Fate of Biodegradable Engineered Nanoparticles Used in Veterinary Medicine as Delivery Systems from a One Health Perspective.

The field of veterinary medicine needs new solutions to address the current challenges of antibiotic resistance and the need for increased animal production. In response, a multitude of delivery systems have been developed in the last 20 years in the form of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), a subclass of which are polymeric, biodegradable ENPs, that are biocompatible and biodegradable (pbENPs). These platforms have been developed to deliver cargo, such as antibiotics, vaccines, and hormones, and in general, have been shown to be beneficial in many regards, particularly when comparing the efficacy of the delivered drugs to that of the conventional drug applications. However, the fate of pbENPs developed for veterinary applications is poorly understood. pbENPs undergo biotransformation as they are transferred from one ecosystem to another, and these transformations greatly affect their impact on health and the environment. This review addresses nanoparticle fate and impact on animals, the environment, and humans from a One Health perspective.

Domesticated Animal Biobanking: Land of Opportunity.

In the past decade, biobanking has fuelled great scientific advances in the human medical sector. Well-established domesticated animal biobanks and integrated networks likewise harbour immense potential for great scientific advances with broad societal impacts, which are currently not being fully realised. Political and scientific leaders as well as journals and ethics committees should help to ensure that we are well equipped to meet future demands in livestock production, animal models, and veterinary care of companion animals.

A history of FMD research and control programmes in Southeast Asia: lessons from the past informing the future.

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a major animal health problem within Southeast Asia (SEA). Although Indonesia and more recently the Philippines have achieved freedom from FMD, the disease remains endemic on continental SEA. Control of FMD within SEA would increase access to markets in more developed economies and reduce lost productivity in smallholder and emerging commercial farmer settings. However, despite many years of vaccination by individual countries, numerous factors have prevented the successful control of FMD within the region, including unregulated 'informal' transboundary movement of livestock and their products, difficulties implementing vaccination programmes, emergence of new virus topotypes and lineages, low-level technical capacity and biosecurity at national levels, limited farmer knowledge on FMD disease recognition, failure of timely outbreak reporting and response, and limitations in national and international FMD control programmes. This paper examines the published research of FMD in the SEA region, reviewing the history, virology, epidemiology and control programmes and identifies future opportunities for FMD research aimed at the eventual eradication of FMD from the region.

Current status of veterinary public health activities in Bangladesh and its future plans.

BACKGROUND: Veterinary Public Health (VPH) is a major part of public health in which human health and well-being are the central tasks. In recent years the VPH is gaining increasing importance because immense changes have occurred in animal production processes and agricultural structures. The aim of this paper is to describe the current VPH activities in Bangladesh, its major constraints and future activities plan to ensure safe food production as well as protect the environment and public health. MAIN TEXT: VPH concerns all areas of food production and safety, zoonosis control, environmental protection and animal welfare. In Bangladesh, the VPH unit was established in 1984 by the Directorate of Livestock Services (DLS) for zoonosis control and production of wholesome food of animal origin. Zoonoses are the core domain of VPH. Bangladesh is facing the emergence of zoonotic diseases including anthrax, tuberculosis, brucellosis, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, E. coli infections, avian influenza, rabies, nipah and dengue virus infections.. Multi-drug resistance bacteria are emerging due to indiscriminate uses of antibiotics in livestock and poultry industries. Lack of proper slaughter houses, antemortem and postmortem inspections of carcasses by qualified veterinarians contributes greatly to unwholesome meat production. The VPH unit has a significant role to play to ensure better public health. However, there are many constraints that affect the VPH services. Absence of VPH services at all administrative level, inadequate budget, lack of qualified personnel, poor lab facilities, absence of legal framework, and the lack of coordination with health department are the major constraints. CONCLUSIONS: The spectrum of VPH issues in Bangladesh is very large. Therefore it is important to carefully set priorities in order to ensure effective and efficient VPH services. Establishment of VPH units at all levels, effective surveillance for zoonotic diseases, institution of legal framework to define role of VPH services, creation of public health awareness, collaborative works with health departments, improving laboratory facilities and training programs for the veterinarian are keys to ensure better VPH services in Bangladesh.

