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Carotenoids are lipid-soluble pigments and important for a variety of physiological functions. They are major dietary vitamin A precursors and act as lipophilic antioxidants in a variety of tissues and are associated with importan...
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Carotenoids are lipid-soluble pigments and important for a variety of physiological functions. They are major dietary vitamin A precursors and act as lipophilic antioxidants in a variety of tissues and are associated with important health benefits in humans and animals. All animals must acquire carotenoids from their diet, but to our knowledge, there are no studies investigating the intestinal carotenoid absorption and their blood concentrations in New World camelids. The present study aimed to assess the serum concentrations of selected carotenoids in llamas (n=13) and alpacas (n=27). Serum carotenoids as well as retinol (vitamin A) and -tocopherol (vitamin E) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and these were unable to detect any carotenoids (- and -carotene, - and -cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene) in the samples. The concentrations of retinol in alpacas (2.89 +/- 1.13mol/l; mean +/- SD) were higher (p=0.024) than those found in llamas (2.05 +/- 0.87mol/l); however, the concentrations of -tocopherol were not significantly (p=0.166) different (llamas: 3.98 +/- 1.83mol/l; alpacas: 4.95 +/- 2.14mol/l). The results show that both llamas and alpacas are not able to absorb intact carotenoids, but efficiently convert provitamin A carotenoids to retinol.
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Abstract Alpacas residing in the region endemic for Coccidioides spp. are susceptible to serious, disseminated coccidioidomycosis that may result in death. There is currently no oral antifungal dose recommendation for this species...
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Abstract Alpacas residing in the region endemic for Coccidioides spp. are susceptible to serious, disseminated coccidioidomycosis that may result in death. There is currently no oral antifungal dose recommendation for this species. We used a steady‐state study design to assess the pharmacokinetics of oral generic fluconazole in alpacas dosed q 24?h for 14?days. Cohorts of 2–3 animals received fluconazole from 6 to 15?mg/kg/day, and pharmacokinetic analysis was performed after each group of animals in order to make dose adjustments for the next group. The final three animals were used as confirmation of our dose recommendation. The median Tmax was 7?h, and the median Cmax was 1.25?μg/ml per mg/kg dose. The mean dose‐normalized 24‐h AUC was 41.7?μg?h/ml per mg/kg dose (CV?=?72%). Based on these results, we recommend alpacas receive a starting dose of oral fluconazole at 10–15?mg/kg/day based on the fluconazole AUC in humans (313–625?μg?h/ml). Testing to ascertain putative therapeutic plasma concentrations and monitoring of serum transaminases should be performed.
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Bone sequestration is relatively unknown in New-world camelids in Germany and is frequently wrongly addressed as neoplasia by veterinary practitioners. This clinical case report describes diagnosis and treatment for bone sequestra...
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Bone sequestration is relatively unknown in New-world camelids in Germany and is frequently wrongly addressed as neoplasia by veterinary practitioners. This clinical case report describes diagnosis and treatment for bone sequestration in alpacas based on 12 cases. The main symptom of the presented alpacas was moderate to severe lameness in one limb. Some of the patients had been treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by the referring veterinarian. In eight alpacas, palpation of the swelling in the affected leg was painful and in five animals, exudation was observed. Radiographic imaging led to a correct diagnosis in all of the cases. Following surgical removal of the bone sequestrum, the lameness was already noticeably improved by the third postoperative day. In all patients, healing was achieved without any complications. These results show that bone sequestration in alpacas can be treated successfully by timely surgery. This is the first case report on this topic in alpacas in Germany.
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An 11-y-old hembra alpaca was admitted because of cerebellar and vestibular signs, dysphagia, and aspiration pneumonia; without clinical improvement following empirical therapy, the patient was euthanized. On autopsy, a neoplasm w...
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An 11-y-old hembra alpaca was admitted because of cerebellar and vestibular signs, dysphagia, and aspiration pneumonia; without clinical improvement following empirical therapy, the patient was euthanized. On autopsy, a neoplasm was found incorporating the right vestibulocochlear nerve at the level of the acoustic meatus. Histologically, the mass was composed of a multiphasic primitive cell population associated with a dense fibrous stroma and enveloping a remnant ganglion and nerve bundles. Patterns included dense ribbons and cords of embryonal neuroepithelial cells admixed with loosely defined interlacing spindle cells. The embryonal cells had angular cell profiles with variable amounts of lightly basophilic cytoplasm, ovoid-to-irregular nuclei, and an open chromatin pattern with a typically inapparent nucleolus. Necrosis was not evident, and there was 1 mitotic figure per 2.37?mm~(2). The entire mass was infiltrated by small numbers of lymphocytes and plasma cells. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed strong and diffuse cytoplasmic immunolabeling for vimentin, microtubule-associated protein-2, protein gene product 9.5, and synaptophysin; ~50% immunolabeling for cytokeratin AE1/3; sporadic OLIG2 and S100 immunolabeling; and absent glial fibrillary acidic protein immunolabeling. Based on the histologic pattern and the IHC results, our diagnosis was a poorly differentiated embryonal tumor with ependymal differentiation associated with the vestibulocochlear nerve.
