Dtw. Deutsche Tierärztliche Wochenschrift最新文献

The splenic lobe (Lobus splenicus) of the pancreas of young meat-type quails (Coturnix c. japonica) was examined by immunohistochemical and light microscopic methods. The endocrine cells are mainly grouped as alpha, beta and mixed islets. A large region consisting of alpha cells is located in the central region of the splenic lobe whereas numerous beta islets are detected in the periphery of the splenic lobe. Alpha islets are in the majority composed of toluidine blue positive A cells and a few toluidine blue negative D and / or avian pancreatic polypeptide (APP) endocrine cells. Beta islets contain only a few toluidine blue negative B and a few D cells. Immunohistochemical staining of the splenic lobe reveal in the centre of beta islets numerous insulin immunoreactive cells and scarcely in alpha islets, exocrine tissue and / or among acinar cells. Somatostatin immune-reactive cells form a circular layer in the periphery of beta islets whereas these cells are uniformly distributed throughout the alpha islet parenchyma and exocrine tissue. In conclusion, the morphology but also the endo- and exocrine functions of the splenic lobe of quails are similar to observations in other avian species such as chicken, duck, goose and pigeon.

Composting of poultry carcasses represents an alternative method for disposal in case of an outbreak of an epizootic disease. Two composting experiments, each with a different construction of the compost pile, were carried out in a stable. In the first experiment two layers of turkey carcasses were formed. This compost pile covered with straw was directly built on the ground. In the second experiment no layers of carcasses were formed, and it was assembled on straw bales covered with plastic foil. One part of this compost pile was covered with straw, the other one was additionally covered with plastic foil. In the first experiment in the upper layers of the compost pile temperatures of up to 54.9 degrees C were reached and the decomposition of carcasses was very advanced with no soft tissues remaining after 30 days. In contrast temperatures of only 45.2 degrees C were reached in the lower layers and decomposition was far less advanced. This difference in decomposition was most likely caused by the temperature difference observed. In the second experiment the near complete decomposition seen in the upper layers of the compost pile at the first trial, was not achieved. Decomposition was more advanced in the straw covered part of this compost pile than in the part covered with straw and plastic foil. On the other hand, higher temperatures of up to 48.4 degrees C were measured in the lower layers of this compost pile most likely as a result of the increased heat insulation in particular to the ground.

Swinepox virus infection results in an acute, mild or subclinical course and is characterised by typical poxvirus skin lesions in affected pigs. Additionally, sporadic vertical swinepox virus transmission leads to congenital generalised infection and subsequent abortion or stillbirth. The present report describes the occurrence of epidermal efflorescences in two piglets after intrauterine natural suipoxvirus infection. No clinical abnormalities of the gilt and littermates as well as in other pigs from this herd were present. One of the affected piglets was stillborn and submitted for necropsy, the other animal was alive at birth, but died 3 days later. Histologically, a proliferative to ulcerative dermatitis with epithelial ballooning degeneration and characteristic intracytoplasmatic inclusion bodies was observed. The pathomorphological and histopathological suspected diagnosis of a poxvirus infection was confirmed by electron microscopy. Furthermore, the agent was identified as suipoxvirus by polymerase chain reaction. As demonstrated here, obvious skin lesions in suipoxvirus infection leads to a suspected diagnosis in newborn piglets on macroscopic examination. However, further post mortem examinations, including electron microscopy as well as molecular techniques are essential for the identification of the aetiology and the exclusion of differential diagnoses. Because the disease only affected two pigs there was only a small economic loss. A valid diagnostic plays an important role in advising farmers and for herd health monitoring.

In dog training, the question of preventing unwanted behaviours is lively discussed. On the one hand, many dog owners are faced with the problem to be obliged to interrupt certain behaviours in their dog. On the other hand, uncertainty regarding the use of any form of punishment is widely spread among dog owners. The discussion ranges from the principle question whether punishment should be employed at all, to the question which form of punishment is still adequate and which form is not. When discussing this issue from a more scientific point of view, one has to consider the learning theories in dogs including the different forms of conditioning, the association timing as well as the correct application of reinforcement and punishment. When considering scientific research as regards the use of punishment in dog training, only the use of electric training collars has been assessed with the aid of physiologic data. In this study, no considerable impact on the animals could be observed if these devices were correctly used. Concerning other forms of punishment, studies which include physiologic data as means to measure stress are still non-existing. Such studies are currently carried out at our institute. The results of these surveys should be included in further discussions on whether the use of electric training collars should be permitted in certain areas of dog training.

