Suicide in veterinarians and veterinary nurses in Australia: 2001-2012

BACKGROUND: Whether veterinarians have an elevated suicide rate compared with the general population is controversial. METHODS: Reported cases of suicide among veterinarians and veterinary nurses in Australia over the period 2001 to 2012 were investigated in a retrospective case-series study. RESULTS: The standardised mortality ratio of veterinarians (n = 18) was 1.92 (95% CI 1.14-3.03) and that of veterinary nurses (n = 7) to the general population was 1.24 (95% CI 0.80-1.85). Overdosing on drugs (pentobarbitone) was the main method of suicide in these occupations. CONCLUSION: The reasons for veterinary suicides are likely to be multifactorial, including work- and life-related stressors, and individual characteristics. This research highlights the need for targeted suicide prevention and intervention for veterinarians.

Effect of genotype and sex on fiber growth rate of alpacas for their first year of fleece production

The sale of alpaca fiber is the main income for thousands of families in the Central Andes of Peru. Little information exists on the fiber length growth rate of alpaca (FLG), especially throughout their first year of life when the fiber is most valuable. We aimed to determine the monthly FLG of 22 alpaca offspring of two genotypes (9 Suri, 13 Huacaya) and considering sex differences (10 females, 12 males) in the High Andes of Peru. FLG growth was determined using dye-bands. An additive lineal model with three factors (genotype, sex, month) was used for statistic analysis. To evaluate the effect of genotype and sex on the profile of the FLG throughout the year a two factor repeated-measures model was used. The results showed that FLG was affected by genotype and month but not sex. The Suri genotype had 20% higher FLG than Huacaya genotype alpacas (1.34 vs 1.10 cm/month, P < 0.001). FLG increased over each of the first three months (P < 0.05) and then maintained a near constant rate for the remainder of the first year. The resulting staple length indicates that shearing at ages from 8 to 12 months of age will provide fleeces of sufficient length for textile processing.

Dietary repletion with ω3 fatty acid or with COX inhibition reverses cognitive effects in F3 ω3 fatty-acid-deficient mice

Dietary deficiency of ω3 fatty acid during development leads to impaired cognitive function. However, the effects of multiple generations of ω3 fatty-acid deficiency on cognitive impairment remain unclear. In addition, we sought to test the hypothesis that the cognitive impairments of ω3 fatty-acid-deficient mice are mediated through the arachidonic acid-cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway. To address these issues, C57BL/6J mice were bred for 3 generations and fed diets either deficient (DEF) or sufficient (SUF) in ω3 fatty acids. At postnatal day 21, the F3 offspring remained on the dam's diet or were switched to the opposite diet, creating 4 groups. In addition, 2 groups that remained on the dam's diet were treated with a COX inhibitor. At 19 wk of age, spatial-recognition memory was tested on a Y-maze. Results showed that 16 wk of SUF diet reversed the cognitive impairment of F3 DEF mice. However, 16 wk of ω3 fatty-acid-deficient diet impaired the cognitive performance of the F3 SUF mice, which did not differ from that of the F3 DEF mice. These findings suggest that the cognitive deficits after multigenerational maintenance on ω3 fatty-acid-deficient diet are not any greater than are those after deficiency during a single generation. In addition, treatment with a COX inhibitor prevented spatial-recognition deficits in F3 DEF mice. Therefore, cognitive impairment due to dietary ω3 fatty-acid deficiency appears to be mediated by the arachidonic acid-COX pathway and can be prevented by 16 wk of dietary repletion with ω3 fatty acids or COX inhibition.

Do birdwatchers care about bird disturbance?

Little is known about how non-consumptive recreationists perceive their impacts on animals and how this relates to recreationist behavior. We surveyed attitudes and behaviors relating to bird disturbance of 179 birdwatchers who visited a world-renowned, restricted-access birdwatching destination (the Western Treatment Plant [WTP], Victoria, Australia). We distributed a 10-page, 49-question survey to birdwatchers at the WTP and posted it to a mailing list of those who held birdwatching access permits. The questionnaire explored socio-demographic profiles of respondents, and their bird- watching behaviors and attitudes to bird disturbance. Birdwatchers regarded vehicles as particularly disturbing and some bird groups, and breeding birds, as especially sensitive to disturbance. They generally disagreed with the contention that birdwatchers and plant workers disturb birds. All respondents reported using strategies to mitigate bird disturbance (e.g., keeping quiet and distant). Those who adopted more strategies to mitigate disturbance agreed more with the contention that birdwatchers and workers cause disturbance, and that breeding birds are especially sensitive to disturbance. Our results suggest that birdwatchers who perceive that their activity disturbs birds are more likely to modify their behaviors to minimize the disturbance. As such, wildlife managers and educators must clearly communicate possible impacts of birdwatching to birdwatchers to maximize the uptake of ethical birdwatching practices.

Characterization of antibody V segment diversity in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) immune system has recently been under scrutiny because of the emergence of a contagious cancer, which has decimated devil numbers. Here we provide a comprehensive description of the Tasmanian devil immunoglobulin variable regions. We show that heavy chain variable (VH) and light chain variable (VL) repertoires are similar to those described in other marsupial taxa: VL diversity is high, but VH diversity is restricted and belongs only to clan III. As in other mammals, one VH and one Vλ germline family and multiple incomplete Vκ germline sequences were identified in the genome. High Vκ variation was observed in transcripts and we predict that it may have arisen by gene conversion and/or somatic mutations, as it does not appear to have originated from germline variation. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that devil VL gene segments are highly complex and ancient, with some lineages predating the separation of marsupials and eutherians. These results indicate that although the evolutionary history of immune genes lead to the expansions and contractions of immune gene families between different mammalian lineages, some of the ancestral immune gene variants are still maintained in extant species. A high degree of similarity was found between devil and other marsupial VH segments, demonstrating that they originated from a common clade of closely related sequences. The VL families had a higher variation than VH both between and within species. We suggest that, similar to other studied marsupial species, the complex VL segment repertoire compensates for the limited VH diversity in Tasmanian devils.

The sexual motivation of boars housed adjacent to ovariectomised gilts did not affect the efficiency of detecting hormonally induced oestrus using the back pressure test

This study tested the hypothesis that the efficiency of detecting oestrus in gilts, using the back pressure test (BPT), will be reduced when gilts are housed adjacent to a boar of high sexual motivation compared to when gilts are housed adjacent to a boar of low sexual motivation. The experiment was a 2 x 2 Latin square design with three replicates. Boars of high and low sexual motivation were selected on the basis of the total number of copulations and the mean reaction time to first mount during three mating tests. Twelve boars were observed in mating tests and the three highest and lowest ranking boars were assigned to three palm, each pair containing a boar of high and a boar of low sexual motivation. One pair was used in each replicate. In each replicate, two groups of six ovariectomised gilts were housed for 14 days, commencing 7 days prior to hormonally induced destrus, adjacent to a boar of either high or low sexual motivation. All gilts were checked twice daily for oestrus using the BPT. In the first replicate, the level of proceptive behaviour of the gilts was quantified immediately after checking for oestrus in a 3-rain test in which the amount of time that the gilts spent within 0.5 m of a pen containing a sexually mature boar was recorded. There were no effects of housing gilts adjacent to boars of high or low sexual motivation on the percentage of gilts detected in oestrus, the percentage of gilts detected in oestrus for more than I day, the duration of oestrus or the level of proceptive behaviour of gilts. These data suggest that the level of sexual motivation of boars does not influence the efficiency of detecting hormonally induced oestrus, using the BPT, in ovariectomised gilts housed adjacent to boars.