Frontiers in Veterinary Science

Background/ObjectivesThe integration of large language model (LLM)-based AI tools into veterinary clinical practice is rapidly increasing; however, no systematically derived taxonomy of veterinary AI query patterns has been established. This study aimed to develop and refine an exploratory taxonomy of veterinary AI query patterns across clinical stages through a structured expert-panel review process. MethodsAn exploratory cross-sectional expert panel study was conducted. 5,372 real-world query logs from a veterinary clinical AI chatbot deployed over eight months were analyzed using AI-assisted inductive coding to derive an initial taxonomy. The taxonomy was refined through literature review and subsequently reviewed by an expert panel of 38 veterinary professionals via structured online survey across five clinical stages. ResultsA taxonomy of 3 categories and 21 subtypes was established: Clinical Support Queries (Types A-H), Evidence-Based Research Queries (Types I-L), and Terminology and Drug Reference Queries (Types M-U). Type B (Differential Reasoning) had the highest overall frequency (57/188 first-choice responses), while Type D (Clinical Decision Support) was dominant immediately post-consultation (55.3%). Veterinary professionals with [&ge;]10 years of experience showed a higher frequency of Type G (Evidence Search) preference than those with <10 years of experience (18 vs. 4), while university-affiliated professionals demonstrated a distinct pattern dominated by Type G. ConclusionsTo our knowledge, no published study has previously established a veterinary-specific, clinical-stage-sensitive exploratory taxonomy of AI query patterns; this study addresses that gap. The findings provide a foundational framework for designing context-aware, stage-adaptive veterinary AI systems and benchmark evaluation tools.

Background: Flea infestation is an important companion-animal health problem and a prime source of zoonotic exposure. However, information on cat owners awareness and preventive behavior regarding fleas and flea-borne diseases (FBDs) in Bangladesh is limited. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of cat owners regarding flea infestation and flea-borne diseases in selected areas of central Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from November 2025 to July 2026 among 238 cat owners attending veterinary clinics in Savar, Dhamrai and Manikganj Upazila. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire covering respondent characteristics, flea biology and transmission, perceived risks, and flea-prevention and control practices. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the findings, and respondents were classified according to their overall KAP scores. Results: Of the respondents, 47.1% owned cats with outdoor access and 77.7% reported that their pets had previously experienced flea infestation. Although 65.5% used flea-control treatments, awareness of zoonotic and disease-transmission risks was limited. Only 14.7% recognized that fleas can parasitize humans, while 17.6% knew that fleas can transmit infectious agents. Overall, 83.2% of respondents had poor knowledge, whereas 69.7% demonstrated moderate attitudes and 63.9% showed moderate practices. Good knowledge and good practice were uncommon, accounting for only 3.8% and 4.6% of respondents, respectively. Veterinary recommendation was the most frequently reported motivation for using flea-control products. Conclusions: Cat owners attending in the surveyed areas frequently reported flea exposure and treatment use, but substantial gaps remained in their understanding of flea biology, zoonotic potential and comprehensive control. Targeted veterinary education emphasizing routine prevention, treatment of all susceptible household animals and environmental management is needed. These findings provide regional baseline evidence and should not be interpreted as nationally representative. Keywords: Bangladesh; cat owners; ectoparasites; flea-borne diseases; flea control; knowledge, attitudes and practices; One Health.

The Brown Swiss (BS) cattle breed is one of the major Swiss dairy breeds. Intensive selection and the widespread use of few elite sires in artificial insemination have increased inbreeding and the occurrence of deleterious recessive alleles in the homozygous state. Analyzing life trajectories in large, genotyped cohorts can identify hidden recessive disorders that are difficult to detect using traditional case-control association testing. Long-read DNA sequencing enables precise detection of causal alleles, including structural variants. This study aimed to (1) identify cryptic recessive loci affecting rearing performance in Swiss BS cattle, (2) evaluate their impact on survival, (3) characterize the associated phenotype, (4) identify the causal variant using long-read whole-genome sequencing, and (5) assess its functional impact. Using Homozygous Haplotype Enrichment/Depletion (HHED) mapping, we identified a risk haplotype (BH39) on chromosome 15 spanning from 16,276,819 bp to 16,446,984 bp that was associated with increased juvenile mortality within the first 180 days of life when present in the homozygous state. The BH39 occurred at a frequency of approximately 4.5% in Swiss BS cattle and 5.3% in German and Austrian BS cattle, and homozygous carriers exhibited a significantly reduced first-year survival rate. Five females homozygous for BH39 underwent clinical examination. They all showed recurrent respiratory disease, impaired growth, poor body condition, rough hair coat, and brown-discolored teeth. Pathological examination revealed bronchopneumonia and eosinophilic enteritis. Clinicopathological findings indicated failure to thrive and immunodeficiency. Long-read WGS of two BH39 homozygous calves revealed a private homozygous coding variant that was in high linkage disequilibrium with BH39. The identified structural variant was an insertion of a large transposable element (10.4 kb ERVK[2-1-LTR]) into the third exon of ALKBH8 (NM_001080341.2 c.267_268indel). Full-length RNA sequencing of cerebellum and liver from a homozygous calf revealed that the endogenous retrovirus (ERV) insertion introduces a cryptic transcription termination signal, truncating ALKBH8 mRNA. This study demonstrates that exploring population-scale genomic data and mining thousands of life-history records, followed by veterinary follow-up evaluations and molecular genetic analyses, provides an effective strategy for identifying cryptic recessive disorders that shorten the lifespan of cattle. The findings provide strong evidence that the ERV insertion into the coding sequence of ALKBH8 represents a loss-of-function variant that causes a previously undescribed recessive disorder that results in increased rearing loss. Interpretive summaryWe identified a recessive disorder in Brown Swiss cattle that causes retarded growth, recurrent infections, immunodeficiency, and increased mortality during the first year of life. Using population-scale genomic data, clinical investigations, and long-read sequencing, we linked the disorder to an exonic transposable element insertion disrupting ALKBH8. The identification of the causal variant now enables direct genetic testing and the implementation of genome-based mating strategies to avoid carrier-by-carrier matings and, consequently, prevent the birth of affected homozygous offspring. We demonstrate the utility of integrating large-scale breeding records, veterinary phenotyping, and advanced genomics to identify hidden defects affecting livestock health and productivity.

