Search Results (162)

Extensive goat farming is the dominant livestock system in the Mediterranean region, where woody rangelands represent essential forage resources for goats. Understanding how goats move and select vegetation within these heterogeneous landscapes–and how these patterns are shaped by herding decisions-is critical for improving grazing management. This study investigated the spatio-temporal movement behavior of a goat flock in a complex woody rangeland using GPS tracking combined with GIS-based vegetation and land morphology mapping. The influence of seasonal changes in forage availability and the shepherd’s management on movement trajectories and vegetation selection was specifically examined over two consecutive years. Goat movement paths, activity ranges, and speed differed among seasons and years, reflecting changes in resource distribution, physiological stage, and herding decisions. Dense oak woodland and moderate shrubland were consistently the most selected vegetation types, confirming goats’ preference for woody species. The shepherd’s management—particularly decisions on grazing duration, route planning, and provision or withdrawal of supplementary feed—strongly affected movement characteristics and habitat use. Flexibility in adjusting grazing strategies under shifting economic conditions played a crucial role in shaping spatial behavior. The combined use of GPS devices, GIS software, vegetation maps, and direct observation proved to be an effective approach for assessing movement behavior, forage selection and grazing pressure. Such integration of technological and classical methods provides valuable insights into diet composition and resource use and offers strong potential for future applications in precision livestock management. Real-time monitoring and decision support tools based on this approach could help farmers optimize grazing strategies, improve forage utilization, and support sustainable rangeland management. Full article

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is a small Gram-positive rod causing erysipelas in many animal species and humans. In poultry, disease which takes an acute form with high mortality is noted mostly in turkey, hen, and goo se flocks. Especially in geese, erysipelas cause high economic losses. In this study, we determined the phenotypic and genotypic features of Erysipelothrix strains isolated from diseased geese, using the API Coryne tests for biochemical characteristics and PCR, random amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for genetic characteristics. The isolates were confirmed with PCR to be E. rhusiopathiae and belonged to serotypes 1b, 2, and 5 with 1b serotype domination (55.3%). Among 47 isolates, five RAPD profiles (marked as A–E) and 7 PFGE profiles (marked I–VII) were noted. The RAPD profiles contained four to six bands and the PFGE profiles nine to eleven bands. The most common RAPD profile was B profile (42.5%), and the most common PFGE profile was I (36.2%). Five biochemical types of E. rhusipathiae were identified with the most common biochemical type (pyrrolidonyl arylamidase, acetyl-b-glucosaminidase, glucose, ribose, lactose- positive), which included 68.1% isolates and was matched to E. rhusiopathiae in 99.9%. Differences in biochemical reactions among the strains were related to the ability to degrade pyrazinamidase, alkaline phosphatase, and ribose. This study shows that most E. rhusiopathiae strains isolated from geese differ in their phenotypic and molecular characteristics, and there are no distinctive features that are typical of strains from geese. Full article

The proteins most frequently associated with pregnancy are the pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs), which are abundantly expressed placental products in species belonging to the order Cetartiodactyla. Multiple PAG isoforms are expressed across different species and stages of gestation, with their expression influenced by factors, such as breed and bodyweight. These proteins can be detected in both blood and milk samples using ELISA or RIA assays, serving as early indicators of pregnancy. The present study aimed to detect PAGs in caprine milk through a non-invasive, high-throughput, mass-spectrometry-based proteomic approach. Milk samples were collected from 20 Skopelos breed goats at 20 and 45 days post-mating. Following appropriate processing for whey protein extraction, the samples underwent tryptic digestion to generate peptides for LC-MS/MS analysis. The proteomic investigation identified five distinct PAGs (caPAG₂ on day 20 and caPAG₃, caPAG₅, caPAG₆, and caPAG₁₂,on day 45 post-mating) annotated to Capra hircus, along with 22 additional proteins associated with the fetal–maternal interface, pregnancy progression, and immune-related pathways. These findings demonstrate that LC-MS/MS provides a non-invasive, sensitive, and reliable method for detecting PAGs in caprine milk during the early stages of pregnancy (day 20, as the presence of caPAG₂ revealed), applicable to both individual animals and flock-level monitoring. Full article

