| serum protein profiles in domestic pigeons naturally infected with mycobacterium avium subsp. avium. | avian tuberculosis is an important disease affecting all species of birds and is most often caused by mycobacterium avium or mycobacterium genavense. blood proteins are important diagnostic constituents in gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, and infectious diseases. | 2013 | 23577895 |
| outbreak of avian mycobacteriosis in flocks of domestic pigeons: an epidemiological approach. | pigeons are extensively kept for homing and racing purposes in iran. the main objective of this study was to investigate dissemination of m. avium subsp. avium (maa) in pigeon aviaries in tabriz, north-western iran. | 2010 | 22347571 |
| natural infections with pigeon paramyxovirus serotype 1: pathologic changes in eurasian collared-doves ( streptopelia decaocto) and rock pigeons ( columba livia) in the united states. | pigeon paramyxovirus serotype 1 (ppmv-1) is a globally distributed, virulent member of the avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 serogroup that causes mortality in columbiformes and poultry. following introduction into the united states in the mid-1980s, ppmv-1 rapidly spread causing numerous mortality events in eurasian collared-doves ( streptopelia decaocto) (ecdos) and rock pigeons ( columba livia) (ropis). the investigators reviewed pathological findings of 70 naturally infected, free-ranging colum ... | 2017 | 28382855 |
| genomic characterization of a wild-bird-origin pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (ppmv-1) first isolated in the northwest region of china. | pigeon paramyxovirus type-1(ppmv-1) is an enzootic in pigeon flocks and causes severe economic losses in the poultry industry in many countries. a ppmv-1 isolate, abbreviated as ppmv-1/ql-01/ch/15, was isolated from a great spotted woodpecker in the northwest region of china in 2015. the complete genome was sequenced, and the results showed that the virus genome was 15,192 nt in length, in the gene arrangement 3'-np-p-m-f-hn-l-5'. several amino acid mutations were identified in the functional do ... | 2017 | 27882444 |
| identification of avian paramyxovirus serotype-1 in wild birds in the usa. | in the us, sampling for avian paramyxovirus serotype-1 (apmv-1) is generally conducted when morbidity or mortality events occur involving certain families of wild birds known to be affected by the virus, such as cormorants (family phalacrocoracidae), pigeons, doves (family columbidae), or pelicans (family pelecanidae). to quantify the prevalence of apmv-1 in apparently healthy wild birds and to determine its geographic distribution, we collected swab and serum samples from >3,500 wild birds, rep ... | 2016 | 27243153 |
| experimental infection with brazilian newcastle disease virus strain in pigeons and chickens. | this study was designed with the goal of adding as much information as possible about the role of pigeons (columba livia) and chickens (gallus gallus) in newcastle disease virus epidemiology. these species were submitted to direct experimental infection with newcastle disease virus to evaluate interspecies transmission and virus-host relationships. the results obtained in four experimental models were analyzed by hemagglutination inhibition and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for ... | 2017 | 26887250 |
| genotypic and pathotypic characterization of newcastle disease virus isolated from racing pigeons in china. | a newcastle disease virus (ndv) isolated from an outbreak in racing pigeons in china was characterized in this study. complete gene of the ndv isolate was sequenced and phylogenetic analysis. pathogenicity experiment was carried out in pigeons, chickens, and ducks. phylogenetic analysis revealed that the strain clustered with the class ii viruses, has highly phylogenetically similar to ndv strains isolated from pigeons in china, but was distant from the viruses prevalence in chickens and vaccine ... | 2015 | 25877412 |
| immunohistochemistry and molecular epidemiology of avian paramyxovirus 1 from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections of japanese doves (columba livia) affected with neurological signs. | four doves (nos. 1-4 birds) affected with neurological signs (ataxia, circling and torticollis) were investigated pathologically and microbiologically. viral isolation was tried from the tracheal and cloacal swabs of all 4 birds and from liver, spleen, kidney, heart, lung and brain of nos. 1 and 2 birds. no viruses were isolated from 4 birds, but they had high serum antibody titers against avian paramyxovirus 1 (apmv-1). histologically, they had the characteristic histological changes of pigeon ... | 2015 | 25816803 |
| complete genome sequence of a newcastle disease virus isolated from a rock dove (columba livia) in the russian federation. | we report here the complete genome sequence of a newcastle disease virus (ndv) isolate, ndv/altai/pigeon/770/2011, isolated from a rock dove in the russian federation. on the basis of phylogenetic analysis, this strain was clustered into genotype vib class ii. | 2015 | 25635008 |
| epidemiological investigations on the role of clinically healthy racing pigeons as a reservoir for avian paramyxovirus-1 and avian influenza virus. | clinically healthy racing pigeons may harbour notifiable pathogens and serve as an unnoticed reservoir. thus, 3480 healthy racing pigeons from 172 different lofts were monitored over a period of 2 years for the presence of avian influenza virus (aiv) and avian paramyxovirus-1 (apmv-1). pharyngeal and cloacal swabs as well as blood samples were collected from juvenile and adult pigeons. pools of five pharyngeal swabs per loft and age group were initially screened by real-time reverse transcriptas ... | 2013 | 24188518 |
| characteristics of pigeon paramyxovirus serotype-1 isolates (ppmv-1) from the russian federation from 2001 to 2009. | monitoring programs for highly dangerous avian diseases in the russian federation from 2001 to 2009 detected 77 samples that were pcr positive for avian paramyxovirus serotype-1 (apmv-1) from sick or dead feral and domestic pigeons. nucleotide sequences of the fusion (f) gene, including a nucleotide sequence encoding the f protein cleavage site, were determined for these isolates. all of the studied isolates possessed virulent f0 protein cleavage sites (112krkkrf117, 112rrqkrf117, or 112krqkrf11 ... | 2013 | 23678722 |
| characterization of pigeon paramyxoviruses (newcastle disease virus) isolated in kazakhstan in 2005. | isolates of newcastle disease virus (ndv) from deceased wild and domestic pigeons in kazakhstan were obtained from the almaty region during 2005 and were genotypically analyzed by using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) with primers specific to the viral fusion (f) protein gene. part of the amplified f protein dna product (nucleotide sequence 47-422) and the deduced amino acid sequences were compared phylogenetically with those from strains previously reported in other geo ... | 2012 | 22492000 |
| identification of members of the pasteurellaceae isolated from birds and characterization of two new taxa isolated from psittacine birds. | a collection of 43 unclassified members of the pasteurellaceae, most of which were obtained from lesions, were investigated using an extensive battery of phenotypical tests as well as by ribotyping. the isolates had been made from anser anser forma (f) domestica (d), agapornis fischer, amazona spp., ara macao, columba livia f.d., melanopsittacus undulatus, and psittacus erithacus. comparison of results with those obtained from reference strains allowed classification of 25 strains. three strains ... | 1999 | 26905494 |
