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Topic Review
Toxic Wasting Disorders in Sheep
Infectious and parasitic agents have been frequently associated with debilitating and wasting conditions in sheep. The prevalence of these agents has probably undermined the role of toxic causes as contributors to such disorders. In addition, many of these intoxications frequently produce acute clinical disease with specific and characteristic lesions, thus a causal relationship with the toxic substance may be relatively easy to establish. However, persistent exposure to some of these organic or inorganic toxic substances may lead to emaciation, ill-thrift, and poor external aspect. The anti-nutritional factors and alkaloids of several plants, including pyrrolizidine alkaloids, among others, have also been associated with emaciation and/or poor general performance in sheep flocks.
  • 1.3K
  • 09 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Small Ruminant Production
The background and context of Small Ruminant production on rangelands is presented.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Novel Respirovirus in Alpine Chamois
The Alpine chamois is a free-living wild ruminant distributed across the mountainous areas of France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. This wide distribution favours interactions with other wild ruminants and livestock, implying the risk of cross-transmission of pathogens. Due to the impact of lung diseases on chamois populations, the investigation of respiratory pathogens is important for wildlife conservation and for the understanding of infection transmission at the livestock–wildlife interface. A novel respirovirus was isolated from a chamois with lung lesions in Italian Alps. The genome characterization of this novel virus revealed similarities to domestic ruminant respiroviruses, mainly of caprine and ovine origin. Overall, phylogenetic analyses indicated that the chamois virus is distinct from already defined species and suggested that it is a putative novel member of the genus Respirovirus. The present investigation contributes to the knowledge of respiratory infections in wild ruminants and raises questions on the epidemiological link between chamois and other animal species.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Tanzania Peste des Petits Ruminants
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an important transboundary animal disease of domestic small ruminants, camels, and wild artiodactyls. The disease has significant socio-economic impact on communities that depend on livestock for their livelihood and is a threat to endangered susceptible wild species. 
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Improving Aquatic Animal Health
At the present time, no artificial larval diet is capable of entirely fulfilling the dietary requirements of several larval fish and crustacean species. Zooplankton live food is the basic foundation of fish larviculture, and successful rearing of fish larvae still heavily depends on an adequate supply of nutritious live food. Despite being important, the production protocols of copepods and cladocerans (Moina) are still underdeveloped in hatcheries. Rotifers and Artemia are the most commonly used live foods. However, these live foods are evidently lacking in crucial nutrient constituents. Hence, through nutrient enrichment, live food with the nutritional profile that meets the requirements of fish larvae can be produced. With the aim to maximize the effectiveness of production to optimize profitability, it is important to evaluate and improve culture techniques for the delivery of micro- and macro-nutrients as feed supplements to larvae in aquaculture systems. Bioencapsulation and enrichment are the evolving techniques in aquaculture that are commonly employed to enhance the nutritional quality of live food by integrating nutrients into them, which subsequently improves the growth, survival, and disease resistance of the consuming hosts.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Poultry Diet
The poultry diet is balanced for metabolizable energy and protein through the incorporation of several ingredients and additives.
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Green Assets of Equines
Equines have a peculiar place in our society. From livestock to sport, through to landscape managers and leisure partners, equines show a wide range of little-known environmental advantages and assets. Today’s wake-up calls about the environment are progressively putting pressure on stakeholders of the agricultural sector, including the equine industry. This study focusses on the main environmental consequences of equine use and possession in Europe based on scientific and technical sources under the lens of five leading sectors where equines show unique impacts as green assets. Now, more than ever before, it is important to highlight the role of equines as a green alternative in political debates and management practices to give them the place equines deserve in the ecological transition of agriculture.
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Cytogenetic Screening of Pigs
The cytogenetic screening of pigs, carried out using continually refined cytomolecular techniques, enables a precise diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities, which cause developmental anomalies and considerably reduce the fertility (by several dozen to 100%) and performance parameters of breeding herds, resulting in substantial financial losses. Due to the potential spontaneous occurrence of chromosomal aberrations and the rapid spread of these genetic defects in the population, especially under artificial insemination conditions, it is necessary to perform cytogenetic monitoring of animals qualified for reproduction, which is an important criterion when formulating specific selection guidelines.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Jul 2020
Topic Review
The Italian Alpine and Subalpine trouts
Among the valid nominal taxa of the native trouts described in the Italian peninsula and the major Italian islands, Salmo cettii Rafinesque-Schmaltz 1810 was described from Sicily (type locality: Val Demone in northeastern Sicily and Val di Noto in southeastern Sicily, no types known). S. marmoratus (Cuvier 1829) is a subendemism of northern Italy described from the “lacs de Lombardie" (syntypes not available). S. cenerinus Nardo 1847 was described from northeastern Italy (type locality: not far from the sea, in rivers draining to the Venetian lagoon; no types known). The original description of S. cenerinus was written from the late 1700s to the early 1800s by S. Chiereghin, and published posthumously; a summary of this description was first published by Nardo. S. macrostigma (Duméril 1858) has been considered by several authors as an Italian trout; however, it was described from North Africa (type locality: Oued-el-Abaïch, Kabylie, Algeria). S. ghigii Pomini 1941 was described from central Italy (type locality: Sagittario River; no types known). S. fibreni Zerunian and Gandolfi 1990, described from the Lake Posta Fibreno in central Italy, and S. carpio Linnaeus 1758, described from Lake Garda, are restricted endemisms defined by ecomorphological and genetic traits. The island of Sardinia might host an undescribed Salmo species (Segherloo et al.).
