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Bulgaria is an endemic country for Lyme borreliosis and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF). Sporadic cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and West Nile virus (WNV) encephalitis have been also reported. The reported incidence of Lyme borreliosis in Bulgaria is about 6/100,000 population. Two peaks in the seasonal distribution of cases and more frequent presentation of neuroborreliosis than of Lyme arthritis appear to be characteristics of Lyme borreliosis in Bulgaria. Borrelia afzelii is highly prevalent in Bulgarian Ixodes ricinus ticks. With sporadic cases or small outbreaks, CCHF appeared every year since the 1950s. For the last 10 years, a total of 60 CCHF cases were officially recorded. There is a tendency for CCHF to spread in previously non-endemic areas. The strains causing CCHF in the country belong to lineage Europe 1. A mean of 3.7% CCHF seroprevalence among the Bulgarian population is established. Both Europe 1 and Europe 2 CCHF virus lineages are present in ticks in Bulgaria. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is very unusual. Only a few cases of TBE have been detected. Overall seroprevalence of 0.6% for TBE virus was found in humans. In 2015, a few WNV human cases were detected caused by lineage 2. Overall WNV seroprevalence in human population in the country is 1.5%.

Acute phase proteins are proteins synthesized by the liver in response to the acute phase response. While these proteins are insignificant in healthy animals, their concentrations increase rapidly during infection, inflammation, or tissue damage and are used as an indicator of inflammation. Since the blood concentrations and importance levels of these clinically important proteins differ according to the animal species, they are evaluated separately for each animal species. Most of the acute phase proteins have been studied in detail in the field of human medicine and are routinely used in the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases. In the field of veterinary medicine, it has not been used sufficiently. In this book chapter, we will provide up-to-date information about acute phase proteins that are important for cattle, as well as explain that acute phase proteins can be used in the early diagnosis of diseases, in the differentiation of viral and bacterial infections, in guiding the treatment of sick animals and in determining their prognosis.

A study was conducted with the aim of assessing the major health constraints facing the small-scale and backyard chicken producers and ethno-vet practices exercised in five regions of the country: Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia, Southern region, and Tigray. Household respondents were purposively selected and interviewed. Data were collected through pretesting, semi-structural questionnaires, and field observation. The overall frequency of diseases reported as the main health constraint was Newcastle disease (64%) followed by gastrointestinal infection (34%), respiratory syndrome (22%), internal and external parasites (16%), coccidiosis (15%), and fowl pox (5%). They had no awareness how to manage chicken diseases (91.5%), and their flocks were not vaccinated (84%). High disease occurrence is reported in long rainy season (59%). Ethno-vet practice was experienced by the majority of the interviewed households (51.9%). A total of 19 medicinal plants were reported as being used as a traditional medicine. The main causes of losses were identified as disease (67%) and predator attack (32%). Poor disease prevention and control and the lack of knowledge and management skills were the major constraints of poultry production in the study areas. Research and extension efforts should be directed at the identified constraints. Farmer training and improvement of veterinary services are important.

Early of the last century, it was detected that antibiotics added to the animal feeds at low doses and for a long time can improve technical performances such as average daily gain and gain-to-feed ratio. Since then, the antibiotics have been used worldwide as feed additives for many decades. At the end of the twentieth century, the consequences of the uses of antibiotics in animal feeds as growth promoters were informed. Since then, many research studies have been done to find other solutions to replace partly or fully to antibiotic as growth promoters (AGPs). Many achievements in finding alternatives to AGPs in which probiotics and direct-fed microorganism, prebiotics, organic acids and their salts, feed enzymes, bacteriophages, herbs, spices, and other plant extractives (phytogenics), mineral and essential oils are included.

Fungi and oomycetes are the subjects of numerous current research studies. These are natural agents that can control parasitic populations, and arthropod populations with a role in the transmission of various diseases but can also eliminate various pollutants that are found in the external environment. Therefore, their conservation and exploitation are a global necessity, due to the benefits they confer on the quality of life of animals, but also of humans. Science must be aimed at finding a balance between the different constituents of the ecosystem and establishing coexistence relationships that are beneficial to all. Thus, research should be directed at investigating the potential actions of fungi and oomycetes against the various agents with which they coexist naturally in the external environment. This chapter provides information regarding the mechanism of action of these natural constituents and updates information on the species of fungi and oomycetes that have been studied so far. Thus, readers can have a base in this field and can further exploit what they have discovered to continue to improve the welfare of animals, addressing an ecological and healthy vision.

