| seasonal and daily changes in the behaviour of the adult emu (dromaius novaehollandiae) under farm conditions. | 1. the aim of this study was to present selected elements of emu behaviour in three different seasons (the non-breeding season, the pre-breeding season and the breeding season) and in the morning and afternoon. the study focused on feed, water and sand intake; plumage care; resting; agonistic behaviour and other activities, mostly standing still, aimless walking or observing the surroundings. 2. the troop consisted of 11 emus (5 females and 6 males) aged 12 years, kept in a free-range system. ob ... | 2017 | 28604099 |
| sequence comparisons of cytochrome p450 aromatases from australian animals predict differences in enzymatic activity and/or efficiency†. | aromatase (p450arom, cyp19a1) is the terminal enzyme in the synthesis of the steroid hormone family of estrogens. not surprisingly, this enzyme has structural similarities between the limited number of species studied thus far. this study examined the structure of aromatases from four diverse australian species including a marsupial (tammar wallaby; macropus eugenii), monotreme (platypus; ornithorhynchus anatinus), ratite (emu; dromaius novaehollandiae) and lizard (bearded dragon; pogona vittice ... | 2020 | 32179898 |
| serological evidence of avian influenza in captive wild birds in a zoo and two safari parks in bangladesh. | avian influenza (ai) is endemic and frequently causes seasonal outbreaks in winter in bangladesh due to high pathogenic avian influenza (hpai) h5n1 and low pathogenic avian influenza (lpai) h9n2. among avian influenza a viruses (aiv), h5, h7, and h9 subtypes have the most zoonotic potential. captive birds in zoos and safari parks are used for educational, recreational, breeding, and conservational purposes in bangladesh. to screen for aiv in captive birds to assess potential public health threat ... | 2020 | 32882787 |
| impacts of exclusion fencing on target and non-target fauna: a global review. | exclusion fencing is a common tool used to mitigate a variety of unwanted economic losses caused by problematic wildlife. while the potential for agricultural, ecological and economic benefits of pest animal exclusion are often apparent, what is less clear are the costs and benefits to sympatric non-target wildlife. this review examines the use of exclusion fencing in a variety of situations around the world to elucidate the potential outcomes of such fencing for wildlife and apply this knowledg ... | 2020 | 32725786 |
| genetic diversity and drivers of dwarfism in extinct island emu populations. | australia's iconic emu (dromaius novaehollandiae novaehollandiae) is the only living representative of its genus, but fossil evidence and reports from early european explorers suggest that three island forms (at least two of which were dwarfs) became extinct during the nineteenth century. while one of these-the king island emu-has been found to be conspecific with australian mainland emus, little is known about how the other two forms-kangaroo island and tasmanian emus-relate to the others, or e ... | 2018 | 29618519 |
| osteological description of casque ontogeny in the southern cassowary (casuarius casuarius) using micro-ct imaging. | extant cassowaries (casuarius) are unique flightless birds found in the tropics of indo-australia. they have garnered substantial attention from anatomists with focus centered on the bony makeup and function of their conspicuous cranial casques, located dorsally above the orbits and neurocranium. the osteological patterning of the casque has been formally described previously; however, there are differing interpretations between authors. these variable descriptions suggest that an anatomical und ... | 2020 | 32558300 |
| perioperative pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of meloxicam in emus (dromaius novaehollandiae) of different age groups using nonlinear mixed effect modelling. | meloxicam is a widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in avian species. however, variability in pharmacokinetic (pk) and pharmacodynamic (pd) parameters in birds warrants species-specific studies for dose and dosing interval optimization. we performed a perioperative pk study of meloxicam (0.5 mg/kg, intravenously) on emus of three different age groups: 3 chicks (5 weeks old, 3.5 kg), 4 juveniles (26 weeks old, 18.8 kg) and 6 adults (66 weeks old, 38.8 kg). a two-compartment population ... | 2020 | 33141479 |
| development of 49 novel microsatellite markers from next-generation sequencing data and a robust method for parentage tests in the emu (dromaius novaehollandiae). | the emu is a useful and new breed of poultry, but their genetic improvement has not advanced yet due to their very recent domestication. pedigree information is difficult to record because of their complex reproduction system (polyandry). to identify parent-offspring relationships in the emu, parentage test based on polymorphic dna markers have to be developed. in this study, we isolated more than 25,000 microsatellite (simple sequence repeat, ssr) regions from next-generation sequencing data vi ... | 2020 | 33068676 |
