ADMISSION:

Leech therapy (hirudotherapy) is a natural method of treating various health ailments using verbana leeches. Zoohirudotherapy in horses is used in many diseases.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

The research material was the diagnostic results of the use of leech therapy (2023-2024) in four cases of equine health problems. The horses were diagnosed and referred for leech therapy by the attending veterinarian and evaluated after the therapy was completed.

Case Study 1: Recurrent Equine Obstructive Disease (RAO), formerly called COPD. Cold-blooded mare, 17 years old, sled, leeches were used in monthly cycles and a prophylactic liver protocol.

Case Study 2: Bilateral Tear Duct Obstruction. Małopolska mare, 21 years old, recreational, leeches were used during dental sedation 3 times a year and prophylactic liver protocol.

Case Study 3: Neurological Form Associated with Eucharistic Poisoning. Małopolska mare, 21 years old, recreational, leeches were used daily for 2 weeks and prophylactic liver protocol.

Case Study 4: Swelling and lameness associated with sudden traumatic condition and soreness in the area of the right ankle joint. Teenage Thoroughbred Thoroughbred, recreational, leeches were used at intervals of several days for 3 weeks and prophylactic liver protocol.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In the case of mares with RAO, the symptoms disappeared, but the result is not conclusive due to the use of other supportive therapeutic methods. In the case of mares with lacrimal duct obstruction, after the fourth hirudotherapy treatment, bilateral tear permeability was achieved and eye inflammation disappeared, the same mare regained neurological efficiency after poisoning with the common pigtail after a week, and the gelding returned to full top fitness after a month after a limb injury.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS:

Within the scope of the activities of the Laboratory of Sensory and Animal Rehabilitation of the University of Siedlce, hirudotherapy has been successfully applied to improve the health of horses.

Abstract

Anisakis spp. are zoonotic nematodes that are widely recognized as a food safety concern in marine fish. In Indonesia, however, information on Anisakis infection in fish sold at traditional markets is still limited, especially in inland areas of consumption such as Bogor. This study aimed to describe the occurrence and infection characteristics of Anisakis larvae in mackerel (Rastrelliger sp.) marketed in traditional markets in Bogor, Indonesia, as baseline information for fish parasitology and food safety considerations. A total of 35 mackerel were randomly collected from seven traditional markets in Bogor between May and June 2024. Each fish underwent physical examination followed by necropsy, and the intestinal organs were examined using native parasitological methods. Larvae recovered from the samples were identified based on their morphological features under light microscopy, and infection levels were expressed as prevalence and degree of infection. All larvae identified in this study were third-stage (L3) Anisakis sp. Type 1, characterized by the presence of a boring tooth, ventriculus, and mucron. The overall prevalence of infection was 45.7%, with a mean degree of infection of 10.2 larvae per infected fish, indicating a commonly occurring infection with moderate intensity. Higher prevalence and infection intensity were observed in mackerel obtained from markets located in Bogor Regency compared to those in Bogor City. In addition, infection was more frequently found in larger fish, suggesting greater exposure over time. The results provide market-based evidence of Anisakis sp. infection in mackerel sold in traditional markets in Bogor. These findings underline the importance of routine monitoring of parasites in marketed fish and reinforce the need for proper handling and thorough cooking to minimize the potential zoonotic risk of anisakiasis.

