Mammary neoplasms are described as the third most common type of feline tumor, after haematopoietic and skin tumors, and present a challenge for clinicians because the prognosis for feline mammary tumors ranges from guarded to poor. Thus, it is necessary to define new therapeutic approaches and establish more in-depth knowledge about this disease in felines. The main aspects of the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of feline mammary neoplasia were discussed, aiming to standardize the criteria and to serve as a guide for pathologists and veterinary clinicians.

Actinobacteria have been researched as a source that produces crude extracts, which contain bioactive compounds able to act as antimicrobial agents. The present investigation evaluated the dose-response effect of two crude extracts, obtained at Caatinga rhizosphere (Caat) and Rhizophora mangle (AMC), on in vitro ruminal fermentation by: cumulative gas production, digestibility of dry (IVDMD) and organic matter (IVOMD), and short-chain fatty acids concentration (SCFA). Three multiparous Holstein dairy cows with ruminal fistula were used as the inoculum donors and fed a basal diet consisting of corn silage, soybean meal, urea, ground corn and mineral supplement. Ruminal fluid samples were incubated in glass bottles with 1 g of the dried and milled diet, a buffer solution, and the crude extracts evaluated in four doses (0.3, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.20 mg/10 mL inoculum) in a randomized block design, and the donators were considered as blocks with random effects. Additionally, negative controls were used. The results were expressed as average values based on triplicate analyses. Decreased cumulative gas production was observed according to linear dose response at 24, 48 and 72 h of incubation with the addition of Caat extract. The IVOMD showed a linear decrease at 72 h of incubation with dose Caat inclusion. Furthermore, the inclusion of Caat extract linearly reduced butyric and isovaleric acid concentrations, as well as acetate:propionate ratio. Finally, the Caat inclusion increased the propionic acid concentration in comparison to AMC extract. However, the inclusion of AMC extract did not affect any of the analyzed variables at the used doses. The Caat extract could be used as a modulator of in vitro ruminal fermentation, since it reduced acetate:propionate ratio and cumulative gas production.

Several factors can affect bovine mammary gland health and although bacterial mastitis is the most studied and reported cause, viral infections may also have negative effects on bovine udder health. Viral infections can indirectly damage the papillary duct of the teat, and induce or exacerbate signs of bovine mastitis due to viral-induced immunosuppressive effects that may lead to a greater susceptibility to bacterial mastitis and even intensify the severity of established bacterial infections. Some viruses (Bovine alphaherpesvirus 2, cowpox, pseudocowpox, foot-and-mouth disease, vesicular stomatitis and papillomavirus) affect the integrity of the udder skin, leading to teat lesions, favoring the entry of mastitis-causing pathogens. It is therefore possible that the association between mastitis and viruses is underestimated and may, for example, be associated with negative bacterial culture results. Few milk samples are tested for the presence of viruses, mainly because of the more laborious and expensive procedures required. Furthermore, samples for virus testing would require specific procedures in terms of collection, handling and storage. Thus, there is a knowledge gap in regard to the actual impact of viruses on bovine udder health. Despite the fact that serum anti-virus antibodies can be detected, there is not enough evidence to confirm or exclude the effect of viruses on udder health. However, any expectation of milk production from healthy animals should consider the possible impact of viral infections in mastitis development and not underestimate the importance of actions to diagnose and control the disease. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to describe the association of diagnosis and control of viral diseases and their effect on bovine udder health.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with Leptospira sp. in dogs attended at veterinary clinics in the city of João Pessoa, State of Paraíba, Northeast Brazil.  A total of 384 blood samples from dogs from 34 veterinary clinics were used from April 2015 to May 2016. The diagnosis of Leptospira sp. was carried out through Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), using a collection of 20 pathogenic antigens and adopting a 1: 100 dilution as cutoff point. An epidemiological questionnaire was applied to the owners of the animals to obtain data to be used in the analysis of risk factors. The prevalence of seropositive animals was 11.7% (45/384), with reactions for serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae (62.3%), Grippotyphosa (22.2%), Canicola (13.3%), Djasiman 2%) and Pomona (2.2%). The following risk factors were identified: age from 49 to 72 months (odds ratio = 2.74), Age > 72 months (odds ratio = 3.22), and monthly cleaning of the environment where the animals are kept (odds ratio = 10,70). It is concluded that dogs attended at veterinary clinics in João Pessoa are exposed to infection by Leptospira sp., with predominance of serogroups kept by wild animals, and it is suggested that the periodic cleaning of the environment where the animals are kept.

The hoary fox (Lycalopex vetulus, Lund, 1842) is the smallest Brazilian canid, whose weight varies between 2 and 4 kg, has a slender body, a small head, and a short and blackened snout. Despite being considered an endemic species, little is known about the hoary fox as it is one of the seven less studied canids in the world. Thus, this study aimed to describe the anatomy of the abdominal aorta artery of the hoary fox and to compare it with the pre-established literature data in domestic canids. For this purpose, we used two adult hoary foxes without definite age. We collected the corpses of these animals along roadsides of Catalão-GO, being later fixed and conserved in a 10% formalin solution. The results showed that the abdominal aorta in hoary fox is at the ventral face of the lumbar region vertebral bodies, being slightly displaced to the left of the median plane. The first branch is visceral, named celiac artery, followed by a paired parietal branch: the phrenic abdominal arteries. The third and fourth branches are the cranial mesenteric arteries and the right and left are the renal arteries, respectively. The posterior branches of the renal arteries are equally visceral, paired, being called testicular arteries. Distal to the latter, both the caudal mesenteric artery and deep circumflex iliac arteries originate. Finally, two large external iliac arteries and its terminal branches composed of internal iliac arteries and the median sacral artery originate. In addition, five pairs of lumbar arteries originate alongside the abdominal segment of the aorta. Considering these findings, it is possible to conclude that despite the hoary fox being a wild animal, the anatomy of its abdominal aorta is very similar to that of domestic canids.