| granuloma formation and suspected neuropathic pain in a domestic pigeon (columba livia) secondary to an oil-based, inactivated newcastle disease vaccine administered for protection against pigeon paramyxovirus-1. | a domestic pigeon developed a sterile granuloma following vaccination with an oil-adjuvant, inactivated la sota strain of newcastle disease. the aim of vaccination was to provide protection against pigeon paramyxovirus-1 (ppmv-1), a disease previously considered exotic to australia. granuloma formation is considered a rare complication of vaccination against ppmv-1 in pigeons. clinical signs consistent with neuropathic pain became apparent during the extensive management of the granuloma, which ... | 2014 | 24766048 |
| genetic characterization of a pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 isolated from columba livia in uruguay. | summary. the isolation and molecular characterization of pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (ppmv-1) from a sick racing pigeon in uruguay is reported for the first time. hemagglutination inhibition (hi) tests were performed to detect antibodies against avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 (apmv-1), and a hi titer of 1/32 was obtained. tracheal and cloacal swabs were processed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rrt-pcr) with the use of the national veterinary services laboratory-u.s ... | 2012 | 22545555 |
| description of riemerella columbipharyngis sp. nov., isolated from the pharynx of healthy domestic pigeons (columba livia f. domestica), and emended descriptions of the genus riemerella, riemerella anatipestifer and riemerella columbina. | a group of 11 bacterial strains was isolated during microbiological investigations of pharyngeal swabs collected from domestic pigeons (columba livia f. domestica). phenotypic properties of the isolates closely resembled those of members of the genus riemerella within the family flavobacteriaceae. the genus presently contains two species, riemerella anatipestifer and riemerella columbina. the pigeon isolates differed from r. columbina by their lack of pigment production and negative camp co-haem ... | 2013 | 22427448 |
| cryptococcus spp. isolation from excreta of pigeons (columba livia) in and around monterrey, mexico. | the presence of cryptococcus spp. has been reported in mexico's capital city; however, to our knowledge there are no reports of its presence in the state of nuevo león located in northeast mexico. this is presumed to be because the hot and dry climate in this region does not favor cryptococcal proliferation. this study confirmed the presence of c. neoformans and c. albidus in 20% (10/50) of randomly selected fecal samples of pigeons (columba livia) in the monterrey metropolitan area. the presenc ... | 2013 | 24349946 |
| salmonella enterica isolated from pigeon (columba livia) in egypt. | understanding the association between human salmonellosis cases and animal sources is an important epidemiological factor needed to successfully control the spread of the infection within communities. to determine the extent to which pigeons might harbor this pathogen and pose a risk to the human population in egypt, we screened pigeons in cairo for the presence of salmonella relevant to public health and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. the isolated serotypes recovered from pigeon fecal sa ... | 2013 | 23531124 |
| mycoplasma columbinum isolated from a racing pigeon ( columba livia ) with arthritis. | a juvenile racing pigeon ( columba livia ) was presented with drooping of the wing and inability to fly. on physical examination, the right shoulder joint was swollen. the pigeon was euthanatized and submitted for necropsy. an excessive amount of fibrin was present in the canalis triosseus with severe arthritis of the affected shoulder joint. a pure growth of mycoplasma-like colonies was obtained on microbiological culture of the shoulder joint. a 16s ribosomal rna gene-specific polymerase chain ... | 2014 | 25843324 |
| epidemiological survey of zoonotic pathogens in feral pigeons (columba livia var. domestica) and sympatric zoo species in southern spain. | a cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of pathogenic zoonotic agents (flaviviruses, avian influenza viruses (aivs), salmonella spp. and toxoplasma gondii) in feral pigeons and sympatric zoo animals from córdoba (southern spain) between 2013 and 2014. antibodies against flaviviruses were detected in 7.8% out of 142 (ci95%: 3.7-11.8) pigeons, and 8.2% of 49 (ci95%: 0.9-15.4) of zoo animals tested. antibodies with specificity against west nile virus (wnv) and usutu viru ... | 2015 | 26616657 |
| detection and genotyping of toxoplasma gondii strains isolated from birds in the southwest of iran. | 1. the aim of this work was to determine the frequency of occurrence of toxoplasma gondii and genetically analyse isolates from a number of avian hosts in the southwest of iran (khuzestan province). the frequency of t. gondii was determined in free-range chickens (gallus domesticus), sparrows (passer domesticus), pigeons (columba livia) and starlings (sturnus vulgaris). 2. isolates obtained from toxoplasma-infected birds were subjected to molecular typing by pcr-restriction fragment length polym ... | 2013 | 23444856 |
| in vitro isolation and seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii in stray cats and pigeons in lisbon, portugal. | oral contamination with toxoplasma gondii oocysts shed by cats into the environment has been linked to severe outbreaks of human toxoplasmosis. pigeons (columba livia) are highly susceptible to oral infection with oocysts and indirectly indicate soil contamination, since they feed from the ground. a seroprevalence study was performed on cats and pigeons captured in the city of lisbon. serum samples collected from 1507 pigeons captured at 64 feeding sites and 423 stray cats were screened for anti ... | 2012 | 22341615 |
| genetic characterization of oropharyngeal trichomonad isolates from wild birds indicates that genotype is associated with host species, diet and presence of pathognomonic lesions. | oropharyngeal trichomonad isolates of wild birds from spain were studied. a total of 1688 samples (1214 of predator birds and 474 of prey species) from wildlife recovery centres and scientific bird-ringing campaigns were analysed from 2011 to 2013. the overall infection prevalence was 20.3% (11.4% in predator birds and 43.3% in prey species). pathognomonic lesions were present in 26% of the infected birds (57.3% in predator birds and 4.9% in prey species). the most commonly parasitized species w ... | 2014 | 25262786 |
| antitrichomonal activity of peganum harmala alkaloid extract against trichomoniasis in pigeon (columba livia domestica). | 1. this study was designed to evaluate the antitrichomonal effects of p. harmala alkaloid extract against t. gallinae, both in vitro and in vivo, as well as comparing it to that of metronidazole, conventional antitrichomonal medication and harmine and harmaline, the two alkaloids present in p. harmala. 2. t. gallinae were collected by the wet mount method from infected free-living pigeons. the in vitro assay was performed using multi-well plates containing test compounds in final concentrations ... | 2017 | 28084792 |
| prevalence of trichomonas spp. in domestic pigeons in shandong province, china, and genotyping by restriction fragment length polymorphism. | oropharyngeal swabs (n = 609) were collected randomly from 80,000 domestic pigeons (columba livia domestica) on five pigeon farms and at one pigeon slaughterhouse in shandong province, china, from september 2012 to july 2013. trichomonas spp. were detected in 206/609 (33.8%) samples. the prevalence was 14.9-31.1%, depending on different levels of sanitation and management, and was 4.8% in nestling pigeons, 13.6% in breeding pigeons and 35.2% in adolescent pigeons. trichomonas gallinae genotypes ... | 2016 | 27068150 |
