Search

The spatial ecology of feral horses (Equus ferus f. caballus) in Greece has never been studied before, including home range size and habitat selection. We tracked two mares fitted with global positioning system collars between September 2020 and August 2021 in a portion of Mount Menoikio in Central Macedonia, Northern Greece. We used K-select analysis to assess habitat selection for the study period by combining location data with several environmental variables. The mean home ranges for horses varied from 26.72 km2 (95% Minimum Convex Polygon; SE = 0.442) to 27.84 km2 (95% Kernel Density; SE = 1.83). Both horses selected areas with flat and smooth topography near natural grasslands with high green productivity. Conversely, they avoided areas near broadleaved forests and pastures, as well as at north-facing aspects. Overall, suitable habitats corresponded to a small portion (15.1%) of the available habitat. Our findings could assist land managers in mapping primary horses’ habitat in the wider region and implement management regimes that will aid in preserving natural grasslands.

In this study, the opinions and perceptions of students at a school of veterinary medicine regarding the importance of entrepreneurship education in modern higher education are investigated. A Likert-scale questionnaire design was used to record veterinary students’ responses on issues related to entrepreneurship education and its impact on their entrepreneurial mindset, as well as on the students’ carrier aspirations and on the factors that influence their carrier choices. The survey was conducted in 2022, and in total, 105 graduates completed the questionnaire. The responses were analyzed through a descriptive statistical analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics 28. The present study confirms that there is a significant need for entrepreneurship education in order to start, develop, and successfully realize business ideas.

In this paper, the attitudes of veterinary students concerning the “factors driving their entrepreneurial intentions” and the “effects of family and wider environment on starting a business” were analyzed using Two-Step Cluster Analysis. A survey was conducted on 105 veterinary students who were asked to indicate their “agreement” on certain individual issues. The analysis of the data collected resulted in two students’ profiles with respect to the factors driving their entrepreneurial intentions (“The cautious students” and “The reluctant students”), and in three students’ profiles with respect to the influence of family and the wider environment on starting a business (“The conscious students”, “The cautious and conservative students” and “The well informed and decisive students”). The study’s findings could contribute to reinforcing the actions of educational institutions towards targeted training of students on entrepreneurship/market issues.

Managing a milk zone in the dairy industry is demanding. Data necessary for efficient management are difficult to acquire because they usually must be collected in organized and standardized ways. On the other hand, software practices constantly provide new tools that can go beyond simple record-keeping practices and add value to the data. In this work, FarmDain is a novel web-based application for sheep and goat management. It aims to improve milk production and processing by digitizing the value chain in data acquisition, processing and visualization between dairy production businesses and their milk suppliers. FarmDain uses state-of-the-art software technologies to model the data collection process and provides a straightforward user interface to facilitate data processing and visualization. Using the app in a case study carried out for 12 months in a dairy sheep farm resulted in lower feeding cost per milked ewe by 5.5% when ewes were allocated into high and low milk production groups compared to the scenario of remaining in one single group. Furthermore, based on reports provided by the app, culling and genetic selection decisions were made to improve the overall farm performance. Similar practices were applied in all farms optimizing their productivity, which led to increased profitability for farms and the Dairy Factory.

Abstract Background Cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) is a common progressive neurodegenerative disease that is poorly defined. Specific multitargeted protocols do not exist for setting the diagnosis and the prognosis of the syndrome. Hypothesis/Objectives To quantify Aβ42 and Aβ40 peptides in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and to investigate their contribution to CCDS. Animals A total of 61 dogs from a hospital population. Methods Case‐control study. Six young (YG: 0‐4 years old), 8 middle‐aged (4‐8 years old), 17 cognitively unimpaired and aged (CU: 8‐20 years old), and 30 cognitively impaired and aged (CI: 8‐17 years). From the CI group, 10 dogs exhibited mild impairment (CI‐MCI) and 20 exhibited severe impairment (CI‐SCI). Cognitive status was assessed using a validated owner‐based questionnaire. Direct and indirect Aβ markers were determined in plasma fractions (total‐TP, free‐FP, bound to plasma components‐CP) and CSF using commercial ELISA assays (AΒtest, Araclon Biotech). Results TPAβ42/40 facilitated discrimination between CI‐MCI and CU aged dogs with area under curve ≥ 0.79. CSFAβ42 levels were higher (P = .09) in CU (1.25 ± 0.28 ng/mL) than in MCI (1.04 ± 0.32 ng/mL) dogs. CSF Aβ42 levels were correlated with the CP fragment (CPAβ40: P = .02, CPAβ42: P = .02). CPAβ42 was higher in the CI‐MCI (23.03 ± 11.79 pg/μL) group compared to the other aged dogs (CU: 10.42 ± 7.18 pg/μL, P = .02, SCI: 11.40 ± 12.98 pg/μL, P = .26). Conclusion and Clinical Importance The Aβ should be determined in all of the 3 plasma fractions (TP, FP, CP). In the clinical approach, TPAβ42/40 could be used as an efficient preselection tool for the aged canine population targeting dogs with mild cognitive impairment.

