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Lateral exercises are commonly practiced in equitation. Studies on the influence of these exercises on horses' emotional responses are scarce. This study investigated equine behavioral and physiological responses to lateral exercises. Forty horses (11 ± 4 years old) and two riders (one professional and one amateur) were involved in the research. Two sessions of approximately 10 minutes each were performed. In session 1, longitudinal exercises were performed at three gaits: walk, trot, and canter. In session 2, horses performed a lateral exercise (shoulder-in) at the three gaits. To study autonomic nervous system activity, heart rate variability was assessed using heart rate (HR), low-frequency/high-frequency ratio (LF/HF), and very-low-frequency (VLF) data. Behaviors previously associated with a horse's lack of attention (looking around frequency [LAF]) and relaxation (playing with/chewing the bit duration [PCB]) were collected. LAF was significantly highest in session 1 (P

Objectives The interaction between free-roaming cats and humans can lead to cohabitation issues. One such issue is the nuisance caused when cats scavenge and scatter garbage, particularly in cities. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a semiochemical on cat avoidance behaviour. Methods Five cats were included in the study, in a crossover design. A 10 min choice test involving two garbage cans, one sprayed with the semiochemical and the other sprayed with a control solution, was performed in a controlled setting. The parameters observed were exploration, proximity, latency to approach and first choice. Results Cats spent less time exploring (general linear mixed model [GLMM]; degrees of freedom [DF] = 1; F = 14.23; P 2 = 3.49; P = 0.0610). Conclusions and relevance The present study demonstrated that this semiochemical can deter cats from trash cans in a controlled setting. Further studies are needed to explore the efficiency of the semiochemical deterrent in a real-world setting to improve human–cat cohabitation.

Mice are macrosmatic animals that use olfaction as their main source of information to increase fitness; they process predator cues to assess risk, and plants and fruit cues to find nutritional resources and assess their quality or toxicity. In this study, we examined the effects of ethanol as an olfactory stimulus related to fruit rotting, against 2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT, a fox faeces compound), its native origin, the fox faeces and a negative control on avoidance, locomotor activity, and stress related behaviour, measured by the production of faecal boli. Our results showed that mice clearly avoided ethanol (P= The clear avoidance and behavioural effects of ethanol in mice have direct implications in laboratory animal research, where it is used widely. This avoidance effect could elicit stressful situations and modify behavioural and physiological responses in mice housed in research facilities. In addition, this avoidance could be used as a non-lethal, inexpensive and non-toxic tool in rodent pest management. To explain these results, we suggest ethanol as a probable cue for fruit ripening, in the wild, this chemical cue could convey primordial information about the ripening state of fruits, allowing animals to avoid over-ripe, unhealthy fruits.

International audience; Objectives: Bacterial infections remain one of the main causes of morbidity and death in people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the most recent years. Several studies have demonstrated a protective effect of statins in the primary prevention of bacterial infections in other immunocompromised populations, but this effect remains controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of statin use on the occurrence of a first episode of severe bacterial infection (SBI) in PLHIV in the ANRS CO3 Aquitaine cohort between 2000 and 2018.Methods: All individuals included in the prospective ANRS CO3 Aquitaine cohort who had at least two follow-up visits between 2000 and 2018 were included. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of a first episode of bacterial infection leading to hospitalization of ≥48 hours or death. Statin exposure was updated during follow-up. Marginal Cox structural models were developed to consider the potential indication bias and time-dependent confusion. Numerous sensitivity analyses were carried out.Results: In this study 51 658 person-years were followed. The overall incidence of a first episode of SBI was 12.4/1000 person-years. No effect of statins on the occurrence of SBI was demonstrated when subjects were considered on statins throughout their follow-up after treatment initiation (HR = 0.97; 95%CI: 0.75-1.25). The results were similar for the effect of statins on the risk of pneumonia and for all sensitivity analyses.Conclusion: In this large cohort of PLHIV with 18 years of follow-up and a high risk of severe infections, we found no effect of statins on the risk of occurrence of SBI or pneumonia.

