Search

In February 2006 an American Bashkir Curly horse was imported via air from Montana, USA into Germany. Already on arrival at the airport of Amsterdam about 30 fully engorged ticks dropped off the horse, and during the following 4 days in the stable in Germany more than 200 engorged ticks were collected. The tick species was identified as Dermacentor albipictus, which is also called `winter tick΄. Hosts for the ticks are large wild and domestic mammals, such as moose, cows, and horses. On these animals the tick undergoes a one-host life cycle. Larvae become active in summer, nymphs and adults engorge during November and February on the same host. This New World tick species occurs in woodlands of North America up to 60° N in Canada. The ecological conditions in Europe may give a suitable environment for establishing a tick population for D. albipictus. From Germany the occurrence of two similar ticks, Dermacentor marginatus and D. reticulatus, is known. This underlines the importance for an exact species diagnosis of ticks. Ticks of the genus Dermacentor include important vectors of disease agents, such as viruses, rickettsiae, Babesia, and Theileria. Unfortunately, there exist no veterinary regulations by the EU (Brussels) or the OJE (Paris) for prevention of importation of ticks. The horse was treated with permethrin wipe-on. Additionally, all visible ticks were collected by hand dressing and burned. Engorged female ticks were collected for experimental use. In an outdoor experiment female ticks laid eggs under natural German winter conditions. Larvae emerged 25 weeks after engorgement of the females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prebiotic supplementation of animal diets began in an attempt to increase concentrations of beneficial intestinal microbiota. It was understood that prebiotics inhibited growth of intestinal pathogens and decreased concentrations of stool odor-causing metabolites. Since the use of prebiotics began, several countries have banned the use of antimicrobials in livestock animal feeds, and several more have placed restrictions on the quantity of antimicrobials that can be used. Prebiotic supplementation has become increasingly popular as the body of evidence supporting its use continues to grow. As this literature expands, the number of potential prebiotic substances has grown beyond those that are naturally occurring, such as those found in chicory and yeast products, to include a large number of synthetic or chemically/enzymatically manufactured prebiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forelimb kinematics of four three-year-old galloping Thoroughbred racehorses were compared between dirt, synthetic, and turf racetrack surfaces. Joint angles and angular velocities of the fetlock (metacarpophalangeal), carpal, elbow, and shoulder joints of the lead forelimb were extracted from high-speed video data. Linear mixed effect ANOVA models were used to assess the effect of track surface on the maxima, minima, and temporal components of the joint angles and angular velocities during the stance phase of stride. Joint angles at heel strike and the speed of the distal end of the proximal phalanx (P1) at heel strike were also analysed. Least square mean differences were used for pairwise comparisons between surfaces. Significant differences in the forelimb kinematics of Thoroughbred racehorses on dirt, synthetic, and turf track surfaces were found, but most differences were timing-related. For all joints, the joint angle maxima occurred later in stance for the dirt and synthetic surfaces than for the turf surface, and the joint angles at heel strike were significantly larger for the turf surface than for the synthetic surface. The time of the fetlock maximum extension angle was smaller (P<0.05) for the turf surface (mean ± SE, 41.9 ± 2.1% of stance) than for the dirt (49.9 ± 2.3%) and synthetic surfaces (48.2 ± 1.9%). The time of fetlock maximum flexion velocity was smaller (P<0.10) for the turf surface (76.8 ± 3.0%) than for the dirt surface (85.8 ± 3.1%). Results indicate differences in the timing of joint angle and angular velocity maximums are more prevalent than differences in the maximum magnitudes, and timing differences may result from differences in the deformability of the surfaces. Differences in kinematics may affect propensity for soft tissue injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is in every animal's eye a dim image and gleam of humanity, a flash of strange light through which their life looks out and up to our great mastery of command over them, and claims the fellowship of the creature if not of the soul. HUNTING WAS THE MAJOR preoccupation of people everywhere around 18,000 years ago and there were plenty of caribou and bison to be hunted – these animals still staring out at us from cave paintings at Lascaux in southwestern France and Altamira in Spain. But over millennia, as temperatures grew warmer, herds were nudged northward. The caribou, probably the most important game animal in Europe, had long sustained humans and some followed the animals. Others, however, faced up to the problem by taking charge of the caribou, leading them between winter and summer feeding grounds, and harvesting individuals as needed for food. Does this mean that animal domestication preceded that of plants? Not really. These animals were probably no more domesticated than the wild grasses being harvested at the time. Most experts are convinced that domesticated plants came before domesticated animals, save the dog, and that the former were vital to the domestication of the latter. Climatic change at the tail end of the Ice Age produced forests on what had been bare steppes and crafted a habitat of wild plants that fed smaller creatures such as deer, hare, boar, and various birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Cellular Basis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Horses," by Olga Greco and Simon Scott is presented.