Severe pulmonary fascioloidosis in a wild Mouflon (Ovis musimon) - a case report

Summary A wild male mouflon (Ovis musimon) was shot due to the observed weakness. Necropsy revealed consolidated lungs and traces of black pigment and fibrin on the liver. On the cut surface, a juvenile fl uke was found in the lungs, while traces of destroyed fl ukes’ migratory channels were found in the liver. F. magna infection in both, wild and domestic ruminants, causes three types of species-specific host-parasite interactions; definitive, dead-end and aberrant. mouflon are classifi ed as aberrant hosts and here we report unsuccessful migration of a juvenile fl uke that led to a severe pneumonia.

Epididymal and ejaculated sperm differ on their response to the cryopreservation and capacitation processes in mouflon (Ovis musimon)

Spermatozoa must undergo the process of capacitation to fertilize the egg which involves a cell destabilizing process. Capacitation-like changes such as protein tyrosine phosphorylation (PTP) are associated with cryopreservation. The aim of this study was to compare the cryoresistance and capacitation response of epididymal and ejaculated sperm of European mouflon (Ovis musimon). Post-thaw sperm parameters were analysed from epididymal and ejaculated samples cryopreserved by slow-freezing or ultrarapid-freezing for comparison. Sperm capacitation status was assessed by the semiquantification of PTP levels, cell localization of PTP and kinematic clustering. Epididymal sperm had higher cryoresistance than ejaculated sperm in both freezing techniques, and slow-freezing rendered better results than ultrarapid-freezing in both sperm samples. Ejaculated sperm had higher PTP levels than epididymal sperm and, additionally, ejaculated sperm showed higher phosphorylation in capacitating (CA) than in non-capacitating (NCA) conditions while there was no effect of medium in epididymal sperm. There was a higher tail PTP in CA than in NCA conditions in both types of sperm. Kinematic analysis revealed that the cluster associated with hyperactivated movement increased in ejaculated sperm incubated in CA whereas no effect of medium was observed in epididymal sperm clusters. In conclusion, epididymal sperm showed better freezability and lower capacitation status compared to ejaculated sperm.

The Influence of Age on the Activity of Selected Biochemical Parameters of the Mouflon (Ovis musimon L.)

Blood analyses can be used to assess the health and physiological conditions of wild animals and may provide a precise picture of disease, habitat quality, and other environmental factors. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between the age and the selected biochemical parameters of the female mouflon (Ovis musimon L.). This study creates a possible reference range of biochemical parameter concentrations in mouflon and aims to extend the knowledge of this wild game species within our geographical region. There have not been many studies dealing with this issue in our geographical region. A total of 57 female mouflons aged between 1 and 6 years (1–3 years n = 32, 4–6 years n = 25) and in good physical condition, with an average live weight between 32 and 40 kg were included in the research experiment between the two years. A total of 15 selected biochemical parameters were analyzed. Using statistical analysis, we noticed significant effects of age on almost three-quarters of analyzed biochemical parameters. A statistically significant correlation was observed between age and the parameters of glucose, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin, cholesterol, creatinine, high-density lipoprotein, calcium, triglycerides, and urea. An evaluation of the European mouflon’s biochemical parameters during the whole year may be a reliable method for judging a herd’s condition, diagnosing medical disorders, and preventing the etiology of their occurrence. An analysis of biochemical parameters tells us about the functioning of individual organs as well as the animals’ metabolism. Knowledge of the values of blood parameters is of special importance because they allow us to gather more information on mouflons.

Short communication: The percentage of egg yolk in the freezing media affects mouflon (Ovis musimon) epididymal sperm cryosurvival

Sperm cryopreservation protocols are not well defined in many wild species such as the mouflon. The aim was to study the effect of different concentrations of EY on mouflon epididymal sperm cryosurvival. Samples were collected by the flushing method and cryopreserved by the conventional freezing technique in straws using a TEST (TES, Tris, glucose) 5% v/v glycerol medium containing either 6% v/v (n=16) or 12% v/v (n=13) clarified EY. The membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, motility, and morphological abnormalities were assessed in fresh and frozen/thawed samples. Fresh sperm quality parameters did not differ between groups except for the acrosome integrity that was lower in the TEST-6% EY than in the TEST-12% EY group (88.9 ± 2.1% vs 94.7 ± 0.8%). Membrane integrity (31.6 ± 4.6% vs 11.6 ± 4.5%), total motility (32.8 ± 4.6% vs 17.2 ± 5.6%), progressive motility (13.3 ± 2.7% vs 6.1 ± 2.9) were higher in frozen-thawed sperm with TEST-6% EY than with TEST-12% EY (p<0.05). Other motility parameters such as curvilinear velocity, straight-line velocity, average path velocity and amplitude of lateral head displacement were also higher (p<0.05) in frozen-thawed sperm with TEST-6% EY. Frozen-thawed acrosome integrity (85.1 ± 3.3% vs 91.9 ± 2.3) and morphological abnormalities (34.0 ± 3.7% vs 29.1 ± 3.6%) did not differ between extenders. In conclusion, high EY concentration had detrimental effects on post-thaw quality parameters, therefore the use of TEST based extender containing 6% EY is recommended for the cryopreservation of mouflon epididymal sperm.