Polish Journal of Veterinary Sciences

Neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) is one of the most important concerns in cattle production. Escherichia coli is the most important bacterial agent of NCD. Although vaccination and antibiotic treatment are common in NCD, the high antigenic diversity of E. coli and the increase in antibiotic resistance cause difficulties in the control. The study aimed to investigate the rate of E. coli in calf diarrhea, isolate an agent of the NCD E. coli strain, determine antimicrobial resistance, and find out about some surface antigens. Fecal samples (n=115) were analyzed to isolate pathogenic E. coli strains with nine mixed infections; sixty-one strains isolate from fifty diarrhoeic calves. Among the isolates from diseased animals, 22 K99+STa+F41, 3 K99+STa, 3 strains F41, 2 strains Stx1, one strain K99, one strain eae, and one strain Stx2+eae were detected. 27 strains of F17- associated fimbriae have been identified. 17 strains F17a, 6 strains F111, 3 strains F17c, one strain carrying the F17a and F17c gene regions, whereas subfamily typing of one strain could not be performed. Serotypes were determined by molecular and serological methods: 32/61 (52.5%) isolates were O101 and 2/61 (3.3%) isolates were O9 serotypes. But 27 strain serotypes could not be detected. The antibiotic resistance profiles of the isolates were determined by the disc diffusion method. The resistance rates to antibiotics were trimethoprim- sulphamethoxazole 91.7%, ampicillin 86.7%, enrofloxacin 86.7%, gentamicin 45%, tobramycin 41.7%, cefotaxime 3.3%, and ceftazidime 1.7%. Due to increasing antibiotic resistance, prophylaxis is gaining importance. In further research, E. coli surface antigenic structures should be examined in detail, and it should form the basis for vaccine and hyperimmunization studies to be developed.

The aim of this study is to determine the protective efficacy of anise in cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury in rats. In this study, 28 Wistar Albino rats, weighing 250-300 grams (g), were used. Four groups were formed with 7 rats in each group. Group 1 (n=7): Control group, Group 2 (n=7): Anise group, 5 mL/kg/day of anise aqueous extract prepared according to Gamberini’s protocol was given orally by gavage for 30 days. Group 3 (n=7): Cerebral ischemia reperfusion (CIR) group, at the beginning of the experiment, 30 minutes of cerebral ischemia and 1 hour of reperfusion were induced and the animals were sacrificed by exanguination. Group 4 (n=7): Anise+ CIR group, After administering 30 days of anise’s aqueous extract, CIR was induced and the study was terminated. TOS values of the Anise+ CIR group was significantly lower than that of the CIR group (p<0.05). Il-6 and TNF-α values of the CIR group were significantly higher than the Anise+ CIR group (p<0,05). Our study revealed that anise ameliorates oxidative damage and inflammation due to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, by reducing the levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, Il-6).

Neospora caninum ( N. caninum) is the etiologic agent of neosporosis, a potential cause of severe reproductive disorders in cattle, small ruminants, equines, wild animals and canids across the world. The current study is performed to estimate molecular prevalence of N. caninum in small ruminants and equines that had abortion in Kurdistan region of Iraq. A total of 64 tissue samples (brain, placenta, heart, lung and liver) were taken from aborted foetuses, with a total of 122 dam blood samples taken from 63 sheep, 39 goats, 12 mares and 8 jennies in local breed fields. Besides, a risk factor analysis for N. caninum positive animals was performed. The observed prevalence of N. caninum DNA in the blood of sheep, goats, horses and donkeys were 20.6%, 17.9%, 21.4% and 25.0%, respectively, and 19.3%, 17.6%, 18.1 and 20.0% in the aborted foetuses of the animals, respectively. Moreover, occurrence of N. caninum was 20.3% in the blood of aborted dams, while it was 18.7% in their aborted foetuses. Confirmatory analysis was also done through constructing a phylogenetic tree to compare the partial sequences of the Nc-5 gene in our isolates (OP771519, OP771520, OP771521 and OP771522) with the GenBank sequences. This showed 98-100% sequence identity with other N. caninum strains in the GenBank database. Older small ruminants and equines had a higher risk of being positive for N. caninum and exposure to dogs were considered as significant risk factors for N. caninum infection in the studied animals (p<0.05). Thus, the results of this study suggest that N. caninum is one of the microbial abortive agents in small ruminants and equines in Kurdistan region of Iraq. It is hoped that the results of this study will help to control animal abortion in livestock and reduce the economic losses.

