Preference of Dogs between Two Oral Formulations of Endectoparasiticides: NEXGARD SPECTRA^®(Afoxolaner and Milbemycin Oxime) and Simparica Trio^TM(Sarolaner, Moxidectin and Pyrantel)

Pet owner compliance is essential for the success of veterinary healthcare strategies. As some parasites are zoonotic, consistent parasite control is an integral part of the One-Health strategy. Highly palatable formulations help ensure compliance, as they offer a positive experience for the dog and the owner. This study was conducted to ascertain if dogs exhibited a preference between two commercially available oral formulations of broad-spectrum endectoparasiticides, NexGard Spectra (afoxolaner and milbemycin oxime) and Simparica Trio (sarolaner, moxidectin and pyrantel). For four consecutive days, 100 healthy dogs were offered both products and consumption was recorded. If one product was more consumed than the other, it was defined as the preferred product. No adverse event was recorded throughout the study. A total of 358 chewable tablets were consumed over four study days;78.5% of dogs voluntarily consumed NexGard Spectra (281 chews), while 21.5% of dogs voluntarily consumed Simparica Trio (77 chews, p < 0.01). Among 75 dogs which demonstrated a preference for a product, significantly more dogs preferred NexGard Spectra (94.7%) compared to Simparica Trio (5.3%) (p < 2.2 × 10-16), resulting in a preference ratio of 17.75 to 1 for NexGard Spectra.

Preference in Dogs of Two Oral Endectoparasiticide Formulations: NexGard Spectra^®(Afoxolaner and Milbemycin Oxime) and Credelio^®Plus (Lotilaner and Milbemycin Oxime)

Fleas and ticks are major ectoparasites of dogs globally. Their control is based on regular treatments with ectoparasiticides, which represent the most important part of veterinary drugs worth around 3 billion Euros per year. In many parts of the world, dogs are also at risk of infection by endoparasites like heartworm, eyeworm, and lungworm. In these areas, endectoparasiticide formulations are used to prevent the risk of ecto- and endoparasite infections. Since 2014, oral formulations of insecticidal-acaricidal drugs have been launched, followed by endectoparasiticide formulations. These oral formulations facilitate the treatment by the owners and are now the market leaders. Intense work has been done during their development to enhance their palatability through their consistence (hard to soft) and their flavors. Palatable oral formulations facilitate the dog-owner relationship and help ensuring compliance. The most recent palatable formulations include isoxazoline as the ecto-parasiticide molecule. They also include anthelmintics (milbemycin oxime or moxidectin + pyrantel) to provide control of parasitic nematodes. Being very similar in terms of spectrum of activity, any differences in palatability may be a key differentiating factor for the owners. The present study was conducted to verify if dogs exhibited a preference between two endectoparasiticide oral formulations, NexGard Spectra® (afoxolaner and milbemycin oxime) and Credelio® Plus (lotilaner and milbemycin oxime). For four consecutive days, 100 dogs were offered the choice between both products and consumption was recorded. If one product was more consumed than the other, it was defined as the preferred product. A total of 375 chewable tablets were consumed over the four days, with a significantly higher consumption (p < 0.0001) for NexGard Spectra® (272 chews, 72.5%) compared to Credelio® Plus (103 chews, 27.5%). Seventy-six dogs showed a preference for a product amongst whom 68 preferred NexGard Spectra® (89.5%) and 8 preferred Credelio® Plus (10.5%), resulting in a preference ratio of 8.5 to 1 for NexGard Spectra® (p < 0.0001).

Full-fat insect meals in ruminant nutrition:in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics and lipid biohydrogenation

