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In the current investigation, functional analysis results suggested that coprophagia, the ingestion of fecal matter, was maintained by automatic reinforcement. Providing noncontingent access to alternative stimuli decreased coprophagia, and the intervention was generalized to two settings.

The dung beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae is a cosmopolitan group of insects that feed primarily on dung. We describe the first case of an obligate predatory dung beetle and contrast its behaviour and morphology with those of its coprophagous sympatric congeners.Deltochilum valgumBurmeister killed and consumed millipedes in lowland rainforest in Peru. Ancestral ball-rolling behaviour shared by other canthonine species is abandoned, and the head, hind tibiae and pygidium ofD. valgumare modified for novel functions during millipede predation. Millipedes were killed by disarticulation, often through decapitation, using the clypeus as a lever. Beetles killed millipedes much larger than themselves. In pitfall traps,D. valgumwas attracted exclusively to millipedes, and preferred injured over uninjured millipedes. Morphological similarities placingD. valgumin the same subgenus with non-predatory dung-feeding species suggest a major and potentially rapid behavioural shift from coprophagy to predation. Ecological transitions enabling the exploitation of dramatically atypical niches, which may be more likely to occur when competition is intense, may help explain the evolution of novel ecological guilds and the diversification of exceptionally species-rich groups such as insects.

Six boars weighing about 65 kg were penned individually in preliminary observations to investigate their response to increasing levels of faeces in a concentrate diet fed as a gruel. During an introductory 5-day period pigs were restricted to 1·5 kg concentrates plus 100 g fresh faeces daily. The daily concentrate allowance was then increased to 2·2 kg and faeces increased by 50 g/day providing the ration was consumed completely. Two animals showed diarrhoea at intakes of 1 kg faeces per day while the remaining four animals showed no signs of ill health at the maximum allowance of 1·4 kg faeces per day.In the main experiment littermate pairs of the same sex (16 boars plus 16 gilts in total) were allocated to control (concentrates only) or treated (concentrates plus fresh faeces) groups. Animals were housed in metabolism crates from about 55 kg live weight and the diet allowances were increased gradually up to 2·5 kg concentrates with or without 500 g fresh faeces per day. This was achieved on day 17 and continued to slaughter some 40 days later when pigs weighed around 85 kg live weight. Levels of skatole and indole were significantly higher in the caecal contents of treated pigs at slaughter but similar in faeces compared with controls. There was no effect of dietary treatment on skatole or indole levels in subcutaneous fat.It seems unlikely that natural coprophagy would contribute significantly to skatole and indole levels in carcass tissues.

The physiologic and behavioral basis of normal canine and feline feeding is given in detail. Abnormalities of ingestive behavior include obesity and anorexia in both species, flank or blanket sucking in Doberman Pinschers, coprophagia and stone chewing in dogs, and wool chewing in cats. Drinking behavior is discussed briefly, and the abnormalities of hypernatremia (a failure of thirst) and psychogenic polydipsia and polyphagia are reviewed.

Coprophagous activity is normal among broiler chickens. The purpose of this study was to compare an individually housed chick model (where bird-to-bird coprophagia was prevented) to a group-housed chick model (where bird-to-bird coprophagia was allowed) for determining estimates of the number of Campylobacter jejuni RM1221 necessary to colonize 50% of broiler chicks inoculated (colonization dose 50% or CD(50)). Campylobacter jejuni RM1221 was orally administered in measured doses to newly hatched chicks. The chicks were housed either individually in cages designed to minimize coprophagous activity or in isolation units containing groups of birds where coprophagia was allowed. The birds were killed and analyzed for Campylobacter in the ceca on d 7 postinoculation. The CD(50) was calculated, and results from the 2 models were compared. Elimination of transmission of Campylobacter, through coprophagia or other means, led to a more clear determination of the estimated CD(50) of about 524 cfu of C. jejuni RM1221 as demonstrated in the individually housed chick model. Bayesian inference based on the beta-Poisson statistical modeling procedures were found to be superior to standard single-hit dose-response modeling for estimation of the CD(50). This study demonstrated that the individual bird challenge model is superior to the group challenge model for trials designed to determine colonization dose.

Lipids, 43 (9), ISSN:0024-4201, ISSN:1558-9307

There are few slaughterhouses that have the facilities to slaughter rabbits, and as a result, rabbits may spend considerable amounts of time in transit between farm and place of slaughter. The transport chain is typically two-stage, with producers taking their stock to an intermediary location where the rabbits wait for collection and transport to the slaughterhouse. Rabbits may respond to the conditions of transport in different ways to other meat animals, because they normally re-ingest their own faeces (coprophagia), are especially sensitive to new environments lacking familiar odours, and are transported in crates. They are also sensitive to changes in humidity and temperature. It is not clear if transport has an adverse effect on liveweight or carcass yield other than that arising from the associated food deprivation. Liver glycogenesis has been reported under some conditions of transport, as has slow reduction in the gut fill of rabbits allowed feed before transport. Transport reduces liver weight and increases plasma glucose (to an extent determined by prior access to food and time in transit) and causes elevated pH in the meat, enhancing dark, firm, dry (DFD) characteristics. There is no evidence of transport causing pale, soft, exudative (PSE) rabbit meat.

