Rodents are one of the largest groups of existing mammals and number more than 2,270 known species, which is almost 42 % of the total biodiversity of worldwide-distributed mammals (except Antarctica and some islands). They are well adapted to various habitats and are known to live alongside people and livestock complexes. The purpose of the study was to study infestation of mice with ixodid ticks in forests of the Belgorod region adjacent to livestock and poultry farms. The study was carried out in 2019-2022. The extensiveness of mice infestation was observed in Sylvaemus sylvaticus species, which was 13.26 % higher (P 0.05) than in Sylvimus flavicollis , and 24.33 % higher (P 0.01) than in Apodemus agrarius . The intensity of infestation with preimaginal (larvae and nymphs) stages of Ixodes ricinus ticks had wide fluctuations depending on the type of synanthropic rodent. Thus, the highest intensity was noted in Sylvaemus sylvaticus mice, which was 8.73 and 13.56 % higher (P 0.001) compared to Sylvimus flavicollis and Apodemus agrarius mice, respectively. The maximum infestation of male synanthropic mouse species was 31 ticks in Sylvaemus sylvaticus , 19 ticks in Sylvimus flavicollis , and 9 ticks in Apodemus agrarius . The intensity of infestation in synanthropic mice was the highest in the summer months (from July to August) and decreased slightly in autumn. In autumn, 41.2 % of the examined rodents were infested with ticks, the predominant species was Ixodes ricinus (larvae). Larvae and nymphs of Ixodes ricinus ticks were more often attached to rodents in the head area (mainly on the ears) - 82 %, less often on other parts of the body - 1 8 %. A smaller number of ticks were present on neck, body, legs, sometimes parasites were found on tail.
Purpose: study the response possibilities of boar blood erythrocytes to the conditions of environmental and technological stress; to establish possible reference intervals for their morphological and functional parameters and to evaluate their effect on the leukocyte composition of the blood.Materials and methods. At the first stage, all the Poltava meat breed main boars of the breeding herd were examined. In accordance with the possibilities of providing the oxygen budget of the organism, the boars were divided into two groups according to the principle of analogue pairs. The control group (I) consisted of boars, in which the indicators of erythrocyte number and hemoglobin corresponded to the reference values indicated in the literature. The experimental group (II) consisted of animals that were not included in the control group. All animals belonged to the “elite” and “first” classes and were clinically healthy. Ecological and technological factors acted as stressors. The following was determined in the blood: the number of erythrocytes, hemoglobin, leukocytes, leukocyte blood picture (formula). Calculated: hemoglobin index (color index), hemoglobin content in 1 erythrocyte (pg) (MCH). To characterize the stage of stress, we used the integral hematological index of the ratio of lymphocytes and neutrophils – the leukocyte index. The results obtained were processed statistically.Results. The use of industrial production technology in the farm turned out to be stress-realizing for the boars of the main Poltava meat breed herd. Most of the examined boars of the herd (64.7±1.3 %) had, in these keeping conditions, in general, well-formed mechanisms for an adequate response of the adaptive potential, which manifested itself in maintaining the number of erythrocytes and hemoglobin in the blood at the level of literary reference intervals. Under conditions of environmental and technological stress, with a probability of 95 %, the reference interval established by us in terms of the number of erythrocytes in the blood of boars in the control group was 5.63-7.12 x1012 /l, in terms of the amount of hemoglobin in the blood - 100.54-115 .65 g/l. After the “selection of animals” according to the “physiological” indicators of erythrocytes and hemoglobin, the average values of erythrocyte indices in boars of the control group significantly decreased compared to the experimental group. In boars with a physiological level of provision of the oxygen budget of the body, the stress reaction took place without straining the functional capabilities of the body. A more stable, lower value of the volume index of neutrophils and lymphocytes variability level in the blood; a significantly higher, but not out of the literature reference intervals, content of monocytes and stab neutrophils in the blood was observed.Conclusion. The action of environmental and technological factors in boars undoubtedly leads to the development of a stress reaction and causes changes in the composition of the blood, both in the erythrocyte and leukocyte links. At the same time, the level and direction of adaptive reactions depend on the possibilities of providing the oxygen budget of the organism.