African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar poses major surveillance and control challenges, particularly in periurban and human-modified landscapes where ecological complexity, delayed detection, and heterogeneous host movements complicate out-break interpretation. In late 2025, ASF was detected in wild boar in Catalonia, Spain, creating a high-priority epidemiological scenario at the wildlife-urban interface. In this study, we analysed the 2025-2026 Catalonia outbreak using scenario-based spatial modelling with the WIMBOARD (Wild Integrated Movement Boar Outbreak and Risk Dynamics) framework. Simulations under baseline control conditions were used to interpret spread dynamics and support anticipatory surveillance. The results indicate that outbreak expansion was structured and directional rather than isotropic. Temporal outputs suggested delayed detectability between infection prevalence and mortality signals, whereas cumulative spatial risk maps, time-to-infection surfaces, and monthly infection-risk dynamics identified directional asymmetries and differentiated phases of spread. An early southward dispersal signal was consistent with initial field observations, while the north-northwest sector emerged as the most consequential expansion scenario because of its stronger functional connectivity and higher potential for regional amplification and persistence, while a later northeast-ward phase remained comparatively less influential within the 500-day simulation horizon. Monthly risk surfaces further showed that ASF spread behaved as a moving eco-epidemiological wavefront, allowing identification of shifting surveillance windows before mortality became apparent. These findings support the interpretation of the Catalonia outbreak as a landscape-mediated epidemiological process shaped by functional connectivity, wildlife behavioural adaptation, peri-urban ecological structure, and delayed detection. This study shows how spatially explicit eco-epidemiological modelling can support outbreak interpretation, surveillance prioritisation, and proactive wildlife disease management under complex field conditions.

1.Cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) occurs in a majority of patients when primary or metastatic cancer develops within the bone. This pain has a significant impact on quality of life, yet there are limited effective treatment options available. Nerve sprouting is a complex mechanism that has been implicated in CIBP. Netrin-1 is a neuronal guidance molecule that is produced by numerous cell types, including cancer cells. In this study we aimed to determine whether netrin-1 inhibition (with NP137 - a humanized IGg1 monoclonal antibody) could ameliorate nerve sprouting, and nociception by extension, in three models of CIBP - osteosarcoma, metastatic breast cancer, and metastatic prostate cancer. Sustained administration of NP137 failed to produce an anti-nociceptive effect in these models, but a delayed onset was observed in the osteosarcoma model. NP137 did not produce a disease-modifying effect, as micro-computed tomography did not reveal reduced bone destruction in the NP137-treated groups. Additionally, there was no nerve fibre density reduction in any of the groups at the late-stage of the disease, suggesting that nerve sprouting occurs in early- to mid-stage CIBP development. Investigation of NP137 exposure indicated that serum levels of NP137 were comparable between the sham and cancer groups. Our study indicates that netrin-1 may play a role in early-stage CIBP development, but inhibition of this mechanism does not produce robust anti-nociception.

Cross-beaks are deemed a threat to poultry health, productivity, and animal welfare. Nevertheless, due to sporadic cases, heterogeneity of gene loci and incomplete dominance, the molecular mechanism of cross-beak formation, especially the degree of cross, is not yet clear. Thus, we screen key genes and reveal the possible phenotypic formation mechanism of cross-beak by comparison with different degrees of deformity in Huiyang Bearded chickens by compare whole-genome resequencing-based variant analysis. Comparative analysis between cross-beak and normal-beaked chickens identified differential variants in several candidate genes, including CDH11, CTNNAL1, NRXN3, NRXN1, CDH5, SDC3, and DHFR. Genes harboring these variants were enriched in pathways related to cell adhesion molecules and metabolic processes, with functional annotations involving cell-cell adhesion and neural crest cell migration. Comparative analysis between chickens with severe and slight cross-beak deformities identified additional candidate genes, including MRPL21, NSUN2, DDX55, GNB3, and NFKB2. These genes were associated with enriched terms and pathways related to focal adhesion, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, steroid 7 -hydroxylase activity, and skin-barrier establishment. These findings provide a preliminary catalogue of genetic variants and candidate genes for future functional studies of cross-beak development and severity in chickens.