Predicting career sector intent and the theory of planned behaviour: survey findings from Australian veterinary science students.

BACKGROUND: Producing graduates for a breadth of sectors is a priority for veterinary science programs. Undergraduate career intentions represent de-facto 'outcome' measures of admissions policy and curricula design, as intentions are strong predictors of eventual behaviour. Informed by Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study aimed to identify if contextually relevant attitudes and self-ratings affect student intentions for veterinary career sectors. RESULTS: Survey responses from 844 students enrolled in five Australian veterinary programs in 2014 were analysed. Intention was measured for biomedical research/academia, industry, laboratory animal medicine, public health/government/diagnostic laboratory services, mixed practice, intensive animal production, companion animal practice, not work in the veterinary profession, and business/entrepreneurship. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis enabled comparison of explanation of variance in intent by demographics, animal handling experience, species preference, and attitudes to aspects of veterinary work. Career sector intentions were highest for mixed or companion animal clinical practice, then business/entrepreneurship, then non-clinical sectors. Overall, intent was explained to a greater extent by species preferences than by animal experience, attitudes to aspects of veterinary work and demographics (with the exception of mixed practice intent) with gender having no significant effect. Several variables exerted negative effects on career intent for less popular career sectors. CONCLUSION: Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) provides a framework to increase understanding of and predict career sector intentions. Incorporation of attitude and self-efficacy measures in our study revealed preference for species types contributes greatly to career sector intentions for veterinary students, particularly for the more popular practice based sectors. Importantly, specific species preferences and other attitudes can have a negative effect on intent for non-aligned veterinary sectors. Further research is required to identify additional attitudes and/or beliefs to better explain variance in intent for less popular career sectors. Veterinary admissions processes may benefit from utilising the TPB framework. Identified effects revealed by this study may stimulate innovation in marketing, recruitment, admissions and curricular design, such as timing and role modelling, to utilise positive effects and mitigate against negative effects identified for sectors requiring greater representation of career intent in the student body.

Perspectives on the development and incorporation of assisted reproduction in the equine industry.

Marked changes in equine breeding technologies have occurred over the past 25 years. Although there have been numerous reviews on assisted reproduction techniques for horses, few publications include the acceptance and impact of these techniques on the horse industry. In this review, several techniques are discussed, with an emphasis on how they developed in the horse industry and altered equine reproductive medicine. Embryo transfer has become a widely used technology, allowing multiple foals to be produced per year. Embryos can be collected, cooled or frozen, and shipped to a distant facility for transfer into recipient mares. Failure to obtain embryos from some mares stimulated the development of oocyte collection and transfer. Oocyte technologies became more practical when intracytoplasmic sperm injection was developed in the early 2000s. There are now facilities across the world that routinely produce embryos invitro. Cryopreservation of oocytes has lagged because of limited success, but embryo cryopreservation is commonplace. Techniques such as sex-sorted semen, superovulation and genetic diagnosis of embryos are not widely used, and they will require more development before they are established in the horse industry in a cost-efficient manner.

Performance of Veterinary Services Pathway evolution and One Health aspects.

Animals, and the health systems which ensure their protection, play a vital role in the security and economic and social well-being of humanity, and are therefore a key component of the One Health concept. For global and national health security, prevention is better than cure, and targeting 'risk at source' in animal populations is a vital strategy in safeguarding the planet from risks of emerging zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Neglected zoonoses - such as rabies and brucellosis - continue to have a significant global impact on human health and are also best managed at their animal source. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has built international consensus on the principles of good governance and the quality of Veterinary Services, which are incorporated within its international standards. The OIE has a proven track record in the provision of Member Country support based on these standards, especially since the advent of its flagship Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Pathway programme in 2006-2007. To date, approximately 140 countries have benefited from the structured and sustainable process of animal health systems evaluation and planning afforded by the PVS Pathway. The PVS Tool, the basic methodology upon which the PVS Pathway is based, addresses One Health by evaluating the Veterinary Authority's ability to coordinate with other Competent Authorities that have a role to play in One Health, most notably public health, food safety, and environmental authorities. Despite the undoubted success of the PVS Pathway, the OIE felt that it was time to consider how the programme might be developed to adapt to new challenges. Consequently, during 2017-2018, the OIE embarked on a process of PVS evolution, during which it carried out extensive consultation and further tailored the PVS Pathway to a changing global context. These improvements, which include both fundamental adaptations to the PVS Pathway methods and the development of new PVS Pathway activities targeting topics such as multisectoral collaboration, rabies and AMR, have further strengthened and embedded the One Health approach within the PVS Pathway.

