Electrochemotherapy in veterinary oncology

Electropermeabilization is a method that uses electric field pulses to induce an electrically mediated reorganization of the plasma membrane of cells. Electrochemotherapy combines local or systemic administration of chemotherapeutic drugs such as bleomycin or cisplatin that have poor membrane permeability with electropermeabilization by direct application of electric pulses to the tumors. Preclinical studies have demonstrated excellent antitumor effectiveness of electrochemotherapy on different animal models and various tumor types, minimal toxicity, and safety of the procedure. Based on results of preclinical studies, clinical studies were conducted in human patients, which demonstrated pronounced antitumor effectiveness of electrochemotherapy with 80-85% objective responses of the treated cutaneous and SC tumors. Clinical studies in veterinary oncology have demonstrated that electrochemotherapy is very effective in the treatment of cutaneous and SC tumors of different histologic types in cats, dogs, and horses. The results of these studies have also demonstrated approximately 80% long-lasting objective responses of tumors treated by electrochemotherapy. Primary tumors of different histologic types were treated. Electrochemotherapy in veterinary oncology has future promise to be highly effective, and could be used to treat primary or recurrent solitary or multiple cutaneous and SC tumors of different histology or as an adjuvant treatment to surgery.     

Paratuberculosis in Holstein-Friesian cattle farms in Central Iran

Paratuberculosis is an important disease of ruminants with a worldwide distribution. In developing countries where funding constraints challenge establishment of control schemes, large losses are incurred on cattle farmers due to paratuberculosis. In this study, faecal specimens from Holstein-Friesian cows with progressed and moderate clinical paratuberculosis (N = 223) from 13 dairy farms in Isfahan, Central Iran, were subjected to bacterial culture. Culture growth diagnostic for M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis was found in cattle from nine of the 13 farms and in 71 of the cattle studied. These results illustrate the emergence of PTb in this region, and they imply that PTb should be given a higher priority for veterinary measures.     

Hepatitis E virus and related viruses in wild,domestic and zoo animals: A review

Hepatitis E is a human disease mainly characterized by acute liver illness, which is caused by infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV). Large hepatitis E outbreaks have been described in developing countries; however, the disease is also increasingly recognized in industrialized countries. Mortality rates up to 25% have been described for pregnant women during outbreaks in developing countries. In addition, chronic disease courses could be observed in immunocompromised transplant patients. Whereas the HEV genotypes 1 and 2 are mainly confined to humans, genotypes 3 and 4 are also found in animals and can be zoonotically transmitted to humans. Domestic pig and wild boar represent the most important reservoirs for these genotypes. A distinct subtype of genotype 3 has been repeatedly detected in rabbits and a few human patients. Recently, HEV genotype 7 has been identified in dromedary camels and in an immunocompromised transplant patient. The reservoir animals get infected with HEV without showing any clinical symptoms. Besides these well‐known animal reservoirs, HEV‐specific antibodies and/or the genome of HEV or HEV‐related viruses have also been detected in many other animal species, including primates, other mammals and birds. In particular, genotypes 3 and 4 infections are documented in many domestic, wildlife and zoo animal species. In most cases, the presence of HEV in these animals can be explained by spillover infections, but a risk of virus transmission through contact with humans cannot be excluded. This review gives a general overview on the transmission pathways of HEV to humans. It particularly focuses on reported serological and molecular evidence of infections in wild, domestic and zoo animals with HEV or HEV‐related viruses. The role of these animals for transmission of HEV to humans and other animals is discussed.     

