Toxoplasmosis is characterized by a complex epidemiology. The risk of infection for humans depends on their contact with infective oocysts in a contaminated environment and on the amount of tissue cysts located within consumed meat. Unfortunately, the prevalence of tissue cysts is largely unknown for game species. Although herbivorous game species are a source of infection for humans, the level...

Functional roles of domestic and wild host populations in infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) epidemiology have been extensively discussed claiming a domestic reservoir for the more susceptible wild hosts, however, based on limited data. With the aim to better assess IKC epidemiology in complex host-pathogen alpine systems, the long-term infectious dynamics and molecular epidemiology of Mycop...

AbstractStructural assessment and seismic vulnerability of ancient masonry buildings is a difficult task even when employing advanced specialized technical skills, which requires complex study. T...

INTRODUCTION Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) and Oral Lichenoid Lesions (OLLs) are clinically and histopathologically similar lesions but with different etiologies and treatment plan, thus differentiating these two has been the center of many researches. Studies in different populations have been performed on clinical and histopathologic features of OLP and OLLs. Thus aim of the present study was to e...

Although controversy surrounds cloning efforts, the cloning of animals to assist efforts to preserve genetic variation in support of endangered species conservation efforts has attracted serious interest. A recent report by Loi et al. describing the cloning of a mouflon (a species of wild sheep) in a domestic sheep surrogate points to potential conservation opportunities and additional challeng...

A classical paradigm in population genetics is that homozygosity or inbreeding affects individual fitness through increased disease susceptibility and mortality, and diminished breeding success. Using data from an insular population of mouflon (Ovis aries) founded by a single pair of individuals, we compare embryo number of ewes with different levels of inbreeding. Contrary to expectations, ewe...

In prey species, vigilance is an important part of the decision making process related to predation risk effects. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms shaping vigilance behavior provides relevant insights on factors influencing individual fitness. We investigated the role of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on vigilance behavior in Mediterranean mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon×Ovis sp.) in a st...

BACKGROUND Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) is a neglected disease with public health importance that is common in many rural areas of Iran. In recent years, behavioral resistance and/or bait shyness against the common rodenticide among reservoir hosts of ZCL have been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Klerat® and zinc phosphide against natural reservoir...