Cat and dog ownership and management patterns in central Italy

Three hundred and ninety-seven randomly selected households were interviewed by telephone to determine the numbers and management of owned cats and dogs in the Teramo Province of Italy. The households were selected using stratified random sampling for each municipality; municipalities were combined into coastal, central hills and mountain regions for analysis. The interviews were completed during May and June of 2004 with a response rate of 74% (397/536). Forty-six percent of households (n=181) owned pets; 15% of all households (n=60) owned cats and 33% (n=130) owned dogs. Twenty-seven of these households (7%) owned both cats and dogs. Data were provided on 91 cats evenly divided between males and females. The median age was 3 years (range 0.2-10 years). Forty-one percent of cats (36/87) entered the household as strays. Nearly half lived entirely outside. Seventy percent (62/88) had visited a veterinarian at least once; 43% (39/91) were sterilized. About 1/3 had had a litter and all litters were considered accidental rather than planned. Age, indoor/outdoor status, veterinarian visit and region were all associated with sterilization. Age, confined to a yard, veterinary visit and region were associated with allowing the cat to roam freely. Data were provided on 182 dogs. Sixty-two percent (113/181) were male, with a median age of 4 years (range newborn to 17 years) and 40% (72/181) were purebred. Almost half were acquired as a gift. Sixty-two percent (112/180) were kept entirely outside despite the fact that 82% (147/180) were considered companions rather than working dogs. Almost all of the dogs had been to a veterinarian at least once; only 20% (n=29) were sterilized. Male dogs were significantly less likely to be sterilized than females. Almost half the dogs had had at least one litter. Seventy-six percent (137/180) of dogs knew some basic commands. Sex, source and training to sit/stay/come were significantly associated with whether the dog was sterilized. Dog size, confinement to a yard, trained to leash walk, veterinary visit and region were predictors of roaming freely. Source and trained to leash walk were associated with dog registration. For cats and dogs, education about sterilization seemed to be critically important. For dogs, factors relating to training, which may reflect the strength of the human-animal bond, were also important.     

Human tularaemia associated with exposure to domestic dogs—United States, 2006–2016

Dogs have been implicated in the zoonotic transmission of numerous pathogens. Whereas cats are known to transmit Francisella tularensis to humans via bite and other routes, the role of dogs in facilitating infection is much less understood. We reviewed tularaemia case investigation records collected through national surveillance during 2006–2016 to summarize those with dog involvement, characterize the nature of dog‐related exposure and describe associated clinical characteristics. Among 1,814 human tularaemia cases, 735 (41%) supplemental case investigation records were available for review; and of those, 24 (3.3%) were classified as dog‐related. Median age of patients was 51 years (range: 1–82); 54% were female. Two thirds (67%) of cases presented with ulceroglandular/glandular tularaemia; pneumonic (13%) and oropharyngeal (13%) illness occurred less frequently. Dog‐related exposures were classified as follows: direct contact via bite, scratch or face snuggling/licking (n = 12; 50%); direct contact with dead animals retrieved by domestic dogs (n = 8; 33%); and contact with infected ticks acquired from domestic dogs (n = 4; 17%). Prevention of dog‐related tularaemia necessitates enhanced tularaemia awareness and tick avoidance among pet owners, veterinarians, health care providers and the general public.     

Health of non-ambulatory, non-injured pigs at processing

Loss of pigs during or after transport is a welfare concern, but also an economic concern for producers. Transport losses include animals that are dead on arrival (DOA) at the plant, pigs that are injured, and pigs which are not obviously injured but unwilling or unable to walk (non-ambulatory, non-injured or NANI). The objective of this research was to assess the health of non-ambulatory, non-injured (NANI) pigs relative to control pigs at the processing plant by looking at a range of measures, including complete blood chemistry, anatomy, and pathology to determine potential factors associated with pigs going down. Data were collected from NANI and control pigs at five plants in the midwest USA. Feet and legs and internal organs were inspected and the severity of the pathology scored. Alveolar macrophages were collected and counted. Blood was collected for analysis of hematology, blood chemistry and cortisol concentrations. Titers to common porcine respiratory viruses were measured in pigs from one plant. Hoof and pad problems did not differ overall between control and NANI pigs, however the percentage of severe foot problems was greater (P < 0.05) in NANI compared with control pigs at plants A and E. The percentage of total ulcers, rhinitis, and empty stomachs differed (P < 0.05) between control and NANI pigs at individual plants, but not overall. Blood hematology and chemistry differed (P < 0.05) between NANI and control pigs. Cortisol concentrations did not differ between NANI and control pigs. Titers to swine influenza virus (SIV) H1N1 and H3N2 and porcine circovirus (PCV) were lower (P < 0.01) among NANI compared with control pigs. However, more (P < 0.01) NANI pigs were positive for SIV H1N1 and H3N2 compared with control pigs. Blood hematology, chemistry, and pathology indicate a large difference between NANI and controls pigs. No single health problem was higher among NANI pigs compared to plant-matched control pigs. Rather, several problems appear to contribute to pigs becoming NANI which may differ from one plant too another.     

