Abnormal changes in both mandibular salivary glands in a dog: Non-mineral radiopaque sialoliths

A 10-year-old Maltese dog was presented with a firm mass on the left side of his neck. Physical examination confirmed a firm mass in the left and a submandibular swelling in the right cervical region. Sialolithiasis and associated sialocele in both mandibular salivary glands were suspected and bilateral sialoadenectomy was performed. The stones were identified as non-mineral sialoliths.     

Serum adipokine concentrations in dogs with diabetes mellitus: a pilot study

This study was conducted to determine whether serum adipokine concentrations differed between healthy dogs and dogs with diabetes mellitus (DM). To accomplish this, 19 dogs with newly diagnosed DM were compared to 20 otherwise healthy dogs. The serum concentrations of visfatin, leptin, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and TNF-α were significantly higher in diabetic dogs than in healthy dogs, whereas the serum adiponectin concentrations were lower in diabetic dogs. However, there were no significant differences in the IL-10 and resistin levels between groups. The serum leptin concentrations in diabetic dogs with and without concurrent disorders differed significantly. Treatment with insulin induced a significant decrease in IL-6 in diabetic dogs without concurrent disorders. These results show that the clinical diabetic state of dogs could modulate the circulating visfatin and adiponectin concentrations directly, while upregulation of leptin was probably a result of concurrent disorders rather than an effect of persistent hyperglycemia as a result of DM.     

Transmission ecology of rodent‐borne diseases: New frontiers

Rodents are recognized reservoir hosts for many human zoonotic pathogens. The current trends resulting from anthropocene defaunation suggest that in the future they, along with other small mammals, are likely to become the dominant mammals in almost all human‐modified environments. Recent intricate studies on bat‐borne emerging diseases have highlighted that many gaps exist in our understanding of the zoonotic transmission of rodent‐borne pathogens. This has emphasized the need for scientists interested in rodent‐borne diseases to integrate rodent ecology into their analysis of rodent‐borne pathogen transmission in order to identify in more detail the mechanisms of spillover and chains of transmission. Further studies are required to better understand the true impact of rodent abundance and the importance of pathogen sharing and circulation in multi‐host– multi‐pathogen communities. We also need to explore in more depth the roles of generalist and abundant species as the potential links between pathogen‐sharing, co‐infections and disease transmission.     

Beef quality traits of heifer in comparison with steer,bull and cow at various feeding environments

The present review has been focused largely on the sex type differences in beef quality among heifers, cows, steers and bulls in various feeding environments. Genetic groups, feeding systems and gender are the major factors that change carcass characteristics and fatty acid profiles of cattle. Studies identified that heifer beef has super characteristics in eating quality and a better healthy composition in fatty acids than steer, cow and bull. Diet influences the variation of fatty acid profile; particularly the level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) interacts with breed and sex. Animals finished in pasture systems were reported to show better ratios of PUFA/ saturated fatty acids and n‐6/n‐3. Carcasses of roughage‐fed beef are lighter and have less marbling and lower quality grades but have higher cutability than carcasses of grain‐fed bulls. Heifers and cows are reported to deposit more fat than steers and bulls. Among males, lower production of testosterone by steers favors more fat thickness compared with bulls. Marbling greatly varies among cattle belonging to different sexes, and particularly, females have genetic makeup that efficiently controls deposition. The current review identified that heifers can be a premium beef brand, while steer beef currently take a large part of market share across the world.     

An evaluation of fresh gas flow rates for spontaneously breathing cats and small dogs on the Humphrey ADE semi‐closed breathing system

ObjectiveTo evaluate the fresh gas flow (FGF) rate requirements for the Humphrey ADE semi-closed breathing system in the Mapleson A mode; to determine the FGF at which rebreathing occurs, and compare the efficiency of this system to the Bain (Mapleson D) system in spontaneously breathing cats and small dogs.Study DesignProspective clinical study.AnimalsTwenty-five healthy (ASA score I or II) client-owned cats and dogs (mean ± SD age 4.7 ± 5.0 years, and body weight 5.64 ± 3.26 kg) undergoing elective surgery or minor procedures.MethodsAnaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane delivered via the Humphrey ADE system in the A mode using an oxygen FGF of 100 mL kg⁻¹ minute⁻¹. The FGF was then reduced incrementally by 5–10 mL kg⁻¹minute⁻¹ at approximately five-minute intervals, until rebreathing (inspired CO₂ >5 mmHg (0.7 kPa)) was observed, after which flow rates were increased. In six animals, once the minimum FGF at which rebreathing occurred was found, the breathing system was changed to the Bain, and the effects of this FGF delivery examined, before FGF was increased.ResultsRebreathing did not occur at the FGF recommended by the manufacturer for the ADE. The mean ± SD FGF that resulted in rebreathing was 60 ± 20 mL kg⁻¹minute⁻¹. The mean minimum FGF at which rebreathing did not occur with the ADE was 87 ± 39 mL kg⁻¹minute⁻¹. This FGF resulted in significant rebreathing (inspired CO₂ 8.8 ± 2.6 mmHg (1.2 ± 0.3 kPa)) on the Bain system.ConclusionsThe FGF rates recommended for the Humphrey ADE are adequate to prevent rebreathing in spontaneously breathing cats and dogs <15 kg.Clinical relevanceThe Humphrey ADE system used in the A mode is a more efficient alternative to the Bain system, for maintenance of gaseous anaesthesia in spontaneously breathing cats and small dogs.     

