movements (0.1-1.2º in walk, p ≤ 0.048; and 0.2-2.9º in trot, p ≤ 0.007) and differential translational movements (1.4-16.3 mm in walk, p ≤ 0.002; and 0.5-2 mm in trot, p ≤ 0.007) in most regions of the thoraco-lumbo-sacral spine compared to hard surfaces. The amplitude of differential rotational and translational movements did not show systematic patterns with stride time and age. Further work is needed to understand whether the observed changes to differential rotational and translational movements along the equine thoraco-lumbo-sacral spine, imposed by working discipline and surface conditions, impact long-term equine health, well-being, or susceptibility to injury. This work will lay foundations for the development of an equine back dynamics reference framework, to which individual data may be compared.</p>","PeriodicalId":9041,"journal":{"name":"BMC Veterinary Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13613595/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149058277","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":"Sero-epidemiological survey of Toxoplasma gondii in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) across upper and lower Egypt.","authors":"Ehab Kotb Elmahallawy, Walied Abdo, David Cano-Terriza, Ahmed Gareh, Hend E M Elsheikh, Qwait AlGabbani, Mohamed Youssef Elaref, Tomás Fajardo-Alonso, Seham Samir Soliman, Isabelle Villena, Maha S Salama, Manal F El-Khadragy, Sabry A S Sadek, Mustafa Shukry, Sonia Almería, Ignacio García-Bocanegra","doi":"10.1186/s12917-026-05699-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12917-026-05699-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a globally prevalent protozoan parasite affecting warm-blooded species, including humans. In Egypt, serological surveys have been conducted in several livestock; however, studies on species such as buffalo and pigs remain scarce. This study aimed to provide updated insights into the seroprevalence of T. gondii in a cohort of 548 domestic animals, comprising 288 water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), sampled from both Upper and Lower Egypt, and 260 domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) from Lower Egypt between January and December 2023. Serological screening for anti-T. gondii antibodies was performed using the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT). Furthermore, the investigation evaluated the influence of various individual factors, including sex, age, season, and geographic origin, on the likelihood of exposure to the parasite in these understudied host species. Likewise, this work comprehensively reviews all previous research on the serosurveys of T. gondii in water buffalo and domestic pigs across Upper and Lower Egypt, with findings systematically tabulated to provide an updated and consolidated overview of the available evidence about this topic.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii in buffalo was 42.01% (121/288; 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI): 36.31- 47.71). The Generalized Estimating Equation model identified geographic location as a significant risk factor for T. gondii exposure in buffalo, where buffalo from Lower Egypt showing 3.69-fold higher odds of seropositivity compared to those from Upper Egypt, highlighting increased circulation of the parasite in northern areas. Seroprevalence was significantly higher in pigs (68.46%; 178/260; 95%CI: 62.81-74.11) than in buffalo. However, no significant associations were found between seropositivity and the evaluated epidemiological variables in this species.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings demonstrate high T. gondii exposure in Egyptian buffalo and pigs, indicating continued transmission and zoonotic danger. Biosecurity measures must be strengthened, cat access reduced, sanitation enhanced, herd screening performed on a regular basis, and farmers educated. One Health surveillance and additional field research should lead effective control and lessen the public health effects. reveal substantial exposure to T. gondii in both buffalo and pigs in Egypt and highlight the need for targeted control strategies, including improved husbandry and biosecurity practices, routine animal screening, and farmer education, to reduce transmission risk in livestock and protect public health.</p>","PeriodicalId":9041,"journal":{"name":"BMC Veterinary Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13551970/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148910797","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":"Analysis of reproductive behavior in male pigeons in the White Mirthys and Egyptian Baladi breeds injected with testosterone propionate.","authors":"Omar A Mohamed, Albert R Reyad, Alaa E Elkomy, Ibrahim M Khattab","doi":"10.1186/s12917-026-05854-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12917-026-05854-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In pigeons, reproductive success is driven primarily by male courtship and copulatory behavior, both of which require threshold levels of circulating testosterone. This study investigated the effects of exogenous testosterone propionate (TP) injection on serum testosterone levels, aggressive behaviors, sexual displays, nest defense, parental care, reproductive cycles, and squab mortality in two pigeon breeds (Columba livia): White Mirthys and Egyptian Baladi.