Genetic advance aimed at accelerating the growth rate of slaughter birds have reduced the natural resistance of poultry to infections. It also increased susceptibility to stress, which resulted in deterioration of the welfare and productivity of poultry. Additionally, intensive poultry production poses a risk of exposure of chickens to unfavorable zoo-hygienic conditions and contamination with pathogens from the external environment (bedding, water, feed, hen house staff, sick birds in the flock). Due to the potential production losses, measures are taken to improve the health and effectiveness of bird rearing, for example by using growth stimulants and improving the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiome and improving metabolism and the work of the immune system. The addition of phytobiotics to feed or drinking water supports digestion and metabolism in the body, stimulates the growth and development of a useful microbiome, limits the multiplication and adhesion of pathogens, and improves the structure and functioning of enterocytes. The aim of this study is to present the health benefits resulting from the use of phytobiotics in poultry production, as well as to make people aware of the dangers of incompetent incorporation of herbs into feed mixtures or into drinking water. Due to the fact that not all species of animals react equally to a given plant, the selection of plant materials should be carefully considered and matched to the expected benefits. By using phytobiotics you can improve growth and performance of broiler chickens, through greatly improve digestion and nutrient assimilation. Plant additives can improve health through stimulate immunity and increase resistance to stress. Using of phitobiotics improve the quality of meat and eggs, increase the weight of valuable parts of carcass (pectoral and leg muscles) and stimulate laying. Unfortunately, due to the potentially toxic effect of an excess of certain herbs on the work of the liver, and the adverse changes in the palatability of eggs, use caution in the use some herbs e.g. of garlic, turmeric, rapeseed, alfa alfa, shiny privet or moringa.

The unique diversity of parvoviral vectors with innate antioncogenic properties, autonomous replication, ease of recombinant vector production and stable transgene expression in target cells makes them an attractive choice as viral vectors for gene therapy protocols. Amongst various parvoviruses that have been identified so far, recombinant vectors originating from adeno-associated virus, minute virus of mice (MVM), LuIII and parvovirus H1 have shown promising results in many preclinical models of human diseases including cancer. The adeno-associated virus (AAV), a non-pathogenic human parvovirus, has gained attention as a potentially useful vector. The improved understanding of the metabolism of vector genomes and the mechanism of transduction by AAV vectors is leading to advancement in the development of more sophisticated AAV vectors. The in-depth studies of AAV vector biology is opening avenues for more robust design of AAV vectors that have potentially increased transduction efficiency, increased specificity in cellular targeting, and an increased payload capacity. This chapter gives an overview of the application of autonomous parvoviral vectors and AAV vectors, based on our current understanding of viral biology and the state of the platform.

Artificial intelligence has many fields of application with an increasing computational processing power, and the algorithms are reaching human performance on complex tasks. Entomological characterization of insects represents an essential activity to drive actions to control the vector-borne diseases. Identification of the species and sex of insects is essential to map and organize the control measurements by the public health system in most areas where transmission is actively occurring. In many places in the world, the methodology done for identification of the mosquitos is by visual examination from human trained researchers or technicians. This activity is time-consuming and requires several years of experience to have skills to do the job. This chapter addresses the application of artificial intelligence for identification of mosquitos associated with vector-borne diseases. Benefits, limitations, and challenges of the use of artificial intelligence on the control of vector-borne diseases are discussed in this review.

Genetic selection for higher prolificacy is one of the major causes for a decrease in piglet survival and reproductive health of the sow. Large litters increase farrowing duration and decrease piglet birth weight and therefore have an impact on piglet vitality, colostrum uptake, and piglet survival. Large litters also increase the incidence of postpartum dysgalactia syndrome (PDS) and the probability of the sow to be removed from the herd because of reproductive failure. Therefore, hyper-prolificacy challenges the performance of the sow in terms of parturition, colostrum production, neonatal survival, and fertility. In this review, we discuss the tools and protocols for management of parturition, colostrum, and sows’ reproductive health. We provide checklists for the prevention of birth complications and PDS as well as for improvement of mammary gland development and colostrum production.

Canine transmissible venereal tumor is the oldest cancer in dogs and is transplanted via viable cancer cells. This cancer has a specific host, easy transmission, noticeable gross lesions, a predictable growth pattern, an immunologic relative host response, unique molecular characteristics, and is responsive to chemotherapeutic treatment. These points make researchers and practitioners interested in this cancer. Genital cases are noticeable and therefore easier to diagnose and treat than extragenital cases. By contrasting the anatomical features of the two types of cases, we highlight the uniqueness of canine transmissible venereal tumors and discuss the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of this ancient cancer.

The use of trained dogs for the detection of volatile biomarkers in biological samples has great potential to be used for non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of several diseases such as cancer. It offers early, highly accurate detection with fast response times, non-invasive to patients and allows for repeated sampling. The aforementioned methods are useful as a portable technology to increase detection, screening, and monitoring coverage in populations at risk. In this sense, Cervical Cancer (CC) has become a public health concern of alarming proportions in many developing countries, particularly in low-income sectors and marginalized regions due to different factors that limit the coverage of screening methods and the acceptance rates of women attending their routine gynecological examination. As such, early detection is a crucial medical factor in improving not only their population’s quality of life but also its life expectancy. For the above, the great odor detection threshold exhibited by dogs is not unheard of and represents a potential opportunity to develop an affordable, accessible, and non-invasive method for detection of CC with high sensibility and specificity values.

