Dog attachment to man: A comparison between pet and working dogs

Shared activities are known to create a good relationship between dog and man. Therefore, it can be expected that animals working in harness with their handlers, such as search and rescue dogs, show a higher attachment to man.The aim of the current research was to assess whether there are differences between pet and working dogs in the attachment to owners/handlers.Forty dogs were involved, 26 pets and 14 search and rescue dogs (taken home when not working). Their attachment to owners/handlers was analyzed by using a modified version of the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test and a recall test, while owners and handlers filled in a questionnaire and were scored on the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale.Statistical analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between pet and working dogs for behaviors indicating an attachment bond: behavior oriented to door/chair/shoe during the absence of owner/handler (which represents “search of absent person”; U = 132.000, P = 0.156), contact with/proximity to owner/handler (i.e., “contact maintenance effect”; U = 157.000, P = 0.478), whining during owner's/handler's absence (“protest at the separation”; U = 147.000, P = 0.288), and individual play (U = 146.000, P = 0.288) and exploration (U = 138.500, P = 0.215) in presence of owner/handler, representing the “secure base effect.”Despite the lack of statistical differences, the formulated hypothesis may be not completely rejected, as a trend of a higher attachment in search and rescue dogs existed. It can be concluded that in carefully owned dogs, the level of attachment is increased by working as a search and rescue dog, but the difference does not lead to statistically relevant results.     

Cell wall development in the berries of two grapevines

The cell wall content of the berries of grape cultivars ‘Barbera’ and ‘Freisa’ was examined and analyzed during their growth and ripening from July to October.The build-up of cell wall material was much faster in ‘Barbera’ than in ‘Freisa’, and ended 2 weeks before completion of commercial maturity, while in ‘Freisa’ it progressed at a lower rate, but continued up to picking-time. The two most important groups of cell wall polysaccharides were insoluble pectins and hemicellulose. Their behaviour appeared to be always complementary.Cell number per berry apparently decreased steadily in both cultivars, more rapidly in ‘Freisa’ than in ‘Barbera’. The reason for this is not certain, but appears to be due either to cell fusion or to cell squeezing. The average number of cells per berry in both cultivars was of the same order of magnitude, and in agreement with the findings of other authors.     

Heartworm disease in dogs: unusual clinical cases

Two unusual cases of heartworm infection are described, including one of spontaneous rupture of cardiac chambers, most likely due to the progressive increase in pressure within the right ventricle caused by Dirofilaria immitis infection. Another case report describes persistent left cranial vena cava, which interfered with the surgical removal of heartworm via the left jugular vein.     

Impact and control of the cone tortricid Pseudococcyx tessulatana (Staudinger), damaging the cone crop of a selected clone of cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.) in Italy

The green cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) is of great interest for ornamental, reforestation and windbreak use in the whole Mediterranean basin. In Italy, seed material selected for resistance to the fungus Seiridium cardinale is produced in seed orchards by controlled crosses of parent trees. The insect pest showing the highest impact on seed cone production is Pseudococcyx tessulatana (Lep.; Tortricidae), which attacks cones during the initial growth period as well as full-grown cones. The impact on the seed cone crop of the tortricid was estimated on a clone patented for its resistance to cypress canker (Agrimed 1). The attack was inversely related to the cone crop, as it concerned 36.7% of cones in 1999 (high crop year) and the 66% in 2000 (low crop year). In both years, about 90% of the surveyed branches revealed cones attacked by P. tessulatana by the 1^st life-cycle larvae, whereas only 40% of branches were also attacked by the larvae of the 2^nd life cycle. The highest attack rate per branch was always observed on branches bearing a low number of cones. The potential of two control methods against P. tessulatana to protect cones which result from crossing a mother tree Agrimed 1 with selected father trees was also evaluated in 2000. The protection given by a sleeve surrounding the branch was almost complete (0.4% cone mortality), whereas a cone mortality of 24.3% was observed on branches treated by the insecticide diflubenzuron. Sleeves appear to be useful to protect branches on which special crosses were done, but are expensive and time-consuming and may favour the attack of the mealybug Planococcus vovae inside the sleeve. The insecticide application may represent a valid alternative, especially when protection should be directed toward a high number of branches.     