The rapid expansion of the goose farming industry creates a growing need for real-time flock counting and individual-level behavior monitoring. To meet this challenge, this study proposes an improved YOLOv8-based model, termed DAEF-YOLO (DualConv-augmented C2f, ADown down-sampling, Efficient Channel Attention integrated into SPPF, and FocalerIoU regression loss), designed for simultaneous recognition of Sanhua goose individuals and their diverse behaviors. The model incorporates three targeted architectural improvements: (1) a C2f-Dual module that enhances multi-scale feature extraction and fusion, (2) ECA embedded in the SPPF module to refine channel interaction with minimal parameter cost and (3) an ADown down-sampling module that preserves cross-channel information continuity while reducing information loss. Additionally, the adoption of the FocalerIoU loss function enhances bounding-box regression accuracy in complex detection scenarios. Experimental results demonstrate that DAEF-YOLO surpasses YOLOv5s, YOLOv7-Tiny, YOLOv7, YOLOv9s, and YOLOv10s in both accuracy and computational efficiency. Compared with YOLOv8s, DAEF-YOLO achieved a 4.56% increase in precision, 6.37% in recall, 5.50% in F1-score, and 4.59% in mAP@0.5, reaching 94.65%, 92.17%, 93.39%, and 96.10%, respectively. A generalizable classification strategy is further introduced by adding a complementary “Other” category to include behaviors beyond predefined classes. This approach ensures complete recognition coverage and demonstrates strong transferability for multi-task detection across species and environments. Ablation studies indicated that mAP@0.5 remained consistent (~96.1%), while mAP@0.5:0.95 improved in the absence of the “Other” class (75.68% vs. 69.82%). Despite this trade-off, incorporating the “Other” category ensures annotation completeness and more robust multi-task behavior recognition under real-world variability. Full article

Coronaviruses (CoVs) were first described in poultry in the early 1930s and formally recognized as pathogens of both animal and human populations in the late 1960s. They are now considered among the most abundant viral families in the world. Though their distribution and diversity remain understudied in wild animals, representatives from 13 orders of wild birds worldwide have tested positive for CoVs of the gamma and delta genera over the last 25 years. Many of these wild bird species are in the orders Charadriiformes (shorebirds and their relatives) and Anseriformes (waterfowl including ducks, geese, and swans). Waterfowl are particularly concerning as potential reservoirs for CoVs because they are globally distributed; often congregate in large, mixed-species flocks; and may exist in close proximity to humans and domesticated animals. This review describes the history and current knowledge of CoVs in birds, provides an updated list of global detections of CoVs in 124 species of wild birds as reported in the peer-reviewed literature since 2000, and highlights topics for future research that would help elucidate the role of waterfowl in CoV transmission. Our review reiterates the need for continuous surveillance to detect and monitor CoVs across all bird species and for standardization in data reporting and analysis of both negative and positive results. Such information is critical to understand the potential role of free-ranging birds in the maintenance, evolution, and transmission of the virus. Further, we believe that research on the potential impacts of coronavirus infections and coinfections on avian demographics, especially reproduction in waterfowl, is warranted given known consequences in domestic poultry. Full article

