Feline calicivirus is among the most common pathogenic microorganisms in upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) and oral lesions of cats. It leads to stomatitis, oral ulceration, ocular and nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, fever, lameness, anorexia, hypersalivation, pneumonia, respiratory distress, coughing, and depression in infected cats. This study aimed to determine the role of Feline calicivirus (FCV) in cats with the upper respiratory tract disease in the Diyarbakir region, Turkey, to provide treatment for infected cats and contribute to the disease prophylaxis. The study material consisted of 10 cats (control group) considered to be healthy according to the clinical examination and 20 cats with URTD that were not vaccinated against Feline calicivirus infection of different breeds, ages, and genders brought to Dicle University Veterinary Faculty Prof. Dr. Servet SEKIN Polyclinic with URTD. After routine clinical examinations of the animals, oral and conjunctival swabs and blood samples were taken. Hematological and biochemical analyzes of blood samples were performed. Swab samples were analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for the diagnosis of the agent. Oral lesions, hypersalivation, ocular and nasal discharge, coughing, and breathing difficulties were seen in clinical examinations of cats with URTD. Feline calicivirus was detected in only one cat’s conjunctival swab sample in PCR analyses. As a result, we found that Feline calicivirus infection was present in cats with URTD in the Diyarbakir region, and 5% positivity was found in cats with clinical symptoms according to PCR analysis.

A clinical case in which skin and hair color change occurred after sacrococcygeal epidural anesthesia in a nine-month-old Siamese cross queen undergoing ovariohysterectomy (OHE) is described. Six weeks after surgery, during a re-check, it was noted that in the sacrococcygeal region the color of the skin and new hair growth was dark with a color comparable to the color present on the body extremities (muzzle, pinnae, legs, and tail). The skin and new hair growth of the shaved abdomen presented a standard color. The key enzyme of the melanogenic pathway in mammals is tyrosinase (TYR), and the Siamese temperature-sensitive phenotype is the result of genetic mutations that makes TYR function thermolabile. The activity of TYR in these cats is limited to the extremities where the temperature is lower while pigment production is impaired in the other body areas. The trichotomy of the sacrococcygeal region performed during wintertime in an outdoor cat was probably the trigger for increased activity of TYR in this area promoting pigment production. The absence of the same alterations in the abdominal area may be justified by less exposure of that region to the external environment, as well as to the feline habits of sedentarism, that avoid significant cooling in these regions. This report highlights the importance of taking this type of occurrence into account when performing an epidural in the Siamese cat breed. Also, to avoid skin color change in this breed, the authors recommend a midline abdominal instead of a flank approach to perform OHE.

Donkeys have a long history in the development of human societies. Typically referred to as a beast of burden, traditional uses for donkeys have included the transportation of goods and people, use in agricultural and forestry activities, to access water, and provide citizens in low- and middle-income countries a means of making an income for communities. However, the rise of mechanization, the development of modern farming techniques, and the increasing availability of motorized vehicles have led to donkeys and mules becoming redundant from traditional roles in many parts of the world. We provide examples of where donkeys have successfully transitioned from traditional roles to new, non-traditional roles in Europe and North America, and demonstrate that, although the roles and use of donkeys and mules are changing in a rapidly developing world, we can learn lessons from the past and apply them to current challenges. As the need for working equids declines in transport and agriculture, they still hold great value for recreational, therapeutic, and environmentally friendly methods of animal traction.

Toxoplasmosis is a protozoonosis caused by an obligate intracellular parasite named Toxoplasma gondii, which can infect humans and a large number of homeothermic animal species with worldwide distribution. The present study aimed to detect anti T. gondii antibodies from serological samples of free living wild animals from the northwest region of São Paulo state, Brazil. Thirty-two samples (eight from birds and 24 from mammals) were analyzed by the modified agglutination test (MAT) using 5 cut-off points for birds and 25 for mammals. Seropositivity was observed in 25% (2/8) of birds, including the species Rupornis magnirostris (roadside hawk) and Caracara plancus (southern caracara), and 29.2% (7/24) animals were seropositive among mammals, including one hoary fox (Lycalopex vetulus), two maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus), one black howler monkey (Alouatta caraya), two crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous) and one gray brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira). The results obtained with the present study indicate the exposure to T. gondii of free-living wild animals from the northwest region of São Paulo state and, therefore, that they probably play a role in the transmission and maintenance of T. gondii in the environment they inhabit. Thus, identification of the infection in several animal species in the region indicates the environmental contamination of the area. Studies of this nature may help to understand the importance of the prevention and control of this disease in Brazil.

