Prostasome-like particles in stallion semen.

Human semen contains membranous vesicles called prosta- somes. They are secreted by the prostate gland and contain large amounts of cholesterol, sphingomyelin, and Ca2. Prostasomes enhance the motility of ejaculated spermatozoa and are in- volved in a number of additional biological functions. No prostasome-like vesicles have been described in horse se- men up to now. We have demonstrated the presence of pros- tasome-like vesicles in the equine semen and characterized them as to size, morphology, and lipid composition; we have found that they are similar to human prostasomes in many re- spects. We propose that these vesicles might be important for the fecundity of horse semen. This is of interest since the success of artificial insemination is limited by the fact that stallion sperm barely survive cryopreservation

Rapid Assay to Evaluate the Total Antioxidant Capacity in Donkey Milk and in more Common Animal Milk for Human Consumption

The milk antioxidants, by preventing lipid peroxidation, maintain milk quality, but they also exert a beneficial effect on the consumer’s health, in particular that of infants. Donkey Milk (DM), for its nutritional, functional and bioactive components, seems to be one of the best substitutes of breast milk when the latter is not available. However, there are few data about its antioxidant properties. In this study, the Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) of donkey milk was determined by means of an in micro-plate assay. DM samples were analyzed at the first, third and fifth month of the lactation period (n 6/period), comparing results to those obtained in milk of different dairy species (goat, ewes, cows) and in breast milk using the same assay. The lactation periods did not affect the TAC of DM, whereas significant different values (P<0.001) were observed between species. The breast milk showed the lowest TAC value, followed by its progressive increase in donkey, cow’s, goat’s and ewe’s milk. The rapid test here adopted can be successfully employed for a reliable monitoring of the TAC in DM and, thanks to the constant antioxidant supply, DM can also be sponsored as a valid alternative to infant milk nutrition

Genetic variability of the short-haired and roughhaired Segugio Italiano dog breeds and their genetic distance from the other related Segugio breeds

The short-haired Segugio Italiano and rough-haired Segugio Italiano are two breeds of Italian scenthound. The two breeds were subjected to divergent selection based on the type (long versus short) and pigmentation (fawn versus black & tan) of the hair, leading to the development of the two above-mentioned phenotypes. Microsatellites markers from 120 unrelated dogs were used to estimate the genetic variability within the two Segugio Italiano breeds and to assess if divergent selection for the two phenotypes has possibly led to the development of subpopulations distinguished by coat type and pigmentation. Finally, we also estimated the genetic distance between the two Segugio Italiano breeds and two other related breeds, Segugio Maremmano and Segugio dell'Appennino. The mean Fis, Fit and Fst values indicated a moderate level of inbreeding. In both breeds the mean observed heterozygosity was lower than the expected heterozygosity. The AMOVA, PCoA and STRUCTURE analyses showed lack of differentiation between the two breeds and the absence of substructuring in the population. Cavalli- Sforza chord distance, Nei's genetic distance and Reynolds–Weir Cockerham’s genetic distance between the two Segugio Italiano breeds were low. Low genetic distances were also found between the Segugio Italiano and the others two related breeds indicating that there is no difference in terms of genetic distance among the three breeds despite the important phenotypic differences among them. This paper provides a basis to change the breeding guidelines of the four breeds in the light of these informations

Genetic differentiation between Segugio dell'Appennino and Segugio Maremmano dog breeds assessed by microsatellite markers

The domestic dog (Canis Familiaris) was the first species to be tamed and bred to occupy a variety of functions. The Segugio dell’Appennino and Segugio Maremmano are two Italian breeds used extensively as hunting dogs. Microsatellites and other genetic markers are useful tools in evaluating the within and between breed genetic variation. The aim of this study was to investigate genetic differentiation among the two reeds through the analysis of 21 microsatellite markers. The two populations share the same geographical regions but have been over time selected on different parameters to achieve specific functions. All the analysed microsatellite markers were polymorphic and the average number of alleles per locus was 8.19. The mean FIT index (0.051; P<0.05) highlights that at some point in time, the normal gene flow among the animals was disrupted, giving rise to a heterozygote deficiency in both breeds, and this is confirmed by the mean FST fixation index (0.010; P<0.05) clearly indicating an absence of a significant genetic differentiation between the two breeds. The mean FIS value was significantly different from zero (0.042) (P<0.05) reconfirming the presence of a lack of heterozygosity in the studied samples. The values of observed and expected heterozygosity were similar in the two breeds. AMOVA, PCA and STRUCTURE analysis, all emphasise the lack of significant differences mong the two breeds in terms of genetic differentiation. The presence of a population substructure is probably due to a genetic introgression from different Segugio breeds, that can be confirmed with further studies

Progetti SIR 2014

Non vengono citati i titoli ed i settori per cui si è effettuata la valutazione, ..."nell'osservanza dei principi deontologici professionali, di imparzialità, di riservatezza e di assenza di conflitti di interesse"... come specificato nella lettera di incarico a firma del D.G. dott Vincenzo Di Felic

Cutaneous leishmaniosis in a dog vaccinated with LiESP/QA-21: effective or defective vaccine-related immune surveillance? A case report

ABSTRACT: Leishmania, an intracellular protozoan parasite, is endemic, widespread and represents a public health problem in most countries of the Mediterranean basin as it is implicated in a wide spectrum of diseases both in humans and animals. Vaccination of canines remains the best control strategy to counteract the progression of active infection for canine disease in areas of the world where transmission to humans is primarily zoonotic. This case report describes the history of a four-year-old dog vaccinated against canine leishmaniosis that was presented to a private clinic for the onset of a nodular skin lesion. Besides normal haematological and biochemical analyses, the histopathological examination of the removed skin lesion revealed the presence of Leishmania amastigotes. The presence of the protozoa in the skin lesion of a vaccinated dog is discussed

VALUTAZIONE DI FUNZIONALITÀ DEL SISTEMA IMMUNITARIO INNATO NEL CANE CON PIODERMITE

Aim of this study has been to try to contribute to the understanding of the dog pyoderma pathogenesis. Some innate immune responses (complement’s titration, lysozyme and serum bactericidial activity) have been evaluated in dogs with pyoderma vs control ones. The results have highlighted a statistically significant difference between the mean values of the complement titration (83,6 vs 13,6 CH50; P < 0.000); as well as a negative correlation between the complement activity and the lysozyme concentration (-0.627; P < 0.016)