Dentistry science is a new specialty in veterinary medicine that has been growing in recent years, accompanied by the development of professionals who seek to improve the quality of life of pets. Cases related to problems in the oral cavity have gained significant importance in the medical clinic of professionals who treat small animals. Due to lack of professional knowledge or due to animal behavioral problems, such as aggressiveness, the anamnesis of the oral cavity is not performed most of the time, which ends up delaying the diagnosis of the pathology. In addition, an animal with a problem in the oral cavity may take years to show signs of the disease. In general, animals have an oral microbiota composed of various species of fungi, which, under specific conditions, can change from saprophytes to pathogens, compromising their health. Thus, the pre-knowledge of potentially pathogenic yeasts belonging to oral microbiota of dogs and their susceptibility profile compared to the main drugs used in antifungal therapy, is of fundamental importance as it ensures a clinical auxiliary support for the diagnosis and treatment of most diseases of the oral cavity.

The objective of this write-up is to find possible solution control canine rabies virus in Sierra Leone and other low-income countries in the world. Rabies is a viral disease affecting both humans and animals in Sierra Leone. The country has no policy on dog ownership and management, two veterinarians, limited access to rabies vaccines and human immunoglobin, and a lack of information about the disease in the country despite increasing dog bite cases and death. There is no wildlife specialist to initiate wildlife vaccination. Continuous vaccination increased awareness, trained personnel in veterinary and wildlife, development of policies on responsible dog ownership and by-laws and increase financial support from the government and private sector will help Sierra Leone eliminate rabies in the first half of the twenty-first century.

In dogs, the most frequent diseases of the prostate gland are benign prostate gland hyperplasia (BPH), acute and chronic prostatitis, squamous metaplasia, and prostate tumors. New diagnostic tools comprise diagnostic markers in the blood and urine, as well as advanced imaging methods. The therapy can be initialized with the 5α-reductase-inhibitor finasteride or an anti-androgenic compound, and prolonged with a long-acting gonadotropin-releasing-hormone (GnRH)-agonist such as deslorelin. In case of prostatitis, effective antibiotics must be applied for weeks. Antibiotics must be able to penetrate into the prostate tissue; fluoroquinolones, clindamycin, and erythromycin are good choices and are in addition effective against mycoplasms. The chronical prostatitis cannot be differentiated from a neoplasia by sonography; a biopsy, histological, and bacteriological examination are required. Tumors of the prostate gland are seldom and mostly occur in castrated but in intact dogs. For the final diagnosis, a biopsy must be taken. Partial and total resection of the prostate gland by use of laser technique is possible but coincedes with many side effects and the prognosis is still futile. Immunotherapy combined with NSAIDs, targeted noninvasive thermotherapy, BRAF gene inhibitors, or prostate artery chemoembolization are promising methods.

Bovine mastitis is one of the most important bacterial diseases of dairy cattle throughout the world. Mastitis is responsible for great economic losses to the dairy producer and to the milk processing industry resulting from reduced milk production, alterations in milk composition, discarded milk, increased replacement costs, extra labor, treatment costs, and veterinary services. Economic losses due to bovine mastitis are estimated to be $2 billion in the United States, $400 million in Canada (Canadian Bovine Mastitis and Milk Quality Research Network-CBMQRN) and $130 million in Australia per year. Many factors can influence the development of mastitis; however, inflammation of the mammary gland is usually a consequence of adhesion, invasion, and colonization of the mammary gland by one or more mastitis pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis, and Escherichia coli.

This chapter presents the history and the current state-of-the-art in the only Slovenian autochthonous pig breed - Krškopolje pig. A review of literature regarding productive traits was carried out. The reproductive performance includes sow age at first parturition and at culling, litters per sow per year, number of live born and percentage of stillborn piglets per litter, piglet birth and weaning weight, mortality at weaning, duration of lactation and length of farrowing interval. Growth performance was evaluated as average daily gain in lactation, post-weaning, and early, mid, or late fattening. Daily feed intake in different stages was also assessed. Review also addresses age and weight at slaughter, and carcass traits: hot carcass weight, carcass yield, lean meat content, backfat and muscle thickness, and loin eye area. Meat quality traits considered were Longissimus muscle pH, objective colour parameters and intra muscular fat content. Additionally, fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat and backfat tissue was considered. Although studies on Krškopolje pig are scarce and the results on productive traits should be interpreted with precaution, due to different production systems and feeding strategies used in considered studies, the current review gives the first overview on this local pig breed in its current phenotype.

The canine elbow joint is a complex joint, whose musculoskeletal anatomy is well investigated. During the last 30 years kinematic analysis has gained importance in veterinary research and kinematics of the healthy and medial coronoid disease affected canine elbow joint are progressively investigated. Video-kinematographic analysis represents the most commonly used technique and multiple studies have investigated the range of motion, angular velocity, duration of swing and stance phase, stride length and other kinematic parameters, mostly in the sagittal plane only. However, this technique is more error-prone and data gained by video-kinematography represent the kinematics of the whole limb including the soft tissue envelope. A more precise evaluation of the in vivo bone and joint movement can only been achieved using fluoroscopic kinematography. Based on recent studies significant differences in the motion pattern between healthy joints and elbows with medial coronoid disease could be detected. Thereby not only adaptive changes, caused by pain and lameness, could be described, but primary changes in the micromotion of the joint forming bones could be found, which potentially represent new factors in the pathogenesis of medial coronoid disease. This chapter gives a review of current literature on elbow joint kinematics, with particular focus onto pathologic biomechanics in dysplastic canine elbows.

