Effect of emanciation on liver histology of alpine chamois during winter.

With the aim of describing the effect of severe feed restriction on the liver histology, morphometrical analysis of liver sections of 10 alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) was performed. Five animals were found dead during the winter season 1995-96 and five were collected during the hunting season 1996. Hepatocyte nuclear size was measured in squared micrometers using Image-Pro Plus software. A significant decrease in the mean size of the nuclei of hepatocytes in emaciated chamois, as compared to harvested animals was observed. The reduction in cell nuclear size may be linked to the mobilization of body protein to prevent ketosis during severe food restriction, as hypothesized for other wild ungulates. The change in hepatocyte size may be the consequence of a strategy to minimize energy expenditure and may be proposed as an index of metabolic stress during winter undernutrition.

Ultrastructural morphology of sarcosporidiosis in alpine ibex (Capra ibex).

The authors describe the ultrastructural morphology of the cyst wall of sarcocysts in the muscles from Ibex, found dead and sent to this department to be examined. Several samples of the diaphragm were taken from 52 Ibex of different age and sex, one Hispanic and the others from the Gran Paradiso National Park (GPNP). The samples were prepared for electron microscopy after testing for sarcocystiosis through extemporaneous microscopic examination. Eighty-six percent were positive. The morphology of the cyst wall led to the identification of three types of sarcocysts in the Ibex of the GPNP and a further type in the Hispanic one. The morphology of the sarcocysts wall is similar to the wall of the species described in the domestic ruminants from several authors.

Functional, spectroscopic and structural properties of haemoglobin from chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and steinbock (Capra hircus ibex).

The functional and spectroscopic properties of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and steinbock (Capra hircus ibex) haemoglobin (Hb) have been studied with special reference to the action of allosteric effectors and temperature. Moreover, the amino acid sequences of the N-terminal segments of the alpha- and beta-chains have been determined. The present results indicate that chamois and steinbock Hbs display a low affinity for O2, which appears to be modulated in vivo by Cl- ions rather than 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate. The Bohr effect for O2 binding to chamois and steinbock Hb is higher than for reindeer and bovine Hbs, being similar to that of human Hb. Moreover, the temperature-dependence of oxygenation appears intermediate between that of human and reindeer Hbs. E.p.r. and absorption spectroscopic properties of the ferrous nitrosylated derivative of chamois and steinbock Hbs suggest that both haemoproteins are in a low-affinity conformation even in the absence of InsP6. The reduced effect of polyphosphates on the functional and spectroscopic properties of chamois and steinbock Hb agree with amino acid differences in the N-terminal segment of the beta-chains (i.e. the deletion of Val(NA1) and the replacement of His(NA2), present in human Hb, and Gln(NA2), present in horse Hb, by Met). The molecular mechanism modulating the basic reaction of O2 with chamois and steinbock Hb may be linked to specific physiological needs related to the high-altitude habitats of these two animals.

[Diffusion of pulmonary Nematoda in the steinbock (Capra ibex) and the chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) at the Gran Paradiso National Park and the di Valdieri Reservation]. / Indagine sulla diffusione dei nematodi polmonari nello stambecco (Capra ibex) e nel camoscio (Rupicapra rupicapra) del Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso e della Riserva di Valdieri

The results obtained in a survey on the diffusion of pulmonary nematodes in 13 steinbocks (Capra ibex) and 71 chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) of the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso, and 49 chamois of the Riserva di Valdieri, Italian Western Alps, are reported. The following species of nematodes were identified: Spiculocaulus austriacus, Protostrongylus rufescens, Protostrongylus hobmaieri in steinbocks; Protostrongylus rupicaprae, Protostrongylus hobmaieri, Protostrongylus refescens,Protostrongylus sp., Spiculocaulus austriacus and Dictyocaulus filaria in chamois. The study of two species, viz. Spiculocaulus austriacus and Protostrongylus sp., is still in progress because these nematodes show morphological peculiarities never previously described.