Exploring animal rabies endemicity to inform control programmes in Punjab,India

Previous studies estimate that one‐third of the annual global burden of rabies (~20,000 cases) occurs in India. Elimination of canine rabies is essential to reduce this burden. Surveillance of animal cases can assess both the risk to humans and the efficacy of control strategies. The objective of this study was to describe the spatial and temporal occurrence of reported confirmed cases of rabies in animals in Punjab, India, from 2004 to 2014. We analysed passive surveillance data on 556 samples submitted from 2004 to 2014 to GADVASU, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Regression and time series analyses were conducted to understand seasonal and long‐term variation of cases and identify cross‐correlation of monthly cases between species. Spatio‐temporal analyses assessed spatial autocorrelation of date of reporting, mean geographic centres of disease occurrence and clustering of cases using Kulldorff's space‐time permutation statistic. The annual number of submissions and proportion of confirmed cases were consistent throughout 2004–2014. Most submissions (320; 57.6%) were confirmed rabies cases, including dogs (40.6%), buffalo (29.7%) and cattle (23.1%). Regression analysis of monthly cases in dogs showed seasonal variation with significant increases in cases in March and August. Monthly case numbers in buffalo decreased over time. Long‐term temporal trend was not detected in dog and cattle cases. Time‐series models identified significant cross‐correlation between dog and buffalo cases, suggesting that buffalo cases were spillover events from dogs. Significant spatio‐temporal variation or clusters of cases were not detected. These results indicate that rabies cases in animals—and therefore, the potential for exposure to humans—were temporally and spatially stable during 2004–2014 in Punjab, India. The endemic nature of rabies transmission in this region demands a coordinated, sustained control programme. This study provides baseline information for assessing the efficacy of rabies control measures and developing seasonally targeted dog vaccination and rabies awareness strategies.     

几种保健品对早期断奶仔猪应激腹泻的影响

试验用膨化大豆为主要蛋白质原料配制仔猪料,观测了分别以血浆蛋白粉、痢菌净、黄霉素、盐霉素及氧化锌为主成份配制的几种营养保健品对28日龄断奶仔猪应激反应的影响.结果表明,不同营养保健品在仔猪日增重、饲料效率及腹泻率等方面功能各有不同,但差异不显著(P>0.05).本结果对养猪生产、饲料生产商合理应用保健品以及研制高保健性能仔猪料具有实用价值.     

中国水产健康养殖的关键技术研究

健康养殖包括养殖设施、苗种培育、放养密度、水质处理、饵料质量、药物使用、养殖管理等诸多方面,采用合理的、科学的、先进的养殖手段,从而获得质量好、产量高的产品及环境均无污染,使经济、社会、生态产生综合效益,并能保持稳定、可持续发展。今后工作重点应是：(1)优化养殖条件,保护生态环境。(2)加强病害综合防治措施,规范渔用药物使用。(3)开展抗病、抗逆养殖新品种的选育。(4)开发优质高效饲料与合理使用饲料并举。(5)加快研究和推广健康养殖技术,提高经济和生态效益。(6)加快制定健康养殖标准,加强质量监督检测体系建设(不属健康养殖技术的范畴)。     

An ecosystem‐scale predictive model of coastal seagrass distribution

• 1. Maintaining ecological processes that underpin the functioning of marine ecosystems requires planning and management of marine resources at an appropriate spatial scale.
• 2. The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBR) is the world's largest World Heritage Area (approximately 348 000 km²) and second largest marine protected area. It is difficult to inform the planning and management of marine ecosystems at that scale because of the high cost associated with collecting data. To address this and to inform the management of coastal (approximately 15 m below mean sea level) habitats at the scale of the GBR, this study determined the presence and distribution of seagrass by generating a Geographic Information System (GIS)‐based habitat suitability model.
• 3. A Bayesian belief network was used to quantify the relationship (dependencies) between seagrass and eight environmental drivers: relative wave exposure, bathymetry, spatial extent of flood plumes, season, substrate, region, tidal range and sea surface temperature. The analysis showed at the scale of the entire coastal GBR that the main drivers of seagrass presence were tidal range and relative wave exposure. Outputs of the model include probabilistic GIS‐surfaces of seagrass habitat suitability in two seasons and at a planning unit of cell size 2 km×2 km.
• 4. The habitat suitability maps developed in this study extend along the entire GBR coast, and can inform the management of coastal seagrasses at an ecosystem scale. The predictive modelling approach addresses the problems associated with delineating habitats at the scale appropriate for the management of ecosystems and the cost of collecting field data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

茶多酚作为保健型香烟添加剂的综合开发

从中低档茶中提取茶多酚,将其添加到香烟中,降低香烟燃烧时产生自由基对人体的毒害,开发新型保健型香烟投放市场,既为广大烟民提供一种相对保健的香烟产品,还可提高中低档茶产品附加值。本文论述了香烟吸食社会化流行的成因、毒害发生机理;茶多酚降低香烟中自由基的产生机理,茶多酚作为添加剂在中式香烟中的开发形式。发挥茶多酚抗氧化功能、开发出新型保健型香烟,以降低香烟对人体的危害。     

蔬菜重金属污染现状及健康风险评价研究

[目的]保护人们的饮食卫生安全、提高蔬菜的品质.[方法]通过对蚌埠市禹会区市售蔬菜中五种重金属元素(Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd、Cr)的残留量进行测定,并根据国际放射防护委员会(ICRP)规定的标准限定值,对重金属元素残留量超标的蔬菜进行健康风险评价.[结果]市售部分蔬菜中铅含量大于国家规定值,超标率达到了77.78％,健康风险评价结果表明,存在铅污染的蔬菜对人体的健康风险为4.467×10-7a-1,低于ICPR规定的标准值(5.0×10-a-1),不会对人群构成明显的危害.[结论]食用市售蔬菜所引起的健康风险较小.