Background:The most used protein sources in ruminant nutrition are considered as having negative impacts in terms of environmental sustainability and competition with human nutrition.Therefore,the investigation of alternative and sustainable feedstuffs is becoming a priority in ruminant production systems.Results:This trial was designed to evaluate eight full-fat insect meals(Acheta domesticus–ACD;Alphitobius diaperinus–ALD;Blatta lateralis–BL;Gryllus bimaculatus–GB;Grylloides sygillatus–GS;Hermetia illucens–HI;Musca domestica–MD;and Tenebrio molitor–TM)as potential protein and lipid sources in ruminant nutrition.Fermentation parameters and fatty acids(FA)of rumen digesta after 24-h in vitro ruminal incubation of the tested insect meals were measured and compared with those of three plant-based meals(soybean meal,rapeseed meal and sunflower meal)and fishmeal(FM).Similarly to FM,the insect meals led to a significantly lower total gas production(on average,1.75vs.4.64 mmol/g dry matter-DM),methane production(on average,0.33 vs.0.91 mmol/g DM),volatile FA production(on average,4.12 vs.7.53 mmol/g DM),and in vitro organic matter disappearance(on average,0.32 vs.0.59 g/g)than those observed for the plant meals.The insect meals also led to lower ammonia of rumen fluid,when expressed as a proportion of total N(on average,0.74 vs.0.52 for the plant and insect meals,respectively),which could be an advantage provided that intestinal digestibility is high.Differences in ruminal fermentation parameters between the insect meals could be partially explained by their chitin,crude protein and ether extract contents,as well as by their FA profile.In particular,high content of polyunsaturated FA,or C12:0(in HI),seems to partially inhibit the ruminal fermentations.Conclusions:The tested full-fat insect meals appear to be potentially an interesting protein and lipid source for ruminants,alternative to the less sustainable and commonly used ones of plant origin.The FA profile of the rumen digesta of ACD,ALD,GB,GS and TM,being rich in n-6 polyunsaturated FA,could be interesting to improve the quality of ruminant-derived food products.

Bacterial direct-fed microbials fail to reduce methane emissions in primiparous lactating dairy cows

Direct-fed microbials(DFM) are considered as a promising technique to improve animal productivity without affecting animal health or harming the environment.The potential of three bacterial DFM to reduce methane(CH4)emissions,modulate ruminal fermentation,milk production and composition of primiparous dairy cows was examined in this study.As previous reports have shown that DFM respond differently to different diets,two contrasting diets were used in this study.Eight lactating primiparous cows were randomly divided into two groups that were fed a corn silage-based,high-starch diet(HSD) or a grass silage-based,high-fiber diet(HFD).Cows in each dietary group were randomly assigned to four treatments in a 4 × 4 Latin square design.The bacterial DFM used were selected for their proven CH4-reducing effect in vitro.Treatments included control(without DFM) and 3 DFM treatments: Propionibacterium freudenreichii 53-W(2.9 × 10^10 colony forming units(CFU)/cow per day),Lactobacillus pentosus D31(3.6 × 10^11 CFU/cow per day) and Lactobacillus bulgaricus D1(4.6 × 10^10 CFU/cow per day).Each experimental period included 4 weeks of treatment and 1 week of wash-out,with measures performed in the fourth week of the treatment period.Enteric CH4 emissions were measured during 3 consecutive days using respiration chambers.Rumen samples were collected for ruminal fermentation parameters and quantitative microbial analyses.Milk samples were collected for composition analysis.Body weight of cows were recorded at the end of each treatment period.Irrespective of diet,no mitigating effect of DFM was observed on CH4 emissions in dairy cows.In contrast,Propionibacterium increased CH4 intensity by 27%(g CH4/kg milk) in cows fed HSD.There was no effect of DFM on other fermentation parameters and on bacterial,archaeal and protozoal numbers.Similarly,the effect of DFM on milk fatty acid composition was negligible.Propionibacterium and L.pentosus DFM tended to increase body weight gain with HSD.We conclude that,contrary to the effect previously observed in vitro,bacterial DFM Propionibacterium freudenreichii 53-W,Lactobacillus pentosus D31 and Lactobacillus bulgaricus D1 did not alter ruminal fermentation and failed to reduce CH4 emissions in lactating primiparous cows fed high-starch or high-fiber diets.

Update of Meat Standards Australia and the cuts based grading scheme for beef and sheepmeat