Parce qu'ils jouent un rôle crucial pour la sécurité et le bien-être économique et social de l'humanité, les animaux et les systèmes sanitaires en charge de leur protection sont une composante clé du concept Une seule santé. En matière de sécurité sanitaire à l'échelle du monde ou d'un pays, il vaut toujours mieux prévenir que guérir ; c'est pourquoi la stratégie consistant à cibler le risque à sa source est la seule qui puisse protéger la planète contre les zoonoses émergentes et le développement de l'antibiorésistance. L'impact sur la santé publique des zoonoses négligées comme la rage et la brucellose reste important et c'est également à leur source animale que les interventions visant à les contrôler sont les plus efficaces. L'Organisation mondiale de la santé animale (OIE) a forgé un consensus international autour des principes de bonne gouvernance et de qualité des Services vétérinaires et les a inscrites au coeur de ses normes internationales. L'OIE a démontré sa capacité à apporter aux Pays membres un soutien basé sur ces normes, en particulier depuis la création en 2006­2007 du Processus sur les Performances des Services vétérinaires (PVS), son programme phare. À ce jour, près de 140 pays ont bénéficié d'une procédure structurée d'évaluation et de planification durable de leurs systèmes de santé animale, grâce au Processus PVS. L'Outil PVS, instrument méthodologique du Processus PVS, couvre certains aspects relevant de l'approche Une seule santé en évaluant les capacités de concertation des Autorités vétérinaires avec d'autres autorités compétentes ayant un rôle à jouer dans ce contexte, en particulier celles en charge de la santé publique, de la sécurité sanitaire des aliments et de la protection de l'environnement. En dépit de la réussite incontestée du Processus PVS, l'OIE a estimé que le temps était venu d'envisager l'évolution de ce programme afin de l'adapter aux nouveaux défis. En conséquence, l'OIE a lancé en 2017­2018 la phase d'Évolution du Processus OIE à travers de larges consultations visant à adapter le Processus PVS aux mutations du contexte mondial. Les améliorations apportées, qui portent à la fois sur les fondements méthodologiques et sur la conception de nouvelles activités du Processus PVS dédiées à des sujets tels que la collaboration multisectorielle, la rage et la résistance aux agents antimicrobiens ont renforcé l'approche Une seule santé ainsi que son ancrage dans le Processus PVS.

Los animales y los sistemas sanitarios que velan por su protección cumplen una función vital para la seguridad y el bienestar económico y social de la humanidad, razón por la cual constituyen un elemento básico del concepto de Una sola salud. Desde el punto de vista de la seguridad sanitaria del mundo y de los países, más vale prevenir que curar, y el hecho de ir a combatir un riesgo en las poblaciones animales en las que tiene su origen es una estrategia indispensable para salvaguardar al planeta de los peligros que entrañan las zoonosis emergentes y la resistencia a los antimicrobianos. La mejor forma de luchar contra zoonosis desatendidas como la rabia o la brucelosis, que en todo el mundo siguen repercutiendo sensiblemente en la salud humana, pasa por atacarlas en su origen animal. La Organización Mundial de Sanidad Animal (OIE) ha sabido suscitar un consenso internacional en torno a los principios de buen gobierno y calidad de los Servicios Veterinarios, integrados ahora en sus normas internacionales. La OIE goza de contrastada experiencia en la prestación de apoyo a los Países Miembros basándose en estas normas, especialmente desde la instauración en 2006­2007 de su emblemático programa llamado Proceso PVS (Prestaciones de los Servicios Veterinarios). Hasta la fecha, alrededor de 140 países han podido beneficiarse del procedimiento estructurado y sostenible de evaluación y planificación de los sistemas de sanidad animal que se propone a través del Proceso PVS. La Herramienta PVS aporta la metodología básica en que descansa el Proceso PVS: con ella se trabaja en clave de Una sola salud evaluando la capacidad de la Autoridad Veterinaria del país para coordinarse con las demás autoridades competentes que cumplen alguna función relacionada con Una sola salud, sobre todo las de salud pública, seguridad sanitaria de los alimentos y medio ambiente. Pese al indiscutible éxito cosechado por el Proceso PVS, la OIE estimó llegado el momento de plantearse hacia dónde hacer evolucionar el programa para adaptarlo a nuevas problemáticas. Obrando en consecuencia, en 2017 y 2018 la OIE se embarcó en un proceso de «evolución del PVS¼ durante el cual celebró vastas consultas y adaptó aún más el Proceso PVS a un panorama mundial en constante evolución, incorporándole mejoras que incluyen a la vez una serie de ajustes básicos en los métodos del Proceso PVS y la creación de nuevas actividades encuadradas en él sobre temas como la colaboración multisectorial, la rabia o la resistencia a los antimicrobianos, mejoras que a la postre han servido para potenciar la filosofía de Una sola salud e integrarla aún más en el Proceso PVS.