Developmental time and survival in larvae of the reduviid bug Triatoma infestans were studied in uninfected groups and in those exposed to a coprophagic infection with Blastocrithidia triatomae. Addition to young uninfected larvae of (a) different numbers of infected bugs, (b) infected and uninfected bugs, and (c) fresh or dry infectious feces were compared. Retardation of development was evident in groups given infected larvae or fresh feces. Mortality rates were correlated with infection rates and were higher in groups given more infected bugs, independent of the presence of uninfected bugs. Therefore, bugs did not discriminate between feces from infected and uninfected bugs, or they did not reject infectious feces. Dry feces had to be redissolved with fresh feces before infection was possible.

The community structure of dung beetles in the middle and lower river basin of the Gaira river, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, is described. Four sites were selected along an altitudinal gradient of 50-940 m for sampling from June to October, 2004. Dung beetles were captured using modified pitfall traps and manual recollections. We captured 7,872 individuals belonging to 29 species, distributed in 15 genera and five tribes of Scarabaeinae. Canthon and Onthophagus were the most diverse genera, each represented by six species. The sampled sites shared the following species: Onthophagus acuminatus Harold, O. clypeatus Blanchard, O. marginicollis Harold. Bocatoma was the most diverse site with 23 species; whereas Port Mosquito presented the highest abundance, with 3,262 individuals. Seven species represented 89% of all captures: Canthidium sp., Dichotomius sp., Uroxys sp. 1, Uroxys sp. 2, O. marginicollis, O. clypeatus and O. acuminatus. Of the 29 captured species, 17 belonged to the functional group of diggers and 10 were ball-rollers. We did not observe significant among-site differences in community structure. Abiotic factors such as altitude, temperature and humidity cannot explain observed variation in community structure across sites, indicating other variables such as vegetation cover, density of the vegetation and soil type may play a role in the community structure of these insects.

Coprophagy occurs in a number of animal species, including nonhuman primates. During the 2003-2004 dry seasons at the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar, we observed wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) consuming dried fecal matter from three different species. Ring-tailed lemurs consumed human feces on 12 occasions, cattle feces twice, and feral dog feces once. Coprophagy in this population may be a behavioral adaptation that provides animals access to energy and nutrients and may be an important nutritional source for older, and/or dentally impaired individuals during the dry season.

The aim of this field study was to examine the influence of a low fibre (LF) and a high fibre (HF) diet on the presence of gastric ulceration in thirty 3-year old Dutch Warmblood horses during training period and during pasture rest. In the first part of the study all horses were stabled individually and fed either an iso-energetic HF (75% haylage) or LF (25% haylage) diet for sixteen weeks. Horses were exercised daily throughout this period, after which the first gastroscopy was performed. The second gastroscopy for all horses was performed following a fourteen week Pasture period during which grass was supplemented with haylage. Contrary to expectations the scores for number and severity of gastric lesions during the Training period were significantly higher in the HF group compared to the LF group. Additionally, horses of the HF group showed high haylage retention in the stomach after 12 hours fasting, whilst the LF group exhibited marked bedding eating and coprophagia. The results of gastroscopy following the Pasture period with extra haylage feeding for all horses, were similar to the HF horses following the Training period. These unexpected results may be related to the retention of the pre-fermented feed (haylage) in the stomach leading to continuing fermentation with increased volatile fatty acid (VFA) production in the stomach. The consumption of bedding and coprophagy shown by the LF group may have limited the previously reported high risk of gastric ulceration on a lowfibre diet.

Coprophagy, or the ingestion of a certain fraction of the faeces, is a well-known strategy of small herbivores. However, the question of whether a particular species actually uses this cryptic strategy or not is not easily answered experimentally. In this study we introduce the use of ingesta passage markers as a tool to verify coprophagy in species where individual observation might be difficult. In two captive adult plains viscachas (Lagostomus maximus), we demonstrate recurrent excretion peaks for both a fluid (cobald-EDTA) and a particle (chromium-mordanted fibre) marker, the most parsimonious explanation for which is faeces re-ingestion. In addition, a literature review of graphical presentations of passage marker excretion revealed such recurrent marker peaks in a large number of studies; however, these observations were rarely explicitly contributed to a coprophagic digestion strategy. The widespread use of semi-logarithmic plots or cumulative marker excretion curves in displaying passage studies makes recurrent marker excretion peaks less evident. We conclude that passage markers offer a comparatively easy way of assessing the incidence of coprophagy. Due to the reported absence of coprophagy in rabbits, a species well-known for using this strategy, on high-protein, low-fibre diets, it is recommended that investigations of the occurrence of coprophagy should be made with animals fed challenging, high-fibre diets.

