Phaidra - University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Not a member yet
3528 research outputs found
Sort by
A \u27green\u27 toolbox: non-chemotherapeutic approaches for gastrointestinal nematode control in ruminants
No full textGrazing ruminants are commonly infected with gastrointestinal nematodes, and their negative impacts on animal health, welfare and production are intensified by increasing anthelmintic drug resistance. The goal of reducing anthelmintic use while preserving effective parasite control has motivated research on non-chemotherapeutic interventions, including those relevant to \u27green\u27/organic ruminant production systems. However, \u27green\u27 control strategies are at varying levels of development, and an updated overview of the fragmented evidence is timely before they can be integrated with current parasite management. Here, we highlight recent scientific progress of selected non-chemotherapeutic tools for gastrointestinal nematode control in ruminants, existing knowledge gaps, and how novel research approaches and new technologies are contributing to their testing, further development and on-farm implementation, while advancing our understanding of host–parasite–environment interactions
First autochthonous case of Opisthorchis felineus in Austria
No full textOpisthorchis felineus is a feline pathogen with zoonotic potential that can be a causative agent of human opisthorchiasis and cholangiocarcinoma. In Europe, O. felineus is particularly endemic in Eastern European countries, while this parasite has also been sporadically detected in Germany, Italy and northern Poland. Parts of Asia, such as Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, are also affected.A 7-year-old female neutered European Shorthair cat, without any traveling history, presented in May 2023 with weight loss, anorexia and vomiting.The cat showed increased liver enzyme activities, hyperbilirubinemia and hyperammonemia consistent with the suspected diagnosis of cholangitis with consecutive hepatoencephalopathy. Eggs of O. felineus were detected by routine cytological examination of bile smears and PCR confirmed O. felineus.This is the first report of autochthonous O. felineus infection in Austria
Decreased risk-proneness with increasing age in equally raised and kept wolves and dogs
No full textA basic mechanism of domestication is the selection for fearlessness and acceptance of humans as social partners, which may affect risk-taking behavior and the ability to use humans as social support, both at the behavioural and physiological levels. We combined behavioural observations with heart rate parameters (i.e., HR and heart rate variability, HRV) in equally raised and housed wolves and dogs to assess the responses to food offered in the vicinity of a potential stressor (an unknown spinning object) with and without social support from a familiar human. Based on previous studies on neophobia in wolves and dogs, we expected dogs to be less scared of the object, approach more quickly, show less ambivalent behaviour, lower HR, and higher HRV, than wolves, especially at the presence of a human partner. However, we found that mainly age and the presence of a familiar human affected the behaviour of our subjects: older wolves and dogs were generally bolder and faster to approach the food and the familiar human\u27s presence increased the likelihood of taking it. HR rate parameters were affected by age and the stage of the test. Wolves and dogs showed particularly high HRs at the beginning and end of the test sessions. We conclude that in our paradigm, wolves\u27 and dogs\u27 risk-proneness varied with age, rather than species. Additionally, the presence of a familiar human increased the motivation of both, dogs and wolves to take the food
Seasonal and lifelong changes in skin colour and pigmentation of Austrian farming families: an exploratory study
No full textFarmers are exposed chronically to solar ultraviolet radiation. Their chronically exposed skin undergoes alterations in pigmentation, but quantitative measurements have not be done yet. Therefore, we followed skin color and pigmentation in Austrian farming families (male and female farmers, their spouses, and children) for one year by objective tri-stimulus measurements on different body sites. The difference between constitutive and facultative pigmentation was quantified by the "degree-of-tan" (TAN°), which we defined as the difference in individual typology angle between constitutive and facultative pigmentation. Personal sun exposure was measured in parallel. Measurements of skin colour showed that independent of occupation, adult males had a darker red component in skin color of the forehead than adult females and children, with the highest values observed in males only. This difference develops during puberty and adolescence. Even in late winter, an obvious TAN° was found in all groups at continuously and intermittently exposed body sites. TAN° was higher in adults than in children and highest in farmers. The seasonal changes in TAN° were pronounced in all groups on intermittently exposed body sites but less so on the forehead. In conclusion, TAN° increases in farmers on average during their lifetime but not in their spouses, even though many spouses have higher TAN° than farmers of the same age. Such high TAN° is reversible if sun exposure is low in the following seasons. The highest TAN° values were found in farmers older than 50 years