Local pig breeds are adapted to the specific local environment and fed with various locally available feedstuffs. So besides their genetic merit for agro-biodiversity, they represent the foundations of sustainable local pork chains. Thus, the aim of the current chapter is to present the history and current status of the Bísara breed (Bísaro pig), its exterior phenotypic characteristics, geographical location, production system and main products from this Portuguese autochthonous breed of pigs. Moreover, a collection and review of available literature data, set until August 2017, on reproductive and productive traits (growth, carcass, meat and fat quality) of Bísaro pig breed were carried out. Reproductive performance has been estimated by means of sow’s age at the first parturition, annual litters per sow, piglets alive per litter, piglet live birth and weaning weight, percentage of stillborn per litter, mortality to weaning, lactation length and farrowing interval. Growth performance has been estimated through the average daily gain and feed intake in both the growing stage and the early, middle, late and overall fattening stage. Carcass traits have been evaluated by means of age and weight at slaughter, hot carcass weight, carcass yield, lean meat content, backfat thickness at withers, last rib, above the muscle gluteus medius and the loin eye area. Meat and fat quality traits of longissimus muscle have been evaluated by means of pH at 45 minutes and 24 h after slaughter, objective colour (CIE L*), intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat. Although a considerable number of studies on Bísaro pig were included in the current review, data on meat and fat quality are scarce.

Recently, a series of genome editing technologies including ZFNs, TALENs, and CRISPR/Cas9 systems have enabled gene modification in the endogenous target genes of various organisms including pigs, which are important for agricultural and biomedical research. Owing to its simple application for gene knockout and ease of use, the CRISPR/Cas9 is now in common use worldwide. The most important aspect of this process is the selection of the method used to deliver genome editing components to embryos. In earlier stages, zygote microinjection of these components [single guide RNA (sgRNA) + DNA/mRNA for Cas9] into the cytoplasm and/or nuclei of a zygote has been frequently employed. However, this method is always associated with the generation of mosaic embryos in which genome-edited and unedited cells are mixed together. To avoid this mosaic issue, in vitro electroporation of zygotes in the presence of sgRNA mixed with Cas9 protein, referred to as a ribonucleoprotein (RNP), is now in frequent use. This review provides a historical background of the production of genome-edited pigs and also presents current research concerning how genome editing is induced in somatic cell nuclear transfer-derived embryos that have been reconstituted with normal nuclei.

Rabies is a lethal zoonotic encephalomyelitis and a major challenge to public and animal health. Livestock are affected by rabies mostly through bites of rapid dogs or wildlife carnivore\´s species. They are considered as ‘dead-end’ hosts that do not transmit the virus. Rabies in livestock has been endemic in many developing countries for many years and diagnosed through clinical signs and dog-biting history. An introduction on rabies situation in farm animals will be given then subchapters including `rabies in bovines, rabies in small ruminants, rabies in swine and rabies in camelids. In each subchapter we shall discuss, epidemiology, modes of transmission, diagnosis and prevention and control measures.

The Armenian medieval and early modern equine medicine has rarely been noticed or researched by veterinarians, historians of science, philologists, or medieval researchers. As Armenia represents both a geographical border and cultural corridor between Muslim East and Christian West, a consideration of its hippiatric texts and their integration into the general history of veterinary medicine can only lead to a deeper understanding of equine medicine from the medieval to the early modern period. They could also contribute toward tracing the paths of knowledge diffusion and transmission across political, linguistic, and religious-cultural boundaries in the time of the Crusades. The role of Armenian manuscripts bridging the traditions of equine medicine from the Muslim East and the Christian West is examined by revealing the complicated history of Armenian horse treatises that traveled the long way from Baghdad via Sis to Tbilisi.

Methane is the single largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases produced in ruminants. As global warming is a main concern, the interest in mitigation strategies for ruminant derived methane has strongly increased over the last years. Methane is a natural by-product of anaerobic microbial (bacteria, archaea, protozoa, and fungi) fermentation of carbohydrates and, to a lesser extent, amino acids in the rumen. This gaseous compound is the most prominent hydrogen sink product synthesized in the rumen. It is formed by the archaea, the so-called methanogens, which utilize excessive ruminal hydrogen. Different nutritional strategies to reduce methane production in ruminants have been investigated such as dietary manipulations, plant extracts, lipids and lipid by-products, plant secondary metabolites, flavonoids, phenolic acid, statins, prebiotics, probiotics, etc. With the range of technical options suggested above, it is possible to develop best nutritional strategies to reduce the ill effects of livestock on global warming. These nutritional strategies seem to be the most developed means in mitigating methane from enteric fermentation in ruminants and some are ready to be applied in the field at the moment.