Nutritional response to different diet quality was examined in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tuco). Animals maintained in captive conditions were fed with three plant species that differed in their fibre content. Tuco-tucos showed the ability to perform adjusts in short time lapse in response to diet quality; food ingestion, egestion and feces ingestion changed in animals under different plant species diets. Time budget, mainly time devoted to feeding and activity accompanied such changes. Coprophagy was practiced along the day and night following the arrhythmic activity pattern found for this species. Feces reingestion was not associated to resting. Furthermore, it was observed during fresh food ingestion, being pellets chewed. Soft and hard feces differed in morphological and nutritional characteristics Fil: Martino, Natalia Silvana. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina Fil: Zenuto, Roxana Rita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina Fil: Busch, Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

The growth of coprophagy-prevented rats was compared under administration of normal levels of vitamin B12 and supplemented amounts. Two experiments in which supplemented amounts of vitamin B12 were administered were conducted under different conditions. Six rats per group were fed under coprophagy-allowed (conventional feeding) and coprophagy-prevented conditions respectively. In the first experiment, coprophagy-prevented rats were fed only feed containing recommended vitamin B12 level and forced fed hydrous faeces, vitamin B12 and folic acid respectively. In the second experiment, coprophagy-prevented rats were fed AIN-93G at the recommended vitamin B12 level (25 microg/kg diet), at 100 times the level and at 1000 times the level respectively. Body weight, feed consumption and amounts of each faeces type were determined in both experiments. In a comparison of body weight gain, we learned that coprophagy prevention reduced the values, but that there was no significant difference in the forced feeding group in the first experiment. Similar results were recognized in the second experiment. Vitamin B12 supplementation was not able to raise feed intake significantly and hence it obviously was not a severely limiting factor under the respective experimental condition which depressed feed intake.

Objective: Coprophagia or the ingestion of feces has long been associated with psychiatric illness. It is considered to be a variant of pica. This behavior requires an extensive medical and psychiatric differential diagnosis. Medical disorders associated with coprophagia include seizure disorders, cerebral atrophy, and tumors. Psychiatric disorders associated with coprophagia include mental retardation, alcoholism, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, fetishes, delirium, and dementia. In animals, coprophagia is associated with boredom, thiamine deficiency, and lesions of the amygdala. Methods: A case of coprophagia in an elderly man is reported here. A 77-year-old man with mild mental retardation was referred for urgent psychiatric evaluation due to coprophagia. The case is discussed and the literature reviewed. Results: Psychiatric evaluation revealed cognitive dysfunction and depression. Physical examination and laboratory evaluation were noncontributory. He was started on sertraline 25 mg daily with resolution of his coprophagia. Coprophagia has been treated using behavioral interventions, supportive psychotherapy, elemental diets, tricyclic antidepressants, carbamazepine, haloperidol, and electroconvulsive therapy. Conclusions: Use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) may also be an effective treatment for coprophagia, particularly in the setting of depression or anxiety.

During a two year population ecology study in a cave environment, 15Eurycea(=Typhlotriton)spelaeawere observed ingesting bat guano. Furthermore,E. spelaeacapture numbers increased significantly during the time that grey bats (Myotis grisescens) deposited fresh guano. We investigated the hypothesis that this behaviour was not incidental to the capture of invertebrate prey, but a diet switch to an energy-rich detritus in an oligotrophic environment. Stable isotope assays determined that guano may be assimilated into salamander muscle tissue, and nutritional analyses revealed that guano is a comparable food source to potential invertebrate prey items. This is the first report of coprophagy in a salamander and in any amphibian for reasons other than intestinal inoculation. Because many temperate subterranean environments are often energy poor and this limitation is thought to select for increased diet breadth, we predict that coprophagy may be common in subterranean vertebrates where it is not currently recognized.

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is a well-studied syndrome in domestic animals. EPI occurs when severe progressive loss of tubulo-acinar tissue from atrophy or inflammatory destruction results in insufficient secretion of digestive enzymes and clinical signs of malabsorption. However, the literature on EPI in birds is limited. The syndrome has been previously described in several cases where the diagnosis was based on clinical signs due to malabsorption-like light-coloured voluminous faeces, voracious appetite, coprophagia and weight loss, and on the response to treatment with pancreatic enzyme formulas. To enable a more scientific approach to the diagnosis of pancreatic functional disorders in pigeons, reference values of plasma amylase (382 to 556 IU/l), lipase (0 to 5 IU/l), and faecal activities of amylase (13 to 16 IU/l) and trypsin (11 to 14 IU/l) were determined in 24 adult pigeons. A case of EPI in a racing pigeon (Columba livia domestica) is reported, based on the clinical signs and the measurement of faecal amylase and trypsin activity.

Objective—To assess the effects of dietary modification on clinical signs of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in dogs. Design—Blinded randomized crossover study. Animals—21 dogs with EPI. Procedure—Dogs were fed the diet they received at home for 2 weeks. Thereafter, they received 3 special diets (a high-fat diet, a high-fiber diet, and a highly digestible low-residue diet) for 3 weeks each. Owners scored dogs daily for the last 2 weeks of each 3-week period for severity of 6 clinical signs including appetite, defecation frequency, consistency of feces, borborygmus, flatulence, and coprophagia. An EPI index was calculated for each dog by adding the daily scores for each clinical sign. Results—Significant differences in daily EPI indices among diets were observed in 20 dogs. The original diet appeared to be the most suitable in 8 dogs, whereas the high-fat diet was most suitable in 5 dogs, the high-fiber diet was most suitable in 4 dogs, and the low-residue diet was most suitable in 2 dogs. In 1 dog, the lowest EPI index score was the same during the original diet and the high-fat diet feeding periods. One dog did not complete the feeding period for the high-fiber diet. Differences in mean EPI indices among diets were not significant. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results indicated that responses to different diets varied among individual dogs. Because responses to the feeding regimens were unpredictable, it is suggested that feeding regimens be individually formulated for dogs with EPI.