Osteoarthritis (OA) disproportionately affects women, and estrogen has been implicated in cartilage and joint homeostasis, yet its effects on meniscal fibrochondrocytes (MFCs), and whether those effects differ by sex, remain poorly defined. We reanalyzed a publicly available RNA-sequencing dataset (Gene Expression Omnibus, GSE199087) comprising human MFCs from a male and a female donor treated with 17{beta}-estradiol (E2) or vehicle. Differential expression, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, Enrichr, and iLINCS were integrated to identify the transcriptional programs modulated by E2 in each sex. In female MFCs, E2 upregulated pathways governing DNA replication, cell-cycle progression, and genomic maintenance (e.g., MCM8, BRCA1, RAD51), while downregulating inflammatory and extracellular matrix-degrading genes, including MMP1, IL12A, CXCL12, and MYD88. In male MFCs, E2 instead upregulated chromatin remodeling and developmental signaling programs, led by SRCAP, ERCC6, and NOTCH1, and downregulated antigen presentation and mitochondrial genes. These divergent responses indicate that E2 engages distinct, sex-specific transcriptional programs in MFCs, with the female profile favoring proliferation and matrix preservation. Although derived from a limited sample and therefore hypothesis-generating, these findings nominate candidate mechanisms underlying sex differences in meniscal biology and OA susceptibility, and warrant validation in larger, sex-balanced cohorts. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/740612v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (33K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@16026fforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1a048acorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@3246corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@4c598b_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

Dietary protein restriction challenges the allocation of amino acids to growth and other physiological functions and therefore requires coordinated metabolic adaptation. Domestic pigs provide an informative system in which to study such responses, because nitrogen retention directly affects lean growth and can be quantified accurately under controlled feeding and housing conditions. Under reduced-protein diets, pigs differ in how effectively they retain nitrogen, and this variation has a genetic basis, making them well suited to investigate the molecular regulation of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Here, we characterise differential gene expression and enriched pathways in liver and skeletal muscle of more than 80 pigs with two divergent NUE phenotypes (high and low) maintained under the same protein-reduced, ad libitum dietary conditions. The two NUE phenotypes were clearly distinct at the transcriptomic level, with 177 differentially expressed genes in the liver and 133 in the muscle. In the liver, differential expression and enrichment analyses indicate reduced amino acid catabolism, lower inflammatory and detoxification activity, and a metabolic state that favours lipid processing and insulin-related regulation over the use of amino acids as energy sources. In skeletal muscle, they point to reduced lipid uptake, lower reliance on amino acid oxidation, and a greater emphasis on protein synthesis, translational regulation, mitochondrial energy metabolism, and growth-related processes. These gene-level patterns were supported and extended by pathway and gene-set enrichment analyses. Together, the results suggest that high and low-NUE pigs differ through coordinated, tissue-specific molecular adaptations. Overall, variation in NUE appears to reflect coordinated, tissue-specific differences in how nutrients are allocated between energy use, storage, and lean tissue growth.

Adipose tissue is a dynamic and essential organ system with roles in metabolism, endocrine signaling, immune function, thermoregulation, and structural support. Despite this, it has historically been framed as inert or pathological, raising questions about how it is represented in biomedical education. We evaluated the visual and textual representation of adipose tissue across widely used anatomy, physiology, and combined anatomy-physiology textbooks. Images were coded for presence, labeling, and degree of representation, and text mentions of "adipose" and "fat" were quantified across functional contexts. In anatomy textbooks, adipose tissue was frequently present (6.6-21.7% of images) but rarely labeled (<5% of all images; <25% of adipose-containing images). Representation was often minimal or incidental, and text descriptions were predominantly non-functional, with a preference for the term "fat." In physiology textbooks, adipose tissue was more often described in functional terms and more frequently referred to as "adipose," particularly in metabolic contexts, but appeared in relatively few images (<5%) and was typically minimally depicted. Combined anatomy-physiology texts showed intermediate patterns but retained low labeling rates and limited integration of structure and function. Across all textbook types, terminology varied by context, with "fat" more common in non-functional and obesity-related descriptions and "adipose" associated with metabolic functions, suggesting context-dependent bias in terminology. Overall, adipose tissue is present but inconsistently framed across visual and textual domains. This fragmentation may limit recognition of adipose tissue as an integrated organ system and may reinforce reductive or stigmatizing interpretations. Aligning educational representations with current scientific understanding is therefore essential to support a more accurate and integrated view of adipose tissue as a dynamic organ system.