The increasing demand of meat requires the adoption of sustainable intensification livestock systems, applying nutritional strategies to reduce any negative contribution from beef cattle to global warming and, at the same time, to increase animal performance and productive efficiency. The pasture management practices and feed supplementation, mainly using non-edible feed with less costs, could minimize environmental and social impacts, resulting in higher productivity with less inputs utilization. Tropical grass submitted to grazing management according to plant height present high soluble protein and low levels of indigestible neutral detergent fiber contents. Energy or rumen undegradable protein supplementation, associated to alternative additives to antibiotics effects, such as probiotics, tannin, essential oils and saponin, can help to fully exploit the animal genetic potential and nutrient utilization efficiency, which decreases greenhouse gases emissions and improves animal performance. Hence, more information about these tools can make the livestock systems in tropical pasture more efficient and eco-friendlier.

The equine sarcoid is the most common skin neoplasia in the horse. It has a worldwide distribution and can also affect other equids such as donkeys, zebras, and mules. All breeds can develop the disease at any age, with no sex predilection, although geldings seem to be overrepresented. This fibroblastic neoplasm has several clinical presentations and microscopic features and has a nonmetastatic behavior but can be severely locally invasive. In many cases, multiple sarcoids may develop simultaneously or sequentially during their life and spontaneous remission is rarely reported. The etiology is multifactorial and involves bovine papillomaviruses, genetic, and environmental factors. Treatment options include different modalities depending on multiple factors: lesion type, location and extent, individual patient, facilities, owner, and financial issues.

The Équipâture programme examined the grazing regimes and parasite statuses of horses on 12 study farms. Its research yielded useful results. Rotational grazing of mares, foals, and school riding horses allowed animals to meet their nutritional needs without any supplements (50 ares/LU in the spring; 80 ares/LU in the summer). During the winter, haylage met the high demands of mares and foals. Late-cut hay could not, and there was a risk of P, Cu, and Zn deficiencies when horses were given a 100% hay diet. A sustainable approach to deworming was implemented on the farms. Based on faecal analysis, animals were assigned a parasite excretion status. As a result of this categorisation, only half of the animals were dewormed. This method helped limit deworming costs and the development of parasite resistance to dewormers.

The advent of molecular biology and biotechnology has given ease and comfort for the screening and detection of different animal diseases caused by bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. Furthermore, detection of antibiotics and its residues has advanced in recent years. However, most of the process of animal disease diagnostics is still confined in the laboratory. The next step to conduct surveillance and prevent the spread of animal infectious diseases is to detect these diseases in the field. Through the discovery and continuous development in the field of nanobiotechnology, it was found that incorporation of noble metal nanoparticles to biotechnology tools such as the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), lateral flow assays (LFAs) and dipsticks provided a promising start to conduct point-of-care diagnostics. Moreover, the modification and application of nanoparticle noble metals has increased the stability, effectiveness, sensitivity and overall efficacy of these diagnostic tools. Thus, recent advances in disease diagnostics used these noble metals such as gold, silver and platinum.

The increase in human population had to increase the demand for vital resources, including food, generating intensive and extractive exploitation, and impacting natural ecosystems and biodiversity. Land degradation of ecosystems is a serious and widespread problem in the world. The expansion of the agricultural frontier is by direct or indirect human-induced processes, expressed as long-term reduction or loss of biodiversity. The expansion and industrialization of agriculture had been negatively affected by soil fertility, the climate, biogeochemical cycles, bodies of water, and loss of biodiversity on different spatiotemporal scales. Intensive agriculture, in the form of monocultures, is subjected to strict pest controls for the use of highly toxic agrochemicals. Pesticides are used in monocultures by spraying aqueous dilutions. Knowing the toxic effect of pesticides and agrochemicals on amphibians is very important. These animals have special ecophysiological conditions because they have biphasic life cycles composed of an embryonic and larval aquatic development stage and the adult stage in humid terrestrial environments. For these reasons, the amphibians have been observed with increased mortality rates, reduced prey availability, and affected growth rates.

Human leishmaniasis is a major public health problem with a wide clinical spectrum. Despite there is an epidemiological diversity of the disease, cases mostly occur in the developing countries around the subtropical region, and the incidence is significantly rising. The disease is usually classified into three groups: cutaneous leishmaniasis, mucosal leishmaniasis, and visceral leishmaniasis. But to ensure their survival in different conditions, Leishmania spp. have developed many adaptation mechanisms and can be seen in different clinical forms as well. Herein, an overview of the characteristics of the disease and the parasite, interactions with the host, clinical aspects, and latest developments in the diagnosis and treatment is presented.

The female reproductive system consists of the ovary, oviduct, uterus, and vagina. This chapter will discuss how these organs look like under the microscope and what types of ultrastructural tissues are present in it, how the shape and physiology of the tissues/cells change with the physiological activities including reproductive cycles, what type of alterations occurs in the ovary during ovulation and how its follicle and epithelium differ, and how the ovulation takes place. The chapter will also elaborate how the lining epithelium and the tract mucosa facilitate the fertilized ovum and conceptus. Also, the chapter is highlighting the architectural changes within the mucosa of the uterus during and after pregnancy and type of ovary and spermatozoa that is most suitable for fertilization.

