Recovery of the everted cystacanth of seven acanthocephalan species of birds from feral raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Japan

Acanthocephalan everted cystacanths were detected in the intestines of 61 out of 555 feral raccoons (Procyon lotor) trapped between May 2003 and April 2005 in the western region of mainland Japan (Honshu). All collected specimens were identified as the species of birds including 3 Centrorhynchus species (C. bazaleticus, C. elongatus, and C. teres), Sphaerirostris lanceoides, Plagiorhynchus ogatai, Porrorchis oti, and Southwelina hispida. Three species, C. bazaleticus, C. teres, and S. lanceoides, were new to distribution records in Japan and the Far East. Recovery rates of these acanthocephalans were higher from the raccoons trapped in spring and early summer (range 8.3-36.8%, average 21.5%) than during the remainder of the year (range 0-20.0%, average 6.3%). The reason for this seasonal change is unknown. There is little information on the acanthocephalan fauna of wild birds in Japan, however, recovery of the cystacanths from the feral raccoons captured through the year might provide useful information on the fauna and geographical distribution of avian acanthocephalans.     

Successful induction of lactation in a barren thoroughbred mare: growth of a foal raised on induced lactation and the corresponding maternal hormone profiles

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that a barren parous Thoroughbred mare with lactation induced by hormonal treatment can be introduced to an orphan foal at the same farm and that the mare can become pregnant after the end of the hormonal treatment. An additional purpose was to investigate the changes in the plasma concentrations of prolactin, estradiol-17β, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone before, during, and after hormonal treatment. The difference in body weight between the adopted foal and the control foals, which were at the same farm and raised by their natural mothers, was 17 kg at 24 weeks old, when the foals were weaned. However, the adopted foal and the control foals had almost the same weight at 35 weeks old and later. The first ovulation after hormonal treatment was confirmed 10 days after the end of hormonal treatment and then the normal estrous cycle resumed. Furthermore, the changes in plasma progesterone, estradiol-17β, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone showed regular patterns after the first ovulation. Conception was confirmed in the fifth ovulation. Meanwhile, another study demonstrated that conception was confirmed in the first ovulation after hormonal treatment. The present study is the first to demonstrate the hormonal profiles during and after induction of lactation in a Thoroughbred mare. This approach is useful for solving the economic and epidemic problems of introducing a nurse mare to an orphan foal.     

Effect of postactivation treatment with latrunculin a on in vitro and in vivo development of cloned embryos derived from kidney fibroblasts of an aged clawn miniature boar

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of postactivation treatment with latrunculin A (LatA), an actin polymerization inhibitor, on in vitro and in vivo development of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos derived from kidney fibroblasts of an aged Clawn miniature boar (12 years old). After electric activation, SCNT embryos were treated with 0, 0.5 or 1 μM LatA and cultured in vitro. The rate of blastocyst formation was significantly higher (P<0.05) in SCNT embryos treated with 0.5 μM LatA (38%) than those in control (14%). When cloned embryos treated with 0.5 μM LatA were transferred into the oviducts of two recipient miniature gilts to assess their development in vivo, both recipients became pregnant; one maintained pregnancy to term, and a live piglet (weighing 220 g) was delivered by Caesarean section. The results of this study indicated that the postactivation treatment with LatA was effective in improving in vitro developmental capacity of SCNT miniature pig embryos derived from kidney fibroblasts of an aged animal and that miniature pig cloned embryos treated with LatA had the ability to develop to term.