营养对动物健康和粮食安全保障的影响

迄今为止,动物营养以及人营养主要关注如何为人和动物的维持以及动物生产提供所需的营养素和能量。此外,在生长动物饲料中迄今一直使用诸如抗生素（AGP）的抗微生物产品,认为其可以通过影响胃肠道微生物进而促进动物生长。     

Secondary amyloidosis and renal failure in a captive California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)

A 16-yr-old, captive-born, female California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) was evaluated for intermittent lethargy, partial anorexia, and polydipsia of 2 wk duration. The animal was immobilized for physical examination. It was in thin body condition, with multifocal mucosal ulcerations over the caudal and ventral tongue. Blood was collected for hematology, serum chemistry, and leptospirosis serology. Serum chemistry revealed severe azotemia, mild hyperglycemia, and severe hyperphosphatemia. The animal went into cardiac arrest during recovery from anesthesia and died. On histopathology, abundant amorphous, finely fibrillar, eosinophilic material was deposited in the kidneys, and smaller amounts of the same material were found in the splenic and pancreatic vessels; these findings are consistent with systemic secondary amyloidosis. The animal also had chronic nephritis, which, coupled with renal amyloidosis, resulted in renal failure and death. Systemic amyloidosis should be considered as an additional differential diagnosis for renal failure in California sea lions.     

Fat and cholesterol content and fatty acid composition of mares' colostrums and milk during five lactation months

In this study, the effect of the lactation stage on changes in the fat and cholesterol content and fatty acid composition of colostrum and milk of Wielkopolska mares' was investigated. Colostrum and milk samples from 10 lactating mares were collected at the beginning of lactation, on the 1st and 2nd day after foaling and then, starting from the first month of lactation, at 4 weeks' intervals up to the fifth month of lactation. Statistically significant differences were found between mares' colostrum and milk in the fat and cholesterol content as well as in the percentage rate of total fatty acids which occurred in significant quantities. Together with the lengthening of the lactation time, the content of fat and cholesterol in the mares' milk was observed to decrease. The authors also found a significant impact of the lactation period on changes in the ratio of polyenoic fatty acids from the n-6 to n-3 family. Bearing in mind the fat and cholesterol content and a more favourable (from the nutritional point of view) ratio of fatty acids from the family of n-6 to n-3, it is recommended to collect milk from mares in the 4th and 5th month of lactation.     

Predicting land cover changes and their impact on the sediment influx in the Lake Balaton catchment

The land cover pattern in the Lake Balaton catchment (Hungary) has been changing since decollectivization in the 1990s. These land cover changes significantly impact the landscape connectivity, controlling the influx of sediments into the lake. A comparison of high resolution land cover maps from 1981, 2000 and 2005 showed a significant extensification of the agriculture with land cover conversions from arable land and vineyards to grassland and forest. For each land unit transition probabilities were assessed using logistic regression techniques to evaluate to which extent land cover changes are controlled by physical or socio-economic parameters. A stochastic land cover allocation algorithm was applied to generate future land cover patterns. The landscape connectivity for each of the simulated land cover patterns was assessed by means of a distributed routing algorithm. The simulations suggest that further land abandonment in the upslope parts of the catchment will cause a non-linear reduction of average soil erosion rates. The changes, however, have a relatively low impact on the sediment volume entering the lake because of the land unit’s poor connectivity with permanent river channels. The major contributors to the lakes sediment load are the vineyards near the lakeshore. They are likely to be maintained because of their touristic value. A significant reduction of the total sediment input in the lake can be expected only if soil conservation measures in the vineyards near the shorelines are undertaken.     

Comparative Evaluation of 2 In-Clinic Assays for Vector-Borne Disease Testing in Dogs

Vector-borne agents comprise medically important infections affecting dogs throughout much of the world. Sensitive detection of antibodies directed at tick-borne disease-causing organisms in dogs is diagnostically important for veterinarians, pets and their owners, and epidemiologically important for public health surveillance. The SNAP 4Dx Plus Test (IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, ME) identifies antibodies to or infection with multiple tick-borne pathogens and canine heartworm antigen in a single assay. Recently, VetScan FLEX4 Rapid Test (Abaxis, Inc., Union City, CA) was launched as a new assay to detect tick-borne pathogen antibodies and heartworm antigen. In the present study, we evaluated the comparative performance of SNAP 4Dx Plus (SNAP) and FLEX4 Rapid Test (FLEX4) using samples selected based on geographic distributions for canine vector borne diseases, including Borrelia burgdorferi (n = 105), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (160), Anaplasma platys (115), Ehrlichia canis (154), Ehrlichia ewingii (163), Ehrlichia chaffeensis (151) and Dirofilaria immitis (105). Canine vector borne diseases infection status was established for each sample by a combination of reference methods that included necropsy (D. immitis, heartworm disease), Western immunoblotting (B. burgdorferi), immunofluorescence assays (A. phagocytophilum and E. canis) and species-specific ELISAs (A. platys, E. canis, E. ewingii and E. chaffeensis). For comparisons among the 2 assays, samples were evaluated per the manufacturers’ instructions for each test kit.By testing each same sample set compared to the defined reference results, sensitivities differed substantially between SNAP and FLEX4, at 95.5 vs. 40.9%, respectively for B. burgdorferi, 97.1% vs. 61.4% for E. canis, 98.2% vs. 59.3% for E. ewingii, 64.3% vs. 35.7% for E. chaffeensis, 84.5% vs. 12.7% for A. phagocytophilum, 83.3% vs. 33.3% for A. platys, and 94.1% vs. 88.2% for D. immitis. Specificities for both rapid assay tests ranged from 98% to 100%.Based upon the comparative results derived from this study, the SNAP test was more sensitive than the FLEX4 test for detection of antibodies to all tick-borne pathogens and heartworm disease (Dirofilaria immitis) antigen in dogs.     

Media coverage of lethal control: A case study of kangaroo culling in the Australian Capital Territory

Culling kangaroos, Australia’s most abundant marsupial, is a controversial practice in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The ACT government introduced a kangaroo management plan in response to the growing kangaroo population causing damage in grassland ecosystems. Although some groups (e.g., local government, some researchers) support implementation of this plan, critics claim it is inhumane and lacks concrete evidence. To examine media portrayal of this debate, this study conducted a content analysis of newspaper coverage between 2006 and 2016. Although ACT newspapers were impartial in their presentation of the debate, sources that previous studies found were typically considered trustworthy to speak on the scientific validity of the program were found to have conflicting messages and be less represented in the media. Thus, future research should explore if the messenger is more important than the message in determining influences on public perceptions about the use of lethal control.