The development in cryobiology in animal breeding had revolutionized the field of reproductive medicine. The main objective to preserve animal germplasm stems from variety of reasons such as conservation of endangered animal species, animal diversity, and an increased demand of animal models and/or genetically modified animals for research involving animal and human diseases. Cryopreservation has emerged as promising technique for fertility preservation and assisted reproduction techniques (ART) for production of animal breeds and genetically engineered animal species for research. Slow rate freezing and rapid freezing/vitrification are the two main methods of cryopreservation. Slow freezing is characterized by the phase transition (liquid turning into solid) when reducing the temperature below freezing point. Vitrification, on the other hand, is a phenomenon in which liquid solidifies without the formation of ice crystals, thus the process is referred to as a glass transition or ice-free cryopreservation. The vitrification protocol applies high concentrations of cryoprotective agents (CPA) used to avoid cryoinjury. This chapter provides a brief overview of fundamentals of cryopreservation and established methods adopted in cryopreservation. Strategies involved in cryopreserving germ cells (sperm and egg freezing) are included in this chapter. Last section describes the frontiers and advancement of cryopreservation in some of the important animal models like rodents (mouse and rats) and in few large animals (sheep, cow etc).

The United States military employs multipurpose canines as force multipliers. A newly developed baseline audiology program applicable to noise effects on the hearing threshold for these dogs has just been developed by the University of Cincinnati FETCHLAB using brainstem auditory evoked potentials to detect estimated threshold shifts in this population. Dogs that are routinely deployed are subject to consistent exposure to noise in the field. Few investigations have focused on the effects of transport noise on the auditory system in multipurpose dogs. The consequence of these dogs having a significant hearing threshold shift is a failure of the dog to properly respond to voice commands and to miss critical acoustic cues while on target. This chapter specifically discusses the baseline protocol for audiological testing of special operations’ multipurpose canines related to helicopter transport.

Buffaloes have a strong population of rumen microorganisms that can utilize different feeds. Other features that make this animal unique are its compatibility with nature, its ability to withstand difficulties, and the nutrient richness of animal products. Today, the emergence of residues such as animal origin diseases, pesticides and antibiotics in animal food products has led organic products to be preferred more by consumers. Due to the increase in consumption demand of natural products, the share of buffalo products in the world market is gradually increasing. Focusing on the use of natural additives in buffalo feeding is important for the diversity of healthy products. Examples of natural additives are cumin and fenugreek seeds. In addition to being natural products, these seeds are reported to have versatile functions in the animal body. The purpose of this chapter is to show how to use aromatic seeds as feed additives in the feeding of Anatolian water buffaloes. The chapter also includes various articles on the use of aromatic seeds in buffalo rations in international fields. This review focuses on the current research relating to the use of aromatic seeds as feed additives to improve the production of Anatolian water buffaloes. Based on the scientific results presented in this chapter, authors drew the following main conclusions: (1) The use of aromatic seeds as feed additives of Anatolian water buffaloes feeding enabled in enhancing milk production, without changing the taste and chemical composition of the milk. (2) Milk production can be improved up to 0.67 kg and 0.85 kg day-1 by adding 50 g Fenugreek seeds and 30 g Cumin seeds to the ration of buffaloes in the early lactation period. (3) The use of aromatic seeds in the feeding of water buffaloes has been proven therefore, their use in the buffalo sector should be encouraged.

Use of microbial inoculants during silage making have drawn interest to silage producers including those who are feeding their livestock on silage produced from by-products (e.g. pulps). Many farmers in the developing countries rely on agro-industrial by-products to feed their livestock, which is limited by the high moisture content of the by-products. This review pertains to issues related to silage production from high moisture plant by-products (e.g. pulps or pomaces), challenges involved in the ensiling of these resources, the use of additives (e.g. microbial additives), and growth performance of the animals that are fed silage from these resources. This information will be helpful to better understand the key roles of silage production from these resources.

The present chapter aims to present history and current status of Gascon pig breed, one of the local pig breeds investigated in the project TREASURE. This French autochthonous breed of pigs, which almost disappeared, now enjoys a new boom. The quality of its product is recognized by the consumers and by official quality labels (Protected Designation of Origin). Exterior phenotypic characteristics of the breed, geographical location, production system and main products are described. Reproductive performance data available in the literature and estimated from the LIGERAL database (herdbook) are presented. Literature data on production traits are also summarized for growth (early, middle, late and overall growth), feed intake, body composition and carcass traits. Meat quality traits (pH, colour, intramuscular fat content and composition) and fat tissue characteristics (fatty acid profile) are also described. Studies on Gascon pig breed are scarce and variability between studies, especially regarding productive traits, can be explained by differences in production systems, feeding regimes and feed composition according to studies. Nevertheless, the current review gives updated insights into the reproduction, production and quality traits of this local pig breed.

