Towards an GMO Discipline: Ethical Remarks

The present technological transformation calls for a new kind of vet: he has to accomplish his own institutional tasks bearing in mind the definition of a “good practice” code and also performing educational and informative tasks in zootechny in order to ensure the animal well-being.

Therefore, his contribution can be relevant in developing and interpreting laws related to the protection of animal welfare and further considerations on the ethical and deontological thought, concerning the technological use of animals.

The vet's role is also fundamental in the following areas: further study of bioethical issues related to zootechny and the professional growth of whoever is engaged, in different ways, in productive activities and research on animals.

     

Towards an GMO discipline: ethical remarks

The present technological transformation calls for a new kind of vet: he has to accomplish his own institutional tasks bearing in mind the definition of a "good practice" code and also performing educational and informative tasks in zootechnology in order to ensure the animal well-being. Therefore, his contribution can be relevant in developing and interpreting laws related to the protection of animal welfare and further considerations on the ethical and deontological thought, concerning the technological use of animals. The vet's role is also fundamental in the following areas: further study of bioethical issues related to zootechnology and the professional growth of whoever is engaged, in different ways, in productive activities and research on animals.     

鹿、貂、狐、貉养殖业应纳入畜牧业范畴

针对近年来养殖界在鹿、貂、狐、貉等特种经济动物的管理体制和执法上产生的争议,较系统地阐述了野生动物和家畜(禽)的区别,野生动物驯养繁殖与养殖业的关系等有关学术概念,并对生产技术成熟,已形成各自独立产业的鹿、狐、貂等特种经济动物在管理体制上存在的问题,提出了按照《畜牧法》和相关畜牧兽医法律法规进行管理的合理化建议。     

Environmental hygiene tasks of the veterinarian in practice]

Apart from his direct tasks like treating diseased animals, preservation of animal health, recognition of mal-feeding and failures, recognition of unsuitable keeping systems and acknowledgement of animal welfare the veterinary practitioner can be the environmental-hygienic consultant of the farmer in following areas in particular: management and technique of feeding; management and technique of water supply; management and technique of air quality and ventilation; management and technique of manure handling and hygiene; cleaning and disinfection; deratting and pest control. The aim of these tasks is to diminish the risks/hazards for food products (food control act), the air (emission control act), surface water (law on the water household), ground water (waste control act, law on the water household) and vegetation and soil (waste control act, nature conservation act). Some examples will be given and comments are made on how to run a practice in an environmentally friendly way.     

Fertilization studies and assisted fertilization in mammals: their development and future

Studies of mammalian fertilization progressed very slowly in the beginning because of difficulties in obtaining a large quantity of fully mature eggs at one time. With progression of techniques to collect and handle eggs and spermatozoa, research in mammalian fertilization advanced rapidly. Today, far more papers are published on mammalian gametes and fertilization than those of all other animals combined. The development of assisted fertilization and related technologies revolutionized basic research as well as human reproductive medicine and animal husbandry. Reproduction is fundamental to human and animal lives. The author lists a few subjects of his personal interest for further development of basic and applied research of gametes and fertilization. Each reader will probably have more exciting subjects of future investigation.     

A Qualitative Study of State‐Level Zoonotic Disease Surveillance in New England

Zoonotic diseases are infectious diseases transmittable between animals and humans and outbreaks of these diseases in animals can signify that humans are also infected (or vice versa). Thus, communication between animal and human health agencies is critical for surveillance. Understanding how these agencies conduct surveillance and share information is important for the development of successful automated zoonotic monitoring systems. Individual interviews were conducted with 13 professionals who perform animal or human zoonotic disease surveillance in one of the New England states. Questions centred on existing surveillance methods, collaborations between animal and human health agencies, and technological and data needs. The results showed that agencies routinely communicate over suspected zoonotic disease cases, yet there are barriers preventing automated electronic linking of health data of animals and humans. These include technological barriers and barriers due to sensitivity and confidentiality of information. Addressing these will facilitate the development of electronic systems for integrating animal and human zoonotic disease surveillance data.     

