The feral mink population in Denmark consists of two groups of animals: mink born in the wild and mink that have recently escaped from farms. The aims of this study were to: (1) estimate the reproductive performance and mortality of the Danish mink born in the wild (wild-born) and mink escaped from farms (captive-born); (2) discuss the likelihood of a self-sustaining population of wild-born mink in Denmark; and (3) model the relationship between the pulp cavity width and the age of mink. During 2018, 247 wild caught mink were sent for necropsy at the Danish National Veterinary Institute. Based on body length, 112 were determined as captive-born and 96 as wild-born. The mean litter size ± SE of wild-born females was 7.6 ± 0.9 (range: 5-11 kits) and for captive-born females 5.9 ± 0.9 (range: 1-10 kits). The relationship between age (in months) of mink and pulp cavity width was highly significant. Individuals with a pulp cavity width of >35% were younger than one year. Based on fecundity, the turnover of the mink population was estimated to be 66%, and the yearly mortality was estimated at 69%. Hence, the population is slightly declining. In conclusion, a feral reproducing mink population in Denmark persists without a continuous influx of captive-born mink from farms.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11010162 | DOI Listing |
Animal
September 2024
Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia B2N 5E3, Canada. Electronic address:
The feed efficiency (FE) expresses as the amount of feed required per unit of BW gain. Since feed cost is the major input cost in the mink industry, evaluating of FE is a crucial step for competitiveness of the mink industry. However, the FE measures have not been widely adopted for the mink due to the high cost of periodically measuring BW and daily feed intake.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimals (Basel)
January 2025
Murmansk Marine Biological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (MMBI RAS), 183038 Murmansk, Russia.
Natural populations of crayfish in Europe have experienced significant declines due to the spread of crayfish plague, overfishing, competition with invasive crayfish species, and habitat degradation. Consequently, crayfish farming has gained importance in meeting the increasing demand for crayfish products. Although Russia boasts abundant water resources, the development of crayfish aquaculture remains nascent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Vet Sci
January 2025
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Aleutian mink disease (mink plasmacytosis) is a severe immune complex-mediated condition caused by the Aleutian Mink Disease Virus (AMDV), the most significant pathogen affecting mink health in the industry. Several studies have shown that AMDV epidemics can result in millions to tens of millions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year. In this study, we developed a TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR technology (TaqMan-qPCR) for the specific, sensitive, and reproducible detection and quantification of AMDV in mink tissues by the VP2 gene, achieving detection limits as low as 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRes Vet Sci
January 2025
Animal Pathology Department, Veterinary Faculty, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain; Clinical Immunology Laboratory, Veterinary Faculty, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address:
Leishmaniosis, caused by Leishmania infantum and transmitted by sand flies, is a significant zoonotic disease. Dogs are primary reservoirs, but other domestic animals, such as cats and ferrets, and wild species, including Eurasian otters and European mink, can be hosts. This study focused on European mink, a critically endangered species, investigating the seroprevalence of L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVirus Evol
December 2024
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, 3775 University Street Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.
Infectious disease transmission to different host species makes eradication very challenging and expands the diversity of evolutionary trajectories taken by the pathogen. Since the beginning of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 has been transmitted from humans to many different animal species, in which viral variants of concern could potentially evolve. Previously, using available whole genome consensus sequences of SARS-CoV-2 from four commonly sampled animals (mink, deer, cat, and dog), we inferred similar numbers of transmission events from humans to each animal species.
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