No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

We summarized the neuropathologic findings in 60 cetaceans stranded along the Italian coastline from 2002 to 2014. The following neuropathologic changes were detected in 45% (27/60) of animals: nonsuppurative meningo-encephalitides (30%, 18/60), nonspecific lesions (12%, 7/60), suppurative encephalitis (2%, 1/60), and neoplasm (2%, 1/60). No histologic lesions were found in 47% (28/60) of the specimens. Five (8%, 5/60) samples were unsuitable for analysis. Analysis with PCR detected Brucella spp., morbillivirus, and Toxoplasma gondii infection in one, six, and seven individuals, respectively. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed positivity for morbillivirus and for T. gondii infection in three cases each. No evidence of the scrapie-associated prion protein PrPSc was detected. Our findings underscore the importance of an adequate surveillance system for monitoring aquatic mammal pathologies and for protecting both animal and human health.

64 weaned pigs (24d-old), were fed a control diet or a control plus 1% thymol diet, with or without Salmonella typhimurium challenge. Thymol reduced feed intake but did not affect significantly the final body weight after 29d of trial. Salmonella did not affect the performances. Body temperature was lower in the thymol group before, but also 1d after challenge, when Salmonella increased the values more in unsupplemented pigs. Fecal excretion of S. typhimurium in challenged pigs was not changed by the diet. The thymol group had a higher concentration of immunoglobulin (Ig) in serum before the challenge, but after there was an interaction between diet and challenge. The diet and the challenge did not affect saliva parameters, and ATPase gene expression in the fundic gastric mucosa. Thymol increased the number of parietal cells for 100 μm depth of oxintic gland. In conclusion the important supplementation with thymol reduced the intake, but not performance in the medium period. Some factors of the gut barrier were positively influenced. Salmonella challenge did not reduce significantly the performance of the weaned piglet