| natural infection by procyrnea uncinipenis (nematoda, habronematidae), a parasite from rheas, an autoctone bird from south america, in emus dromaius novaehollandiae, a ratite from new zealand. | the present study reports a natural infection of emus, dromaius novaehollandiae, by the nematode procyrnea uncinipenis. five adult emus from a scientific breeding farm at north fluminense state university located in the city of campos dos goytacazes, rio de janeiro state, brazil were necropsied, and their gastrointestinal tract were collected and examined for the presence of parasites from october 2013 to november 2015. two of the five (40%) emus necropsied were infected with nematodes, and a po ... | 2020 | 33024210 |
| anisotropic fracture resistance of avian eggshell. | in order to understand the fracture toughness anisotropy of avian eggshells, we have investigated eggshells of the emu (dromaius novaehollandiae) whereby the large size (~13 cm × 9.5 cm) enabled the fabrication of beam samples in various orientations. the emu eggshell was found to have a hierarchical microstructure similar to chicken eggshell, with the only significant difference being the absence of a continuous cuticle layer. emu eggshell was found to have significantly lower strength when sam ... | 2020 | 32957195 |
| putative adult neurogenesis in palaeognathous birds: the common ostrich (struthio camelus) and emu (dromaius novaehollandiae). | in the current study, we examined adult neurogenesis throughout the brain of the common ostrich (struthio camelus) and emu (dromaius novaehollandiae) using immunohistochemistry for the endogenous markers pcna which labels proliferating cells, and dcx, which stains immature and migrating neurons. the distribution of pcna and dcx labelled cells was widespread throughout the brain of both species. the highest density of cells immunoreactive to both markers was observed in the olfactory bulbs and th ... | 2020 | 32767787 |
| the influence of age and gender on emu (dromaius novaehollandiae) fat. | studies were carried out to determine the influence of age and sex on two types of fat (back fat and abdominal fat) in the emu, as these are factors that influence the composition of animal tissues. the material involved 26 emus at the age 1 (6 males), 3 (6 males) and 15 years (8 females and 6 males), kept on the same farm and fed the feed of the same nutritional value. the basic chemical composition, cholesterol and mineral content, as well as fatty acid profile of back and abdominal fat of emu ... | 2020 | 32632331 |
| mitochondrial dna variations in japanese farmed emu populations. | the emu (dromaius novaehollandiae) is a new poultry. in this study, we investigated the haplotype composition of mitochondrial dna among emu populations farmed in japan. we sequenced the d-loop region in 109 individuals, and detected four substitution sites and three haplotypes (hap-a, -b, and -c). hap-a was the most frequently observed haplotype in the japanese populations. although hap-c was a rare haplotype in not only japanese but also australian populations, it was detected with high freque ... | 2020 | 32249252 |
| development and characterization of ten novel microsatellite loci for the emu (dromaius novaehollandiae) and genetic diversity of japanese farm populations. | the emu (dromaius novaehollandiae) is a useful poultry animal farmed for fat, meat, and eggs. genetic structure and relationships among farmed emu populations in japan are unknown and the number of microsatellite markers for genetic analysis of the emu is insufficient. in this study, we isolated 16 microsatellites from the emu genome and developed ten new microsatellite markers. these microsatellite markers were used to characterize three farm emu populations in japan. the number of alleles rang ... | 2020 | 32086719 |
| attenuated fgf signaling underlies the forelimb heterochrony in the emu dromaius novaehollandiae. | powered flight was fundamental to the establishment and radiation of birds. however, flight has been lost multiple times throughout avian evolution. convergent losses of flight within the ratites (flightless paleognaths, including the emu and ostrich) often coincide with reduced wings. although there is a wealth of anatomical knowledge for several ratites, the genetic mechanisms causing these changes remain debated. here, we use a multidisciplinary approach employing embryological, genetic, and ... | 2019 | 31668620 |
| prevalence of anti-toxoplasma gondii antibodies in ratites from brazil. | the prevalence of anti-toxoplasma gondii antibodies was investigated among 104 ratites: 68 rheas (rhea americana), 16 emus (dromaius novaehollandiae), and 20 ostriches (struthio camelus) in 4 brazilian states. the prevalence in rheas was 26.5% (18 of 68), and titers were 1:100 (n = 8), 1:200 (n = 1), 1:400 (n = 4), 1:800 (n = 4), and 1:1,600 (n = 1). in emus, the prevalence was 50% (8 of 16), and titers were 1:50 (n = 1) and 1:100 (n = 7). the ostriches were slaughtered for human consumption, an ... | 2019 | 31584862 |