In 2007, 678 pigs of all age groups out of 347 different farms from Lower Saxony and Northrhine-Westphalia and 86 persons occupationally exposed to pigs were investigated for their nasal colonisation with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus areus (MRSA) by the Field Station for Epidemiology of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover and the Robert Koch-Institute. At the individual animal level, a frequency of positive results of 13% (n = 85 positive animals) and at the herd level, a frequency of positive results of 18% (n = 62 positive herds) were found. All isolates were assigned to the Multilocus Sequence Typing Type ST398. Within MRSA-positive herds, there were more MRSA-negative than MRSA-positive animals. Among the occupationally exposed persons (veterinarians, laboratory personnel and meat inspection personnel), 20 persons (23%) showed a nasal colonisation with MRSA ST398. A quite strong association between the intensity of the contact to pigs with the frequency of nasal colonisation in the occupationally exposed persons was detected. None of the animals or the humans nasally colonised by MRSA ST398 showed any clinical symptoms of a staphylococcal infection. Conclusions are drawn on the herd and intra-herd prevalence of the nasal colonisation of pigs with MRSA ST398 in pigs, but especially on which questions need to be addressed by further research.

In Berlin, the authorization and inspection of experiments on animals and of facilities for laboratory animal breeding and husbandry are carried out by the same authority. According to Section 16 (1) sentence one no. 3 Tierschutzgesetz (German animal protection act), there are presently 1200 procedures registered and 68 facilities approved to breed and keep vertebrates for experiments (according to Section 11 (1) sentence one no. 1 Tierschutzgesetz). In 2006, the use of 300,903 vertebrates was reported. There are 38 animal welfare officers in the twenty major scientific facilities who are in charge of in-house supervision. The authority visits the facilities where experiments take place at regular intervals to observe and supervise their operations. On request, the facilities must send the records from the experiments to the authority for examination (according to Section 9 a Tierschutzgesetz). With the annual laboratory animal report, the authority can verify the number of authorised laboratory animals. By checking the scientific publications the authority can compare them with the authorised animal experiments. Facilities for laboratory animal breeding and husbandry are continuously supervised. Offences against the animal protection act are prosecuted. When there are deficiencies in animal welfare, the authority sets a deadline to correct the defects. If the deficiency still exists after the expiry of the term, the authority imposes a penalty payment or initiates legal proceedings. The important role of the animal welfare officers (Section 8 a Tierschutzgesetz) is apparent. The majority of supervisions show that there are deficiencies. This indicates that more emphasis must be put on prevention. The facilities must provide better support and resources for the animal welfare officers. Furthermore, the scientists must be more receptive to the animal welfare officers in their role as advisers. Continuous and adequate training is imperative to the goal of maintaining sufficient in-house supervision and to keep the animals from suffering. If in-house supervision works well, the State's role in regulating animal experiments can be reduced.

An outbreak of avian influenza in August 2007 resulted in the culling of hundreds of thousands of Peking ducks. An earlier tutorial had shown that whole house gassing with carbon dioxide to kill waterfowl has to be refused because of interference with animal welfare. Culling by electrocution is a reliable method that fulfils animal welfare requirements. Stationary electrocution lines for slaughtering should be preferred if suitable for the killing of the birds. Mobile electrocution lines (MET) are a good alternative or supplementation with a capacity of circa 2,500 animals per hour. MET are suitable for killing Peking ducks with a weight of approximately 500 g. At least two veterinarians are required per MET for the supervision of animal welfare during culling. When following German animal welfare laws, killing in mobile gas containers filled with carbon dioxide is an alternative with a capacity comparable to that of MET. The problem of looking into the containers for controlled stunning and killing can be solved by installing observation windows. Manpower requirements are comparable to those of MET, while requirements for material and transportation are unlikely higher. This method is suitable for birds which are too small to be killed by electrocution.

