026) and required a higher but not statistically significant number of human interventions to load. Cortisol concentration increased in both groups, but no differences were found between them (Mann-Whitney; p > 0.05). These results suggest that habituation to transport could mitigate stress during loading procedures in donkeys reducing loading time, frequency of stress-related behaviors and diminishing the need of human intervention.Public interest in animal tuberculosis is mainly focused on prevention and eradication of bovine tuberculosis in cattle and wildlife. In cattle, immunodiagnostic tests such as the tuberculin skin test or the interferon gamma (IFN-γ) assay have been established and are commercially available. Feline tuberculosis is rather unknown, and the available diagnostic tools are limited. However, infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex members need to be considered an aetiological differential diagnosis in cats with granulomatous lymphadenopathy or skin nodules and, due to the zoonotic potential, a time-efficient and accurate diagnostic approach is required. The present study describes 11 independent cases of Mycobacterium microti infection in domestic cats in Switzerland. For three cases, clinical presentation, diagnostic imaging, bacteriological results, immunodiagnostic testing, and pathological features are reported. An adapted feline IFN-γ release assay was successfully applied in two cases and appears to be a promising tool for the ante mortem diagnosis of tuberculosis in cats. Direct contact with M. microti reservoir hosts was suspected to be the origin of infection in all three cases. However, there was no evidence of M. microti infection in 346 trapped wild mice from a presumptive endemic region. Therefore, the source and modalities of infection in cats in Switzerland remain to be further elucidated.SARS-CoV-2, an epidemic, causes severe stress in both human and animals and may induce oxidative stress (OS) and increases susceptibility to infection. Domestic animals are found infected by their COVID-2 suffering owners. Chronic immobilization stress (CIS), a model of psychological and physical stress of confinement, can trigger depression and anxiety in animals. click here We evaluated the ameliorative effect of the proposed SARS-CoV-2 prophylactic drugs melatonin, vitamin C, and zinc on CIS-induced OS, inflammation, and DNA damage in rats. Forty male Swiss albino rats (200-250 g, 7-9 weeks old) were divided into five groups as controls, CIS, treated with melatonin (20 mg/kg), and vitamin C plus zinc [VitC+Zn (250 + 2.5 mg/kg)] alone or in combination (melatonin+VitC+zinc) subjected to CIS for 3 weeks. CIS was induced by immobilizing the whole body of the rats in wire mesh cages of their size with free movement of head. Exposure to CIS significantly compromised the circulatory activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione with enhanced malondialdehyde, inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL10, and TNFα), and lymphocyte DNA damage in comparison to controls. Treatment with melatonin and VitC+Zn alone or in combination significantly restored the altered biochemical parameters and DNA damage of stressed rats to their respective control values. However, the cumulative action of melatonin with VitC+Zn was more effective in alleviating the CIS-induced OS, inflammation, and DNA damage. The present study indicates that the antioxidant combination can be an effective preventive measure to combat severe psychological and confinement stress-induced biochemical changes in animals due to abnormal conditions such as SARS-CoV-2.Avian-origin H3N2 canine influenza viruses (CIVs) cause severe contagious respiratory disease in dogs, and quickly adapt to new environments. To further understand the mechanism of virus infection and host-virus interactions, we characterized the complete phosphoproteome of dogs infected with H3N2 CIV. Nine-week-old Beagle dogs were inoculated intranasally with 106 EID50 of A/canine/Guangdong/04/2014 (H3N2) virus. Lung sections were harvested at 5 days post-inoculation (dpi) and processed for global and quantitative analysis of differentially expressed phosphoproteins. A total of 1,235 differentially expressed phosphorylated proteins were identified in the dog lung after H3N2 CIV infection, and 3,016 modification sites were identified among all differentially expressed proteins. We then performed an enrichment analysis of functional annotations using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and gene ontology (GO) database analyses to predict the functions of the identified differential phosphoproteins. Our data indicate that H3N2 CIV infection causes dramatic changes in the host protein phosphorylation of dog lungs. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the effect of H3N2 CIV infection on the phosphoproteome of beagles. These data provide novel insights into H3N2-CIV-triggered regulatory phosphorylation circuits and signaling networks and may improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying CIV pathogenesis in dogs.The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is an important species for the production of fiber and food. Genetic improvement programs for alpacas have been hindered, however, by the lack of field-practical techniques for artificial insemination and embryo transfer. In particular, successful techniques for the cryopreservation of alpaca preimplantation embryos have not been reported previously. The objective of this study was to develop a field-practical and efficacious technique for cryopreservation of alpaca preimplantation embryos using a modification of a vitrification protocol originally devised for horses and adapted for dromedary camels. Four naturally cycling non-superovulated Huacaya females serving as embryo donors were mated to males of proven fertility. Donors received 30 μg of gonadorelin at the time of breeding, and embryos were non-surgically recovered 7 days after mating. Recovered embryos (n = 4) were placed individually through a series of three vitrification solutions at 20°C (VS1 1.4 M glycerol; VS2 1.4 M 3, 2019, the one pregnant recipient delivered what is believed to be the world's first cria produced from a vitrified-warmed alpaca embryo.