We report an unusual mortality event affecting the isolated Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) population in northern Cyprus, combining clinical admissions, microbiological findings, and roost surveys to assess magnitude and potential drivers. From January to June 2025, the Cyprus Wildlife Research Institute (CWRI) Wildlife Hospital received an unprecedented surge in admissions with 12 individuals (versus sporadic admissions in prior years), with high acute mortality: most bats arrived moribund and died within 12-24 hours. Clinical records noted localized purulent lesions and abscesses in a substantial fraction of cases. Bacteriological culture and PCR assays recovered Staphylococcus aureus from abscesses and skin swab samples in multiple individuals; isolates exhibited susceptibility to tested antibiotics. Necropsy sampling confirmed viable S. aureus in several specimens despite prolonged storage. Concurrent targeted surveys of ten known roosts in Feb-Mar 2026 documented marked declines at multiple historical sites, including reductions from hundreds to single-digit counts at formerly large colonies and the complete absence of bats at multiple roosts. No clear evidence of recent human disturbance, extreme weather anomalies, or reduced food availability was found; shotgun cartridges from historical hunting were present, but no direct anthropogenic cause was apparent. While S. aureus infections--seasonally concentrated in winter--are consistent with observed lesions and may have contributed to morbidity and mortality, causality for the population-level declines remains unknown, and other factors (toxins, unassessed pathogens, multi-factor stressors) cannot be excluded. Given the genetic isolation and conservation significance of the Cyprus Egyptian fruit bat population, these findings are concerning. We recommend urgent, coordinated longitudinal population monitoring, expanded pathogen surveillance including whole-genome sequencing of S. aureus isolates, toxicological screening, and development of a species recovery plan incorporating emergency response, habitat protection, and public outreach.

Canine hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is an aggressive endothelial malignancy with limited therapeutic options, and its progression is closely associated with vascular architecture, stromal remodeling, and inflammatory cell recruitment. Sulfoquinovosylacylpropanediol (SQAP) is a sulfoquinovosyl lipid radiosensitizer reported to affect angiogenic and tumor-microenvironmental pathways, but its effects in canine HSA are unknown. Here, we evaluated SQAP in canine HSA cell lines and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. SQAP showed minimal direct cytotoxicity against HSA cell lines in vitro, whereas it significantly suppressed tumor growth in three canine HSA PDX models. Transcriptome analysis of SQAP-treated HSA PDX tumors detected more SQAP-responsive genes in mouse host-derived cells than in canine tumor cells. Gene-set enrichment analysis of the mouse host-derived fraction showed positive enrichment of angiogenesis, hypoxia, and stromal remodeling-related gene sets after SQAP treatment. Subsequent tissue analysis showed that SQAP reduced host-derived CD31-positive vascular area and increased -smooth muscle actin coverage of remaining vessels in two of the three PDX models, while altering macrophage-associated marker profiles in a model-dependent manner. These findings indicate that SQAP suppresses canine HSA PDX growth primarily through vascular and macrophage-associated remodeling of the tumor microenvironment rather than direct tumor-cell cytotoxicity.

The panzootic highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus has now been detected on the Australian mainland, with incursions from the sub-Antarctic region posing an increasing threat to domestic wildlife and poultry populations. Our study aimed to predict the risk of HPAI H5N1 poultry outbreaks across Australia at the local government area (LGA) level using a range of influential risk factors. We first used a Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model to estimate the environmental suitability for HPAI H5N1 occurrence across Australia. The resulting suitability layer was then integrated with five additional predictor layers, including abundance data for two Southern Ocean wild birds, one of which has introduced HPAI H5N1 into Australia; abundance data for 28 native Australian wild birds; native bird flyways across Australia; Australian chicken density; and poultry farm density. The six layers were aggregated and averaged to generate an HPAI H5N1 risk map for poultry outbreaks across Australian LGAs. Although most incursions have occurred in Western Australia (WA) and South Australia (SA), we identified New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (VIC) as having the highest predicted risk of HPAI H5N1 poultry outbreaks. Additional high-risk areas were identified in WA, SA, and Tasmania (TAS). In contrast, the Northern Territory (NT) and large parts of Queensland (QLD), WA, and SA were predicted to be at low risk. These findings provide a spatially explicit framework to support targeted surveillance, preparedness, and biosecurity measures aimed at mitigating the impact of future HPAI H5N1 outbreaks in Australian poultry.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive sarcomas. An obstacle to treating MPNSTs is a lack of effective systemic therapies. Although over 70% of human MPNSTs have lost or inactivated the epigenome regulator polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), its activity and contribution to canine PNST progression remain unclear. This study compared canine peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) and human MPNSTs across biological and clinical features, including PRC2 activity. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed for a human tissue microarray of 54 neurofibromas and 139 MPNSTs, and 63 canine PNSTs for H3K27me3, a repressive histone mark deposited by intact PRC2, and H3K27ac, which increases globally upon H3K27me3 loss. To understand the genomic alterations present in canine PNSTs, we analyzed tumor mutation burden, copy number alteration, and transcriptomes of eight canine PNST/normal pairs. The results suggested that H3K27me3 loss and associated gain of H3K27ac epigenetically drive human and canine tumors. These findings warrant further studies to evaluate whether these epigenetic deregulations alter similar gene signatures across species.

