Hedgehog Dermatophytosis: Understanding Trichophyton erinacei Infection in Pet Hedgehogs and Its Implications for Human Health.

Pet hedgehogs, which are increasingly favoured companions, have garnered attention due to their potential as carriers of zoonotic diseases. These small insectivorous mammals, native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, are commonly kept as pets. The encroachment of humans into hedgehog habitats has brought these animals closer to people, raising concerns about disease transmission. This article reviews the current knowledge regarding zoonotic disease associated with pet hedgehogs, with a particular focus on mycotic infections caused by Trichophyton erinacei. Data from various regions and hedgehog species are synthesised to assess the significance of pet hedgehogs as potential reservoirs and transmitters of zoonotic pathogens. Our study highlights the importance of understanding the health risks associated with pet hedgehogs and underscores the need for continued research to mitigate zoonotic disease transmission from these potentially disease-carrying companions.

A Chitosan-Based Biomaterial Combined with Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Conditioned Medium for Wound Healing and Skin Regeneration.

The aim of this study was to provide a beneficial treatment effect of novel chitosan bio-polymeric material enriched with mesenchymal stem cell products derived from the canine adipose tissue (AT-MSC) on the artificial skin defect in a rabbit model. For the objectivity of the regeneration evaluation, we used histological analysis and a scoring system created by us, taking into account all the attributes of regeneration, such as inflammatory reaction, necrosis, granulation, formation of individual skin layers and hair follicles. We observed an acceleration and improvement in the healing of an artificially created skin defect after eight and ten weeks in comparison with negative control (spontaneous healing without biomaterial). Moreover, we were able to described hair follicles and epidermis layer in histological skin samples treated with a chitosan-based biomaterial on the eighth week after grafting.

Cage trapping and field anaesthesia of brown bears as part of nuisance bear management.

The population and distribution of the European brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Slovakia are expanding as bears were observed beyond the southern border of the country in Hungary. This study presents the authors' experience with field anaesthesia of wild brown bears trapped in a custom-made container trap and of free-ranging individuals. A total of 25 bears were captured and translocated using a specially designed metal cage trap. The study compared the effectiveness of three anaesthetic protocols in managing both free-ranging and trapped bears. For juveniles, or small adults up to 70 kg body weight (BW), ketamine-xylazine mixture was used at doses of 3.0-4.0 mg kg-1 ketamine and 1.0-1.5 mg kg-1 xylazine BW. The immobilisation of free-ranging bears, which are usually attracted by municipal solid garbage, was performed remotely using PneuDart darts with 2-3 ml of anaesthetics. For this purpose, tiletamine-zolazepam-detomidine (T-Z-D) was preferred at a dose of 1.7-2.5 (T) mg kg-1, 1.7-2.5 (Z) mg kg-1, and 0.1-0.2 (D) mg kg-1 BW. Induction time was from 7 to 18 min post darting with the average of 12.04 min. The same combination was applied to bears trapped in a container trap, with anaesthesia lasting from 40 to 150 min. If T-Z-D was used, no further anaesthetic was needed. In all cases, anaesthesia was antagonised by atipamezole at a dose of 0.15-0.225 mg kg-1 BW. Atipamezole was injected at a half dose intramuscularly and a half dose subcutaneously at the time when the palpebral reflex reappeared and the bear was able to move his tongue. It was shown that the T-Z-D mixture is a safe, low-volume anaesthetic darting protocol that is reversible, has minimal adverse effects on physiological parameters, and has a sufficient duration. The results can be used to manage large carnivore populations in the Carpathian region.

In Vivo Study of Osteochondral Defect Regeneration Using Innovative Composite Calcium Phosphate Biocement in a Sheep Model.

This study aimed to clarify the therapeutic effect and regenerative potential of the novel, amino acids-enriched acellular biocement (CAL) based on calcium phosphate on osteochondral defects in sheep. Eighteen sheep were divided into three groups, the treated group (osteochondral defects filled with a CAL biomaterial), the treated group with a biocement without amino acids (C cement), and the untreated group (spontaneous healing). Cartilages of all three groups were compared with natural cartilage (negative control). After six months, sheep were evaluated by gross appearance, histological staining, immunohistochemical staining, histological scores, X-ray, micro-CT, and MRI. Treatment of osteochondral defects by CAL resulted in efficient articular cartilage regeneration, with a predominant structural and histological characteristic of hyaline cartilage, contrary to fibrocartilage, fibrous tissue or disordered mixed tissue on untreated defect (p < 0.001, modified O'Driscoll score). MRI results of treated defects showed well-integrated and regenerated cartilage with similar signal intensity, regularity of the articular surface, and cartilage thickness with respect to adjacent native cartilage. We have demonstrated that the use of new biocement represents an effective solution for the successful treatment of osteochondral defects in a sheep animal model, can induce an endogenous regeneration of cartilage in situ, and provides several benefits for the design of future therapies supporting osteochondral defect healing.