Fowl adenovirus (FAdV) can cause different poultry diseases with economic losses in the broilers and layers commercial farms. FAdV is currently classified into five species and 12 serotypes, disseminated in poultry flocks worldwide. The present study aimed to identify FAdV species and serotypes in Brazilian poultry farms. A total of 678 chicken flocks from the main Brazilian poultry-producing regions were evaluated for FAdV infection between 2020 and 2023. FAdV was detected by a real-time PCR targeting 52K gene and further genotyped by partial sequencing of the hexon gene followed by phylogenetic analyses. The results demonstrated that FAdV was detected in 72 flocks (10.6%). In 46 of these samples, FAdV species and serotypes could be identified, including three main species: Aviadenovirus ventriculi (FAdV-A = 15), Aviadenovirus gallinae (FAdV-D = 15) and Aviadenovirus hepatitidis (FAdV-E = 16). Phylogenetic analysis based on 173 partial hexon sequences (including sequences from this study, 44 previously sequenced in Brazil, and 86 data from other countries) revealed five separate clades for FAdV species. All Brazilian FAdVs were classified into the same three species reported above (FAdV-A = 19, FAdV-D = 34, FAdV-E = 37), and also in well-supported subclades for each serotype: FAdV-A1 (n = 19), FAdV-D9 (n = 1), FAdV-D11 (n = 33), FAdV-E6 (n = 1), FAdV-E8a (n = 33), FAdV-E8b (n = 3). Amino acid substitutions in the hyper variable regions (1, 2 and 3) and conserved motifs of the Hexon protein were further analyzed, enabling discrimination between closely related serotypes. This study demonstrates the circulation of different FAdVs in Brazil, highlighting FAdV-A1, FAdV-D9, FAdV-D11, FAdV-E6, FAdV-E8a and FAdV-E8b. The findings reported here also indicate genetic and amino acid diversity in the Hexon protein of the FAdVs in Brazilian poultry farms, which are of importance for molecular surveillance and poultry diseases control strategies. Full article

Enterococci, commonly found in the normal intestinal flora of humans and animals, have emerged as an important human pathogen. A total of 184 isolates (88 isolates in 2015 and 96 isolates in 2016) were collected from 46 flocks. Two predominant enterococcus species were identified: Enterococcus faecalis (59%) and Enterococcus faecium (~39%). Resistance to penicillin was significantly decreased in the overall enterococci community, while it remained unchanged in the multi-class drug resistant (MDR) community. We identified the emeA and efrAB genes, which encode efflux pump systems, in 93% (26/28) of the MDR isolates with (intermediate) resistance to levofloxacin. The ermB gene was present in all MDR strains with resistance to erythromycin. The lsa gene was detected in 87% (84/97) of the MDR isolates with resistance to quinupristin/dalfopristin. About 82.2% of MDR strains in 2015 and 100% of MDR strains in 2016 carried the insertion sequence IS256, which is known to be associated with AMR genes, conferring resistance to erythromycin, gentamicin and vancomycin in enterococci. These results support the need for monitoring AMR in Gram-positive bacteria in poultry production, specifically in broiler chicken farms, to complement current AMR data, and develop a timely intervention framework. Full article

Background/Objectives: Campylobacteriosis in human populations is an ongoing issue in both developed and developing countries. Poultry production is recognized as a reservoir for antimicrobial resistance and main source of human Campylobacter infection. Methods: In this study, sixty-five Campylobacter isolates were cultured from fecal samples collected from 17 flocks of broiler chickens in Alberta, Canada over two years (2015–2016). Susceptibility assays and PCR assays were performed to characterize resistance phenotypes and resistance genes. Conjugation assays were used to examine the mobility of AMR phenotypes. Results: Campylobacter jejuni was the predominant species recovered during both years of sampling. There were no Campylobacter coli isolates found in 2015; however, approximately 33% (8/24) of isolates collected in 2016 were Campylobacter coli. The two most frequent antimicrobial resistance patterns in C. jejuni collected in 2015 were tetracycline (39%) and azithromycin/clindamycin/erythromycin/telithromycin resistance (29%). One isolate collected in 2015 has resistance pattern ciprofloxacin/nalidixic acid/tetracycline. The tetO gene was detected in all tetracycline resistant isolates from 2015. The cmeB gene was detected in all species isolates with resistance to azithromycin/clindamycin/erythromycin/telithromycin, and from two isolates with tetracycline resistance. Alignment of the nucleotide sequences of the cmeB gene from C. jejuni isolates with different resistance patterns revealed several single nucleotide polymorphisms. A variety of multi-drug resistance patterns were observed through conjugation experiments. Conclusions: These data suggest that poultry production may serve as a potential reservoir for and source of transmission of multi-drug resistant Campylobacter jejuni and supports the need for continued surveillance. Full article