Abstract Background Diabetes is regarded as an epidemiological threat for the twenty-first century. Phytochemicals with known pharmaceutical properties have gained interest in the field of alleviating secondary complications of diseases. Such a substance is crocin, a basic constituent of saffron (Crocus sativus). The present study aimed at examining the beneficial effects of per os crocin administration on the antioxidant status, blood biochemical profile, hepatic gene expression and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity (PAI-1) in the liver, kidney and plasma (an important marker of pre-diabetic status and major factor of thrombosis in diabetes) of healthy rats, as well as of rats with nicotinamide-streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Results Diabetes disrupted the oxidation-antioxidation balance, while crocin improved the antioxidant state in the liver by significantly affecting SOD1 gene expression and/or by restoring SOD and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels. In the kidney, crocin improved hydrogen peroxide decomposing activity and TAC. In blood, hepatic transaminases ALT and AST decreased significantly, while there was a trend of decrease regarding blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. The expression of PAI-1 gene was affected in the liver by the dose of 50 mg kg−1. Conclusions Crocin treatment contributed in restoring some parameters after diabetes induction, primarily by affecting significantly hepatic transaminases ALT and AST, SOD1 and PAI-1 gene expression and nephric H2O2 decomposing activity. In conclusion, crocin did contribute to the alleviation of some complications of diabetes.

Ruminant meat is considered to be a potent vehicle of foodborne pathogen transmission. Edible coatings are considered to be promising for enhancing meat safety. Here, edible chitosan membranes were applied to whole cuts of beef and mutton to test the survival of the pathogenic bacteria Listeria monocytogenes and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Meat pieces weighing approximately 200 g were inoculated with a cocktail of three S. aureus isolates or four L. monocytogenes isolates (6.00 log10CFU/g). The meat pieces were encased in a chitosan coating formed by immersion and incubated aerobically or vacuum-packaged in LDPE/PA/LDPE bags for up to 21 days. A decrease in both S. aureus (x = −1.95 log10CFU/g, standard error = 0.23 log10CFU/g) and L. monocytogenes counts (x = −1.07 log10CFU/g, standard error = 0.26 log10CFU/g) was observed. No significant differences were observed between L. monocytogenes-spiked beef and mutton pieces; statistically higher S. aureus counts were observed in mutton versus beef under similar treatments. Aerobic storage of meat pieces inoculated with L. monocytogenes enhanced the antibacterial effects of chitosan—a trend that was not observed in meat pieces inoculated with S. aureus. According to the results, edible chitosan membranes were effective in controlling the growth of S. aureus and L. monocytogenes.

This paper examines the financial viability and potential socioeconomic effects of introducing and operating an automated, remote-controlled management system for mussel farms which uses probes of temperature, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity associated with prediction software to demonstrate the potential need for mussel movement between marine areas. This system provides an early warning to farmers regarding the presence of toxins in aquatic ecosystems, thus contributing to saving mussel production and avoidikng significant economic losses. The analysis combines two established methodological tools in agricultural economics (linear programming and cost-benefit analysis) and provides estimates of the Net Present Value of the investment under two scenarios—one reflecting the existing situation and one a possible future situation where the mussel production system is expanded. The results of the analysis reveal the mid- and long-term effects of using the automated system, both of which demonstrate that the system is economically viable even if it contributes to saving mussel production from toxicity occurrence for only one year during its period of operation. The annual gross margin in the first scenario was €386,069 but almost tripled in the second scenario (€1,154,649). In addition, the future development and expansion of the mussel sector will likely be based on larger farms with an entrepreneurial and exporting orientation where risk mitigation systems, such as the one appraised in this paper, can play an important role.