我国草牧业发展理论及科技支撑重点

2015年中央1号文件明确提出"加快发展草牧业"。发展草牧业是我国农业结构调整的重要内容,农业现代化转型发展的重要组成部分,国家草畜产品质量安全和生态安全的重要保障。本文对草牧业的概念进行新的阐释,提出草牧业的概念是草业+草食畜牧业+相关延伸产业的"三合一"产业耦合关系,进一步从草业基础产业论、生态畜产品供需均衡理论、产业技术和产品质量升级刺激经济增长理论、产业融合和耦合理论、创新驱动发展理论等方面论述草牧业是融合多产业的新兴复合产业,其发展主要以生态经济学和发展经济学为理论支撑。同时针对我国草原区、半农半牧区及农区草牧业发展存在的不同瓶颈问题,提出了相关突破性关键技术和优化模式,阐明不同区域发展草牧业的科技支撑重点,为加快推进草牧业健康持续发展提供理论依据和科技支撑。     

角蛋白家族基因及其与动物毛发性状关系的研究进展

角蛋白基因家族由众多结构和功能相似的基因组成,分为角蛋白中间丝蛋白(KIF)和角蛋白关联蛋白(KAP)2个基因家族.角蛋白是动物毛发的结构蛋白,决定毛发纤维的基本特征,是在寻找控制毛皮性状主效基因时的首选候选基因.角蛋白基因的表达与遗传多样性有关,角蛋白的多态性与毛皮动物的毛发性状具有相关性.本文从角蛋白基因的结构与定...     

Animal consumption of antibiotics and chemotherapeutic drugs in Sweden during 1980, 1982 and 1984

The total animal consumption of antibiotic and chemotherapeutic drugs in Sweden during 1980, 1982 and 1984 has been studied. The study also included coccidiostatic, antiparasitic and antimycotic drugs. The total animal consumption during the years mentioned was 66.1, 68.8 and 72.6 tons of active substance, respectively, and the amount of antibacterial drugs for therapy was 28.7 (43.4%), 29.1 (42.5%) and 34.1 (47.0%) tons, respectively. Tetracycline, penicillin, sulphonamide and aminoglycoside were the four major groups of antibiotics used for therapy of bacterial infections in animals. The consumption was related to the metabolic bodyweights of animals which were the potential consumers. A comparison was also made with the corresponding human consumption during 1980. The data on antibiotic consumption can be divided by county and compared to the animal population and disease situation in each county. This study thus offers a good base for further investigations on different aspects of the use of antibiotics.     

The "Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut": past, present and future of research in infectious diseases of animals

The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, founded in 1910 by Friedrich Loeffler, the discoverer of the first animal virus, foot-and-mouth disease virus, is the oldest virological research facility in the world. Beyond viruses, its area of competence has significantly expanded since its foundation and now also covers bacterial, parasitic and prion diseases of livestock, poultry and aquatic animals. Presently located at four sites within Germany (Insel Riems, Jena,Tübingen,Wusterhausen) the tasks of the institute as delineated in the Animal Disease Act encompass research on infectious animal diseases including zoonoses, import/export examinations, epidemiological studies in case of outbreaks of notifiable animal diseases, acting as reference laboratory for notifiable animal diseases and nationwide quality management of diagnosis of notifiable animal diseases. It is obliged to publish and maintain up-to-date diagnostic regimes for notifiable animal diseases, and it publishes a yearly report on animal health in Germany. With the increasing importance of infectious diseases of animals, in particular those potentially harmful to man (zoonoses), the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut will be moving into new facilities including laboratories and animal facilities up to the highest biosafety level at its main site Insel Riems on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.     

Transgenesis may affect farm animal welfare: a case for systematic risk assessment

This paper considers (potentially) harmful consequences of transgenesis for farm animal welfare and examines the strategy of studying health and welfare of transgenic farm animals. Evidence is discussed showing that treatments imposed in the context of farm animal transgenesis are by no means biologically neutral and may compromise animal health and welfare. Factors posing a risk for the welfare of transgenic farm animals include integration of a transgene within an endogenous gene with possible loss of host gene function (insertional mutations), inappropriate transgene expression and exposure of the host to biologically active transgene-derived proteins, and in vitro reproductive technologies employed in the process of generating transgenic farm animals that may result in an increased incidence of difficult parturition and fetal and neonatal losses and the development of unusually large or otherwise abnormal offspring (large offspring syndrome). Critical components of a scheme for evaluating welfare of transgenic farm animals are identified, related to specific characteristics of transgenic animals and to factors that may interact with the effects of transgenesis. The feasibility of an evaluation of welfare of transgenic farm animals in practice is addressed against the background of the objectives and conditions of three successive stages in a long-term transgenic program. Concrete steps with regard to breeding and testing of transgenic farm animals are presented, considering three technologies to generate transgenic founders: microinjection, electroporation and nuclear transfer, and gene targeting including gene knockout. The proposed steps allow for unbiased estimations of the essential treatment effects, including hemi- and homozygous transgene effects as well as effects of in vitro reproductive technologies. It is suggested that the implementation of appropriate breeding and testing procedures should be accompanied by the use of a comprehensive welfare protocol, specifying which parameters to monitor, at which stages of the life of a farm animal, and in how many animals. Some prerequisites and ideas for such a protocol are given. It is anticipated that systematic research into the welfare of farm animals involved in transgenesis will facilitate the use of the safest experimental protocols as well as the selection and propagation of the healthiest animals and, thereby, enable technological progress that could be ethically justified.     

