We report on a large burrow cast with skeletal contents from Lower Triassic strata of the Palingkloof Member of the Balfour Formation, which forms the lowermost portion of the Lystrosaurus Assemblage ...Zone (LAZ) of South Africa. The burrow cast is similar to large burrow casts previously described from the LAZ that were identified as large-scale Scoyenia domichnia. It is the first large burrow cast from the LAZ found to contain diagnostic fossil bone. The burrow cast is a relatively straight, subhorizontal (inclined ∼12°), dorsoventrally compressed tube consisting of an entry ramp and living chamber; the entrance to the burrow is not preserved and there is no evidence that the ramp formed a spiral section. The skeletal material comprises a single, partial, disarticulated skeleton of a juvenile animal that can be assigned with confidence to the dicynodont genus Lystrosaurus. Whereas similar large-diameter burrow casts from strata slightly higher in the LAZ have been attributed to Lystrosaurus, we present an alternative hypothesis that a carnivorous tetrapod constructed the burrow. Our preferred hypothesis is supported by the observation that the interred Lystrosaurus skeleton is too small to be the maker of this particular burrow, by the general observation that carnivorous tetrapods construct relatively straight burrows, and by the partial, disarticulated state of the skeleton, which we interpret as the remains of larded prey. We suggest that akidnognathid theriodonts of the genera Moschorhinus or Olivierosuchus, the most conspicuous large predators of the LAZ, were the constructors of large-diameter, subhorizontal burrows.
Summary
In this work, we identified for the first time hepatitis E virus (HEV) in a pet house rabbit, an adult 7 years old female of domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Importantly, the ...resulting phylogenetic tree showed that the HEV strain identified in the pet house rabbit was closely related to a human HEV sequence; this finding reawakens concerns regarding the zoonotic risk represented by HEV in animals and expands to house rabbit the spectrum of potential source of infection for humans. Potential for domestic transmission of HEV to humans should be taken into account.
Reverse transcription (RT) quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is the most accurate and easy-to-perform technique to measure the expression level of a selected gene of interest by quantifying mRNA ...transcripts. The use of reference genes is commonly accepted as the most reliable approach to normalize RT-qPCR data and reduce possible errors generated in the quantification of gene expression. The optimal number and choice of reference genes are experimentally validated for specific tissues or cell types and experimental designs. To date, data on qPCR normalization in goats are scarce and the most suitable reference genes in this species have been identified for only a limited number of tissues. The aim of this study was to determine an optimal combination of stably expressed reference genes in caprine milk somatic cells (MSC) from healthy and infected mammary glands. For the purpose, we performed RT-qPCR for 10 commonly used reference genes from various functional classes and then determined their expression level in MSC from goats intramammary challenged with Staphylococcus aureus and in MSC from healthy controls, with a view to select genes whose stability would be unaffected under infection conditions. The geNorm and NormFinder algorithms were used for validating the reference genes. Furthermore, to demonstrate the importance of normalization of gene expression with appropriate reference genes, we tested the effect of using a combination of the least stable genes for expression analysis evaluation. On the basis of our evaluation, we recommend the use of a panel of reference genes that should include G6PD, YWHAZ, and ACTB for caprine MSC gene expression profiling. The expression of the 2 genes of interest, pentraxin-related protein (PTX3) and secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), was evaluated by RT-qPCR in all samples collected pre- and postinfection, and the recommended reference genes were used to normalize the data. Our study provides a validated panel of optimal reference genes for the identification of genes differentially expressed by qRT-PCR in caprine MSC. Moreover, we provided a set of intron-spanning primer sequences that could be suitable for gene expression experiments using SYBR Green chemistry on other caprine tissues and cells.