Cryptosporidium spp., and Giardia duodenalis are intestinal protozoan parasites known to infect humans and various animals and cause diarrhea. This study aimed at determining the prevalence and genotype of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in sheep in different locations of Siirt province. The fecal material for this study was collected from 500 sheep in different locations of Siirt province, Turkey. Fecal samples obtained from sheep were examined for Cryptosporidium spp. by Kinyoun Acid Fast staining and the Nested PCR method. Microscopic and Nested PCR methods revealed a prevalence of 2.4% (12/500) and 3.6% (18/500), respectively. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of C. ryanae, C. andersoni, and zoonotic C. parvum. In terms of Giardia duodenalis, 8.4% (42/500) and 10.2% (51/500) prevalence was determined using Nativ-Lugol and Nested PCR methods, respectively. Using sequence analysis, zoonotic assemblages A and B as well as assemblages E and D were detected. As a result of this study, both the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis and the presence of species that appear to be host-specific, as well as those known to be zoonotic, were revealed. A large-scale study is needed to understand the impact of these agents on sheep farming and their consequences on human health.

Montmorillonite (MMT), a natural absorbent agent, has widely been accepted for its antidiarrhea function in human and farm animals; however, its specific physicochemical property limits its biological function in practical use. In the current study, raw MMT was loaded by andrographolide, namely andrographolide loaded montmorillonite (AGP-MMT). The microstructure of AGP-MMT was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of AGP-MMT on the growth performance, intestinal barrier and inflammation was investigated in an enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) challenged mice model. The results show that the microstructure of MMT was obviously changed after andrographolide modification: AGP-MMT exhibited a large number of spheroid particles, and floccule aggregates, but lower interplanar spacing compared with MMT. ETEC infection induced body weight losses and intestinal barrier function injury, as indicated by a lower villus height and ratio of villus height/crypt depth, whereas the serum levels of diamine oxidase (DAO), D-xylose and ETEC shedding were higher in the ETEC group compared with the CON group. Mice pretreated with AGP-MMT showed alleviated body weight losses and the intestinal barrier function injury induced by ETEC challenge. The villus height and the ratio of villus height/crypt depth, were higher in mice pretreated with AGP-MMT than those pretreated with equal levels of MMT. Pretreatment with AGP-MMT also alleviated the increased concentration of serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and the corresponding genes in the jejunum induced by ETEC infection in mice. The protein and mRNA levels of IL-1β were lower in mice pretreated with AGP-MMT than those with equal levels of MMT. The results indicate that AGP-MMT was more effective in alleviating intestinal barrier injury and inflammation in mice with ETEC challenge than MMT.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of betaine (Bet) and protected calcium butyrate (PCB) supplementation individually and together on the performance, carcass traits, blood biochemistry, and meat quality of growing Japanese quails ( Coturnix coturnix Japonica) from 1 to 42 days old. 144 one-day-old unsexed Japanese quails were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments with six replicates each. All birds were fed a maize-soybean meal diet for 42 days. The control group received no feed additives, while the treatment groups received 1.2 g/kg Bet, 1.0 g/kg PCB, or a combination of both in their diets. The results indicated that Bet and PCB supplementation individually and together did not differ performance, relative weights of heart, gizzard, proventriculus, bursa of Fabricius and pancreas, water holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss (CL), blood biochemical values except for glucose and triglyceride. Bet supplementation significantly increased relative liver weights, while PCB supplementation decreased glucose levels in serum. Moreover, carcass yield was increased and triglyceride value in blood serum, malondialdehyde (MDA), and the pH levels of breast meats both on the 1st and 30st day of post-mortem were decreased in all treatment groups. Therefore, based on these results, the combination of betaine and butyrate improves both carcass yield and meat quality in growing Japanese quails. More research is needed to determine the impact of betaine and butyrate on the structure of amino acids in meat, antioxidant enzyme activity, and the immune system in poultry.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the plasma levels of chemokines CCL2 and CXCL12 in female dogs with malignant mammary gland tumours without and with metastases. The concentrations of CCL2 and CXCL12 were determined in 25 female dogs with malignant mammary gland tumours (15 without metastases and 10 with metastases) and 10 healthy control animals using a specific canine ELISA assay. The mean plasma concentrations of CCL2 and CXCL12 were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the metastatic group compared to the control group. Moreover, the concentrations of these chemokines were markedly higher in the dogs with metastases than in those without metastases; however, a statistically significant difference was not found. The concentrations of both tested chemokines were numerically increased in the dogs with grade 2 and grade 3 carcinomas compared to the dogs with grade 1 carcinomas but the differences did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, the results of our study demonstrate that plasma concentrations of chemokines CCL2 and CXCL12 are significantly increased in the dogs with metastatic malignant mammary gland tumours compared to the healthy dogs and show an upward trend compared to those without metastases. However, clarifying whether the increase of these chemokines is a cause or an effect of metastasis in female dogs with malignant mammary gland tumours as well as their potential role in metastatic process requires further research.