The incidence of dyslipidaemia is growing worldwide. As a result, the use of hypolipidemic pharmaceuticals has steadily increased, particularly statins, which are the most prescribed class. Consequently, hypolipidemics have become recognised as emerging environmental contaminants, reaching aquatic environments where they can cause lipid disruption in fish. These disruptions could have deep impacts, since lipids play vital roles in a wide array of physiological and homeostatic processes. In this context, this study investigated the effects of atorvastatin (ATV; a popular statin) and ezetimibe (EZB; a cholesterol-absorption inhibitor commonly co-administered with ATV) on lipid parameters in juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta). The fish (N=12/condition) were assigned to one of six conditions — Control (C), Solvent Control (SC), ATV High (ATV-H; 0.3g.g^-1), ATV Low (ATV-L; 0.03g.g^-1), EZB High (EZB-H; 0.3g.g^-1) and EZB Low (EZB-L; 0.03g.g^-1) — and received intramuscular injections every three days for 28 days. The C group received an intramuscular injection of 0.7% saline solution, whereas SC received 0.7% saline solution supplemented with 0.9% ethanol and 0.1% DMSO. Experimental endpoints included biometric parameters measured both during exposure and after 28 days, plasma biochemistry of blood lipids, glucose, albumin and total bilirubin, gonadal development, and mRNA expression of hepatic lipid-related genes. Fish biometric parameters were not altered. Biochemical results showed evidence of lipid disruption, with ATV-H significantly lowering blood cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoproteins. EZB-L caused a significant drop in HDL levels. LDL levels seemed clearly lowered in ATV-H and EZB-L groups, although these reductions were not statistically significant. Together with the biochemical findings, additional data from ongoing histological and molecular endpoints will provide further insight into the mechanisms underlying lipid disruption triggered by hypolipidemics in trout. Such data will be essential for establishing a robust hypolipidemic fish model and understanding and predicting the environmental impacts of hypolipidemics.

Introduction

Polycystic liver disease in cats is a congenital condition, occurring in isolation or in association with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), particularly in Persian cats. PKD is a disease that affects felines and other mammals, including humans. The prevalence of PKD in Persian and Persian-related cats is approximately 38%, dropping to 6 to 13.8% when considering the overall feline population. In humans, PKD is very prevalent affecting 1/500-1/100 persons.

The number and size of cysts can vary, potentially leading to hepatomegaly and, eventually, to cyst rupture . Diagnosis can be achieved through histopathological examination and, imaging techniques.

Medical History

A ten-year-old male Norwegian Forest Cat underwent surgery, during which liver fragments were collected for laboratory evaluation.

Material and Methods

Three liver fragments were obtained during the surgical procedure and submitted for histopathological analysis. A thorough macroscopic examination was performed, followed by standard tissue processing and microscopic evaluation of the lesions.

Results

Macroscopically, the liver exhibited a cystic appearance, with multiple cysts of varying sizes across all lobes, on the capsular surface. Upon sectioning, the cystic cavities contained a pale fluid and were either unilocular or multilocular. Microscopically, multiple cystic cavities lined by atrophic epithelium were observed, occupying extensive areas of the hepatic parenchyma and separated by thin connective tissue septa, accompanied by atrophy of the adjacent hepatic tissue.

Discussion and Conclusion

Polycystic disease, although rare, can also be detected in non-predisposed breeds. This case highlights the importance of continuous clinical monitoring in adult cats to identify early complications and guide therapeutic interventions. This work contributes to the epidemiological understanding of feline polycystic disease, broadening knowledge of its distribution, phenotypic variability, and clinical relevance in less-studied breeds. Further studies are needed to investigate genetic and environmental factors influencing predisposition and to support the development of effective prevention strategies. Compared to human medicine, veterinary research still lags behind, with no investment enabling genetic testing for the study of this disease, thereby wasting the potential of companion animals as natural sentinels for human pathology

Early larval nutrition is fundamental for the growth, survival, and development of marine fish species. Optimizing microdiet formulations to match species-specific digestive and physiological capacities is essential to improve aquaculture performance and sustainability. This study comprised four experimental trials assessing the impact of innovative microdiets on gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Trials 1 and 2 evaluated how peptide size and hydrolysis level affected larval performance and growth-related gene expression. Seabream received either a control diet or an experimental diet with highly hydrolyzed peptides (HIGH). Seabass received a control diet and an experimental diet with low hydrolysis levels (LOW). Trials 3 and 4 assessed how functional feeds modulated resilience to acute stress and expression of stress genes. Both species were fed one of five diets: a control (CTRL); DIET1, a low-fat variant with reduced phospholipids; DIET2, a formulation with reduced squid-meal inclusion; and DIET3 and DIET4, both based on CTRL but supplemented with curcumins bound to phospholipid chains at high and low inclusion levels, respectively. In Trials 1 and 2, seabream larvae fed the HIGH diet showed significantly greater total length and dry weight, while seabass fed the LOW diet exhibited higher survival. Although gene expression differences were not statistically significant, trends suggested diet-dependent modulation of growth-related pathways. In Trials 3 and 4, seabass displayed diet-specific molecular responses to acute stress: CTRL and DIET1 groups showed higher post-stress expression of stress-related genes, whereas DIET2–4 attenuated these transcriptional changes. In seabream, no major differences among diets were detected. Overall, these trials demonstrate that early nutritional programming—through peptide profile optimization and targeted functional ingredients—can influence larval growth and stress physiology in a species-specific manner, supporting the development of more effective microdiets for marine aquaculture. Acknowledgements: This study was supported by “Pacto da Bioeconomia Azul” (Project No. C644915664-00000026), WP5 Algae Vertical, and Interface Mission (operation code 01/C05-i02/2022.P148).