Swiss veterinary drug compendium as a tool for reconversions

The new Swiss ordinance on veterinary drugs poses a new challenge to the veterinarians, specially those working with farm animals. A complete overview about the registered veterinary drugs and immunobiologicals is absolutely necessary to cope with these new tasks: the internet version of the Swiss Veterinary Drug Compendium is a versatile tool to satisfy this needs (http://www.tierarzneimittel.ch). Due to the frequent updates and powerful search possibilities, this database is a reliable and comprehensive information system regarding Swiss veterinary drugs. We will demonstrate how this system can be used as a valuable help in the case of reconversions of drugs (e.g. use of small animal drugs in farm animals).     

Modeling the relationship between food animal health and human foodborne illness

To achieve further reductions in foodborne illness levels in humans, effective pre-harvest interventions are needed. The health status of food animals that are destined to enter the human food supply chain may be an important, although often overlooked, factor in predicting the risk of human foodborne infections. The health status of food animals can potentially influence foodborne pathogen levels in three ways. First, diseased animals may shed higher levels of foodborne pathogens. Second, animals that require further handling in the processing plant to remove affected parts may lead to increased microbial contamination and cross-contamination. Finally, certain animal illnesses may lead to a higher probability of mistakes in the processing plant, such as gastrointestinal ruptures, which would lead to increased microbial contamination and cross-contamination. Consequently, interventions that reduce the incidence of food animal illnesses might also help reduce bacterial contamination on meat, thereby reducing human illness. Some of these interventions, however, might also present a risk to human health. For example, the use of antibiotics in food animals can reduce rates of animal illness but can also select for antibiotic-resistant bacteria which can threaten human treatment options. In this study, we present a mathematical model to evaluate human health risks from foodborne pathogens associated with changes in animal illness. The model is designed so that potential human health risks and benefits from interventions such as the continued use of antibiotics in animal agriculture can be evaluated simultaneously. We applied the model to a hypothetical example of Campylobacter from chicken. In general, the model suggests that very minor perturbations in microbial loads on meat products could have relatively large impacts on human health, and consequently, small improvements in food animal health might result in significant reductions in human illness.     

Use of Transgenic Animals to Improve Human Health and Animal Production

Contents Transgenic animals are more widely used for various purposes. Applications of animal transgenesis may be divided into three major categories: (i) to obtain information on gene function and regulation as well as on human diseases, (ii) to obtain high value products (recombinant pharmaceutical proteins and xeno-organs for humans) to be used for human therapy, and (iii) to improve animal products for human consumption. All these applications are directly or not related to human health. Animal transgenesis started in 1980. Important improvement of the methods has been made and are still being achieved to reduce cost as well as killing of animals and to improve the relevance of the models. This includes gene transfer and design of reliable vectors for transgene expression. This review describes the state of the art of animal transgenesis from a technical point of view. It also reports some of the applications in the medical field based on the use of transgenic animal models. The advance in the generation of pigs to be used as the source of organs for patients and in the preparation of pharmaceutical proteins from milk and other possible biological fluids from transgenic animals is described. The projects in course aiming at improving animal production by transgenesis are also depicted. Some the specific biosafety and bioethical problems raised by the different applications of transgenesis, including consumption of transgenic animal products are discussed.     

