Canine spermatozoa—What do we know about their morphology and physiology? An overview

Spermatozoa are unique cells because of their morphological and physiological characteristics. They are produced during the process called spermatogenesis. Spermatogenesis consists of three phases: spermatocytogenesis, spermiogenesis and spermiation, during which spermatozoa undergo several changes. Spermatogenesis takes place within the seminiferous tubules containing two types of cells—the germ cells and the Sertoli cells—that alongside the Leydig cells, which play an important role when it comes to normal fertility. Everything is regulated by the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis and specific hormones due to multi-hormonal feedback systems. Spermatozoa possess morphological and physiological features, which are sometimes completely different from what is observed in various somatic cells. What is more, canine spermatozoa have specific characteristics making them special compared to the spermatozoa of other mammalian species. The metabolic energy production, which is crucial for the appropriate functioning of spermatozoa, can be fuelled by different metabolic pathways utilizing different chemical substrates. Inseparable from the oxidative phosphorylation process is the production of reactive oxygen species, which are both essential and toxic to spermatozoa. Furthermore, epididymis is a very important structure, responsible for the transport and maturation of spermatozoa, which are then stored in the last segment of epididymis—the epididymal cauda. Moreover, the retrieval of spermatozoa from the epididymides is crucial for the development of assisted reproduction techniques and sperm cryopreservation methods. The information gained from the research on domestic dogs might be transferred to their wild relatives, especially those species categorized as endangered.     

Pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin in sheep after single intravenous or intramuscular administration

Summary

The disposition and urinary excretion of ciprofloxacin (CIP) following intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) administration of 7.5 mg/kg body weight in sheep (n = 5) was studied. The intravenous plasma concentration curve was best described pharmacokinetically by a two‐compartment open model, while the intramuscular administration data fitted better to a one‐compartment open model. Mean elimination half‐lives after IV and IM administration were 72 and 184 minutes, respectively. The absorption of intramuscularly administered CIP in sheep was fast: maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) was reached quickly (tmax 31.93 min) and attained values of 0.69 ± 0.27 mg/l. The bioavailability was 49%. The urinary data showed a significant decrease in the elimination rate constant of CIP when CIP was administered intramuscularly. The other parameters calculated did not display differences between the two routes of administration. The results obtained suggest that when CIP was administered by the IM route in the assayed dose, it was able to maintain serum concentrations above the MIC of most common pathogens over an 8‐hour period.     

Soybean cultivar performance in the presence of soybean Asian rust,in relation to chemical control programs

Soybean rust is caused by an obligate parasite (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) which has spread in Brazil in each new season since 2001 and, despite the efforts to control the disease, losses have occurred every year. Its control demands several tactics amongst which chemical control with fungicides is the main method and remains indispensable. Control strategies such as the use of cultivars with partial resistance are desirable, but are not yet commercially available. The present study analyzed the existing differences in the reactions of short, medium and long cycle soybean cultivars against Asian rust and their responses to fungicide sprays. The experiment was conducted at Uberlandia-MG, Brazil, under field conditions from December 2007 to May 2008, in the Syngenta Seeds Experimental Station. The high pressure of the disease in the experiment simulated the natural pressure that the disease often reaches in Brazil. The studied variables were: visual severity (percentage of infected leaf area), percentage defoliation and productivity (kg ha⁻¹). Disease severity was expressed as AUDPC (area under disease progress curve). Variance analysis and comparison of means by the Tukey test (5% significance) were done for all variables studied. Significant differences were observed between cultivar effects and chemical control programs. The results obtained here indicate that the cultivars M-Soy 8199RR and Emgopa 315RR were less susceptible to disease, and that a control program termed “monitoring” (in which the appearance of new pustules of the pathogen were monitored to make the decision at each fungicide spray) was the most effective.     

Apoptosis of peripheral blood leukocytes from rabbits infected with non-haemagglutinating strains of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV)

The report demonstrates that the induction of apoptosis in peripheral blood granulocytes and lymphocytes of rabbits infected with three non-haemagglutinating RHDV strains (English Rainham, German Frankfurt, and Spanish Asturias) is a crucial determinant of the pathogenesis of rabbit haemorrhagic disease. Apoptosis was measured by flow cytometric detection of caspase activity. These studies demonstrated that the investigated RHDV (rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus) viral strains affected leukocyte apoptosis to varying degrees. Enhanced leukocyte apoptosis was detected between 4 and 36h after infection and was more pronounced in lymphocytes than in granulocytes. The data presented here thus provide a preliminary understanding of the kinetics of apoptosis in leukocytes of rabbits infected with RHDV.     

Molecular epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis in wild animals in Spain: a first approach to risk factor analysis

In human tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), molecular epidemiology has accurately indicated the risk factors involved in active transmission of the disease, by comparing individuals whose isolates belong to a cluster with patients whose strains are considered unique. Nevertheless, this application has not been used in bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis). Our study describes the integration of epidemiological data into molecular classification data on M. bovis isolates. These were isolated from wild ungulates in Extremadura (western Spain) with the objective of detecting the risk factors linked to the association of strains in clades, which are indicators of the active spread of the disease. The molecular markers used were spoligotyping + VNTR typing (loci: VNTR 2165, VNTR 2461, VNTR 0577, VNTR 0580, VNTR 3192 VNTR 2163a and VNTR 2163b) on a population of 59 M. bovis strains isolated from deer (Cervus elaphus), 112 from wild boar (Sus scrofa), six from bovines, 28 from pigs and 2 from goats (n = 207). Epidemiological variables included the animal species from which the strain was isolated, pathological condition of the host (incipient lesion, early and late generalisation), date of sampling (during or after the reproductive period) and hunting season. Bivariant analysis was used to establish the risk factors connected to the association of strains and later, the variables were evaluated by means of logistic regression. Molecular typing grouped a total of 131 strains (64.21%) in 28 clusters and 76 isolates shows unique profiles. The association of strains was connected to the appearance of macroscopic lesions during the reproductive period (O.R. 4.80; 95% CI 1.09–22.99, P < 0.005), showing a possible higher transmission during the courting period. This happened mainly during the last hunting season analysed (2002–2003, O.R. 3.69; 95% CI 1.27–11.9, P < 0.05), clashing with the time of higher prevalence of the disease in wild ungulates. Active spread was not connected to any species in particular, or to any concrete pathological condition.     

Use of touch-down polymerase chain reaction to enhance the sensitivity of Mycobacterium bovis detection.

The confirmatory diagnosis of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) in animal samples is carried out by culture in Stonebrink media. However, culture is very slow because of the extremely long duplication time of the bacillus and difficult because of the scarcity of bacilli in diagnostic samples. This study describes the development of a single-tube touch-down polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol for the detection of M. bovis using primers that target the IS6110 element. Spiked water and milk as well as routine diagnostic samples (milk and nasal swabs) from M. bovis-positive cattle were tested. This protocol allows the rapid and sensitive detection of M. bovis in bovine samples by enhancing the sensitivity of standard PCR amplification.     

An in vitro study of hematopoietic progenitor cells from peripheral blood of rabbits

The purpose of this study was to isolate and cultivate a subpopulation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) from the peripheral blood of rabbits, which are frequently used in veterinary research as an animal model. Pluripotent stem cells, as described in human beings, are fibroblast-like cells that exhibit a CD34 marker, specific from other hematopoietic stem cells. Commonly used human commercial media has been researched for culturing rabbit PSCs. These findings allow us to contemplate the direct application of this simple and standardized methodology in several areas of study, such as of the pharmacological effect of many drugs on hematopoietic cells, veterinary practice, and even the study of new strategies in cellular therapy for some human diseases.