New approaches for post-vaccination surveillance of foot-and-mouth disease.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a contagious and important transboundary disease of cloven-hoofed animals and ruminants. In ruminants, an animal is considered as a foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) carrier if a live FMDV/FMDV RNA is obtained from the oro-pharyngeal fluid (OPF) beyond 28 days after infection. These carrier animals may pose a risk for causing outbreaks in healthy animals. Moreover, it is important to conduct serosurveillance to know the virus circulation. In the present study, an ELISA was developed using field samples to detect FMDV specific secretory IgA antibodies. These samples were also tested for the presence of FMDV RNA using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). It was found that more carrier animals were detected by IgA ELISA in comparison to qRT-PCR. Thus, IgA ELISA is an important tool to detect FMD carriers. An ELISA based on detection of antibodies against FMDV 2B non-structural protein (NSP) was also used to confirm the results obtained from screening of 3AB3 NSP ELISA. These two new approaches (IgA ELISA and 2B ELISA) form important tools for detection of carriers and virus circulation, respectively, during FMD eradication program. Keywords: foot-and-mouth disease virus; carriers; IgA; 2B non-structural protein; 3AB3 non-structural protein.

A retrospective analysis of radiation oncology related scientific articles in the journal Veterinary Radiology and Ultrasound: Trends over 40 years (1976-2015).

The journal Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound is a veterinary specialty journal devoted to the fields of veterinary diagnostic imaging and radiation oncology. The purpose of this retrospective, observational study is to evaluate progressive trends in radiation oncology articles published in Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound during the 40-year period (1976-2015) and describe a shift of trends through several viewpoints. This 40-year period was divided into four subperiods: Period 1 (1976-1985), Period 2 (1986-1995), Period 3 (1996-2005), and Period 4 (2006-2015). These articles were divided into six categories based on the nature of the study: 1) studies related to teletherapy with endpoints being patient outcome, 2) radiation therapy dosimetry/planning, 3) patient setup, 4) reviews, 5) case reports, and 6) others. The number of radiation oncology articles in Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound has increased over the 40-year period. The number of authors per article has increased between Periods 1 and 3. The number of articles related to linear accelerator has increased between Periods 3 and 4. The median number of treated patients per clinical article related to teletherapy ranged from 15 to 21, which has not changed significantly over the 40-year period. The most commonly used radiation therapy protocols during Periods 2 and 3 were fine-fractionated protocols (defined as 10 or more fractions), whereas coarse-fractionated protocols were more common during Periods 1 and 4. Findings from this study highlight the notable changes of trends in veterinary radiation oncology articles published in Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, which clearly reflect changes in the field of veterinary radiation oncology during the past 40 years.

[Study on the current situation in farm animal medicine]. / Studie zur Versorgungslage in der Schweizer Nutztiermedizin.

