Scent dogs identify SARS-CoV-2-infections in respiratory samples from experimentally infected ferrets and hamsters-a pilot study.

Rapid and sensitive diagnostic measures are a pre-requisite for the control of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. Dogs detect SARS-CoV-2-infected human individuals with high speed due to their extraordinary olfactory acuity. In the post-pandemic phase of SARS-CoV-2 it is difficult to obtain samples from infected humans for scent dog training.

Adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma associated with gastric ulcers in alpacas.

In pathological examinations, gastric ulcers are often detected in South American camelids. The aetiology cannot be clarified in every case. However, tumour-related gastric ulcers are observed repeatedly.

Cerebrospinal fluid-specific oligoclonal bands in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy.

Background: In dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE), 33% develop resistance to conventional anti-seizure medication (ASM) despite adequate treatment. In human medicine, an immune-mediated etiology is suspected in a subset of ASM-resistant patients with epilepsy and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG)-type oligoclonal bands (OCBs) have been detected. In dogs, cases of autoimmune encephalitis recently were reported.

Alpha-synuclein pathology enhances peripheral and CNS immune responses to bacterial endotoxins.

Increasing evidence points to infectious diseases as contributor to the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD), probably driven by a peripheral and CNS inflammatory response together with alpha-synuclein (aSyn) pathology. Pro-inflammatory lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin is suggested as a risk factor, and LPS shedding gram-negative bacteria are more prevalent in the gut-microbiome of PD patients. Here, we investigated whether LPS could contribute to the neurodegenerative disease progression via neuroinflammation, especially under conditions of aSyn pathology.

infection on European farms is associated with an altered tonsil microbiome and resistome.

is a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen causing systemic disease in piglets around weaning age. The factors predisposing to disease are not known. We hypothesized that the tonsillar microbiota might influence disease risk via colonization resistance and/or co-infections.

Animal welfare assessment after controlled cortical impact in CD-1 mice - A model of posttraumatic epilepsy.

The ethical use of laboratory animals requires that the benefits of an experimental study are carefully weighed against potential harm to the animals. In traumatic brain injury (TBI) research, ethical concerns are especially relevant to severe TBI, after which animals may experience suffering, depending on the implementation of refinement measures such as (1) postsurgical analgesia during the initial period following TBI and (2) humane endpoints. However, despite the frequent use of rodent models such as fluid percussion injury (FPI) and controlled cortical impact (CCI) in rats or mice, there is only one recent study that applied assessment of welfare to a severe TBI model, the FPI model in rats.

Longitudinal study on the influence of sow and piglet vaccination on seroprevalence of Salmonella Typhimurium in rearing pigs and at slaughter in a farrow-to-finish production system.

Background: Salmonella is widespread in pig husbandry and pork is an important source for human salmonellosis. Surveillance programmes are conducted in many European countries and various management measures are implemented on farm level to control Salmonella. Piglet or maternal vaccination can reduce Salmonella shedding and lower the likelihood of piglet infection.

Risk factors for omphalitis in neonatal dairy calves.

Knowledge about potential risk factors for animal health is crucial to achieve animal welfare. The aim of this study was to provide practical guidance for farmers to improve the health status of their youngstock by identifying and eliminating risk factors for omphalitis in neonatal calves. A cross-sectional study including 3,445 dairy calves from 567 farms located in three structurally different regions of Germany was performed from December 2016 to July 2019.

Grazing sheep on pastures with tansy ragwort ( L.) - results of a two-year study on ingested pyrrolizidine alkaloids and transfer into animal organs.

Tansy ragwort ( L.) growing in animal pasture may pose a risk to humans due to the potential transfer of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) into food of animal origin. Here, we investigated what amount of PAs corresponds to the amount of ragwort consumed by sheep on a pasture and whether the ingested PAs are transferred into edible tissue.

Characterization of class-switched B cells in chickens.