| molecular characterization of trichomonas gallinae isolates recovered from the canadian maritime provinces' wild avifauna reveals the presence of the genotype responsible for the european finch trichomonosis epidemic and additional strains. | finch trichomonosis, caused by trichomonas gallinae, emerged in the canadian maritime provinces in 2007 and has since caused ongoing mortality in regional purple finch (carpodacus purpureus) and american goldfinch (carduelis tristis) populations. trichomonas gallinae was isolated from (1) finches and rock pigeons (columbia livia) submitted for post-mortem or live-captured at bird feeding sites experiencing trichomonosis mortality; (2) bird seed at these same sites; and (3) rock pigeons live-capt ... | 2015 | 25804862 |
| trichomonas spp. in pigeons: detection by osom trichomonas rapid test. | the efficacy of the osom trichomonas rapid test (developed for rapid diagnosis of human trichomonas vaginalis) in detection of trichomonas spp. in pigeons (columba livia) was investigated. two oral cavity swabs were taken from 50 farm pigeons. cultivation in diamond trichomonas medium was used as a reference method. according to a morphological determination, trichomonas gallinae was the only protozoan found; however, no further molecular analysis was conducted. the osom trichomonas test was pos ... | 2013 | 24597125 |
| the antitrichomonal efficacy of garlic and metronidazole against trichomonas gallinae infecting domestic pigeons. | trichomonas gallinae is the causative agent of canker in pigeon. this work was carried out to investigate in the vitro and in vivo efficacy of aqueous water extract of garlic (age) on the growth of t. gallinae infecting pigeons compared to those of metronidazole (mtz). mtz and age were added, at different concentrations, to glucose-serum broth medium containing 1 × 10(4) trophozoites/ml. in the in vivo experiment, 48 squabs were grouped into four groups. the first group (gr. i) was not infected ... | 2014 | 24488107 |
| racing pigeons: a reservoir for nitro-imidazole-resistant trichomonas gallinae. | trichomonas gallinae , the cause of avian trichomonosis, is most commonly found in the order columbiformes. racing pigeons are often treated preventively with nitro-imidazoles, which could result in the emergence of resistant isolates, and these isolates can be a threat to wildlife when exchanges occur. the sequence type of 16 t. gallinae isolates obtained from racing pigeons and 15 isolates from wild pigeons was determined based on the its1/5.8s rrna/its2 region sequence. in addition, the resis ... | 2014 | 24456034 |
| attempts at infecting ringed turtle doves with virulent trichomonas gallinae. | twenty trichomonas -free ringed turtle doves ( streptopelia risoria ) were inoculated per os with the highly virulent jones' barn strain of trichomonas gallinae . none became infected. three f1 females housed together were similarly inoculated with this strain and remained trichomonas -positive for upwards of 182 days. they showed no disease and eventually lost their infections. these three positive females "mated" and laid several six-egg sets in a communal nest. at successive nestings they wer ... | 1977 | 24228964 |
| evaluation of a west nile virus surveillance and early warning system in greece, based on domestic pigeons. | in the summer of 2010 an epidemic of west nile virus (wnv) occurred in central macedonia, greece, with 197 human neuroinvasive disease (wnnd) cases. in the following years the virus spread to new areas, with a total of 76 wnnd cases in 2011, and 109 wnnd cases in 2012 (14 and 12 wnnd cases, respectively, in central macedonia). we established a surveillance system based on serological testing of domestic pigeons, using celisa confirmed by serum neutralization test. in central macedonia, pigeon se ... | 2014 | 24503179 |
| wham: identifying structural variants of biological consequence. | existing methods for identifying structural variants (svs) from short read datasets are inaccurate. this complicates disease-gene identification and efforts to understand the consequences of genetic variation. in response, we have created wham (whole-genome alignment metrics) to provide a single, integrated framework for both structural variant calling and association testing, thereby bypassing many of the difficulties that currently frustrate attempts to employ svs in association testing. here ... | 2015 | 26625158 |
| experimental infection of rock pigeons (columba livia) with three west nile virus lineage 1 strains isolated in italy between 2009 and 2012--corrigendum. | | 2016 | 26548703 |
| experimental infection of rock pigeons (columba livia) with three west nile virus lineage 1 strains isolated in italy between 2009 and 2012. | west nile virus (wnv) circulation dynamics in the context of the urban environment is not yet elucidated. in this perspective, three groups of eight rock pigeons (columbia livia) were inoculated with three wnv lineage 1 strains isolated in italy between 2009 and 2012. the pigeons did not develop any clinical signs consistent with wnv acute infection. all animals seroconverted and shed virus up to 15 days post-infection by the oral or cloacal routes. in all infected groups viraemia lasted for 4 d ... | 2016 | 26493864 |
| predator fitness increases with selectivity for odd prey. | the fundamental currency of normative models of animal decision making is darwinian fitness. in foraging ecology, empirical studies typically assess foraging strategies by recording energy intake rates rather than realized reproductive performance. this study provides a rare empirical link, in a vertebrate predator-prey system, between a predator's foraging behavior and direct measures of its reproductive fitness. goshawks accipiter gentilis selectively kill rare color variants of their principa ... | 2012 | 22503502 |
| morphological properties of the last primaries, the tail feathers, and the alulae of accipiter nisus, columba livia, falco peregrinus, and falco tinnunculus. | we investigated the mechanical properties (young's modulus, bending stiffness, barb separation forces) of the tenth primary of the wings, of the alulae and of the middle tail feathers of falco peregrinus. for comparison, we also investigated the corresponding feathers in pigeons (columba livia), kestrels (falco tinnunculus), and sparrowhawks (accipiter nisus). in all four species, the young's moduli of the feathers ranged from 5.9 to 8.4 gpa. the feather shafts of f. peregrinus had the largest c ... | 2015 | 25130288 |
| the role of key features in predator recognition by untrained birds. | the most important role in the recognition and categorization of predators (as well as other animals) is usually attributed to so-called key features. under laboratory conditions, we tested the role of yellow eyes (specific for the genus accipiter in european raptors) and hooked beak (common for all european birds of prey) in the recognition of the sparrowhawk (accipiter nisus) by untrained great tits (parus major) caught in the wild. using wooden dummies, we interchanged either one of these pot ... | 2014 | 24458458 |
| preliminary study on avian fauna of the krishna river basin sangli district, western maharashtra, india. | the present study on avifaunal diversity carried out for three years at the krishna river basin, sangli district revealed a total of 126 species of birds belonging to 30 families, of which 91 species were resident, 16 migratory, 12 resident and local migratory and 7 species were resident and migratory. among the migrant birds, rosy starling sturnus roseus was dominant in the study area. commonly recorded resident bird species were, red vented bulbul, jungle crow, house sparrow, common myna, brah ... | 2014 | 25522499 |