In this study, data envelopment analysis is applied to 47 dairy cattle farms to estimate their level of efficiency in the utilization of the available resources and to identify the most efficient ones. The analysis is based on technical and economic data collected through a farm management survey. The main structural and financial characteristics of the most efficient farms are presented, revealing the features that make them better than their peers. A comparative financial analysis is applied between the efficient and inefficient farms, highlighting the appropriate farm structure and determining the major cost drivers in modern dairy cattle farming. The results show that there is still room for improvement in intensive dairy farming. Dairy cattle farms must operate with increased variable cost and utilize their infrastructure at full capacity to decrease their fixed cost per cow. Farms should increase their economic resilience and be less risk averse in an environment where margins to lower production costs in highly intensive farms have been narrowed down. The findings of this study verify that dairy cattle farms of entrepreneurial mindset have the potential to rise to the future economic, environmental and social challenges that will affect the survival of the sector.

The objective was to assess the effect of housing conditions during the summer months on the success rates of cervical artificial insemination (AI) with cooled semen, in intensively reared dairy ewes in Greece. The study involved 2083 Lacaune ewes from 23 flocks that were serviced during May to September. An estrous synchronization protocol with the insertion of progestogen sponges for 14 days and eCG administration at sponge removal, was used. All ewes were inseminated 54–57 h after sponge removal with cooled semen (15 °C) from 10 Lacaune rams. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed via trans-dermal ultrasonography at 35–40 days after AI. Data recording started the day after sponge placement (15 days prior to AI), and lasted up to 14 days after AI. Daily records included temperature, relative humidity, and Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) inside the shed. Available space and volume per animal, frequency of bedding renewal, access to a yard, and indoor light were also recorded in each farm. Binary logistic regression of data records showed that temperature and THI increases at days −15 to +4 around AI (day 0) had a negative effect on pregnancy rates (reducing the likelihood of pregnancy by 3–6% and 7%, respectively). The latter also decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in farms with high stocking density, non-frequent bedding renewal, and outdoor access by ewes (by 30%, 34%, and 44%, respectively). Overall, the results indicate that appropriate housing conditions are warranted to increase the success of AI in dairy ewes during the summer months.

The objective of the current study was to investigate the echotextural and hemodynamic changes of ewes entering the dry period with or without subclinical mastitis. B-mode and color Doppler ultrasonography were applied to 12 Chios ewes (6 with healthy udders (group A) and 6 with subclinical mastitis (group B)) before the dry period, during the dry period (the involution phase, steady state, and transition phase), and postpartum. The color Doppler of the mammary arteries was used to evaluate them according to the pulsatility index (PI), resistive index (RI), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), time-averaged maximum velocity (TAMV), blood flow volume (BFV), and artery diameter (D). Udder parenchyma images, analyzed by Echovet v2.0, were used to evaluate the mean value (MV), standard deviation (SD), gradient mean value (GMV), gradient variance (GV), contrast (Con), entropy (Ent), gray value distribution (GVD), run length distribution (RunLD), and long run emphasis (LRunEm). In the involution phase, the PI was higher in group B compared to group A (p ≤ 0.05). The PI and RI were higher postpartum, whereas the EDV, TAVM, and D were higher in the transition phase (p ≤ 0.05). Neither the period nor the ewe group affected the MV, SD, GMV, GV, Con, and GVD values (p ≤ 0.05). In the steady state, the LRunEm was higher in group B, but postpartum, it was higher in group A (p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, B-mode and Doppler can reveal differences (i) between healthy ewes and ewes with subclinical mastitis and (ii) among the different periods studied. Further research is needed on the blood flow and echotexture indices of the udders of ewes with unilateral subclinical mastitis.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is the causative agent for Aujeszky’s disease, a disease that mainly affects pigs and incidentally other domestic and wild animals. While PRV is almost always fatal, causing neurological disease independently of the age in non-porcine species, the development of neurological manifestation in its host species, the pig, highly depends on the age. In this study, an attempt was made to investigate the effect of nerve development on the outcome of virus infection and the effect of virus infection on the structure of nerves in piglets of various ages. For that reason, 42 pigs at the age of one (n = 14), three (n = 14) and five (n = 14) weeks were inoculated with 107 TCID50 of PRV Kaplan strain and euthanized at one- or four-days post inoculation (DPI). The tissues of the trigeminal nervous pathway were collected and examined for virus replication (titration) in cell cultures for nerve morphology by light and transmission electron microscopy, and for viral antigen visualization by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that as the age of the pig increases, virus titers and clinical manifestations reduced, while, at the same time, myelin and axon development ceased. Following infection, the nerve structure was disrupted at all ages examined, being more prominent in one-week-old pigs compared to five-week-old pigs. In conclusion, the age-dependent PRV neuroinvasion in pigs seems to correlate with the morphological changes of neurons.

