SEMIOCHIMICI NEL CANE E NEL GATTO E IMPLICAZIONI SUL BENESSERE ANIMALE

Parole chiave: benessere animale , cane, feromonoterapia, gatto, semiochimici La comunicazione chimica è il canale comunicativo più diffuso fra gli organismi viventi. I segnali trasmessi,i feromoni, una sottoclasse dei semiochimici, sono messaggeri di un’informazione precisa, che provoca modificazioni fisiologiche e/o comportamentali nell’individuo ricevente. Il meccanismo di recezione più conosciuto vede implicato l’organo di Jacobson o organo vomero nasale associato al comportamento del flehmen. Nel cane è stato sintetizzato il semiochimico secreto dalle ghiandole sebacee presenti nel solco intermammario di femmine in lattazione (dog appeasing pheromone), che dona un senso di sicurezza nel cucciolo ed é il segnale implicato nei meccanismi di attaccamento tra la madre e i cuccioli; da qui, la denominazione di “appesine”. Nel gatto sono stati isolati, oltre alle “appesine” cinque semiochimici facciali differenti (F1 – F5); fra questi sono stati sintetizzati F3, coinvolto nei comportamenti di marcatura territoriale associato a uno stato di benessere e sicurezza ed F4, il feromone di allomarcatura. Numerosi studi hanno testato l’efficacia dei semiochimici in differenti disturbi comportamentali associati a stress e fobie, con lo scopo di ampliare il ventaglio terapeutico a disposizione del veterinario e del proprietario con un metodo di facile applicazione e naturale . Scopo della presente tesi è quello di analizzare il ruolo dei semiochimici nella medicina comportamentale veterinaria come mezzo per migliorare il benessere negli animali da compagnia, ripercorrendo i lavori di diversi autori che sono alla base di ulteriori progressi nella feromonoterapia e nell’etologia clinica. Keywords: animal welfare, cat, dog, pheromonotherapy, semiochemicals Chemical communication is the main channel used among living organisms. Pheromones, a subclass of semiochemicals, are the signal of an accurate information, which causes physiological and / or behavioral changes in the individual recipient. The organ of Jacobson or vomeronasal organ is the system involved in the detection of chemical messages and is associated with the flehmen behaviour . The semiochemical secreted by the sebaceous glands on the intermammary sulcus of the dog has been identified and synthesized; the dog appeasing pheromone. This semiochemical gives the puppy a sense of appeasement and is linked to the attachment mechanisms. In cat, in addition to "appeasines" five different fraction of facial semiochemicals (F1 - F5) were isolated; among these F3, involved in territorial marking behavior associated with a state of well being and safety of the cat and F4, the allomarking semiochemical, were synthesized. Over the years several studies have evaluated the usefulness of semiochemicals indifferent behavioral disorders associated with stress and phobias in dogs and cats; synthetic Semiochemicals are a therapeutic class available to the veterinarian and the owner; semiochemicals are an easy to apply and natural tool. The purpose of this thesis was to explain the role of semiochemicals in veterinary behavioral medicine. Semiochemicals are a tool used to improve companion animals welfare today. The works of many authors provided the basis for further progress in pheromonotherapy and in clinical ethology

How We Treat Drug-Susceptible Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Practical Guide for Clinicians

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and pulmonary TB (PTB) is the main variant responsible for fueling transmission of the infection. Effective treatment of drug-susceptible (DS) TB is crucial to avoid the emergence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-resistant strains. In this narrative review, through a fictional suggestive case of DS PTB, we guide the reader in a step-by-step commentary to provide an updated review of current evidence in the management of TB, from diagnosis to post-treatment follow-up. World Health Organization and Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) guidelines for TB, as well as the updated literature, were used to support this manuscript

Studio pilota sulla presenza di intolleranze alimentari in cani con problemi comportamentali