褪黑素的生物合成及对繁殖性能的影响

褪黑素是一种广泛存在于动物体内的激素,不仅能够调节动物昼夜节律,还能够从多方面影响动物的繁殖性能,对于季节性繁殖动物,褪黑素根据日照时长的变化表现出抑制或促进繁殖性能的作用。对于幼年动物,褪黑素表现出抑制发情的作用,体成熟后则表现促进发情的作用。褪黑素主要通过下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴调控动物繁殖活动,除此之外,褪黑素还能够直接作用于生殖系统甚至早期胚胎,通过提高组织及细胞抗炎及抗氧化功能来改善动物繁殖性能。目前,褪黑素能够用于治疗精神疾病及炎症、促进畜禽繁殖和调节昼夜节律,是相关研究领域的热门话题。本文详细描述了褪黑素的生物合成以及分泌调控,并结合褪黑素的生理功能,阐述了对动物繁殖性能以及辅助生殖的影响。     

单细胞转录组测序技术及其在动物繁殖中的应用进展

动物繁殖在动物种群发展和生命进化的过程中起到群落延续、物种演化、进化变异等至关重要的作用。繁殖是各种生殖细胞的动态变化和互作效应的结果,对生殖细胞动态变化机制进行解析是了解动物繁殖过程的基础。单细胞转录组测序技术在群体细胞中以单细胞维度深入解读信息,逐步成为解读细胞类群异质性、关键基因筛选、相关通路表达、细胞互作等具有复杂性、多样性、动态性的生物学问题的首要选择。目前,单细胞转录组测序技术已经开始从动物生殖细胞的角度对动物繁殖的相关机制进行更深入的探究,以此进一步研究动物繁殖的相关过程。因此,本文主要对单细胞转录组测序技术的相关内容以及其在动物繁殖中的相关应用进行总结。     

The face of animal cognition

As an increasing number of researchers investigate the cognitive abilities of an ever‐wider range of animals, animal cognition is currently among the most exciting fields within animal behavior. Tinbergen would be proud: all four of his approaches are being pursued and we are learning much about how animals collect information and how they use that information to make decisions for their current and future states as well as what animals do not perceive or choose to ignore. Here I provide an overview of this productivity, alighting only briefly on any single example, to showcase the diversity of species, of approaches and the sheer mass of research effort currently under way. We are getting closer to understanding the minds of other animals and the evolution of cognition at an increasingly rapid rate.     

内蒙古呼伦贝尔市饲料行业发展现状分析

畜牧业赖以生存和发展的基础是饲料,一旦饲料质量出现问题,就会影响畜牧业可持续健康发展。而饲料行业是推动和发展现代畜牧业的重要引擎,是农业产业链中的重要环节,其决定了畜牧业发展的水平,关系着经济发展水平和人民生活水平的提高。阐述了内蒙古呼伦贝尔市饲料行业发展态势及存在的主要问题,并对饲料行业的发展现状进行了分析研究。     

Is dietary choice important to animal welfare?

Scientific interest in farm animal welfare has grown rapidly in recent years because consumers increasingly demand that farm animals are reared, transported, and slaughtered in a humane way. Additionally, nutrition emerges as an important aspect of welfare since in most codes of recommendations for the welfare of animals, adequate nutrition is one of the primary requirements to be satisfied. We submit that in many cases domestic animals are provided with diets that, even when abundant and nutritious, are not necessarily adequate to foster the welfare of animals. The monotonous diets fed in confinement (total mixed rations) and on pasture (monocultures) often contain excesses of nutrients, nutrient imbalances, and toxins that adversely influence animal welfare. How much of any food an animal can eat will depend on the other foods it consumes, because at the biochemical level, nutrients and toxins interact one with another—nutrients with nutrients, nutrients with toxins, and toxins with toxins. Food intake and preference also depend on differences in how individual animals are built morphologically and how they function physiologically, and marked variation is common even among closely related animals relative to the needs for nutrients and tolerance to toxins. An integral part of an animal's ability to meet its particular nutritional requirements and consume substances that improve health depends on having a variety of foods available so each animal can select a diet that best meets its homeostatic needs. Food choice may also offer animals a means to cope with toxins, as certain food combinations have the potential to ameliorate the negative effects of toxins. We suggest that the availability of alternatives may not only contribute to maintain homeostasis but also reduce levels of stress. Thus, food choice is necessary for individual animals to have freedom to express their normal behaviors. We contend this freedom enables the uniqueness of individuals to be manifest, thereby promoting animal welfare and performance and increasing profitability of the people who manage animals.