Ecological and Behavioral Implications of Multiple Paternity in the Smooth-Fronted Caiman in French Guiana
No full textThe identification of genetic mating systems in a variety of species has challenged the previous view on animal mating patterns over the past decade, resulting in the identification of multiple paternity across all vertebrate classes. In crocodylians, all species that have been investigated demonstrate multiple paternity, which may represent the ancestral state of the clade. The smooth-fronted caiman, Paleosuchus trigonatus, is one of the last species whose genetic mating system has yet to be investigated. In this study, we analyzed genetic samples of the smooth-fronted caiman in French Guiana, a secretive species that is difficult to observe in the wild. Scute samples were taken from three populations and five groups of neonates that hatched shortly before. Microsatellite markers were used to infer the minimum number of fathers that sired each clutch. Our results clearly show that multiple paternity was common, with 60% of the sampled group of neonates showing a minimum of two sires. The potential ecological and behavioral implications of this finding are discussed, as well as recommendations for future research avenues to elucidate this cryptic species\u27 mating behavior and environmental constraints
In-water electrical impedance tomography: EIT and the sea
No full textObjective.Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has shown the ability to provide clinically useful functional information on ventilation in humans and other land mammals. We are motivated to use EIT with sea mammals and human divers, since EIT could provide unique information on lung ventilation that can help address diver performance and safety, and veterinary and behavioral questions. However, in-water use of EIT is challenging, primarily because sea water is more conductive than the body.
Approach.We first address this issue by modeling the in-water component and evaluating image reconstruction algorithms.
Main results.EIT is able to produce reasonable images if an outer insulating layer allows a water layer thickness <2% of the body radius. We next describe the design of custom EIT belts with an outer neoprene insulator to minimize current leakage. We show example underwater EIT recordings in human and dolphin subjects.
Significance.We demonstrate in-water EIT is feasible with appropriate techniques
Comprehensive phenotyping combined with multi-omics of<i> Salmonella</i> Infantis and its H2S negative variant- Resolving adaption mechanisms to environmental changes
No full textThe zoonotic pathogen S. Infantis is of emerging importance, making detection in poultry critical. Phenotypic changes, which are significant for standardized control programs via EN/ISO 6579-1:2017, could lead to pathogens remaining undetected, increasing the risk of food-borne outbreaks. This study investigates an S. Infantis strain with both normal growth (NCP) and atypical HAS-negative colony variant (ACV) from an Austrian broiler farm. NCP and ACV underwent comprehensive analyses, including stability tests, electron microscopy, whole-genome sequencing, transcriptomics, and proteomics. Our findings demonstrate a stable atypical colony variant exhibiting acquired resistance against cefoxitin in ACV. Genomic analysis identified 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two deletions, affecting genes involved in porphyrin and sulfur metabolism. Key factors were a mutation disrupting cysG, which is essential for siroheme biosynthesis and a vital cofactor in sulfur metabolism, and a stop codon in menD (2-oxoglutarate decarboxylase), crucial for small colony variant appearance. Consequently, we hypothesize that these mutations lead to a deficiency in siroheme, as well as anaerobic sulfur respiration altogether resulting in the HAS-negative phenotype. Functional network analysis highlighted compensatory upregulation of alternative metabolic pathways, including nitrate metabolism, propanoate metabolism and mixed-acid fermentation, which may aid ACV\u27s persistence and adaptation under anaerobic conditions. Reduced flagellin expression suggests a mechanism for immune evasion. These genetic and metabolic adaptations likely respond to environmental stressors, such as oxidative stress from disinfectants or antimicrobial pressure, leading to the emergence of the HAS-negative phenotype. Consequently, this study provides insights into the genetic and biochemical adaptations of an atypical S. Infantis variant
Radiation-Enhanced AF1q Moves Center Stage as a Key Driver to Favorable Tumor Stage in Rectal Cancer Patients
