Animals最新文献

Whole-genome sequencing is a powerful approach for exploring genomic diversity in livestock species. Chickens (Gallus gallus) are an important food source worldwide, and in Taiwan, poultry production contributes substantially to the livestock industry. Taiwan's commercial red- and black-feathered country chickens dominate this category and play a crucial role in local poultry production. However, fundamental genomic information on their population structure remains limited. To address this gap, this study generated whole-genome sequencing data from red-feathered country chickens originating from four major breeding farms. Genetic diversity analyses revealed uniformly low genetic diversity across all farms. Runs of homozygosity (ROH) analyses indicated predominantly historical inbreeding, with farm-specific differences in recent inbreeding patterns. Population structure analyses revealed clear clustering of individuals according to farm origin, indicating distinct line structures among breeding farms. These results provide the first comprehensive genomic overview of Taiwan's commercial red-feather country chickens and offer valuable reference information for future breeding strategies and the development of new lines.

Microplastics (MPs) are prevalent in freshwater systems; consequently, fish ingest them either accidentally or intentionally. Once ingested, MPs can translocate to various organs and cause physiological effects. Most studies have focused on tropical and marine fishes, and many have used mass-based methods that measure exposure only by the total mass of microplastics, ignoring particle number and size. These studies have also rarely examined MP effects or fate after a depuration period, limiting our understanding of MP impacts on temperate fishes, hindering the harmonisation of toxicological studies, and complicating assessments of food safety for cultured and wild fish. This study investigated the physiological impacts of dietary exposure to polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs; 1-10 µm) in Salmo trutta fed a diet with ~5.4 × 10⁶ PS-MPs g^-1 feed for 21 days, followed by a 90-day depuration period. PS-MPs translocation from the intestine to the liver and muscle was investigated. Enzymatic biomarkers of oxidative stress and metabolism were analysed in the liver, digestive enzyme activity was assessed in the intestine, and inflammatory enzyme responses were evaluated in both liver and intestinal tissues. In addition, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, was quantified in blood, muscle, and liver samples. Results show that 1-5 µm PS-MPs translocated to the liver and muscle, while 10 µm particles largely remained in the intestine, with a small fraction detected in muscle tissue but not in the liver. Most biochemical markers were unaffected; however, both trypsin and peroxidase activities significantly decreased after 21 days, and lipid peroxidation increased in blood following 90 days of depuration. PS-MPs persisted in muscle following 90 days of depuration. These findings demonstrate that dietary exposure to PS-MPs in the size range 1-10 µm leads to selective physiological alterations in S. trutta and results in persistent accumulation of MPs in organs, especially muscle tissue consumed by humans, highlighting a clear concern for food safety.

Accurate and quantitative detection of boar sperm heads is essential for breeding selection and reproductive management. Manual microscopic counting is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to subjective bias, while existing computer-based algorithms often struggle to recognize sperm cells accurately when they overlap or move rapidly in high-magnification microscopic images. This study proposes a lightweight boar sperm detection model, YOLO11_SRP, designed to improve small-object recognition in complex microscopic scenarios. The model integrates a lightweight StarNet backbone, a rectangular self-calibration module for enhanced spatial feature modeling, and an additional low-level detection layer optimized for tiny targets. We evaluated the model on a boar sperm microscopic image dataset and compared it with the standard YOLO11s framework. The results show that YOLO11_SRP achieves an mAP@0.5 of 91.9%, representing a 13.9% improvement over YOLO11s, while simultaneously reducing parameters by 39% and computational cost by 14.1%. These findings demonstrate that YOLO11_SRP provides efficient and accurate sperm detection, supporting the development of efficient and reliable automated sperm analysis pipelines, in which sperm head detection serves as a fundamental preprocessing step.