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Farm Animal Welfare
Animal welfare concepts encompass biological functioning in terms of health, growth and productivity; the animals’ affective state; and naturalness of the animals’ life, especially with regard to the ability to perform the normal behaviour repertoire. Farmers are responsible to produce food and they play a key role in improving the welfare of their animals. Farmers interpersonal and external characteristics can influence their decision-making process. For example, farmers' empathy for animals influences the adoption of animal welfare practices. An extensive overview of how the farm animal welfare concepts have been perceived by farmers and a thematic analysis of the characteristics that influence this perception can lead to future directions on implementation of farm animal welfare innovation.  The review further highlights the need for promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and stakeholder participation. This study suggests strategies to improve farm animal welfare, including tools to support behavioral changes amongst farmers.
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Porcine Stroke Models
In the search of animal stroke models providing translational advantages for biomedical research, pigs are large mammals with interesting brain characteristics and wide social acceptance. Compared to rodents, pigs have human-like highly gyrencephalic brains. In addition, increasingly through phylogeny, animals have more sophisticated white matter connectivity; thus, ratios of white-to-gray matter in humans and pigs are higher than in rodents. Swine models provide the opportunity to study the effect of stroke with emphasis on white matter damage and neuroanatomical changes in connectivity, and their pathophysiological correlate.
  • 1.2K
  • 23 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle
Methane is a potent greenhouse (GHG) gas 28 times more potent than CO2 in producing global warming. Methane (CH4) is produced naturally by beef cattle during the fermentation and digestion of their diet, and most of it is belched to the atmosphere. In 2005 cattle emitted 4.6 gigatonnes CO2 equivalent, from which 2.5 gigatonnes originated from beef and 2.1 gigatonnes from dairy cattle, whereas small ruminants and buffalos emitted 0.47 and 0.62 gigatonnes CO2 equivalents, respectively. Thus, cattle contributed about 9.4% of the total global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, methane included, in 2005. Ruminant nutritionists have developed different strategies, which include the use of antibiotics, plant secondary metabolites such as tannins, and other chemical compounds, like nitrate, to manipulate rumen fermentation and reduce CH4 emissions and climate change. Mitigating GHGs such as methane (CH4) originating from the beef cattle industry, offers an opportunity to reduce GHG emissions and climate change over the short term.  Further, for the last two decades, scientists have been evaluating the potential of natural feed additives such as herbs and plant extracts, which have also been used for centuries for various purposes in human diets. So, the purpose of this entry is to demonstrate the in vivo the antimethanogenic effects of Cymbopogon citratus, Matricaria chamomilla and Cosmos bipinnatus in beef cattle fed a finishing diet high in concentrates (forage:concentrate (F:C) ratio of 19.4:80.6) and the effects of increasing supplementation levels of C. citratus, i.e., 0%, 2%, 3% and 4% of the daily DMI, on enteric CH4 emissions from beef cattle fed a total mixed ration (TMR) with an F:C ratio of 50.7:49.3. 
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Road Mortality for Hedgehogs
Transport infrastructure is a pervasive element in modern landscapes and continues to expand to meet the demands of a growing human population and its associated resource consumption. Road-induced mortality is often thought to be a major contributor to the marked declines of European hedgehog populations. This review synthesizes available evidence on the population-level impacts of road mortality and the threat to population viability for the five hedgehog species in Europe. Local and national studies suggest that road mortality can cause significant depletions in population sizes, predominantly removing adult males. Traffic collisions are a probable cause of fragmentation effects, subsequently undermining ecological processes such as dispersal, as well as the genetic variance and fitness of isolated populations. Further studies are necessary to improve population estimates and explicitly examine the consequences of sex- and age-specific mortality rates. Hedgehogs have been reported to use crossing structures, such as road tunnels, yet evaluations of mitigation measures for population survival probability are largely absent. This highlights the need for robust studies that consider population dynamics and genetics in response to mitigation. In light of ongoing declines of hedgehog populations, it is paramount that applied research is prioritised and integrated into a holistic spatial planning process.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Sep 2020
Topic Review
The effect of elastase and its inhibition by sivelestat in equine endometrosis
Metallopeptidases (MMP-2 and -9) are enzymes involved in ECM remodeling. The modulation of elastase-induced deleterious effect on ECM and MMPs could be important for the prevention of fibrosis development. The selective inhibitor sivelestat is known to inhibit elastase activity.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Bimodal Processing and Learning in Insect Models
The study of sensory systems in insects has a long-spanning history of almost an entire century. Olfaction, vision, and gustation are thoroughly researched in several robust insect models and new discoveries are made every day on the more elusive thermo- and mechano-sensory systems. Few specialized senses such as hygro- and magneto-reception are also identified in some insects. In light of recent advancements in the scientific investigation of insect behavior, it is not only important to study sensory modalities individually, but also as a combination of multimodal inputs. This is of particular significance, as a combinatorial approach to study sensory behaviors mimics the real-time environment of an insect with a wide spectrum of information available to it. As a fascinating field that is recently gaining new insight, multimodal integration in insects serves as a fundamental basis to understand complex insect behaviors including, but not limited to navigation, foraging, learning, and memory. 