The article looks at the legal situation concerning the permission for commercial activities with animals due to Article 11 par. 1 no.3 (d) of the German Animal Welfare Act, in particular in combination with activities at changing places. Regardingly the German legislator has recently (especially since 1998) started to approach the problems of animal welfare by adopting specific regulations, e. g. by enacting an obligation to inform the authority of the planned change of place of activity. Currently the legislator discusses an extension of the enabling act for an ordinance by the Federal Government on the central register for circusses. Standardized data collection and transmission shall contribute to an effective control of the companies' compliance with animal welfare law. Article 11 par. 2a of the German Animal Welfare Act is an important regulation concerning activities at changing places. It allows to combine the permission with time limits, conditions and impositions of duties. Such collateral clauses can be set down to keep an animal stock book or--in a wider sense--a documentation of the company's activities to guarantee an effective control by the authority. In the case of American rodeo shows it is to mention that collateral clauses to introduce more animal welfare are imposed by the local authorities responsible for the area where the shows will take place rather than by the authority which actually has given the permission. The authorities have to distinguish subsequent collateral clauses or directives on one hand and the revocation of the permission on the other hand, since in this case the requirements are more strict. The recent preliminary judicial decisions of the administrative courts concerning this legal problem are contradictory so that they cannot serve as a guideline for the authorities.

From 1 January 2007, requirements concerning animal welfare were introduced with effect to cross-compliance. Farmers receiving single payment as well as agri-environmental payments (payments of second pillar) shall respect the statutory management requirements of the following 3 directives in the area of animal welfare: Council Directive 91/629/EEC laying down minimum standards for the protection of calves; Council Directive 91/630/EEC laying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs; Council Directive 98/58/EC concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes. The competent authority shall carry out annual systematic inspections on at least 1% of all farmers submitting payments on the basis of a risk analysis and partly at random. In case of non-compliance with the conditions due to specific rules, there will be a reduction or cancellation of the payments to be granted in the calendar year in which non-compliance occurs. Cross-compliance controls should take place on the basis of documented procedures so as to ensure that these controls are carried out uniformly and are of a consistently high quality. For this purpose, a working group composed of representatives from the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection and from the Lander developed uniform control reports in order to monitor compliance and a guidance booklet for control execution of animal welfare requirements. In the control report (Level 1), the outcomes of inspections of all systematic testable animal welfare requirements are summarized in 6 items. Furthermore, the non-systematically testable requirements are integrated in the control report as a independent item. The guidance booklet (Level 2) with a matrix of validation serves as a specification for on-the-spot checks. Where appropriate, on-the-spot checks provided for cross-compliance and any other checks in animal welfare rules as well as requirements to animal identification and registration shall be carried out at the same time in Baden-Württemberg (integrated control system). Farmers subjected to on-the-spot checks shall be selected on the basis of a centralized common risk analysis and partly at random. This is the best way of safeguarding that the control rate will not be much higher than the established 1% with a minimum administrative burden and costs for farmers and competent control authorities. Integrated check lists for on-the-spot checks were established which take into account systematic cross compliance inspections to improve compliance with 3 existing standards in the area of animal welfare and official controls as proved in Council Directives concerning animal welfare and Regulation (EC) No 882/2004. All staff of the competent authorities performing controls received, for their area of competence, appropriate training enabling them to make their duties competently and to carry out controls in a consistent manner. Integrated systematic controls are very time-consuming

Every year thousands of dogs from EU Member States and third countries are brought to Germany by private animal protectionists, animal protection societies and public animal shelters offering them for an average charge of 250,00 Euro each. In addition to violations of current legal regulations, there might also be real crime offence behind the matter. Moreover, people, especially children, are increasingly endangered by various infectious diseases imported to Germany and spreading throughout the country as well as by dogs suffering from bad deprivation damage. The fact that the new owners are often not told the truth about the dogs'foreign origin is another problem. They are often marked with a chip after being brought to Germany and only then they are provided with a national vaccination record or a German pet passport. Finally the question arises whether the "rescue" of dogs and finding a place for them in Germany is just "big business"--for animal protection societies, practitioners, dog shelters, dog psychologists and the media.