The present study aimed to investigate whether straw provision in pigs increases positive emotions, indicated by tail movement, and reduces poor welfare indicators (agonistic and displacement behaviours), including indicators of negative emotions (ear movement). Comparisons between Straw and Control sessions were analysed from video recording for all parameters. 15 mini-pigs participated in a three-week study. Depending on the week, animals were included in Straw or Control sessions. During Straw sessions, pigs were placed in their own pens where straw was introduced and continuously provided for one week. During Control sessions, pigs remained in their pens with no additional stimulus. Pig behaviours were video-recorded four times during each session and scored. Results showed that ear movement frequency was significantly lower in the Straw than in Control session (p = 0.005); agonistic behaviour frequency and duration were significantly lower in the Straw than in Control session (p = 0.013 and p = 0.0004, respectively), and displacement behaviour frequency and duration were significantly lower in the Straw than in Control session (p

Stress is an important cause of illness and mortality in chick production. Stressors such as manipulation, absence of maternal care, transport, and housing can lead to welfare issues, immunodepression, and decreased productivity. The mother hen uropygial secretion analogue (MHUSA), a synthetic analog of a maternal semiochemical secretion, has been proven to protect chicks and broilers against stress, significantly reducing the heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. The aim of the present study was to test the effects of the MHUSA on chicks' stress when single-sprayed on their fluff at the age of 1 d. Two-hundred eighty ROSS 308 chicks were included in the study. At day 1, each chick received a spray of 200 μL of a 2% MHUSA aqueous solution (140 chicks) or the same amount of the excipient (control group, 140 chicks), and then chicks were housed in 2 separate rooms. To assess the persistence of the MHUSA after this single application, fluff was sampled from 10 chicks every day for 7 d and at day 13 and 19, weighed, placed in dichloromethane, and analyzed by gas chromatography. Blood smears and the bursa of Fabricius were collected every 3 d from 10 chicks of each group for 36 d to assess the heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and the bursa weight-to-BW ratio, respectively. Gas chromatography analysis showed that the MHUSA was present on chick fluff until day 5. The statistical analysis revealed that the heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was lower in the MHUSA group at day 4, 7, and 9 (P < 0.0001 for day 4 and 7; P = 0.0377 for day 9). The bursa weight-to-BW ratio was significantly higher in the MHUSA group than in the control group from day 4 until day 29. These results confirm the beneficial effects of the MHUSA on chicks' adaptation to the new environment and on bursa of Fabricius development, suggesting its potential role in improving chicks' immune response.

A better understanding of animal emotions is an important goal in disciplines ranging from neuroscience to animal welfare science, but few reliable tools exist for measuring these emotions. Play behaviour is generally recognized as a trigger of positive emotions in mammals, and previous studies have suggested that tail movement (a behaviour often seen during play) may indicate positive emotions in pigs, while ear movements may indicate negative emotions, or a decrease in positive emotions. This study investigated whether the provision of toys to solicit play behaviour in pigs was associated with tail and ear movement changes, with the goal of confirming the use of these movements as indicators of different emotions in pigs. Sixteen mini-pigs were divided into two identical rooms of 8 individuals. During 4 consecutive days, each animal participated in the study for a total of two days in two different situations: one Control session and one Play session. Each animal served as its own control. During Play sessions, pigs were placed in their own pens of two individuals, where two medium-sized dog toys were introduced. During Control sessions, animals were placed in their own pens, but no toy was provided. Behaviours were scored from video using continuous recording with an ethogram, which also allows to confirm that pigs play during Play sessions. Results showed a significant difference in tail movement duration between sessions (DF = 15; t = −3.40; p

