Search Results (31)

Leptospirosis is one of the world’s major neglected tropical zoonotic diseases (NTZDs), implicated in animal health and welfare with economic consequences for livestock production. This study aims to estimate the seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. and identify potential risk factors in small ruminant herds. This epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted in Nuevo León, a semi-arid region of Mexico. A total of 389 blood samples from goats and 385 from sheep older than eight months were randomly collected from 128 herds. Anti-Leptospira antibodies were detected using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine their association with leptospirosis infection. The overall prevalence was 13.5% (105/774), with 14.4% (56/389) in goats and 12.7% (49/385) in sheep. Sejroe was the most predominant serogroup. The main risk factors in sheep were contact with domestic cattle, ≥100 animals per herd, congenital abnormalities, contact with feral pigs, meat production system, absence of veterinary care, and abortions with odds ratios (OR) between 1.7 and 4.1. In goats, the main risk factors included lack of quarantine measures, contact with feral pigs, absence of veterinary care, and abortions where the OR ranged from 1.7 to 3.3. These findings indicate that Leptospira spp. is present in small ruminant herds. This is the first study aimed at understanding leptospirosis epidemiology in the northeastern region of Mexico, as goats and sheep may act as potential reservoirs. Continuous monitoring of Leptospira infections is imperative, as well as developing educational initiatives for farmers to implement biosecurity and prevention measures to prevent infections within herds and protect public health. Full article

Traditional methods for managing free-roaming cats in Australia primarily depend on legislation and enforcement to achieve compliance. State laws and local regulations mandate confinement, sterilization, registration, and identification and limit the number of cats kept, with penalties for breaches. However, these strategies fail to address underlying issues like financial constraints in low-income areas and the prevalence of semi-owned cats. Containment mandates often result in increased complaints, shelter intake, and euthanasia, without effectively reducing cat-related problems. Research shows that these approaches are expensive, difficult to enforce, and place a disproportionate burden on disadvantaged communities. Moreover, they negatively affect the mental health of shelter staff and animal management officers, who are frequently exposed to euthanasia and ongoing challenges. An alternative “One Welfare” framework, which recognizes the interconnectedness of animal, human, and environmental welfare, has proven more effective. Programs that provide support and resources, particularly for cat sterilization and microchipping, while fostering the human–animal bond improve outcomes for both cats and caregivers. Shifting from punitive measures to collaborative, community-driven strategies is crucial for managing free-roaming cats in a way that benefits animals, people, and the broader community, while protecting wildlife. Full article

European grasslands and their biodiversity are declining rapidly due to land use changes, which highlight the need to develop effective restoration strategies. This study investigates the impact of reintroducing the Swedish national horse breed (the Gotland Russ) on grassland plant diversity and evenness in abandoned agricultural landscapes in Southeast Sweden. Twelve horses were introduced into three 10–13-hectare enclosure replicates (four horses per enclosure) in a three-year (2014–2016) rewilding experiment. Plant species richness, evenness, and diversity were investigated in both grazed and un-grazed conditions. The results indicate that horse grazing significantly increased grassland plant species diversity and richness, with higher Shannon and Simpson’s diversity indices in grazed areas. In addition, the abundance of white clover (Trifolium repens), a signal species beneficial to pollinators, increased significantly in grazed areas. These findings emphasize the need for integrating large herbivore grazing into ecological restoration practices. Considering the recently enacted EU Nature Restoration Law, which aims to restore 20% of Europe’s degraded ecosystems by 2030, this research provides critical insights into scalable restoration methods. The implementation of restoration strategies that include large herbivores may enhance the resilience and biodiversity of European grasslands, thereby aligning with the EU’s restoration goals. Full article

Parasites play a significant role in biodiversity, yet research on these organisms remains limited, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Parasites are also an essential aspect of domestic animal husbandry, and their prevalence depends on various factors, such as husbandry conditions and the environment. However, no studies have been conducted on parasites affecting domestic animals on Socotra Island. This study aimed to investigate parasites in selected goat populations on the island using intravital fecal diagnosis. A total of 406 samples from adult goats across different locations (lowlands and highlands) and seasons (dry and rainy) were collected, fixed in 10% formalin, and transported to the Czech Republic for coprological examination using flotation and ether sedimentation methods. Statistical analyses, including partial canonical correspondence analysis (pCCA), the Monte Carlo permutation test, and the chi-squared test, revealed a high prevalence of gastrointestinal parasite infections, with 89% of goats infected. Eimeria spp. had the highest prevalence (76%). Co-infection was common, with 55.9% of goats infected with multiple parasites. Seasonality influenced parasitism, with other Protostrongylidae, Muellerius spp., and Trichuris spp. predominating during the rainy season, and Eimeria spp. and gastrointestinal strongylids predominating during the dry season. This first study on Socotra Island, Yemen, provides crucial insights into effective intervention strategies for controlling goat parasite infections. Full article