INTRODUCTION: For a long time there has been a debate in Switzerland as to whether the veterinary farm animal service is still sufficiently guaranteed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the supply and demand of veterinary services for cattle and pigs through a representative survey of veterinarians and farmers. The results revealed that the veterinary farm animal service was rated by the majority of both, farmers and veterinarians, to be good or very good. Veterinary service shortages exist partly in mountain and peripheral regions, in small areas in otherwise well-served regions and in the canton of Ticino. By contrast, about one third of farm animal practices are rather underutilized and would prefer to increase livestock numbers. The emergency service is currently very well guaranteed. Ninety-five percent of veterinarians and farmers stated that on-site emergency service is provided within an hour or less. The quality of veterinary services were also assessed positively by the farmers. While a third of respondents said veterinary care improved compared to five years ago, only two percent felt that veterinary care had deteriorated. Almost all veterinarians stated that vacancies in farm animal practices were difficult to fill adequately. The majority of practice owners do not receive enough applications from suitable candidates. In addition, the majority of applicants were not trained in Switzerland. The security of farm animal veterinary service is currently mostly good to very well guaranteed. However, there is a lack of veterinarians trained to meet the future needs of farm animal veterinarians.

INTRODUCTION: On discute depuis longtemps pour savoir si l'offre de prestations vétérinaires pour les animaux de rente est encore suffisante en Suisse. Le but de la présente étude était de relever l'offre et la demande en matière de prestations vétérinaires pour les bovins et les porcs par le biais d'une enquête représentative auprès de vétérinaires et d'agriculteurs. Les résultats démontrent que l'approvisionnement en soins vétérinaires pour les animaux de rente est considéré, tant par les agriculteurs que par les vétérinaires, comme majoritairement bon à très bon. Il existe des carences en la matière dans les régions de montagnes et les régions périphériques, dans certains endroits de zones autrement bien desservies et dans le canton du Tessin. A l'opposé, environ un tiers des pratiques pour animaux de rente s'estiment sous-occupées et seraient prêtes à s'occuper de plus d'exploitations. Le service d'urgences est actuellement très bien assuré. Cinquante-cinq pour cent des vétérinaires et des agriculteurs ont indiqué qu'il fallait au maximum une heure pour que, en cas d'urgence, le vétérinaire soit sur place. La qualité des prestations vétérinaires a également été jugée de façon positive par les agriculteurs. Un tiers des sondés sont d'avis que la capacité professionnelle s'est améliorée dans les cinq dernières années contre seulement deux pour cent qui estiment qu'elle s'est détériorée. Presque tous les vétérinaires considèrent qu'il est difficile de repourvoir de façon adéquate les places vacantes dans le secteur de la médecine des animaux de rente. Une majorité des propriétaires de cabinets ne reçoit pas assez de postulation venant de candidats appropriés. Les propriétaires de cabinets déclarent également que la majorité des candidats n'ont pas fait leur formation en Suisse. La sécurité de l'approvisionnement en matière de médecine des animaux de rente est actuellement en grande majorité bonne à très bonne. Toutefois la Suisse ne forme actuellement pas assez de vétérinaires pour couvrir les besoins futurs en matière de praticiens ruraux.

Global trends in antimicrobial use in food animals.

Demand for animal protein for human consumption is rising globally at an unprecedented rate. Modern animal production practices are associated with regular use of antimicrobials, potentially increasing selection pressure on bacteria to become resistant. Despite the significant potential consequences for antimicrobial resistance, there has been no quantitative measurement of global antimicrobial consumption by livestock. We address this gap by using Bayesian statistical models combining maps of livestock densities, economic projections of demand for meat products, and current estimates of antimicrobial consumption in high-income countries to map antimicrobial use in food animals for 2010 and 2030. We estimate that the global average annual consumption of antimicrobials per kilogram of animal produced was 45 mg⋅kg(-1), 148 mg⋅kg(-1), and 172 mg⋅kg(-1) for cattle, chicken, and pigs, respectively. Starting from this baseline, we estimate that between 2010 and 2030, the global consumption of antimicrobials will increase by 67%, from 63,151 ± 1,560 tons to 105,596 ± 3,605 tons. Up to a third of the increase in consumption in livestock between 2010 and 2030 is imputable to shifting production practices in middle-income countries where extensive farming systems will be replaced by large-scale intensive farming operations that routinely use antimicrobials in subtherapeutic doses. For Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the increase in antimicrobial consumption will be 99%, up to seven times the projected population growth in this group of countries. Better understanding of the consequences of the uninhibited growth in veterinary antimicrobial consumption is needed to assess its potential effects on animal and human health.

