Journal of Economic Animal

Research Progress on the Role and Application of Probiotics in the Prevention and Treatment of Pet Diseases

Advances in Efficacy Evaluation Methods of Functional Pet Foods

Differences in Intestinal Microbiota Diversity of Captive Common Fallow Deer between Winter and Summer

Isolation and Identification of Calf Coronavirus and Evolution Analysis of N gene in Southern Xinjiang

Effects of Different Protein Source Diets on the Composition， Structure， and Function of Jejunal Bacteria in Juvenile Raccoon Dogs

Gut health is essential for the growth and development of raccoon dogs， and dietary protein supply is a key factor modulating the composition of their gut microbiota. This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of diets formulated with different protein sources (fish meal or corn distillers dried grains with solubles， DDGS) on the jejunal microbial composition， community structure， and predicted functions in juvenile raccoon dogs. Ten healthy 9-week-old male raccoon dogs were randomly assigned to two groups (fish meal: RDP; corn DDGS: SDP)， with five animals per group and one animal per replicate. After a 4-day adaptation period， the feeding trial lasted 45 days. At the end of the experiment， the animals were euthanized and jejunal digesta were collected for 16S rRNA gene (V3–V4) sequencing. Compared with the SDP group， the RDP group showed significantly higher observed features and Chao1 indices (P<0.05)， while Shannon and Simpson indices did not differ (P>0.05). Principal coordinate analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling based on Bray-Curtis distances indicated a certain separation trend， but PERMANOVA and ANOSIM were not significant (P>0.05). The dominant taxa differed between groups at the phylum and genus levels. The RDP group had higher relative abundances of Proteobacteria， Alloprevotella， and Bifidobacterium， whereas the SDP group showed a higher proportion of Firmicutes， Turicibacter and Lactobacillus. Differential analysis revealed significant increases of Proteobacteria， Alloprevotella， Ruminococcus gnavus， and Sellimonas in the RDP group (P<0.05). Venn analysis showed 9 characteristic genera in the RDP group and 2 in the SDP group. Functional prediction suggested enhanced pathways related to transport and catabolism， one carbon pool by folate， and other glycan degradation in the RDP group， while energy metabolism was elevated in the SDP group (P<0.05). In conclusion， different protein sources could affect the composition and functions of jejunal bacteria in raccoon dog， providing insights for protein source selection and targeted microecological regulation during the rearing stage.

Establishment of a TaqMan qPCR Detection Method for Aleutian Mink Disease Virus and Study on Its Tissue Distribution in Mink

To establish a rapid and accurate quantitative detection method for Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV)， specific primers and probes were designed based on the conserved region of the VP2 gene， and a TaqMan qPCR detection method was developed for specific， sensitive and repeatable detection and quantification of AMDV. The detection limit of the method was as low as 3.45×10¹ copies/uL of plasmid DNA. The sensitivity of the established TaqMan-qPCR detection method was 100 times that of the conventional PCR， and the intra-assay and inter-assay coefficient of variation were both less than 2%. The clinical samples from minks in different regions of Shandong Province were tested， and the results showed that the prevalence of AMDV infection was relatively high， with 82% in Jiaozhou， 67% in Jimo， 71% in Laizhou， and 76% in Zhucheng. The analysis of different tissues of minks using the established AMDV TaqMan-qPCR method showed that AMDV was distributed in all organs， with higher viral loads in the spleen and lymph nodes (4.99×10⁸ copies/g - 6.84×10⁸ copies/g)， and a lower viral load in the brain tissue (1.99×10⁷ copies/g). The experiments demonstrated that the established fluorescence quantitative PCR detection method could be used for rapid quantitative detection of AMDV， and the study of the tissue distribution of AMDV in minks provided a theoretical basis for further revealing the tissue tropism and pathogenicity of AMDV.

Comparative Study of Fecal Microbiota in Beagle Dogs，Arctic Foxes，and Ussuri Raccoon Dogs