The detailed description of the cranial anatomy of
Cotylorhynchus romeri,
a very large caseid synapsid from the lower Permian Hennessey Formation of Oklahoma, uncovered several potential ...autapomorphies, including parietal-postorbital contact greatly reduced by broad anterior process of supratemporal; the postparietals are transversely broad and contact the supratemporals laterally; the quadratojugal has a pennant-like occipital process; the stapes has a short shaft and a ventral process that abuts against the palate; the bulbous marginal dentition narrows distally and carries three small denticles; the vomer has three large teeth along its medial edge; parasphenoidal dentition is present; and the surangular overlaps the posterodorsal tip of the dentary and excludes it from the coronoid eminence. Owing to lack of comparative cranial material in most large caseids, the evolutionary history of these autapomorphies remains ambiguous because they cannot be determined in the closest relatives of
Cotylorhynchus romeri
. Our description of the skull of
Cotylorhynchus romeri
is consonant with the hypothesis that this caseid was a high-fibre terrestrial herbivore. The recent hypothesis that
Cotylorhynchus romeri
was primarily aquatic was proposed on a paleobiological basis that ignored paleontological and taphonomic evidence from the Hennessey Formation. Autochthonous preservation of several articulated skeletons of
Cotylorhynchus romeri
in subaerially deposited sediments that also preserve “swarms” of an aestivating fossil amphibian (
Brachydectes
) indicate that this caseid was the largest tetrapod of a terrestrial fauna that lived in a monsoonal climate.
Confirmed animal poisoning cases were 215/497 (43.2%) from 2009 to 2018.Anticoagulant rodenticides (79.2%) were the main cause of animal poisoning.The most affected areas are located along the ...coast.Dogs and cats were 40.0% of confirmed animal poisoning.
Intentional poisoning represents a serious risk to domestic and wild animals, and it can be an environmental and human health issue as well . This paper is a retrospective study, which covers a decade, based on animal poisoning cases and poisoned baits that were submitted for diagnostic examinations to the Veterinary Medical Research Institute for Piedmont, Liguria and the Aosta Valley (IZS-PLVA) in Liguria region. All data were collected through a passive surveillance system introduced in Italy by a decree of the Ministry of Health in January 2009.
43.2% of the animal poisoning cases were confirmed by toxicological analysis, whereas toxic agents were detected in 31.1% of the baits. The most affected animal species were dogs and cats, followed by synanthropic birds,. Only 4% of the total poisoning events analysed involved wild animals and cases of livestock poisoning were minimal. An increased number of cases in January, March, April and August was noticed, but no seasonal trend was detected. The most affected areas were the ones with the highest level of urbanization and population density. The major cause of the poisonings and the most common substances detected in the examined baits were anticoagulants whereas cholinesterase inhibitors, organochlorine pesticides and carbamates were detected in a minor number of cases.
This study raises concerns about deliberate animal poisoning in ligurian region and highlights the necessity to fight this phenomenon as it endangers animals, humans and environment.
There is very little scientific literature about the impact of Eel virus European X (EVEX) on eels held under artificial reproduction condition, and its effective role in eel decline is uncertain and ...still unclear. Following a disease outbreak of European eels, farmed in an experimental hatchery in Italy, a sample of the affected animals was analyzed to determine the cause of illness. Virological isolation, PCR assay and molecular characterization revealed the presence of EVEX in the diseased animals. The complete N, P, M and G gene regions were amplified by using novel primers specific for EVEX. The EVEX strain identified in this study was phylogenetically close to the known EVEX isolates; however, this Italian isolate diverges and localizes in a separated branch of this cluster. In addition, some unique amino acid changes in three out of four analyzed viral proteins differentiated the Italian virus from reported EVEX sequences which, although few in number, do cover different geographical areas and a 30-year time span. Molecular data are needed to gain further insight into the genetic variability of EVEX, to better define its phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships and to unravel the existence of different circulating strains. Examination of samples caught in the same area failed to detect the presence of EVEX infection. These results strongly indicate that the presence and risk factors associated with EVEX infection are not well established and further study should be performed in this field, in particular on stress and temperature dependence for disease development.
