Concentrations of toxic heavy metals (cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb)) and major nutritional and trace elements (Ca, Mg, P, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Zn) were analyzed in the milk of Simmental (
n
= 20) and ...Holstein-Friesian (
n
= 20) cows from an organic farm. Elements were determined using inductively coupled plasma emission atomic spectrometry. The conducted research showed that the milk of Simmental cows was characterized by the more advantageous mineral composition and lower concentration of noxious heavy metals compared to the milk of Holstein-Friesian cows. In the milk of Simmental cows, significantly lower concentrations of Pb and Cd (
P
< 0.001) and Cu (
P
< 0.05) and significantly higher concentrations of Fe and Mg (
P
< 0.05) as well as nonsignificantly higher concentrations of Ca, Mn, and Se were found. In the milk of both breeds, very low Cu concentrations were recorded. The higher-than-recommended concentration of Pb in milk was also found. In the milk of both breeds, the significant positive correlations between concentrations of the following elements were observed: Pb–Cd, Pb–Se, Cd–Se, Cd–Mn, Zn–Cu, Zn–P, Ca–P, Ca–Mg, and Mg–P. The correlations between other elements within each of the analyzed breeds separately were also found.
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CEKLJ, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and Australia. The presence of nematode-infected foxes in urbanized areas increases the risk of transmission of nematodes ...to domestic dogs and thus, to humans. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and species composition of intestinal nematodiasis in red foxes in Western Pomerania, a province in north-western Poland. The intestinal contents of 620 red foxes killed during a government reduction shooting programme were examined for adult nematodes using the sedimentation and counting technique (SCT).
Intestinal nematodes, including Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Uncinaria stenocephala and Trichuris vulpis, were found in 77.3% (95% CI 73.8-80.4%) of the examined foxes with a mean infection burden of 20.1 nematode per animal. Male and female foxes had similar infection burdens.
The nematodes are present in high prevalence and intensity among foxes in north-western Poland. Furthermore, this high prevalence of nematodes in foxes may likely constitute a health risk to humans and domestic animals due to increasing fox densities in urban and periurban areas.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of cadmium (Cd) in the organs of game animals from areas with different degrees of industrialisation and to assess its intake following the ...consumption of the livers of these animals. The material for this study consisted of liver and kidney samples taken from roe deer (
), red deer (
), and wild boar (
) from five regions differing in land use and industrialisation. Compared to the kidneys, the liver was an indicator of the current state of the environment and Cd intake, while the kidney was used to assess the long-term accumulation of Cd in the body. The cadmium concentration in the samples was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The cadmium concentrations of the organs were found to vary according to geographical location, with the highest levels being observed in Southern Poland, i.e., areas characterised by the highest degree of industrialisation and the presence of heavy industry. However, high Cd concentrations were also reported in the northeastern region. Examples of excessive cadmium levels in the kidneys were noted in all tested regions. Cd intake by humans was evaluated by calculating the estimated daily cadmium intake, and this was compared with the tolerable weekly intake (TWI). The TWI was only exceeded by children frequently consuming wild boar liver from the southwest region.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract The aim of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of Alaria alata in red foxes in NW Poland. The extensity of infection with Alaria alata was 54.7%, and the mean intensity of infection was ...72 individuals per host, ranging in number from one to 769 individuals. The fluke was found in the three parts of the small intestine, but more often in the jejunum and duodenum than the ileum. Statistically significant differences in fluke number were found between the duodenum and ileum and between the jejunum and ileum. The presence of Alaria alata was observed more in the western districts, large surfaces of which are covered by water reservoirs: these allow Alaria alata flukes to complete their developmental circle.
The role of trace elements, heavy metals, and their effect on the development of hard tissue mineralization balance is poorly documented and the available results are often contradictory. The aim of ...the present study was the assessment of the concentration of the selected elements in the teeth of deer (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) with respect to their potential role in maintaining biomineralization balance in teeth hard tissues. Moreover, the aim was to determine whether trace elements accumulate in teeth with age. This study was conducted on 22 molar teeth of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 54 molar teeth of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from Poland. Samples were analyzed with the use of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry equipped with a concentric nebulizer and cyclonic spray chamber in order to determine their Al, Ba, Cd, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Na, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn contents. There were strong positive correlations between strontium and zinc with heavy metals, particularly in dentine, which may affect the neutralization of the negative effects of heavy metals on tooth tissue and, consequently, maintaining ionic balance. The accumulation of trace elements with age in serenades has not been confirmed.