Biofilm-forming lactic acid bacteria of honey bee origin intended for potential probiotic use.

Scientists around the world are focusing their interest on the use of probiotics in honey bees as an alternative method of prophylaxis against causative agents of both American and European foulbrood. In our study we tested inhibitory activity against Paenibacillus larvae and the biofilm formation activity by various lactic acid bacteria isolated from honey bee guts or fresh pollen samples in the presence of different sugars added to the cultivation media. In addition, we tested the probiotic effect of a newly selected Apilactobacillus kunkeei V18 in an in situ experiment in bee colonies. We found antibacterial activity against P. larvae in four isolates. Biofilm formation activity of varying intensity was noted in six of the seven isolates in the presence of different sugars. The strongest biofilm formation (OD570 ≥ 1) was noted in A. kunkeei V18 in the presence of fructose; moreover, this isolate strongly inhibited the growth of P. larvae under laboratory conditions. Inhibition of P. larvae and Melissococcus plutonius by A. kunkeei V18 in situ was confirmed in a pilot study.

Sex-biased topography effects on butterfly dispersal.

BACKGROUND: Metapopulation persistence in fragmented landscapes is assured by dispersal of individuals between local populations. In this scenario the landscape topography, although usually neglected, may have an important role in shaping dispersal throughout the matrix separating habitat patches. Due to inter-sexual differences in optimal reproductive strategies, i.e., males maximizing the number of mating opportunities and females maximizing the offspring survival chances, topography-related constraints are expected to exert a different effect on male and female dispersal behaviour. We tested sex-biased topography effects on butterfly dispersal, with the following hypotheses: (1) females are constrained by topography in their movements and avoid hill crossing; (2) male dispersal is primarily driven by two-dimensional spatial structure of the habitat patches (i.e. their geometric locations and sizes) and little influenced by topography. METHODS: Following intensive mark-recapture surveys of Maculinea (= Phengaris) nausithous and M. teleius within a landscape characterised by an alternation of hills and valleys, we investigated sex-specific patterns in their inter-patch movement probabilities derived with a multi-state recapture model. In particular, we (1) analysed the fit of dispersal kernels based on Euclidean (= straight line) vs. topography-based (= through valley) distances; (2) compared movement probabilities for the pairs of patches separated or not by topographic barriers; and (3) tested the differences in the downward and upward movement probabilities within the pairs of patches. RESULTS: Euclidean distances between patches proved to be a substantially stronger predictor of inter-patch movement probabilities in males, while inter-patch distances measured along valleys performed much better for females, indicating that the latter tend to predominantly follow valleys when dispersing. In addition, there were significantly lower probabilities of movements across hills in females, but not in males. CONCLUSIONS: Both above results provide support for the hypothesis that topography restricts dispersal in females, but not in males. Since the two sexes contribute differently to metapopulation functioning, i.e., only female dispersal can result in successful (re)colonisations of vacant patches, the topography effects exerted on females should be considered with particular attention when landscape management and conservation actions are designed in order to maintain the functional connectivity of metapopulation systems.

Risk element accumulation in Coleoptera and Hymenoptera (Formicidae) living in an extremely contaminated area-a preliminary study.

The risk element accumulation ability of two groups of epigeic species, insects from families Coleoptera and Hymenoptera (namely Formicidae), was determined and related to soil risk element content and bioaccessibility. The study was conducted in the district of Príbram, Czech Republic, which was characterised by extremely high aged pollution in the soils, including risk elements, especially As, Pb, Zn and Cd, due to the former mining and smelting activity. Four sampling sites differing in their pseudo-total risk element contents were selected and composite samples of individuals representing either Coleoptera or Formicidae were sampled at the individual sampling points. The results indicate the ability of Coleoptera and Formicidae organisms to accumulate risk elements, especially at the location with extremely high soil risk element content. In soil containing up to 841 mg As kg-1, 84.6 mg Cd kg-1, 4250 mg Pb kg-1 and 8542 mg Zn kg-1, contents in insect bodies reached 239 mg As kg-1 As, 24.2 mg Cd kg-1, 70.4 mg Pb kg-1 and 335 mg Zn kg-1 in beetles and up to 20.9 mg As kg-1, 29.9 mg Cd kg-1, 111 mg Pb kg-1 and 657 mg Zn kg-1 in ants. Therefore, bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) varied between 0.02 and 0.55. Increasing Cd content in Coleoptera bodies with increasing soil pseudo-total element content was observed only among the investigated elements. However, the results indicate increasing BAF values with decreasing soil element levels, especially for Cd, Pb and Zn, indicating limited uptake of elements by the organisms living in contact with extremely contaminated soil.

