The return to pasture use as an alternative to intensive livestock farming implies some risks with the lack or the excessive presence of potentially toxic elements; in this regard, wild animals have been used as bioindicators for decades. Thus, the purpose of this study is quantifying Cu, Cr, Mn, Zn, Se, As, Cd, Ni, Pb, Al, Fe, and Mg in fur from roe deer and understanding if it is a valid bioindicator tool. Hair was collected from 39 hunted roe deer and divided by age (<36 months old/≥36 months old), sex (male/female), and area of origin (urbanized/rural area). The mean concentrations of Fe, Mg, Mn, Al, Cr, and Pb were higher (p < 0.05) in the urbanized group; the mean levels of Mg and Cr were higher (p < 0.05) in older animals; and Cu, Fe, Mg, Cd, and Cr showed a higher accumulation in females. Our findings showed an age-related variation of elements, with higher concentrations in adult animals and females. In conclusion, our findings prove that hair is a valid matrix for this type of survey, and wild animals are good bioindicators for monitoring the presence of trace elements in pastures.
Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the use of procalcitonin (PCT) as a biomarker in differentiating bacterial infections from viral infections in cats. In addition, the relationship between PCT and mortality rate was also examined. Methods Forty-five cats were included in the study. The cats were categorised into two groups: bacterial (n = 20) and viral (n = 25) infection. Serum PCT level and PCT mRNA expression were analysed from blood samples collected before treatment. Results Serum PCT level and PCT mRNA expression of the cats with presumed bacterial infection were higher than those with viral infection ( P = 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed an area under the ROC curve value of 0.888 for serum PCT and 0.850 for PCT mRNA expression. There was no statistically significant difference among respiratory, urinary and gastrointestinal tract infections regarding serum PCT level and PCT mRNA expression in the presumed bacterial infection group ( P = 0.741 and P = 0.141, respectively). In the presumed bacterial infection group, serum PCT level and PCT mRNA expression in the non-surviving cats were higher than those of the surviving cats ( P = 0.021 and P = 0.026, respectively). Conclusions and relevance Serum PCT level and PCT mRNA expression were considered efficient biomarkers in cats to distinguish a bacterial infection from a viral infection. Moreover, ROC curve analysis was highly accurate in the discriminative capacity of these two parameters. PCT level and PCT mRNA expression offer substantial assistance in an efficient therapeutic approach and in avoiding unnecessary antibiotic use in feline clinical practice, particularly in emergency patients and those with non-specific clinical signs, decreasing the mortality rate. However, it should be noted that these data are only research data. More detailed future studies are needed.
Giardia intestinalis (G. lamblia, G. duodenalis) is a common protozoan in human and other mammals worldwide causing diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, weight loss and dehydration. The major infection occurs via directly faecal-oral route or indirectly contaminated food and water consumption. Dogs can carry the zoonotic genotypes of Giardia without any clinical signs and contaminate the environment. Asymptomatic carrier dogs living in the same environment with humans, food and water contaminated with these dogs' faeces can be a source of infection for humans. The aim of this review is to emphasize the asymptomatic course of Giardia spp. infections in dogs and to evaluate the effects of asymptomatic carriage on human health and the environment.
Cancer has an increasing incidence worldwide in humans and animals. In addition to traditional treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, there is a search for new treatment strategies for cancer treatment. Oncolytic virotherapy arouses great interest in human medicine with the development of biotechnology and increasing knowledge about virus-cell interactions in recent years. Many in-vivo and in-vitro studies have led to the development of a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved, genetically modified oncolytic viral therapy. Based on the studies in human medicine, some clinical trials have also been carried out with oncolytic virotherapy in veterinary medicine. But the studies in cats and dogs are very limited. This review aims to compare the development of oncolytic virotherapy in human and veterinary medicine with current studies and to draw attention to the fact that virotherapy can be used as a treatment option for various tumoral diseases in veterinary medicine in the future.
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