Characteristics of two duck farming systems in the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam: stationary flocks and moving flocks, and their potential relevance to the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza

Ducks are considered to play a major role in the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in Viet Nam, but detailed information on their management is limited. We distinguished two different systems (1) stationary duck flocks that are not commonly driven to rice fields beyond village boundaries and that are confined overnight on farms and (2) moving duck flocks that are intentionally driven to rice fields beyond village boundaries, that are not returning to home farms for extended periods and that are housed overnight in temporary enclosures in rice paddies. A total of 115 stationary and 22 moving flock farmers were interviewed in 2007 in the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam. Moving duck flocks are larger than stationary flocks, which is indicative of their more commercial production. Moving flock farmers apparently are more aware of HPAI risks than stationary flock farmers, as their flocks are more likely fully vaccinated and have less contact with chickens during scavenging. On the other hand, the spread of HPAI virus between birds might be promoted by moving duck flocks as they repeatedly use transport vehicles and numerous rice paddies for scavenging and are often visited by hatchery owners in the field for purchasing duck eggs. In addition, long distances travelled by moving duck flocks might also result in widespread dissemination of HPAI virus. Further studies are necessary to describe HPAI prevalence and travel patterns of moving duck flocks and to explore the moving duck flock network in detail.     

Avoiding aliens: Behavioural plasticity in habitat use enables large, nocturnal geckos to survive Pacific rat invasions

Rodents are efficient invaders on a global scale and pose a significant threat to native biotas, particularly in systems such as oceanic islands which support a reduced suite of mammals. Pacific rats (Rattus exulans) are implicated in extinctions, range restrictions and declines of vulnerable endemic faunas throughout the Pacific. However, research into the behavioural and ecological modifications that enable native species to persist in the presence of Pacific rats is scant. We examined the population structure, behaviour and microhabitat use of Duvaucel’s geckos (Hoplodactylus duvaucelii; radio-telemetry), and Pacific rats (spool-and-line tracking) on three New Zealand offshore islands with different histories of rat incursions and eradication: (1) Green Island, historically rat-free, (2) Korapuki, from which rats were eradicated 20 years ago, and (3) ōh?¯nau, before and 6 months after rat eradication. Although Pacific rats and Duvaucel’s geckos shared habitat at a broad spatial scale, little overlap in micro-habitat use existed where they were sympatric. In the presence of rats, Duvaucel’s gecko capture rates and recruitment were reduced. However, 6 months after rat eradication, and prior to any recruitment, capture rates of adult geckos increased fourfold and geckos were using a greater proportion of habitat preferred by rats. Thus, we provide strong empirical evidence that Pacific rats ecologically displace Duvaucel’s geckos. Highly plastic spatial avoidance behaviour by native prey species in response to the presence of introduced rodents may enable geckos to persist in sympatry with rodents at least in the short-term.     

Associations of psychosocial factors with fruit and vegetable intake among African-Americans

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations of various psychosocial factors with fruit and vegetable intake in African-American adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of a population-based sample of 658 African-Americans, aged 18-70 years, in North Carolina. Information was collected on diet-related psychosocial (predisposing, reinforcing and enabling) factors based on the PRECEDE (Predisposing, Reinforcing, and Enabling Constructs in Educational Diagnosis and Evaluation) planning framework; demographic, lifestyle and behavioural characteristics, and fruit and vegetable intake. RESULTS: The mean participant age was 43.9 years (standard deviation 11.6), 57% were female and 76% were overweight/obese. Participants expressed healthy beliefs regarding many of, but not all, the psychosocial factors. For example, although half of the respondents believed it is important to eat a diet high in fruits/vegetables, only 26% knew that >or=5 daily servings are recommended. The strongest associations of the psychosocial factors with fruit/vegetable intake were for predisposing factors (e.g. belief in the importance of a high fruit/vegetable diet and knowledge of fruit/vegetable recommendations) and one reinforcing factor (social support), with differences between the healthiest and least healthy responses of 0.5-1.0 servings per day. There was evidence of effect modification by gender in associations between psychosocial factors and fruit/vegetable consumption (e.g. self-efficacy was only significant in women), with higher intakes and generally healthier responses to the psychosocial variables in women than men. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to increase fruit/vegetable intake in African-Americans may be more effective if they focus primarily on predisposing factors, such as knowledge, self-efficacy and attitudes, but not to the exclusion of reinforcing and enabling factors. The psychosocial factors that are targeted may also need to be somewhat different for African-American men and women.     

Communicating vaccine benefit and risk - lessons from the medical field

The childhood immunisation programme in England aims to achieve and maintain high vaccine coverage so that no child needlessly suffers from a vaccine preventable disease. As part of the programme, parents must have appropriate support from health professionals and have information available to them to make informed decisions about their choices. Even though immunisation is voluntary in England, coverage is generally high. It has been estimated that only 0.33% of parents do not consent to their child being included in a computerised database that schedules immunisation appointments. Parental attitudes, experiences and social grade are influential in determining whether a child receives a vaccine. Personal experience and knowledge of diseases influence parental perceptions about the seriousness of diseases and their likelihood of being affected by it. In societies where immunisation programmes have been successful, the challenge is maintaining high levels of vaccine coverage. In the absence of disease, the threat of that disease rapidly disappears and anxieties about the vaccine's safety may increase. A fall in vaccine coverage can lead to the return of disease as happened in the UK when rates of pertussis immunisation plummeted in the 1970s. Further perceived threats may also affect vaccine uptake, for example, the MMR controversy dating from 1998. The article outlines the MMR debate in the UK, the communication of risk and benefit and the management of information to the public. It will share lessons learned and examine how they might apply to the veterinary programme.     