Macrobrachium rosenbergii is one of the largest and most economically significant freshwater prawns worldwide. Understanding its population genetic structure is essential for optimizing cross-breeding strategies, conserving germplasm resources, and supporting sustainable aquaculture. However, progress in this area has been hindered by the limited availability of reliable molecular markers. In this study, we developed 20 polymorphic microsatellite primer pairs and applied them to assess the genetic diversity of 11 populations collected from China and Southeast Asia (including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Taiwan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Thailand). All loci exhibited high levels of polymorphism. The number of alleles (Na) ranged from 5 to 27, while the mean observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (He), and polymorphism information content (PIC) were 0.570, 0.720, and 0.686, respectively. The genetic differentiation coefficient (Fst) among populations ranged from 0.017 to 0.289. UPGMA clustering revealed that the Myanmar population formed an independent branch, whereas the remaining ten populations clustered together, indicating relatively close genetic relationships among them. Beyond enriching the currently limited molecular marker resources for M. rosenbergii, this study provides essential baseline data for evaluating genetic diversity in existing populations and establishes a solid molecular foundation for future genetic monitoring and breeding programs.

This study explored the effects of Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis CECT 8145 (B. animalis CECT 8145)-in both live probiotic and heat-treated postbiotic form-on metabolic health and digestion in male and female Labrador Retrievers during weight gain and loss. The study consisted of two, seven-week phases: weight gain (200% maintenance energy intake; Phase (1) and weight loss (100% maintenance energy requirement for ideal weight; Phase (2), separated by a 2-week washout period. In each phase, forty-five adult Labrador Retrievers (1.6-12.5 years) were randomly assigned to daily supplementation with live B. animalis CECT 8145 probiotic (PRO, n = 15), heat-treated B. animalis CECT 8145 postbiotic (POST, n = 15), or placebo control (CON, n = 15). Body weight, body condition score, fecal quality and food consumption were monitored throughout the study, and body composition, fecal, and blood samples were analyzed at the beginning and end of each phase. Digestibility was evaluated at the end of each phase. Post-prandial glucose responses were affected by intervention during weight loss, with a 6% reduction in the area under the curve (AUC) in POST compared to CON dogs (p = 0.035). Glucagon was decreased in females supplemented with POST (p = 0.0014), while POST males showed increased glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) compared to CON (p = 0.016) during weight gain. Serum GGT levels decreased, within the normal reference range, in POST compared to CON dogs during weight gain (post hoc p = 0.041). Fecal isovalerate was also reduced and fat digestibility increased (p = 0.026) in POST compared to CON (p = 0.018) during weight gain. There was a significant association between the group and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), with a decrease in GIP in POST over time (p = 0.030), and glucagon tended to be decreased in POST compared to CON (p = 0.073). Overall, these findings suggest supplementation with postbiotic B. animalis CECT 8145 may improve certain markers of Labrador retrievers' metabolic health.

Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome is a group of abnormalities that primarily affect the upper respiratory tract, particularly in dogs-especially in English and French bulldogs, pugs, and Boston terriers. The description and the consequences of these anomalies are well known. We performed a detailed histopathological analysis of soft palate samples taken from brachycephalic dogs with BOAS III. We examined the impact of the severity and composition of inflammatory infiltrates on individual histological structures, such as mucosal membrane, serosal and mucosal glands, and muscles. The study was conducted on 50 samples of soft palate tissue collected from pugs and French bulldogs. The sections were then stained with haematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson-Goldner trichrome. In general, both lymphocytic and plasmocytic inflammation were observed. Plasmacytic inflammation was more commonly associated with more advanced changes, including glandular fibrosis, muscle degeneration, and waxy necrosis of the muscles. Therefore, inflammatory infiltration-particularly plasmocytic infiltration-is associated with more severe clinical symptoms and a poorer prognosis in BOAS III dogs.

Hemotropic mycoplasmas (hemoplasmas) are uncultivable, cell wall-less bacteria that parasitizeon the surface of red blood cells of mammals, potentially causing anemia and other systemic signs. While widely distributed among domestic and wild animals, their occurrence in equids remains poorly understood, and no species has been identified as host-specific to horses or donkeys. This study presents the first systematic survey of hemoplasmas in equids from southeastern Europe and only the second molecularly confirmed case in horses in Europe. A total of 843 equids (817 horses and 26 donkeys) from different regions of Croatia, representing various ages, uses, and husbandry systems, were screened for hemoplasmas by PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene. Only one horse tested positive, identified as Mycoplasma wenyonii, a hemoplasma typically associated with cattle. The estimated prevalence was 0.12% (95% CI: 0.003-0.68%). No donkeys were infected. The extremely low prevalence observed here-the lowest reported in any study detecting hemoplasma-positive horses-supports the hypothesis that equids do not harbor host-specific hemoplasma species and may only sporadically acquire infections from other hosts via spillover. This finding underscores the apparent absence of persistent hemoplasma lineages adapted to equids and highlights the need for further research on their epidemiology, host specificity, and transmission dynamics.

