This book puts emphasis on the isolation, taxonomy, diagnosis (phenotypic, serology and molecular biology), epizootiology, pathogenicity mechanisms, and methods of disease control (by vaccination, immunostimulation, probiotics, prebiotics, plant products, and antimicrobial compounds. Co-infections, which are attributed to more than one microbial species have been discussed. Shortcomings in knowledge have been highlighted. This sixth edition is the successor to the original version, first published in 1987, and which fills the need for an up-to-date comprehensive text on the biological aspects of the bacterial taxa which cause disease in finfish. The book is primarily targeted at researcher workers, including postgraduate students, and diagnosticians. It is anticipated that the readership will include veterinary microbiologists, public health scientists and microbial ecologists.

Ticks and tick-borne diseases are among the major stumbling blocks to the development of livestock industry and entail heavy economic loses particularly in the tropics and subtropics. Ticks serve as vectors of several diseases and pose health hazards to animals and humans throughout the world. Attempts to control ticks and tick-borne diseases using different methods have been going on for several generations; however, ticks still cause insurmountable problems to the livestock industry and human and animal health. This book enlightens the reader on research and field experiences obtained from different parts of the world on the various chemical and biological approaches used in the control of ticks and tick-borne diseases. This book would serve as a valuable reference and guide for students, and researchers in biological and biomedical sciences and tick control authorities aimed at devising a sound tick control strategy.

Bach Flower Remedies for Animals is a complete and authoritative guide to using the Bach Flower Remedies as an alternative treatment for pets and other animals. Written by experts, it includes the history behind Dr Bach's internationally acclaimed remedies and explains how the remedies are suitable for animals. According to an animal's temperament, a particular remedy or combination of remedies will prove the most beneficial for it. There is guidance on using the remedies and on reading animal behaviour, drawing on insights from professional animal behaviourists. There is also detailed information on treating animals in the home, horses, and animals on the farm or in the wild. Packed full of helpful advice, there are intriguing case studies throughout.

Parasites and infectious diseases are everywhere and represent some of the most potent forces shaping the natural world. They affect almost every aspect imaginable in the life of their hosts, even as far as the structure of entire ecosystems. Hosts, in turn, have evolved complex defences, with immune systems being among the most sophisticated processes known in nature. In response, parasites have again found ways to manipulate and exploit their hosts. Ever since life began, hosts and parasites have taken part in this relentless co-evolutionary struggle with far-reaching consequences for us all. Today, concepts borrowed from evolution, ecology, parasitology, and immunology have formed a new synthesis for the study of host-parasite interactions. Evolutionary parasitology builds on these established fields of scientific enquiry but also includes some of the most successful inter-disciplinary areas of modern biology such as evolutionary epidemiology and ecological immunology. The first edition of this innovative text quickly became the standard reference text for this new discipline. Since then, the field has progressed rapidly and an update is now required. This new edition has been thoroughly revised to provide a state-of-the-art overview, from the molecular bases to adaptive strategies and their ecological and evolutionary consequences. It includes completely new material on topics such as microbiota, evolutionary genomics, phylodynamics, within-host evolution, epidemiology, disease spaces, and emergent diseases. Evolutionary Parasitology is suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate level students, and interdisciplinary researchers from a variety of fields including immunology, genetics, sexual selection, population ecology, behavioural ecology, epidemiology, and evolutionary biology. Those studying and working in adjacent fields such as conservation biology, virology, medicine, and public health will also find it an invaluable resource for connecting to the bases of their science.

Just like humans, animals and plants suffer from infectious diseases, which can critically threaten biodiversity. This book describes key studies that have driven our understanding of the ecology and evolution of wildlife diseases. Each chapter introduces the host and disease, and explains how that system has aided our general understanding of the evolution and spread of wildlife diseases, through the development and testing of important epidemiological and evolutionary theories. Questions addressed include: How do hosts and parasites co-evolve? What determines how fast a disease spreads through a population? How do co-infecting parasites interact? Why do hosts vary in parasite burden? Which factors determine parasite virulence and host resistance? How do parasites influence the spread of invasive species? How do we control infectious diseases in wildlife? This book will provide a valuable introduction to students new to the topic, and novel insights to researchers, professionals and policymakers working in the field.

