Emerging Animal Species最新文献

The effect of probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum isolate FLB1) on the immunological responses of Cyprinus carpio (Common carp) was tested in a feeding trial. Fingerlings were divided into five treatment groups and fed with graded probiotic diets [@ 0 (T1), 10⁶ colony-forming unit (CFU)/g (T2), 10⁷ CFU/g (T3), 10⁸ CFU/g (T4), and 10⁹ CFU/g (T5) of test meal] in triplicate. Fish fed probiotic supplemented diets had significantly (P < 0.05) improved growth performance, haematological parameters, blood Haemoglobin (Hb), Total Erythrocyte Count (TEC), Total Leucocyte Count (TLC), Packed Cell Volume (PCV)/ Hematocrit (Ht), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH), and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), with the greatest improvement in the treatment T5. Significant (P < 0.05) increase in total serum protein and globulin, as well as lower Albumin (Alb)/ Globulin (Glb) ratio values were also reported. These values indicated the overall improvements in non-specific immune markers. In all the probiotic fed fish groups, significantly (P < 0.05) reduced values of blood glucose levels, total cholesterol, Triglycerides (TG), and High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) were observed. Increased numbers of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were detected in the gastrointestinal tract of probiotic-fed groups indicating the viability and survival of L. plantarum in the fish gut. The results showed that supplementing the diet with L. plantarum @ 10⁹CFU/g feed during the growth period of the fish in a semi-intensive culture system could improve growth and health status of C. carpio.

Background and methods

Equines play an important role in the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 384 randomly selected (78 donkeys and 306 horses) working equines from January 2021 to July 2021 in Shashamene town and its surroundings to investigate the welfare and health status of working equines in the study area. Management and related information on equines was gathered by interviewing equine owners using a structured questionnaire. The welfare of working equines was determined by closely observing the study animals for the prevalence of lameness, injuries, and other diseases of carthorses in association with body condition, age, and behavior. The assessment was carried out at the veterinary clinics, field, market, and around the homestead.

Results

According to the respondents, approximately 13% of cart horses and 72% of donkeys were kept in the open air without shelter. In addition, approximately 78% of the studied donkeys showed behavioral changes, of which approximately 44% were anxious, 3% were depressed, and 19% were found to be not friendly. Similarly, nearly 70% of carthorses demonstrated a behavioral change, of which 64% were anxious, 2% were depressed, and 3% were not friendly. The overall prevalence of injury was approximately 61% in donkeys and 63% in cart horses. Incidences of external injuries were significantly associated with poor body condition (p ≤ 0.001) and anxious behavior (p = 0.03) in working equines. Lameness occurred in nearly 23% of the working equines, of which approximately 9% of the donkeys and 27% of carthorses were lame. A significantly high prevalence of lameness was recorded in cart horses (p = 0.01) in comparison to donkeys. Other major health problems identified in the veterinary clinics, field level, market, and around the homestead were respiratory diseases, colic, and epizootic lymphangitis.

Conclusion

Thus, the study revealed that working equines in the study area are experiencing multiple welfare problems.

Emerging infectious fungal diseases such as chytridiomycosis, caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans in amphibians, or ophidiomycosis in reptiles (Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola), are major threats that can drive species or entire populations to extinction over a short period of time. Besides these well-documented pathogens, such diseases can be caused by numerous opportunistic fungal species that can target e.g. immunocompromised individuals from various species of vertebrates. In reptiles, opportunistic species are mainly documented in captive animals kept in inadequate conditions, but data remains scarce for wild individuals. In the present study, we isolated and genetically identified fungal species responsible of skin lesions in wild-caught smooth snakes (Coronella austriaca) during a field survey targeting endangered reptile species in Switzerland. A total of 18 fungal species were isolated and genetically identified from the lesions of the two wild-caught snakes and included several species known for being opportunistic pathogens in vertebrates and infecting mainly immunocompromised individuals, such as Alternaria infectoria and Rhodotorula spp. It is not possible to establish whether the snakes had such an issue. However, the exceptional wet and cold conditions experienced in spring 2021 might have trigger the infections. Indeed, high humidity has been recorded as a predisposing factor for mycoses in captive reptiles.