Progesterone supplementation during mid-gestation increases the risk of abortion in Neospora-infected dairy cows with high antibody titres

Progesterone has been reported to reduce Th1 responses during pregnancy. Thus, given that an excessive Th1 response could lead to abortion in Neospora-infected dairy cows, we hypothesized a reduction in abortion risk following progesterone supplementation during the mid-gestation period in these animals. Seropositive animals were assigned on day 120 of gestation to a Control (n=33) or Treatment (n=34) group. Treatment consisted of progesterone supplementation by fitting a progesterone releasing intravaginal device containing 1.55g of progesterone for 28 days. Mean Neospora caninum antibody titres tested by ELISA on days 40, 90 and 120 of gestation were used to classify the cows as showing high (> or =30 units) or low (<30 units) titration. Abortion rate showed a significant increase (P<0.01) in the Treatment group (35%) compared to the Control (9%). Using logistic regression procedures, there was a significant (P<0.0001) interaction between progesterone treatment and antibody titration. Progesterone-treated cows with a high antibody titre showed a likelihood of abortion 14.3 times higher than those not treated, while in cows with low antibody titres, exogenous progesterone had not effect. Our results do not support our starting hypothesis and suggest that progesterone supplementation in cows with high N. caninum antibody titres increases the risk of abortion possibly by affecting cell-mediated immune responses.     

Dynamics of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies during gestation in chronically infected dairy cows

The dynamics of antibody production against Neospora caninum during the gestation period was examined in chronically infected dairy cows. Data were obtained from 86 pregnant parous dairy cows, 21 of which had suffered abortion. The cows belonged to two herds in which a diagnosis of N. caninum infection had been previously confirmed in aborted foetuses. Pregnancy diagnosis and blood collection were performed on post-insemination Days 40, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, and at parturition or until the time of abortion detection. Blood plasma was tested for antibodies against N. caninum using ELISA. The non-aborting cows were divided into two groups according to whether their antibody values in the second half of gestation had increased or not, while aborting cows were classified as those showing an antibody peak before abortion or those not showing a pre-abortion peak. Differences in antibody values throughout pregnancy in each group of non-aborting and aborting cows were analysed by GLM repeated measures of analysis of variance. While 32 non-aborting cows (49%) showed a significant and consistent increase in anti-Neospora antibody values during the second half of gestation, antibody values in the remaining 33 non-aborting cows were practically constant throughout gestation. An antibody peak around abortion was observed in 11 aborting cows (52%), while antibody values in the remaining 10 aborting cows were similar before and at abortion. Seroprevalence fluctuations, defined as seronegative blood samples at some point during the gestation period, were, furthermore, observed in 2 aborting and 11 non-aborting cows. Our results indicate two clearly distinguishable types of humoral immune dynamics throughout gestation: an increased or flat production of antibodies during the second half of gestation in non-aborting animals and before abortion in aborting cows. The observation that some Neospora-infected dams can exhibit negative antibody values at any time during gestation, particularly at parturition or abortion, prompts future studies designed to explore the use of new ELISA strategies at the farm level.     

Age-related changes in the brain of the dog.

Although many age-related changes have been described in the nervous system of different species, few authors have specifically studied the topic. Knowledge of such changes is essential to veterinary pathologists, who must distinguish the lesions of specific pathologic processes from those arising as a result of normal aging. The brains of 20 old dogs, ranging in age from 8 to 18 years, were compared with those of 10 young dogs using routine staining techniques (hematoxilin and eosin, periodic acid-Schiff), special staining techniques (periodic acid-methenamine silver stain), and immunohistochemical techniques to detect glial fibrillary acid protein, neurofilaments, ubiquitin, and beta-amyloid. Changes affected meninges and choroid plexuses, meningeal and parenchymal vessels, neurons, and glial cells. Of special interest was the presence of polyglucosan bodies, cerebrovascular amyloid deposition, senile plaques, and ubiquitinated bodies. Some of the age-related changes found, particularly lipofuscin, polyglucosan bodies, and beta-amyloid protein deposition, may play a role in the pathogenesis of the canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome. The dog could be used as a natural animal model for the study of normal aging and human neurodegenerative diseases.     

