Mannheim, Germany (PRWEB) December 13, 2011

The Science Magazine EurekaMag.com publishes articles in all areas of biological science including biology, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, geography, environment and health. Drawing from this pool of scientific disciplines, it publishes articles, reviews and insights on biological topics including those which have recently become popular. Most of these reviews are included in the EurekaMag Keyword Category and in the EurekaMag Keyphrase Category of the online science magazine.

The EurekaMag.com insight into Sweetbreads covers the thymus (throat, gullet, or neck sweetbread) or the pancreas (heart, stomach, or belly sweetbread) especially of the calf and lamb although beef and pork sweetbreads are also eaten. The article covers a market test to measure the effects of promotional and merchandising strategies on food store sales of selected beef and pork variety meats including beef and pork sweetbreads. Another experiment Bulgarian White goats which were fed iso-nitrogenous diets, containing either no added fat or sunflower oil. While dietary sunflower oil did not influence the growth rate, average daily gain, dressing percentage, body component weights, carcass and muscle measurements, and the physicochemical characteristics of the meat, it had a noticeable effect on the deposition and distribution of body fat. While perirenal fat content was not modified, the weights of caul and sweetbread tended to decrease with sunflower-oil enriched diets.

Eurekamag.com presents an insight into the small mammal Honeybadger which is also known as the ratel and is a species of mustelid native to Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. The review covers an investigation on the death of honeybees. The researchers studied visual symptoms of diseases and pest infestation, and damage from predators. While no viruses, Bacillus larvae, Malpighamoeba mellificae, sacbrood virus, Varroa jacobsoni and Tropilaelaps clareae were found, Nosema apis, Melissococcus pluton and Acarapis woodi were among the parasites found, and pests included the honeybadger, Mellivora capensis, army ants, Dorylus spp, and wax moths. in a survey of 163 beekeepers and extension workers the replies indicated that honeybadgers affected 40% of their colonies and another study identified parvovirus infection in honeybadger.

The EurekaMag.com insight into the West African butter tree Pentadesma butyracea covers this evergreen tree up to 28 meters in height and with 2.75 meters girth. it commonly grows in forests under swampy conditions between Guinea to West Cameroon, and extending into Gabon. Pentadesma butter (Pentadesma butyracea, sabine, clusiaceae) which is an extract of the kernels of the fruits of the butter tree and similar to shea butter. The study of the fatty acid composition, triacylglycerols, sterols and tocopherols of Pentadesma butter was carried out on seeds collected in ten production areas in Benin. The results show that the composition in fatty acids is characterized by the presence of stearic acid and oleic acid, which represent nearly 96% of the total fatty acids in Pentadesma butter. a comparison of the fat contents of cacao, shea butter (Butyrospermum parkii) and tallow (Pentadesma butyracea) and a comparison of four oilseeds providing cocoa-butter substitutes including shea (Butyrospermum paradoxum), pentadecima (Pentadesma butyraceae), illipe (Shorea spp) and salseed (Shorea robusta). Results showed varying levels of aflatoxin when tested as substrates for its production by two strains of Aspergillus parasiticus.

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The puppies are a little more than 4 weeks old and were born in a neighbor's shed, so they can't have been infected after birth. the mother was a street dog and hasn't shown any symptoms of rabies yet, but I heard it can take up to 6 months for symptoms to show. is it safe to adopt and handle the puppies? they haven't shown any symptoms either. Can rabies be transmitted through the father?

Well they still could have been affected after birth with being in a shed, but if a rabid raccoon or bat or something had been in there with them chances are you would have a couple dead puppies. Puppies can get rabies from any mammal that has rabies, but they won't have rabies just because the father had rabies, unless the father was there after they were born and was able to trade saliva with them…Rabies is passed through saliva problem being rabies causes increased salivation so more rabies for everyone. If an unvaccinated dog comes in contact with a rabid animal there is a very good chance that the dog will be infected. the survival rate for puppies with rabies is only 20% so you'll know if they have rabies. Puppies don't take that long to show. very few dogs do. it takes longer for rabies to show in cats because their immune system is naturally stronger than a dog's. but for all intents and purposes the puppies can't get rabies from the father unless he was there after their birth which is highly unlikely in the dog world…it isn't sexually transmitted it is transmitted through bites because it's in the saliva. anyway all you can really do is wait and see, but I would say the puppies are fine to handle unless you see them acting crazy and trying to bite and maul everything. If they are acting ok you would be unlikely to contract rabies anyway because they won't be biting you. No real way to tell. It's a risk you take with wild animals. the chances of rabies also vary greatly depending on your area.

Rabies is not usually transmitted from mother to pups. If the mom has circulating virus, she should be showing symptoms already, and likely wouldn't have survived to give birth.

In any event the puppies must stay with their mother until weaned, ideally at least 8 weeks and possibly longer. If you're in doubt about safety, have your local Animal Control or humane society take the mother and puppies for the next few weeks. Perhaps you can contribute something to their care and upkeep, and commit to adopting one of the puppies.

Ok- does the mother have rabies? Rabies is transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. the saliva of the infected animal gets into the blood stream. Rabies is a fairly quick disease. in a matter of days after the bite, symptoms will appear. not months. obviously all the pups should see a vet and should have been handled daily from day one. I fear for the adoption prospects of these pups since the mom was a street dog and obviously the pups have gone 4 weeks without human socialization.

the safest thing is to cull them- goodness knows what else they could be carrying (rabies is the least concern here, other diseases are easier to pass from father and/or mother to puppies) and what they may infect other dogs with- plus, the mother being a street dog, chances are that she's wild, and wouldn't be adoptable.

