Acute coenurosis of dairy sheep from 11 flocks in Greece

Abstract

CASE HISTORY: A syndrome of acute neurological dysfunction with increased mortality was observed in lambs of 10 dairy sheep flocks and adult animals in one flock in Central and Northern Greece. Each farmer completed a questionnaire regarding the management and feeding of their flocks. In seven of the 11 flocks the affected animals were grazing pasture, while in the remaining four flocks (5, 8, 9, 10) the animals were fed alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa) and concentrates indoors. A follow-up study of the affected flocks was conducted during the next 12 months.

CLINICAL FINDINGS: Of 42 sheep with acute coenurosis that were examined, the most prominent neurological abnormalities were ataxia, depression, blindness, scoliosis, coma and dysmetria. Except for the four sheep that were comatose, all other animals had normal body temperatures and their appetites remained normal or were slightly decreased. Haematological findings of 15 examined sheep were within normal limits. The affected sheep were subject to euthanasia. A histopathological examination was performed in 13 cases. Faecal samples from dogs associated with these flocks were negative for taeniid infections. During the following 12 months cases of chronic coenurosis in these flocks were observed.

PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: In the 42 animals that were necropsied, the main gross findings were cystic formations between 0.5–1 cm in diameter with translucent walls that were seen lying free on the leptomeninges or partly penetrating the brain tissue, sterile microabscecess and brain necrosis. Histopathological evaluation of tissue sections of 13 brains showed multifocal purulent or pyogranulomatous meningoencephalitis, accompanied by eosinophilic infiltrations. No bacteria were isolated following bacterial culture of brain tissue Parasitological examination of the cysts from five cases revealed whitish specks on the transparent cyst wall and germination membrane representing the scolices.

DIAGNOSIS: Acute coenurosis was diagnosed in all cases studied.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Acute coenurosis can be one of the causes of acute encephalopathy mainly in lambs, but also in adult sheep. This condition is incurable, but can be controlled by changing the feeding regime. Cases of chronic coenurosis may be seen a few months later in the same flock.     

The influence of land cover composition and groundwater on thermal habitat availability for brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations in the United States of America

Abstract – Brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) is a sentinel fish species that requires clean, cold water habitats generally resulting from landscapes that allow for surface water flows devoid of sediment and contaminants and high groundwater discharge of cold water. As such, brook charr are impacted by land cover changes that alter stream temperature regimes. We evaluated brook charr populations across their eastern and midwestern range in the United States with reference to thermal habitat availability in relationship to land cover and per cent baseflow. We found that while forest cover does protect brook charr thermal habitat, high levels of groundwater discharge can allow for increased levels of agriculture within a watershed by keeping the water cold in spite of warm ambient summer temperatures. Our study concludes that with enhanced communication among land, water and fisheries managers, society can provide for sustainable stream salmonid populations despite increased threats on cold water resources.     

Practical critique: Bridging the gap between critical and practice‐oriented REDD+ research communities

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) is an ambitious global programme oriented towards improving forest carbon management. It aims to attract new sources of ‘green’ capital to fund emissions reductions from avoided deforestation and sustainable forest management. REDD+ is transforming forest conservation, as a diverse array of new stakeholders become involved. Not surprisingly, REDD+ has proved divisive, as critics concern themselves with issues of power, justice, and commodification, while practice‐oriented researchers tackle similar issues from different perspectives, focusing on benefit sharing, safeguards, additionality, measuring and verification. In this paper we explore the different roles of critical and practical research, and argue that there is a need for greater sharing of knowledge across current divides. We draw on our own experiences of conducting a research project on REDD+ in Indonesia that involved critical and practice‐oriented researchers. We argue that critical research disconnected from practical matters can have perverse outcomes for practitioners who are ultimately working towards similar goals; while uncritical practice‐oriented research has the potential to lead to a dilution of core values of environmental justice and conservation. In contrast, forms of practical critique provide ways of researching REDD+ that have practical value while maintaining critical insights.     