Overlooked impacts and challenges of the new European discard ban

Discards are the portion of animal and plant material in the catch that is dumped back at sea. The Common Fisheries Policy plan proposed by the European Commission for 2014–2020 presents a controversial goal: to enforce the landing of fishing discards as a measure to encourage their reduction. This historical and political decision will shape the future of the fishing exploitation in European Seas. Discards generated by European fleets are not negligible, and its reduction is an ecological, socioeconomical and moral imperative. However, it must be achieved through the reduction in discards at source and the promotion of selective and non‐destructive gears. We argue it is doubtful that this discard ban will result in an effective reduction of discards. The proposed measure may, in fact, negatively affect ecosystems at all levels of biological hierarchy by disregarding the Ecosystem‐Based Approach to Fisheries and the Precautionary Principle. It could negatively impact several species by increasing fishing mortality, also commercial species if discards are not accounted in the total allowable catch. Communities preying on discards will likely be affected. The role discards currently play in the energy turnover of current ecosystems will be modified and should be fully evaluated. The landing of discards will likely generate new markets of fishmeal due to the growing demands for marine living resources. The ban will require substantial public investment to deal with technical problems on board and to control and enforce. Therefore, this measure should be only implemented after rigorous scientific and technical studies have been developed.     

Ecology of Armillaria species on silver fir (Abies alba) in the Spanish Pyrenees

? We describe the distribution and the ecology of three Armillaria species observed in silver fir (Abies alba) forests of the Pyrenees.

? We surveyed the presence and abundance of Armillaria above and belowground in 29 stands. Isolates were identified by the PCR-RFLP pattern of the IGS-1 region of their ribosomal DNA. We measured several ecological and management parameters of each stand in order to describe Armillaria infected sites.

? Armillaria cepistipes was the most abundant of three species observed. Armillaria gallica was dominant in soils with a higher pH and at lower elevations. Armillaria ostoyae seemed to be more frequent in stands where A. alba recently increased its dominance relative to other forest tree species. Thinning activities correlated with an increased abundance of Armillaria belowground. In 83% of the stands the same Armillaria species was observed above and belowground.

? It seems that in a conifer forest, A. cepistipes can be more frequent than A. ostoyae, a virulent conifer pathogen. Since logging is related to a higher abundance of Armillaria in the soil, the particular Armillaria species present in a given stand could be considered an additional site factor when making management decisions.

     

Resolving differing stakeholder perceptions of urban rooftop farming in Mediterranean cities: promoting food production as a driver for innovative forms of urban agriculture

Urban agriculture (UA) is spreading within the Global North, largely for food production, ranging from household individual gardens to community gardens that boost neighborhood regeneration. Additionally, UA is also being integrated into buildings, such as urban rooftop farming (URF). Some URF experiences succeed in North America both as private and community initiatives. To date, little attention has been paid to how stakeholders perceive UA and URF in the Mediterranean or to the role of food production in these initiatives. This study examines the promotion and inclusion of new forms of UA through the practice of URF and contributes to the nascent literature on the stakeholder and public perceptions of UA. It seeks to understand how those perceptions shape the development of new urban agriculture practices and projects. Barcelona (Spain) was used as a Mediterranean case study where UA and URF projects are growing in popularity. Through semi-structured interviews with 25 core stakeholders, we show that UA is largely perceived as a social activity rather than a food production initiative, because the planning of urban gardens in Barcelona was traditionally done to achieve leisure and other social goals. However, several stakeholders highlighted the potential to increase urban fertility through URF by occupying currently unused spaces. As a result, the positive valuation of URF depends on the conceptualization of UA as a social or food production activity. In turn, such conceptualization shapes barriers and opportunities for the development of URF. While most UA-related stakeholders (e.g., food co-ops, NGOs) preferred soil-based UA, newer stakeholders (e.g., architects) highlighted the economic, social and environmental opportunities of local and efficient food production through innovative URF.