Relationship between a plant-based ‘vegan’ pet food and clinical manifestation of multiple nutrient deficiencies in two cats

A topical subject in human nutrition is the steadily growing number of people choosing to limit or completely avoid all animal-derived food products either for moral dilemma, health concerns or both. To meet people's will of applying their dietary choices to their domestic animals, the pet food industry answered by launching on the market some plant-based diets. This leads to concerns about whether these diets are adequately formulated to satisfy the target species nutritional requirements, especially for cats which are still considered strict carnivores. This case report follows a 2-year-old male neutered Main Coon and a 1-year-old female spayed Domestic Shorthair cat, presented to the nutrition service of the University of Toulouse, France. Reason for consultation was lethargy with in anamnesis a recent dietary transition to a plant-based pet food. Dysorexia, lethargy and muscle waste were present at first consultation. Progressive weight loss developed during follow-ups. A macrocytic, non-regenerative anaemia with serum folates below reference were the main clinical features. Analysis of pet food showed multiple nutrients below minimum recommendation at the average daily intake of both cats. Folic acid supplementation improved dysorexia, and subsequent reintroduction of animal-derived ingredients in the diet restored appetite, weight and a normal mentation in both cases.     

河北省粮—饲平衡发展现状及对策建议

“粮改饲”政策推行以来,通过农业结构调整,实现了奶业振兴。伴随全球新冠肺炎疫情反复发生,粮食安全问题再次进入了公众视野,进而引发一个值得深思的问题：如何在保证粮食安全的前提下,实现草畜平衡,增加肉、蛋、奶市场供给,优化居民膳食营养结构。为此,以河北省为研究对象,深入分析粮食与饲草种植及市场供求。目前来看,河北省粮食种植面积在“红线”以上,饲草生产无法满足省内养殖业需求,同时,城乡居民对肉、蛋、奶的摄入仍未达到膳食营养标准。为优化农业种植结构及居民营养结构,提出推广新型种植模式、加强政策引导、创新生产技术等一系列措施,推动河北省粮—饲平衡发展。     

Ontogenetic resource use and trophic dynamics of endangered juvenile Tachypleus tridentatus among diversified nursery habitats in the northern Beibu Gulf,China

Horseshoe crabs, the most well-known example of “living fossils”, are iconic and ecologically important macroinvertebrates in coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Their blood is a crucial resource for manufacturing Limulus or Tachypleus amebocyte lysate to detect bacterial endotoxins or fungal contamination in drug and medical devices. An enhanced understanding of their ecological roles and trophic interactions in the food webs is fundamental to facilitate resource management for the declining populations in Asia. Foraging information of the Asian species, however, is mainly derived from preliminary, scattered reports from a limited number of study locations. In this study, resource utilization, trophic niche dynamics, and trophic interaction of the juvenile tri-spine horseshoe crab, Tachypleus tridentatus (instars 1–12, approximately 0.5–8 years old) across ontogeny was assessed in diversified nursery habitats along the northern Beibu Gulf, China, using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. Our results suggest that: (i) T. tridentatus are ecological generalists given the vast range of carbon isotopic values and trophic niche width estimates exhibited between multiple instar groups; (ii) juvenile T. tridentatus across most habitat types predominantly assimilated energy from a variety of basal production sources in the food web, but primarily depended on sedimentary organic matter and seagrass resource pools; (iii) ontogenetic shifts in juvenile dietary proportions were evident, with decreased reliance on sedimentary organic matter, coupled with increased reliance on benthic macroinvertebrate grazers, detritivores, and omnivores with age; and (iv) nearly all juvenile instars occupied similar trophic positions in the food web with slight shifts in trophic position present with increasing size. Our findings indicate that resource availability and ontogenetic diet shifts strongly influence horseshoe crab trophic dynamics, and age should be accounted when formulating habitat conservation measures based on resource use for Asian horseshoe crabs.     

IgE reactivity to milk components in dogs with cutaneous adverse food reactions

We investigated the IgE reactivity to crude and purified milk antigens in the sera of 112 dogs with cutaneous adverse food reactions (CAFRs). Of the 112 dogs, 33 (29%) had specific IgE for crude milk antigens. In the dogs with milk-specific IgE, IgE reactivity to casein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, and bovine IgG were 81%, 85%, 39%, 27%, and 35%, respectively. Casein and BSA may be important allergens in dogs with CAFRs. Some canine vaccines contain casein hydrolysate as a stabilizer and the pooled serum with anti-casein IgE showed IgE reactivity to the vaccines containing it. Information about IgE reactivity to casein in dogs with CAFRs could be useful for predicting adverse reactions to the vaccines including casein hydrolysate.     