| molecular investigation of cryptosporidium in small caged pets in northeast china: host specificity and zoonotic implications. | this study screened 151 pet-derived fecal specimens randomly collected from four commercial markets in northeast china for the presence of cryptosporidium by genus-specific nested pcrs of the small subunit rrna gene. of these, 14 specimens (9.3 %) from nine species of birds, two types of rodents, and a hedgehog were positive for cryptosporidium. sequence analysis on the pcr-positive isolates facilitated identification of three cryptosporidium species (c. baileyi, c. galli, and c. ubiquitum) and ... | 2016 | 27107987 |
| a review of the mite subfamily harpirhynchinae (acariformes: harpirhynchidae)--parasites of new world birds (aves: neognathae). | mites of the subfamily harpirhynchinae (acariformes: cheyletoidea: harpirhynchidae) associated with neognathous birds (aves: neognathae) in the new world are revised. in all, 68 species in 8 genera are recorded. among them, 27 new species and 1 new genus are described as new for science: harpyrhynchoides gallowayi bochkov, oconnor and klompen sp. nov. from columba livia (columbiformes: columbidae) from canada (manitoba), h. zenaida bochkov, oconnor and klompen sp. nov. from zenaida macroura (col ... | 2015 | 26624161 |
| comparison of the metal concentrations in the feathers of three bird species from southern iran. | this study was conducted to determine the concentration of metals, namely cadmium, lead, cobalt and copper, in the feathers of chukar (alectoris chukar), see-see partridge (ammoperdix griseogularis) and rock dove (columba livia) in order to: examine the species, gender and age related variations in trace metal accumulation, and identify any relationships between species. bird samples were collected in february 2012 from the hormod protected area, southern iran and the concentration of metals wer ... | 2012 | 22933174 |
| full-length cdna cloning and structural characterization of preproinsulin in alligator sinensis. | insulin is an important endocrine hormone that plays a critical physiological role in regulating metabolism and glucostasis in vertebrates. in this study, the complete cdna of alligator sinensis preproinsulin gene was cloned for the first time by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cdna ends methods; the amino acid sequence encoded and protein structure were analyzed. the full-length of preproinsulin cdna sequence consists of 528 base pairs (bp), comprising ... | 2014 | 25366775 |
| thermoregulatory behavior is widespread in the embryos of reptiles and birds. | recent studies have demonstrated that thermoregulatory behavior occurs not only in posthatching turtles but also in turtles prior to hatching. does thermoregulatory behavior also occur in the embryos of other reptile and bird species? our experiments show that such behavior is widespread but not universal in reptile and bird embryos. we recorded repositioning within the egg, in response to thermal gradients, in the embryos of three species of snakes (xenochrophis piscator, elaphe bimaculata, and ... | 2014 | 24561606 |
| chicken cathelicidins as potent intrinsically disordered biocides with antimicrobial activity against infectious pathogens. | this study was performed to identify the expression patterns of the cathelicidin genes in a local chicken breed and to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of the cathelicidin peptides against pathogenic bacteria. this analysis revealed that the coding regions of cath-1, -2, and -3 genes contain 447 bp, 465 bp, and 456 bp, respectively, and encode proteins of 148, 154, 151 amino acids, respectively. the complete amino acid sequences of the cathelicidin peptides are similar to those found in mel ... | 2016 | 27328070 |
| molecular phylogeny of some avian species using cytochrome b gene sequence analysis. | veritable identification and differentiation of avian species is a vital step in conservative, taxonomic, forensic, legal and other ornithological interventions. therefore, this study involved the application of molecular approach to identify some avian species i.e. chicken (gallus gallus), muskovy duck (cairina moschata), japanese quail (coturnix japonica), laughing dove (streptopelia senegalensis), and rock pigeon (columba livia). genomic dna was extracted from blood samples and partial sequen ... | 2015 | 27175180 |
| seroprevalence of paramyxoviruses in synanthropic and semi-free-range birds. | avian paramyxoviruses (apmvs) are classified into nine different serotypes (apmv 1-9). virulent strains of apmv-1 are already well characterized as the etiologic agent of newcastle disease (nd), an important disease in poultry that is potentially capable of infecting all orders of avian species. however, very little is known about the other eight serotypes, the majority of which can cause disease in domestic birds. the role of synanthropic and semi-free-range birds as reservoirs of avian paramyx ... | 2014 | 25055638 |
| morphological and molecular characterization of eimeria labbeana-like (apicomplexa:eimeriidae) in a domestic pigeon (columba livia domestica, gmelin, 1789) in australia. | an eimeria species is described from a domestic pigeon (columba livia domestica). sporulated oocysts (n = 35) were subspherical, with a smooth bi-layered oocyst wall (1.0 μm thick). oocysts measured 20.2 × 16.1 (22.0-18.9 × 15.7-18.9) μm, oocyst length/width (l/w) ratio, 1.38. oocyst residuum and a polar granule were present. the micropyle was absent. sporocysts are elongate-ovoid, 13.0 × 6.1 (14.5-12.5 × 5.5-7.0) μm, sporocyst l/w ratio, 2.13 (2.0-2.2), sporocyst residuum was present, composed ... | 2016 | 27080159 |
| isospora serinuse n. sp. (apicomplexa: eimeriidae) from a domestic canary (serinus canaria forma domestica) (passeriformes: fringillidae) in western australia. | a new species, isospora serinuse n. sp., (apicomplexa:eimeriidae) is described from a single domestic canary (serinus canaria forma domestica) (subspecies s. c. domestica) in western australia. sporulated oocysts of isospora serinuse n. sp. are spherical or subspherical, 25.5 (24.4-27.0) × 23.5 (22.0-24.8) μm, with a shape index (length/width) of 1.09; and a smooth bilayered oocyst wall, 1.2 μm thick (outer layer 0.9 μm, inner 0.3 μm). a polar granule is present, but a micropyle and oocyst resid ... | 2015 | 26325434 |
| birds generally carry a small repertoire of bitter taste receptor genes. | as they belong to the most species-rich class of tetrapod vertebrates, birds have long been believed to possess an inferior taste system. however, the bitter taste is fundamental in birds to recognize dietary toxins (which are typically bitter) in potential food sources. to characterize the evolution of avian bitter taste receptor genes (tas2rs) and to test whether dietary toxins have shaped the repertoire size of avian tas2rs, we examined 48 genomes representing all but 3 avian orders. the tota ... | 2015 | 26342138 |
| an accidental fatal attack on domestic pigeons by honey bees in bangladesh. | fatalities among avian species due to multiple bee stings are rare. sixteen pigeons on a farm in bangladesh each suffered multiple bee stings. ten of the pigeons died before treatment, 5 (4-11 stings) died within 12 hr after treatment, and 1 pigeon (only 3 stings) survived. body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, hematocrit, hemoglobin, erythrocytes, thrombocytes, mcv, mch and mchc decreased significantly after the incident, but leucocytes, heterophils, basophils, eosinophils, monocytes, ... | 2015 | 26028022 |