This Research Communication describes the effects of a synthetic analogue of the Bovine Appeasing Pheromone (BAP) on milk parameters in Valdostana dairy cows during the first turning out from tie-stalls to confined lowland pastures around the farms. Thirty healthy lactating Valdostana cows were enroled in the study and randomly divided into 2 groups: experimental group (EG, n = 15) and control group (CG, n = 15). The two groups were separately housed in the same farm and managed outside in two different pens. Treatment (BAP and solution) and control (solution only) were poured on the nuchal skin area between the horns when the animals were inside the farm at the feeding rack every 7 d for 28 d (T0–T4). Milk samples were evaluated at the same time points (T0–T4). Daily milk production (kg/day) was higher in the EG than in the CG, particularly during the first day after the turning out to pasture (T1). Somatic Cell Count (103 cells/ml) was higher in the placebo group than in the EG, especially at T1. Proteins, fat, fat-free dry matter and casein (g/100 g) were not affected by the treatment. In T1 urea (mg/dl) content was higher in CG vs. EG, suggesting a more correct metabolic balance in the group treated with BAP. The use of BAP appears to modulate adaptation in ways that may improve dairy cow performance in the context of changes in management routines.

Positive welfare is more than the absence of negative experiences. Nevertheless, there are few feasible animal-based measures for positive welfare. This study aimed to investigate whether object and social play behaviours in pigs, which is believed to trigger positive emotions, is linked to peripheral oxytocin and/or serotonin changes over time. Moreover, the study examines the relationship between tail movement, play behaviour, and peripheral levels of oxytocin and serotonin in animals that have the possibility to play, along with the approach towards humans and the difficulty/ease of working with the animals. At six months old, 10 mini-pigs from the Play group participated in one or two play sessions per day for three weeks. Eight mini-pigs from a Control group did not participate in play sessions. For each first play session, blood was sampled before the play session (T0) and 5–10 min after the play session ended (T1). The same procedure was performed each day for three weeks. For the Control group, blood samples were drawn at the same times as the experimental group, the following day. Results showed a Play session effect on oxytocin, where a significant difference was observed for time (Chi-Square = 3.88, DF = 1, p = .05) and for group*time interaction (Chi-Square = 5.65, DF = 1, p = .02): in the Control group, T1 was significantly higher than T0 (p

Numerous studies have shown that providing straw to pigs can reduce undesirable behaviours such as aggression, tail biting and stereotypy. The measurement of various neuromodulators can be helpful in assessing the development of positive behaviours and overall animal welfare. The oxytocin release is frequently linked to positive emotions and positive welfare. It has been suggested that oxytocin modulates the serotoninergic system. This study aims to investigate the potential effect of straw provision in pigs on peripheral levels of oxytocin and serotonin. In total, 18 mini-pigs were involved in an exploratory study conducted in two parallel groups, Enriched (n=10) and Control (n=8) groups. Pigs were divided by group and housed in pens of two individuals. Straw was provided continuously only in Enriched group and renewed each day for 2 weeks. Two blood samples were drawn from each animal 5 to 10 min before providing the straw, and 15 min after providing straw, during the 1st week, to analyse peripheral changes in oxytocin and serotonin before and after straw provision, and determine the existence of a putative short-term effect. The same procedure was carried out for Control group, without straw provision. Long-term effects of straw provision were also examined using blood samples drawn at the same hour from each animal in the 2nd and 3rd weeks. During this time, animals had the permanent possibility to explore the straw in Enriched group but not in Control group. At the end of each week, one animal-keeper completed two visual analogue scales for each mini-pig regarding the difficulty/ease to work with and handle it and its trust in humans. Results showed peripheral oxytocin increases in both groups after 2 weeks (P=0.02). Results did not demonstrate any effect of providing straw to allow exploratory behaviour on peripheral serotonin. Other results were not significant. This preliminary study explored the relationship between peripheral oxytocin and serotonin and the presence of straw that allow pigs to perform exploratory behaviour, suggesting that there was no relationship between them. Some future studies may include crossing oxytocin and serotonin with other parameters, such as behavioural measures, to obtain more information about the true state of the animal and any possible relationship with pig welfare.