  • 1.2K
  • 01 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Circadian Physiological Actions in Pigs
Circadian rhythms exist in almost all types of cells in mammals. Thousands of genes exhibit approximately 24-h oscillations in their expression levels, making the circadian clock a crucial regulator of their normal functioning. Identification of environmental and physiological inputs that affect circadian gene expressions will help development of novel targets and the corresponding approaches to optimize production efficiency in pigs.
  • 1.2K
  • 20 Mar 2021
Topic Review
One Health in Companion Animals
Background: Over time the human–animal bond has been changed. For instance, the role of pets has changed from work animals (protecting houses, catching mice) to animals with a social function, giving companionship. Pets can be important for the physical and mental health of their owners but may also transmit zoonotic infections. The One Health initiative is a worldwide strategy for expanding collaborations in all aspects of health care for humans, animals, and the environment. However, in One Health communications the role of particularly dogs and cats is often underestimated. Objective: Evaluation of positive and negative One Health issues of the human–companion animal relationship with a focus on zoonotic aspects of cats and dogs in industrialized countries. Method: Literature review. Results: Pets undoubtedly have a positive e ect on human health, while owners are increasing aware of pet’s health and welfare. The changing attitude of humans with regard to pets and their environment can also lead to negative e ffects such as changes in feeding practices, extreme breeding, and behavioral problems, and anthropozoonoses. For the human, there may be a higher risk of the transmission of zoonotic infections due to trends such as sleeping with pets, allowing pets to lick the face or wounds, bite accidents, keeping exotic animals, the importation of rescue dogs, and soil contact. Conclusions: One Health issues need frequently re-evaluated as the close human–animal relationship with pet animals can totally di er compared to decennia ago. Because of the changed human–companion animal bond, recommendations regarding responsible pet-ownership, including normal hygienic practices, responsible breeding, feeding, housing, and mental and physical challenges conforming the biology of the animal are required. Education can be performed by vets and physicians as part of the One Health concept.
  • 1.2K
  • 06 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Methyl Benzoate
Benzoates (naturally occurring plant toxins) produce pesticidal effects on various pest insects and mites, but their effects on non-target insects are poorly understood. In this study, we evaluate the lethal and sublethal toxicity of methyl benzoate (MB) to adults of the generalist predatory bug Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae).To assess lethal effects, N. tenuis was exposed to plant surfaces treated with 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% MB, as well as negative and positive controls (water and the neonicotinoid acetamiprid, respectively). Exposure to 1% MB resulted in the highest corrected mortality of 17.8% and 13.3% under laboratory and greenhouse conditions, respectively. Thus, 1% MB can be classified as harmless to N. tenuis according to the International Organization for Biological Control rating scheme. At the sublethal level, MB exposure did not significantly affect the consumption of eggs of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci by N. tenuis relative to negative control feeding rates. In contrast, acetamiprid at the manufacturer’s recommended concentration reduced N. tenuis feeding activity by 45.4%. Furthermore, in a Y-tube olfactometer assay, there were no significant differences between the olfactory responses of N. tenuis to MB concentrations and the negative control (water). This study, therefore, suggests that MB could be used safely for pest control in combination with N. tenuis.
  • 1.2K
  • 01 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Fire Ant
Red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren (hereafter, fire ants), are a significant threat to public health and a danger to livestock, pets and wildlife due to their venomous stings. Fire ants are also a significant agricultural pest because they can damage many crops. As one of the worst invasive species, fire ants, which are originally from South America, have been introduced into many countries and regions and have become an important global pest.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Feb 2021
Topic Review
L-Arginine Supplementation during Late Gestation
Arginine is one of the functional amino acids that enhances the growth of fetus and placenta development. Since the fetal growth and the nutrient requirement for fetuses are increased hugely during the late gestation period in high-prolific sows, supplementation of L-arginine could have a positive influence on the reproductive performance of sows and piglet uniformity.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Aug 2020
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