Q fever, caused by the intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii, is a significant zoonotic disease for which ruminants are the main reservoir. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of C. burnetii in farm animals (sheep, goats, cattle, and camels) across Saudi Arabia. A total of 7760 serum samples were collected from 2253 sheep, 2224 goats, 1111 cattle, and 2172 camels, representing various regions of the country. The samples were screened for C. burnetii antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The findings revealed significant regional and species-specific differences. The findings revealed notable regional and species-specific variations in seroprevalence. In goats, seropositivity was detected in 92% of the tested herds; however, only 48% of the individually tested animals were found to be positive. Similarly, camels exhibited herd-level seropositivity of 92.9% of the examined herds, with only 46.7% of the individually examined animals testing positive. For sheep, 80% of the examined sheep flocks were positive, while 30.2% of the individually tested animals were positive. Cattle showed a significantly lower seroprevalence, since only 27.6% of the screened herds were found to be positive, and only 8.2% of the individually tested animals were positive. In conclusion, the results indicate that C. burnetii infection is widespread among livestock in Saudi Arabia, with goats, camels, and sheep posing a particularly elevated risk of zoonotic transmission. The observed regional disparities and species-specific infection rates highlight the need for comprehensive surveillance and targeted control strategies to mitigate the spread of Q fever in Saudi Arabia. Full article

The avian intestinal microbiota is a vital interface for host/environment interactions, playing a pivotal role in nutrient metabolism, immune regulation, and ecological adaptation. In the Yellow River Delta region, common cranes and white cranes coexist in mixed flocks. During the winter, when food resources are scarce, studying their gut microbiota can effectively reveal the feeding patterns of these two crane species, thereby providing valuable data for crane conservation efforts. This study systematically investigated and compared the intestinal microbiota structures of white cranes (Grus leucogeranus) and common cranes (Grus grus) inhabiting the Yellow River Delta region. The results demonstrated that the predominant phyla of the intestinal microbiota in white and common cranes are Firmicutes and Proteobacteria at the phylum level; Catellicoccus and Lactobacillus were the predominant genera in the crane species. LEfse was used to analyze the differential flora of the intestinal bacterial communities of white cranes and common cranes and to detect the marker species with significant differences between the groups. Based on the COG database, a preliminary functional prediction of the intestinal microbiota was conducted, and 16 metabolic pathways relating to the COG pathway were obtained. In general, although both types of cranes belong to the Grus genus and are distributed in the same area, there are significant differences in the composition and functional characteristics of their intestinal microbiota due to the differences in their feeding composition. Full article

In a 1975 review, red kangaroos in the arid rangelands of Australia were said to be favoured with an anomalous prosperity following the introduction of ruminant livestock. In the western and central locations reviewed, this was not sustained, but in the sheep rangelands of Southern Australia, it is often claimed that such prosperity continues. Here, as elsewhere, the marsupial herbivore guild (kangaroos, wallabies, bettongs and bandicoots) has been simplified by the extinction of the smaller species (the anomaly), while large kangaroos remain abundant. However, the mammalian herbivore guild has gained complexity with not only the introduction of managed ruminant livestock, some of which run wild, but also game like rabbits. We studied the population dynamics, habitat selection and individual mobility of red, western and eastern grey kangaroos, common wallaroos, Merino sheep, feral goats and European rabbits at Fowlers Gap Station in far northwestern New South Wales, Australia. This site is representative of the arid chenopod (Family: Chenopodiaceae) shrublands stocked with sheep, where sheep and red kangaroos dominate the mammalian herbivores by biomass. The study site comprised two contiguous pairs of stocked and unstocked paddocks: a sloping run-off zone and a flat run-on zone, covering a total area of 2158 ha. This three-year study included initial rain-deficient (drought) months followed by more regular rainfall. Red kangaroos showed avoidance of sheep when given the opportunity and heightened mobility in response to localized drought-breaking storms and dispersion of the sheep flock at lambing. Western grey kangaroos were sedentary and did not dissociate from sheep. These effects were demonstrated at the population level and the individual level through radio-tracking a small cohort of females. The other kangaroo species and goats were transient and preferred other habitats. Rabbits were persistent and localized without strong interactions with other species. The results are discussed with a focus on the red kangaroo and some causes for its resilience in the sheep rangelands. Full article

