The role of genetics in determining resistance to coccidiosis in goats a review of current research and future directions.

Coccidiosis is a significant parasitic disease in goats, with significant impacts on animal health, productivity, and economic losses for producers. Although various management practices can help control and prevent coccidiosis, a growing body of research suggests that genetics play an important role in determining resistance to the disease. This review explores the current understanding of the genetics of coccidiosis resistance in goats, including the potential genetic factors and mechanisms involved, and the implications for breeding and selection programs. The review will also discuss current research and future directions in this field, including the use of genomic tools and technologies to better understand the genetics of resistance and to improve breeding programs for coccidiosis resistance in goats. This review will be of interest to veterinary practitioners, goat producers, animal breeders, and researchers working in the field of veterinary parasitology and animal genetics.

Refutation of media reports on introduction of the red bellied piranha and potential impacts on aquatic biodiversity in India.

The presence of a new, potentially deadly exotic fish resembling the Red Bellied Piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri was reported in India by print media from various aquatic resources. These reports raised dramatic concerns over public health issues and threats to the aquatic biodiversity of India. Considering the potential severity of the issue and concerns raised by the media, we undertook a study to evaluate the reliability of identification reports of the suspected fish, any relationships to other species of piranha and to address any possible threats to the aquatic biodiversity of India. For this study, samples were collected from most of the major river systems and lakes in India and evaluated for taxonomic identifications of the suspect fish and phylogenetic relationships to other fish species. Our results clearly show that the suspect fish is in fact Piaractus brachypomus, a species commonly referred as "Pacu", and not the red bellied piranha, P. nattereri. Comparisons of both fish do show striking similarities that may account for the misreporting in the media. Furthermore, P. brachypomusas is still an exotic fish, and as such may still have potentially harmful impacts on the native aquatic fauna of India. Quick attention to this issue and the imposition of control measures, including market bans, should be considered to prevent further loss of biodiversity.

Multiple tests on saffron find new adulterant materials and reveal that Ist grade saffron is rare in the market.

Among spices, Saffron is among the most extensively interrogated for purity and authenticity. Numerous methods have been recommended for authentication of Saffron samples and for detection of adulterants for codex compliance. However, none of these methods can fulfill both of these important quality criteria. This study describes a three step approach to achieving this goal by including the established ISO3632 method and two additional methods based on microscopic examination and DNA barcoding. We provide results showing the utility of these methods both independently and in combination for quality evaluation of 36 commercial saffron samples. Our results show that use of the ISO3632 approach alone can reveal the color and aroma but not the genetic origin of the material or distinguish between synthetic components versus natural ingredients. Also, the microscopic observation method can give a preliminary indication of saffron authenticity, but used alone it is unable to quantify purity. Finally, a relatively new method based on the use of DNA barcodes can authenticate the biological origin of the saffron, but here results may be misleading if auto-adulterating materials are present. Overall, our study reveals that through the combined use of all three methods, saffron authentication can substantially improved.

DNA barcode based wildlife forensics for resolving the origin of claw samples using a novel primer cocktail.

Excessive wildlife hunting for commercial purposes can have negative impacts on biodiversity and may result in species extinction. To ensure compliance with legal statutes, forensic identification approaches relying on molecular markers may be used to identify the species of origin of animal material from hairs, claw, blood, bone, or meat. Using this approach, DNA sequences from the COI "barcoding" gene have been used to identify material from a number of domesticated animal species. However, many wild species of carnivores still present great challenges in generating COI barcodes using standard "universal" primer pairs. In the work presented here, the mitochondrial COI gene was successfully amplified using a novel primer cocktail, and the products were sequenced to determine the species of twenty one unknown samples of claw material collected as part of forensic wildlife case investigations. Sixteen of the unknown samples were recognized to have originated from either Panthera leo or P. pardus individuals. The remaining five samples could be identified only to the family level due to the absence of reference animal sequences. This is the first report on the use of COI sequences for the identification of P. pardus and P. leo from claw samples as part of forensic investigations in India. The study also highlights the need for adequate reference material to aid in the resolution of suspected cases of illegal wildlife harvesting.