The study of the mammalian skin reveals a wide range of adaptations of animals and their organs to various conditions of existence.The aim of the work is to establish, on the basis of factual material, the morphological and functional features of the skin of wild boars (Sus scrofa scrofa (Linnaeus 1758)) in conditions of adaptation to adverse natural and climatic factors.The skin samples of 6 adult individuals (males) of wild boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) caught in the autumn-winter period were studied. The morphometric parameters of the skin layers and their components were measured, based on the primary data, the total thickness of the skin and epidermis, the ratio of the outer and inner layers of the epidermis were calculated. The established absolute values of indicators (microns) were converted into relative values (%), the ratio of the stratum corneum and the underlying rows of the epidermis was found. The results obtained were processed using the Statistica (6.0) software package.In the studied animals, the skin is quite thick, with a wide variability of the indicator. We noted a well-developed epidermis in the skin of wild boars, its thickness averaged 72.99 microns. The stratum corneum, on average, reached a thickness of 36.13 microns (44.75-56.65% of total epidermis thickness), with a low level of variation (8.58%), which may be genetically deter mined. The dermis of the wild boars’ skin is well developed; it consists of densely packed, medium-sized bundles of collagen fibers that form ties with a heterogeneous binding, which indicates a high density and strength of the skin under mechanical stress and, possibly, is associated with sexual characteristics (the ability of the skin to withstand blows during fights) . Inclusions of adipose tissue were found in the lower layers of the dermis.The sebaceous glands are large, well developed, actively functioning in winter (as evidenced by the lipid mantle of the stratum corneum). A significant level of group variation was established, due to the wide individual variability of the indicators of functionally active structures (skin glands) in the studied animals, while the indicators of other derivatives of the epithelium – hair follicles, were distinguished by a very low level of variability.The data obtained allow us to conclude that the variability of the skin structure and its derivatives in wild boars have a certain significance in the process of adaptation to the effects of adverse climatic conditions, depending on the season of the year.
Temperament has a significant impact on reproductive function. Most studies are devoted to temperament as a mental characteristic, and the sexual temperament of cats and its influence on physiological characteristics of sperm have not been studied at all. The aim of the research was to study physiological features of reproductive function in cats of Russian breeds depending on sexual temperament. The experiments were carried out in Moscow and the Moscow region from 2019 to 2022. The study used 21 breeding mature cats aged 2 to 8 years, which belonged to 5 different Russian breeds (Bengal breed - 5 cats, British shorthair - 5 cats, Siberian breed - 6 cats, Maine Coon - 5 cats, Sphinx - 5 cats). The sexual temperament of cats was determined according to our methodology developed on the basis of modification of the method for determining the sexual temperament for stallions. Mobility of native sperm was the lowest in cats with a weak nervous system, which is 1.17 % less than mobility of sperm in animals with an unbalanced nervous system, 7.36 % less (P 0.01) compared to physiological mobility of newly acquired sperm in an inert nervous system and 9.71 % less than activity of sperm in cats with a sanguine temperament. The highest concentration of sperm was in cats with live sexual temperament, which was 3.02 million/ml more (P 0.05) than in cats with unrestrained type of temperament, 43.09 million/ml more (P 0.01) than in cats with calm sexual temperament and 56.74 million/ ml more (P 0.01) than in cats with weak sexual temperament. Sperm motility after thawing was higher in cats with inert temperament, which was 5.06 % more (P 0.01) compared to cats with mobile temperament and weak nervous system and 9.1 % more (P 0.001) than in unbalanced cats. Survivability of germ cells in Russian cats at 38 C after defrosting was greatest in live sexual temperament cats, which was 0.22 hours more in comparison with calm sexual temperament cats, 0.62 hours more (P 0.01) than in cats with weak sexual temperament and 0.91 hours more than in cats with unrestrained sexual temperament.
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