Coprophagy (i.e., consumption of feces) is a behavior seen in rodents and other animal species. This behavior can substantially influence the enterohepatic cycling of compounds, including bile salts. Since many studies involve the feeding of rodents with bile salt supplemented diets, it is of importance to know the influence of coprophagy on bile salt composition in such studies. We compared the peripheral and portal bile salt composition of mice in conventional and metabolic cages when fed a control diet or a diet containing 0.5% cholate. We also performed these experiments with Atp8b1-deficient mice as it has been suggested that in the absence of this transporter bile salt absorption in the intestine would be increased. In mice on a control diet there is little difference in bile salt composition between conventional housing and metabolic housing. Metabolic housing led to a near complete disappearance of the low levels of dihydroxy bile salts (i.e., deoxycholate + chenodeoxycholate) in peripheral serum. In mice fed a control diet, the portal blood concentration of unconjugated dihydroxy bile salts was extremely low (

A 1.8-year-old intact female Maltese dog was presented because of a history of chronic diarrhea, polyphagia, weight loss, and coprophagia. The patient was severely emaciated and evacuated very moist and four-smelling, yellow feces. Fecal stain with Sudan III revealed numerous lipid droplets. Result of fat absorption test showed aldigestion. A definite diagnosis was made based on trypsin-like immunoreactivity assay in serum which was low enough to be diagnosed as an exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. After pancreatic enzyme supplement with porcine pancreatin powder, the clinical signs were disappeared. This case report documents clinical manifestations, diagnostic tools, treatment and efficiency of oral pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in a Maltese dog.

Faecal samples of 24,089 dogs were examined coproscopically in two veterinary laboratories in Germany between March 2001 and October 2004. In 47 dogs, oocysts of 9-14 microm size were found. Their morphology was similar to those of Hammondia heydorni and Neospora caninum. Samples of 28 of these dogs were further examined by inoculation into gerbils: seven isolates induced a specific antibody response against antigens of N. caninum NC-1 tachyzoites. This response suggests that the isolates contained N. caninum. In addition to H. heydorni (12 times isolated), Toxoplasma gondii occysts (twice) and Hammondia hammondi oocysts (twice) were observed in dog faeces. The latter findings suggest that coprophagia with a subsequent intestinal passage by dogs plays a role in the dissemination of coccidian parasites for which cats are definitive hosts. Five of the seven N. caninum (NC-GER2, NC-GER3, NC-GER4, NC-GER5, NC-GER6) and the two T. gondii isolates (TG-dgGER1, TG-dgGER2) were successfully passaged into cell culture and are now available for detailed characterization. In contrast to oocysts of other parasites, N. caninum oocysts were predominantly found between January and April (Fisher exact; P=0.038). In the sera of dogs shedding N. caninum, no reactions against the immunodominant antigens with apparent molecular weights of 19, 29, 30, 33 and 37 kDa of N. caninum tachyzoites were observed 3-5 weeks after shedding. However, the animals recognized a 152-kDa N. caninum antigen. Compared with those identified as H. heydorni, T. gondii or H. hammondi, N. caninum oocyst isolates were significantly smaller in length with the 75th percentilesor=10.7 microm when measured in concentrated sucrose solution and smaller length-width ratios with the 75th percentilesor=1.06. It may thus be possible to develop criteria for a preliminary identification of N. caninum in dog faeces based on the oocyst morphology.

Relative to other herbivorous vertebrates, the nutritional ecology and digestive physiology of anuran larvae remain poorly understood. Our objective was to compare gut structure and inhabitants, digesta passage, and microbial fermentation in bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana) to those in other herbivores. Bullfrog tadpole gastrointestinal tracts were long and voluminous, with an enlarged colon that harbored a diverse symbiotic community. The transit time for particulate markers passing through bullfrog tadpoles was 6 h, the median retention time was 8-10 h, and gut clearance was 10-14 h postingestion. Relatively high levels of short-chain fatty acids in the hindgut of tadpoles indicated active microbial fermentation in this gut region. This report represents the first account of gastrointestinal fermentation in the class Amphibia. On the basis of in vitro fermentation assays, we estimated that microbial fermentation in the hindgut provides 20% of the total daily energy requirement of bullfrog tadpoles. These tadpoles also exhibited coprophagy, a practice that provides important nutritive gains in other herbivores. The physiological and behavioral characteristics of these tadpoles are remarkably similar to those of other small-bodied, hindgut-fermenting vertebrates, suggesting convergent digestive strategies among a broad range of herbivorous taxa.

Coprophagy occurred during major periods of feeding on fruits of Dialium spp. (Caesalpiniaceae) in a group of orphaned chimpanzees released in Conkouati Douli National Park, Republic of Congo. Since stress, boredom or food scarcity could not explain coprophagy according to our daily behavioral and veterinary control observations, we suggest that Dialium seeds were the item of interest in the feces. Two types of Dialium seeds were commonly found in the feces after chimpanzees swallowed the mesocarp and whole seeds together. These seeds were either whole and hard or whole/broken and soft imbibed. A mechanical and/or chemical effect of the gut passage may enable the chimpanzees to chew and ingest the seeds, thus providing nutritional intake.