Pig meat is the most widely-consumed meat in the world. Previous growth in production has relied, in part, on more intensive systems. In meeting rising demand, these systems face challenges such as the ongoing threat of zoonotic diseases, the need to improve feed efficiency in the face of rising costs, the need to reduce the environmental impact of pig production and increasing concerns about animal welfare. This volume looks first at the main zoonoses affecting pigs and how they can be controlled. It then reviews the latest research on aspects of meat quality such as flavour, colour, texture and nutritional quality. Finally, it assesses ways of monitoring and reducing the environmental impact of pig production. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert authors, this will be a standard reference for researchers in swine science, producers, government and other organisations involved in supporting pig production. It is accompanied by two companion volumes which focus on animal breeding, nutrition, health and welfare.

As part of the mucosal immune system, the intestine plays a paramount role in the immune response in all vertebrates. The mucosal immunity includes inductive and effector tissues, as well as effector cells and molecules, all of which are part of both innate and adaptive immunity and their connections. The digestive tract is the target organ of many parasites. In ectotherms, intestinal parasites include mainly flagellates, apicomplexans, myxozoans and helminths. The gut mucosal epithelium acts as a protective barrier against pathogens. This book presents and discusses current research in the study of mucosal intestinal immunity and response to parasite infections in ectothermic vertebrates.

This unique volume of thirty essays, by fifty-three internationally known scholars, honours C.S. (Rufus) Churcher, the distinguished Canadian palaeontologist. The papers focus on late Cenozoic mammals in North America and Africa and provide both site-specific descriptions of faunas and their associated geological contexts, and more general syntheses of regional palaeoenvironments and biogeography. The volume provides a much-needed overview of current research. The stature of the researchers who have contributed to the volume, and the breadth of the material presented, is a reflection of Churcher’s diverse research interests. The first section contains eleven papers on the palaeoenvironment and palaeoecology of Quaternary mammals in North America; the second section has 9 contributions describing faunas and morphological analyses of North American Quaternary mammals; and the final section contains nine papers on the palaeoecology and palaeoenvironments of late Cenozoic mammals of Africa. In this final section, Alan Gentry pays tribute to Churcher by naming a species after him: Budorcas churcheri. The volume contains individual discussions of North American fossil prairie dogs, mastodons, zebras, short-faced bears, sabre cats, lions, giant armadillos, elk-moose, caribou and muskrats, as well as African hyaenas, zebras, hipparion horses, antelopes, rodents, and giraffes.

Pathology of the Developing Mouse provides, in so far as feasible, one complete reference on the design, analysis, and interpretation of abnormal findings that may be detected in developing mice before and shortly after birth. In particular, this book is designed specifically to be not only a "how to do" manual for developmental pathology experimentation in mice but, more importantly, a "how to interpret" resource for pathologists and other biomedical scientists faced for the first or hundredth time with defining the significance of distorted features in some fantastic murine developmental monstrosity. The topics covered in this volume include a full range of subjects encountered when building and wielding a developmental pathology tool kit: baseline anatomic and physiologic traits of developing mice principles of good experimental design and statistical analysis for mouse developmental pathology studies procedures for anatomic pathology examinations, to evaluate structural changes at the macroscopic (gross), microscopic (cells and tissues), and ultrastructural (subcellular) levels, suing conventional autopsy-based or novel non-invasive imaging techniques; methods for clinical pathology testing, to assess the biochemical and cellular composition of tissues and fluids; options and protocols for in situ molecular pathology analysis, to undertake site-specific explorations of the various mechanisms responsible for producing adverse findings (i.e., "lesions") during development; and well-referenced and illustrated guides to the interpretation of anatomic pathology and clinical pathology changes in the animal (embryos, fetuses, neonates, and juveniles) and its support system (placenta).