Tea is a significant source of flavonoids in the diet. Due to different production processes, the amount of bioactive compounds in unfermented (green) and (semi-)fermented tea differs. Importantly, green tea has a similar composition of phenolic compounds to fresh, unprocessed tea leaves. It consists primarily of monomeric flavan-3-ols, known as catechins, of which epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant. Thanks to its antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antiangiogenic properties, EGCG has attracted the scientific community’s attention to its potential use in preventing and/or combating cancer. In this review article, we summarize the literature reports found in the Google Scholar and PubMed databases on the anticancer effect of EGCG on selected malignant neoplasms in women, i.e., breast, cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers, which have been published over the last two decades. It needs to be emphasized that EGCG concentrations reported as effective against cancer cells are typically higher than those found in plasma after polyphenol administration. Moreover, the low bioavailability and absorption of EGCG appear to be the main reasons for the differences in the effects between in vitro and in vivo studies. In this context, we also decided to look at possible solutions to these problems, consisting of combining the polyphenol with other bioactive components or using nanotechnology. Despite the promising results of the studies conducted so far, mainly in vitro and on animal models, there is no doubt that further, broad-based activities are necessary to unequivocally assess the potential use of EGCG in oncological treatment to combat cancer in women. Full article

Scientifically validated and standardised methods for the evaluation of the welfare of free-living horses are urgently needed by both the owners and managers of these populations and those responsible for implementing national welfare legislation. The aim of the study was to test the feasibility and usefulness of two welfare protocols that could be applied to semi-feral populations: a prototype of welfare assessment template (WAT) for Carneddau semi-feral ponies and the IFCE/INRAE Horse Welfare Protocol. Additionally, the body condition scale designed by Henneke (BCS-H) was employed. The study took place in July/August 2022 and April 2023 to evaluate the welfare of a pilot population of nineteen semi-feral Konik polski horses. The horses scored high or satisfactory under indicators across both protocols; only body condition scores were significantly lower in early spring (BCS-WAT: 1.11 ± 0.57; BCS-H: 3.84 ± 1.17) than in the summer (BCS-WAT: 1.58 ± 0.61; BCS-H: 5.63 ± 1.01). Our study confirmed the feasibility of utilising most of the WAT and IFCE/INRAE welfare indicators in semi-feral horses. Some adaptations, such as considering validation of scales, positive welfare indicators and animals’ free-choice of conditions, have been suggested for future in-field application. Full article

Current legislation in the United Kingdom stipulates that horses should not be slaughtered within sight of one another. However, abattoir personnel anecdotally report that, for semi-feral horses unused to restraint, co-slaughtering alongside a conspecific could reduce distress through social buffering and improve safety, but there is a lack of evidence to support this. CCTV footage from an English abattoir was assessed retrospectively with welfare indicators from when horses entered the kill pen until they were killed. Of 256 horses analysed, 12% (32/256) were co-slaughtered (alongside a conspecific) and 88% (224/256) individually. Co-slaughtered horses moved more in the pen, but individually slaughtered horses showed more agitated behaviour, required more encouragement to enter the kill pen, and experienced more slips or falls. Unrestrained horses (40%; 102/256) showed increased agitation, movement, and agonistic behaviour towards the operator and resisted entry to the kill pen compared to restrained horses (60%; 154/256). Positive interactions between conspecifics were seen in 94% (30/32) of co-slaughtered horses, and only 6% (1/16) showed a startled response to the first horse being shot, with a median time of 15 s between shots. This study highlights the impact that both conspecific and human interactions can have on equine welfare at slaughter. Semi-feral or unrestrained horses appear to experience increased distress compared to horses more familiar with human handling, and the presence of a conspecific at slaughter mitigated this. Full article

Sociality is an ethological need of horses that remained unchanged by domestication. Accordingly, it is essential to include horses’ social behavioural requirements and the opportunity to establish stable affiliative bonds in equine management systems and welfare assessment. Thus, this systematic review aims to provide an up-to-date analysis of equine intraspecific social ethograms. A literature review yielded 27 papers that met the inclusion criteria by studying adult (≥2 years) equine social behaviour with conspecifics using a well-defined ethogram. Social interactions were observed in 851 horses: 320 (semi-)feral free-ranging, 62 enclosed (semi-)feral and 469 domesticated, living in groups averaging 9.1 (mean +/− 6.8 s.d., range: 2–33) horses. The ethograms detailed in these 27 studies included a total of 40 (mean: 12.8/paper, range: 2–23) social behaviours, of which 60% (24/40) were agonistic, 30% (12/40) affiliative, 7.5% (3/40) investigative and 2.5% (1/40) neutral. The 27 publications included 67.7% agonistic and only 26% affiliative, 5.1% investigative and 1.2% neutral social behaviours in their methodology, thus focusing predominantly on socio-negative interactions. The strong emphasis on agonistic behaviours in equine ethology starkly contrasts with the rare occurrence of agonistic behaviours in stable horse groups and the well-established importance of affiliative interactions for equine welfare. The nuanced and complex equine social behaviour requires refinement of the ethogram with a greater focus on affiliative, ambivalent and indifferent interactions and the role of social tolerance in equine social networks to advance equine welfare assessment. Full article