| morphological and molecular characterization of isospora neochmiae n. sp. in a captive-bred red-browed finch (neochmia temporalis) (latham, 1802). | a new isospora (apicomplexa: eimeriidae) species is described from a single red-browed finch (neochmia temporalis) (subspecies n. temporalis temporalis), that was part of a captive population in western australia. sporulated oocysts of this isolate are spherical, 18.3 (18.2-18.9) × 18.2 (18.2-18.6) μm, with a shape index (length/width) of 1.0; and a smooth and bilayered oocyst wall, 1.2 μm thick (outer layer 0.9 μm, inner 0.3 μm). a polar granule is present, but the oocyst residuum and a micropy ... | 2016 | 27107929 |
| isospora streperae n. sp. (apicomplexa: eimeriidae) from a grey currawong (strepera versicolour plumbea) (passeriformes: artamidae) in western australia. | a new species, isospora streperae n. sp., (apicomplexa: eimeriidae) is described from a single grey currawong bird (strepera versicolour) (subspecies s. v. plumbea) in western australia. sporulated oocysts (n = 32) are spherical to subspherical, with smooth colourless bilayered oocyst wall, 1.0 µm thick (outer layer 0⋅8 µm, inner 0.2 µm thick). oocyst with a polar granule, an oocyst residuum and two spheroidal to subspheroidal sporocysts. oocyst length, 23.8 (20.4-25.0) µm; oocyst width, 22.5 (2 ... | 2015 | 25620542 |
| mitochondrial genome sequence of egyptian swift rock pigeon (columba livia breed egyptian swift). | the egyptian swift rock pigeon is a breed of fancy pigeon developed over many years of selective breeding. in this work, we report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of egyptian swift rock pigeon. the total length of the mitogenome was 17,239 bp and its overall base composition was estimated to be 30.2% for a, 24.0% for t, 31.9% for c and 13.9% for g, indicating an a-t (54.2%)-rich feature in the mitogenome. it contained the typical structure of 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal rna g ... | 2015 | 24438285 |
| the ornithodoros (alectorobius) capensis group (acarina: ixodoidea: argasidae) of the palearctic and oriental regions. o. (a.) coniceps identity, bird and mammal hosts, virus infections, and distribution in europe, africa, and asia. | ornithodoros (alectorobius) coniceps (canestrini 1890), which was briefly described from adult specimens from st. mark's cathedral, venice, italy, has been a confusing taxon. we redescribe and illustrate the adult and immature stages from st. mark's cathedral (topotypes) and elsewhere, list criteria to distinguish this species from others in the o. (a.) capensis complex, and provide data for 36 collections, chiefly from nest sites of wild and domestic pigeons in humid, rocky situations, and from ... | 1979 | 480069 |
| prevalence of ectoparasites in free-range backyard chickens, domestic pigeons (columba livia domestica) and turkeys of kermanshah province, west of iran. | this study was carried out on free-range backyard chickens, domestic pigeons (columba livia domestica) and turkeys from may 2012 to april 2013 to determine the prevalence and identify the species of ectoparasites in kermanshah province, west of iran. of the total of 600 free-range backyard chickens (185 ♂ and 415 ♀), 700 domestic pigeons (278 ♂ and 422 ♀) and 150 turkeys (53 ♂ and 97 ♀), 389 (64.83 %), 608 (86.85 %) and 54 (36 %) were infected with one or more parasites respectively. eleven ecto ... | 2016 | 27413319 |
| host finding of the pigeon tick argas reflexus. | the medically and veterinary important feral pigeon tick argas reflexus (ixodida: argasidae) fabricius usually feeds on pigeons, but if its natural hosts are not available, it also enters dwellings to bite humans that can possibly react with severe allergic reactions. argas reflexus is ecologically extremely successful as a result of some outstanding morphological, physiological, and ethological features. yet, it is still unknown how the pigeon tick finds its hosts. here, different host stimuli ... | 2016 | 26959079 |
| use of slope and feature cues in pigeon (columba livia) goal-searching behavior. | terrain slope provides a directional frame of reference for reorientation and navigation, similar to cardinal directions. previous studies have shown that, in a goal location task, slope is a very salient cue and that pigeons tend to rely on it even if it is not the most informative cue. such a strong dependence on one type of information, when there are more effective predictors of reward, is a key premise for a modular view of information processing. here we tested the provocative hypothesis o ... | 2012 | 22390622 |
| does antibody binding to diverse antigens predict future infection? | we studied diverse antigen binding in hosts and the outcome of parasitism. we used captive-bred f1 descendants of feral rock pigeons (columba livia) challenged with blood-feeding flies (hippoboscidae) and a protozoan parasite (haemoproteus). enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisas) and immunoblots were used to test (i) whether pre-infection igy antigen binding predicts parasite fitness and (ii) whether antigen binding changes after infection. assays used extracts from three pigeon parasites ( ... | 2014 | 25313676 |
| molecular identification of cryptosporidium spp. in seagulls, pigeons, dogs, and cats in thailand. | zoonotic cryptosporidium spp., particularly c. meleagridis, c. canis, and c. felis, are enteric protozoa responsible for major public health concerns around the world. to determine the spread of this parasite in thailand, we conducted molecular identification of cryptosporidium spp. from animal samples around the country, by collecting and investigating the feces of seagulls (chroicocephalus brunnicephalus and chroicocephalus ridibundus), domestic pigeons (columba livia domestica), dogs, and cat ... | 2014 | 25297887 |
| new records and new species of mites of the subfamily harpirhynchinae (acariformes: harpirhynchidae) infesting birds in manitoba, canada. | five new species and one new genus of the subfamily harpirhynchinae (acariformes: harpirhynchidae) are described from birds in canada: harpyrhynchoides heatherae sp. nov. from junco hyemalis (passeriformes: emberizidae), h. botaurus sp. nov. from botaurus lentiginosus (pelecaniformes: ardeidae), h. phalaropus sp. nov. from phalaropus lobatus (charadriiformes: scolopacidae), neharpyrhynchus loxia sp. nov. from loxia curvirostra (passeriformes: fringillidae), and fainharpirhynchus contopus gen. no ... | 2013 | 24338301 |
| state-level approaches to managing the use of contraceptives in wildlife in the united states. | several fertility control agents have recently been registered with the u.s. environmental protection agency for management of wildlife or other free-ranging animals. the registration of gonacon immunocontraceptive vaccine for use in white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) and ovocontrol for use in canada geese (branta canadensis) and pigeons (columba livia) has caused state wildlife and land management agencies to review their regulatory authority over the use of contraceptives in wildlife. ... | 2013 | 24437085 |
| complete genome sequence and evolution analysis of a columbid herpesvirus type 1 from feral pigeon in china. | here, we report the genome sequence of a feral pigeon alphaherpesvirus (columbid herpesvirus type 1, cohv-1), strain hlj, and compare it with other avian alphaherpesviruses. the cohv-1 strain hlj genome is 204,237 bp in length and encodes approximately 130 putative protein-coding genes. phylogenetically, cohv-1 complete genome resides in a monophyletic group with the falconid herpesvirus type 1 (fahv-1) genome, distant from other alphaherpesviruses. interestingly, the evolutionary analysis of pa ... | 2017 | 28316016 |