The slow adoption of innovations is a key challenge that the European sheep sector faces for its sustainability. The future of the sector lies on the adoption of best practices, modern technologies and innovations that can improve its resilience and mitigate its dependence on public support. In this study, the concept of technical efficiency was used to reveal the most efficient sheep meat farms and to identify the best practices and farm innovations that could potentially be adopted by other farms of similar production systems. Data Envelopment Analysis was applied to farm accounting data from 458 sheep meat farms of intensive, semi-intensive and extensive systems from France, Spain and the UK, and the structural and economic characteristics of the most efficient farms were analyzed. These best farmers were indicated through a survey, which was conducted within the Innovation for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production in the Europe (iSAGE) Horizon 2020 project, the management and production practices and innovations that improve their economic performance and make them better than their peers.

Introduction Coxiella burnetii is an obligatory intracellular bacterial pathogen causing the zoonotic disease Q fever. The most common reservoirs of C. burnetii are wild mammals, birds and ticks. Pregnant domestic ruminants infected with this bacterium are also a major source of human infection. Material and methods The serological prevalence of C. burnetii in goats and sheep diagnosed with adverse pregnancy outcomes was assessed by undertaking a survey on 800 dairy goats and 800 dairy ewes reared in four different regions of Greece (Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, and Peloponnese). A stratified sampling was carried out, taking also as a criterion the age of the animals. Serum antibodies were analyzed by a commercial ELISA according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Results Generally, there was a statistically significantly higher serological prevalence of C. burnetii (14.4%) in goats compared to sheep (8%). Serological prevalence was higher in adults (15.5% in goats and 8.5% in sheep) compared to yearlings (7.4% in goats and 4.6% in sheep). The prevalence increased significantly with age only in goats. Finally, all animals reared in Peloponnese had a prevalence significantly higher (21% in goats and 18% in sheep) than animals reared in the other three regions. Conclusions To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report that associates C. burnetii with reproductive disturbances of domestic ruminants in Greece. However, considering the importance of coxiellosis for public health, further investigations are required on its epidemiology regarding abortion, premature delivery, stillbirth and weak offspring in small ruminants, as well as in other domestic and wild animal species.

Canine leishmaniosis (Leishmania infantum) is a zoonotic disease that affects dogs worldwide. Greece is enzootic for this disease, and updated data for its current distribution are of major importance. The aim of this cross-sectional serological study was primarily to update the current knowledge of Leishmania infantum seropositivity status within the asymptomatic Greek canine population and, furthermore, to assess the possible climatological and other risk factors. In total, sera of 1265 asymptomatic dogs were collected from all prefectures of the country. A questionnaire that included all individual dog information was completed for all animals. The Speed Leish K® canine Leishmania antibody test kit (BVT Groupe Virbac, France) was employed. Potential risk factors were evaluated utilizing logistic regression models. Overall, 13.8% (n = 175) of the sampled dogs were seropositive to Leishmania infantum originating from all geographical departments of the country, whereas most prefectures had at least one seropositive animal. Outdoor living, high mean humidity, low mean wind speed and high total annual rainfall were found to increase the seropositivity status against the parasite. Conclusively, Leishmania infantum remains a common parasite challenge in the asymptomatic canine population of Greece, and therefore, its early diagnosis and effective prevention are significant in the country.

The European sheep and goat sector is characterized by low professionalization and management training. Moreover, it is fragmented in terms of production aims and farming systems. Here, iSAGEDSS, a web-based application allowing dairy and meat small ruminant farmers in different countries to make annual management plans by testing future scenarios, is presented. Data were obtained for the meat sheep (United Kingdom and Spain), dairy sheep (France and Greece) and dairy goat production systems (Greece) from partners of the Innovation for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production in Europe (iSAGE) project. These were used to set default values and ranges for all important farm parameters in each system and country. An algorithm was developed assessing nutritional management and its impact on production and financial performance. Reports focus on profitability, productivity and environmental sustainability. A case study in three dairy sheep farms in Greece was performed. In each case, an evaluation scenario was created using actual farm data that were compared with the estimated ones. Two scenarios testing management decisions for gross margin maximization and milk pricing fluctuations were created. Application results showed high prediction accuracy for gross margin and production estimation (error of circa 9% and 4%, respectively). Moreover, the ability to promote financial, production and grazing management efficiency was demonstrated.