An unusual case of scrotal trauma along with loss of the right testis due to a bite by a stray dog in an infant is reported in view of its extreme rarity.

Mammals use urine, feces, or the secretion of specialized skin glands to mark their territories. These sources can carry different information and, thus, have different functions. Presently it is not known if beavers (Castor spp.) deposit castoreum (primarily a mixture of secondary metabolites from urine) from the castor sacs and secretion from the anal glands (AGS) together or alone when scent marking their territories. We hypothesized that castoreum would be the main scent signal used in the defense of beaver territories during winter and predicted that castoreum would be deposited more often than AGS. A total of 96 scent marks on snow were collected from January 1 to March 31, 1997-1999 in the Bø River, Telemark County, Norway. In order to obtain control material, we chemically analyzed AGS and castoreum from 60 dead beavers collected during January-May 1997-1999. We compared the compounds found in the dead beavers with compounds found in the scent marks on snow. Samples were analyzed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). All 96 scent marks contained compounds from castoreum, whereas compounds from AGS were found in only four scent marks. This suggests that beavers do not specifically deposit AGS on scent mounds as they do with castoreum and that the AGS compounds we found probably were remnants of AGS from the feet or fur following pelt lubrication or coprophagy behavior. We conclude that castoreum is the main scent signal used in the defense of beaver territories during winter.

The rabbit is a representative animal species that conducts coprophagy, i. e. the production and reingestion of soft feces. We, however, encountered a maternal rabbit eating its own hard feces. A detailed investigation was performed on coprophagy in the rabbit to elucidate whether rabbits actually reingest their own hard feces. It was found that young adult Japanese White rabbits reingested their hard, as well as soft, feces directly from the anus. It has been reported that rabbits reingest only soft feces because of their high nutritive content, but the present study demonstrates that rabbits also reingest their hard feces despite their low nutritive content. It seems possible that coprophagy may be initiated by the colonic or rectal wall expanding effects of the fecal material itself.

Digestive performance, gut morphology and rate of digesta passage were measured in Brandt's voles (Microtus brandti) offered pelleted diets of low (25% neutral-detergent fibre) and high (38%) fibre content. Digestion coefficients of dry matter, crude fat, crude protein, energy and fibre were all significantly lower on the higher fibre diet. Although not significantly higher, dry matter intakes were more than maintained when extra cellulose was included in the diet, so that intakes of digestible energy were only 22% lower on the higher fibre diet. Total length and total gut tissue weight increased significantly, and the length and tissue weight of the caecum, proximal colon, and distal colon were significantly greater on the higher fibre diet as well. Total tract mean retention time (MRT) of a solute marker (Co-EDTA) was significantly greater than that of a particle marker (Cr-cell walls) on the lower fibre diet, and in the same direction on the higher fibre diet. The ratio of solute to particle MRTs (the solute/particle differential retention ratio) was 1.45 on the lower fibre diet and 1.19 on the higher fibre diet. There were no significant differences in marker MRTs between diets. Examination of marker concentrations in the stomach, small intestine, caecum and colon of voles killed at 0.5-h intervals after a pulse dose of Co-EDTA indicated that the marker was recycled to the stomach by coprophagy. Thus, as in other microtine rodents, an increase in gut capacity, selective digesta retention and recycling of digesta via coprophagy enables Brandt's voles to utilise diets of higher fibre content than may be expected for such a small (45 g) mammalian herbivore.

Dung beetles (Scarabaeinae y Aphodiinae) were used to evaluate the effects of human activities in the area surrounding La Planada Natural Reserve, southwestern Colombia. During 1993 we monitored three habitats: primary and secondary forest, and open fields used for cattle grazing. A total of 55,296 trap/hours, evenly distributed among the three habitat types, captured 9,115 individuals (18 species, 11 genera). There were differences in species richness between habitats (F2,9 = 29.88; P0.001), an in number of individuals (F 2,9 = 36.22; P0.001). Collecting sites differed within habitats. Cluster analyses show that species composition differs between habitats with and without tree cover. Open areas act as barriers for movements of forest species. Differences between habitats and collecting sites may reflect high environmental heterogeneity, land use history of the sites or the influence of nearby disturbance. Some of the species found in open fields come from lower elevations and are usually associated with intense human disturbance. The proportion of digging and rolling species is similar in both primary and secondary forest, nocturnal species are more abundant; in open areas rolling species are absent and the number of diurnal species increases. We found no relationship between rainfall and species richness (r2 = 0.26; P = 0.41), nor between rainfall and number of individuals collected throughout the year (r2 = 0.07; P = 0.84). For all species the number of individuals collected decreased during dry season and during the onset of the rainy season.