The emergence and spread of swine coronaviruses represent a growing challenge for both veterinary medicine and public health. These viruses exhibit high mutation rates, recombination potential, and the capacity for cross-species transmission. Among the most relevant pathogens are PEDV, TGEV, PRCV, PHEV, PDCoV, and SADS-CoV, which have caused significant outbreaks in swine production systems worldwide, with severe economic consequences. Recent evidence demonstrates coronavirus circulation in wild boar populations across Europe, including Italy, Spain, and Germany. Although wild boars are not confirmed as primary reservoirs, their ecological behavior and increasing overlap with domestic pigs raise concern over their potential role in maintaining viral circulation. Future research priorities should focus on developing a more integrated and coordinated system for the control of swine coronaviruses, including strengthened surveillance in both domestic pigs and wild boar populations, the use of molecular epidemiology techniques to identify emerging variants, and structured collaboration among veterinary, ecological, health, and regulatory sectors. Finally, investment is needed in the development of next-generation vaccines and diagnostic tools to address the considerable genetic variability of swine coronaviruses and to improve the prevention and early detection of and response to future epidemic threats.

Feminization is an important biotechnological approach in aquaculture for species in which females exhibit superior growth and higher market value. The long-whiskered catfish (Mystus gulio), a euryhaline species cultivated in both monoculture and co-culture systems, contributes to sustainable aquaculture by grazing on uneaten feed and maintaining pond cleanliness. This study evaluated the effects of dietary 17β-estradiol (E2) at 0, 10, 30, and 60 mg/kg, incorporated into conventional and microencapsulated feeds, on the feminization and early growth of M. gulio larvae. Treatments were administered during the weaning stage for 14 and 21 days under controlled rearing conditions. Results showed that larvae fed microencapsulated feed containing 60 mg/kg E2 achieved the highest specific growth rate (26.91 ± 1.92%/day), feed efficiency (164.76 ± 33.23%), and feminization success (99.73 ± 0.04%). Hormonal assays confirmed elevated estradiol and reduced testosterone levels, consistent with ovarian development observed in histological sections. Gene expression analysis further supported these findings through the significant upregulation of cyp19a, erb1, and erb2 mRNA levels. Overall, this study demonstrates that microencapsulated hormone feeding is an effective and environmentally responsible strategy for achieving monosex female populations in M. gulio, enhancing productivity, reproductive performance, and sustainability in aquaculture systems.

Cryopreservation of bovine ovarian cortical tissue offers a promising strategy for preserving female fertility and genetic resources, yet outcomes remain variable and influenced by both protocol and tissue size. This study investigated how slow freezing-thawing (SFT) and two vitrification-warming procedures (VW1 and VW2) affect preantral follicle morphology and granulosa cell proliferation in bovine ovarian cortex fragments of two dimensions (1 × 10 × 5 mm and 1 × 10 × 10 mm). Tissue from six cows was processed for histological evaluation and Ki67 immunostaining. Small fragments subjected to SFT showed no significant reduction in the proportion of morphologically normal follicles compared with fresh controls, representing the best overall preservation. In contrast, vitrification decreased morphological integrity, with VW2 performing better than VW1 in both fragment sizes. Small SFT pieces contained more morphologically normal follicles than large ones. Granulosa cell proliferation capacity was largely maintained across cryopreservation protocols, increasing with follicular stage; a size-related difference only appeared on VW2, where small fragments displayed higher Ki67 positivity. These findings underscore the relevance of jointly evaluating cryopreservation protocol and fragment size to optimize bovine ovarian tissue preservation, strengthening the evidence supporting SFT of small fragments as a robust option for safeguarding cortical integrity and improving tissue-based fertility preservation strategies.