Livestock welfare models are developed under controlled experimental conditions but deployed across farms, breeds, management systems and label regimes, where reliability remains uncertain. We introduce the Protocol-Driven Transfer Evaluation (PDTE) framework, which treats the adaptation protocol, comprising label mapping, objective design, domain alignment, model selection, calibration and threshold policy, as the experimental variable and evaluates transfer through animal-level external validation with uncertainty quantification. We apply PDTE to a bovine welfare task involving transfer of a facial pain representation from postoperative beef cattle to dairy cows under shifts in breed, sex, production system, clinical etiology, recording environment and label fidelity. Using an author-collected Canadian Holstein and Jersey dataset with an independent eight-cow test cohort, direct source-domain transfer was weak, with sequence AUC 0.418 and cow-level AUC 0.400. PDTE identified two failure modes under weak supervision: threshold collapse, in which adaptation converges to a single prediction class, and calibration-induced collapse, in which score ranking is preserved while decision behavior deteriorates. Across protocols, objective design dominated performance. Class-balanced focal adaptation achieved stable operating behavior (sequence AUC 0.611; cow-level AUC 0.667), while a target-only model attained comparable performance without source initialization (sequence AUC 0.596; paired p = 0.984), indicating that protocol design and operating-point choices contributed more than pretraining under weak-label conditions. Animal-level uncertainty remained substantial, with a bootstrap 95% confidence interval of 0.20 to 1.00, exceeding the transfer effect. These findings show that transferability limits cannot be inferred from source-domain performance alone and require protocol-controlled, uncertainty-aware evaluation in livestock AI.

BackgroundDog-mediated rabies remains a major neglected tropical disease and an important cause of preventable human mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite ongoing control efforts, limited laboratory-confirmed surveillance data hinder accurate assessment of the disease burden and the development of evidence-based interventions in Ghana. This study investigated the epidemiological characteristics of laboratory-confirmed rabies cases among suspected animal submissions and evaluated the contribution of routine diagnostic surveillance to rabies control. Methodology/Principal FindingsA retrospective analysis was conducted using laboratory surveillance records of suspected rabies cases submitted to a regional veterinary laboratory in Ghana between 2020 and 2025. Brain tissue samples were examined using Sellers staining, the direct fluorescent antibody test (FAT), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Epidemiological information, including animal species, vaccination history, ownership status, bite history, and diagnostic outcomes, was extracted and analysed descriptively. Of the 51 suspected cases examined, 46 (90.2%) were laboratory confirmed as rabies. Domestic dogs accounted for 96.1% of submissions, while cats represented 3.9%. Most suspected animals were either unvaccinated (64.7%) or had unknown vaccination status (33.3%), and 90.2% had reportedly bitten humans before submission. Confirmed cases were detected throughout the study period, indicating sustained viral circulation and continued zoonotic risk within the study area. Conclusions/SignificanceThe consistently high proportion of laboratory-confirmed rabies cases demonstrates persistent transmission of rabies virus among domestic animals and highlights substantial risks to human health. The integration of conventional and advanced laboratory diagnostic methods strengthened surveillance and improved case confirmation. These findings underscore the urgent need to expand dog vaccination coverage, strengthen laboratory-based surveillance, improve bite reporting systems, and enhance collaboration between veterinary and public health sectors. Reinforcing integrated One Health strategies will be essential to accelerate progress towards the global goal of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies by 2030. Author SummaryRabies remains one of the worlds oldest and most devastating zoonotic diseases, which is fatal yet preventable, causing thousands of human deaths each year, particularly in Africa and Asia. In Ghana, domestic dogs are the principal reservoir of the rabies virus, but information on the epidemiology of animal rabies from routine laboratory surveillance is limited in many regions. We reviewed six years (2020 - 2025) of laboratory records from the Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Techiman, Bono East Region, to describe the epidemiological characteristics of suspected animal rabies cases and laboratory-confirmed infections. Of the 51 brain samples submitted for diagnosis, 46 (90.2%) were confirmed positive for rabies. Domestic dogs accounted for almost all submissions, and most confirmed cases involved animals that were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination history. Furthermore, most suspected animals had reportedly bitten humans before laboratory investigation, highlighting the continuing public health risk posed by canine rabies. The study also documents how regional diagnostic capacity was strengthened through collaboration with national reference laboratories, enabling the routine use of internationally recommended diagnostic methods such as the fluorescent antibody test and polymerase chain reaction. These findings provide valuable evidence to support enhanced rabies surveillance, increased mass dog vaccination, improved public awareness, and strengthened One Health collaboration. Such measures are essential for reducing human rabies deaths and supporting Ghanas contribution to the global goal of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies by 2030.