Small ruminant production is predominantly linked to the use of natural pastures; however the intensification process in past decades has led to a gradual abandonment of grazing and the prevalence of intensive patterns. This paper contributes to the discussion about the economic performance of small ruminant farms relative to the use of pastures. Using data from a sample of Greek sheep and goat farms it is shown that grazing does not necessarily increase economic performance. If not organized carefully, farms which graze more do not reduce their feeding costs or they counterbalance this reduction with increases labor expenses. An efficiency analysis of the sample using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) shows that farms which graze less are generally more efficient than the ones which graze more. Furthermore, the input-oriented DEA model reveals that the same level of output could be achieved with less a reduction of hours grazing by 12.5% and 11.9%, respectively for farms which graze less than 1800 h and more than 1800 respectively. It is concluded that a higher level of organization is required to render grazing a practice with positive economic impact on farms, including infrastructure for better accessibility of pastures, more efficient rations and training. This applies also to the framework for pasture use in Greece, as the delivery of Integrated Grazing Management Plans is expected to provide guidance and stability to small ruminant farmers.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of experimental Toxoplasma gondii infection on ram sperm quality. Five months old, pre-pubertal, rams were divided into four groups (n = 8 per group). Group A was the control group; the remaining animals received per os (p.o.) 5000 oocysts per ram. Group B did not receive treatment post-infection (p.i.). Group C received sulphadimidine (intermuscular injection (i.m.) 33 mg/kg for eight days; every 48 h) two months p.i. and Group D received the same drug twice (24 h p.i. and two months later). Blood samples were collected every 15 days to detect serum immunoglobulin G (IgG). Epididymal sperm samples were analyzed for concentration, kinetics, morphology/viability, functional membrane integrity, DNA integrity, and the presence of parasite DNA. Histopathological examination was performed on the testes. The IgG titres in infected groups raised two weeks p.i. and remained high for four months. Higher values were noticed in viability and functional membrane integrity in positive spermatozoa in the control group compared to other groups, level of significance p < 0.05. Abnormal sperm was higher in groups C and D vs. A and C vs. B (p < 0.05). T. gondii DNA was detected in three sperm samples of the infected rams (12.5%). Histopathology revealed similar findings with little variation among all infected groups, characterized mostly by increased interstitial connective tissue, non-purulent inflammation, and presence of seminiferous tubules with spermatogenic cell depletion, which increased gradually from D to C and B groups. In conclusion Toxoplasmosis in pre-pubertal age negatively affected mature ram sperm quality, while sulphadimidine administration failed to alter this.

Reducing the energy content of broiler diets could lead to the formulation of diets with reduced production cost. Dimethylgycine (DMG) has been used as a dietary supplement to enhance dietary fat utilization in poultry. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of DMG supplementation in reduced energy diets on performance and nutrient digestibility in broiler chickens. Four hundred and eighty day-old broilers were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments: a standard energy diet (PC treatment), a reduced energy diet by 66 kcal/kg (NC treatment) and the reduced energy diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg of DMG (DMG treatment). Fat digestibility was significantly higher in DMG group, compared to PC and NC groups. Intestines and gizzard lesion scores were found to be lower in the DMG group compared to PC. DMG supplementation resulted in lower jejunum pH and ileum viscosity in broilers. Overall, the present study showed that DMG supplementation in reduced energy broiler diets restored growth performance to the levels obtained with a standard diet. This result was probably mediated by the positive effects on the gastrointestinal function of the broilers after DMG supplementation, as evidenced by the improved nutrient digestibility, the reduced gross lesion scores and the lower values in intestinal pH and viscosity.

This paper investigates the role of labor – either family or hired – in the development of the Greek livestock sector and the effects of labor management strategies undertaken against the crisis. For this purpose, the main types of cattle and sheep and goat farms were investigated with a questionnaire survey and their strategies were assessed. Building on the findings from four studies of different production sectors and systems, important questions about the role of hired labor in the Greece of crisis are raised and dealt with. Intensive farms profited from hired labor in order to develop, but during the crisis they demonstrated a variety of strategies. On the other hand, extensive systems safeguarded their family character and took advantage of traditional knowledge in order to survive the crisis. The labor from female family members was proven a significant asset for many of the surveyed farms.