The main characteristics of the Iberian breed, an autochthonous pig breed of the Iberian Peninsula, are presented in this chapter along with the results of a literature review on productive traits. Reproductive performance was estimated by sow age at first parturition, litters per sow and year, piglets alive per litter, piglet weight at birth and at weaning, percentage of stillborn per litter, mortality at weaning, lactation length and farrowing interval. For growth performance, average daily gain and daily feed intake during lactation and in different growing phases are provided. Carcass traits were evaluated by age and weight at slaughter, hot carcass weight, carcass yield, backfat thickness measurements, muscle thickness and loin eye area. Meat quality traits of longissimus muscle (pH, objective colour measurements and intramuscular fat) were also assessed. The main part of the studies considered simulated practical production conditions in Iberian pig rearing although others evaluated a defined growing period, sometimes quite far from the usual commercial slaughter weight of this breed. Therefore, some figures should be interpreted with caution. Although a considerable number of studies on Iberian pig were included in the current review, scientific papers on reproductive performance and some meat quality parameters are still rather scarce.

This chapter discusses effective diagnostics and treatment of canine hepatic carcinoma (CHC), where state-of-the-art global technologies are complemented by traditional Chinese veterinary medicine (TCVM). The biokinetic Ga-67 model of CHC is proposed to clarify the Ga-67 metabolic mechanism among various organs. It is aimed at identifying the best routine for detecting the metastatic or primary CHC and substantiating the optimal further treatment. The routine examination of CHC can be performed via Ga-67 nuclear examination or MRI, biological index, X-ray, and abdominal ultrasound. The available methods of animal cancer treatment imply separate or combined application of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy targeted at the particular cancer cells. However, there is also a general concern on the quality of life of pets/canine patients. This leaves enough space to the TCVM (including acupuncture and famous herbal drugs) with a long application history in Asia and growing usage as alternative treatment in other regions. However, its current applications to domestic animals/pets suffering from carcinomas are based on individual expert opinions, while there are no outlined veterinary treatment strategies and guidelines for clinical practice in this field. A comprehensive combination of state-of-the-art global technologies and TCVM is considered instrumental in curing canine hepatic carcinoma.

Wide range of Antibiotics is being used as feed additives in Animal industry in order to get rid from pathogens and as growth promoters in developing world. But after the suggested prohibition on using antibiotics, products such as probiotics are getting substantial importance in nutrition because of their non-resistant and non-residual possessions. Basic aim of the chapter is to highlight fruitful effects of Bacillus Subtilis as non-antibiotic gut modulator and growth promoter in broiler chickens. Probiotics are the living culture of microorganisms. They flourish in the gut of the host and fortify the growth of valuable commensals in the digestive tract by minimizing the destruction triggered by pathogens, boost up the immune system, supporting the integrity of the gut mucosa and maintain a stability and balance of normal microflora. Probiotics can be used as best substitute to conventional antimicrobial therapy. In addition, it has been observed that probiotics plays a role in growth enhancement by augmenting useful enzymes in the body and promote the growth of other normal commensals such as Lactobacillus and having effect on gut luminal pH. Probiotics are quite active against intestinal pathogens in several ways, viz. including improved immune elimination, competing for mucosal attachment, striving for crucial nutrients, or producing antimicrobial complexes contrary to numerous enteropathogens. It can be concluded that B. Subtilis has the ability to modulate gut and immune system histophysiology and histomorphology and can be used as safe antimicrobial candidate in poultry nutrition. Knowledge of such possessions of the B. Subtilis as probiotics and the mechanisms of action may enable the researchers to manipulate the use of such alternatives for better growth production, and safe and healthy poultry industry.

The recombinant vaccinia–rabies vaccine, now known as Raboral®, has been widely used in Europe and North America to control/eliminate rabies in the principal wildlife vectors, and thus prevent human transmission. The origins of this vaccine are sometimes forgotten, although the formulation has not changed substantially in almost four decades. This groundbreaking vaccine was assembled by a team at a very young (at that time) genetic engineering company, Transgène, in Strasbourg, France. The joint leaders of the rabies vaccine team reflect, 36 years later, on the trials and tribulations that went hand in hand with the construction of the vaccine.

Economic losses due to bovine mastitis is estimated to be $2 billion in the United States alone. Antimicrobials are used extensively in dairy farms for prevention and treatment of mastitis and other diseases of dairy cattle. The use of antimicrobials for treatment and prevention of diseases of dairy cattle needs to be prudent to slow down the development, persistence, and spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria from dairy farms to humans, animals, and farm environments. Because of public health and food safety concerns regarding antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial residues in meat and milk, alternative approaches for disease control are required. These include vaccines, improvements in housing, management practices that reduce the likelihood and effect of infectious diseases, management systems and feed formulation, studies to gain a better understanding of animal behavior, and the development of more probiotics and competitive exclusion products. Monitoring antimicrobial resistance patterns of bacterial isolates from cases of mastitis and dairy farm environments is important for treatment decisions and proper design of antimicrobial-resistance mitigation measures. It also helps to determine emergence, persistence, and potential risk of the spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and resistome from these reservoirs in dairy farms to humans, animals, and farm environments.