Humans have lived in close proximity to other animals for thousands of years. Recent scientific studies have even shown that the presence of animals has a positive effect on our physical and mental health. People with pets typically have lower blood pressure, show fewer symptoms of depression, and tend to get more exercise.
But there is a darker side to the relationship between animals and humans. Animals are carriers of harmful infectious agents and the source of a myriad of human diseases. In recent years, the emergence of high-profile illnesses such as AIDS, SARS, West Nile virus, and bird flu has drawn much public attention, but as E. Fuller Torrey and Robert H. Yolken reveal, the transfer of deadly microbes from animals to humans is neither a new nor an easily avoided problem.
Beginning with the domestication of farm animals nearly 10,000 years ago, Beasts of the Earth traces the ways that human-animal contact has evolved over time. Today, shared living quarters, overlapping ecosystems, and experimental surgical practices where organs or tissues are transplanted from non-humans into humans continue to open new avenues for the transmission of infectious agents. Other changes in human behavior like increased air travel, automated food processing, and threats of bioterrorism are increasing the contagion factor by transporting microbes further distances and to larger populations in virtually no time at all.
While the authors urge that a better understanding of past diseases may help us lessen the severity of some illnesses, they also warn that, given our increasingly crowded planet, it is not a question of if but when and how often animal-transmitted diseases will pose serious challenges to human health in the future.

Manual of Techniques in Invertebrate Pathology, Second Edition, describes a wide range of techniques used in the identification, isolation, propagation/cultivation, bioassay, quantification, preservation, and storage of the major groups of entomopathogens, including entomophthorales, entomopathogenic fungi, entomopathogenic bacteria of the Bacilli, Nematode parasites, and pathogens and parasites of terrestrial molluscs. The book presents the perspectives of an international group of experts in the fields of invertebrate pathology, including microbiology, mycology, virology, nematology, biological control, and integrated pest management. Organized into 15 chapters, the book covers methods for the study of virtually every major group of entomopathogen, as well as methods for discovery and diagnosis of entomopathogens and the use of complementary methods for microscopy. It discusses the use of molecular techniques for identifying and determining phylogeny, factors that contribute to resistance to entomopathogens, and several other aspects of the science of invertebrate pathology. It also explains initial handling and diagnosis of diseased invertebrates, basic techniques in insect virology, and bioassay of bacterial entomopathogens against insect larvae. In addition, the reader is introduced to the use of bacteria against soil-inhabiting insects and preservation of entomopathogenic fungal cultures. The remaining chapters focus on research methods for entomopathogenic microsporidia and other protists, how the pathogenicity and infectivity of entomopathogens to mammals are tested, and preparations of entomopathogens and diseased specimens for more detailed study using microscopy. Experienced insect pathologists, biologists, entomologists, students, biotechnology personnel, technicians, those working in the biopesticide industry, and government regulators will find this manual extremely helpful.

The second edition of "Avian Immunology "provides an up-to-date overview of the current knowledge of avian immunology. From the ontogeny of the avian immune system to practical application in vaccinology, the book encompasses all aspects of innate and adaptive immunity in chickens. In addition, chapters are devoted to the immunology of other commercially important species such as turkeys and ducks, and to ecoimmunology summarizing the knowledge of immune responses in free-living birds often in relation to reproductive success.

The book contains a detailed description of the avian innate immune system, encompassing the mucosal, enteric, respiratory and reproductive systems. The diseases and disorders it covers include immunodepressive diseases and immune evasion, autoimmune diseases, and tumors of the immune system. Practical aspects of vaccination are examined as well. Extensive appendices summarize resources for scientists including cell lines, inbred chicken lines, cytokines, chemokines, and monoclonal antibodies.

The world-wide importance of poultry protein for the human diet, as well as the threat of avian influenza pandemics like H5N1 and heavy reliance on vaccination to protect commercial flocks makes this book a vital resource. This book provides crucial information not only for poultry health professionals and avian biologists, but also for comparative and veterinary immunologists, graduate students and veterinary students with an interest in avian immunology.
With contributions from 33 of the foremost international experts in the field, this book provides the most up-to-date review of avian immunology so farContains a detailed description of the avian innate immune system reviewing constitutive barriers, chemical and cellular responses; it includes a comprehensive review of avian Toll-like receptorsContains a wide-ranging review of the "ecoimmunology" of free-living avian species, as applied to studies of population dynamics, and reviews methods and resources available for carrying out such research"