Artificial infection by transplantation of juvenile Fasciola worms into the abdominal cavity of rats

Rats were successfully infected with Japanese Fasciola sp. by transplantation of juvenile worms (JW) or metacercariae (MC) into the abdominal cavity. Moreover, the rat was investigated on its suitability for different experiments with liver flukes. JWs or MCs transplanted intraperitoneally (IP) matured in the bile duct of rats. Moreover, more stable infections were established by inoculation of JWs than MCs. About 3 of 10-15 JWs transplanted into the abdominal cavity of a rat matured and laid eggs in the bile duct. The mean prepatent period was 63.5 days in the JW inoculated group. EPG values were kept constant at a level of 10(2)-10(3) about 100 to 230 days after the transplantation of JWs. The life span of Japanese liver flukes was estimated to be about 400 days in rats. From these results, it was concluded that the rat is suitable for various experiments with Fasciola sp.     

Feeding behaviour in chickens given diets containing medium chain triglyceride

1. The effect of dietary medium chain triglyceride (MCT) on short‐term food intake was compared with the effect of long chain triglyceride (LCT) in chickens. Maize oil was used as the LCT while glyceryl tricaprylate (C 8) and glyceryl tricaprate (C 10) were used as MCT. Cumulative food intake was determined during the 6 h after the start of feeding.

2. Chicks were given diets containing 200 g C 8/kg diet, 200 g C 10/kg diet or 200 g LCT/kg diet in experiment 1. As early as 30 min after feeding, cumulative food intake in both MCT‐supplemented diets decreased significantly compared with the diet containing LCT.

3. To determine if endogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) was responsible for the decrease in food intake caused by MCT, birds were injected with the CCK‐A receptor antagonist devazepide (DVZ, 1 mg/kg BW) before diet presentation. DVZ had no effect on food intake with either LCT‐ or MCT‐supplemented diets.

4. In experiment 3, chicks were given a choice between either diets containing LCT and C 8, LCT and C 10, or C 8 and C 10 to confirm whether or not the palatability of the diets was influenced by the dietary fat sources. There was no difference in food intake between C 8 and C 10‐supplemented diets. However, chicks preferred the LCT‐supplemented diet compared with either of the diets containing MCT.     

Nucleic acid and structural proteins of infectious bursal disease virus isolates belonging to serotypes I and II

The nucleic acid and structural proteins of infectious bursal disease virus serotype I (six isolates) were compared with those of serotype II (two isolates). Five of the serotype I isolates originated from chickens, whereas both serotype II isolates were from turkeys. The growth curves of representative isolates of both serotypes were similar, but the latent period and virus yield were different. The seven isolates tested had two segments of double-stranded genomic RNA. The RNA migration patterns of viruses belonging to each serotype were similar, but differences were noticed between the two serotypes. There were differences in the molecular weights of viral proteins (VP) 3 and 4 from the two serotypes, and serotype II isolates lacked VP-2.     

Energy utilisation in germ-free and conventional chicks fed diets containing sorbose

1. In experiment 1, growing conventional (CV) chicks were fed on diets containing graded amounts (0, 100, 200 and 300 g/kg diet) of sorbose from 4 to 14 d. Protein, fat and energy deposition were determined after carcase analysis. The values for growth, food efficiency, metabolisable energy (ME) and fat and energy depositions declined as the dietary sorbose content increased. 2. In experiment 2, the performances of germ-free (GF) and CV chicks fed on diets with (100 g sorbose/kg diet) or without sorbose were investigated. On both diets, body weight gain, food consumption and protein accumulation in GF chicks were significantly higher than those in CV birds. No significant differences were observed between the dietary treatment except for ME values, which were significantly lower for the sorbose diet. 3. It is suggested that dietary sorbose decreased energy utilisation, and that the microbial contribution to the utilisation of dietary sorbose was negligible in the chicken.     

Cover Image,Volume 16, Issue 3

The cover image, by K. Sakai et al., is based on the Original Article Association of tumour‐infiltrating regulatory T cells with adverse outcomes in dogs with malignant tumours, DOI: 10.1111/vco.12383 .

     

Indicators of success for smart law enforcement in protected areas: A case study for Russian Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) reserves

Although considerable conservation resources have been committed to develop and use law enforcement monitoring and management tools such as SMART, measures of success are ill‐defined and, to date, few reports detail results post‐implementation. Here, we present 4 case studies from protected areas with Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in Russia, in which indicators of success were defined and evaluated at each. The ultimate goal was an increase in tiger numbers to 1 individual/100 km² at each site. We predicted that improvements in law enforcement effectiveness would be followed by increases in prey numbers and, subsequently, tiger numbers. We used short‐term and long‐term indicators of success, including: (i) patrol team effort and effectiveness; (ii) catch per unit effort indicators (to measure reductions in threats); and (iii) changes in target species numbers. In addition to implementing a monitoring system, we focused on improving law enforcement management using an adaptive management process. Over 4 years, we noted clear increases in patrol effort and a partial reduction in threats. Although we did not detect clear trends in ungulate numbers, tiger populations remained stable or increased, suggesting that poaching of tigers may be more limiting than prey depletion. Increased effectiveness is needed before a clear reduction in threats can be noted, and more time is needed before detecting responses in target populations. Nonetheless, delineation of concrete goals and indicators of success provide a means of evaluating progress and weaknesses. Such monitoring should be a central component of law enforcement strategies for protected areas.     

A comparison of N-butylscopolammonium bromide and butorphanol tartrate for analgesia using a balloon model of abdominal pain in ponies.

The analgesic effect of N-butylscopolammonium bromide (0.3 mg/kg) using a balloon-induced model of colic in ponies was evaluated and compared with butorphanol tartrate (0.1 mg/kg). Eight adult ponies were used and each received both treatments during the two different trials. The order in which the treatment was received was randomly assigned. At the start of each trial, moderate abdominal pain was induced by inflation of a balloon placed in the lumen of the caecum. The ponies were evaluated every 5 minutes, and a cumulative pain score (CPS) was assigned. Two baseline measurements were recorded, followed by the administration of one of the two treatments. Assessments were continued for 60 minutes, or until moderate abdominal pain returned. Three ponies out of 8 responded to treatment with butorphanol tartrate, while 6 out of 8 ponies responded to N-butylscopolammonium bromide. There were no statistical differences in the CPS or duration of drug action between treatments.