Deciphering Seasonal Patterns in Animal Feeding: A Mechanistic Approach to Analyzing the Restricted Growth of Iberian Pigs.

The growth of animals is influenced by various factors including genetics, nutrition, and environmental conditions. This study focuses on understanding the traditional growth phases of Iberian pigs raised in semi-free-range environments prior to the finishing period within the Mediterranean forest. Using a comprehensive dataset of 5329 pigs, we evaluated the abilities of several mathematical models to predict growth patterns during the early growing and pre-finishing phases.

Applying the FAO surveillance evaluation tool (SET) to assess the fish farming disease surveillance system in Spain.

EU Member States should ensure that they implement adequate health surveillance schemes in all aquaculture farming areas, as appropriate for the type of production. This study presents the results of applying the FAO's Surveillance Evaluation Tool (SET) to assess the Spanish disease surveillance system for farmed fish species, which although applied previously in livestock production, is applied here to aquaculture for the first time. Overall, there were important score differences between trout and marine fish (seabass and seabream) surveillance, which were higher for trout in the following areas: Institutional (70.

Nurturing a Respectful Connection: Exploring the Relationship between University Educators and Students in a Spanish Veterinary Faculty.

The respect of the teacher for the student is essential for effective teaching from the perspective of the students, even in comparison to the knowledge and communication capacity of the teacher. Consequently, the optimal development of this characteristic fosters a more effective and efficient student-teacher relationship. We initiated this research following a conversation with a group of university students, who expressed their discontent regarding the lack of respect shown towards them by some teachers.

Safe Game: Hygienic Habits in Self-Consumption of Game Meat in Eastern Spain.

We used anonymous questionnaires to assess the hygienic and sanitary aspects of game meat self-consumption in Eastern Spain as the first step towards a health risk assessment. The survey yielded 472 valid interviews from active hunters. The maximum possible score was 65 points (average 29 ± 8; range 1-52).

Human and environmental factors driving Toxoplasma gondii prevalence in wild boar (Sus scrofa).

As one of the most relevant foodborne diseases, it is essential to know the factors related to the transmission, persistence and prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) might play a relevant role in T.gondii's life cycle.

Detection of owner-perceived emotional eating in companion dogs: A regression modelling approach.

Background: Emotional eating has been largely demonstrated in humans and laboratory rodents, but a recent survey conducted by the authors revealed that dog owners have also detected this phenomenon in their pets. However, due to the lack of diagnostic tools, veterinarians and researchers might encounter serious difficulties in detecting emotional eating in clinical settings. The present study aimed to explore different variables associated with owner perceived-emotional eating in companion dogs with the ultimate goal of designing a tool that could facilitate its detection.

Assessment of Sample Size Calculations Used in Aquaculture by Simulation Techniques.

An adequate sampling methodology is the key to knowing the health status of aquatic populations. Usually, the aims of epidemiological surveys in aquaculture are to detect an infection and estimate the disease prevalence, and different formulas are used to calculate the sample size. The main objective of this study was to assess if the sample sizes calculated using classical epidemiological formulas are valid considering the sampling methodology, the population size, and the spatial distribution of diseased animals in the population (non-clustered or clustered).

Surveillance of a Pest Through a Public Health Information System: The Case of the Blackfly () in Zaragoza (Spain) during 2009-2015.

: Animals and people in many Spanish regions are increasingly being affected by blackfly bites in the last decade. Because of blackflies, the city of Zaragoza has become in recent years a paradigm of discomfort in Europe, with thousands of citizens affected. The OMI-AP system (Stacks, Barcelona, Spain) implemented by the Government of Aragón, a software that manages the electronic medical history of all patients, has been evaluated in order to document the increase of insect bite recorded by the primary care consultations in Zaragoza after the first outbreak of blackflies occurred in 2011.

Mapping the knowledge of the main diseases affecting sea bass and sea bream in Mediterranean.

Good knowledge on the disease situation and its impact on production is a base mechanism for designing health surveillance, risk analysis and biosecurity systems. Mediterranean marine fish farming, as any aquaculture production, is affected by various infectious diseases. However, seabass and seabream, the main produced species, are not listed as susceptible host species for the notifiable pathogens listed in the current EU legislation, which generates a lack of systematic reporting.

Cognition and behavior in sheep repetitively inoculated with aluminum adjuvant-containing vaccines or aluminum adjuvant only.

Sheep health management strategies often include the use of aluminum (Al)-containing vaccines. These products were associated with the appearance of the ovine autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA syndrome), which included an array of ethological changes in the affected animals. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate cognitive and behavioral changes in sheep subjected to a protocol of repetitive inoculation with Al-containing products.

Granulomas Following Subcutaneous Injection With Aluminum Adjuvant-Containing Products in Sheep.

The use of vaccines including aluminum (Al)-based adjuvants is widespread among small ruminants and other animals. They are associated with the appearance of transient injection site nodules corresponding to granulomas. This study aims to characterize the morphology of these granulomas, to understand the role of the Al adjuvant in their genesis, and to establish the presence of the metal in regional lymph nodes.