Dongcai is loved for its delicious flavor and nutritional value. The microorganisms in Dongcai play a vital role in their flavor, quality, and safety, and the microbial communities of Dongcai vary greatly from region to region. However, it remains unknown what the predominant microorganisms are in different traditional Dongcai and how they affect its flavor. The objective of this study is to explore the microbial diversity of traditional fermented Dongcai in three representative Chinese regions (Tianjin, Sichuan, and Guangzhou) and further assess their microbial functions. The microbial diversity of fermented Dongcai in Guangdong has the lowest diversity compared to fermented Dongcai in Sichuan, which has the highest. The distribution of the main genera of fermented Dongcai varies from region to region, but Carnimonas, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, and Rhodococcus are the dominant genera in common. In addition, halophilic bacteria (HAB, i.e., Halomonas Bacillus, Virgibacillus, etc.) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB, i.e., Weissella and Lactobacillus) are also highly abundant. Of these, Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, Rhodococcus, Sphingomonas, Ralstonia, and Chromohalobacter are dominant in the Sichuan samples. In the Tianjin samples, Lactobacillus, Weissella, Virgibacillus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas are the most abundant. Predictions of microbial metabolic function reveal that carbohydrates, amino acids, polyketides, lipids, and other secondary metabolites are abundantly available for biosynthesis. In addition, the different flavors of the three types of Dongcai may be due to the fact that the abundance of HAB and LAB shows a significant positive correlation with the amounts of important metabolites (e.g., salt, acid, amino nitrogen, and sugar). These results contribute to our understanding of the link between the distinctive flavors of different types of Dongcai and the microorganisms they contain and will also provide a reference for the relationship between microbial communities and flavor substances in semi-fermented pickles. Full article

In captivity, intact male horses, due to their sexual drive, are usually socially isolated from other horses. This lifestyle strongly contrasts with that experienced by horses living in free-roaming, feral, or semi-feral conditions, where adult stallions have several roles in their social group, with successful reproduction being their primary drive. Reproductive skew in wild populations is high; many stallions will fail to reproduce at all, while others achieve high levels of reproductive success, siring a large number of foals. Successful stallions are those with particular characteristics and abilities that facilitate harem formation and tenure, allowing them to successfully take over a harem or establish a new one, protect mares from rival stallions, employ appropriate social behaviour to maintain group cohesion, and avoid kin-mating, for example through kin recognition mechanisms. Whilst the life of free-living stallions is far from stress-free, they retain ancestral adaptations to selection pressures (such as predation and competition) exhibited by their natural environment over thousands of years. Here, we discuss the challenges faced by free-living horse stallions, the roles they play in social groups, and their resulting social needs. By understanding these pressures and how stallions react to them, we highlighted the importance of the social environment for the stallion. It is hoped that a better understanding of wild stallions’ lives will lead to their needs being more clearly met in captivity, reducing stereotypical behaviour and improving welfare. Full article

Newcastle Disease (ND), caused by virulent forms of Avian orthoavulavirus serotype-1 (AOAV-1) is an economically important avian disease worldwide. The past two incursions of ND into the United Kingdom occurred in game bird populations during 2005 and 2006. The nature of the game bird semi-feral rearing system, which can bring these birds into close contact with both wild birds and commercial or backyard poultry, has been hypothesized to act as a bridge between these two environments. As such, the risk that AOAV-1-infected game birds may pose to the UK poultry industry was investigated. Pheasants, partridges and chickens were experimentally infected with the virulent strain APMV-1/Chicken/Bulgaria/112/13, a genotype VII.2 virus associated with ND outbreaks in Eastern Europe. The study demonstrated that both chickens and pheasants are susceptible to infection with APMV-1/Chicken/Bulgaria/112/13, which results in high mortality and onward transmission. Partridges by contrast are susceptible to infection, but mortality was reduced, as was onward transmission. However, the data indicated that both pheasants and partridges may serve as intermediate hosts of AOAV-1 and may bridge the wild bird–domestic poultry interface enabling transmission into an economically damaging environment where morbidity and mortality may be high. Full article