Growth performance,carcass quality characteristics and colonic microbiota profiles in finishing pigs fed diets with different inclusion levels of rice distillers’ by‐product

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of diets containing rice distillers’ by‐product (RDP) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and gut microbiota of fattening pigs. Twenty‐four crossbred finishing pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire), 56.9 ± 3.1 kg initial body weight, were randomly allocated to three groups. For 56 days, pigs were fed one of three diets including RDP0 (control), RDP15 (15% RDP in DM), and RDP30 (30% RDP in DM). With RDP level in diet, average daily gain and backfat thickness linearly increased (p < 0.05), and drip loss tended to increase (p ≤ 0.08). In addition, 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon profiling showed that RDP was associated with modulation of colonic microbiota composition, especially at family and genus levels. Relative abundance of Porphyromonadaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae families in colonic digesta increased with inclusion of RDP, while that of Enterobacteriaceae decreased. The proportion of genera unclassified Erysipelotrichaceae, and Butyrivibrio increased as inclusion of RDP. These results indicate that up to 30% inclusion in diet of finishing pigs, RDP can modulate colonic microbiota composition, and induces an improvement of animal growth and fat deposition.     

Effect of dietary nutmeg oil on heat‐stress tolerance‐related parameters in Korean native chicken reared under hot temperature

This study investigated the effect of dietary nutmeg oil (NO) on growth performance, blood parameters, lipid peroxidation and heat shock protein (HSP) 70 expression in Korean native chicken (KNC) reared under hot temperature. We allocated 273 meat‐type KNCs (Hanhyup‐3, 4‐week‐old, body weight [BW] = 539.93 ± 1.75 g) to the following three treatments with seven replicate pens (13 birds/pen) per treatment. Three treatment diets were as follows: (a) Control, basal diet without NO supplementation; (b) NO 250; and (c) NO 500, basal diet supplemented with 250 and 500 ppm NO respectively. Diets and water were provided ad libitum throughout the 6‐week feeding trial. During overall period (0–6 weeks), no differences (p > 0.05) were observed in BW gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion rate (FCR) among treatments. However, the FI at 0–3 weeks decreased (p < 0.05) quadratically with increasing NO levels. Most blood parameters did not differ (p > 0.05) among treatments, although the monocyte level of the NO 500 group was considerably lower (p > 0.05) than that of the other groups. Furthermore, dietary NO did not affect serum triglyceride, cholesterol, total protein, albumin, calcium, phosphorus and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (p > 0.05); however, it linearly decreased serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level (p < 0.05). Additionally, serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration decreased (p < 0.05) and heart MDA concentration was lower (p = 0.08) with increasing dietary NO supplementation. After a 3‐hr heat (35°C) challenge, the rectal temperature (RT) reduced (p < 0.05) linearly with increasing NO levels. Dietary NO did not affect liver HSP70 (p > 0.05) gene expression. In conclusion, NO potentially enhanced the ability of chickens to alleviate heat stress. Furthermore, our findings suggest that lipid oxidation inhibition by dietary NO likely mediated the enhanced heat‐stress tolerance of the chickens.     

High‐Level Ciprofloxacin‐Resistant Campylobacter jejuni Isolates Circulating in Humans and Animals in Incheon,Republic of Korea

Campylobacter jejuni is one of the major causative pathogens of outbreaks or sporadic cases of diarrhoeal diseases worldwide. In this study, we compared the phenotypic and genetic characteristics of C. jejuni isolates of human and food‐producing animal origins in Korea and examined the genetic relatedness between these two groups of isolates. Regardless of isolation source, all C. jejuni isolates harboured four virulence genes, cadF, cdtB, ciaB and racR, whereas the wlaN and virB11 genes were more frequently observed in human isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that the majority of C. jejuni isolates displayed high‐level resistance to fluoroquinolone (95.2%) or tetracycline (76.2%) antibiotics, and 12.4% of isolates exhibited multidrug resistance (more than three classes of antibiotics tested). Pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of all Campylobacter isolates revealed 51 different SmaI‐PFGE patterns and six major clusters containing both human and animal isolates. These results indicate that genetically diverse strains of C. jejuni with antimicrobial drug‐resistance and virulence properties have prevailed in Incheon. Nevertheless, some particular populations continue to circulate within the community, providing the evidence for an epidemiological link of C. jejuni infections between humans and food‐producing animals. Therefore, the continued monitoring and surveillance of C. jejuni isolates of human and food‐producing animal origins are required for public health and food safety.     

Bordetella bronchiseptica aroA mutant as a live vaccine vehicle for heterologous porcine circovirus type 2 major capsid protein expression

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infections cause important respiratory diseases in the pig industry and are associated with many bacterial, mycoplasmal, and viral complications. In this study, a heterologous PCV2 major capsid protein (MCP) was expressed in the Bordetella bronchiseptica aroA mutant strain (BBS-MCP) and used as a live vaccine vehicle. Mice and pigs were immunized with live BBS-MCP via the intranasal route. The antibodies against MCP were induced successfully in the serum as determined by ELISA. In the PCV2 challenge experiment, viral DNA was removed successfully from the lymph nodes of pigs vaccinated with live BBS-MCP. Overall, BBS-MCP is believed to be a good candidate for the development of a live-attenuated vaccine against PCV2 infections.