Starvation potentiates the hepatotoxicity of a variety of small molecules, including chlorinated hydrocarbons and nitrosamines, through the induction of CYP2E1. A change in CYP2E1 expression during starvation may also alter the pharmacokinetic profiles of xenobiotics. Northern blot and Western blot analyses revealed that hepatic CYP2E1 was not induced during starvation in rats placed in metabolic or wire-bottom cages in contrast to the induction of CYP2E1 in animals housed in solid-bottom cages. We studied the effect of coprophagy on the expression of hepatic CYP2E1 during starvation. The extent of coprophagy was 24% in fed rats. Fecal matter of starving rats was reduced to 14% of control and starving rats re-ingested ~1.6 g of feces per day. The effect of fecal matter on CYP2E1 expression (i.e., 1.6 g/kg/day for 3 days) was assessed in fed or starving rats. Starving rats gavaged with fecal matter for 3 days resulted in a 3.5-fold increase in the level of CYP2E1 mRNA, while fed rats gavaged with feces failed to show an increase in the mRNA. The increase in the CYP2E1 mRNA level accompanied the induction of CYP2E1. Starving rats gavaged with methanol extract of feces (500 mg/kg/day for 3 days) showed a 3.3-fold increase in CYP2E1 mRNA level in the liver. These results provide evidence that CYP2E1 is not induced by starvation without coprophagy, raising the contention that the mechanistic basis for CYP2E1 induction by starvation should be reevaluated.

We conducted a study in an endemic area of both Oesophagostomum bifurcum and Necator americanus in northern Ghana to examine the possibility of pigs acting as transport hosts for these two human helminth species, due to the commonly observed coprophagic habits of pigs. Under controlled conditions four parasite-free pigs consumed fresh faeces from people heavily infected with both helminths, and faeces were subsequently collected from the rectum of the pigs from 5 to 50 h post-feeding. Four to five per cent of the O. bifurcum and N. americanus eggs fed to the pigs were viable and retrieved as third-stage larvae after coproculture of the pigs' faeces. We discuss the possible impact of the coprophagic habits of pigs as potential parasite transport hosts during different seasons in this area of West Africa.

Coprophagy can be minimized by fitting rat cages with metal grids which allow faecal pellets to pass through to the floor of the cage. When bedding was omitted overnight, the extent of coprophagy could be estimated from the weight of the droppings on the cage floor or the weight of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract removed from rats housed with or without grids. The effect of coprophagy was also demonstrated by the elevation of serum urea nitrogen in rats that consumed faeces. Therefore, precautions against coprophagy, or their absence, should be specified in all experimental protocols and reports.

Coprophagia or the ingestion of feces, considered to be a variant of pica, has been associated with medical disorders like seizure disorders, cerebral atrophy, and tumors and with psychiatric disorders like mental retardation, alcoholism, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, fetishes, delirium, and dementia. But entomophagy or the practice of eating live or dead insects as food by humans has only been reported as part of eating habits by some cultures in the world and not in association with any medical or neuropsychiatric disorders. Till date, there is no report in medical literature of entomophagy as an association with any neuropsychiatric or medical illnesses. Coprophagy and entomophagy has not been together reported as well. We describe the first ever case report of a 19-year- old male patient diagnosed with undifferentiated schizophrenia and associated with both entomophagy and coprophagy. His schizophrenic symptoms, the entomophagic, coprophagic behaviors improved with olanzapine therapy. Entomophagy and coprophagy, two very unusual human behaviors, can be seen in association with schizophrenia.

PRESENTATION a 94-year-old woman with dementia was admitted to an acute geriatric ward with increasing confusion and falls. On two occasions she developed submandibular masses. Faeces were aspirated from her mouth and a diagnosis made of recurrent submandibular sialadenitis secondary to coprophagia. OUTCOME the submandibular mass settled with antibiotics and oral care. Coprophagia was not observed on the ward, but faecal smearing was noted. With regular toileting, this behaviour ceased and sialadenitis did not recur.

The developmental origin of abnormal behaviors is generally associated with early rearing environments that lack sufficient physical and sensory stimulation. However, other factors should also be considered. A large sample of captive chimpanzees (128 males and 140 females) was surveyed for the presence or absence of 18 abnormal behaviors. Origin variables included the subject's source (zoo, pet, performer, or laboratory), rearing (mother- or hand-reared), and sex. Animals were assessed while held at the Primate Foundation of Arizona, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, or White Sands Research Center. There was a confound among origin variables; more hand-reared animals than expected were from laboratories. Logistic regression tested the relationship of rearing and source, with sex as a secondary predictor variable, to each of the abnormal behaviors. There was no clear association between any abnormal behavior and source. However, for coprophagy, relative to animals from the laboratory, zoo animals tended to show a higher prevalence, while performers tended to show a lower prevalence (when rearing and sex were controlled). Rocking and self-sucking were significantly more likely in hand-reared animals. Coprophagy and depilation of self were significantly more likely in mother-reared animals. When rearing and source were statistically controlled, the only significant sex difference was a higher prevalence of coprophagy in females and a higher prevalence of rocking in males. In a second, smaller sample of 25 males and 33 females from Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, no significant sex association was found for coprophagy, urophagy, rocking, or self-depilation. In this second sample, coprophagy was also significantly more likely in mother-reared than hand-reared subjects. The association of some abnormal behaviors with mother-rearing suggests that some form of social learning may be involved in the origin of some of these behavior patterns. This indicates that some abnormal behaviors may not be always be indicative of reduced psychological well-being in captive chimpanzees.