Le intolleranze alimentari sono reazioni non-immunomediate che possono essere determinate dal consumo abituale di un certo cibo e/o additivo; oltre ai sintomi classici cutanei e gastrointestinali sono descritte, in alcuni casi, alterazioni a carico del comportamento. Scopo del presente lavoro è stato quello di valutare eventuali correlazioni significative tra intolleranze alimentari e sintomi comportamentali e organici riscontrati nei cani inclusi nella ricerca; i soggetti considerati sono stati diagnosticati come intolleranti tramite un cytotest e dopo visita comportamentale e clinica effettuata presso la facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria dell’Università di Pisa e una clinica veterinaria di Roma. Lo studio ha compreso 63 cani suddivisi in un gruppo di 40 con disturbi organici e/o comportamentali (aggressività, fobie e iperattività) ed un gruppo controllo di 23 che non presentavano sintomatologia comportamentale. I soggetti del gruppo di studio, costituenti un campione disomogeneo per sesso, età e razza, hanno mostrato in prevalenza una sintomatologia dermatologica (67,50%) e un problema di iperattività (43%); le intolleranze maggiormente riscontrate sono state nei confronti del grano (65%) e del latte (35%). Per ogni soggetto è stata formulata una dieta specifica ed è stata proposta quando necessaria una terapia comportamentale. Effettuando sui singoli antigeni un’analisi multivariata per valutare l’effetto di ciascuno emergono associazioni statisticamente significative fra sintomi dermatologici e pomodoro (p=0,03), sintomi gastroenterici e oliva (p=0,05), paura e eritrosina (p=0,02). Da questi dati preliminari emerge l’ipotesi che le intolleranze alimentari, possano rappresentare una concausa nello sviluppo di alcuni disturbi comportamentali nel cane. Potrebbe essere utile quindi includere la loro diagnosi durante l’anamnesi del paziente

Legal Frameworks and Controls for the Protection of Research Animals: A Focus on the Animal Welfare Body with a French Case Study

In recent years, efforts have been devoted to improving the welfare of laboratory animals. Scientific progress and growing concerns over animal harm have pushed institutions to strengthen their laws to make science more humane and responsible. European Directive 2010/63/EU makes it mandatory for breeders, suppliers and users of laboratory animals to have an animal welfare body (AWB) to prioritize animal welfare and harmonize experimental standards while reassuring the public that research is being carried out appropriately. Based on application of the three Rs (refinement, reduction and replacement), these bodies provide staff with oversight and advisory functions to support compliance with the legal requirements on both animal housing and project realization. This review aims to present the legal measures protecting research animals, with a focus on European AWBs. The review explains how the mission of AWBs includes development of environmental enrichment programs and how animal training generates benefits not only for animal welfare but also for the research work environment and research quality. A French case study is conducted to provide the scientific community with an example of an AWB’s functioning and activities, share its achievements and propose some perspectives for the future

Validation of a Commercially Available Enzyme ImmunoAssay for the Determination of Oxytocin in Plasma Samples from Seven Domestic Animal Species

The neurohormone oxytocin (OT) has a broad range of behavioral effects in mammals. It modulates a multitude of social behaviors, e.g., affiliative and sexual interactions. Consequently, the OT role in various animal species is increasingly explored. However, several issues have been raised regarding the peripheral OT measurement. Indeed, various methods have been described, leading to assay discrepancies and inconsistent results. This highlights the need for a recognized and reliable method to measure peripheral OT. Our aim was to validate a method combining a pre-extraction step, previously demonstrated as essential by several authors, and a commercially available enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for OT measurement, using plasma from seven domestic species (cat, dog, horse, cow, pig, sheep, and goat). The Oxytocin EIA kit (EnzoLifeSciences) was used to assay the solid-phase extracted samples following the manufacturer's instructions with slight modifications. For all species except dogs and cats, concentration factors were applied to work above the kit's sensitivity (15 pg/ml). To validate the method, the following performance characteristics were evaluated using Validation Samples (VS) at various concentrations in each species: extraction efficiency via spiking tests and intra- and inter-assay precision, allowing for the calculation of total errors. Parallelism studies to assess matrix effects could not be performed because of too low basal concentrations. Quantification ranges and associated precision profiles were established to account for the various OT plasma concentrations in each species. According to guidelines for bioanalytical validation of immunoassays, the measurements were sufficiently precise and accurate in each species to achieve a total error ≤30% in each VS sample. In each species, the inter-assay precision after 3 runs was acceptable, except in low concentration samples. The linearity under dilution of dogs and cats' samples was verified. Although matrix effects assessments are lacking, our results indicate that OT plasma levels can reliably be measured in several domestic animal species by the method described here. Studies involving samples with low OT plasma concentrations should pay attention to reproducibility issues. This work opens new perspectives to reliably study peripheral OT in a substantial number of domestic animal species in various behavioral contexts