1. mutt_buffer says: December 23rd, 2010 at 2:36 am

   This site tells you exactly what the symptoms are:

   lyme.org/otherdis/ld_pets.html

   Best of Luck at the Vet’s …. I hope your pooch will be alright!

2. Sharon T says: December 23rd, 2010 at 3:27 am

   For a nymph to transmit B. burgdorferi, it must be attached to the host for at least 24-48 hours. if a tick dies or is removed within this 1-2 day period, transmission of the bacteria will not occur. even if a tick is a carrier of B. burgdorferi and it attaches to the dog for more than 48 hours, the dog may not contract the disease. In fact, studies show that only around 10% of dogs that are exposed will contract the disease. there is no evidence to suggest that infected dogs pose a risk to other members of the household except as a reservoir of infected ticks. Once a tick has had a full meal, it will detach and not bite another mammal. the risk comes from ticks that have not gotten a complete meal and are detached. they could possibly seek out a human and bite them causing infection. Other types of ticks and insects have been shown to be infected with B. burgdorferi, but they are considered insignificant spreaders of the disease.

   Clinical illness usually occurs 2 to 5 months after initial exposure and the likelihood of disease and the severity of the disease seems to vary with the animal’s age and immune status. Cats can develop Lyme disease, but it occurs rarely in them, even in endemic areas. Other domestic animals such as horses have contracted Lyme disease, but it does not appear to be a significant problem. Dogs show several different forms of the disease, but by far, the most common symptoms are a fever of between 103 and 105°, shifting leg lameness, swelling in the joints, lethargy, inappetence, and maybe most importantly, response to appropriate antibiotics.

   Arthritis may be a result of both short- and long-term infections. Most dogs that are promptly diagnosed and treated do not appear to develop arthritis, but a few dogs who do not respond completely to treatment or were not treated will develop progressive degeneration of the infected joints.

   A few dogs have developed severe progressive renal disease as sequelae to Lyme disease. this severe kidney failure is non-responsive to treatment and death is often the outcome. Fortunately, this form appears to be rare.

   Usually, dogs will not develop any rash or the circular area of redness around the bite (erythema migrans) which is seen in people.

   Ten years ago, Lyme disease was often under-diagnosed, but today, the opposite is true. because of the lack of sensitivity of the blood test, many dogs show positive test results, but are not actually infected with the disease. the standard blood test detects antibodies made by the dog in response to infection with B. burgdorferi. the problem is that many animals are exposed to the organism, but fight the infection off on their own. these animals will have antibodies to B. burgdorferi but not have the disease. As we mentioned earlier, only around 10% of the exposed dogs actually contract the infection. at the same time the antibody test cannot distinguish between a dog that has been vaccinated or naturally exposed to Borrelia. therefore, in endemic areas, the test alone is not an accurate way to get a diagnosis. However, the test can be used with several other criteria to gain a positive diagnosis. Suspected animals should have a history of tick exposure, compatible clinical signs, and have a rapid response to antibiotic therapy. In fact, clinical signs and rapid response to doxycycline antibiotic therapy is how I make a diagnosis of Lyme disease. a practitioner in a Lyme endemic area will often be able to diagnose the disease on physical exam. Practitioners in areas that have fewer Lyme cases may have to resort to using the blood test and treatment to confirm the diagnosis. if an animal that is suspected of having Lyme disease does not clinically improve within 48 hours of starting antibiotic therapy, assume that it is not Lyme disease and begin to do other diagnostic tests to find the source of the problem.

   Treatment for Lyme disease is very straightforward and consists of using either a tetracycline or penicillin-based antibiotic. the two most commonly used are oral Doxycycline or Amoxicillin. a recent study showed that both antibiotics worked equally well. the antibiotics must be given a minimum of 14 days, but 30 days is recommended. However, some preliminary studies show that some animals may not even clear the organism after 30 days and will relapse once the antibiotic is discontinued. In these cases, the animal may have to be on the antibiotic for much longer. it appears that some animals may never completely rid themselves of B. burgdorferi despite aggressive treatment. these animals may suffer from increased degenerative changes in the joints leading to premature arthritis. Despite the fact that some animals may develop chronic infections, the vast majority of infected dogs respond rapidly and satisfactorily to doxycycline treatment. In some animals with severe arthritis, pain killers such as buffered aspirin (Do NOT give your cat aspirin unless prescribed by your veterinarian.) can also be used in addition to antibiotics. the use of steroids in this disease is definitely contraindicated

3. cin_ann_43 says: December 23rd, 2010 at 3:31 am

   The most common visible symptoms of the disease in dogs include recurrent arthritis or lameness that lasts for several days accompanied by a loss of appetite and a sense of depression. Additional signs can include swollen joints, a painful gait, fever, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes. Symptoms can appear and disappear over a period of time, shift in their intensity and often are not apparent until several months after the dog is infected. many of these symptoms are shared by other health problems, which further adds to the confusion about identifying the diseaseFortunately, there are tests that can rapidly diagnose canine Lyme disease, yielding immediate results during a pet’s annual check-up visit. some of these tests also can identify other diseases caused by parasites, such as heartworm disease and ehrlichiosis. the American Lyme Disease Foundation recommends routine checks for dogs living in high-exposure areas, in order to catch problems early. these screenings can be a part of a dog’s annual or semi-annual check-up.

4. cayusecrazy says: December 23rd, 2010 at 3:36 am

   The most common symptom is no symptoms–it is a strange disease.