| epidemiological aspects of lice (menacanthus species) infections in laying hen flocks from the state of minas gerais, brazil. | the epidemiology of chicken lice species such as menacanthus stramineus, m. cornutus and m. pallidulus were studied during an observational, analytical and sectional survey, to determine predisposing factors for their occurrence in laying hen farms in the state of minas gerais, brazil. a total of 431 houses on 43 farms were visited in 2012. m. cornutus, m. stramineus and m. pallidulus occurred in 20.9%, 11.6% and 11.6% of farms, respectively. the frequencies of occurrence of m. cornutus, m. stra ... | 2016 | 26642864 |
| avian poxvirus in a free-range juvenile speckled (rock) pigeon (columba guinea). | a flightless wild juvenile rock pigeon (columba guinea) with pox-like lesions was picked up on the premises of the faculty of veterinary science, university of pretoria, onderstepoort. the pigeon was housed overnight for possible treatment the following day but died before any other intervention could be instituted. at necropsy, coalescing masses of yellowish nodular cutaneous tumour-like lesions principally on the featherless areas were noticed on the dead pigeon's head as well as the beak. his ... | 2015 | 26016787 |
| avian poxvirus in a free-range juvenile speckled (rock) pigeon (<i>columba guinea</i>). | a flightless wild juvenile rock pigeon (columba guinea) with pox-like lesions was picked up on the premises of the faculty of veterinary science, university of pretoria, onderstepoort. the pigeon was housed overnight for possible treatment the following day but died before any other intervention could be instituted. at necropsy, coalescing masses of yellowish nodular cutaneous tumour-like lesions principally on the featherless areas were noticed on the dead pigeon's head as well as the beak. his ... | 2015 | 28235295 |
| assessing the acquisition of anticipatory responding in the pigeon using reaction time. | we report a novel method for investigating the acquisition of anticipatory responding in the pigeon. four pigeons (columba livia) received food for pecking a starburst target stimulus displayed in the bottom-left or bottom-right portion of a computer screen. the target stimulus was preceded by 1 of 3 fractal images displayed in either the upper-left or upper-right portion of the screen: 1 of the fractals was perfectly correlated with the target appearing in the bottom-left, the second fractal wa ... | 2017 | 28383941 |
| antimicrobial resistance genes in pigeons from public parks in costa rica. | antimicrobial resistance is known to be an emerging problem, but the extent of the issue remains incomplete. the aim of this study was to determine the presence or absence of nine resistance genes (blatem , cati, meca, qnrs, suli, sulii, tet(a), tet(q), vana) in the faeces of 141 pigeons from four urban parks in alajuela, guadalupe, tres ríos and san josé in costa rica. the genes were identified by real-time pcr directly from enema samples. about 30% of the samples were positive for genes cati a ... | 2017 | 28233464 |
| water requirements and drinking rates of homing pigeons: a consideration for exposure risk of migratory birds. | access to water along a bird's migratory flyway is essential during the vital process of migration. because of the scarcity of water in some environments, there is potential for migratory birds to encounter and drink from contaminated bodies of water. ingestion of contaminated water may cause injury and compromise flying ability, leading to a disruption of migration. to determine injury to birds from potential exposure, it is essential to know not only the concentration of a given contaminant in ... | 2017 | 28195437 |
| pigeon circovirus infection in disqualified racing pigeons from taiwan. | pigeons (columba livia) infected with pigeon circovirus (picv) have been reported worldwide. the present study diagnosed picv infection in tissue samples of disqualified racing pigeons in taiwan, using molecular and microscopy diagnostics. among the 164 dead pigeons examined, 96.95% (159/164) tested positive for picv. severe histopathological lesions, with characteristic inclusions, were observed in various organs of the picv-infected pigeons. multiglobular basophilic intranuclear and intracytop ... | 2017 | 28132523 |
| does the stress response predict the ability of wild birds to adjust to short-term captivity? a study of the rock pigeon (columbia livia). | although the transfer of wild animals to captivity is crucial for conservation purposes, this process is often challenging because some species or individuals do not adjust well to captive conditions. chronic stress has been identified as a major concern for animals held on long-term captivity. surprisingly, the first hours or days of captivity have been relatively overlooked. however, they are certainly very stressful, because individuals are being transferred to a totally novel and confined en ... | 2016 | 28083117 |
| ultrasound biomicroscopy and tonometry in ophthalmologically normal pigeon eyes. | to evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound biomicroscopy (ubm) and tonometry in pigeons and to provide biometric reference ranges for normal pigeon eyes. | 2017 | 28074538 |
| avermectin induced global dna hypomethylation and over-expression of heat shock proteins in cardiac tissues of pigeon. | despite increasing evidences pointing to residues of avermectin (avm) pose toxic effects on non-target organisms in environment, but the data in pigeon is insufficient. the alteration of global dna methylation and response of heat shock proteins (hsps) are important for assessing the avm toxicity in cardiac tissues of pigeon (columba livia). to investigate the effects of avm exposure in cardiac tissues of pigeon, we detected the expression levels of dna methyltransferases (dnmts), methylated dna ... | 2017 | 28043331 |
| evaluation of gastroscopy and biopsy of the proventriculus and ventriculus in pigeons (columba livia). | objective to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gastroscopy and biopsy of the proventriculus and ventriculus in pigeons (columba livia). animals 15 adult pigeons. procedures each pigeon was anesthetized, and the upper gastrointestinal tract (from the cervical portion of the esophagus to the ventriculus) was endoscopically evaluated by use of a rigid endoscope inserted orally. saline (0.9% nacl) solution was orally infused to achieve lumen dilation and visibility. two mucosal biopsy specimens we ... | 2017 | 28029291 |
| field evidence of bird poisonings by imidacloprid-treated seeds: a review of incidents reported by the french sagir network from 1995 to 2014. | the large-scale use of neonicotinoid insecticides has raised growing concerns about their potential adverse effects on farmland birds, and more generally on biodiversity. imidacloprid, the first neonicotinoid commercialized, has been identified as posing a risk for seed-eating birds when it is used as seed treatment of some crops since the consumption of a few dressed seeds could cause mortality. but evidence of direct effects in the field is lacking. here, we reviewed the 103 wildlife mortality ... | 2017 | 28028702 |
| molecular and functional characterization of pigeon (columba livia) tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3. | tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3 (traf3) plays a key antiviral role by promoting type i interferon production. we cloned the pigeon traf3 gene (pitraf3) according to its predicted mrna sequence to investigate its function. the 1704-bp full-length open reading frame encodes a 567-amino acid protein. one ring finger, two traf-type zinc fingers, one coiled coil, and one math domain were inferred. rt-pcr showed that pitraf3 was expressed in all tissues, with relatively weak express ... | 2017 | 28024872 |