Graphene oxide (GO) is an oxidized form of graphene that has the potential to be used as a nanomedicine for the treatment of neurodegenerative and other physiological disorders. We have previously demonstrated that GO exhibits minimal endocrine-disrupting effects in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) due to physical aggregation and accumulation rather than direct endocrine interference. Moreover, males are more sensitive to GO than females. We have extended our investigations to the nervous system of the fish, concentrated on the cerebellum (CB), and considered Purkinje cells (PKCs), which play a significant role in motor control, as a potential target of GO. The experimental adult fish were exposed to GO in vivo by immersion (IMR) (20 mg/L in BSS) and by a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection (100 µg/g). Parallel controls were maintained either in BSS (IMR) or injected with nanopure water (IP). An evaluation of the CB was made in paraffin sections after haematoxylin/eosin (H&E) staining. The CB is located dorsally to the midbrain and caudally to the optic tectum and primarily consists of three lobular structures, the valvula cerebelli (VC), the corpus cerebelli (CC), and the lobus caudalis cerebelli (LC). The PKCs appear to be significantly larger with a droplet-like shape, prominent nucleus and nucleolus and are distributed between the granular and molecular layers in VC and CC, not in LC. We assessed the histomorphology, distribution/density, nuclear (N) and perikaryal (S) areas, and (N:S) ratio of the PKCs found in the CC area of the CB. We observed that females have apparently larger PKCs than males and GO exposure altered cell morphology and morphometry and reduced the distribution of PKCs, which was dependent on the exposure route and sex of the fish. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanistic basis of GO-induced neurotoxicity before its application as a nanomedicine for the treatment of various neurological disorders.

Glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) are considered non-essential amino acids. However, the capacity to synthesise these amino acids endogenously may not meet the requirements, deeming them conditionally essential. This may be due to several reasons, including production-related stressors such as handling, crowding, or the replacement of high-quality protein sources in fish diets. When endogenous synthesis is insufficient, protein synthesis, immunity, antioxidant defence, cell signalling, gene expression and intestinal integrity may be compromised, which can affect overall health and performance.

This study aimed to evaluate existing knowledge on the dietary supplementation of Glu and Gln. For this, a comprehensive literature search was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, resulting in a dataset of 32 papers covering 19 different species. A meta-analysis was conducted to systematise the available data, better understand the effects of Gln and Glu on fish growth and identify knowledge gaps. The inclusion criteria were that at least two dietary treatments (control and supplemented diet) had been evaluated in peer-reviewed papers. Studies without growth results or in vitro, or with other supplementation, were excluded.

To enable cross-study comparison, the percentage of maximum weight gain (%WGMax) was used to normalise heterogeneous datasets. Most studies were conducted on juveniles and freshwater species, with Gln supplementation found to be more frequently investigated than Glu. Supplementation levels and trial durations varied widely, although most experiments lasted up to 60 days. Overall, the dietary inclusion of Gln or Glu showed consistent potential to improve growth performance, feed utilisation, and intestinal health. However, defining optimal supplementation levels remains challenging due to variability in study design, diet composition, trophic level, and developmental stage.