A serological survey was carried out to assess the frequency of leptospirosis, small ruminants lentivirus (SRLV), and brucellosis in small ruminant herds in the Recôncavo Baiano, State of Bahia, Brazil, from February to December 2017. In four goat herds, 125 animals were tested for SRLV and leptospirosis, while in five sheep herds, 378 animals were tested for leptospirosis, brucellosis, and SRLV. Regarding leptospirosis, MAT detected 80% of goats and 15.34% of sheep seroreactive. Reactivity was most frequent to serogroups Autumnalis and Grippotyphosa in goats and sheep, respectively. Regarding SRLV, 8.8% of goats and 0.79% of sheep were reactive. Search for anti-B. ovis antibodies revealed 0.52% reactivity. In sheep, three animals showed simultaneous seroreactivity for SRLV and leptospirosis, while one animal had a serological response for brucellosis and leptospirosis. In goats, simultaneous seroreactivity for SRLV and leptospirosis was observed in only one animal. Leptospirosis was the most frequent of the three infectious diseases in investigated herds.

Vehicle-animal collisions represent a serious problem in roadway infrastructure. To avoid these roadway collisions, different mitigation systems have been applied in various regions of the world. In this article, a system for detecting animals on highways is presented using computer vision and machine learning algorithms. The models were trained to classify two groups of animals: capybaras and donkeys. Two variants of the convolutional neural network called Yolo (You only look once) were used, Yolov4 and Yolov4-tiny (a lighter version of the network). The training was carried out using pre-trained models. Detection tests were performed on 147 images. The accuracy results obtained were 84.87% and 79.87% for Yolov4 and Yolov4-tiny, respectively. The proposed system has the potential to improve road safety by reducing or preventing accidents with animals.

Tannins are a diverse group of plant phenolic compounds. Condensed tannins (CTs) represent a major subgroup of tannins and were extracted from tilia (Tilia L.) flowers and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) leaves. These extracts were examined for their effects on the metabolic profile of chicken caeca. By using in vitro, a nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), which was combined with multivariate statistics, the current study was applied for the first time to investigate how three different CT compositions, procyanidins (PC) and/or prodelphinidins (PD) units influenced the metabolic end-products in caecal contents of chickens. In the presence of tannins, glutamate, leucine, lysine, pyroglutamate, phenylalanine, proline, and sarcosine were significantly decreased. CT extracts significantly influenced the fermentation, increasing the concentrations of some fatty acids such as acetate, butyrate, and propionate whereas. In contrast, lactate decreased between the treatments. This study identified the key structural features of CTs that contain either high molar proportions of PD or PC, which might be useful to improve the efficiency of feed utilization in chickens.

This case report presents the importance of articulation between legal professionals with the expertise of those who work in different areas of animal science and the activists of animal cause. The report is based on the experience that took place in the interior of the State of Bahia, with a donkey herd, the target of foreign groups interested in donkey hide exploration. The animals were rescued from mistreatment and slaughter, thanks to efficient legal work, aided by several areas of the veterinary sciences, and supported politically by the movement of animal activists. The union between activism and technical knowledge in the areas of health, breeding, nutrition, animal welfare, and legal knowledge is a tool that should not be overlooked. On the contrary, it has proved effective, confirming a strong and innovative link capable of saving animals, promoting their welfare, generating technical knowledge, and new and promising proposals for intersectoral action.

Pattern minas cheese is a product developed with pasteurized milk, fermented with mesophilic cultures, and with the final addition of rennet. This cheese undergoes an artisanal maturation process and possesses a firm shell of yellowish color and striking and acidic flavor. Our study objective was to evaluate the microbiological quality of pattern minas cheese. We collected 40 samples from two micro regions (Uberlândia and Patos de Minas) of the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba mesor regions of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The microbiological test results were recorded as counts of enterobacteria, Escherichia coli, coliforms at 35°C, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus and Salmonella spp. In the Patos de Minas micro region, the results were 45%, 35%, 20%, and 20% higher than 103 CFU/g for the counts of enterobacteria, Escherichia coli, coliforms at 35°C, and Staphylococcus coagulase-positive, respectively. Five percent of the analyzed samples were positive for Salmonella spp. in the Uberlândia micro region. Based on the findings of the microbiota in the cheese analyzed from the micro regions (Uberlândia and Patos de Minas), we concluded that the hygiene conditions in the manufacturing, handling, transport, and storage stages were precarious, requiring the implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) systems, including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

The epidemiological characteristics of bovine leptospirosis in animals and herds in Mato Grosso do Sul were investigated to determine parameters such as disease frequency and the serovars reactant in beef cattle herds. A total of 4,629 beef cattle herds were examined against 33 Leptospira spp. serovars. The serum samples were submitted to the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for the serological diagnosis of leptospirosis. The MAT results showed that 3,814 (82.39%) of the 4,629 animals evaluated were seropositive for the bacterium, with serological reactions mainly to serogroup Sejroe, serovar Wolffi (36.49%). The observed high frequency of reactive animals demonstrates the relevance of the infection. Therefore, general and specific measures should be implemented to contain and/or prevent infection of the animals in the studied region.