[Antibiotic consumption and antimicrobial resistance in human and veterinary medicine : An overview of established national surveillance systems in Germany]. / Antibiotikaverbrauch und Antibiotikaresistenz in der Human- und Veterinärmedizin : Überblick über die etablierten nationalen Surveillance-Systeme.

The German Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy (DART) assigns a key role in combatting and reducing the further development and spread of antimicrobial resistance to the setup and development of instruments for the monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic consumption. The strategy follows the One Health approach, which targets human and veterinary medicine alike. An ongoing collection of appropriate data on antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic consumption and its distribution in time and space, will provide the basis for the identification of problems, the deduction of interventions, and finally the evaluation of their effectiveness. This article presents an overview of established surveillance systems in human and veterinary medicine with a national scope, including those that enable Germany to meet its own legal commitments as well as those within European and international action plans.

[Antibiotic resistance : A challenge for society]. / Antibiotikaresistenz : Eine gesellschaftliche Herausforderung.

Without doubt, drug resistance is now one of the greatest health threats of our time. Not even 100 years after the discovery of the first antibiotics that saved human lives, we find ourselves threatened by the thought of a post-antibiotic era. Currently it is estimated that around 700,000 people die annually as a consequence of drug-resistant infections. Antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon with bacteria having devised several ways of combating the antibiotic attack. Rather than being a spontaneous event, resistance becomes an integral part of the microbe's genetic make-up, spreading further between and across species. However, the misuse and overuse of antibiotics over the years has in fact allowed for resistant bacteria to thrive, while slowly wiping out sensitive bacteria. Spreading awareness and proper information in the community about the risks and consequences of a rapidly developing antibiotic resistance is essential in tackling this global problem. In working together as an entire community, we can find long-lasting solutions. The One Health concept includes human and veterinary medical sectors, the environmental sector, as well as various decision-making bodies that include individual action as well as national and international policymakers. The role of stakeholders like pharmaceutical companies and agriculturists must be given importance, too, thinking all the while in a global context. Only this way will we find solutions for sustainable healthcare and together help slow down the process of antibiotic resistance.

Improving the delivery of veterinary services in Africa: insights from the empirical application of transaction costs theory in Uganda and Kenya.

This paper presents a summary of findings from a research project that examined institutional arrangements for providing animal health services in Uganda and Kenya. Given the need to find solutions to the pervasive governance challenges encountered in the delivery of veterinary services in Africa, the study applied transaction economics theory to generate recommendations on how to improve the delivery of these services and minimise livestock production risks, including those that pose a risk to human health, e.g. zoonoses. The most notable recommendations are as follows: i) lower- and middle-income countries should invest in creating an enabling environment that supports the relationship between professional veterinarians and para-professionals, to ensure the timely reporting, treatment and control of animal diseases; ii) the provision of veterinary extension services should not focus solely on household 'heads', but also on other household members, such as wives and children, and on herdsmen; iii) strong government engagement is required in the provision of veterinary services for pastoral or extensive livestock production systems, because normal market forces have failed to attract professional veterinarians and trained para-professionals from the private sector to work in these sectors; iv) farmers must be empowered to hold service providers accountable, by the development and trialling of tools that would enable them to measure the quality of services that they receive and to verify the qualifications of different service providers; v) investment in veterinary education is vital, to ensure that enough qualified veterinary staff are available to offer veterinary services to farmers.

