Effetti della cattività su alcuni parametri ematologici del grifone (Gyps fulvus)
Haematological analysis is an essential field of veterinary medicine that provides inexpensive and reliable support to determinate animal health. The knowledge of how different factors affect the normal mean values of blood parameters is key to understand and improve animal health. In order to investigate how captivity can affect the haematological profile of birds of prey, the erythrocyte count, haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, total leukocytes count of 123 griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) were analysed. The birds were divided into 4 groups according to their life conditions: a control group of free-living griffons, 2 semi-captive groups held in an aviary for …
Physiological stress indicators in the plasma of Scyliorhinus canicula captured by botto trawling at two depths.
The quantification of capture-related physiological stress is an important factor when assessing the potential for post-release survival in sharks that are incidentally captured. In the absence of these biological data and when the post-release fate is unknown, effective management plans cannot be formulated and may lead to highly susceptible shark populations being overfished. Here, we measured the levels of lactate, glucose, alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), Ca2+, Na+ K+,Cl - Mg 2+ and Pi in the plasma of mature and immature lesser spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula, herein dogfish) which were incidentally captured at two depths (shallow: 50-200 m, an…
Effects of Social Hierarchy Establishment on Stress Response and Cell Phagocytosis in Gilt-Head Sea Bream (Sparus aurata)
Social stress can affect the ability of fish to respond to various stressors, such as pathogens or environmental variations. In this paper, the effects of social stress on gilt-head bream (Sparus aurata) were investigated. To study the effects of physiological stress, we evaluated biochemical and cellular parameters, such as cortisol, glucose, lactate, osmolarity, and phagocytosis, 24 h after the establishment of social hierarchy in a group of three fish. Social hierarchy was determined and characterized by behavioral observation (aggressive acts and feeding order) of the specimens (dominant: “α”; subordinate: “β” and “γ”). After the esta…
Co-inertia multivariate approach for the evaluation of anthropogenic impact on two commercial fish along Tyrrhenian coasts
Abstract Aliphatic hydrocarbon levels were determined by the GC/MS technique in fish livers of Engraulis encrasicolus (Ee) and Trachurus trachurus (Tt), collected from a particular area of the Mediterranean Sea, called GSA 10, which is located exactly in Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania coast and North Sicily coast. The aim was to evaluate their potential use as specific bioindicators towards this class of contaminants. Both Tt and Ee are considered to be pollution monitoring bioindicators, due to their dominance in marine communities and economic fishing interest. Ee showed a higher tendency to bioaccumulate TAHs, due to the lower quantity of fatty acids in liver tissues with respect to Tt.…
EFFECTS OF THE ENRICHED-ORGANIC DIETS COMPOSITION ON EUROPEAN SEA BASS (Dicentrarchus labrax) NEW TOOLS FOR FISH WELFARE EVALUATION IN AQUACULTURE
In recent years, concern for the welfare of animals, including fish, has a strong impact on public opinion, putting pressure not only on producers and the scientific community, but also on institution to guarantee adequate "standards” for animal welfare. The market today challenges the production capacity of aquaculture by asking for products with consistently high quality. Unlike other farming methods, there is a lack of scientific information on the welfare of fish reared under intensive aquaculture conditions. Among the various aspects that characterize aquaculture, the increase in fish welfare has an impact on public opinion also for economic reasons whereby is very important to keep an…
The Role of Spatial Exploration and Territoriality in Establishing Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata) Hierarchies, and Their Effects upon Underlying Stress Physiology
Territoriality, spatial exploration and social hierarchy are strictly related behaviors in gregarious fishes, and are often under-appreciated in farms where the individuals are confined within crowded spaces. In this study, we investigated the role of spatial exploration, elucidating the importance of time upon forming the social organization, and the role of the territoriality in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), using two experimental approaches. In the first approach, three fish were placed sequentially in the aquarium with an interval of two days (sequential model), while in the second (simultaneous model), two fish were simultaneously placed in an aquarium divided by a barrier which w…
Effect of lambing season on ewe’s colostrum composition
Colostrum provides newborns with nutrients and immunoglobulins that play a major role in the immune system. In this survey, the immunoglobulin G (IgG) content, gross composition, mineral content, and fatty acid composition were determined in the colostrum of Valle del Belice ewes with the aim of evaluating the effect of lambing of season. In total, we analysed 60 bulk tank colostrum samples taken after lambing during two seasons (summer and winter). The IgG con- tent and Brix mean values were 40.35 g/L and 21.02%, respectively. The colostrum fat, protein, casein, and lactose percentages were 8.01, 12.10, 8.51, and 3.13%, respectively. The lambing sea- son significantly influenced the pH and…
Effects of 3,5-diiodo-L-thyronine on the liver of high fat diet fed rats
Experimental studies have highlighted that the administration of 3,5-diiodo-L-thyronine (T2) to rats fed diets rich in lipids induces a decrease of cholesterol and triglycerides plasma levels and body weight (BW) without inducing liver steatosis. On the basis of these observations we carried out some experimental <em>in vivo</em> studies to assess the effects of multiple high doses of T2 on the pituitary thyroid axis of rats fed diet rich in lipids. Fifteen male Wistar rats were divided into three groups of five animals each. The first group (N group) received standard diet, the second group was fed with a high fat diet (HFD group), while the third group (HFDT2 group) was additi…