The present study hypothesized that intramammary infection (IMI) might reduce milk ethanol stability (MES), mainly when IMI is caused by major pathogens. Thus, this study evaluated the effect of IMI on bovine MES using a natural exposure experimental design. Ninety-four lactating cows from five dairy herds were selected once they were determined to have an IMI, based on milk bacteriological culturing with positive isolation and somatic cell count (SCC) > 200×103 cells/mL in two out of three composite milk samples collected during three consecutive weeks. After selection, cows were sampled a second time (within two weeks) for evaluation at mammary quarter level (n = 326): milk yield (kg/quarter/day), MES, composition (fat, protein, lactose, casein, total solids and solids-non-fat), and bacteriologic culture. The effect of subclinical mastitis on MES was tested by two models: 1) comparison of healthy vs. infected quarters; and 2) comparison of contralateral mammary quarter within cow. The only milk composition variable associated with MES was lactose (r = 0.18; P < 0.01). Subclinical IMI did not affect MES when the comparison was performed using both models (1 and 2). Likewise, MES did not change when infected quarters were sorted into two groups of pathogens (major, minor and infrequent; and contagious, environmental, minor and infrequent) and compared with healthy mammary quarters. Considering the results of both models, subclinical IMI did not affect MES of dairy cows.

Feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) is a challenge for the veterinary practitioner since its etiology and treatments are still undefined. The present paper investigated the role of the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in the severity of the FCGS. Oral mucosal biopsies obtained from 19 cats with FCGS were divided into two groups according to their FIV serology status. Later, the clinical lesion score was correlated with the histopathological grade of FCGS lesions and the degree of immunostaining in both groups. Most of the animals had significant histological changes; however, no correlation with FIV immunostaining intensity was observed. It was concluded that the presence of FIV infection or the animal’s seropositivity status does not seem to interfere with the severity of clinical signs nor the degree of histopathological changes when compared to the seronegative group.

The present investigation evaluated the quality of turkey meat produced in two production systems, according to the following parameters: water loss in cooking, drip water loss, texture (shear strength), pH, color, humidity, protein, ashes and lipids. A total of 200 turkey breast samples of 500 g, separated by a batch of 20 samples, from ten aviaries from Santa Catarina, Brazil, were used: five from breeding with a traditional ventilation system and five with a mechanical ventilation system. Samples were obtained after slaughter and frozen at -15°C for 30 days. The results were submitted to variance analysis and the Tukey test. Significant differences were found only in the analysis of drip water loss. The birds of the traditional ventilation system presented 14.26% loss of water drip, while those of the ventilation exhaust system presented a loss of 19.21%. There were no differences in the chemical composition of poultry meat in relation to the production systems.

Human-wildlife conflicts, a growing and sad reality worldwide, makes population control of wildlife and feral animals one of the biggest challenges in wildlife management, especially due to the rapidly expanding human population, and consequently the ever-diminishing natural habitats of animals. Human activities and the destruction of nature forcing wildlife to move inevitably into urban and agricultural areas, causing “conflicts”, such as the risk of zoonosis and traffic accidents, as well as damage to crops in the search for food, whose losses reach millions of dollars. For decades, science has been engaged in extensive efforts to develop methods of “humane” population control methods, and many techniques are being employed in order to control wildlife population. In this article, we present an overview of applied contraceptive methods with simplified graphic demonstrations of their interactions with reproductive physiology, furthermore relating pro and contra of utilized antifertility agents. These are being compared to a set of desired characteristics for free-ranging wildlife for in-field applications, with emphasis on reversible immunocontraception – concluding, therefore, the reasons why this concept is becoming the most appropriate and promising for free-ranging wildlife.

Elephant Training Center (ETC) Way Kambas National Park (WKNP) was built to support human-elephant mitigation conflict. The small population of captive sumatran elephant in ETC WKNP need a comprehensive strategy in order to maintain the genetic variation of each individual and avoid inbreeding drive. Currently, genetic studies have opened new field studies in ecology, included conservation ecology. Patterns in variation of population has been investigated by molecular method supporting species conservation effort. The captive sumatran elephant’s ID Card is a necessary in database building, which included morphology, health status, and genetic profile. Genetic profile in each ID Card was filled by cytogenetic and molecular profile for RADP result, that initiated with DNA isolation. The DNA sources collected by blood sampling protocol described by Asiyah et al. (2016) from captive sumatran elephant in ETC, WKNP, and be carried to laboratory in cold condition. The DNA sources stored at 4oC and isolated following commercial protocol. The result of DNA isolation stored at -20oC until amplification analysis. DNA isolation was successfully done, for further individual genetic ID building.