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? 2022Europe′s demand for high-quality alpaca products is rising, including animal welfare as one important aspect of process quality. Shearing and associated procedures like restraint and handling can impact welfare negatively t...
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? 2022Europe′s demand for high-quality alpaca products is rising, including animal welfare as one important aspect of process quality. Shearing and associated procedures like restraint and handling can impact welfare negatively to a varying degree depending on exact conditions. This study researched behavioural stress reactions of alpacas related to shearing procedures in one experiment and one observational study under field conditions in Peru. The experiment investigated acute behavioural stress-reactions of alpacas to shearing by comparing the behaviour of alpacas that were shorn while they were restraint lying on the bare wooden floor (N = 19, Floor, the common procedure), while lying on a soft mattress (N = 20, Mattress) or that were held standing and not shorn (N = 19, NoShear). Animals were caught one by one and randomly assigned to the three treatments. In Mattress and Floor, animals were restraint by fixing a rope to the hind limbs and holding the front limbs; NoShear animals were led to the shearing place, held there for 3 min and then released. Animal vocalisations were recorded directly by one observer; struggling and other animal behaviours and human handling behaviour were analysed from video recordings. The observational study investigated the potential mid-term stress of the whole situation by behavioural observations of alpacas before being gathered for shearing and when back on pasture (N = 5 herds). Animal behaviour did not differ between the Mattress- and Floor group, and only small differences in human handling could be seen in the experiment. The NoShear group showed fewer and shorter flight attempts, less defensive movements with the limbs, head, and torso and fewer animals were screaming. There were no significant differences regarding duration of fixation or of shearing between the two shearing treatments. In the observational study, the feeding activity of alpacas was higher after shearing than before, but the other basic activities (walking, standing, lying with or without rumination) were not affected. In conclusion, animals experience higher stress when being shorn rather than just being held at the shearing place, although stress during shearing seems relatively independent from using a soft mattress or not and the handling without shearing is stressful as well. Results of the observational study show the importance of providing sufficient food after shearing and keeping the procedure′s duration short.
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A 10-year-old female llama was presented with a continually growing mass of the left eye. It displayed exophthalmus. The nictitating membrane was hyperemic. The cornea was completely opaque, vascularised, ulcerated and covered wit...
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A 10-year-old female llama was presented with a continually growing mass of the left eye. It displayed exophthalmus. The nictitating membrane was hyperemic. The cornea was completely opaque, vascularised, ulcerated and covered with abnormal tissue. Deeper structures of the eye were not visible. The right eye was unaffected. The left eye was removed under general anaesthesia. On histological examination, an amelanotic melanoma was diagnosed. The cornea, sclera, vitreous body and lens could not be differentiated. Fourteen months later, the llama was presented to the clinic because of a mass in the left orbita and right-sided blindness. Because of its poor general condition, the animal was euthanised. Histopathological examination revealed recurrence of the amelanotic melanoma with metastases to the regional lymph nodes and infiltration of the optical nerve, leading to the rightsided blindness.
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? 2023 Elsevier Inc.Lectin-like molecules play a key role in mammalian sperm functionality. These multifunctional proteins have been proven to be involved in sperm capacitation, sperm motility, and viability, formation of the ovid...
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? 2023 Elsevier Inc.Lectin-like molecules play a key role in mammalian sperm functionality. These multifunctional proteins have been proven to be involved in sperm capacitation, sperm motility, and viability, formation of the oviductal sperm reservoir, and in sperm-oocyte interaction. In a previous study, we reported the presence of a novel seminal plasma lectin, sperm lectin 15 kDa (SL15), adsorbed to the llama sperm. In order to gain knowledge in the understanding of SL15 and its functions, the aims of this study were to (a) elucidate the presence and localization of SL15 in the llama male reproductive tract and sperm, and (b) determine whether the sperm cryopreservation process of cooling and freeze-thawing affects the SL15 levels and distribution on llama sperm. We found that SL15 protein was expressed along the male reproductive system: testis, epididymis, prostate, and bulbourethral glands, being the prostate the main site of SL15 secretion. SL15 was localized on the sperm head, following different localization patterns. In order to understand if sperm cryopreservation induces modi?cations in the SL15 adsorption pattern, immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry analysis were carried out on fresh, 24 h cooled, and frozen-thawed sperm. Both cooled and frozen sperm showed particular SL15 patterns, that were not observed in the freshly ejaculated, indicating loss of SL15. Flow cytometry analysis also exhibited a decrease of SL15 in the cooled sperm (P < 0.05), whereas a tendency to decrease was found in frozen-thawed sperm (P < 0.1) when compared with freshly ejaculated sperm. This study extends the knowledge about the SL15 in the llama male physiology and provides evidence that cryopreservation-related techniques disrupt SL15 adsorption to the sperm membrane, possibly affecting sperm functionality and fertility.