In the Australian primary industries, beef cows are recognized as monovular while sheep are less so, and both seem likely to benefit from increased litter sizes. In both species, there have been genetic developments causing increased litter sizes, but these have only had limited commercial application. This report describes the commercial use of the FecB (Booroola) gene in prime lamb ewes to increase lambing percentage from the 111% typical of the local industry to 145% in the flock described. In cattle, the use of the USMARC Twinner selection line genetics raised calf weaning percentage from the 89% typical of the local industry to 115% in the herds described. Full article

Avian species pose risks for transmitting viruses, including avian circoviruses, that could be a threat for conservation and introduction into commercial flocks. This study investigated the presence of circovirus in 81 avian species from different regions of Brazil, including the northwest region of São Paulo and the coast of Paraná. Blood samples and oropharyngeal, cloacal, and other organ swabs were collected. The samples were extracted and screened using nested PCR for the replicase gene. In positive cases, the samples were sequenced. Regarding the results, a total of 1528 swab samples were collected from 601 birds, of which 24 (4%, 95% CI: 2.4–5.6) tested positive for various circovirus subtypes. Most positive birds (92%, 22/24) were from the northwest region of São Paulo, mainly from the city of São José do Rio Preto (54%, 12/22). The study also identified the presence of circovirus subtypes in avian families that were not previously described. Furthermore, the presence of raven circovirus in the blood sample of a Nyctibius griseus (potoo), suggests the possibility of a new carrier of the virus. Ultimately, the findings underscore the complexity of the viral ecology of avian circoviruses, highlight the necessity of enhancing future studies, and emphasize the need to support health assessment of wildlife, including marine birds. Full article

Human-caused changes to habitats like forestry practices and traffic noise can negatively influence antipredator and foraging behavior in animals. These behavior patterns are also frequently positively influenced by individuals being part of mixed-species groups. However, we know little about how such human-induced changes impact these behaviors in individuals of mixed-species groups. To address this gap, we examined the effects of mixed-species group composition, traffic noise, and vegetation density on antipredator and foraging behavior. We used feeders to attract mixed-species flocks of Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis), tufted titmice (Baeolophus bicolor), and white-breasted nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis). Once we detected a flock at a feeder, we presented a Cooper’s hawk model and recorded flocks’ seed-taking and calling behaviors. Titmice avoided feeders more when hawk models were presented at sites with greater vegetation density. Nuthatches called more quickly with more conspecifics in their flocks, and they tended to take seed more quickly with greater diversity of species in their flocks. We did not detect the effects of physical or social environmental variables on chickadee behavior. Our results reveal individual sensitivity to environmental variation in contexts involving visual predator stimuli. More work is needed to investigate how various predator stimulus modalities affect antipredator behaviors of mixed-species flock members. Full article

Fowl adenoviruses (FAdVs) are important emerging pathogens affecting the poultry industry in Egypt as they are the primary etiology of inclusion body hepatitis–hydropericardium syndrome (IBH-HPS) associated with severe economic losses. This study aims to identify the circulating FAdVs from cases of IBH-HPS in 5 Egyptian provinces during the period from October 2020 through September 2022. Out of the 210 examined flocks, liver samples from 66 flocks were positive for FAdVs (31.4%) using conventional polymerase chain reaction targeting loop 1 of the major hexon gene, with varying rates of mortality (1% to 14%). In the positive samples detected during the study, the histopathological examination revealed pathognomonic lesions of FAdVs, including basophilic and eosinophilic intra-nuclear inclusion bodies (INIBs). The percentage of FAdV positivity increased with the flock age; from samples collected at ages 1 to10, 11 to 20, 21 to 30, and >30 days of age, 10% (5/50), 25.6% (11/43), 34.3% (23/67), and 54% (27/50) were found positive for FAdVs, respectively. Notably, the positivity percentages among the flocks reared in cages were higher than for those reared in the deep litter system of housing. The gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of 19 strains revealed clustering into FAdV species D serotype 2/11, demonstrating that serotype 2/11 is most prevalent in the targeted Egyptian provinces during the period of the study. Several point mutations in the sequenced region among different strains were reported. These findings underscore the prevalence of FAdV and provide a basis for further research on circulating strains to develop effective control strategies. Full article