Dogs， as pets and companion animals for humans， are often studied through phenotypic observation and evaluations of blood， feces， etc.， which have considerable limitations. Arctic foxes and Ussuri raccoon dogs belong to the same family as dogs and are common special economic animals with a large breeding population and allowed for slaughter and dissection. Our team hopes to conduct a series of studies using foxes and Ussuri raccoon dogs to replace dogs in feed evaluation and health prediction. This experiment aims to study the differences in digestive metabolism and gut microbiota among three canid species: Beagle dogs， Arctic foxes， and Ussuri raccoon dogs， under the same dietary conditions， in order to analyze the impact of gut microbiota on digestive metabolism through these differences. Ten adult female Beagle dogs (weight 18.39±2.88 kg)， ten female Arctic foxes in the reproductive interval (weight 7.05±0.52 kg)， and ten female Ussuri raccoon dogs in the reproductive interval (weight 5.58±0.85 kg) were selected and independently divided into one group each (one group per species)， with a pre-feeding period of 7 days and a trial period of 28 days. The results showed: 1) The carbohydrate digestibility of Beagle dogs was significantly higher than that of Arctic foxes (P < 0.05); the average daily weight gain per metabolic body weight and fecal score of Arctic foxes were significantly higher than those of Beagle dogs and Ussuri raccoon dogs (P < 0.05); urinary nitrogen and nitrogen deposition were significantly higher in Beagle dogs than in Arctic foxes and Ussuri raccoon dogs (P < 0.05); the net protein utilization and biological value of protein were significantly higher in Arctic foxes than in Beagle dogs and Ussuri raccoon dogs (P < 0.05). 2) The Chao1 index and observed species in Ussuri raccoon dogs were significantly higher than those in Beagle dogs and Arctic foxes (P < 0.05)， while the Shannon index and Simpson index were significantly lower in Arctic foxes compared to Beagle dogs and Ussuri raccoon dogs (P < 0.05). 3) The relative abundance of Firmicutes was significantly higher in Arctic foxes than in Beagle dogs and Ussuri raccoon dogs (P < 0.05); the relative abundance of Clostridia was significantly higher in Beagle dogs than in Arctic foxes and Ussuri raccoon dogs (P < 0.05); the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Desulfobacteria was significantly higher in Ussuri raccoon dogs than in Beagle dogs and Arctic foxes (P < 0.05). The relative abundance of Lactobacillus was significantly higher in Arctic foxes than in Beagle dogs and Ussuri raccoon dogs (P < 0.05); the relative abundances of Clostridium and Clostridiales were significantly higher in Beagle dogs than in Arctic foxes and Ussuri raccoon dogs (P < 0.05); the relative abundance of Prevotella was significantly higher in Ussuri raccoon dogs than in Beagle dogs and Arctic foxes (P < 0.05). Among Beagle dogs， Arctic foxes， and Ussuri raccoon dogs， Ussuri raccoon dogs had the highest gut microbiota abundance. The phylum-level composition of the three animals was similar with Firmicutes being the dominant phylum， while there were differences at the genus level among Beagle dogs， Arctic foxes， and Ussuri raccoon dogs. The gut microbiotas of the three species clustered separately. The gut microbiota composition structures of Beagle dogs， Arctic foxes， and Ussuri raccoon dogs were similar but had different microbial abundances， which may be related to genetic factors. This provides a new insight that long-term domestication may lead to dietary structure changes， thereby affecting the gut microbiota of animals.

The Development Situation Report of Shandong Province Donkey Industry

With the ongoing advancement of modern agriculture， the traditional role of donkeys as draft animals has progressively diminished. Consequently， the focus of donkey farming has transitioned toward the production of hides， meat， milk， and other emerging products. Simultaneously， consumer demand for these products continues to expand. In the course of industrial transformation， the development of the donkey industry encounters numerous challenges that require urgent attention. Through an in-depth investigation into the current state of the donkey industry in Shandong Province， this study identifies existing issues and proposes a series of targeted recommendations based on an analysis of current conditions and future trends. These suggestions aim to provide valuable reference and support for promoting the high-quality development of the donkey industry not only in Shandong Province but also across the nation.

Molecular Epidemiological Investigation of Rabbit Coronavirus in Shandong Province

To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of rabbit coronavirus (RbCoV) in Shandong Province， China， we conducted large-scale sampling， RT-PCR detection， sequencing， and genetic variation analysis of epidemic strains in RbCoV breeding plants. Our findings revealed a total positive rate of 49% for RbCoV in Shandong's rabbit farms， with positive rates ranging from 0 to 100% across 10 breeding farms. We successfully amplified three RbCoV strains to obtain their structural genes， including the hemagglutinin/esterase (HE) protein， transmembrane (M) protein， small membrane (E) protein， and nucleocapsid (N) protein. Genetic analysis showed that these three epidemic strains shared 98.66% to 99.46% homology with other RbCoV strains， indicating a close genetic relationship with the domestic HKU14 strain. These results offer valuable insights into the epidemiology， molecular characteristics， and prevention and control measures for RbCoV in rabbits in the Shandong region.

A Study on the Extraction Separation and Anticancer Activity of Velvet Antler Protein

Application of Ecological Niche Models for Selection of Species Habitat

The Effect of the Alcohol Extract of Pilose Antler on the Red Blood Cells′ Immunologic Function in the Mice Treated by Cyclophosphamide

Advances on the Chemical Components and Pharmacological Activities of Velvet Antler

Establishment and Primary Application of PCR for Diagnosis of Gosling Plaque

Interpretation of Development of Chinese Pet industry in 2024

Utilization of Resources Insects

Advances on the Chemical Components and Pharmacological Activities of Velvet Antler

Research Progress of Immune Adjuvant

Advanceson Heat Shock Protein