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Sample submissions to the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency's (AHVLA's) diagnostic laboratory network in England and Wales were reviewed for diseases affecting New World camelids (NWCs). In the years 2000-2011, 6757...
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Sample submissions to the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency's (AHVLA's) diagnostic laboratory network in England and Wales were reviewed for diseases affecting New World camelids (NWCs). In the years 2000-2011, 6757 submissions were analysed, including 5154/6757 (76.3%) for diagnosing a disease problem and 1603/6757 (23.7%) for monitoring (no clinical disease). Wasting (weight loss, ill-thrift) was the most commonly reported clinical sign across all age groups. A diagnosis was reached for 1765/5154 (34.2%) diagnostic submissions. The proportion of submissions with diagnoses was higher for carcasses than non-carcass samples and multiple diagnoses were more likely to be reached from carcasses. Parasitic diseases were collectively the most common problem, including parasitic gastroenteritis (319/1765, 18.2%), coccidiosis (187/1765, 10.6%), fascioliasis (151/1765, 8.6%), ectoparasitic infestations (86/1765, 4.9%) and cryptosporidiosis (24/1765, 1.4%). The most frequently diagnosed non-parasitic problems included nutritional diseases (182/1765, 10.3%), septicaemia (104/1765, 5.9%, including 45 cases of colisepticaemia), gastric ulceration (79/1765, 4.5%), tumours/neoplastic diseases (65/1765, 3.7%), tuberculosis (57/1765, 3.2%), clostridial diseases (44/1765, 2.5%), congenital anomalies (41/1765, 2.3%), peritonitis (39/1765, 2.2%) and Johne's disease (20/1765, 1.1%).
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Infection with Lamanema chavezi, a parasitic nematode of New World camelids, was diagnosed by examination of feces and formalin-fixed liver from a 14-month-old female llama (Lama glama) that died after a 6-week illness. Infection ...
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Infection with Lamanema chavezi, a parasitic nematode of New World camelids, was diagnosed by examination of feces and formalin-fixed liver from a 14-month-old female llama (Lama glama) that died after a 6-week illness. Infection with L. chavezi was initially suspected when a granuloma containing an unidentified nematode was detected microscopically in the hepatic parenchyma from a necropsy specimen. The subsequent diagnosis of L. chavezi infection was based on the morphologic features of 2 immature nematodes dissected from individual hepatic granulomas, characteristics of eggs detected in feces of the llama by centrifugal flotation in sugar solution (specific gravity: 1.30), development of third-stage larvae within the eggs after incubation of the llama feces at room temperature for >=30 days, and the morphology of third-stage larvae released from the embryonated eggs. Collectively, these findings indicate that the llama, born and raised in Oregon, harbored an autochthonous L. chavezi infection. Eggs identified as L. chavezi were also detected by centrifugal flotation of pelleted feces from 3 of 7 herd mates of the llama indicating this parasite is endemic in the Oregon herd. The findings reported herein serve to alert diagnosticians and veterinary practitioners to the occurrence of L. chavezi in New World camelids in the United States and describe diagnostic features of this potential pathogen.
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Adenovirus-associated enteritis was diagnosed by histopathology of small intestine in a 2-year-old alpaca (Vicugna pacos). Electron microscopy confirmed intracytoplasmic and intranuclear adenoviral particles within enterocytes. Nu...
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Adenovirus-associated enteritis was diagnosed by histopathology of small intestine in a 2-year-old alpaca (Vicugna pacos). Electron microscopy confirmed intracytoplasmic and intranuclear adenoviral particles within enterocytes. Nucleic acid was extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue sections, and a pan-adenovirus nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was employed to target a partial sequence of the polymerase gene. The PCR product (321 bp) was cloned and sequenced. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence against the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) nucleotide database demonstrated 68% identity with the isolates Canine adenovirus 1 and Bovine adenovirus 3. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence against the NCBI database demonstrated 75% identity with Bovine adenovirus 3. Phylogenetic analysis supported the relatively close relationship of this isolate to Bovine adenovirus 3, but the alpaca isolate was sufficiently distant to be considered a potentially novel adenovirus for this species.
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