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 27 adult pairs of White Mirthys pigeons and 27 adult pairs of Egyptian Baladi pigeons were randomly assigned to three experimental groups (n = 9 pairs per breed per group; total N = 54 cages). Treatments consisted of male-directed subcutaneous injections of either a vehicle control (CON; ethanol and sesame oil mixture) or TP at doses of 1 mg/kg (T1) or 2 mg/kg of body weight (T2).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Baseline serum testosterone was 47.9% higher in White Mirthys than Egyptian Baladi pigeons (P < 0.001). Repeated-measures analysis showed a significant Time×Treatment interaction (P < 0.001) as TP induced dose-dependent elevations in both lineages. TP heightened aggression; female and squab pecking increased uniformly (P < 0.001), while a significant Breed×Treatment interaction (P < 0.001) governed squab predation, which surged exclusively in White Mirthys high-dose groups but remained suppressed in Baladi. For sexual behavior, strutting showed a significant interaction (P = 0.003), suppressing earlier in White Mirthys (T1) before converging at T2, whereas vocal nesting and courtship feeding followed identical quadratic trajectories (P < 0.001). Brood care feeding exhibited a significant interaction (P < 0.001); TP entirely abolished the Baladi breed's superior baseline, suppressing provisioning to a near-zero floor across both lines. Defense metrics plateaued uniformly (P < 0.001). Offspring survival was compromised via a significant Breed×Treatment interaction (P = 0.002); mortality rose from 5.6% (CON) to 15.2% (T2), peaking at 23.1% in White Mirthys due to neglect and aggression, but remained insulated at 5.6% in Baladi. The hatching-to-laying interval shortened exclusively in Baladi T2 pairs to 25.6 days (P = 0.021).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In conclusion, exogenous testosterone propionate administration was associated with increased nest defense but reduced visual courtship, suppressed paternal provisioning, and higher squab mortality. Furthermore, these behavioral shifts were significantly modulated by breed background, with the White Mirthys lineage demonstrating marked vulnerability compared to the insulated resilience of the native Egyptian Baladi breed.</p>","PeriodicalId":9041,"journal":{"name":"BMC Veterinary Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13548609/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148905098","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":"Serosurveillance and participatory disease surveillance of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in Georgia and Armenia in 2019-2020.","authors":"Jerome N Baron, Nino G Vepkhvadze, Tigran Markosyan, Ana Gulbani, Tea Enukidze, Vasili Basiladze, Tengiz Chaligava, Demna Khelaia, Natia Kartskhia, Tengiz Kurashvili, Satenik Kharatyan, Khachik Sargsyan, Ketevan Goginashvili, Maka Kokhreidze, Tamar Tigilauri, Natia Toklikishvili, Marina Turmanidze, Eliso Mamisashvili, Karl Ståhl, Guillermo Risatti, Erika Chenais","doi":"10.1186/s12917-026-05781-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12917-026-05781-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a severe viral disease of small ruminants, endemic in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and a WOAH and FAO target for eradication. In the last decade, PPR emerged in countries in the Caucasus and Europe. Georgia's first outbreak in 2016 led to multi-year vaccination campaigns in Georgia and neighbouring, PPR-free, Armenia. This was followed by serological surveillance campaigns in 2019-2020 in both countries. In addition, in 2019, participatory diseases surveillance including interviews and focus-group discussions were conducted in four provinces of Georgia. Nearly 6,600 animals were sampled across seven provinces in Georgia and three provinces in Armenia in 2019 and 2020. For each animal, serum and blood samples were collected to test for antibodies and viral RNA, respectively. The participatory disease surveillance identified symptoms compatible with a PPR outbreak in January 2016 near Tbilisi, but not in other locations or time periods. All blood samples were negative for viral RNA, and 23 serum samples were sero-positive but non-clustered in space and time. In the absence of evidence of PPR virus circulation or disease occurrence, we calculated the probability of disease freedom at the time of sampling in both countries, as well as projections for disease freedom under multiple hypothetical sampling scenarios. With a design prevalence and probability of introduction of 5%, we calculated a probability of freedom of 70.8% in Armenia and 73.8% in Georgia for 2021. In the absence of further sampling, these probabilities dropped in subsequent years due to a high risk of re-introduction from PPR-endemic neighbouring countries, exemplified by a novel introduction of PPR in Georgia in 2024. This showcases the need for continued investment in surveillance as well as transboundary collaboration between countries with different disease statuses.