In some guide dog organisations, future guide dogs for blind individuals are required to undergo separation from their foster family from Monday to Friday as part of their training. These separations and the constantly changing environment may induce stress, thus impacting the welfare of these dogs and their performance. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate this stress through physiological and behavioural measures. The results showed a significant increase in salivary cortisol levels at the time of separation (GLMM; DF = 2; F = 10.31; p

The screening of putative semiochemicals involved in the interaction between Lepeophtheirus salmonis copepodid and the Atlantic salmon could be used to develop methods to prevent infestation. A bioassay was designed to evaluate the attractiveness of Atlantic salmon for L. salmonis copepodids by counting the number of hooked parasites. A salmon was bathed in a tank with 60 copepodids during 45 min. The salmon was humanely killed and its body was scrubbed above a plastic bag. The content of the bag was filtered to count the number of hooked parasites. This procedure was tested at different water temperatures and for different body mass. The temperature significantly influenced the number of hooked copepodids (p

Like other small rodents, house mice (Mus musculus) are at the bottom of vertebrate predator-dominated food chain. After humans, house mice are the most widespread mammal on earth. With their short reproductive cycle and prolificity, they can quickly produce large populations that form a basic source of nutrients for a wide spectrum of predators. As macrosmatic animals, mice use olfaction as a primary tool to avoid predators. However, further research is required to fully understand the main predator olfactory cues and behavioral reactions linked to these stimuli. This study examines the chemical cues used by house mice to detect mammalian and reptilian predators. For this purpose, we carried out a choice test where, during a 10 min period, we measured the total duration that mice remained in either the area closest to or farthest from the predatory stimulus (ferret fur and faeces, snake sheds, fox faeces, dog faeces, and cat urine); mice had no physical access to the stimulus, and both compared areas were identical. Our preliminary results show that mice significantly avoided ferret olfactory stimuli from fur and faeces. The other predator stimuli did not elicit significant avoidance. However, in some cases, this may be due to specific genetic and phenotypic features of the mouse strain tested. Our results are in line with previous work with ferret olfactory stimuli in mice. Nevertheless, further research should examine the role of ferret olfactory cues and semiochemicals as good indicators of their presence that lead to avoidance behaviour of rodents.

Chemical cues allow prey to avoid predators without direct contact, which may greatly improve chances of survival, but may be costly if threat is overestimated. Hence, the threat-sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis predicts that prey response to predation threat cues should match the level of danger posed by the predators. While the behavioural response of prey to chemical cues betraying the presence of predators has been observed and well documented in numerous taxa, few studies have been carried out on terrestrial gastropods, despite olfaction being their primary sense. In a previous study, the authors found that the slug Deroceras reticulatum, which inhabits wet environments, responds to chemical cues from specific ground-beetle species. In order to determine whether this observation can be extended to other species of terrestrial gastropods, we examined the response of the xerophilous land snail, Xeropicta derbentina, to the presence of chemical cues from several predacious ground beetles (Carabus auratus, C. auronitens, C. nemoralis, C. coriaceus and C. morbillosus). Only C. morbillosus, a potent snail-eater from sunny habitats, significantly altered the snails’ choice of climbing area whereas, in another experiment, it did not modify the shelter choice of the slug D. reticulatum. These results are consistent with a species-specific perception of predation threat in terrestrial gastropods, which may be based on a combination of ecological and biological features in both predator and prey.

International audience; Chemicals are the major means of control used against slugs, which are serious pests of various crops. To increase the sustainability of farming practices, alternatives that do not harm nontarget organisms are necessary. One area of investigation focuses on the capacities of prey to perceive their predators, which enables them to display antipredator behaviours. This study presents initial evidence of the potential effectiveness of using chemical cues from a predatory ground beetle to protect young oilseed rape shoots against a worldwide pest, the slug Deroceras reticulatum (Muller, 1774) (Stylommatophora: Agriolimacidae). A two-choice assay was used to test whether chemical cues from Carabus nemoralis Muller, 1764 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) could impede the foraging of D. reticulatum on young oilseed rape shoots. Significantly fewer cotyledons were consumed when chemical cues from the ground beetle were present compared with the control area, where slugs were mainly found. Chemical cues from predatory ground beetles appear to be a promising solution for protecting at-risk crops from the depredations of pest slugs.