Abstract: In der Zeit von April 2005 bis März 2006 wurden bei 105 Pferden monatlich
koprologische Untersuchungen durchgeführt. Die Pferde waren zu zwei Drittel
Jungtiere (≤ 4 Jahre) und ein Drittel > 4 Jahre. Die zur Verfügung stehenden vier
Betriebe befanden sich alle im Raum Baden-Württemberg.
Die Kotproben wurden mit Hilfe der Flotation auf Magen-Darmnematoden untersucht
und anschließend einer quantitativen Eizahlbestimmung nach Mc Master unterzogen.
Ab einem Eigehalt von 250 Eiern pro Gramm Kot (EpG) wurden die Pferde
entsprechend der Gruppenzugehörigkeit entweder mit Pyrantel oder Ivermectin
behandelt.
Es wurden bei 73 Pferden ausschließlich Strongylideneier nachgewiesen; bei vier
Pferden waren in der Flotation zusätzlich Eier von Parascaris equorum zu finden.
Bei 28 (26,7%) der untersuchten Pferde wurden in keiner der 12 untersuchten
Proben Eier von Magen-Darmnematoden nachgewiesen. Insgesamt mussten
57 (54,3%) der Pferde über den gesamten Untersuchungszeitraum hinweg nicht
behandelt werden. 48 (45,7%) Pferde mussten mindestens einmal anthelminthisch
behandelt werden. Kein Pferd musste häufiger als dreimal behandelt werden.
In den Monaten August bis November war der Anteil an positiven Proben der
Jungtiere signifikant höher als bei den Pferden > 4 Jahre. Innerhalb der
Jungtiergruppe nahm die Höhe der Strongyliden-Eiausscheidung mit zunehmendem
Alter signifikant ab.
Ebenso nahm die Anzahl der positiven Proben im Laufe des
Untersuchungszeitraums signifikant ab.
Die beiden zur Entwurmung eingesetzten Substanzen (Pyrantel und Ivermectin)
waren voll wirksam. In 98,8% der untersuchten Proben war ein Rückgang der
Ei-Ausscheidung noch vier Wochen nach der Behandlung auf 0 EpG nachweisbar,
d. h. es gab keinerlei Anzeichen für das Vorliegen von Resistenzen gegen die
eingesetzten Substanzen.
Die vorliegenden Untersuchungen sind ein weiterer Beweis dafür, dass mit Hilfe der
selektiven anthelminthischen Behandlung die Anzahl der Entwurmungen –
insbesondere auch bei Jungtieren – deutlich gesenkt werden kann.
Die Eiausscheidung und damit die Weidekontamination werden mit Hilfe dieses
Verfahrens deutlich reduziert.
[Between April 2005 and March 2006 monthly koprological examinations where
carried out on 105 horses.
Two third of the horses were young animals (≤ 4 years) and a third were > 4 years
old.
The four farms on hand were all located in the Baden- Württemberg area.
Faecal samples were examined for gastro-intestinal nematodes by means of flotation
and subsequently subjected to an egg-quantity counting according to Mc Master.
Starting from an egg content of 250 eggs per gram faeces (EpG), the horses were
treated with either Pyrantel or Ivermectin according to their group affiliation.
In 73 horses solely Strongyle eggs were detected; the flotation of four horses
additionaly showed eggs of Parascaris equorum.
In 28 (26,7%) of the examined horses none of the 12 examined samples showed
eggs of gastro-intestinal nematodes.
Overall 57 (54,3%) horses didn´t need any treatment during the total examination
cycle. 48 (45,7%) of the horses needed at least one anthelminthic treatment.
None of the horses needed to be treated more than three times.
From August to November the rate of positive samples within the group of young
animals was significantly higher than in the horses > 4 years.
Whithin the group of young animals the level of Strongyle egg excretions dropped
significantly with advancing age.
Likewise, the number of positive samples also dropped significantly in the course of
the examination cycle.
Both substances (Pyrantel and Ivermectin) applied for deworming were fully effective.
Even a further 4 weeks after treatment the examined sample showed a drop of egg
excretion to 0 EpG in 98,8% of the samples, in other words there were no signs of
prevailing resistance appearances towards the applied substance.
The present studies are further proof that the number of dewormings-especially in
young animals can be distinctly reduced by means of selective anthelminthic
treatments.
Egg excretion and therewith pasture land contamination can be clearly reduced by
means of this procedure.]