Mylabris (Mylabris) snizeki sp. nov. from Jordan, with a key to the Jordanian species of the nominotypical subgenus (Coleoptera: Meloidae).

Mylabris (Mylabris) snizeki sp. nov. from Jordan is described and an identification key to Jordanian species of the nominotypical subgenus is provided.

Effect of sex on the nutritional value of house cricket, Acheta domestica L.

Since January 2018, insects have been recognised as novel foods in the EU, but their nutritional value varies, and factors affecting their nutritional composition have been debated. We investigated the effect of sex on the nutritional value and chemical composition of the house cricket (Acheta domestica L.). Both sexes were rich in protein and lipids. The proximate composition was partly influenced by sex; females contained a significantly higher amount of lipids (18.3-21.7 vs 12.9-16.1 g/100 g dry matter, p = 0.0001) and fewer proteins than males (61.2-64.9 vs 66.3-69.6 g/100 g dry matter, p = 0.0001). Males contained more chitin (p = 0.0015) and nitrogen chains (p = 0.0003) than females. Only the ash (p = 0.4314) and nitrogen-free extract (p = 0.4871) were uninfluenced by sex. Furthermore, nutrient quality expressed as essential amino acid (72.3-77.1), thrombogenicity (1.22-1.45), and atherogenicity indices (0.53-0.58) did not differ between sexes (p > 0.05).

Which Wild Aardvarks Are Most Suitable for Outdoor Enclosures in Zoological Gardens in the European Union?

The aardvark is popular in many zoological gardens in the European Union. These creatures are nocturnal, and aardvarks in the wild are known to walk distances of 4 km to 7 km per night. Despite what is known about their biology, most aardvarks are kept in zoological gardens in indoor enclosures with little space for movement. This lack of space leads to a tendency toward obesity and compromised welfare. With their wide distribution in Sub-Saharan Africa, aardvarks are perceived as thermophilic nonhuman animals. Nevertheless, some records suggest they may be able to adapt to colder climates and can be active outside their burrows when temperatures fall to 2°C. These findings suggest there may be a wild African population that is suitable for partial outdoor keeping under European climatic conditions. Therefore, a climate match was computed between the source area with aardvark occurrence and a target area of the European Union. Data revealed that the Free State, a South African province, was the area with the best climate similarity, and aardvarks from this area are recommended as suitable for the aforementioned purpose.

Potential pest transfer mediated by international ornamental plant trade.

In recent years, the keeping of ornamental freshwater animals and plants in garden ponds has been growing in popularity. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is one of the preferred macrophytes seasonally imported mainly from South-eastern Asia throughout the world. This constitutes a secondary introduction inasmuch as the species is native to South America. Although many assemblages of aquatic invertebrates have been described as associated with this plant in the wild, there has been no research focused on their potential introduction via the international plant trade. We examined 216 specimens of water hyacinths imported for ornamental purposes from Indonesia into the Czech Republic. Numerous meio- and macroinvertebrates belonging to at least 39 species were captured. On the total number of individuals, the highest prevalence was of Tubulinea and Rotifera. Most of these were still alive and vital, including a caterpillar of the Indo-Australian invasive moth Spodoptera litura. Water hyacinths are usually placed into outdoor ponds immediately after import, which facilitates the release of non-target alien species. The present paper aims to draw attention to "hitchhikers" associated with the ornamental trade.

Evidence for positive density-dependent emigration in butterfly metapopulations.

A positive effect of (meta)population density on emigration has been predicted by many theoretical models and confirmed empirically in various organisms. However, in butterflies, the most popular species for dispersal studies, the evidence for its existence has so far been equivocal, with negative relationships between density and emigration being reported more frequently. We analysed dispersal in sympatric metapopulations of two Maculinea butterflies, intensively surveyed with mark-release-recapture methods for 7 years. Dispersal parameters, derived using the virtual migration model, were assessed against butterfly densities, which fluctuated strongly over the study period. Emigration was positively correlated with density, and this effect was particularly strong at densities above carrying capacity, when emigration increased up to threefold in females and twofold in males compared with the normal levels. In turn, density had little impact on other dispersal parameters analysed. Our findings provide good evidence for positive density-dependence of emigration in butterflies. Emigrating at high densities is particularly beneficial for females, because it gives them a chance to lay part of their egg-load in less crowded patches, where offspring survival is higher due to lower intraspecific competition. Even though the rise in emigration becomes considerable at densities exceeding carrying capacity, i.e. relatively infrequently, it still has serious implications for many ecological phenomena, such as species range expansions, gene flow, and metapopulation persistence. Consequently, instead of treating emigration as a fixed trait, it is worth allowing for its density-dependence in applications such as population viability analyses, genetic models or metapopulation models.