While B cell development in the birds' primary B cell organ, the bursa Fabricius, is relatively well understood, very little is known about post bursal B cell differentiation into plasma and memory cells though these cells are essential for a protecting antibody response and so far, no specific markers for these cells were available. Since immunoglobulin class switch is one part of the B cell differentiation process, our objective was to conduct a first detailed investigation of class-switched chicken B cells. As only very few IgY and IgA expressing cells were detected in lymphoid organs of young chickens, we used CD40L and IL-10 to establish a prolonged culture system, which induces B cell proliferation, class switch to IgY and IgA and enhanced antibody secretion.

Graded calls of the smallest terrestrial mammal, the Etruscan shrew, living in a closed habitat.

Graded call types predominate in species inhabiting open habitats with complex social systems, whereas discrete call types predominate in species with simple social systems living in closed habitats. This study aims to establish the vocal repertoire of Etruscan shrews, the smallest terrestrial mammal, which lives in pairs in closed habitats. Through various behavioral experiments, vocalizations were recorded and analyzed using unsupervised soft clustering, identifying four call types, one of which exhibited gradation.

Susceptibility of calf lung slice cultures to H5N1 influenza virus.

The current outbreak of HPAI H5N1 virus infections in dairy cattle in the USA underscores the need for easily accessible methods to rapidly assess host susceptibility for infection with known and emerging influenza viruses. Here we show that lung slice cultures from calves provide a useful method to rapidly screen host susceptibility to a range of influenza A viruses.

Generating MVA-Vector Vaccine Candidates and Testing Them in Animal Models.

Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara (MVA) is a highly attenuated and replication-deficient vaccinia virus developed through serial passages in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF). MVA is increasingly used in biomedicine for vaccine development in preclinical and clinical studies in humans. Major benefits of MVA include a well-established record in clinical safety, long-standing experience in genetic engineering of the virus, a large data set demonstrating efficacy in preclinical models with the capacity to induce both protective antigen-specific antibody and cellular immune responses, and the availability of virus production under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) suitable for industrial scale amplification.

Disruption of the Physical Interaction Between Carbonic Anhydrase IX and the Monocarboxylate Transporter 4 Impacts Lactate Transport in Breast Cancer Cells.

It has been previously established that breast cancer cells exhibit high expression of the monocarboxylate (lactate) transporters (MCT1 and/or MCT4) and carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) and form a functional metabolon for proton-coupled lactate export, thereby stabilizing intracellular pH. CD147 is the MCT accessory protein that facilitates the creation of the MCT/CAIX complex. This study describes how the small molecule Beta-Galactose 2C (BGal2C) blocks the physical and functional interaction between CAIX and either MCT1 or MCT4 in Xenopus oocytes, which reduces the rate of proton and lactate flux with an IC of ~90 nM.

Biomechanical Evaluation of a Novel Ceramic Implant for Canine Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture Treatment: A Finite Element Analysis Approach.

This research investigates the biomechanical effects of a novel ceramic implant for the treatment of canine cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR) based on the tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) method using finite element analysis (FEA). A 3D FEA of the tibiofemoral joint simulating the applied forces (44.5% of body weight) during the mid-stance phase (joint angle 135°) of the dog's stride was performed.

Inbreeding Depression and Purging in Fertility and Longevity Traits in Sheep Breeds from Germany.

In the present study, we analysed fertility and longevity traits of 22 sheep breeds from Germany with a suitable quantity of data in the national database OviCap. The data comprised merino, meat, country and milk sheep breeds with 62,198 ewes and about 173,000 lambing records, until the fifth lambing. Across-breed means of heritabilities reached estimates of 0.

An Outbreak of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) in a German Boar Stud: A Retrospective Analysis of PRRSV Shedding in Boar Semen.

The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes high economical costs due to reduced productivity and losses in pig production. The virus can infect sow herds through various routes. One possible risk factor is the transmission of PRRSV through artificial insemination with infected boar semen.

Heterotopic Ossification of the Adductor Muscles in Bald Eagles ().

Diseases of the musculature can be caused, for example, by alimentary or traumatic issues. In three bald eagles with painful lameness and/or a reduced range of the hip joint, a muscular disease was diagnosed via radiographic examination. The eagles were kept in a falconry and trained as demonstration birds, which were displayed on a gloved hand and flown in falconry education programs.