No full textEnhanced protein expression of ALL1-fused gene from chromosome 1q (AF1Q) after (chemo)radiotherapy has been described in vitro, but is largely understudied in gastrointestinal cancer. We aimed to investigate AF1q expression in rectal cancer (RC) patients treated with short-term radiation therapy and a possible correlation with markers crucial for RC prognosis. A cohort of 75 RC patients scheduled for surgery was defined and patients with moderately locally advanced tumors (cT3Nx) received preoperative hyperfractionated short-term radiation therapy (cumulative dose 25 Gy). Immunohistochemical analysis was conducted to assess AF1q, STAT1, IDO1 and other prognostic markers (CD3/CD8—Immunoscore, PD-L1) and marker correlations were evaluated. Irradiated tumors exhibited significantly higher AF1q expression than treatment-naïve samples (n = 60: AF1q + to AF1q+++ 98.3% (n = 59), AF1q- 1.7% (n = 1) vs. n = 15: AF1q + 78.6% (n = 11), AF1q- 21.4% (n = 4); p < 0.001). Specifically, irradiated tumors showed high STAT1, but low IDO1 expression compared to treatment-naïve samples (p = 0.019 and p = 0.015, respectively). Overall, enhanced tumoral AF1q expression was associated with negative lymph node stage (p = 0.012) as well as with diminished expression of STAT1 (rs = −0.468, p = 0.038) and IDO1 (rs = −0.246, p = 0.020). AF1q is expressed in RC, especially after short-term radiation therapy. Here, AF1q may support tumor suppression, possibly through the involvement of the pro-apoptotic STAT1 axis. Further mechanistic evidence and investigation involving a larger patient cohort are needed to validate a radiation-induced, AF1q-driven tumor-suppressing effect, which may impact RC patient outcomes
Cognitive ecology of surprise in predator–prey interactions
No full textIn this review, we relate theoretical work on the importance of surprise in cognition to empirical research relevant to surprise in predator-prey interactions. There have been multiple proposals as to how surprise should be defined and quantified in the context of animal cognition, including contributions from associative learning, information theory, Bayesian inference and the recent framework of active inference. We argue that active inference provides a novel and powerful approach to quantifying surprise and advances the field by revealing how proactive behaviour on the part of predators relates to reducing surprise. The active inference framework encompasses both proximate (e.g. neurobiological) and ultimate (evolutionary) aspects of surprise and brings new insights into key aspects of prey defences that exploit predator surprise. We focus on surprise in defences that involve a sudden change in prey appearance (such as deimatic displays), and in defences that increase prey unpredictability (such as variation in chemical defences). We review literature that have investigated these phenomena and connect them to active inference. We also consider how multiple prey defences impact surprise in predators. Finally, we consider the implications of active inference for future studies of predator-prey interactions, illustrate how this approach can be used to quantify surprise in prey defences and predict predator behaviour, and outline key questions that can be addressed within this framework. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog
Feeding walnut leaf and green tea ethanolic extracts enhances performance and improves plasma metabolites in fat-tailed ewes during the transition period
No full textThe transition period in ewes, characterized by significant physiological changes, plays a critical role in determining the health and productivity of both the ewe and her offspring. This study explored the effects of leaf extracts of walnut (WLE) and green tea (GTE) on dry matter intake, colostrum and milk production, composition, and plasma metabolites in fat-tailed ewes in the transition period. Forty-eight fat-tailed Makui ewes (58 +/- 1.2 kg body weight) were randomly assigned to four treatments (12 ewes per group): a control group (CON) receiving a basal diet and three experimental groups supplemented with 100 mg/kg body weight of WLE, GTE, or a combination (WL + GT), and the extracts were administered orally twice daily. Ewes fed the WL + GT combination had higher (P <0.05) dry matter intake, body weight, and body condition score both pre- and post-partum than the other groups. The WL + GT ewes also exhibited lower plasma non-esterified fatty acids, reduced insulin levels post-partum, and lower liver enzyme concentrations (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase) versus CON ewes. Additionally, WL + GT supplementation reduced (P < 0.05) plasma monounsaturated fatty acids and increased polyunsaturated fatty acids and Omega-6 levels. Milk yield during the first week of lactation was highest in the WL + GT group, which also showed increased (P < 0.05) milk fat and lactose content. Furthermore, milk
from supplemented ewes showed a higher concentration (P < 0.05) of polyunsaturated fatty acids, Omega-6, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid in both WL + GT and WLE ewes than GTE and CON. These findings suggest that the supplementation of WLE and especially the combination of WL + GT positively influences feed intake, body weight, and milk production, while also enhancing the nutritional profile of the milk by increasing beneficial fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. The improvements in metabolic health markers, including reduced (P < 0.05) non-esterified fatty acids and liver enzyme concentrations, indicate a potential role of these extracts in optimizing energy metabolism and reducing metabolic stress during the critical transition period, with potential benefits for sustainable dairy production. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these effects and their long-term implications for ewe and lamb health