No abstract

Nowadays, the world is facing an increasing emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Simultaneously, the banning of some existing antibiotics and the lack of development of new antimicrobials have created an urgent need to find new alternatives against animal infections. Bacteriophages (phages) are naturally occurring predators of bacteria, ubiquitous in the environment, with high host specificity and harmless to animals. For these reasons, phages and their derivatives are being considered valuable antimicrobial alternatives and an opportunity to reduce the current use of antibiotics in agri-food production, increasing animal productivity and providing environmental protection. Furthermore, the possibility of combining phage genetic material with foreign genes encoding peptides of interest has enabled their use as vaccine delivery tools. In this case, besides bacterial infections, they might be used to prevent viral infections. This review explores current data regarding advances on the use of phages and phage-encoded proteins, such as endolysins, exolysins and depolymerases, either for therapeutic or prophylactic applications, in animal husbandry. The use of recombinant phage-derived particles or genetically modified phages, including phage vaccines, will also be reviewed.

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Semi-circular flow cells are often used to simulate the formation of biofilms in industrial pipes with circular section because their planar surface allows easy sampling using coupons. Computational fluid dynamics was used to assess whether the flow in pipe systems can be emulated by the semi-circular flow cells that are used to study biofilm formation. The results show that this is the case for Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from 10 to 1000 and 3500 to 10,000. A correspondence involving the friction factor was obtained in order to correlate any semi-circular flow cell to any circular pipe for Re between 10 and 100,000. The semi-circular flow cell was then used to assess experimentally the effect of Reynolds number (Re = 4350 and 6720) on planktonic cell concentration and biofilm formation using Escherichia coli JM109 (DE3). Lower planktonic cell concentrations and thicker biofilms (>1.2 mm) were obtained with the lower Re.

The first cases of infection with the eyeworm Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida, Thelaziidae) in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Portugal are described. Worms were collected from 1 fox (7 worms) in the north and from 2 foxes (10 worms) in the central region of the country. Partial molecular amplification of mitochondrial cythocrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene and sequencing revealed a 100% homology with T. callipaeda haplotype 1, which is the sequence type circulating in Europe. Data suggest that wildlife participate in maintaining this endemic infection in dog and cat populations from the studied areas. Furthermore, due to the zoonotic potential of T. callipaeda, there is a risk of infection in humans residing in areas where thelaziosis is present in wild and domestic animals.

Schwannoma is a benign tumor arising from Schwann cells that form the neural sheath. Primary schwannoma of the colon is rare and a few cases have been reported. We report a case of schwannoma of the colon and present the differential diagnosis that must be considered in the evaluation of colonic subepithelial lesions.

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Injured free-ranging wolves (Canis lupus) are often rehabilitated and released into the wild, but there is limited data on their post-release survival and behavior. We used global positioning system telemetry to document movements and spatial overlap with resident packs of 2 wolves in northern Portugal that were released following rehabilitation from severe traumatic injuries and were kept in captivity for 10-12 weeks in 2012. A yearling female, with a complex fracture on the thoracic limb, traveled 2,709 km over about 643 km 2 , during the 12 months post-release before being illegally shot. During the first 8 months, it was located frequently around 3 different pack territories, but afterwards its movements were restricted to a single pack territory. We tracked a yearling male with an amputated hind limb for 5 months and it traveled 922 km over about 574 km 2 before dying in a road casualty. It visited 4 different pack territories in succession but also spent time outside known territory boundaries. Our findings suggest that rehabilitated wolves can recover their locomotor activity and survive in the wild for several months, even after suffering severe injuries and spending 3 months in captivity. Ó