Animals, Volume 15, Issue 3

Body stalk anomaly (BSA) is a complex congenital condition characterized by defects in the body wall, skeletal abnormalities, and an absent or abnormal umbilical cord (UC). A classification system for BSA, based on wall and skeletal abnormalities, is...

Wearable collar technologies have become integral to the advancement of precision livestock farming, revolutionizing how dairy cattle are monitored in terms of their behaviour, health status, and productivity. These devices leverage cutting-edge sens...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the dietary effects of replacing corn with different proportions of fermented straw on the growth performance and intestinal health of finishing pigs. A total of 275 healthy commercial finishing pigs ag...

Reptiles, birds, mammals and amphibians, together forming the clade tetrapods, have a large diversity of cornified skin appendages, such as scales, feathers, hair and claws. The skin appendages consist of dead epithelial cells that are tightly packed...

This study’s primary goal is to use computer vision and ultra-wideband (UWB) localisation techniques to automatically mark numerals in cow photos. In order to accomplish this, we created a UWB-based cow localisation system that involves install...

Melioidosis is a zoonotic disease that is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is a serious public health and safety risk. In order to explore the global animal melioidosis risk distribution and its dynamic response to future climate scenarios,...

India, the leading producer and consumer of milk, houses 307 million cattle, nearly a third of the world’s total. A ban on cow slaughter exists in the majority of the Indian states. Intricately interweaved with the disputable yet publicly ackno...

During foraging decisions, animals often make irrational choices. The selective-value effect refers to the lack of preference for an option consisting of one highly preferred item plus one less preferred item compared to a single highly preferred ite...

We examined the morphological variation in the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) along south–north and west–east geographic gradients in Europe (Slovakia, Lithuania, and Estonia). Data collected over several decades (1980s–202...

The illegal trade in leopard and lion parts is a major threat to felid conservation across Africa, especially in under-researched areas like francophone West Africa. Between April and June 2024, we conducted surveys in 16 cities and 46 markets in C&o...

Introduction: Equine chorionic girdle cells can give rise to the endometrial cup, a structure that secretes equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG). To date, the mechanisms underlying the proliferation, differentiation, invasion, and hormone secretion of...

In recent decades, bee poisoning due to pesticides and agrochemicals has increased, posing significant challenges to honey bee health and contributing to the so-called “Colony Collapse Disorder” (CCD). Poor knowledge about the level of ex...

It is necessary to study small-ruminant production systems in a spatial context, as different areas, depending on their natural, socioeconomic, and cultural context, will respond differently to the effects of such causal factors. The aim of this stud...

Gestation length (GL) is a critical indicator of reproductive performance in sows and is closely associated with other reproductive traits, such as total number born (TNB) and number born alive (NBA). Despite its importance, the genetic mechanisms un...

The early postnatal period is a critical neurodevelopmental stage characterized by rapid neural maturation and is adversely affected by early-life stressors. This study explored the behavioural, physiological, and epigenetic consequences of early-lif...

Early discussions about possible pain in crustaceans often comprised speculation and anecdotes. Experiments to investigate pain took guidance from these early debates, and from studies on other taxa. Many experiments provided data that are consistent...

This literature review explores the impact of molecular, genetic, and environmental factors on the efficacy of targeted therapies in veterinary medicine. Relevant studies were identified through systematic searches of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus,...

Bovine genital leptospirosis (BGL) is a chronic reproductive disease in cattle, often causing significant economic losses, and is commonly associated with leptospiral strains belonging to the Sejroe serogroup. A two-step protocol was recommended, bas...

The self-administration of meloxicam via medicated feed is a novel concept that could enable non-invasive, pre-emptive and long-term analgesia. Forty Bos taurus male calves were randomly allocated to four treatment groups: no castration (PC), surgica...

A new species of Asian horned toad, Boulenophrys, is described from Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, China. The species is a phylogenetically sister to B. yunkaiensis, based on 16S rRNA and COI genes. The new species differs from its congeners, possess...

Effective poultry management practices that promote chicken health are crucial for producing higher-quality chicken meat at a lower cost. This study examined the hypothesis that increasing space while maintaining stocking density may positively impac...

Cryopreservation of native Thai bull semen often results in significant post-thaw quality reduction, underscoring the need for effective cryoprotective strategies. This study investigated the effect of Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MOLE) as an antio...

High-quality semen is an essential factor for the success of artificial insemination, and revealing the genetic structure of pig semen traits helps improve semen quality. This study aimed to identify candidate genes associated with semen traits in th...

Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease caused by Babesia and Theileria species. Despite its presence in Europe, no laboratory testing is required for animal movement, even though some countries remain free of this disease. Differentiating betwe...

Background: Ovariectomy and ovariohysterectomy (spaying) are two surgical procedures commonly performed on dogs. However, the optimum age at which to perform these procedures in dogs remains a contentious issue. Following work published in the 1960s,...