Factors affecting intraspecific variation in home range size of a large African herbivore

Factors affecting intraspecific variation in home range size have rarely been examined using modern statistical and remote sensing methods. This is especially true for animals in seasonal savanna environments in Africa, despite this biome??s importance for both conservation and development goals. We studied the impacts of spatial and temporal variability in environmental conditions, along with individual and social factors, on home range sizes in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in northeastern Namibia. Our data set spans 4?years, is derived from 32 satellite tracking collars, and contains over 35,000 GPS locations. We used the local convex hull method to estimate home range size from 31 buffalo captured at 6 sites. We used a variety of remotely sensed data to characterize potential anthropogenic and natural boundaries, as well as seasonal and temporal heterogeneity in environmental conditions. Using an information-theoretic, mixed effects approach, our analyses showed that home ranges varied over two orders of magnitude and are among the largest recorded for this species. Variables relating to vegetation and habitat boundaries were more important than abiotic environmental conditions and individual or social factors in explaining variation in home range size. The relative contributions of environmental, individual, social, and linear boundary variables to intraspecific home range size have rarely been examined and prior to this had not been assessed for any species in seasonal savannas of Africa. Understanding the factors that condition space-use patterns of wildlife in this area will lead to better-informed conservation and sustainable development decisions.     

Acute and chronic effects of honey and its carbohydrate constituents on calcium absorption in rats

The effects of honey and its carbohydrate constituents (glucose, fructose, and raffinose) on calcium absorption in rats were investigated in acute and chronic feeding studies. In the acute study, rats ( n = 120) were gavaged with an oral solution consisting of (a) 10 microCi (45)Ca, (b) 25 mg of calcium as calcium acetate, and (c) one of the following: 0 mg of honey (control), or 200, 500, or 800 mg of honey, a glucose-fructose mixture, 10.75 mg of raffinose, or 200 mg of raffinose. Another group received (45)Ca intraperitoneally. Femurs were collected 2 days later and analyzed for (45)Ca content. Rats given 500 and 800 mg of honey showed 25.5 and 33.6% increases in calcium absorption ( P<0.05), respectively, over the control group. Groups given the glucose-fructose mixture or 200 mg of raffinose had a significantly higher increase in calcium absorption than the control group (17.1 and 25.6%, respectively). In the chronic study, rats (n=96) were fed for 8 weeks with either 0% honey (control), 5% honey, 10% honey, or a glucose-fructose-raffinose (GFR) mixture. Femurs of GFR-fed rats had significantly lower calcium content, (45)Ca absorption, width, and BMD (at distal region) than control rats. Groups fed honey did not show the negative effects of GFR on bone, but had no advantage over the control group. No significant differences were observed in femur length, density, strength, or BMC among any treatment group compared to the control group. These results indicate that although a positive dose-response effect of honey and its carbohydrate constituents on calcium absorption was observed in the acute study, this effect disappeared upon long-term feeding in rats, implying adaptation had occurred.     

The economic benefit of treating subclinical Streptococcus agalactiae mastitis in lactating cows

The economic benefits of treating lactating cows for Streptococcus agalactiae mastitis were studied at a large (689 milking cows) central California dairy. Postcure milk production of case cows (infected, treated, and cured) was compared with production of paired control cows (uninfected) and was matched for yield, days in milk, days in gestation, and parity. A simulation was used to plot expected lactation curves for mastitic cows (infected, not treated) with characteristics similar to those of each control cow, and these curves were compared with actual case-cow lactation curves. The difference in actual and expected production was used to calculate net economic benefits of treatment. Comparison of expected with actual production indicated a net benefit from treatment of $396/cow for cows treated in early lactation and $237 for cows treated in midlactation, but a net loss of $55 for cows treated in late lactation. Lactation number did not have a significant impact on economic benefits of treatment. In contrast to other studies indicating no economic benefit from treating mastitis during lactation, this study's positive results may have been attributable to the high cure rate (98%) and the subclinical form of mastitis being treated. Streptococcus agalactiae mastitis treatment during early and midlactation would appear to be an economically justifiable option for dairy managers.