北京口岸进境伴侣动物隔离检疫的现状及思考

本文介绍了北京口岸进境伴侣动物隔离检疫的现状,包括动物隔离检疫监管体系、动物隔离场的职能和隔离检疫的流程。并通过具体实践,分析了隔离检疫期间存在的问题,并提出相应建议。     

芽孢杆菌作为微生物饲料添加剂的功能及其应用

芽孢杆菌具有促进动物肠道发育、平衡肠道菌群、提高动物免疫和生产性能等功能,被开发作为动物饲料微生态制剂。文章综述了微生物饲料添加剂芽孢杆菌的作用机理、国内应用现状、存在问题及其发展前景等,以期为其在饲料中合理应用提供参考。     

《名特优水产动物养殖》课程的教改研究

为适应水产养殖业的激烈竞争,培养出与时俱进的综合型人才,提出《名特优水产动物养殖》课程的教学改革措施,即通过了解教学现状,认清存在的问题,从完善知识体系、注重课程群建设,增加实践、培养动手能力,革新教学方法、倡导自主学习,优化考核方法、推广素质教育等方面对课程进行了改革和建设。     

银川市病害动物无害化处理规模探讨

作者根据银川市畜牧业发展现状,重点论述了建设病死动物无害化处理设施、机制的重要意义;对当前银川市需处理的病害动物产生量进行了相关计算,为下一步银川市及其他地区建立有效的病害动物无害化处理机制和无害化处理设施提供了基础性数据。     

Effect of surfacing patterns on abundance estimates of long-diving animals

ABSTRACT:   Population sizes of long-diving marine mammals can be estimated with minimal bias using line transect sampling techniques in conjunction with data on surfacing/diving, even though the detection probability on the trackline is considerably less than 1. Using a simulation, it was investigated whether population sizes can be accurately estimated when only the mean cue production rate, without information on surfacing/diving patterns, is available. In addition, a new model that incorporates information on surfacing/diving patterns into the estimation procedure was developed. The simulation showed that the new model can provide less biased abundance estimates, whereas neglecting surfacing/diving patterns can result in serious underestimates of abundance, in particular for long-diving animals.     

Influence of cropping system and nitrogen input on soil fauna and microorganisms in a Swedish arable soil

Summary The development of a number of components was analysed in an agro-ecosystem study with four cropping regimens, barley without and with N fertilization, grass ley, and lucerne. A great variation in N inputs (1–39 g N m^-2 year^-1) and cropping systems produced a variation in primary production (260–790 g C m^-2 year^-1) and input of organic material to the soil (150–270 g C m^-2 year^-1). This was reflected in variations of total soil animal biomass (1.6–5.1 g C m^-2) and in variations in the abundance of various animal groups, nematodes (5.6–9.8×10⁶m^-2), micro- (2.6–4.8×10^-4 m^-2), and macroarthropods (0.9–4.2×10³ m^-2). In contrast, total bacteria, fungi, flagellates, and amoebae varied quite independently of the organic matter input. Mineralization processes covaried more with C and N inputs and total animal biomass than with microbial biomass. it is suggested that the rather constant microbial biomass was a result of an adjustment in the grazing pressure of microbial-feeding animals to the level of microbial production.Dedicated to the late Prof. Dr. W. Kühnelt     

Does variation in garden characteristics influence the conservation of birds in suburbia?

Can enhancement of garden habitat for native birds have conservation benefits, or are garden bird assemblages determined by landscape and environmental characteristics? The relative roles of vegetation structure, floristics and other garden attributes, and environmental and landscape controls, on the abundance and richness of bird species in 214 back or front gardens in 10 suburbs of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, are addressed to answer this question. Birds were counted in each garden and the resources they utilized noted. Vascular plant species and other attributes of the garden were noted, along with rainfall, altitude, distance from natural vegetation, distance from the city and garden size. Garden floristics and bird assemblages were ordinated, and garden groups characterized by particular assemblages of birds identified. General linear modelling was used to determine the combinations of independent variables that best predicted the richness of birds and the abundance of individual bird species and groups of species. The models for bird richness, bird species and groups of bird species were highly individualistic. Although native birds showed a preference for native plants, they also utilized many exotic plants. Exotic birds largely utilized exotic plants. Variation in garden characteristics does substantially affect the nature of garden bird assemblages in Hobart, with weaker environmental and landscape influences. The fact that gardens can be designed and managed to favour particular species and species assemblages gives gardeners a potentially substantial role in the conservation of urban native avifauna.