Control of musth in an Asian elephant bull (Elephas maximus) using leuprolide acetate.

The results of long-term administration of leuprolide acetate (LA) depot in a 52-yr-old Asian elephant bull (Elephas maximus) for control of musth are presented. Twelve injections were administered for 6 yr during our interpretation of early musth or "premusth." Intervals between musth periods during the study varied from 2 to 34 mo. Blood samples, drawn weekly, were assayed for serum testosterone concentrations; mean levels were 11.78 +/- 1.97 nmol/L throughout the first 26 mo of the study, 7.28 +/- 1.28 nmol/L during the following 21 mo, and 0.45 +/- 0.035 nmol/L in the last 34 mo of this study. Early musth signs ceased within 3 days of drug administration after 10 of 12 injections. The mean serum testosterone concentrations were significantly decreased by the last 34 mo of the study. The results suggest leuprolide is a suitable alternative for controlling or preventing (or both) musth in captive Asian elephants, although permanent reproductive effects may occur. Zoos and wildlife conservation institutions could benefit from the use of LA in Asian elephants to increase the male availability in captivity, consequently ensuring genetic diversity and the perpetuation of the species.     

ULTRASONOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF PERITONEAL CESTODIASIS CAUSED BY MESOCESTOIDES SP. IN A DOG AND IN A CAT

Peritoneal infections caused by Mesocestoides spp. are rare in dogs and cats. Little data exist on the role of abdominal ultrasonography for diagnosis and therapy management of the disease. We describe the ultrasonographic features of peritoneal cestodiasis in a dog and in a cat. In the dog, abdominal ultrasound allowed both a presumptive diagnosis and the collection of tissue samples to confirm peritoneal larval infection. Ultrasound was also very useful for therapy management. In the second patient the ultrasonographic features of tetrathyridial infection in a cat in which the parasite was observed as an incidental finding during ovariohysterectomy are described.     

Activatable Shiga toxin 2d (Stx2d) in STEC strains isolated from cattle and sheep at slaughter

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) harbouring the stx(2d-activatable) gene and expressing the mucus- and elastase-activatable phenotype have been associated with severe outcomes of human disease. However, there is limited data available on the occurrence of such strains in livestock reservoirs. In this study, we analyzed 11 STEC strains isolated from healthy cattle and sheep at slaughter that were originally detected to contain the stx(2c) allele, for the presence of the stx(2d-activatable) genotype. Ten of the eleven strains displayed the stx(2d-activatable) genotype as determine by PstI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of 890-bp fragments of their stx genes. However, only in 6 of the 10 strains whose stx genes were sequenced, the presence of stx(2d-activatable) could be confirmed based on the predicted amino acid sequence of their StxA subunits; the remaining four strains contained Stx2c A subunit. Five of the six strains which contained stx(2d-activatable) displayed the activatable phenotype on Vero cells. Genes for adhesins such as the outer membrane protein intimin (eae), which is essential for the intimate attachment and the formation of attaching-and-effacing lesions on intestinal epithelial cells, or the STEC autoagglutinating adhesin (saa), potentially important in eae-negative STEC, were not detected. Moreover, all the strains tested negative for EHEC-hlyA encoding enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) hemolysin. To our knowledge, this is the first study that reports the presence of STEC harbouring stx(2d-activatable) and producing the activatable Stx2d in fecal samples of sheep. Therefore both cattle and sheep are reservoirs of such strains and potential sources of human infections. This is of particular importance, because in contrast to other eae-negative STEC, strains producing Stx2d(activatable) may cause severe diseases such as bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic uremic syndrome in humans.