Aquaculture is the major aquatic animal production segment. Problems like inbreeding depression, genetic drift, introgressive hybridization, etc. have been influencing the production of quality seeds negatively. Cryopreservation serves as a way-out for these problems and a possible answer to produce quality seeds and genetically improved varieties. It has been considered as a major strategy for conservation of fish genetic resources. Cryopreservation of fish gametes has been in vogue since 1953 and the technology is well studied and validated for many species. So far the milt of 200 fish species has been cryopreserved successfully. In this chapter, the importance of aquaculture in overcoming malnutrition, genetic issues affecting quality seed production, cryopreservation protocol employed for various fish species, problems faced in cryopreserving fish eggs and embryos and future of cryopreservation in aquaculture have been discussed.

Estrus cycle is a rhythmic change that occur in the reproductive system of females starting from one estrus phase to another. The normal duration of estrus cycle is 21 days in cow, sow, and mare, 17 days in ewe, and 20 days in doe. The species which exhibit a single estrus cycle are known as monstrous and species which come into estrus twice or more are termed polyestrous animals. Among them some species have estrus cycles in a particular season and defined as seasonal polyestrous. It includes goats, sheep, and horses. On the other hand, cattle undergo estrus throughout the year. The estrus inducers can grossly be divided into two parts, that is, non-hormonal and hormonal. Non-hormonal treatments include plant-derived heat inducers, mineral supplementation, uterine and ovarian massage, and use of Lugol’s iodine. The hormones that are used in estrus induction are estrogen, progesterone, GnRH, prostaglandin, insulin, and anti-prolactin-based treatment. Synchronization can shorten the breeding period to less than 5 days, instead of females being bred over a 21-day period, depending on the treatment regimen. The combination of GnRH with the prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α)- and progesterone-based synchronization program has shown a novel direction in the estrus synchronization of cattle with the follicular development manipulation.

Reptilian skin is covered with scales forming armor that makes it watertight and enables reptiles to live on land in contrast to amphibians. An important part of the skin is the horny epidermis, with thick stratum corneum in which waxes are arranged in membrane-like layers. In lizards and snakes, the whole skin is covered in overlapping epidermal scales and in turtles and crocodiles in dermal scutes. The cornified part of the epidermis is strengthened by β-keratin and sometimes α-keratin. In crocodiles and many turtles, the outer scale surface consists of β-keratin and the hinge region containing α-keratin. In lizards and snakes, both keratins form continuous layers with the α-keratin below the β-keratin. Some reptiles have developed a sensitive mechanosensory system in the skin. The colors of reptile skin are produced by melanocytes and three types of chromatophores: melanophores, xanthophores, and iridophores. The color patterns may be fixed or the chromatophores may provide rapid color change. Skin from different species of reptiles, turtles (red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)), snakes (Emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus) and Burmese python (Python bivittatus)), Cuvier’s dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), lizards (Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)), and Green iguana (Iguana iguana), were examined with histology techniques and compared.

Mosquitoes thrive mostly in the tropics and act as the vectors of some of the most debilitating human diseases caused by bioagents. Among the plethora of mosquitoes, Aedes transmit arboviruses, which have caused large-scale outbreaks throughout the world. Stegomyia is the most important subgenus of Aedes, which includes Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus vectors that are widespread and transmit a wide variety of arbovirus belonging to Togaviridae with the genus Alphavirus (Sindbis virus, equine encephalitis viruses, chikungunya virus), Flaviviridae with the genus Flavivirus (yellow fever virus, dengue 1–4 viruses, West Nile virus, Japanese and St. Louis encephalitis/SLE-viruses) and the Bunyaviridae with the genera Bunyavirus (California Group), and Phlebovirus (Rift Valley fever). In India, dengue and chikungunya are the most important arboviral diseases transmitted by Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in recent time. Chikungunya and dengue are acute debilitating arthritogenic and hemorrhagic (dengue) disease, caused by enveloped single-stranded RNA virus belonging to Alphavirus and Flavivirus, respectively. In this chapter, we will comprehensively delineate the taxonomy of Aedes mosquitoes, their geographical distribution, evolutionary biology of chikungunya and dengue viruses, mechanism of transmission, and proposed vector control strategies against Aedes mosquitoes.

Malignant melanoma is one of the most important tumors in dogs and is highly metastatic and aggressive disease. In recent years, molecular knowledge regarding canine melanoma has increased, and some chromosomal imbalances and tyrosine kinase pathways have been identified to be dysregulated. Mxoreover, canine melanoma is an immunogenic tumor that provides opportunities to administer immunotherapy to the patient. Podoplanin and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan-4 (CSPG4) are markers against which monoclonal antibodies have been developed and tested in dogs in vivo with promising results. Owing to the importance of canine melanoma in the veterinary oncology field, this chapter reviews the most important aspects related to immunological involvement in the prognosis and treatment of canine melanoma.

Pesticides include several classes such as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and have widespread usage in agriculture. Different type of pesticides and their combinations affect dairy animals through their lifetime and the livestock industry. Under chronic exposure conditions, hormonal and cellular systems of animals, which play a role in reproduction, are affected dramatically. Some of the insecticides act as endocrine disruptors and impair reproductive hormone metabolic pathways via the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Additionally, insecticides could have harmful effects on reproductive organs that may cause infertility. The aim of this chapter is review the toxic effects of insecticides on animal reproductive system focusing on molecular mechanisms.