L'auteur propose une synthèse des principales conclusions d'un projet de recherche consacré aux dispositifs institutionnels élaborés en Ouganda et au Kenya pour encadrer la prestation des services de santé animale. Face à la nécessité de trouver des solutions aux graves difficultés de gouvernance qui entravent la prestation de services vétérinaires en Afrique, cette étude s'est fondée sur la théorie des transactions économiques pour formuler quelques recommandations sur les moyens d'améliorer la prestation de ces services et de minimiser les risques affectant la production animale, y compris ceux qui peuvent menacer la santé publique, à savoir les zoonoses. Les principales recommandations de l'étude sont les suivantes : i) les pays à faible revenu et à revenu intermédiaire devraient s'investir dans la création d'un environnement propice à la coopération entre les vétérinaires professionnels et les para-professionnels vétérinaires, afin d'assurer la notification rapide, le traitement et la prophylaxie des maladies animales ; ii) les prestations de services vétérinaires de proximité ne doivent pas se limiter aux seuls « chefs de famille ¼ mais s'adresser également aux autres membres des foyers (les épouses et les enfants) ainsi qu'aux gardiens des troupeaux; iii) une mobilisation forte des pouvoirs publics est nécessaire pour assurer la prestation de services vétérinaires au sein des systèmes d'élevage pastoral ou extensif, dans la mesure où les forces spontanées du marché ont échoué à attirer les vétérinaires libéraux et les para-professionnels qualifiés du secteur privé dans ces territoires ; iv) les éleveurs doivent disposer des moyens de demander des comptes aux prestataires de services, ce qui suppose de concevoir et de tester des outils leur permettant d'évaluer la qualité des services rendus et de vérifier les qualifications des différents prestataires de services ; v) l'investissement dans l'enseignement de la médecine vétérinaire est d'une importance capitale pour garantir que les effectifs des personnels vétérinaires qualifiés sont suffisants pour assurer une prestation de services adéquate aux éleveurs.

El autor resume las conclusiones de un proyecto de investigación en el que se estudiaron los dispositivos institucionales destinados a prestar servicios zoosanitarios en Uganda y Kenia. Dada la necesidad de encontrar soluciones para los omnipresentes problemas de buen gobierno que lastran la prestación de servicios veterinarios en África, en el estudio se aplicó la teoría de la economía de transacción para formular una serie de recomendaciones sobre la manera de mejorar la prestación de dichos servicios y reducir al mínimo los riesgos para la producción ganadera, en particular aquellos que entrañen una amenaza para la salud humana, como las zoonosis. Las recomendaciones más destacadas son las siguientes: i) los países de nivel bajo o medio de renta deben invertir en la creación de condiciones que favorezcan la relación entre los veterinarios profesionales y los paraprofesionales, con objeto de lograr una mayor puntualidad en la notificación, el tratamiento y el control de las enfermedades animales; ii) la prestación de servicios de divulgación veterinaria no debe ir dirigida únicamente a los «cabezas de familia¼, sino también a los demás miembros de la unidad familiar (esposa e hijos, por ejemplo) y a los encargados de cuidar de los rebaños; iii) en sistemas de producción ganadera pastoral o extensiva la prestación de servicios veterinarios exige una fuerte participación del sector público, puesto que los mecanismos de mercado no han servido para atraer a veterinarios profesionales y a paraprofesionales cualificados del sector privado para que trabajen en esos sectores; iv) es preciso habilitar a los pequeños productores para que sean exigentes con los proveedores de servicios, elaborando y aplicando experimentalmente herramientas que los capaciten para enjuiciar la calidad de los servicios que reciben y comprobar las cualificaciones de los distintos proveedores de servicios; v) es esencial invertir en la enseñanza de la veterinaria a fin de lograr que haya una dotación suficiente de veterinarios cualificados para ofrecer servicios veterinarios a los productores.

Spectrophotometric assays for total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in dog serum: an update.

The aim of this review is to study the main spectrophotometric methods used to evaluate total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in serum samples of dogs. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is an analyte frequently used to assess the antioxidant status of biological samples and can evaluate the antioxidant response against the free radicals produced in a given disease. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) are different assays described to determine TAC of a sample. This review explains the basis of each assay and their application in the determination of TAC in dogs, and also provides selected information about reports in humans for comparative purposes. It is concluded that, ideally, various different assays integrated in a panel should be used for TAC evaluation, since depending on the assay performed TAC results can be markedly different.