Changing markets and evolving consumer demand present new challenges for the beef and sheep industries. In response, the industry has been investing in innovations to deliver new products and management systems to consumers. One such innovation is the Meat Standards Australia（MSA） system. This system is a Total Quality Management System, aimed at delivering an eating quality guarantee to consumers, and through this adding value to the entire supply chain. At present, it is well developed for beef and still evolving for sheepmeat. MSA has identified Critical Control Points（CCPs） in the production, pre-slaughter, processing and value-adding aspects of the supply chain that impact on consumer palatability through the large-scale taste testing of meat by untrained consumers. These CCPs are used as either（1） mandatory criteria determining eligibility for grading, and（2） inputs in a model predicting the palatability of individual combinations of muscle and different cooking methods. Through the prediction of palatability, MSA increases consumer satisfaction and is used to provide assurance for branded products and new marketing innovations in Australia and internationally. This has added significant value to the Australian beef industry, with several retail examples demonstrating consumer willingness to pay more for premium quality beef and sheepmeat products based on the MSA grading scores. This price differential at retail allows the value of the carcass to be calculated based on the eating quality as well as the volume produced, thereby delivering a financial reward for farmers producing high quality carcasses. The continuous quality scale of MSA allows producers to realise the financial gain of incremental improvements in quality, as well as the precise economic weights associated with traits such as marbling, ossification score, or breed. The use of MSA in this fashion has underpinned a new and innovative supply chain where the pricing is transparent and allows producers to make informed decisions to modify both quality and yield traits. To date, the MSA system for beef has proved to be effective in predicting beef palatability not only in Australia but also in many other countries（France, Poland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Japan, South Korea, New-Zealand, the USA and South Africa）. In Europe, results of the Pro Safe Beef and Pro Opti Beef projects as well as other national projects demonstrate the potential to develop an MSA-like international grading system for the supply chain in the EU, despite thediverse cultures and complex beef production systems within the member states. International testing in lamb has only just begun and preliminary results are discussed here.

Dietary Plant Extracts Combined with Vitamin E Limit the Discoloration in Stored n-3 PUFA Rich Meat

In finishing cull-cows given n-3 PUFA-rich diets (for 101 ± 3 days preceding slaughter), the ability of vitamin E (2.8 g/animal/day) or vitamin E associated with plant extracts rich in polyphenols (PERP) (126 g/animal/day) to limit discoloration was evaluated on color attributes of Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Semitendinosus (ST) processed meat. Color attributes were determined after muscles ageing and retail display in different packaging systems consisting in 14 d. under vacuum (V), 4 d. aerobic (A) or 7 d. under modified atmosphere (70:30, O2/CO2) (MA). Vit. E associated with PERP were able to limit color deterioration by decreasing metmyoglobin% in ST and LT for all tested packaging systems. The antioxidant association increased the L* coordinate and the oxygenation index as compared with vit. E alone. We show the possibility to limit color deterioration of processed beef by an original dietary antioxidant strategy during the finishing period.

Case study for investigating groundwater and the future of mountain spring discharges in Southern Italy

Groundwater extraction is used to alleviate drought in many habitats. However, widespread drought decreases spring discharge and there is a need to integrate climate change research into resource management and action. Accurate estimates of groundwater discharge may be valuable in improving decision support systems of hydrogeological resource exploitation. The present study performs a forecast for groundwater discharge in Aquifer?s Cervialto Mountains(southern Italy). A time series starting in 1883 was the basis for longterm predictions. An Ensemble Discharge Prediction(EDis P) was applied, and the progress of the discharge ensemble forecast was inferred with the aid of an Exponential Smoothing(ES) model initialized at different annual times. EDisP-ES hindcast model experiments were tested, and discharge plume-patterns forecast was assessed with horizon placed in the year 2044. A 46-year cycle pattern was identified by comparing simulations and observations, which is essential for the forecasting purpose. ED is P-ES performed an ensemble mean path for the coming decades that indicates a discharge regime within ± 1 standard deviation around the mean value of 4.1 m^3 s^(-1). These fluctuations are comparable with those observed in the period 1961-1980 and further back, with changepoints detectable around the years 2025 and 2035. Temporary drought conditions are expected after the year 2030.

A set of ecosystem service indicators for European grasslands based on botanical surveys

Background:Grasslands provide a wide range of ecosystem services(ESs).However,there is currently no method for easily diagnosing the level of ESs produced.Our aim was to develop ES indicators based on botanical surveys,which are readily available data and integrative of grassland spatiotemporal variability.Methods:Based on academic knowledge and expertise,we identified several simple vegetation criteria that we aggregated using a multicriteria analysis tool to construct indicators of the level of ESs provided by grasslands.In this study,the indicators were calculated from over 2000 botanical surveys spread over a wide biogeographical gradient.Results:Analyses of correlation between the various indicators show that“forage supply”and“diversity conservation”were not correlated.“Forage availability”and“nitrogen availability for the vegetation”were positively linked together and negatively linked to the robustness of the plant community to extreme events.A temporal approach highlights that the“biodiversity conservation”score decreased from 1970 to 2010 and that“nitrogen availability for the vegetation”was lower in 1970 and 1980 than in 2000 and 2010.Conclusions:These results show that our aggregation method based on a large data set of botanical surveys could be appropriate for studying temporal dynamics of ESs.