</p>","PeriodicalId":9041,"journal":{"name":"BMC Veterinary Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13545762/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148896556","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":"Engineering a dimeric porcine deltacoronavirus S-RBD subunit vaccine for enhanced immunogenicity and neutralizing antibody responses.","authors":"Yuyang Tian, Wenchao Zhang, Hangyu Huo, Ziqian Niu, Qi Wu, Dan Wang, Ruili Liu, Bo Liu, Shimin Gao, Jianle Ren, Wenge Liu, Weixiang Fu, Yujun Zhao, Wenxia Tian, Sheng Niu","doi":"10.1186/s12917-026-05882-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12917-026-05882-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is an emerging swine enteric coronavirus that has caused global epidemics and substantial economic losses, posing a potential risk of cross-species transmission, including to humans. However, commercial vaccines are currently scarce. The receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein is a key target for inducing neutralizing antibodies, but the RBD monomer typically exhibits low molecular weight and weak immunogenicity. This study aimed to develop a tandem dimeric RBD subunit vaccine and evaluate its immunogenicity and protective efficacy in comparison with the RBD monomer and an inactivated vaccine.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A PDCoV RBD dimer protein was successfully expressed and purified using a mammalian expression system. In mice, the RBD dimer vaccine elicited significantly higher RBD specific IgG levels, and induced a mixed Th1/Th2 type immune response, while simultaneously inducing numerically higher neutralizing antibody titers compared with the monomer and inactivated vaccines, despite non-significant differences. Post-challenge histopathological analysis revealed that the intestinal villi of mice in the dimer group remained largely intact, with significantly less damage than those in the control groups. In piglets, the peak neutralizing antibody titer induced by the RBD dimer was approximately 2.8 times that induced by the inactivated vaccine, and antibody levels remained relatively high until day 72, accompanied by significantly stimulated lymphocyte proliferation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In mice, the RBD dimer subunit vaccine demonstrated superior antibody titers and protective efficacy compared with both the monomer and inactivated vaccines. In piglets, the dimer vaccine elicited higher and more durable antibody and neutralizing activity than the inactivated vaccine. These findings indicate the considerable potential of this candidate vaccine and warrant further in‑depth evaluation of its clinical protective efficacy in piglets.</p>","PeriodicalId":9041,"journal":{"name":"BMC Veterinary Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13643973/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149126826","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 an inactivated, oral immunogenic product against post-weaning colibacillosis caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in piglets.","authors":"Alessia Inglesi, Joel Filipe, Giulia Valli, Federica Riva, Paola Dall'Ara, Gianfilippo Alessio Clemente, Mario D'Incau, Ivonne Laura Archetti, Valentina Lorenzi, Francesca Battioni, Sara Rota Nodari, Matteo Tonni, Antonio Marco Maisano, Flavia Guarneri, Massimo Amadori, Francesca Fusi","doi":"10.1186/s12917-026-05846-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12917-026-05846-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) expressing F4 and F18 fimbriae remains a major challenge in pig production, contributing to economic losses and increased antimicrobial use. This study aimed to preliminary evaluate the immunogenic potential of an orally administered formulation comprising heat-inactivated ETEC strains expressing F4 and F18 fimbriae, combined with low-dose recombinant human interferon-alpha (IFN-α) as a mucosal adjuvant, in piglets. Piglets from two different litters were allocated into two experimental groups: a treated group (T) receiving the inactivated ETEC formulation with IFN-α for 26 days, and a control group (C) receiving only IFN-α. According to the farmer, the sows had not been vaccinated. Immune responses were evaluated in the sows colostrum and piglet serum, saliva, and feces by ELISA. In mesenteric lymph nodes anti-F4/F18 IgA and IgG antibodies were quantified by ELISPOT.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The inactivated product preserved fimbrial antigenicity and remained sterile. Colostrum from both sows displayed elevated levels of fimbriae-specific IgA and IgG despite neither sow being vaccinated against E. coli. Treated piglets showed a transient serum IgA increase against F4 whereas serum IgG levels were often comparable to the controls. Notably, elevated mucosal IgA responses were observed in saliva and feces against both F4 and F18 (P < 0.01) in T group, accompanied by enhanced IgA-secreting B-cell activity in mesenteric lymph nodes. ELISA validation confirmed high assay reproducibility (R² > 0.98; CV < 10%). ELISPOT analysis underscored the adjuvant role of F4 and IFN-α in stimulating mucosal immunity.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our preliminary findings may represent a promising strategy to control PWD and reduce antimicrobial use in pig production.