Maggot Debridement Therapy in the Treatment of Footrot and Foot Scald in Sheep

In sheep with acute and chronic interdigital skin inflammation, maggot therapy was used for the debridement and speeding up the healing process. Sheep were housed at the university farm Zemplínska Teplica and before using maggot therapy, they were unsuccessfully treated by a footbath containing 10% copper sulphate and topical application of oxytetracycline solution in alcohol. Six non-pregnant Valachian sheep between two to four years of age, weighing 43 to 57 kg were treated with maggots of Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). The larval population should be 8-12 per square centimetre of wound, but all affected tissues were trimmed away before their application. The effect of a single application for 3-6 days was evaluated. Debridement was rapid and selective. The treatment was well tolerated by animals. New layers of healthy tissue were formed over the wounds. It was observed that maggots of L. sericata are capable of cleaning the wounds after single application

Effect of oil containing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on the immune response and growth factors in piglets

Oral administration of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to piglets slightly enhances the immune response. As compared to the control, in the experimental piglets the absolute values of monocytes in the peripheral blood were significantly increased (P < 0.05), while the metabolic activity of phagocytes and the number of lymphocytes within the individual subpopulations were slightly higher. The level of growth factors, determined on the basis of somatomedin in the blood serum, was significantly higher in the experimental group (P < 0.05). n-3 PUFA interfere with the synthesis of prostaglandins and influence the metabolism of fatty acids. This finding may contribute to the therapy of inflammatory processes influencing immune and growth factors in piglets

Induction of SCEs and DNA fragmentation in bovine peripheral lymphocytes by in vitro exposure to tolylfluanid-based fungicide

The potential for genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of tolylfluanid-based fungicide (50% active agent) was evaluated using sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and proliferation indices (PI) in cultured bovine peripheral lymphocytes. For the detection of possible genetic damage, DNA fragmentation assay was also applied. Bovine lymphocytes cultured for 72 h were treated with the fungicide at the final concentrations of 1.75, 3.5, 8.75, and 17.5 μg/mL for the last 24 and 48 h of culture without S9 metabolic activation, and during the last 2 h of culture with S9 metabolic activation. In the SCE assays no evidence for genotoxic activity of the fungicide was found in treatments of 24 h without and 2 h with S9. After the 24 h exposure to tolylfluanid, a weak decrease in the PI was observed. With the prolonged exposure time (48 h), dose dependence in the increase of SCE frequencies was observed. Moreover, after 48 h exposure slight fragmentation of DNA at the concentrations of 3.5 and 8.75 μg/mL was demonstrated. SCE quantification is the most widely used approach for the assessment of genotoxic/cytogenetic effects of chemical compounds. Positive results in the assay at 48 h exposure indicated a potential of the fungicide to increase frequency of chromosomal damage (replication injuries) that is the confirmation of early effect of exposure

Wolbachia Infection Decreased the Resistance of Drosophila to Lead

Background: The heavy metal lead has been shown to be associated with a genotoxic risk. Drosophila melanogaster is a model organism commonly utilized in genetic toxicology testing. The endosymbionts — Wolbachia are now very common in both wild populations and laboratory stocks of Drosophila. Wolbachia may induce resistance to pathogenic viruses, filarial nematodes and Plasmodium in fruit fly and mosquito hosts. However the effect of Wolbachia infection on the resistance of their hosts to heavy metal is unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings: Manipulating the lead content in the diet of Drosophila melanogaster, we found that lead consumption had no different effects on developmental time between Wolbachia-infected (Dmel wMel) and –uninfected (Dmel T) flies. While in Pb-contaminated medium, significantly reduced amount of pupae and adults of Dmel wMel were emerged, and Dmel wMel adults had significantly shorter longevity than that of Dmel T flies. Lead infusion in diet resulted in significantly decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in Dmel T flies (P,0.05), but not in Dmel wMel flies. Correspondingly, lead cultures induced a 10.8 fold increase in malonaldehyde (MDA) contents in Dmel T larvae (P,0.05). While in Dmel wMel larvae, it resulted in only a 1.3 fold increase. By quantitative RT-PCR, we showed that lead infused medium caused significantly increased expression level of relish and CecA2 genes in Dmel T flies (P,0.01). Lead cultures did not change dramatically the expression of these genes in Dmel wMel flies

Some food toxic for pets

According to world statistics, dogs and cats are the species that owners most frequently seek assistance with potential poisonings, accounting 95–98% of all reported animal cases. Exposures occur more commonly in the summer and in December that is associated with the holiday season. The majority (>90%) of animal poisonings are accidental and acute in nature and occur near or at the animal owner's home. Feeding human foodstuff to pets may also prove dangerous for their health