Determination of age-specific reference intervals for selected serum and urinary biomarkers in elderly cats.

Objectives: Annual health screening is recommended in elderly cats to allow the early detection of conditions such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hyperthyroidism. Nevertheless, age-specific reference intervals (RIs) for renal and thyroid parameters in this population are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine age-specific RIs for selected serum and urine biomarkers related to CKD and hyperthyroidism, namely serum creatinine (sCr), symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), phosphate (P), total calcium (tCa), total thyroxine (TT4), urinary protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) and urine specific gravity (USG).

Widespread triazole pesticide use affects infection dynamics of a global amphibian pathogen.

The sixth mass extinction is a consequence of complex interplay between multiple stressors with negative impact on biodiversity. We here examine the interaction between two globally widespread anthropogenic drivers of amphibian declines: the fungal disease chytridiomycosis and antifungal use in agriculture. Field monitoring of 26 amphibian ponds in an agricultural landscape shows widespread occurrence of triazole fungicides in the water column throughout the amphibian breeding season, together with a negative correlation between early season application of epoxiconazole and the prevalence of chytrid infections in aquatic newts.

Impact of heavy metal exposure on biological control of a deadly amphibian pathogen by zooplankton.

Despite devastating effects on global biodiversity, efficient mitigation strategies against amphibian chytridiomycosis are lacking. Since the free-living pathogenic zoospores of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the infective stage of this disease, can serve as a nutritious food source for components of zooplankton communities, these groups may act as biological control agents by eliminating zoospores from the aquatic environment. Such pathogen-predator interaction is, however, embedded in the aquatic food web structure and is therefore affected by abiotic factors interfering with these networks.

Agricultural contaminants in amphibian breeding ponds: Occurrence, risk and correlation with agricultural land use.

Anthropogenic pressure such as agricultural pollution globally affects amphibian populations. In this study, a total of 178 different compounds from five agrochemical groups (i.e.