In urban and peri-urban areas of the world, free-roaming cats often pose management challenges for authorities. Most are wandering owned or semi-owned cats (fed by people who do not perceive ownership). Some are lost or abandoned, or unowned cats who obtain food from humans unintentionally. Unidentified cats are classified as “stray” in shelter data, and by government agencies as “stray” or “feral” based on their behaviour. However, legally feral cats are usually considered to live and reproduce in the wild with no support from humans. Cats classified as feral in Australia can be managed using lethal methods, including shooting, poisoning, trapping, and blunt trauma. The impact of killing animals on shelter staff is well documented. However, no previous research has investigated psychological impacts of lethal cat management on citizens who care for free-roaming cats. Using semi-structured interviews, this study explored the lived experience of six cat caregivers affected by lethal management of cats by shooting, instigated by the Port of Newcastle in 2020. Results demonstrated strong relationships between the caregivers and cats, and negative impacts on caregiver psychological health and quality of life associated with lethal management. It is recommended that a care-centred approach to cat management be prioritized in future, whereby authorities aid neutering and, if possible, adoption, to improve cat welfare, minimize cat nuisance complaints, and reduce psychological hazards to caregivers. Further, a revision of relevant legislation used to distinguish between domestic and feral cats in Australia should be actioned to prevent unnecessary killing of domestic cats. Full article

For large herbivores inhabiting arid/semi-arid environments, water can be a limiting resource affecting their distribution and abundance for periods when water requirements are not met via forage. The Cyprus mouflon (Ovis gmelini ophion) is such a species, which is endemic to the mountain habitats of Cyprus. Recognizing water scarcity to be a major pressure to the mouflon, and with global warming projected to intensify hot and dry periods in the region, the Game and Fauna Service has been maintaining a network of locally designed watering troughs in Pafos Forest—the mouflon’s stronghold—since 1997. This study describes the mouflon’s use of the water troughs and examines whether visitation rates differed at the daily or weekly scale in response to environmental, climatic or anthropogenic parameters. Using camera traps, ten troughs were monitored from September 2017 to March 2018 (1,065 days; range 29–164 days per trough). Mouflon were detected at seven troughs (mean herd size 1.5 ± 1.2) during 373 independent detections (≥30 min interval between photographs), with visits peaking during late morning and midday hours. Generalized mixed-effect models showed mouflon visiting water troughs more frequently during hotter days, regardless of recent precipitation. Visits were also more frequent at water troughs located close to tar roads. Moreover, there was no evidence of mouflon avoiding water troughs used by predators (red foxes, feral dogs) at either daily or weekly scale, or during hunting days. The study supports the value of artificial water troughs for mediating, partially at least, the effects of climate change on mountain ungulates such as the Cyprus mouflon. Additional studies are proposed that will examine both mouflon drinking patterns across all seasons and ways of improving the effectiveness of the current water trough grid. Full article

The goal of this study was to contribute to the general knowledge of the Sarcidano Horse, both by the identification of the genetic basis of the coat color and by updating the exact locations of the genotyping sites, based on the current EquCab3.0 genome assembly version. One-hundred Sarcidano Horses, living in semi-feral condition, have been captured to perform health and biometric checks. From that total number, 70 individual samples of whole blood were used for DNA extraction, aimed to characterize the genetic basis of the coat color. By genotyping and sequencing analyses of the MC1R Exon 1 and ASIP Exon 3, a real image of the coat color distribution in the studied population has been obtained. Chestnut and Black resulted in the most representative coat colors both from a phenotypic and genotypic point of view, that is suggestive of no human domestication or crossbreeding with domestic breed. Due to its ancient origin and genetic isolation, an active regional plan for the conservation of this breed would be desirable, focused on maintenance of resident genotypes and genetic resources. Collection and management of DNA, sperm, embryos, with the involvement of research centers and Universities, could be a valid enhancing strategy. Full article

Equine foamy virus (EFVeca) is a foamy virus of non-primate origin and among the least-studied members of this retroviral subfamily. By sequence comparison, EFVeca shows the highest similarity to bovine foamy virus. In contrast to simian, bovine or feline foamy viruses, knowledge about the epidemiology of EFVeca is still limited. Since preliminary studies suggested EFVeca infections among horses in Poland, we aimed to expand the diagnostics of EFVeca infections by developing specific diagnostic tools and apply them to investigate its prevalence. An ELISA test based on recombinant EFVeca Gag protein was developed for serological investigation, while semi-nested PCR for the detection of EFVeca DNA was established. 248 DNA and serum samples from purebred horses, livestock and saddle horses, Hucul horses and semi-feral Polish primitive horses were analyzed in this study. ELISA was standardized, and cut off value, sensitivity and specificity of the test were calculated using Receiver Operating Characteristic and Bayesian estimation. Based on the calculated cut off, 135 horses were seropositive to EFVeca Gag protein, while EFVeca proviral DNA was detected in 85 animals. The rate of infected individuals varied among the horse groups studied; this is the first report confirming the existence of EFVeca infections in horses from Poland using virus-specific tools. Full article