Bilateral intracorporeally sutured inguinal herniorrhaphy using 3-dimensional laparoscopy in a dog

A 7-month-old, intact male, mixed breed dog with bilateral inguinal hernias underwent general anesthesia for laparoscopic bilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy via a 3-port approach. A 3-dimensional laparoscopic system was used to perform the procedure immediately following prescrotal open castration. Intracorporeal suturing with polypropylene was performed, and 2 cruciate sutures were placed to close each inguinal ring. The caudal aspect of each inguinal ring was left slightly open so as not to disrupt the passage or patency of vessels and nerves. No intra- or post-operative complications occurred. One year after surgery, the dog has no evidence of recurrence of the inguinal hernias.Key clinical message:This case report demonstrates a novel minimally invasive approach to inguinal herniorrhaphy in a dog with no reported complications and a good long-term outcome. Intracorporeally sutured inguinal herniorrhaphy is feasible in dogs with good results, although additional cases are needed to gain experience with this technique in dogs with varying presentations of inguinal hernias.     

Body condition scoring (BCS) in corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) and comparison to pre-existing body condition index (BCI) for snakes

In the veterinary profession, the body condition score (BCS) plays an important role in the assessment of patients. It is a subjective, tactile method of evaluating body fat and muscle mass and is used in numerous species. Recognizing obesity (or the contrary, emaciation) is important for veterinarians treating reptiles and could be facilitated by a BCS. An existing form of body condition assessment already used is the body condition index (BCI), where the residuals from a regression of body mass on body length are calculated. Therefore, the goal of this study was to provide practitioners with a BCS system for corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) and to test it against the BCI. A total of 22 corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus), stationed at the “Auffangstation für Reptilien” in Munich (reptile rescue centre, RRC), were subject of this study. Each had the following measurements taken: body weight (BW), snout–tail tip length (STL), snout–vent length (SVL) and circumference in the middle (C). Manual palpation of spine, area between vertebral spinous and transverse process, ribs and neck of each snake was performed by three veterinarians and assigned to specific scores by each examiner. A BCS (mean of examiners’ scores) was given to each snake according to manual palpation. The BCS system was chosen to be out of 5 in 0.5-point steps with 2.5 considered as ideal BCS. In the studied snakes, the BCS ranged from 1.5 to 3.5, with a median of 2.5. The median BW was 309 g (75–967 g), the median STL was 123 cm (79–153 cm), the median SVL was 104 cm (73–133 cm) and the median C was 7.5 cm (4.3–11 cm). BCS and BCI were positively correlated. A BCS includes a manual palpation of the animal and thus gives the examiner additional information to the objectively measured/calculated index.     

Local adaptation studies and conservation: Parasite–host interactions between the endangered freshwater mussel Unio crassus and its host fish

1. Parasite–host interactions can involve strong reciprocal selection pressure, and may lead to locally adapted specializations. The highly threatened unionoid mussels are temporary parasites on fish, but local adaptation has not yet been investigated for many species.
2. Patterns of local adaptation of one of Europe's most threatened unionoids, the thick‐shelled river mussel (Unio crassus) were investigated. Eurasian minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus) from two rivers (separate drainage areas) were cross‐infested in the laboratory with sympatric and allopatric mussel larvae, while bullheads (Cottus gobio), inhabiting only one of the rivers, were infested with sympatric or allopatric mussel larvae. Larval encystment, juvenile mussel excystment and survival were measured.
3. For one river, but not the other, juvenile excystment from P. phoxinus was highest when infested with sympatric mussels. The opposite pattern was found for C. gobio in this river, where juvenile excystment and post‐parasitic juvenile survival from allopatric C. gobio were highest. The results thus cannot confirm local adaptation of U. crassus to P. phoxinus in the study rivers, as excystment was not consistently higher in all sympatric mussel–host combinations, whereas there were potential maladaptive signs of U. crassus in relation to C. gobio. There was no loss of encysted larvae 3 days after infestation until juvenile excystment. Most juveniles were excysted between 17 and 29 days after infestation, and the numbers of excysted juveniles increased with fish size.
4. The results have implications for parasite–host ecology and conservation management with regard to unionoid propagation and re‐introduction. This includes the need to (1) test suitability and adaptation patterns between U. crassus and multiple host fish species, (2) evaluate the suitability of certain unionoids and host fish strains after more than 3 days, and (3) determine whether large fish produce more juvenile mussels than smaller fish.

     

Comparative survival and growth performance of European lobster Homarus gammarus post‐larva reared on novel feeds