Modeling West Nile Virus transmission in birds and humans:Advantages of using a cellular automata approach

In Canada,the periodic circulation of West Nile Virus(WNV)is difficult to predict and,beyond climatic factors,appears to be related to the migratory movements of infected birds from the southern United States.This hypothesis has not yet been explored in a spatially distributed model.The main objective of this work was to develop a spatially explicit dynamic model for the transmission of WNV in Canada,that allows us to explore non-climate related hypotheses associated with WNV transmission.A Cellular Automata(CA)approach for multiple hosts(birds and humans)is used for a test region in eastern Ontario,Canada.The tool is designed to explore the role of host and vector spatial heterogeneity,host migration,and vector feeding preferences.We developed a spatialized compartmental SEIRDS-SEI model for WNV transmission with a study region divided into 4 rectangular cells.We used 2010–2021 bird data from the eBird project and 2010–2019 mosquito data collected by Ontario Public Health to mimic bird and mosquito seasonal variation.We considered heterogeneous bird densities(high and low suitability areas)and homogeneous mosquito and human densities.In high suitability areas for birds,we identified 5 entry points for WNV-infected birds.We compared our simulations with pools of WNV-infected field collected mosquitoes.Simulations and sensitivity analyses were performed using MATLAB software.The results showed good correspondence between simulated and observed epidemics,supporting the validity of our model assumptions and calibration.Sensitivity analysis showed that a 5%increase or decrease in each parameter of our model except for the biting rate of bird by mosquito(c^(B,M)and mosquito natural mortality rate(d^(M)),had a very limited effect on the total number of cases(newly infected birds and humans),prevalence peak,or date of occurrence.We demonstrate the utility of the CA approach for studying WNV transmission in a heterogeneous landscape with multiple hosts.

Implications of carbon catabolite repression for plant–microbe interactions

Carbon catabolite repression(CCR)plays a key role in many physiological and adaptive responses in a broad range of microorganisms that are commonly associated with eukaryotic hosts.When a mixture of different carbon sources is available,CCR,a global regulatory mechanism,inhibits the expression and activity of cellular processes associated with utilization of secondary carbon sources in the presence of the preferred carbon source.CCR is known to be executed by completely different mechanisms in different bacteria,yeast,and fungi.In addition to regulating catabolic genes,CCR also appears to play a key role in the expression of genes involved in plant–microbe interactions.Here,we present a detailed overview of CCR mechanisms in various bacteria.We highlight the role of CCR in beneficial as well as deleterious plant–microbe interactions based on the available literature.In addition,we explore the global distribution of known regulatory mechanisms within bacterial genomes retrieved from public repositories and within metatranscriptomes obtained from different plant rhizospheres.By integrating the available literature and performing targeted meta-analyses,we argue that CCR-regulated substrate use preferences of microorganisms should be considered an important trait involved in prevailing plant–microbe interactions.

Inter- and intraspecific variability of plant individual growth and its role on species ranking in grasslands

Aims Individual growth constitutes a major component of individual fitness.However,measuring growth rates of herbaceous plants non-destructively at the individual level is notoriously difficult.This study,based on an accurate non-destructive method of aboveground biomass estimation,aims to assess individual relative growth rates(RGRs)of some species,identify its environmental drivers and test its consequences on community patterning.We specifically address three questions:(i)to what extent environmental conditions explain differences in individual plant growth between sites,(ii)what is the magnitude of intraspecific variability of plant individual growth within and between sites and(iii)do species-averaged(dis-)advantage of individual growth compared with the whole vegetation within a site correlate with species ranking at the community level?Methods We monitored the growth of individuals of four common perennial species in 18 permanent grasslands chosen along a large pedoclimatic gradient located in the Massif Central,France.We measured soil properties,levels of resources and meteorological parameters to characterize environmental conditions at the site level.This design enables us to assess the influence of environmental conditions on individual growth and the relative extent of inter-individual variability of growth explained within and between sites.We determined the ranking of each of the four species in each site with botanical surveys to assess the relationship between species-averaged growth(dis-)advantage relative to the whole community and species rank in the community.Important Findings We found that environmental conditions explain a significant proportion of individual growth variability,and that this proportion is strongly variable between species.Light availability was the main driver of plant growth,followed by rainfall amount and potential evapotranspiration,while soil properties had only a slight effect.We further highlighted a moderate to high within-site inter-individual variability of growth.We finally showed that there was no correlation between species ranking and species-averaged individual growth.