Exogenous reinfection of tuberculosis in a low-burden area

PURPOSE: Recurrence of tuberculosis (TB) can be the consequence of relapse or exogenous reinfection. The study aimed to assess the factors associated with exogenous TB reinfection. METHODS: Prospective cohort study based on the TB database, maintained at the Division of Infectious Diseases, Luigi Sacco Hospital (Milan, Italy). Time period: 1995-2010. INCLUSION CRITERIA: (1) ≥2 episodes of culture-confirmed TB; (2) cure of the first episode of TB; (3) availability of one Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolate for each episode. Genotyping of the M. tuberculosis strains to differentiate relapse and exogenous reinfection. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the influence of risk factors on exogenous reinfections. RESULT: Of the 4682 patients with TB, 83 were included. Of these, exogenous reinfection was diagnosed in 19 (23 %). It was independently associated with absence of multidrug resistance at the first episode [0, 10 (0.01-0.95), p = 0.045] and with prolonged interval between the first TB episode and its recurrence [7.38 (1.92-28.32) p = 0.004]. However, TB relapses occurred until 4 years after the first episode. The risk associated with being foreign born, extrapulmonary site of TB, and HIV infection was not statistically significant. In the relapse and re-infection cohort, one-third of the patients showed a worsened drug resistance profile during the recurrent TB episode. CONCLUSIONS: Exogenous TB reinfections have been documented in low endemic areas, such as Italy. A causal association with HIV infection could not be confirmed. Relapses and exogenous reinfections shared an augmented risk of multidrug resistance development, frequently requiring the use of second-line anti-TB regimens

Isolation and characterization of olfactory ecto-mesenchymal stem cells from eight mammalian genera

International audienceBackground: Stem cell-based therapies are an attractive option to promote regeneration and repair defective tissues and organs. Thanks to their multipotency, high proliferation rate and the lack of major ethical limitations, "olfactory ecto-mesenchymal stem cells" (OE-MSCs) have been described as a promising candidate to treat a variety of damaged tissues. Easily accessible in the nasal cavity of most mammals, these cells are highly suitable for autologous cell-based therapies and do not face issues associated with other stem cells. However, their clinical use in humans and animals is limited due to a lack of preclinical studies on autologous transplantation and because no well-established methods currently exist to cultivate these cells. Here we evaluated the feasibility of collecting, purifying and amplifying OE-MSCs from different mammalian genera with the goal of promoting their interest in veterinary regenerative medicine. Biopsies of olfactory mucosa from eight mammalian genera (mouse, rat, rabbit, sheep, dog, horse, gray mouse lemur and macaque) were collected, using techniques derived from those previously used in humans and rats. The possibility of amplifying these cells and their stemness features and differentiation capability were then evaluated. Results: Biopsies were successfully performed on olfactory mucosa without requiring the sacrifice of the donor animal, except mice. Cell populations were rapidly generated from olfactory mucosa explants. These cells displayed similar key features of their human counterparts: a fibroblastic morphology, a robust expression of nestin, an ability to form spheres and similar expression of surface markers (CD44, CD73). Moreover, most of them also exhibited high proliferation rates and clonogenicity with genus-specific properties. Finally, OE-MSCs also showed the ability to differentiate into mesodermal lineages. Conclusions: This article describes for the first time how millions of OE-MSCs can be quickly and easily obtained from different mammalian genera through protocols that are well-suited for autologous transplantations. Moreover, their multipotency makes them relevant to evaluate therapeutic application in a wide variety of tissue injury models. This study paves the way for the development of new fundamental and clinical studies based on OE-MSCs transplantation and suggests their interest in veterinary medicine