One approach to ongrow juvenile European lobster, Homarus gammarus, is to utilize land based rearing systems, incorporating automated feeding, individual culture and provision of stable pelleted feeds, preferably using sustainable ingredients. We initiated three feeding experiments to investigate the general suitability of ingredients produced from seafood by‐products as novel feeds for H. gammarus, in terms of promoting survival, development and growth of post‐larval lobsters from post‐larvae (PL) stage IV to the first juvenile stage (stage V). The first experiment was designed to screen an array of candidate, locally produced, novel protein sources on growth performance parameters. This initial experiment revealed that PL reared on a raw (i.e. wet, unprocessed shrimp) feed used as a reference showed superior performance to those reared on experimental feeds containing fishmeal, herring protein isolate or mussel meal; however, a novel type of shrimp meal, produced by flocculation from waste water, promoted the best PL performance of any experimental feed. A second experiment was designed to test the effect of drying method and to optimize the form of a wet shrimp reference feed used by lobster hatcheries. This showed that the performance of PL reared on experimental freeze‐dried shrimp feed was not significantly different to those reared on the wet, unprocessed shrimp used as a reference feed. However, lobsters offered experimental oven‐dried shrimp feed (with or without an immune supplement) resulted in significantly lower survival or growth performance. A third and final experiment was designed in an attempt to improve a candidate herring‐based protein source, by supplementing with nutrients found in shrimp. However, the results showed that PL reared on the wet reference shrimp feed still showed superior growth and survival than those reared on a herring feed alone, or supplemented with additives found in shrimp meal (either glucosamine, astaxanthin or both supplements combined). The high survival and growth, low incidence of moulting problems and high availability of waste shrimp material, suggest that non‐heat‐treated shrimp products are a promising feed ingredient for post‐larval European lobsters.     

Effects of Natural and Artificial Colorants on Hot Smoked Garfish—Belone belone (Linnaeus, 1761)—Stored at 4 ± 1ºC

In this study, the effects of natural and artificial colorants on the shelf life of hot smoked garfish were investigated in terms of its chemical, microbiological, and sensory quality. Turmeric and Sunset Yellow FCF were used as the natural and artificial colorants, respectively. The amount of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA), counts of total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, total psychrophilic aerobic bacteria, total yeast and molds increased during the storage (p < 0.05). The results showed that turmeric and Sunset Yellow FCF had a significant effect on pH value and salt content of hot smoked garfish samples during storage (p < 0.05). According to the sensory analysis results, the shelf life of hot smoked garfish stored at 4 ± 1ºC was determined as 17 days.     

Determination of amino acid and fatty acid composition of goldband goatfish [Upeneus moluccensis (Bleeker, 1855)] fishing from the Gulf of Antalya (Turkey)

In this study, we aimed to determine the basic food components, fatty acids and amino acids, and variations in these components with months in goldband goatfish (Upeneus moluccensis) that fishing from Gulf of Antalya. As a result of the analyzes, the crude fat values were determined between 1.43 and 3.78%, and the crude protein values were determined between 20.79 and 22.16%. The most abundant fatty acids were determined: palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), palmitoleic acid (C16:1c9), oleic acid (C18:1c9), linoleic acid (C18:2n-6), eicosatrienoic acid (C20:3n-3), arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6), eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3), docosapentaenoic acid (C22:5n-6), and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3). The most abundant amino acids were determined lysine and leucine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, and glycine. The differentiations of essential nutrient components, fatty acids, and amino acids were found generally significant (P < 0.05).

     

Assessment of microbial biocontrol agent (BCA) viability to mechanical and thermal stress by simulating spray application conditions

Background

In order to improve the biological control agent (BCA) efficacy, stress factors threatening the viability of microorganisms during spray application need to be determined. The effect of spray mixture temperature and exposure time on Trichoderma harzianum T 22 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST713 viability were tested. Concurrently the combined effect of mechanical and thermal stress effect on BCA viability were tested at two initial spray mixture temperatures (14 and 25 °C) by simulating a spray application using airblast sprayers featured by different tank capacity and a spray liquid circuit (without and with hydraulic agitation system). To assess the BCA microorganism viability, spray mixture samples were collected at time intervals along trials and plated to count the colony forming units (CFU).

Results

The critical temperature threshold that inhibited BCA viability was 35 °C with 30 min of exposure. The sprayer type, the initial temperature of the spray mixture and the temperature increment during the trials significantly decreased the number of CFU recovered. When simulating a spray application, the spray mixture temperature increase rate was determined mainly by the residual amount of spray mixture in the tank. Even if the tank capacity does not substantially affect the final temperature reached by the spray mixture, the higher residual spray mixture in bigger tanks can expose the BCAs for a longer time to critical temperatures.

Conclusions

Experimental trials allowed us to identify the effect of factors affecting the viability of tested BCAs, providing information about the actual chance to guarantee the biological efficacy of BCA treatments. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Genotype,production system and sex effects on fatty acid composition of meat from goat kids

Two trials were performed to assess the meat fatty acid profile of goat kids from different genotypes, production systems and sex. In the first trial, genotype effect was determined in 24 suckling male kids from Turkish Saanen, Maltese and Gokceada breeds. In the second trial, male and female Gokceada Goat kids were used to compare the effect of extensive and semi‐intensive production systems on fatty acid composition of meat. Significant genotype effect was observed in the percentages of myristic acid (C14:0), palmitic acid (C16:0), oleic acid (C18:1 n‐9), linolenic acid (C18:3 n‐3), arachidonic acid (C20:4 n‐6) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6 n‐3), despite no differences on the ratios of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids (PUFA/SFA) and n‐6/n‐3 (P > 0.05). The effect of production system had also significant effects on fatty acids, but sex only influenced significantly stearic acid (C18:0), C18:1 n‐9 and C18:3 n‐3 fatty acids and total PUFA level and PUFA/SFA ratio. This study confirms that dairy breeds are prone to produce higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids in their muscle. Meanwhile, meat from Gokceada goat kids, which is one of the indigenous breeds in Turkey, had similar PUFA/SFA and n‐6/n‐3 ratios to Turkish Saanen and Maltase.