Abstract: The basolateral amygdala (BLA) has a crucial role in emotional learning irrespective of valence1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 21, 22, 23. The BLA projection to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is thought to modulate cue-triggered motivated behaviours4, 6, 7, 24, 25, but our understanding of the interaction between these two brain regions has been limited by the inability to manipulate neural-circuit elements of this pathway selectively during behaviour. To circumvent this limitation, we used in vivo optogenetic stimulation or inhibition of glutamatergic fibres from the BLA to the NAc, coupled with intracranial pharmacology and ex vivo electrophysiology. Here we show that optical stimulation of the pathway from the BLA to the NAc in mice reinforces behavioural responding to earn additional optical stimulation of these synaptic inputs. Optical stimulation of these glutamatergic fibres required intra-NAc dopamine D1-type receptor signalling, but not D2-type receptor signalling. Brief optical inhibition of fibres from the BLA to the NAc reduced cue-evoked intake of sucrose, demonstrating an important role of this specific pathway in controlling naturally occurring reward-related behaviour. Moreover, although optical stimulation of glutamatergic fibres from the medial prefrontal cortex to the NAc also elicited reliable excitatory synaptic responses, optical self-stimulation behaviour was not observed by activation of this pathway. These data indicate that whereas the BLA is important for processing both positive and negative affect, the glutamatergic pathway from the BLA to the NAc, in conjunction with dopamine signalling in the NAc, promotes motivated behavioural responding. Thus, optogenetic manipulation of anatomically distinct synaptic inputs to the NAc reveals functionally distinct properties of these inputs in controlling reward-seeking behaviours.

Abstract: <p>The role of European wild horses in horse domestication is poorly understood. While the fossil record for wild horses in Europe prior to horse domestication is scarce, there have been suggestions that wild populations from various European regions might have contributed to the gene pool of domestic horses. To distinguish between regions where domestic populations are mainly descended from local wild stock and those where horses were largely imported, we investigated patterns of genetic diversity in 24 European horse breeds typed at 12 microsatellite loci. The distribution of high levels of genetic diversity in Europe coincides with the distribution of predominantly open landscapes prior to domestication, as suggested by simulation-based vegetation reconstructions, with breeds from Iberia and the Caspian Sea region having significantly higher genetic diversity than breeds from central Europe and the UK, which were largely forested at the time the first domestic horses appear there. Our results suggest that not only the Eastern steppes, but also the Iberian Peninsula provided refugia for wild horses in the Holocene, and that the genetic contribution of these wild populations to local domestic stock may have been considerable. In contrast, the consistently low levels of diversity in central Europe and the UK suggest that domestic horses in these regions largely derive from horses that were imported from the Eastern refugium, the Iberian refugium, or both.</p>

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to compare horses' heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (RMSSD, pNN50) and behaviour in the same temperament test when being ridden, led, and released free. Behavioural measurements included scores and linear measurements for reactivity (R), activity (A), time to calm down (T) and emotionality (E), recorded during the approach (1) and/or during confrontation with the stimulus (2). Sixty-five horses were each confronted 3 times (1 ridden, 1 led, 1 free running in balanced order) with 3 novel and/or sudden stimuli. Mixed model analysis indicated that leading resulted in the lowest (P < 0.05 throughout) reactions as measured by A1, A2, E1, E2, R2, and pNN50 while riding produced the strongest (A1, T2, HR, RMSSD, pNN50) or medium (E1, E2, R2) reactions. Free running resulted either in the strongest (A2, E1, E2, R2) or in the lowest (A1, T2, HR, RMSSD, pNN50) reactions. The repeatability across tests for HR (0.57), but not for RMSSD (0.23) or pNN50 (0.25) was higher than for any behavioural measurement: the latter ranged from values below 0.10 (A1, A2, T2) to values between 0.30 and 0.45 (E1, E2, R2). Overall, the results show that a rider or handler influences, but not completely masks, the horses' intrinsic behaviour in a temperament test, and this influence appeared to be stronger on behavioural variables and heart rate variability than on the horses' heart rates. Taking both practical considerations and repeatabilities into account, reactivity appears to be the most valuable parameter. Emotionality and heart rate can also yield valid results reflecting additional dimensions of temperament although their practical relevance may be less obvious. If a combination of observed variables is chosen with care, a valid assessment of a horse's temperament may be possible in all types of tests. However, in practice, tests that resemble the practical circumstances most closely, i.e. testing riding horses under a rider, should be chosen.

Abstract: Whereas human pro-social behavior is often driven by empathic concern for another, it is unclear whether nonprimate mammals experience a similar motivational state. To test for empathically motivated pro-social behavior in rodents, we placed a free rat in an arena with a cagemate trapped in a restrainer. After several sessions, the free rat learned to intentionally and quickly open the restrainer and free the cagemate. Rats did not open empty or object-containing restrainers. They freed cagemates even when social contact was prevented. When liberating a cagemate was pitted against chocolate contained within a second restrainer, rats opened both restrainers and typically shared the chocolate. Thus, rats behave pro-socially in response to a conspecific&#65533;s distress, providing strong evidence for biological roots of empathically motivated helping behavior.