Immunoaffinity chromatography (IAC) is a fundamental isolation and purification tool which is incorporated in a substantial range of therapeutic and diagnostic applications. This study has reappraised the usefulness of immunoaffinity chromatography for the purification of polyclonal antibodies. Protein A based IAC is a convenient and reliable method for purification of IgG, from hyperimmunesera (HIS) raised in experimental animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and mice to be utilized in pharmaceutics and diagnostics. The 146S fraction of Foot and Mouth Disease virus (FMDV) TCID50=10 ^5.6 was cultured on a baby hamster kidney cell line 21 (BHK-21), concentrated using salt precipitation method using PEG 6000, purified by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) using Sepharose-30 at 254nm absorbance. Purification of 146S FMDV was analyzed using 12% SDS-PAGE which provided two bands of light and heavy chains. The alum-based vaccine, consisting of ≥10μg of 146S FMDV, was applied in 10 male rabbits and 10 male guinea pigs and two animals of each group were taken as a negative control. The titer of serum was calculated using virus neutralization test. A Protein-A kit (Thermo scientific- 44667, 0528.2) was used to purify HIS raised against 146S FMDV and validated using 12% SDS PAGE in reducing condition. The data demonstrate that protein-A affinity chromatography is an efficient tool for the purification of antibodies from hyper-immune sera raised against 146S FMDV and can be used for the production of diagnostic kits e.g. Enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) and radioimmunoassay.

Parasitosis in horses may be uncontrolled and expose breeders and owners to serious financial losses or, possibly, to the loss of animals. Therefore, the prevention and monitoring of the development of parasitic diseases should play an important role in the breeding process. The aim of this study was to confirm the influence of factors such as age, breed, herd size, deworming program, and type of anthelmintics, on the prevalence and intensity of parasites (helminths) in domestic horses in Lower Silesia. The study was carried out between August and November of 2020. The samples of horse feces were collected from 50 different stables in the area of Lower Silesia, Poland. A total of 286 individuals from various breeds were examined. Detailed analysis revealed that the mean age of infected horses was significantly lower than in uninfected horses. The mean time since the last deworming procedure was almost twice as low in uninfected horses than in infected ones. Additionally, the deworming agent affects the prevalence of infection. The analysis was also performed for the same factors in reference to quantitative data. The mean EPG was four-fold higher in juvenile horses than in adults and three-fold higher when the horses were dewormed with the use of fenbendazole instead of ivermectin or ivermectin with praziquantel combined.

Babesiosis is a parasitic disease caused by intraerythrocytic parasites of the genus Babesia, which infect both wild and domestic animals. Merozoite surface antigens (MSAs) have been identified as efficient immunogens in Babesia-infected animals. MSAs play a key role in the invasion process and have been proposed as potential targets for vaccine development. Epitope-based vaccines offer several advantages over whole protein vaccines as the immunogenic proteins are small and can induce both Th1 and Th2 immune responses, which are desirable for protection. However, the MSA, particularly gp45, is polymorphic in Babesia bigemina, posing a challenge to vaccine development. The purpose of this study was to develop a recombinant gpME (gp45-multi-epitope) for a vaccine against Babesia bigemina. B-cell, T-cell, and HLA epitope predictions were used to synthesize the gpME sequence from the consensus sequence of gp45. The gpME sequence was synthesized and cloned in the pET28α vector through the commercial biotechnology company to get pET28-gpME. The plasmid cloned with the gpME sequence comprising 1068 bp was expressed in a bacterial expression system. A band of 39 kDa of rec-gpME was obtained via SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Rec-gpME @200ng was injected in calves 3 times at 2 weeks interval. The humoral response was evaluated through the indirect ELISA method. The ELISA with rec-gp45 protein showed a significant value of optical density. The recombinant protein containing multiple epitopes from the MSA gp45 may represent a promising candidate for a vaccine against Babesia bigemina.