| detection and partial genetic characterisation of novel avi- and siadenoviruses in racing and fancy pigeons (columba livia domestica). | up to now, only a single adenovirus (adv) isolate seemingly specific for pigeons, hence named pigeon adv-1 (piadv-1), has been characterised at dna sequence level. in the present work, the prevalence and diversity of advs occurring in domestic pigeon were examined by a survey performed on randomly collected samples using a very efficient, consensus nested pcr targeting the viral dna polymerase gene. the newly detected viruses were characterised by sequencing and phylogeny analysis. amplification ... | 2016 | 27993101 |
| the effect of food quality during growth on spatial memory consolidation in adult pigeons. | poor environmental conditions experienced during early development can have negative long-term consequences on fitness. animals can compensate for negative developmental effects through phenotypic plasticity by diverting resources from non-vital to vital traits such as spatial memory to enhance foraging efficiency. we tested in young feral pigeons (columba livia) how diets of different nutritional value during development affect the capacity to retrieve food hidden in a spatially complex environ ... | 2017 | 27913599 |
| pigeons use distinct stop phases to control pecking. | pecking at small targets requires accurate spatial coordination of the head. planning of the peck has been proposed to occur in two distinct stop phases, but although this idea has now been around for a long time, the specific functional roles of these stop phases remain unsolved. here, we investigated the characteristics of the two stop phases using high-speed motion capture and examined their functions with two experiments. in experiment 1, we tested the hypothesis that the second stop phase i ... | 2017 | 27885041 |
| detection of cryptosporidium spp. in free ranging animals of tehran, iran. | cryptosporidium is a world widely distributed parasite which comparatively has a high prevalence in developing countries. the zoonotic potential of some cryptosporidium species has made the cryptosporidiosis a significant concern to physicians and veterinarians. the occurrence and zoonotic potential of cryptosporidium species in probable reservoir hosts for man infections was determined by examining faeces of symptomatic and asymptomatic animals. the aim of this study is to screen the presence o ... | 2016 | 27876975 |
| maternal thyroid hormones enhance hatching success but decrease nestling body mass in the rock pigeon (columba livia). | thyroid hormones (ths) - triiodothyronine (t3) and thyroxine (t4) - are essential for embryonic development in vertebrates. all vertebrate embryos are exposed to ths from maternal origin. as maternal th levels are known to be essential to embryonic development, the natural variation of maternal ths probably represents a pathway of maternal effects that can modify offspring phenotype. however, potential fitness consequences of variation of maternal th exposure within the normal physiological rang ... | 2017 | 27793722 |
| neural correlates of sample-coding and reward-coding in the delay activity of neurons in the entopallium and nidopallium caudolaterale of pigeons (columba livia). | we recorded neuronal activity from the nidopallium caudolaterale, the avian equivalent of mammalian prefrontal cortex, and the entopallium, the avian equivalent of the mammalian visual cortex, in four birds trained on a differential outcomes delayed matching-to-sample procedure in which one sample stimulus was followed by reward and the other was not. despite similar incidence of reward-specific and reward-unspecific delay cell types across the two areas, overall entopallium delay activity occur ... | 2017 | 27720742 |
| association of myf5 and klf15 gene polymorphisms with carcass traits in domestic pigeons (columba livia). | single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) in the exons of the myogenic factor 5 (myf5) and kruppel-like factor 15 (klf15) genes were identified and analysed by using dna sequencing methods in 60 female domestic pigeons (columba livia). five snps (t5067a, c5084t, c5101t, t5127a and c5154g) were detected in exon 3 of myf5 and 6 snps (c1398t, c1464t, g1542a, c1929t, g1965a and a2355g) were found in exon 2 of klf15, respectively. the analysis revealed three genotypes, in which the aa genotype was domin ... | 2016 | 27180898 |
| sensitivity of the avian motion system to light and dark stimuli. | global motion perception is important for mobile organisms. in laterally eyed birds, global motion appears to be processed in the entopallium, a neural structure that is part of the tectofugal pathway. electrophysiological research has shown that motion selective cells in the entopallium are most responsive to small dark moving targets. here, we investigated whether this bias toward dark targets of entopallial cells is mirrored by perceptual performance in a motion detection task in pigeons. we ... | 2017 | 27743012 |
| effects of in vitro and in vivo avermectin exposure on alpha synuclein expression and proteasomal activity in pigeons. | avermectins (avms) are used worldwide in agriculture and veterinary medicine. residues of avermectin drugs, causing toxicological effects on non-target organisms, have raised great concern. the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of avm on the expression levels of alpha synuclein (α-syn) and proteasomal activity in pigeon (columba livia) neurons both in vivo and in vitro. the results showed that, the mrna and protein levels of α-syn increased in avm treated groups relative to contro ... | 2017 | 27677079 |
| orthographic processing in pigeons (columba livia). | learning to read involves the acquisition of letter-sound relationships (i.e., decoding skills) and the ability to visually recognize words (i.e., orthographic knowledge). although decoding skills are clearly human-unique, given they are seated in language, recent research and theory suggest that orthographic processing may derive from the exaptation or recycling of visual circuits that evolved to recognize everyday objects and shapes in our natural environment. an open question is whether ortho ... | 2016 | 27638211 |
| crop milk protein is synthesised following activation of the irs1/akt/tor signalling pathway in the domestic pigeon (columba livia). | the experiment was conducted to study whether insulin receptor substance 1 (irs1) / protein kinase b (akt)/target of the rapamycin (tor) signalling pathway activation stimulates crop milk protein synthesis in the domestic pigeon (columba livia). crop milk was collected from ten 1-d-old squabs and analysed for nutrient content. during the non-breeding period and the first day of lactation, blood samples were collected from 5 pairs of breeding pigeons and the levels of prolactin and insulin were d ... | 2016 | 27636164 |
| i can time with a little help from my friends: effect of social enrichment on timing processes in pigeons (columba livia). | there is evidence that impulsive decision-making is associated with errors in timing. however, there has been little attempt to identify the putative mechanism responsible for impulsive animals' timing errors. one means of manipulating impulsivity in non-human animals is providing different levels of access to conspecifics. these preclinical models have revealed that social isolation increases impulsive responding across a wide range of tasks. the goal of the present study was to determine wheth ... | 2016 | 27632157 |
| misinformed leaders lose influence over pigeon flocks. | in animal groups where certain individuals have disproportionate influence over collective decisions, the whole group's performance may suffer if these individuals possess inaccurate information. whether in such situations leaders can be replaced in their roles by better-informed group mates represents an important question in understanding the adaptive consequences of collective decision-making. here, we use a clock-shifting procedure to predictably manipulate the directional error in navigatio ... | 2016 | 27624797 |