Use of vaccines and factors associated with their uptake variability in dogs, cats and rabbits attending a large sentinel network of veterinary practices across Great Britain.

Vaccination remains a mainstay of companion animal population health. However, how vaccine use at a population level complies with existing guidelines is unknown. Here we use electronic health records to describe vaccination in dogs, cats and rabbits attending a large sentinel network of UK veterinary practices.

Effectiveness of disinfectant treatments for inactivating Piscirickettsia salmonis.

This short communication investigated in vitro differences between commercial disinfectants types (n = 36), doses of application, and time of action in the elimination of Piscirickettsia salmonis, the most important bacterium affecting farmed salmon in Chile. Seven different treatments were examined, including active and inactive chlorine dioxides, glutaraldehyde, hypochlorite disinfectants and detergents, peracetic acid, peroxides and other miscellaneous methods A 3 replicate set of each of the sample groups was stored at 20 °C and 95% relative humidity and retested after 1, 5 and 30 min with varying doses (low, recommended and high doses). Multiple comparison tests were performed for the mean log CFU/ml among different disinfectant types, dose (ppm) and time of exposure (minutes) on the reduction of P.

Proposal of a production and management index (PMI) for tilapia farms.

Tilapia is one of the most important species in aquaculture; however, there is no available index to show the performance of a production unit. It is desirable to assess the productivity using indexes, such as the production and management index for shrimps and the European production efficacy factor for broilers. These indexes are based on data production: growth, survival, and feed conversion of a full production cycle.

Variations in seroprevalences of canine leishmaniasis: Could it be a consequence of the population structure?

Canine leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania infantum and is transmitted by Phlebotominae vectors. Despite numerous publications on the subject, some essential aspects of the epidemiology are not yet sufficiently clear. We proposed a stochastic model with the aim of identifying some important gaps in the current knowledge of leishmaniasis, such as the frequency of vector infection or a dog's life expectancy depending on their purpose and their health status.

Spatial Epidemiology and Risk Factor Analysis of White Spot Disease in the Shrimp Farming Industry of Sinaloa, Mexico, from 2005 to 2011.

White spot disease (WSD), caused by the white spot syndrome virus, is currently one of the primary causes of mortality and economic losses in the shrimp farming industry worldwide. In Mexico, shrimp production is one of the most important primary activities generating an annual income of USD 711 million. However, WSD introduction in 1999 had a devastating impact for the Mexican shrimp industry.

Estimation of the relative sensitivity of qPCR analysis using pooled samples.

The high sensitivity of qPCR makes it a desirable diagnostic method in epidemiological surveillance programs. However, due to high costs, the use of pooling has been suggested. In this paper, an algorithm based on the Montecarlo method has been designed and implemented.

New method to estimate the sample size for calculation of a proportion assuming binomial distribution.

Nowadays the formula to calculate the sample size for estimate a proportion (as prevalence) is based on the Normal distribution, however it would be based on a Binomial distribution which confidence interval was possible to be calculated using the Wilson Score method. By comparing the two formulae (Normal and Binomial distributions), the variation of the amplitude of the confidence intervals is relevant in the tails and the center of the curves. In order to calculate the needed sample size we have simulated an iterative sampling procedure, which shows an underestimation of the sample size for values of prevalence closed to 0 or 1, and also an overestimation for values closed to 0.

Microscopic abnormalities in the liver of two patients with Porphyria variegata.

In contrast to Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT), which is characterized by constant hepatic involvement, the liver seems to be unaltered in Porphyria variegata (PV). However, the authors have found microscopic alterations in the liver of 2 patients with PV (mild inflammation and fibrosis of the portal tracts and the presence of iron deposits in one of the cases). Although these changes could be attributed to other causes, the hypothesis of possible liver involvement in PV is not excluded.

[Early forms of porphyria cutanea tarda. Apropos of 2 cases with a study of familial enzymatic deficiency and definition of the mode of genetic transmission].

The authors report two cases of cutaneous porphyria in children aged 6 and 9 respectively. The clinical and biochemical patterns were similar to those of porphyria cutanea tarda. The manifestations were drug-induced in both cases (by sulfonamides and griseofulvin in the first patient, and by hydantoin and benzodiazepine in the second).

Photocontact dermatitis to cobalt salts.

4 patients with chronic photocontact dermatitis were sensitive to cobalt salts. They presented as cases of contact dermatitis from cement or pig fodder with persistent lesions on exposed areas. Only 2 of them had standard patch test positive reactions to chromate and cobalt, but all showed positive photo-patch tests to cobalt.

Hepatoerythropoietic porphyria: a new uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase defect or homozygous porphyria cutanea tarda?

Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase levels were measured in haemolysed whole blood or fibroblasts from 3 unrelated patients with hepatoerythropoietic porphyria (HEP) and in 4 unrelated patients with familial porphyria cutanea tarda, a condition in which the enzyme is defective. In HEP patients enzyme activities were 7% of normal in erythrocytes and 8% of normal in cultured skin fibroblasts. All the features of HEP, including the characteristic accumulation of protoporphyrin in erythrocytes, are secondary to this enzyme defect.