Toxicity in three dogs from accidental oral administration of a topical endectocide containing moxidectin and imidacloprid

Three dogs were presented with a history of oral administration of a topical endectocide containing imidacloprid and moxidectin. They were diagnosed with imidacloprid and moxidectin intoxication, having ingested doses ranging from 7.5 to 1.4 mg/kg of imidacloprid and 1.9 to 2.8 mg/kg of moxidectin. The three dogs were affected to different degrees of severity, but all displayed signs of ataxia, generalised muscle tremors, paresis, hypersalivation and disorientation. Temporary blindness occurred in two cases. The three dogs were tested for the presence of the multi-drug resistance 1 gene deletion, which can cause an increased sensitivity to the toxic effects of moxidectin, and were found to be negative. Treatment included gastrointestinal decontamination, intravenous fluid therapy and benzodiazepines to control muscle tremors. All three dogs made a complete recovery within 48 h of ingestion.     

Cumulus–Oocyte Communications in the Horse: Role of the Breeding Season and of the Maturation Medium

Horse is a seasonal breeder and information on oocyte quality outside the breeding season is very limited. Ovaries obtained at the slaughterhouse are a convenient but often limited source of oocytes in this species. As the low quantity of ovaries leads to an intensive use of all available material, it would be useful to know whether ovaries collected during the non‐breeding season are suitable for in vitro maturation (IVM). In an attempt to characterize the effect of season on oocyte quality, we investigated the permeability of the gap junctions (GJ) present between cumulus cells and oocytes because of their important role in oocyte growth and maturation. We also compared the effect of supplementing the maturation medium with bovine serum albumin (BSA) or oestrus mare serum (EMS). A total of 645 oocytes isolated from 158 and 154 ovaries collected during the breeding and the non‐breeding season, respectively, were used in this study. Oocytes were matured for 30 h in TCM 199 supplemented either with 10% EMS or with 4 mg/ml BSA. The presence of permeable GJs between cumulus cells and oocytes was investigated with the injection of a 3% solution of the fluorescent dye Lucifer yellow into the ooplasm. No differences in efficiency of oocyte retrieval or oocyte meiotic competence were detected between oocytes collected during the breeding and non‐breeding season. The vast majority (90%) of the oocytes collected during the breeding season had fully functional communications with their surrounding cumulus cells but such communications were completely interrupted in 55.3% of the oocytes collected during the non‐breeding season. During the non‐breeding season, the proportion of oocytes whose communications with cumulus cells were classified as closed or intermediate at the end of maturation was lower in the group matured with BSA than with EMS (71.4 vs 97.7, p < 0.05). The same trend, although not statistically significant, was observed during the breeding season also. The presence of BSA caused an incomplete cumulus expansion during both seasons. Our data indicate that oocytes collected during the non‐breeding season do not show any meiotic deficiency but lack active communication with the surrounding cumulus cells at the time of their isolation from the ovary. No data are available at present for determining the consequences on the developmental competence even if data from other species suggest that this is likely.     

Production Economics of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Pond Culture in El-Fayum Governorate,Egypt

Econometric techniques were used to estimate a production function for tilapia pond culture in El-Fayum Governorate, Egypt, utilizing cross-sectional field data. Explanatory variables were feed, initial stocking weight, and pond size. The function was used to examine returns to scale, estimate the productivity of feed and initial stocking weight, and estimate the profit maximizing demand equations for feed and fingerlings. Diminishing returns to scale seem to exist for tilapia pond culture. Optimal economic stocking and feeding rates, yield, and profits for the whole sample were estimated at prevailing prices. Results indicated that producers were using stocking rates greater than the optimal by 36% to 115% and using insufficient feed by 8% to 22%. Investigation of the effects of changes in tilapia selling price and feed price on optimal stocking and feeding rates, yield, and profits showed that a change in tilapia selling price has greater effect on profits, yield, stocking, and feeding rates than a proportional change in feed price. Profits, feeding, and stocking rates are more sensitive than yield to changes in selling price, while feeding rate is more sensitive than stocking rate, yield, and profits to changes in feed price.     