This study analyzed the internal and external quality traits of eggs derived from hens of different breeds, including Silkie, Sultan, Cochin Bantam, Brahma and White Leghorn. The highest mean weight was noted for eggs originating from the White Leghorns breed, and the lowest was for eggs from the Cochin Bantams. Simultaneously, both a positive correlation between the egg weight and the percentage of albumen (r = 0.876) and a negative correlation between egg weight and the percentage of yolk (r = - 0.842) were found. The eggshell composition varied significantly in mean phosphorus amount, whereas the calcium content did not differ significantly. Despite this, eggshell strength varied significantly between breeds. Regarding cholesterol and fatty acid levels, the highest amount of cholesterol was noted in the Cochin Bantam breed, and the lowest was in the White Leghorn, although Leghorn was the breed characterized by the highest saturated fatty acid levels, and Cochin Bantam was the lowest. Regarding the polyunsaturated fatty acids (which have been proven to positively influence the cardiovascular system), the highest levels were obtained by Leghorn eggs, and the lowest were obtained by Silkie eggs. In conclusion, the study indicates that ornamental chicken breeds are a source of high-quality products, which could be attractive to consumers, additionally supporting traditional farming and animal genetic resources.

The main purpose of the study was to determine the safety of oclacitinib (OCL), a Janus kinase inhibitor, with respect of its effect on CD4 ⁺ and CD8 ⁺ T cells as well as B cells in the lymphoid tissue. The mice were treated orally with OCL at a dose of 2.7 mg/kg for 14 days and peripheral blood, head and neck lymph nodes (HNLNs), mediastinal lymph nodes (MLNs) and spleen were collected. The study found that OCL induced depletion of CD4 ⁺ T cells in the HNLNs and MLNs, while it did not affect the absolute count of CD8 ⁺ T cells in these tissues. Also OCL caused a loss of B cells in the HNLNs, although not in the MLNs. Moreover, OCL depleted B cells in the peripheral blood, but did not affect the absolute count of CD4 ⁺ and CD8 ⁺ T cells. Thus, it can be concluded that OCL may induce a depletive effect on CD4 ⁺ and CD8 ⁺ T cells as well as B cells in the lymphoid tissue. This effect should be seen as an unfavorable one, especially in patients with infections. Therefore, a clinical implication is that in such patients, the benefit/risk ratio should be thoroughly considered by clinicians. Moreover, OCL reduced the absolute count of eosinophils, basophils, neutrophils and monocytes. However, it is uncertain whether this effect should be considered to be of clinical importance because the levels of these cells were within the physiological range. It is possible that the depletive effect of OCL toward T and B cells, as well as eosinophils and basophils may contribute to the beneficial effects of the drug in the treatment of skin allergic diseases.

Applications of cold atmospheric plasma/nitric oxide (CAP/NO) gas have recently garnered popularity when treating impaired wound healing in patients with diabetes. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of NO gas application for 60 and 120 s on wound healing in diabetic rats. A dorsal excision 3 cm in diameter was performed in 15 diabetic rats; these rats were categorized into the following 3 groups: DC (untreated diabetic control); DNO/60 (exposure to 200 ppm NO gas for 60 s/day); and DNO/120 (exposure to 200 ppm NO gas for 120 s/day). Wound contraction on days 0, 3, 7, 11, and 14 and wound contraction rate between days 0 and 14 were evaluated. On day 14, tissue samples were collected for histopathologic assessment of inflammation, epithelial regeneration, angiogenesis congestion, and collagen fiber organization. Normality of distribution was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and intergroup comparisons were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test (NPar Test) and the Kruskal-Wallis test (non-parametric ANOVA). Wound contraction during treatment days 7-14 was significantly greater in the NO-treatment groups than in the DC group (p<0.05). The NO60 s and NO120 s groups showed a significantly higher wound contraction rate than the DC group (p=0.033, p=0.049, respectively). Significant differences were noted between the control and NO groups in terms of inflammation (p<0.05) and between the control group and DNO/60 and DNO/120 groups in terms of collagen organization (p<0.05, p<0.01, respectively). Evaluation of epithelialization revealed significant intergroup differences between the control and NO treatment groups (p<0.01). In this study, the application of NO once a day for 60 seconds and 120 seconds in diabetic wounds contributed equally to wound healing.