| evolution of the avian digital pattern. | variation in digit number has occurred multiple times in the history of archosaur evolution. the five digits of dinosaur limbs were reduced to three in bird forelimbs, and were further reduced in the vestigial forelimbs of the emu. regulation of digit number has been investigated previously by examining genes involved in anterior-posterior patterning in forelimb buds among emu (dromaius novaehollandiae), chicken (gallus gallus) and zebra finch (taeniopygia guttata). it was described that the exp ... | 2019 | 31189916 |
| gastrointestinal parasites of a population of emus (dromaius novaehollandiae) in brazil. | emus are large flightless birds in the ratite group and are native to australia. since the mid-1980s, there has been increased interest in the captive breeding of emus for the production of leather, meat and oil. the aim of this study was to identify gastrointestinal parasites in the feces of emus dromaius novaehollandiae from a south american scientific breeding. fecal samples collected from 13 birds were examined by direct smears, both with and without centrifugation, as well as by the fecal f ... | 2020 | 31116295 |
| ticks in wild animals at a resort and the first documentation of amblyomma sculptum infesting emu (dromaius novaehollandiae). | the study aimed to identify species of ticks present in the environment and among captive animals, in mangaratiba, rio de janeiro, brazil. ticks were isolated from captive animals by manual examination and free-living ticks in the environment were captured using the flannel drag technique. a total of 91 ticks were obtained (51 adults, 25 nymphs and 15 larvae). the specimens were identified morphologically as amblyomma sp., amblyomma dubitatum, amblyomma ovale and amblyomma sculptum , and were di ... | 2019 | 30810663 |
| retrospective study of mortality in captive struthioniformes in a french zoo (1974-2015). | the husbandry and medical records, and necropsy reports, of 1,002 captive struthioniformes that died at the réserve africaine de sigean (france) from 1974 to 2015 were examined. the goal of this study was to determine the most common causes of mortality in ostriches ( struthio camelus), emus ( dromaius novaehollandiae), and american rheas ( rhea americana), in order to highlight common causes of mortality, as well as the influence of age, gender, and rearing methods on mortality. the most preval ... | 2018 | 30592921 |
| avian lungs: a novel scaffold for lung bioengineering. | allogeneic lung transplant is limited both by the shortage of available donor lungs and by the lack of suitable long-term lung assist devices to bridge patients to lung transplantation. avian lungs have different structure and mechanics resulting in more efficient gas exchange than mammalian lungs. decellularized avian lungs, recellularized with human lung cells, could therefore provide a powerful novel gas exchange unit for potential use in pulmonary therapeutics. to initially assess this in bo ... | 2018 | 29949597 |
| ovarian teratocarcinoma in an emu (dromaius novaehollandiae): histopathological and immunohistochemical characterization. | a 17-year-old female emu (dromaius novaehollandiae) was presented for clinical evaluation due to a 3-week history of anorexia and progressive weight loss. the emu died after sedation. at necropsy examination, the ovary and the majority of the oviduct were effaced by a multinodular cystic mass and accompanied by 6 l of coelomic effusion. histopathology revealed a neoplasm composed of well-differentiated, poorly organized tissues derived from ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. tissues within the neo ... | 2018 | 29599003 |
| a simplified protocol for molecular sexing in the emu (dromaius novaehollandiae). | male and female emus are nearly identical both as chicks and as adults. although morphological differences of the internal genital tract can be used to distinguish the sexes, a high degree of diagnostic skill is required for accurate sexing. dna-based sexing methods are highly accurate and can be used to diagnose sex without requiring a high degree of technical skill. however, conventional pcr-rflp is time consuming and costly, requiring the digestion of pcr products. in this study, we simplifie ... | 2018 | 29300990 |
| mucopolysaccharidosis iiib (sanfilippo syndrome b) in a commercial emu (dromaius novaehollandiae) flock. | clinicopathological diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidosis type iiib (mps iiib; sanfilippo syndrome b), an inherited autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease, as a cause of losses in a commercial emu flock and screening breeders using a mutation-specific dna test are described. between 2012 and 2015, ∼5-10 juvenile emus from a few weeks to several months of age developed progressive neurological signs and died while others in the flock remained healthy. necropsy of two affected siblings reveale ... | 2018 | 28911234 |