The Potential Use of Microalgal Carotenoids as Dietary Supplements and Natural Preservative Ingredients

Dunaliella salina has been selected as the most valuable microalgae for production of carotenoids as a source of natural pigment when grown under defined conditions. Compared with optimal conditions, D. salina contained higher amounts of total carotenoids (TCAR, 12.6%, dw)—including β-carotene (60.4%, of total carotenoids), astaxanthin (17.7%), zeaxanthin (13.4%), lutein (4.6%), and cryptoxanthin (3.9%)—when grown under stress conditions. These TCAR showed greater in vitro antioxidant potential by inhibition of lipid peroxidation of rat liver microsomes induced by Fe⁺⁺/ascorbate and Fe⁺⁺/H₂O₂ model systems than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The toxicological evaluation of D. salina functional ingredients as an antioxidant and natural food colorant was conducted, in which male albino rats were fed ad libitum for 6 weeks with one of the following diets: standard diet (S), S diets containing 0.5 g trans β-carotene/kg diets (S + 0.5 β C), S + 0.5 g D. salina carotenoids/kg diets (S + 0.5 DC), and S + 1.0 g D. salina carotenoids/kg diets (S + 1.0 DC). Generally, no mortality or treatment-related toxicological signs were observed in any of the rats during the 6 weeks of the experiment. The concentrations of glucose and glycogen in liver and glucose, total proteins, bilirubin, and creatinine as well as enzymes activities of aspartate (AST) and alanine aminotransferases (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in plasma were not significantly different from each other in all four diets. In contrast, the levels of total lipids and lipids components showed significant differences in all groups. Groups S + 0.5 βC, S + 0.5 DC, and S + 1.0 DC showed a significant decrease in concentrations of total lipids, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and phospholipids in either plasma or hepatic tissues compared with S group. The results showed that D. salina carotenoids could be potentially rich sources of natural antioxidants and food colorants and have hypolipidemic and hypocholesterolemic properties.     

Effects of water temperature on the larval parasitic stage of the thick‐shelled river mussel (Unio crassus)

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Alkaline and Acid Phosphatase, β‐Glucuronidase and Electrolyte Levels in Fractionated Stallion Ejaculates

Seminal plasma (SP) is a mixture of contents from the testes, epididymides and accessory sex glands. The sperm concentration is highest in the first few jets, or fractions, of the ejaculate, and the composition of SP varies between these fractions because accessory gland secretions are released in a specific order. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of Na, Cl, K, Mg, Ca, inorganic phosphate (Pi) and the enzymes alkaline phosphatase (AP), acid phosphatase (ACP) and β‐glucuronidase (BG) in the different fractions of the ejaculate and in different stallions. All semen collections were done using a computer‐controlled phantom that collects the ejaculatory jets separately in five cups. The cups with the highest (HIGH) and the lowest (LOW) sperm concentration were analysed. In Trial I, semen was collected from three reproductively normal stallions. In Trial II, ejaculates of two reproductively normal stallions were compared to those of two subfertile stallions. In Trial III, semen was collected from seven stallions with varying reproductive history. The sperm‐rich fractions contained the highest levels of AP, ACP, BG and inorganic phosphate, and the values were positively correlated to the sperm concentration. Significant differences between the subfertile and the fertile stallions pairs in HIGH : LOW ratios were found in Pi and Cl concentrations. The highest concentrations of Ca and Mg were found in the last fractions with low sperm concentrations, with no significant differences between the fertile and the subfertile stallion pairs. The concentrations of K, Na and Cl were similar in HIGH and LOW fractions and in whole ejaculate samples. Pre‐sperm fluid contained the highest concentrations of Na and Cl. Some of the possible variation in storage tolerance between ejaculates and ejaculatory fractions could perhaps be explained by differences in the composition of SP.