Otitis externa is a canine disease of multifactorial etiology in which bacteria plays a significant role. Due to the predominant bacterial etiology otitis is usually treated with antibiotics. However, non-prudent use of antibiotics promotes the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria thus compromising the therapy effectiveness. Currently, the increase of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to global health. For this reason, the aim of the study was to investigate prevalence of the microbiological causes of canine otitis externa and the antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated bacterial strains. The research and sampling were conducted at Veterinary Clinics for small pets in Serbia. Samples were sent to laboratory for bacteriological and mycological testing. Additionally, the sensitivity of the isolated bacteria to antibiotics was evaluated using disc diffusion method. Sixty dogs with otitis externa clinical symptoms were included in the study. Out of a total of 53 positive samples for pathogen presence, bacteria were present in 40. The most prevalent bacteria was Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus spp., while Malassezia pachydermatis was the only isolated yeast pathogen occurring in 36 samples. Generally, the lowest resistance against all bacteria showed enrofloxacin. On the contrary, high resistance to penicillin and amoxicillin was a common finding for G+ and G- bacteria. These results indicate the need for laboratory testing in terms of isolation, identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing, not only in the case of otitis externa in dogs, but in all diseases when it is possible, in order to enhance antimicrobial stewardship and consequently to contribute AMR reduction.

Mycoplasma bovis is a highly contagious pathogen that causes clinical or subclinical mastitis. The present study was aimed for the isolation, molecular characterization and antibiogram determination of M. bovis from raw milk samples. Milk samples were collected randomly from lactating cows and buffaloes from different tehsils of district Faisalabad, Pakistan. Samples were inoculated on modified Hayflick medium and biochemical tests were performed for further confirmation of isolated M. bovis. Out of total 400 milk samples, 184 (46%) samples were found positive for culture method. The 16S-rRNA gene polymerase chain reaction was performed for molecular characterization of isolated M. bovis strains. Out of total 400 milk samples, 240 (60%) positive for M. bovis through PCR method were examined. The 16S-rRNA gene PCR positive isolated M. bovis strains were sequenced and results were compared using Maximum-likelihood method and sequenced strains of M. bovis were aligned and analyzed by Clustal W software. Antibiogram of isolated M. bovis strains was analyzed by disc diffusion assay against eight commonly used antibiotics. Tylosin (30μg) and Tilmicosin (15ug) showed inhibition zones of 32.34 ± 1.10 mm and 17.12 ± 0.93 mm respectively against isolated M. bovis which were found sensitive. Isolated M. bovis was found resistant to other commonly used antibiotics. Statistical analysis revealed that p-value was < 0.05 and the odds ratio was >1.0 at 95% CI. This study complemented the lack of epidemiological knowledge of molecular characterization, comparative effectiveness and resistance trends of isolated M. bovis strains against commonly used antibiotics.

This study was conducted with the aim of determining the growth characteristics and survival rate of Karacabey Merino lambs, as well as the non-genetic factors affecting these traits. The study included data from a total of 17659 lambs and 12263 ewes raised in 30 herds between the years 2011 and 2016 as part of the National Sheep and Goat Improvement Project. The average birth weight of the lambs was determined as 3.73±0.05 kg, the average 45th day live weight was 18.43±0.58 kg, the average weaning (average 91.8 days) weight was 31.83±0.24 kg, and the average daily live weight gain until weaning was 289.1±3.91 g. The average survival rate of lambs at weaning was calculated to be 95.67% ± 1.15. The effects of the factors herd, birth year, birth type, birth season and sex were found significant for all traits (p<0.01). It was established that the mortality rate in lambs in large herds was higher during 6 years in which the project was carried out. Due to the high twinning rate in large herds, the number of lambs per worker is increased, and as a result, they cannot be adequately cared for. For this reason, large farms may be encouraged to increase workmanship services in addition to being provided with protective health practices for lambs throughout the birth period. On the other hand, it was determined that the twinning rate was low in small farms. On farms with fewer sheep populations, it may be advised to flush or administer exogenous hormone treatments to ewes in order to increase fertility and help them bear twins.