•We report symptoms, gross lesions and results of EVEX infection.•Molecular and phylogenetic studies are described.•We report a new divergent strain of EVEX which seem to circulate in Italy.•We provide more information about the role of EVEX in eel.
Inference of feeding preferences in fossil terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods) has been drawn predominantly from craniodental morphology, and less so from fossil specimens preserving conclusive ...evidence of diet in the form of oral and/or gut contents. Recently, the pivotal role of insectivory in tetrapod evolution was emphasized by the identification of putative insectivores as the closest relatives of the oldest known herbivorous amniotes. We provide the first compelling evidence for insectivory among early tetrapods on the basis of two 280-million-year-old (late Palaeozoic) fossil specimens of a new species of acleistorhinid parareptile with preserved arthropod cuticle on their toothed palates. Their dental morphology, consisting of homodont marginal dentition with cutting edges and slightly recurved tips, is consistent with an insectivorous diet. The intimate association of arthropod cuticle with the oral region of two small reptiles, from a rich fossil locality that has otherwise not produced invertebrate remains, strongly supports the inference of insectivory in the reptiles. These fossils lend additional support to the hypothesis that the origins and earliest stages of higher vertebrate evolution are associated with relatively small terrestrial insectivores.
Recent field work in the upper Permian Moradi Formation of Niger has yielded new material of the lateoccurring and largest moradisaurine captorhinid, Moradisaurus grandis. The material includes two ...right hemimandibles, which represent individuals that are slightly smaller than the holotype. The smaller size of these mandibles, together with evidence in the form of tooth replacement, strongly suggest that the new material is ontogenetically younger than the holotype. The available evidence implies that tooth rows were added during growth in M. grandis. The mandible of M. grandis is distinguished from other moradisaurines in the extreme lingual extension of the tooth plate, which forms a dental shelf or plateau that supports the three lingual-most rows of teeth. In addition, a mentomeckelian bone is preserved, the first to be reported in a Paleozoic reptile. In contrast to the conspicuous wear documented on the teeth of certain other moradisaurines, wear facets are not observed on the teeth of the M. grandis specimens described here. The absence of tooth wear is surprising because the articular morphology of M. grandis is virtually identical to, albeit slightly larger than, that of Labidosaurikos meachami, for which propalinal jaw movement was first inferred in a moradisaurine. A phylogenetic analysis incorporating the new anatomical information confirms the hypothesis that M. grandis forms a clade with Rothianiscus multidontus and Gansurhinus qingtoushanensis within Moradisaurinae, and positions Captorhinikos chozaensis as the basal-most member of the subfamily.
The oldest parareptile and the early diversification of reptiles Modesto, Sean P.; Scott, Diane M.; MacDougall, Mark J. ...
Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological sciences/Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological Sciences,
02/2015, Volume:
282, Issue:
1801
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Amniotes, tetrapods that evolved the cleidoic egg and thus independence from aquatic larval stages, appeared ca 314 Ma during the Coal Age. The rapid diversification of amniotes and other tetrapods ...over the course of the Late Carboniferous period was recently attributed to the fragmentation of coal-swamp rainforests ca 307 Ma. However, the amniote fossil record during the Carboniferous is relatively sparse, with ca 33% of the diversity represented by single specimens for each species. We describe here a new species of reptilian amniote that was collected from uppermost Carboniferous rocks of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Erpetonyx arsenaultorum gen. et sp. nov. is a new parareptile distinguished by 29 presacral vertebrae and autapomorphies of the carpus. Phylogenetic analyses of parareptiles reveal E. arsenaultorum as the closest relative of bolosaurids. Stratigraphic calibration of our results indicates that parareptiles began their evolutionary radiation before the close of the Carboniferous Period, and that the diversity of end-Carboniferous reptiles is 80% greater than suggested by previous work. Latest Carboniferous reptiles were still half as diverse as synapsid amniotes, a disparity that may be attributable to preservational biases, to collecting biases, to the origin of herbivory in tetrapods or any combination of these factors.
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