</p>","PeriodicalId":9041,"journal":{"name":"BMC Veterinary Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13560234/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148918403","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":"Correction: Antibiotic use and resistance awareness among ruminant and poultry farmers in Tunisia.","authors":"Imen Hmidi, Meriem Souguir, Maha Dardouri, Amine Ben Brahim, Wejdene Mansour","doi":"10.1186/s12917-026-05863-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12917-026-05863-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9041,"journal":{"name":"BMC Veterinary Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13536789/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148872931","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":"Rift Valley fever seroprevalence and associated factors in non-vaccinated livestock (cattle and small ruminants) in Arua, Lira and Apac districts, Uganda.","authors":"Justine Okello, Luke Nyakarahuka, Benard Agwai, Isaac Opio Okello, Felix L Opiyo, Ivan Ongebo, Glet B Kakuru, Beatrice Nanozi, Christabellah Namugenyi, Andrew Tamale, Walter Okello, Winnifred Akello, Louis F Oketch, Odero Silvano, David N Okello, Anthony Ogwal, Steven Odongo, Robert Omara, Musso Munyeme, Clovice Kankya, Robert F Breiman","doi":"10.1186/s12917-026-05853-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-026-05853-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic viral disease of major veterinary public health and economic importance, transmitted primarily by mosquitoes and associated with significant livestock losses and human infections. Despite its epidemic potential and its demonstrated endemicity in western Uganda, data on its seroprevalence and associated factors from northern Uganda remain limited. This study determined the seroprevalence of RVF and its associated factors in unvaccinated livestock in Apac, Arua, and Lira districts.</p><p><strong>Methods and materials: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted in selected sub-counties of Apac, Lira, and Arua districts in northern Uganda. Blood samples were collected from 704 randomly selected unvaccinated livestock (cattle, goats, and sheep). Sera were tested for RVF IgG antibodies using a competitive ELISA (IDvet) kit. Data on animal and herd characteristics were collected through interviews of livestock owners using a structured questionnaire. A robust modified Poisson regression analysis was done to estimate prevalence ratios for the factors associated with RVF IgG seropositivity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>RVF IgG seroprevalence was 28% (95% CI: 24.8-31.4). Seropositivity was highest in Arua (54.5%) compared to Apac (28.6%) and Lira (18.1%). Seropositivity was higher in cattle (31.3%) when compared with goats (23%). In multivariable analysis, cattle were more likely to be RVF seropositive than goats (aPR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.06-1.76, p < 0.05), while indigenous breeds had significantly lower likelihood of seropositivity than cross breeds (aPR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.29-0.56, p < 0.05). Animals with recent (in the past 8 weeks) illness had significantly higher likelihood for RVF seropositivity than animals without recent illness history (aPR = 3.66, 95% CI: 2.93-4.57, p < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There is substantial RVF seropositivity among livestock in northern Uganda, suggesting possible RVFV circulation. Ecological factors, livestock species, breed types, and recent illness history are associated with RVF seropositivity, underscoring the need for strengthened surveillance and targeted control strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":9041,"journal":{"name":"BMC Veterinary Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13629092/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103828","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":"Spontaneous tumors in dogs and cats in Algeria: a dual-source descriptive study of practitioner-reported patterns and histopathology-submitted cases.","authors":"Aya Sofia Bouchoukh, Said Boukhechem, Hithem Bougherara, Aimene Zakaria Chaabi","doi":"10.1186/s12917-026-05856-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12917-026-05856-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Algeria has no documented national companion-animal cancer registry, and limited information is available on tumors encountered in veterinary practice or reaching histopathological confirmation. This dual-source descriptive study combined two independently analyzed components: a histopathology-based descriptive case series of diagnostic tumor submissions from dogs and cats, and a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of veterinarians practicing in Algeria. The first component characterized tumors reaching histopathological confirmation, whereas the second examined practitioner-reported tumor patterns, perceived diagnostic-resource availability, and self-reported preparedness.