Integrative conservation research on animal behavior and nutritional health can contribute to the ex situ conservation of endangered species. Stereotypic behavior, a repetitive behavior without practical function, is associated with animal welfare in...

Historical forestry practices (e.g., fire suppression, heavy timber logging) have contributed to a discernable change in stand composition of western forests in the U.S., which now comprise a tinderbox mixture of increased surface and ladder fuels, d...

Between 2022 and 2023, four systematic fish surveys were carried out in the Poyang Lake basin (PLB), capturing 49,192 fish (7017 kg) and identifying 120 species from 10 orders, 21 families, and 70 genera. Cypriniformes were the most dominant, account...

Body awareness allows the individual to negotiate spatial tasks by referencing their own body. Here, we tested whether biologically meaningful factors, such as an alternative solution (detour around an obstacle) and learning from a human demonstrator...

The host response to S. Typhimurium infection can be post-transcriptionally regulated by miRNAs. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-215 using both in vivo porcine infection models and in vitro intestinal epithelial cell lines. Several miR...

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a highly contagious immunosuppressive disease caused by the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) that is characterized by a highly variable gene sequence and a high rate o...

La Graciosa, a Natura 2000 site in the Canary Islands, faces substantial conservation challenges, including a large free-roaming cat population that threatens the island’s native biodiversity. In July 2024, a Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR...

This study was conducted to evaluate the protective efficacy of modified live vaccines (MLVs) against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) in nursery pigs in a worst case scenario where MLV does not match the genetic profile of the fi...

Protein production through precision fermentation is an attractive option to reduce animal use in food production. This study focused on the safety and digestibility of food containing a test ingredient, brewed lamb protein (Saccharomyces cerevisiae...

The family Lecithoceridae represents one of the most diverse yet understudied groups within Lepidoptera, with numerous unresolved taxonomic issues requiring urgent attention. Among these, the genus Coproptilia Snellen, a small genus within Lecithocer...

The astragalus acts as a crucial intermediary in the tarsal joint, facilitating the transfer of body weight to the lower extremities while also ensuring both stability and mobility through its articulation with adjacent bones, enabling efficient move...

The significance of Eimeria infections in chicken production cannot be understated [...]

As a lactation source, donkey milk contains a higher percentage of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the milk fatty acid profile than cow’s milk, especially the percentage of α-linolenic acid (ALA). We hypothesized that the ratio of diet...

Traditional pig breeding has improved production traits but faces limitations in genetic diversity, disease resistance, and environmental adaptation. Gene editing technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9, base editing, and prime editing, enable precise gene...

This floor pen study explored the effects of feeding mineral methionine hydroxyl analogue chelates (MMHACs) zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn) on growth performance, carcass processing weight and quality, nutrient digestibility, gizzard erosi...

Animal care workers in sheltering, rescue, and management are exposed to occupational stressors which negatively impact health. While the negative mental health impacts have been previously documented in this population, physical health, and its cont...

This study investigated the effects of the dietary supplementation of mineral methionine hydroxyl analogue chelates (MMHACs) zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn) on excreta nitrogen and mineral levels, housing conditions, and the welfare status...

The Sardinian grass snake, Natrix helvetica cetti, is an island-endemic subspecies with a restricted and highly fragmented distribution confined to Sardinia, Italy. Information on its reproductive biology and wild offspring remain scarce in the scien...

Stilbenoids are a class of naturally occurring phenolic compounds found in various plant species, characterized by a stilbene backbone with diverse substituents that confer a range of biological activities. These compounds exhibit antioxidant, anti-i...

This study aimed to scrutinize variations in the intestinal microbiota of neonatal dogs born through natural birth versus elective cesarean section, focusing on evaluating the influence of vaginal seeding on the microbiota of cesarean-born neonates....

Trilostane is a drug able to block the synthesis of progesterone from pregnenolone, dependent on the enzyme 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/Δ⁵⁻⁴ isomerase. As a consequence of this effect, it is used to treat endocrinological disease...

Fracture healing in dogs is a complex process influenced by factors such as age, weight, fracture type, and underlying conditions. Among fractures, complex diaphyseal comminuted fractures stand out due to their susceptibility to complications like de...

Though circular exercise is commonly used in equestrian disciplines, it may be at the detriment of horses’ musculoskeletal system. To investigate the effects of circular exercise on bone and joint health, 42 lambs were randomly assigned to a no...

Atopic dermatitis (AD) remains a challenging condition, necessitating effective models for investigation and therapeutic exploration. In this study, we employed a goat skin model to assess the immune response triggered by topical oxazolone (OX) appli...

The number of ribs (NRs) and the carcass length (CL) are important economic traits. The traits are usually measured after slaughter. To improve the prediction performance of genomic selection (GS) for NRs and CL, one strategy is to integrate the sign...