The objectives of this research were to highlight the main factors, which have relevant significance for etiology of myopathies and to assess the incidence of myopathies in a representative population of broilers raised in Lithuania. Eighteen flocks were evaluated to assess the incidence of musculus pectoralis major myopathies (PMM) (total 54,000 broilers) and dorsal cranial myopathy (DCM) (total 124,200 broilers). Thirteen flocks (total 19,500 broilers) were evaluated to find out deep pectoral myopathy (DPM) occurrence in Lithuania. Investigated parameters of each flock were: average broiler live body weight (BW) at slaughter, average slaughter age, treatment and seasons. A correlation analysis was used to measure the strength of the linear relationship between the investigated traits and incidence of these myopathies. Overall, the incidence of PMM in Lithuania was 18.19%. DCM and DPM were 5.16% and 0.27%, respectively. The percentage of PMM in flocks was strongly associated with average broiler live BW at slaughter (r=0.898, p<0.001) and age at slaughter (r=0.693, p<0.001). The percentage of PMM in flocks was negatively related with treatment of broilers (rs=-0.535, p<0.05). The percentage of DCM was positively associated with average broiler live BW at slaughter (r=0.537, p<0.05) and with seasons (rs=0.658, p<0.01). However, our study results revealed, that the analyzed parameters are not so important in DPM etiology. Furthermore, predisposing factors of PMM, DCM and DPM are different. These findings suggest that not only broiler’s heavy weight and age at slaughter could have influence for etiology of myopathies.

The aim of the study was to compare the serum protein profile of Bernese Mountain Dogs (BMDs) reacting positive for Bb in snap testing with the serum protein profile of dogs of other breeds (healthy and with clinical borreliosis) using the MALDI time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) technique. The observations included five groups of dogs. BMDs reacting positively to Bb in snap serological testing and showing symptoms of borreliosis (group 1), BMDs for which no borreliosis symptoms were determined but with seropositivity for Bb determined with snap serological tests (group 2), clinically healthy BMDs with no antibodies for Bb found in the serum (group 3), five dogs of different breeds, reacting positively in serological testing, in which borreliosis symptoms were observed (group 4), clinically healthy dogs of different breeds with negative reaction in tests towards Bb (group 5). A proteomic analysis demonstrated the presence of five identical protein fractions among all five groups. An additional two protein fractions of approximately 7.630 and 15.260 kDa were found in all the serum samples obtained from the dogs positive for borrelia in a snap test, both in those exhibiting symptoms of borreliosis, and seropositive BMDs not presenting symptoms of the disease. These two additional protein fractions may be used to differentiate between seropositive and seronegative B. burgdorferi dogs and may be considered a seropositivity marker, however, it cannot be used to differentiate between animals with the clinical form of the disease and those that are only seropositive.

The main cause of sperm chromatin damage is oxidative stress related to embryo development failure and adult infertility in mammals and also avian. Oxidative stress results in lipid peroxidation (LPO) causing cell damage. Lipid peroxidation is the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in biological systems and causes changes in the physical structure and characteristics of the cell membrane. Due to the high amounts of PUFAs in the avian sperm membrane, its sperm seem susceptible to pe-roxidative damage and is a substantial factor in the fertilization capacity of sperm. The most commonly used methods for measuring LPO or its by-products, such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroksy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), in bird semen are based on the colorimetric method TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and on the use of a fluorescence probe (CC ₁₁-BODIPY ^581/591) as a marker to evaluate membrane lipid peroxidation. This review aims first to introduce LPO in avian semen and its effects on avian sperm and second to summarize the commonly applied methods of evaluating LPO and its damage in fresh and stored avian semen.

Home dental care is a key element of periodontal therapy in veterinary patients. Among many strategies of passive home dental care there is a supplementation of animal diet with seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum which have been shown to reduce both calculus and plaque accumulation after oral administration in both dogs and cats. Ascophyllum nodosum contains numerous biologically active ingredients, including micro-elements, vitamins, and several other compounds, however the exact mechanism of its beneficial action remains unclear. The very first metabolomic data suggest that it could change the composition of dog saliva. Several products containing Ascophyllum nodosum had been assessed clinically according to standards and requirements provided by the Veterinary Oral Health Council. The conducted clinical trials in dogs and cats revealed that Ascophyllum nodosum exerts the strongest preventive action as powder, followed by dental bites and dry pet food. The data concerning its curative action are limited to one study in cats in which no beneficial action has been observed. Based on available clinical data it is recommended to administer Ascophyllum nodosum to dogs and cats after oral cavity prophylactic procedure to reduce the recurrence of plaque and calculus formation.

Viral infections are common causes of diseases in animals and appropriate methods are increasingly being required to detect viral pathogens in animals. In this regard, similar to antigen- -antibody interactions, aptamers have high affinity and specificity for their respective target molecules, and can be selected using the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX) technique. Recently, significant progress has been made in the development of aptamer selection and aptamer-based sensors for viral detection, and here we review some of the recent advances in aptamer-based detection of viral infections in animals. This review will serve as a comprehensive resource for aptamer-based strategies in viral diagnostics.