Evaluation of Salmonella rod incidence in poultry in the Lublin Province over the years 2001-2005.

The researches included geese, broiler chickens and reproductive laying hens. The occurrence of Salmonella rods assigned to the serovars in the bird flocks was assessed for the years 2001-2005. In geese, during 2001-2003, S. typhimurium was isolated most frequently, whereas in 2004 - S. enteriditis (42.8%). Throughout the research period, in the flocks of reproductive laying hens, the S. enteriditis proved the most commonly reported serovar (67.8%). Among broiler chickens in 2001, S. typhimurium prevailed by only a slight percentage (45.1%). In the bird flocks under investigation, the highest Salmonella rate was obtained from the dead embryos, followed by cloacal swabs, inner organs of birds and faeces, while the lowest was detected in the litter obtained from chick breeding boxes.

Ethological, psychological and legal aspects of animal sexual abuse.

This report presents an analysis of sexual abuse of five three-month old calves that died as a result of injury. A subsequent police investigation concluded that the animals had been sexually abused by an individual affected with zoophilia. The calves received injuries in the anogenital region resulting in fatal internal bleeding. The wounds appeared to have been caused by inserting and manipulating an unknown object into the vaginas of the animals. Post-mortem examination showed rupture of both the rectum and vagina in each calf with massive haemorrhage into the abdominal and thoracic cavities. From the psychiatric and animal welfare viewpoints animal sexual abuse is linked to clinical veterinary ethology. Ethical and legal aspects of animal welfare are evaluated with particular regard to the cases described.

Localisation of NADPH-diaphorase-positive structures in the thymus of the rat, mouse and rabbit.

Localisation of the diaphorase activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH-d), acting as a marker of nitric oxide synthesis (NOS), was studied in the thymus of the rat, mouse and rabbit. The NADPH-d-active cells observed in the rat thymus were irregular in shape with numerous projections and were located on the boundary between the cortex and the medulla. The NADPH-d--active cells in the thymus of the mouse were located predominantly in the medulla. They varied in coloration and their shape was oval, round, or irregular. NADPH-d-positive nerve fibres were located perivascularly. The rabbit thymus displayed a lightly stained cortex, whereas the medulla was seen as a rounded complex of intensively stained cells, without sharp demarcation between them. In the rat thymus, the NADPH-d-positive nerve fibres were not evident, whereas NADPH-d-positive nerve fibres were seen in the perivascular topography of the mouse and the rabbit thymus. These results suggest that NO may participate in the regulation of the thymic function in the species. In summary, the present results reveal the distribution of NADPH-diaphorase-d-positive structures in the rat, mouse and rabbit thymus.