This study evaluated the potential of milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy, combined with routinely available on-farm variables, for predicting serum metabolic, immune, and inflammatory biomarkers in early-lactation cows. Data included 5,936 blood samples from 4,442 cows across 23 Australian dairy herds, with paired milk MIR spectra and serum measurements for up to 14 biomarkers. Prediction models were developed using partial least squares regression and evaluated using nested 10-fold random cross-validation and leave-one-herd-out validation. The results show that while basic herd-test data, including milk fat, protein, and lactose concentration, as well as on-farm variables, including DIM, calving age, breed, and herd could predict serum biomarkers, combining MIR spectra with these on-farm variables produced the best overall performance. In random cross-validation, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was predicted most accurately (R2 = 0.78), while {beta}-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) showed moderate accuracy (R2 = 0.56 and 0.44, respectively). BUN also showed the strongest external validation performance, with leave-one-herd-out R2 = 0.58 and comparable accuracy for predicting records collected after 70 days in milk (R2 = 0.65). BHB and NEFA had moderate leave-one-herd-out accuracy but did not transfer beyond early lactation. Most other biomarkers showed low or inconsistent external validation performance. Overall, MIR spectroscopy combined with on-farm variables shows promise for routine prediction of BUN, BHB and NEFA, which can be used for monitoring and genetic evaluation of, for example, ketosis and energy deficit. Initial random cross-validation results for glucose, bilirubin and cholesterol were promising, but more data is needed to improve the prediction accuracy and robustness of the predictions. HighlightsO_LIMilk MIR can predict several serum biomarkers in early-lactation dairy cows. C_LIO_LIMIR-predicted blood urea nitrogen shows the greatest accuracy and robustness. C_LIO_LIMIR-predicted {beta}-hydroxybutyrate and nonesterified fatty acids show moderate accuracy. C_LIO_LIMost mineral, hepatic, and inflammatory biomarkers had limited accuracy. C_LIO_LIRoutine MIR phenotyping is most promising for BUN, BHB, and NEFA. C_LI SummaryMilk mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy and on-farm variables are evaluated as a high-throughput tool to predict health-related serum biomarkers in early-lactation dairy cows. The data include 5,936 paired blood and milk samples from 4,442 cows across 23 Australian dairy herds and up to 14 serum biomarkers. Prediction models are developed using partial least squares regression with nested random cross-validation and leave-one-herd-out validation. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) shows the greatest and most transferable prediction accuracy across herds and lactation stages. {beta}-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) are predicted with moderate accuracy, but only during early lactation. Random cross-validation results for glucose and bilirubin are promising, but larger datasets are needed for robust external validation. Most other mineral, hepatic, and inflammatory biomarkers show limited external prediction accuracy. These results indicate that MIR-based routine health phenotyping is most promising for BUN, BHB, and NEFA.

1Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal, transmissible disease in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and related species, is spreading across North America but has not yet been detected in Vermont, United States (U.S.). The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with partner agencies, wants to develop a proactive prevention and response plan in anticipation of the eventual detection of the disease. Between September 2023 and September 2025, staff from the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Vermont facilitated a structured decision-making (SDM) process with seven State and Federal agencies that have jurisdiction over some aspect of CWD management in Vermont. The aim of this process was to generate and evaluate alternative response plans against a range of long-term objectives important to the agencies. To aid in the evaluation of the alternatives, we developed a linked set of models for white-tailed deer population and disease dynamics, hunter participation and health, forest health, economic consequences, and agricultural opportunities related to the actions being contemplated as part of the response plan. We evaluated over 256 different permutations of management actions and used multi-criteria decision analysis, a branch of decision analysis designed to help decision makers navigate tradeoffs among competing objectives, to summarize the performance of those alternative strategies against the desired outcomes. Proactive actions--those designed to slow the arrival of CWD to Vermont--were moderately effective, but the most important proactive action was surveillance to detect the disease early after arrival, which triggered response actions after detection. With the insights generated by the SDM process and the results of the analyses, the participating agencies were able to identify a preferred strategy and outline the elements of a proactive response plan. This report describes the SDM process, the technical details of the modeling work, and the results of the analyses. It is intended to serve as the technical basis for Vermonts response plan. 2 Executive SummaryChronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal disease of deer, moose, and other cervids that is spreading across the United States (U.S.). As of December 2025, the nearest infected wild deer population to Vermont was in Pennsylvania, about 225 miles away; however, the disease has been detected closer to the state in New York and Quebec, Canada, but those detections are assumed to have been isolated and removed without additional spread in wild populations or captive facilities. The primary pathways of arrival to Vermont are natural spread in wild deer, import of infected live animals to captive cervid facilities, or disposal of imported infected deer parts on the Vermont landscape. Once CWD arrives, significant changes to many ecological, social, and economic resources are expected. Many State and Federal agencies could have a role in managing CWD, before and after its arrival. O_LIVermont Department of Fish and Wildlife (VDFW) has statutory responsibility for managing the wild deer and moose populations in the State, including through hunting; C_LIO_LIVermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) is responsible for oversight of the nine captive cervid facilities in the State; C_LIO_LIVermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (VFPR) manages State Forests and Parks, which provide habitat for deer and recreational access for hunters; C_LIO_LIVermont Department of Health (VDH) provides information and guidance to the public that enables them to make informed decisions that can affect their health, including whether and how CWD poses any risk to humans; C_LIO_LIU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) manages two National Wildlife Refuges in the State, which provide public access, including to hunters; C_LIO_LIU.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services can provide contractual support for wildlife management, including targeted reduction of deer populations; and C_LIO_LIU.S. Forest Service manages extensive forest resources in the State, which provide habitat for deer and access for hunters. C_LI These agencies have expressed interest in co-development of a long-term collaborative plan for management of CWD. From September 2023 through September 2025, they engaged in a series of meetings, facilitated using the principles of structured decision making to explore potential proactive and reactive management strategies, and how well those strategies might perform against the fundamental objectives being sought by the agencies. As part of this work, the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Vermont developed quantitative predictive models to allow evaluation of alternative strategies against the fundamental objectives. The agencies identified seven fundamental objectives for a long-term (20-year) CWD management plan that arise from their enabling legislation and missions: O_LIMaximize herd health of native cervid populations in the state of Vermont; C_LIO_LIMaximize the public benefit of cervids (consumptive and non-consumptive); C_LIO_LIMinimize harm to other species, unique ecosystems, and forests; C_LIO_LIMinimize costs, staff time, and workload associated with CWD management; C_LIO_LIMinimize the effect (or potential effect) that CWD has on public health; C_LIO_LIMinimize the effect of CWD and its management on local economies; and C_LIO_LIMaintain opportunities for private landowners to engage in agricultural pursuits. C_LI In initial work to explore the effects of actions on the objectives, six broadly different alternative strategies were developed, where the strategies differed in philosophy, investment, timing, and proactive versus reactive emphasis. O_LIUnder the Status Quo strategy, existing protocols would remain in place until CWD is detected in the State, at which point an increase in surveillance and harvest opportunity would be implemented. C_LIO_LIThe Heavy Outreach strategy would rely primarily on outreach and communication with the public, notably hunters, to delay arrival, slow transmission, and mitigate impacts. C_LIO_LIThe Reduce Arrival strategy would invest primarily in proactive measures including both outreach and regulatory changes to slow arrival of CWD to the State. C_LIO_LIThe Prepare and React strategy would invest primarily in reactive measures after CWD arrives, with preparatory measures to detect it as early as possible and have in place the management tools to deploy upon arrival. C_LIO_LIThe Prevent and React strategy would make a moderate investment in both proactive and reactive measures. C_LIO_LIUnder the Kitchen Sink strategy, extensive investment would be made in both proactive and reactive measures. C_LI The estimated mean time to arrival of CWD in the State is 7.7 years under the Status Quo strategy. Concerted efforts to delay arrival could increase this time to 10.6 years, by significantly reducing two of the three arrival pathways. It will, however, take an average of 15-30 years after arrival to detect CWD in the State assuming effort is spread evenly throughout the State, owing to its slow growth in the deer population. Investment in surveillance leads to earlier detection and hence, an earlier opportunity to implement reactive measures. There are notable trade-offs among the alternative strategies in their ability to achieve outcomes of interest to the State, based on the analysis described in this report. O_LIThe arrival and spread of CWD can be slowed quite significantly, particularly with a combination of proactive and reactive measures, with the Kitchen Sink showing a 6-fold reduction in prevalence over 50 years compared to the Status Quo strategy. C_LIO_LIThe number of CWD-positive deer consumed by hunters, their families, and their friends largely tracks the prevalence of CWD in the population, although increased outreach efforts also contribute to reduced consumption. C_LIO_LIDeer harvest, and the economic benefits associated with it, is expected to increase under aggressive CWD management strategies, because the strategies encourage higher harvest to manage the disease, and lower prevalence of CWD keeps more hunters participating. C_LIO_LIThe positive outcomes associated with more aggressive proactive and reactive measures are counterbalanced by increases in costs to agencies, for surveillance, sharpshooting, outreach, and captive cervid management. C_LI Captive cervid farm operations in Vermont were estimated to be a low-risk introduction pathway because of the stringent regulations, agency oversight of importation, and disease testing that is already occurring. However, actions by VDFW could reduce the risk of spread from wild to captive deer. The more aggressive CWD management strategies reduce CWD prevalence and increase the long-term opportunity for captive cervid operations. The one exception to this is the Kitchen Sink strategy, which seeks to reduce the risk of arrival of CWD by proactively closing captive cervid facilities. The size of the statewide deer population is expected to be about the same in 20 years across all strategies, with all alternatives resulting in a decrease of about 5% compared to current population size estimates. In some strategies, the deer population decreases because of the effects of CWD; in others, the deer population decreases because of increased hunting that slows the transmission of CWD. After considering the results from the analysis of the six initial strategies, the participating agencies were interested in more carefully exploring the tradeoffs among three of the objectives: long-term prevalence of CWD in the State; the cost of management of CWD; and the opportunity for private farms to participate in captive cervid farming. An additional 256 strategies, which were permutations of the constituent actions under consideration, were created and analyzed. These results showed that the most effective way to keep CWD prevalence low over the long term was extensive surveillance to allow early detection, followed by sharpshooting or other targeted removal at a local level, to continually eliminate or reduce new incursions of the disease. This approach, however, is quite costly, so the balance between effort and effect was important to the agencies. Regarding captive cervid operations, proactive closing of captive cervid facilities does slightly lower the long-term prevalence of CWD and substantially diminishes the long-term costs of closing infected captive cervid farms in the future, but comes at the cost of farming opportunity. In September 2025, the participating agencies expressed a collective interest in a strategy that preserves captive cervid farming opportunities, invests heavily in surveillance for early detection of the disease, and prepares for targeted removal of deer when detections occur. Such a strategy, while potentially costly, achieves many of the objectives sought by the participating agencies on behalf of the people of Vermont. The agencies, without yet making any commitments, intend to undertake work to develop the details of this plan, discuss its aspects with stakeholders, and build support for its long-term implementation.