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The histopathology-based case series comprised 86 tumor submissions from 81 animals accrued between March 2022 and March 2025. Mammary tumors were the largest category (43/86; 50.0%), followed by cutaneous/subcutaneous tumors (20/86; 23.3%); 80 tumors (93.0%) were classified as malignant. Among 162 questionnaire responses collected between October 2024 and May 2025, 111 respondents selected \"dogs and cats\" as their main animal group. Mammary tumors were reported by 109 respondents (98.2%), cutaneous/subcutaneous tumors by 79 (71.2%), and canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) by 54 (48.6%); multiple categories could be reported. The most frequent self-reported preparedness rating was \"Moderately prepared\" (52/111; 46.8%), while 99 of 110 respondents with valid data (90.0%) rated diagnostic resources as either \"Insufficient\" or \"Not at all satisfactory.\" Mammary and cutaneous/subcutaneous tumors ranked first and second in both sources, whereas the rankings of the remaining categories differed. Because the sources represented different populations, analytical units, denominators, and diagnostic pathways, the comparison was restricted to an exploratory descriptive assessment and was not interpreted as evidence of differences in population-level tumor occurrence.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides an initial structured account of companion-animal tumor documentation in Algeria. The partial agreement between the two sources, together with unfavorable diagnostic-availability ratings, suggests potential gaps between clinical recognition, histopathological confirmation, and systematic recording. Standardized submission and coding procedures, improved specimen-transport and formal pathology-referral pathways, broader geographic participation, and progressive development of companion-animal cancer registration are needed to strengthen the national evidence base.</p>","PeriodicalId":9041,"journal":{"name":"BMC Veterinary Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13675969/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149214967","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 systematic review of artificial intelligence in small ruminant production systems: applications, performance outcomes, and reported implementation challenges.","authors":"Abdullah Ali Ghazy, Ibrahim Atta Abu El-Naser","doi":"10.1186/s12917-026-05806-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12917-026-05806-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sheep and goats are essential components of global livestock systems, supporting smallholder livelihoods and contributing substantially to meat, milk, and fiber production. However, many small ruminant production systems remain extensive and constrained by limited infrastructure, labor availability, and challenges in continuous animal monitoring. Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities for precision livestock management through automated data analysis, early detection of production- and health-related changes, and improved decision support. This systematic review aimed to characterize current AI applications in sheep and goat production, summarize reported performance outcomes across all major application domains, and identify barriers affecting practical implementation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A systematic search of Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed identified peer-reviewed studies published between January 2020 and December 2025. From 11,035 records screened, 92 studies met the inclusion criteria and were synthesized narratively; meta-analysis was not conducted due to substantial methodological heterogeneity across studies. AI applications spanned six domains: behavior and activity recognition (26.1%, n = 24; mean accuracy 92.4%, range 66.7-100%), individual animal identification (19.6%, n = 18; mean accuracy 97.3%, range 93.3-99.9%), health, welfare, and disease detection (19.6%, n = 18; mean accuracy 89.7%, range 62.0-99.0%), growth and body measurement (9.8%, n = 9; mean R² = 0.86), genomics and molecular biology (8.7%, n = 8; mean accuracy 97.8%), and production, technical, and environmental applications (16.3%, n = 15; mean accuracy 93.1%). Convolutional Neural Networks, YOLO-based models, and Random Forest algorithms were the most frequently applied approaches. Publications grew markedly over the review period, with 28.3% published in 2025 alone. Fewer than half of included studies used fully independent external validation. Key implementation barriers included limited dataset diversity, class imbalance, environmental complexity, and hardware constraints.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Current evidence indicates that AI has strong potential to enhance small ruminant production, particularly for automated monitoring and biometric identification under controlled conditions. However, translation into sustainable real-world applications remains limited by methodological inconsistencies, restricted validation across farms and breeds, and insufficient representation of extensive production environments. Future progress will require standardized public datasets, transparent domain-appropriate metric reporting, rigorous independent validation, and deployment-focused evaluation under practical farming conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9041,"journal":{"name":"BMC Veterinary Research","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13495206/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148787995","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}