Ectoparasitic infestations pose significant challenges to animal welfare and public health, acting as vectors for pathogens and inducing dermatological disorders. This study investigated the presence and diversity of ectoparasites in companion animals in Fălticeni, Suceava County, Romania, during 2024. A total of 100 symptomatic animals (dogs, cats, and Syrian hamsters) were examined using clinical inspection and microscopic identification. Four ectoparasite taxa were identified: Otodectes cynotis, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Demodex cati, and Demodex criceti. Among the positive cases, Rhipicephalus sanguineus was the most prevalent (43.1%), followed by O. cynotis (28.4%), D. cati (18.9%), and D. criceti (9.6%). Observed clinical signs included alopecia, erythema, auricular discharge, and crusted lesions. The results underscore the continuous exposure of companion animals to ectoparasites and highlight the need for integrated preventive strategies. By identifying the presence of these taxa locally, this study supports the One Health framework, emphasizing the interconnectedness of animals and their environment. Notably, while most identified species are host-specific, the presence of the brown dog tick (R. sanguineus) represents a direct public health concern due to its known role as a vector for zoonotic pathogens affecting humans. These findings advocate for the implementation of systematic ectoparasite surveillance to enhance the overall welfare of companion animals in Romania. In conclusion, coordinated regional monitoring and preventive strategies are essential to effectively manage ectoparasitic infestations and mitigate associated health risks.

The Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), a critically endangered potamodromous species, has experienced a drastic demographic decline in the Lower Danube River and the Danube Delta. This review synthesizes two decades of the scientific literature and official monitoring reports to evaluate the species' ecological status and the efficacy of conservation frameworks implemented in Romania. The results indicate that anthropogenic pressures have reached a critical threshold. The fragmentation caused by the Iron Gates I and II dams has resulted in the loss of over 80% of historical lithophilic spawning grounds, isolating populations and reducing natural recruitment by more than 90% compared to mid-20th-century levels. While the 2006 commercial fishing moratorium has reduced legal exploitation, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, alongside emerging chemical pollutants and microplastics that affect larval ontogeny, remains a primary driver of mortality. A discussion of current mitigation reveals a "survival gap": although ex situ captive breeding preserves genetic diversity, its long-term impact is marginalized by high post-release mortality and the loss of physiological cues due to insufficient river connectivity. Current measures are often fragmented and fail to address the underlying loss of lateral and longitudinal ecosystem functions. The conclusions emphasize that preventing extirpation requires a shift from passive protection to active ecological restoration. Immediate priorities must include engineering fish passages at major dams, implementing DNA-based traceability to curb poaching, and harmonizing restocking protocols at a Danube basin scale. Without integrated structural interventions to restore river connectivity, A. gueldenstaedtii faces functional extinction in the wild within the next two decades.

In recent years, feed additives have been widely used for their positive effects of improving health status, productive performance, and carcass quality in both livestock and poultry. Numerous studies have highlighted the fact that a series of medicinal plants, in the form of powder, extracts, or essential oils, both as single compounds and mixed preparations, can be introduced into the feed of broiler chickens. They exhibit beneficial effects on both the intestinal microflora and digestibility of nutrients, aspects that are reflected in the quality of meat and eggs. Among them, garlic occupies a special place due to its broad spectrum of action and its availability for poultry farmers. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of supplementing the diet of broilers with garlic powder (Allium sativum) on their growth performance and the morphology of their intestine and liver. Twenty-four one-day-old ROS 308 male hybrids were randomly assigned to two groups, each group with two replications, of six individuals: the control group (LC), which was fed with the basic diet, and the experimental group (LGa), in whose diet 1% garlic powder was introduced. Food and water were provided ad libitum until the end of the experiment (42 days).

The obtained results show that supplementing the basic diet with 1% garlic powder in broilers had a significant effect on body weight, feed intake, and FCR (p<0.05), as well as on the studied histomorphometric parameters: the height, width, area, perimeter of the intestinal villi (p<0.01), and depth of the crypts (p<0.05).

In conclusion, supplementing the basic diet of broiler chickens with 1% garlic powder, from 1 to 42 days, improves growth performance and increases the absorptive surface of the intestinal villi, as well as implicitly increasing the absorption capacity of nutrients; these aspects prove that garlic can be considered a growth promoter.