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In 2008, two deer hunters in Virginia and Connecticut were infected with a unique strain of pseudocowpox virus, a parapoxvirus. To estimate the prevalence of this virus, and in an attempt to define the reservoir, Parapoxvirus surveillance was undertaken between November 2009 and January 2010. 125 samples from four ruminant species (cows, goat, sheep and white-tailed deer) were collected in Virginia, and nine samples from white-tailed deer were collected in Connecticut. We found no evidence that the parapoxvirus species that infected the deer hunters is circulating among domesticated ruminants or white-tailed deer. However, parapoxvirus DNA of a different parapoxvirus species, bovine papular stomatitis virus ( BPSV), was detected in 31 samples obtained from asymptomatic cattle in Virginia. Parapoxvirus DNA-positive cattle originated from the same counties indicating probable transmission among animals. Molecular analysis identified BPSV as the parapoxvirus affecting animals. Asymptomatic parapoxvirus infections in livestock, particularly young animals, may be common, and further investigation will inform our knowledge of virus transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulating a consequence of a climate change event on feed availability, responses of Mediterranean meat ewes facing an acute undernutritional challenge ( CHA ; i.e., fed only low nutritional value cereal straw) were evaluated at a sensitive physiological stage (i.e., early suckling). Forty Romane ewes were chosen at early-mid pregnancy (around 2 mo) according to parity (20 primiparous, PRIM ; 20 multiparous, MULT ); feed efficiency genetic line of their sires (residual feed intake [ RFI ]; efficient, RFI - , n  = 10 per parity; inefficient, RFI + , n  = 10 per parity); litter size (i.e., bearing twins, diagnosed by ultrasonography); body weight ( BW , kg) and body condition score ( BCS ) (initial BW and BCS [mean ± SD]: 51.6 ± 7.41 kg; 2.5 ± 0.20, respectively; representing flock' averages per parity). Effects on dry matter intake ( DMI ), ewes' BW and BCS, subcutaneous dorsal fat thickness ( DFT ), energy metabolism (plasma non-esterified fatty acids [ NEFA ], β-hydroxybutyrate ( β-OHB ), glucose, urea, triiodothyronine [ T3 ]), and lambs' growth (BW and average daily gain [ ADG ]; g/d) were examined before, during and after CHA. Individuals' profiles of the response-recovery to CHA were described using a piecewise mixed-effects model. The fixed effect of parity and genetic line and the random effect of individual (ewe) were considered. A linear mixed-effects model was fitted to explore the effects on lambs' growth. The 2-d straw-only CHA had significant effects on most of the recorded parameters. Meaningful drops and recoveries were observed on ewes' DMI, BW, and DFT with effect on postchallenge levels. BW, BCS, DFT, or DMI were also affected by parity (MULT > PRIM) but not by genetic line. Plasma NEFA, β-OHB, glucose, urea, and T3 responded well to CHA with drops in T3, urea, and glucose levels, whereas NEFA and β-OHB significantly increased after CHA. MULT ewes presented sharper β-OHB recovery from CHA than PRIM ( P  ≤ 0.05). With this study, we provide tangible and necessary data for an emerging field of research. Our results give new insights into how such a short and abrupt CHA affects some key zootechnical and physiological parameters, and to what extent the impacts of CHA and the ewes' response-recovery are influenced. It also revealed potential between-individual differences in the adaptive capacities of ewes, which require further exploration., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

Background: Certain adipose-produced signals are secreted in proportion to body fat mass and are involved in regulation of the energy metabolism of the whole body. Leptin, IL6 and adiponectin can be considered as adiposity signals. Several Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes encoding for these molecules are known to influence their concentration in situations of stable weight. We hypothesized that polymorphism effects could be better detected in a situation of negative energy balance and that modified concentrations of adiposity signal genes could change the dynamics of weight gain in obese subjects., Methods: 65 obese patients undergoing gastric banding surgery were genotyped for LEP+19A-->G, LEP-2548G-->C, IL6-174G-->C, APM1-11377C-->G and PM1-11391G-->A common SNPs. BMI and concentrations of leptin, IL6 and adiponectin were measured before surgery and after 1 year., Results: All SNPs except IL6-174G-->C SNP were associated with modifications of the circulating concentrations of signals produced by adipose tissue at baseline. During weight loss, variant genotype carriers of LEP -2548 and +19 SNPs were characterized by a trend towards less decrease in circulating leptin. Weight loss was associated with an increase in IL6 concentration (16.9%+/-12.2) in the IL6-174 C/C genotype carriers, whereas the C/G or G/G genotypes carriers showed a decrease in IL6 (19.9%+/-5.2, P=0.001)., Conclusion: We observed that the SNPs studied could modulate the concentration of adiposity signals not only at baseline but also during weight loss. Such variations may be sensed by the homeostatic feedback system that controls energy balance and may in turn contribute to some disturbances in weight regulation.

Winter diets of ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and other galliformes are high in tannins. We fed quebracho, a condensed tannin, to ruffed grouse and found no effect on dry matter intake or body mass at levels up to 6% of the diet. However, a high-fiber diet with 8% quebracho resulted in reduced dry matter intake and body mass loss. Grouse could not tolerate a diet with 8% tannic acid, a hydrolyzable tannin, which caused a large reduction in dry matter intake and body mass. Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and ruffed grouse responded to dietary quebracho tannin by increasing the proportion of digesta that was excreted from the ceca. In the northern bobwhite, 59%-76% of the tannin recovered from the feces was in cecal feces. There was no difference in average passage rates of liquid and fiber digesta, although variation was high in tannin-fed birds. The role of the ceca in handling tannin requires further investigation.