Search

Aleutian disease is one of the most serious disease entities affecting mink farms. The disease causes significant economic losses in mink breeding countries. The aim of the study was to optimize a diagnostic test based on duplex PCR to enable detection of Aleutian disease virus in biological and environmental samples.

Canine parvovirus type 2 is one of the most common causes of death among puppies. Despite preventive vaccination, the disease continues to be diagnosed. The aim of the study was to provide a molecular characterization of CPV-2 isolates found in southeastern Poland. Genetic CPV-2 material was isolated from the blood (n=10) and feces (n=50) of infected dogs. The presence of CPV-2 was confirmed by amplification of sequences coding both VP1 and VP2 protein. The products of the PCR reaction with primers amplifying VP2 protein were sequenced and used for genotyping. Bioinformatics analysis of the sequenced PCR product was performed to determine the phylogenetic relationships with variants recorded in the public databases. Based on the analysis of polymorphism in the nucleotide sequence 7 nucleotide variants were detected and assigned into four amino acid groups. Representatives of three groups contained asparagine at amino acid position 426 of the VP2 protein, which is characteristic of CPV-2a. The variant from the fourth group belonged to type CPV-2b. CPV-2a is the dominant antigenic type of CPV-2 in Poland. The pathogen’s high degree of polymorphism is manifested not only by the presence of numerous variants within the type, but also by the presence of representatives of type CPV-2b. Further studies of the molecular epidemiology of CPV-2 are necessary to optimize the effectiveness of preventive measures.

The gene IGF1 has been shown to have a significant influence on the size of individuals, including animals of the Canidae family. In this study we determined SNP mutations of the IGF1 gene in dogs, raccoon dogs and farmed and free-living red foxes from Poland and Canada. No SNP mutations were noted in dogs or raccoon dogs, but a total of 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in foxes, including 12 substitutions, as well as one new mutation missense variant (exon 6) in wild Polish foxes and one synonymous mutation variant in wild foxes from Canada. We identified specific SNP profiles characteristic only for farmed foxes and only for wild foxes, as well as specific SNP profiles or wild foxes from North America (Canada) and from Europe (Poland).

Introduction: The objective of the study was immunophenotypic and cytogenetic analysis of mesenchymal stem cells from equine bone marrow and foal umbilical cords during in vitro culture.

Genetic testing using STR sequences is a fundamental element of investigative and judicial activities in various types of cases involving animals, such as theft of animals or products derived from them, pedigree scams, violation of animal rights, or claims for compensation for property damage or personal injury. The aim of the study was to develop a microsatellite panel for individual identification and determination of relatedness in American mink for the purposes of forensic veterinary expert opinions. In total, 82 alleles were identified in 13 analysed microsatellite loci. The suitability of the test sequences for individual identification was determined by calculating the power of discrimination (PD). Taking into account all individuals, the power of discrimination ranged from 0.622 to 0.892, which translated into a match probability (MP) of 6.36E-10 (occurrence of a given genotype in 1.57E+09). As a result of the research, an optimized microsatellite panel of 13 STR sequences was obtained, which could be a useful tool in forensic veterinary practice, in civil or criminal cases requiring determination of the relationship between animals of the species mink, or the implementation of identification tests such as comparative DNA analysis of live or dead individuals, preserved biological traces, or fur industry products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Poland, the number of wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes L.) and the size of the fur-farming industry are growing. There is concern that the gene pool of the wild foxes is being infiltrated by that of the farm animals. We analyzed three groups--Polish farm foxes and wild-living animals from Poland and North America--to investigate the gene flow or introgression between farm and wild red foxes. We took into account the breeding history of the species and the evolutionary relationships between fox populations on different continents. We compared the haplotypes based on the concatenated nucleotide sequences of MT-CO1 (mitochondrially encoded cytochrome c oxidase I) and MT-ATP6 (mitochondrially encoded ATP synthase 6) genes. It was confirmed that investigated fur-farm animals originated from wild individuals living in North America. We found a haplotype common to wild foxes from Europe (Poland) and wild North American individuals. The common haplotype shared by both investigated wild-living groups could indicate some degree of introgression between Polish farm and wild-living populations. Haplotypes characteristic of North American foxes were transferred to the Polish wild population and have been established. However, the pairwise ΦST values make it clear that North American wild and Polish wild foxes are genetically distinct evolutionary groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestication of dogs involved strong artificial selection. After their introduction into the human environment, dogs were exposed to factors that were not encountered in the wild. The skin and hair are barriers separating the organism from the environment, and melanin plays a significant role in their protective function. The study compared a fragment of the sequence of the DCT gene, which is involved in melanin synthesis, between two species: the dog, which is exposed to similar carcinogenic factors as humans, and the raccoon dog, a species related to the dog but less exposed to anthropogenic factors. A fragment of the DCT gene 443 base pairs in length was obtained. Two genotypes were distinguished within the raccoon dog population, differing in one nucleotide in the intron sequence (145A>G). Between the DNA profile of the dog and the consensus sequence of the raccoon dog, 18 polymorphic sites were found -15 in the intron sequence and 3 in the exon sequence. One change in the exon (191G>A) caused an amino acid change (2E>K). The loss of two binding sites for factor SOX10 and one for JUN-FOS was noted in the dog sequence. On the basis of the sequence analysed, non-coding regions were found to be more susceptible to changes. Polymorphism in introns may affect the transcription profile of the DCT gene. The loss of binding sites for factors SOX10 and JUN-FOS in the dog may be an adaptive change to a different environment with respect to the raccoon dog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to detect possible differences between farmed and wild-living raccoon dogs. Analysis of polymorphism in 15 microsatellite sequences led to the conclusion that raccoon dogs raised on Polish farms and wild raccoon dogs living in Poland are two genetically distinct groups of animals. Wild Polish raccoon dogs are genetically more similar to the population of wild animals from the Kaliningrad Region than to farmed animals. The analysis of microsatellite loci showed clear genetic differences between farmed and wild-living populations of raccoon dog, despite only 50 years of isolation of the two groups of animals. The farmed population was characterized by higher genetic variation than the wild-living population. On the basis of the analyses three microsatellite loci (INU014, Ren13J22 and Ren41D20) were proposed for determination of the origin of animals that have escaped from farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was comparison of chosen biochemical parameters in the blood of raccoon dogs, foxes and free-living wild and farmed minks. The research aimed at investigating the effect of different environments of the farmed and free-living animals on chosen blood parameters that could be indicators of potential health problems of animals. For collection of blood samples, wild animals were captured and housed under farm conditions. Biochemical analysis of blood plasma was performed using a MINDRAY BS-130 chemistry analyzer. There were found divergences in the analyzed blood parameters in the farmed and free-living animals. Statistically significant differences were determined estimating the ALT, AST and LDH activity levels in raccoon dogs and minks, while for foxes, statistical significance was noted between ALT, AST, BiLT and UREA concentration. The differences between the analyzed parameters in the farm-raised animals and in those living in the wild point out adaptive separateness of these animals. Information on the analyzed blood biochemical parameters of the free-living population is very facilitative allowing maintaining farm animals' welfare and obtaining high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]