Animals must match their foraging and digestion to seasonal changes in availability and quality of food. When these parameters decline, the animal's performance limits for extracting energy and nutrients may be challenged. In the laboratory, we investigated daily patterns of food processing on a low-quality (high-fiber) diet of alfalfa in an herbivorous, day-active rodent, the degu (Octodon degus), which inhabits semiarid central Chile. We manipulated timing of food availability, from continuous availability down to as little as 5 h/d. Degus maintained weight while digesting only 53% of dry-matter consumption. With food continuously available in a metabolic cage, the animals ate more food and deposited about twice as much feces in the day as at night. Continuous 24-h behavioral observation revealed that degus were actually defecating at the same rate both night and day but then ingesting most of the feces they produced at night. Further experimental treatments challenged animals with limited periods of food availability that matched natural foraging patterns. With either 11 h of daytime food availability or only 5 h (in morning and afternoon periods of 2.5 h each), degus consumed as much food as those with 24-h food availability. Continuous 24-h behavioral observations revealed in the 11-h group that nearly all feces produced at night were reingested and nearly none were reingested in the day, whereas the 5-h group resorted to further coprophagy during the 6-h midday interval with no food. Despite these differences in timing of food intake and coprophagy in response to the three experimental treatments, the degus were defecating at the same rate both night and day, which indicated a constant rate of output from the colon. This suggests a range of adjustments of digestive physiology to the timing of gut function by balancing coprophagy with ingestion of food. Overall, 38% of 24-h feces production was reingested, and 87% of this coprophagy occurred at night. The ingestion of feces during parts of the day when food is unavailable provides for continued intake into the digestive tract and appears to represent an increase in overall efficiency of gut use.

Seize porcs temoins sains, places avec 16 porcs contamines par Trichuris suis, excretent des oeufs de T. suis dans leurs feces (de 20 a 4 960 oeufs par gramme de feces). Quand les porcs temoins ont ete places dans des er.clos propres, le nombre d'oeufs dans leurs feces est passe o zero en l'espace de cinq jours. Une correlation significative a ete trouvee entre le nombre d'oeufs presents chez les porcs contamines et chez les porcs temoins (r = 0,89, P < 0,001). Ces resultats confirment que le comptage faussement positif des oeufs dans Ic matiere fecale est peut-etre le resultat de la coprophagie comme suggere anterieurement.

The present study examined the need for neutrophils and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) for early defence against gut infection with the enteroinvasive, facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes. Mice were treated with a neutrophil-depleting monoclonal antibody (MAb) or a MAb directed against TNF alpha, and the consequences of these treatments on the course of orally initiated infection with the pathogen were monitored. By day 3, orally initiated L. monocytogenes infection in mice treated with either MAb was severely exacerbated to the extent that up to 5000-fold more listeriae were recovered from the walls of the stomach, small intestine, caecum or large intestine of treated mice than from controls. Systemic infection resulting from the ingestion of L. monocytogenes was also severely enhanced in mice treated with these MAbs. Therefore, the results showed that neutrophils and TNF alpha have a critical role in the early defence against enteroinvasive L. monocytogenes infection initiated by a natural (in this case the oral) route, as well as in the control of subsequent systemic infection.

Coprophagia is seen, though uncommonly, in psychiatric hospitals among adult patients with diffuse brain disease and in individuals with subaverage intelligence. We describe here a case of coprophagia in an adult with normal cognitive functioning. Thorough assessment revealed that this coprophagia was a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The problem behavior responded to a behavioral treatment program comprising exposure and response prevention.

Over a three and one-half year period, 28 adult horses were diagnosed with equine motor neuron disease (EMND). The most commonly identified environmental risk factors for a horse having EMND were absence of grazing for more than a year and provision of poor quality hay. Quarter Horses were 5.4 times more at risk than other breeds but this was thought to be an epiphenomenon related to the frequency of Quarter Horses at boarding stables. Weight loss, excessive recumbency and/or trembling were the first signs noted. Other clinical diagnostic signs included: constant shifting of the weight in the rear limbs, abnormally low head carriage and muscle fasciculations. Excellent to ravenous appetites were present in all cases and marked coprophagia in some cases. Abnormally high serum concentration of muscle-derived enzymes was the only consistent serum chemistry abnormality found. Abnormal glucose absorption, increased cerebrospinal fluid total protein and intrathecal production of IgG were identified in a number of cases. Euthanasia was performed on 5 horses within 4 days of hospital admission, because of inability to stand or respiratory distress, and on 18 horses after the diagnosis had been completed. Five affected horses were maintained for observational purposes for periods of 9 months to over 2 years after the onset of clinical signs. They were given access to pasture and 2 were given supplemental vitamin E as the only therapy. Marked clinical improvement occurred in the 4 more acutely affected horses. Pathological findings, preference of type 1 muscle fibre atrophy and lipopigment accumulation within the capillary endothelium of the spinal cord of all cases, supported the hypothesis of EMND being an oxidative disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The cases of three individuals with profound mental retardation and long histories of coprophagia (ingestion of feces) were studied to determine if fecal material could be providing a nutrient that was unavailable from a standard institutional diet. In each case the individual was provided with a daily oral supplement of an "elemental diet," which, at twice the dose administered, would provide all the nutrients necessary for sustenance. The frequency of coprophagia was decreased in all three cases when they received the supplemental nutrients as compared to when they were maintained on a balanced institutional diet alone.