Preterm birth before 28 weeks remains a leading cause of neonatal mortality and long-term morbidity. Intrauterine infection-driven chorioamnionitis is strongly associated with preterm labor, fetal inflammatory response syndrome, and neonatal lung disease. Ureaplasma species are among the most common organisms isolated in chorioamnionitis and are frequently detected in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and respiratory tract of preterm infants. Clinical and experimental data implicate Ureaplasma exposure in early lung inflammation, impaired alveolar development, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), yet the pathogenic events preceding microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity or fetal tissues remain poorly defined. To characterize early intrauterine and fetal lung inflammatory responses to localized choriodecidual U. parvum infection, we used a chronically catheterized pregnant rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) model. Time-mated animals underwent surgical placement of maternal, amniotic, and choriodecidual catheters and were inoculated with low-passage U. parvum serovar 1 or vehicle control at approximately 117 days gestational age. Placenta, fetal membranes, fetal plasma, and fetal lungs were assessed by qRT-PCR, multiplex cytokine assays, immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, and trichrome staining to evaluate inflammatory signaling, inflammasome activation, prostaglandin pathways, immune cell infiltration, fibrosis, and lung maturation markers. Choriodecidual infection was confirmed in all inoculated animals. Amniotic fluid remained culture-and PCR-negative, and fetal lungs were largely free of detectable bacterial DNA. Despite the absence of intra-amniotic infection, fetal lung cytokine profiling revealed broad pro-inflammatory activation, with elevated GM-CSF, IL-1{beta}, IL-6, IL-8, MIP-1/{beta}, MCP-1, VEGF and reduced IL-10 contrasting with a modest systemic response limited to elevated plasma IL-18. Fetal lungs showed increased immune cell infiltration, upregulation of NLRP3, PYCARD, and CASP1, and activation of SAPK/JNK and NF-{kappa}B signaling. Histopathology demonstrated increased alveolar macrophages and intra-alveolar neutrophils with minimal fibrosis. Surfactant gene expression was altered (increased SFTPA, decreased SFTPB), and elevated -SMA indicated early myofibroblast activation. Localized choriodecidual U. parvum infection induces fetal lung inflammation prior to detectable intra-amniotic infection, demonstrating that direct infection of the amniotic fluid or fetal lung is not required for the initiation of fetal pulmonary inflammation. These findings suggest that subclinical ascending infection may initiate fetal lung injury and increase susceptibility to postnatal respiratory morbidity associated with preterm birth.

Parasitic infection is one of the common health problems of livestock in Bangladesh. Due to the country's climate, heavy monsoon rainfall, low biosecurity in farms, and high humidity, along with presence of suitable vector organisms, gastrointestinal parasitism remains widespread in cattle and other livestock. The standard method of diagnosis is microscopic examination of fecal samples, but this depends on manual observation, which is time-consuming and can lead to human error, mainly because many parasite eggs look similar to each other and samples often contain contaminants that can be mistaken for eggs or cysts. In this study, we tried to apply the YOLOv8 deep learning model for automated detection of parasitic eggs and cysts from microscopic images of livestock fecal samples. Images of clinical cases were collected, annotated, and used to train the model in Python, with batch size 16, auto optimizer, learning rate 0.01, momentum 0.937 and weight decay 0.0005. Training was done using Google Colab, and the model was evaluated using precision, recall, F1-score, mAP50, and mAP50-95. The model achieved a precision of 56%, recall of 24%, F1-score of 33.6%, mAP50 of 33%, and mAP50-95 of 22%. The relatively low recall and F1-score indicate that the model still has considerable limitations, largely due to insufficient species-specific training data and presence of image artifacts. Underrepresentation of some parasite species, such as Trichuris spp., in the dataset also caused class imbalance, which affected the model's ability to detect these species reliably. Despite these limitations, the study indicates that YOLOv8 architecture has some potential to be used for detection of parasitic eggs and cysts from microscopic images, and that further work with larger and more balanced datasets may improve performance and applicability in veterinary diagnostics. Keywords: YOLOv8, livestock parasites, deep learning, microscopic image analysis, veterinary diagnostics, Bangladesh

Neurocysticercosis (NCC), the infection of the central nervous system by Taenia solium larvae, is a leading cause of acquired epilepsy in endemic regions. While viable cysticerci can persist asymptomatically for extended periods, their spontaneous or drug-induced degradation triggers marked perilesional inflammation and severe neurological symptoms. Despite well-documented histopathological characterisation of these lesion states, the host transcriptional programmes associated with viable parasite persistence and early post-treatment lesion disruption remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we performed the first bulk RNA sequencing of pericystic brain tissue using a physiologically relevant porcine model of NCC. Comparing uninfected controls (n = 3), infected untreated pigs with intact viable cysts (n = 6), and antiparasitic-treated pigs with disrupted cysts (n = 3), we identified distinct transcriptional signatures associated with each disease state. Viable infection was associated with broad transcriptional changes (461 upregulated and 175 downregulated genes), characterised by local immune activation alongside suppression of blood-brain barrier (BBB) remodelling, vascular, and neuronal signalling molecular signatures. The post-treatment state with confirmed BBB disruption was associated with a smaller but directionally distinct response (160 upregulated and 57 downregulated genes), marked by inflammatory signalling and increased expression of genes associated with endothelial activation, vascular regulation, and BBB-associated remodelling. Together, these findings suggest that, while immune engagement is a feature shared across both lesion states, the BBB-associated transcriptional axis shifts substantially following treatment. These results provide an exploratory transcriptomic framework for understanding parasite persistence, treatment-induced neuroinflammation, and neurovascular remodelling in NCC, and highlight candidate pathways and genes for future mechanistic investigation.