Multiple eccrine poromas in the paw of a dog

A 5-year-old, spayed female boxer dog presented to the referring veterinarian with a year-long history of swelling, ulceration and pain in the pawpad of the fourth digit of the right forelimb. Histologically, the pawpad was expanded by a mass composed of small polygonal cells forming broad bands and trabeculae within the lower epidermis that often infiltrated and replaced the overlying keratinocytes and that extended into the dermis. Lobules of eccrine glands within the deep dermis occasionally had one or more eccrine ducts that were lined by neoplastic ductal epithelial cells that formed papillary projections lined by one to two layers of neoplastic cells. Approximately 1 month after amputation of the fourth digit pad, several smaller nodular masses developed in multiple digital pads and the metacarpal pad of the same paw. All of the neoplasms were histologically identical to eccrine poroma (juxtaepidermal acrospiroma), a common benign neoplasm in humans that originates from the acrosyringium and upper dermal duct of eccrine glands. To the authors' knowledge this is the first report documenting an eccrine poroma in a dog.     

A case series of thermal scald injuries in dogs exposed to hot water from garden hoses (garden hose scalding syndrome)

In this report, we present a series of cases of thermal burns (scalds) in dogs resulting from exposure to hot water from a garden hose that had been lying in the sun. These dogs typically inhabited the southern and western regions of the USA, where the recorded high temperatures often exceed 32°C (90°F) during the warm summer months. Dogs with thermal scald injury in these cases presented with linear thermal burns along the dorsum, in addition to a variety of other macroscopic lesions that were dependent upon the degree of burn exposure and ranged from local erythema to ulcerated, necrotic and sloughing skin. Chronic, healed wounds were often alopecic, with markedly thickened skin and characteristically smooth and glassy scar tissue formation. Histologically, the lesions of thermal scald injury in these dogs were indistinguishable from any other second or third degree burn, and consisted of full-thickness dermal and epidermal necrosis with occasional fibrinoid necrosis of vessel walls, vasculitis and intravascular thrombosis. Here, we closely examine 10 cases of dogs with dorsal thermal burns collected from Texas, Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada, Indiana, Michigan and North Carolina and propose the term 'garden hose scalding syndrome (GHS)' to describe this unique type of scald injury.     

A survey of health care and disease in geriatric horses aged 30 years or older

This study reports on aspects of preventive health care and on the prevalence of disease in geriatric (≥30 years old) horses and ponies in North-West England and North Wales. Of 128 questionnaires mailed to horse owners, 87 useable responses were received and 69 horses were subject to veterinary examination. Of the animals examined, 16% were underweight with body condition scores (BCS)<2/5, and 10% were overweight (BCS>3/5). This contrasted with the owner responses that reported 23% of the animals surveyed to be underweight and only 3% to be overweight. When assessed at trot, 77% of the horses were lame on at least one limb, with 97% having a reduced range of motion in at least one joint. Only 16% of these animals were reported by owners to have been lame within the previous 12 months. Owner-reported changes to hair coat were significantly associated with hirsutism or abnormal moulting detected at clinical examination (39%). At least one ophthalmic lesion was identified in all of the horses and ponies examined and 17% of owners reported that their animal had experienced visual problems within the previous year. Although dental abnormalities were detected in all animals where an oral examination was performed, only 42% of owners reported that their horse suffered from a known dental disorder. In general, despite a high prevalence of disease detected in these geriatric animals and with the majority having multiple abnormalities at clinical examination, there was under-reporting/under-recognition of these health problems by owners.     

Antinociceptive effects after oral administration of tramadol hydrochloride in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis)

Objective-To evaluate antinociceptive effects on thermal thresholds after oral administration of tramadol hydrochloride to Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis). Animals-15 healthy adult Hispaniolan Amazon parrots. Procedures-2 crossover experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, 15 parrots received 3 treatments (tramadol at 2 doses [10 and 20 mg/kg] and a control suspension) administered orally. In the second experiment, 11 parrots received 2 treatments (tramadol hydrochloride [30 mg/kg] and a control suspension) administered orally. Baseline thermal foot withdrawal threshold was measured 1 hour before drug or control suspension administration; thermal foot withdrawal threshold was measured after administration at 0.5, 1.5, 3, and 6 hours (both experiments) and also at 9 hours (second experiment only). Results-For the first experiment, there were no overall effects of treatment, hour, period, or any interactions. For the second experiment, there was an overall effect of treatment, with a significant difference between tramadol hydrochloride and control suspension (mean change from baseline, 2.00° and -0.09°C, respectively). There also was a significant change from baseline for tramadol hydrochloride at 0.5, 1.5, and 6 hours after administration but not at 3 or 9 hours after administration. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Tramadol at a dose of 30 mg/kg, PO, induced thermal antinociception in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots. This dose was necessary for induction of significant and sustained analgesic effects, with duration of action up to 6 hours. Further studies with other types of noxious stimulation, dosages, and intervals are needed to fully evaluate the analgesic effects of tramadol hydrochloride in psittacines.