To the Editor: Coprophagia (ingestion of feces) is considered a variant of pica that can generate intense emotional reactions in those exposed to it. To date, its psychopathological bases remain ill-understood, and clear evidence for its treatment is lacking. We report a case of coprophagia occurring in a young man with autistic spectrum disorder that subsided after a short treatment with aripiprazole, an atypical antipsychotic with D2 partial agonist properties, 5HT2A antagonist actions, and 5HT1A partial agonist actions. Case Report Our patient is a 29-year-old man with high-functioning autistic spectrum disorder, diagnosed by experienced clinicians and confirmed by validated scales. While severely impaired in spoken expression, the patient presented with some written communication skills and was able to complete high school. In his usual state of health, the patient presented with motor stereotypies and significant impairment in social interactions, consistent with his diagnosis. History was negative for difficulties with toilet training or significant bowel disease. The patient developed coprophagia with a daily frequency while under treatment with risperidone, 0.5 mg b.i.d. At the same time, the patient also showed an increase in aberrant motor behaviors. Blood studies, including thiamine concentration, and neurological examination were unrevealing. Mental status examination was unchanged, and it was negative for thought or perceptual disturbances. After 2 weeks without any behavioral changes, treatment with risperidone was discontinued, and aripiprazole, 15 mg/day, was prescribed to the patient. After 4 weeks of aripiprazole treatment, the patient presented a marked reduction in the coprophagic behaviors, which receded substantially after 8 weeks of treatment. The drug was well tolerated with no side effects. Discussion Coprophagia has been linked with different conditions including melancholia, schizophrenia, mental retardation, and organic brain disorders 1 while its occurrence in

Ivermectin was injected subcutaneously into five pigs at the usual dose rate of 300 micrograms/kg and found to distribute well to all tissues and body fluids which were sampled 24 h post-injection. Ivermectin was detected in the contents and mucus at all levels of the gastrointestinal tract. The drug was excreted in bile, with high concentrations of the drug in the intestines and faeces. High concentrations of ivermectin were measured in skin, ears and ear wax, suggesting that the drug should be effective in the treatment of ectoparasitic infestations, particularly ear mites. The high lipid solubility of the drug may explain the high concentrations found in ear wax and skin. Ivermectin was also detected in the body fluids and tissues of an untreated pig penned with the treated animals. Direct contact appeared to be necessary for transfer of ivermectin from the treated to the untreated pig but coprophagia or urine drinking is a possible explanation. The pharmacokinetics of ivermectin administered subcutaneously at a dose rate of 300 micrograms/kg to six pigs were studied. There was marked individual variation in the pharmacokinetics of ivermectin. In one pig the area under the plasma concentration-time curve was particularly high. This may reflect individual variation in uptake and excretion of the drug. The mean elimination half-life of the drug was 35.2 h, suggesting that the drug is cleared slowly from pigs with drug detectable in plasma for 6-10 days. This persistence should allow a short period of protection before re-infection with parasites.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used commonly in the pharmacologic therapy of abnormal-repetitive behaviors (ARBs) (Landsberg et al. 2003). The aim of this study was to examine the effect in dogs of dietary supplementation with the serotonin precursor L-tryptophan on ARBs. In a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, 29 dogs with 4 different behavior pattern (circling, 5; coprophagia, 9; canine lick granuloma, 9; light chasing and shadow staring, 6) were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 groups. Group 1 received tryptophan followed by placebo, and group 2 vice versa. Treatments with tryptophan and placebo lasted for 2 weeks each. In week 1 (baseline), week 4 (washout), and week 7 (posttreatment) normal dog food was given. Throughout the 7-week test-period, frequency and duration of ARBs was assessed daily by the owners. Data were analyzed by a general linear model. There was no significant effect of treatment on the frequency or duration of ARBs. In dogs with coprophagia, there was a significant difference in frequency between groups 1 and 2, reflecting a decrease of coprophagia in the second treatment period (P 5 0.015), regardless of the substance applied. Furthermore, in dogs with coprophagia there was a significant correlation between the frequency dogs were confronted with feces and the frequency of coprophagia (rp 5 0.49; n 5 9; P 5 0.026). The present results indicate that dietary supplementation with tryptophan was ineffective in the treatment of ARBs in dogs. However, before tryptophan supplementation in general is disregarded as a potential treatment strategy, several alternative explanations need to be ruled out. First, dosage may have been too low and/or treatment too brief. Second, the subjective assessment of ARB severity by the dog owners may have been unreliable, as indicated by the improvement of coprophagia over the 7-week period. However, this also may be due to an effect of altered owner–dog interaction during this period, or some other ingredients (e.g., vitamin B) of the experimental food. Third, there may be a threshold of severity for a treatment effect to become manifest, as the severity of the ARBs among the dogs was relatively low. Fourth, serotonin has been shown to be more effective in the treatment of compulsive disorders than stereotypies. Although, it is unlikely that all of the ARBs studied were stereotypies rather than compulsive disorders, the combination may have diluted the effect on the overall population, and sample sizes may have been to low to detect a significant effect on specific forms of ARBs.