The aim of the study was to compare the prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in goats kept on organic (
= 76) and conventional farms (
= 82). In general, a higher ...prevalence of some gastrointestinal parasitic infections was found in the conventional farms compared to the organic farms: the mean prevalence of
spp. was 85.4% in conventional farms and 77.6% in organic farms, that of
was 6.10% in conventional farms and 2.63% in organic farms, and that of
was 31.7% and 17.1%, in conventional and organic farms, respectively. Both farm types demonstrated a similar mean prevalence of nematodes (80.3 vs. 84.2%). Conventional farms demonstrated a significantly higher intensity of infection with
,
spp.,
spp. and
compared to organic farms. They also demonstrated a higher intensity of infection with
spp. than organic farms. The prophylactic programs used to combat parasitic infections in both types of farms appear ineffective and require improvement. There is a need for goat herds to be covered by ongoing parasitological monitoring. It is also recommended that keepers employ rotational or intensive rotational grazing methods and take care to ensure the hygiene of animal quarters and livestock rooms.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The aim of this study was to compare the species composition of gastrointestinal parasites in wild boar feeding in the city of Szczecin with those in its suburban area, as well as to determine the ...prevalence and intensity of this parasite infection. The intestines and stomachs of 57 wild boars were supplied by a municipal hunter from the city of Szczecin. Both analysed groups of animals were infected with the following parasites:
,
,
,
,
and
. Wild boar from the city were characterised as having a significantly higher prevalence of total
(
= 0.04) and a lower prevalence of noted species of nematodes (
= 0.15) compared to those from the suburban area. Since the wild boars were mainly infected with
, it should be assumed that they may pose a real health threat to farm pigs and other farm animals for which
is a pathogenic parasite. The occurrence of coccidiosis leads to serious health problems and economic losses for breeders. Although the prevalence of
was low, it should be taken into account that this nematode is able to both infect and complete their life cycle in humans.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The aim of the present study was to compare the predictive performance of decision trees, artificial neural networks, and logistic regression used for the classification of daily body weight gains in ...beef calves. A total of 680 pure-breed Simmental and 373 Limousin cows from the largest farm in the West Pomeranian Province, whose calves were fattened between 2014 and 2016, were included in the study. Pre-weaning daily body weight gains were divided into two categories: A-equal to or lower than the weighted mean for each breed and sex and B-higher than the mean. Models were developed separately for each breed. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve on a test set for the best model (random forest) were 0.83, 0.67, 0.76, and 0.82 and 0.68, 0.86, 0.78, and 0.81 for the Limousin and Simmental breeds, respectively. The most important predictors were daily weight gains of the dam when she was a calf, daily weight gains of the first calf, sex of the third calf, milk yield at first lactation, birth weight of the third calf, dam birth weight, dam hip height, and second calving season. The selected machine learning models can be used quite effectively for the classification of calves based on their daily weight gains.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The aim of the study was to determine the species composition of the intestinal parasite fauna of foxes from the Pomerania region, with a particular emphasis on helminth species considered dangerous ...to humans, and to determine their prevalence and intensity of infection. In total, 165 digestive systems from foxes inhabiting the Pomeranian region were examined. The prevalence of intestinal parasites among the studied foxes was 61.8%. Our findings confirm that foxes in Pomerania carry various parasites, some of which pose a direct threat to human health. As such, constant monitoring of their infestation is essential. Particular attention should be paid to parasite species with potential for transmission to humans, such as Echinococcus multilocularis, Alaria alata and Toxocara canis, whose respective prevalence was found to be 10.9%, 17.6% and 28.5%.
Foxes are a reservoir of parasites that are dangerous to humans. The aim of the study was to determine the parameters associated with the occurrence of tapeworms in red foxes in north-western Poland.
...Parasitological sections were taken from 620 red foxes using IST and SCT methods in 18 districts of West Pomerania Province.
The extensity of fox infection with tapeworms was 61%.
,
spp.,
, and specimens of the genus
were identified.
was found in 11 districts.
spp. demonstrated the highest prevalence (41.3%), while
demonstrated the lowest prevalence (2.9%); however, it infected foxes with the greatest mean intensity (235.6 tapeworms per fox). The most common co-occurrence in a single host organism was observed for
spp. and tapeworms of the genus
; however, no examples were found of coinfection by
and
The occurrence of tapeworms in foxes was high in West Pomerania Province and was often higher than observed in previous years. For this reason, the risk of parasite transmission to humans and domestic animals is mounting. The risk of infection is also amplifying due to the growth of the fox population.
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