西部少数民族贫困山区扶贫模式研究——以四川省昭觉县为例

西部民族贫困山区是我国扶贫攻坚的重点和难点地区,其扶贫工作的好坏直接关系：我国民族团结、全面建设小康社会目标的实现。在分析西部民族贫困山区县——四川省昭觉县农村贫困与扶贫工作现状的基础上,总结了适合民族贫困山区县的扶贫模式——“三集中”扶贫模式,提出通过发展县域循环经济和建立健全生态环境补偿机制来推广发展“三集中”扶贫模式的对策建议。     

格尔木市盆地区植物区系分析

经考察记录到格尔木市盆地区域内野生种子植物有161种,隶属41科,102属,表明该地区植物种类贫乏。但种子植物区系成分却较为复杂,可划分为6个科和10个属分布类型。其中温带成分分布占绝对优势,有44属,占总属数的67．69％,古地中海成分仅次于温带分布型,有12属,占总属数的18．46％,说明格尔木市盆地区域的植物具有明显的温带性质和古地中海的遗迹。     

坝上地区紫花苜蓿氮、磷、钾肥料效应与推荐施肥量

采用"3414"试验设计,进行田间试验,研究了坝上地区紫花苜蓿氮、磷、钾肥料效应及推荐施肥量。结果表明:在偏干旱条件下,施氮提高紫花苜蓿产量8%～25%,施磷增产率在122%～172%之间,施钾降低紫花苜蓿产量0～12%;与无肥处理相比,缺磷处理减产38.24%,其余处理增产26%～68%,高磷处理增产率最高(67.94%);氮钾互作效应降低紫花苜蓿产草量,而磷钾和磷氮互作效应为提高;缺氮、缺磷和缺钾处理的相对产量分别为75.02%、36.78%和91.60%,土壤速效氮、速效磷和速效钾的丰缺状况依次为中等、极缺和丰富。结合肥料效应函数法和养分丰缺指标法,得出坝上地区旱作条件下紫花苜蓿推荐年施氮(N)、磷(P2O5)和钾(K2O)量分别为80、50和60kg/hm2。     

在实验室饲养条件下花鼠日食量与食物种类的关系

为了掌握花鼠(Eutamias sibiricus)日食量和食物种类的关系,在实验室饲养条件下对花鼠的日食量和食物种类的关系进行了研究。结果表明,花鼠的平均日食量为(15.35±1.09)g,性别间平均日食量无显著差异,花鼠体重与日食量呈正相关,y=0.0487x+90.102。     

采煤沉陷区苦草的生物学特性及其竞争机制

采煤活动所致的动态沉陷湿地具有动态性、高潜水位和生态脆弱性等特点,探明此类人工重构湿地的水生植物群落的生物学特性及其竞争机制,有助于为采煤沉陷区湿地水生植物群落修复提供科学依据。本研究以淮南潘集区人工构建的苦草群落(Ass. Vallisneria natans)为例,采用样方调查法,研究苦草的生物学特性及其与其他水生植物的竞争机制。结果表明,1)沉陷区苦草的生物学特性与浅水湖泊较一致。主要表现在苦草的繁殖方式、传粉方式、生活史方面,但研究区苦草以有性繁殖为主。2)沉陷区苦草能与以种子萌发形成的水烛群丛(Ass. Typha angustifolia)共生,但生物量低;在与形成两年以上的水烛群丛竞争中处于劣势,在水烛群丛盖度达到90%时苦草逐渐消失。3)沉陷区苦草在与浮叶植物莕菜群丛(Ass. Nymphoides peltatum)、苹群丛(Ass. Marsilea quadrifolia)竞争中处于弱势,其盖度、株高、生物量等指标都明显下降。4)沉陷区苦草在与沉水植物竹叶眼子菜群丛(Ass. Potamogeton malaianus)竞争中处于劣势,苦草与沉水植物黑藻群丛(Ass. Hydrilla verticillata)、狐尾藻群丛(Ass. Myriophyllum verticillatum)、大茨藻群丛(Ass. Najas marina)、金鱼藻群丛(Ass. Ceratophyllum demersum)占据不同水层空间,种间竞争不强烈,能较好地共存。总之,苦草较之于相似生长型的植物具有较明显的竞争优势,对于具有不同生活型,尤其是挺水植物和浮叶植物,处于竞争劣势。     

Distribution and Genotypic Characterization of Campylobacter jejuni Isolated from Poultry in Split and Dalmatia County,Croatia

Consumption of poultry contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni has been recognized worldwide as the leading cause of campylobacteriosis. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence and genotype diversity of Campylobacter jejuni in poultry meat intended for consumption in Split and Dalmatia County, which is the second biggest County in Croatia. Furthermore, we also wanted to discover possibly stable clones of C. jejuni appearing in different samples and periods of time, which would indicate their ability to persist in or adapt to poultry. In the period from March 2008 until June 2010, 834 samples of poultry from various sources were examined using a surface swab technique. Isolation of C. jejuni was performed by Preston broth and Karmali agar. Identification of the isolates was carried out using biochemical tests. C. jejuni was found in 84 of 574 chicken samples (14.6%) and in nine of 260 samples of turkey (3.5%). Pulse‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to analyse 61 obtained isolates using SmaI and KpnI. Of 22 different macrorestriction profiles (MRP) that were found, five were detected in poultry from both different locations and periods of time. Samples from 11 locations were found to be contaminated with more than two different genotypes of C. jejuni. Interestingly, the same MRP were found both in poultry declared to be of domestic origin and in the poultry imported from abroad. The prevalence of C. jejuni in poultry samples was in accordance with previously reported results. Genotypic analysis indicated that the population of C. jejuni in Split and Dalmatia County was diverse and that multiple strains of C. jejuni could be found in the same poultry samples. Furthermore, the same genotypes were identified from the samples obtained from different locations and periods of time, which could support the theory of a global existence of certain MRP that are able to persist in or adapt to poultry.