| lousicidal effect of deltamethrin in domestic pigeons. | present study reports the effect of deltamethrin against louse infestation in domestic pigeons. in this study, twelve pigeons infested with columbicola columbae louse were sprayed with deltamethrin (12.5 %) and another twelve pigeons were kept as control group. the lice intensity was reduced 89 %, 98 % and 100 % on 1st, 7th and 14th day of post treatment in treatment group. out of twelve pigeons, four pigeons showed sneezing and temporary ocular inflammations after spraying. | 2016 | 27605793 |
| feral pigeons (columba livia) prefer genetically similar mates despite inbreeding depression. | avoidance of mating between related individuals is usually considered adaptive because it decreases the probability of inbreeding depression in offspring. however, mating between related partners can be adaptive if outbreeding depression is stronger than inbreeding depression or if females gain inclusive fitness benefits by mating with close kin. in the present study, we used microsatellite data to infer the parentage of juveniles born in a french colony of feral pigeons, which allowed us to ded ... | 2016 | 27588754 |
| microbacterium faecale sp. nov., isolated from the faeces of columba livia. | a novel, yellow, aerobic strain, yim 101168t, isolated from the faeces of a dove (columba livia), was studied to determine its taxonomic position. cells were gram-stain-positive, short rod-shaped, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive and non-motile. the strain could grow at 7-37 °c, at ph 6-10 and in the presence of 0-13 % (w/v) nacl. the strain had a 16s rrna gene sequence similarity and dna-dna hybridization relatedness value with microbacteriumgubbeenense ncimb 30129t of 97.8 % and 41.5±8.7 %, ... | 2016 | 27498962 |
| molecular cloning, characterization, and expression analysis of ghrelin and cholecystokinin in the pigeon (columba livia). | ghrelin and cholecystokinin (cck) are multifunctional peptides. in the current study, complete sequences of ghrelin (800 bp) and cck (739 bp) were firstly cloned in columba livia by using rapid amplification of cdna ends (race) method. the open reading frames of ghrelin (351bp) and cck (393bp) encoded 116 amino acids and 130 amino acids, respectively. sequence comparison indicated that pigeon ghrelin and cck shared high identity with those reported in other avian species. quantitative real-time ... | 2016 | 27466433 |
| the mesencephalic gct-ico complex and tonic immobility in pigeons (columba livia): a c-fos study. | tonic immobility (ti) is a response to a predator attack, or other inescapable danger, characterized by immobility, analgesia and unresponsiveness to external stimuli. in mammals, the periaqueductal gray (pag) and deep tectal regions control the expression of ti as well as other defensive behaviors. in birds, little is known about the mesencephalic circuitry involved in the control of ti. here, adult pigeons (both sex, n = 4/group), randomly assigned to non-handled, handled or ti groups, were ki ... | 2017 | 27447458 |
| seasons and neighborhoods of high lead toxicity in new york city: the feral pigeon as a bioindicator. | human-induced rapid environmental change has created a global pandemic of neurobehavioral disorders in which industrial compounds like lead are the root cause. we assessed the feral pigeon (columba livia) as a lead bioindicator in new york city. we collected blood lead level records from 825 visibly ill or abnormally behaving pigeons from various nyc neighborhoods between 2010 and 2015. we found that blood lead levels were significantly higher during the summer, an effect reported in children. p ... | 2016 | 27441986 |
| cue salience influences the use of height cues in reorientation in pigeons (columba livia). | although orienting ability has been examined with numerous types of cues, most research has focused only on cues from the horizontal plane. the current study investigated pigeons' use of wall height, a vertical cue, in an open-field task and compared it with their use of horizontal cues. pigeons were trained to locate food in 2 diagonal corners of a rectangular enclosure with 2 opposite high walls as height cues. before each trial, pigeons were rotated to disorient them. in training, pigeons cou ... | 2016 | 27379717 |
| flight feather attachment in rock pigeons (columba livia): covert feathers and smooth muscle coordinate a morphing wing. | mechanisms for passively coordinating forelimb movements and flight feather abduction and adduction have been described separately from both in vivo and ex vivo studies. skeletal coordination has been identified as a way for birds to simplify the neuromotor task of controlling flight stroke, but an understanding of the relationship between skeletal coordination and the coordination of the aerodynamic control surface (the flight feathers) has been slow to materialize. this break between the biome ... | 2016 | 27320170 |
| evaluation of two miniplate systems and figure-of-eight bandages for stabilization of experimentally induced ulnar and radial fractures in pigeons ( columba livia ). | although plate fixation has advantages over other fixation methods for certain indications, it is rarely used in avian surgery, especially in birds that weigh less than 1000 g. exceptionally small plating systems for these birds are required, which are relatively expensive and difficult to insert. to study avian fracture healing after repair using miniplates, we evaluated 2 steel miniplate systems in 27 pigeons ( columba livia ) divided into 4 groups. in each pigeon, the left ulna and radius wer ... | 2016 | 27315377 |
| do trace metals select for darker birds in urban areas? an experimental exposure to lead and zinc. | trace metals from anthropogenic activities are involved in numerous health impairments and may therefore select for detoxification mechanisms or a higher tolerance. melanin, responsible for the black and red colourations of teguments, plays a role in metal ion chelation and its synthesis is positively linked to immunity, antioxidant capacity and stress resistance due to pleiotropic effects. therefore, we expected darker birds to (1) store higher amounts of metals in their feathers, (2) maintain ... | 2016 | 27282322 |
| risk of hypersensitivity pneumonitis and interstitial lung diseases among pigeon breeders. | we studied the risk of hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other interstitial lung diseases (ilds) among pigeon breeders.this is a retrospective follow-up study from 1980 to 2013 of 6920 pigeon breeders identified in the records of the danish racing pigeon association. they were compared with 276 800 individually matched referents randomly drawn from the danish population. hospital based diagnoses of hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other ilds were identified in the national patient registry 1977-2 ... | 2016 | 27230447 |
| specialized primary feathers produce tonal sounds during flight in rock pigeons (columba livia). | for centuries, naturalists have suggested that the tonal elements of pigeon wing sounds may be sonations (non-vocal acoustic signals) of alarm. however, spurious tonal sounds may be produced passively as a result of aeroelastic flutter in the flight feathers of almost all birds. using mechanistic criteria emerging from recent work on sonations, we sought to: (1) identify characteristics of rock pigeon flight feathers that might be adapted for sound production rather than flight, and (2) provide ... | 2016 | 27207645 |