Fecal calprotectin is a noninvasive marker of gut inflammation and has been widely utilized in human gastrointestinal diagnostics. This marker, however, has not been extensively utilized in porcine samples. The aim of this study was to optimize a protocol for the extraction of porcine fecal calprotectin, and to the best of our knowledge this is the first study to be conducted in this regard. Freshly collected swine fecal samples were used in this study. We determined the variability of three commercial ELISA assays in the recovery of porcine fecal calprotectin. We further studied the effect of dilution factor and roller shaker homogenization on the yield of calprotectin from swine fecal samples. Calprotectin recovery was significantly different(p<0.05) across the three commercial assays with MBS033848 having a greater recovery compared to DAEF-012 and calprest. Fecal calprotectin yield increased with an increase in dilution factor with maximum recovery at 1:250. Furthermore, homogenization of fecal sample extracts using a roller shaker for tubes for 30 min led to a 30.75% relative increase in calprotectin yield. Further increase in shaking time(at 60 min) led to a reduced calprotectin recovery. Calprotectin recovery ratio was 130.8% and 101.4% at 30 min and 60 min homogenization respectively. In our conclusion, we observed that various factors affect the recovery of porcine fecal calprotectin, and therefore the researcher should double check certain parameters in regard to the type of kit, the dilution factor and homogenization time if reliable and reproducible results are to be obtained. Results of the present study provide useful information on a non-invasive protocol to veterinarians and researchers in examining and monitoring swine gut healthusing the fecal calprotectin.

In Korea, ecological research on the goral is underway to restore and increase population size of these ungulates, but clinical research on gorals species is still in its infancy. Owing to the nature of the gorals’ habitat, several animals live together within limited areas; so, the risk of parasitic infection is very high. In this study, we performed physical examination of 17 gorals undergoing breeding and restoration at the Korean Goral Restoration Center. Weight, ear height, horn length, withers height of the anthropometric data of this study were no differences from other researchers. Blood samples from each species were analyzed. There was no significant difference among individuals in terms each value examined, although some hematological and biochemical values, such as neutrophils, lymphocytes, glucose and amylase showed differences among individuals. The average values of blood tests in gorals ware lower in lymphocytes, blood urea nitrogen, and calcium than in livestock goats, and hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and glucose were higher in livestock. Helminth eggs were detected in 15 out of 17 gorals by microscopic examination of their fecal samples, and Eimeria spp. and Strongyloides spp. were detected in all the gorals. However, there may be cases of death due to diarrhea, which may lead to a decrease in growth and production. Therefore, proper prevention and treatment are needed. These results may serve as an important reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of gorals. This information helps further understand the current health status of these species and may contribute to a more systematic restoration of the gorals.

Recently, two strains of a novel enterohepatic Helicobacter species, H. equorum, were isolated from fecal samples of two clinically healthy horses in Belgium. The purpose of the present study was to detect the presence of H. equorum infection in fecal samples of adult horses from Jeju Island using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 86 fecal samples from 31 clinically healthy Thoroughbred horses and 55 horses native to the Jeju Island were evaluated. H. equorum DNA was detected in 10.9% (6/55) of the native-horses, while all the Thoroughbred horses showed negative PCR results. Ages of the H. equorum DNA-positive horses ranged from 2 to 4 years old. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of H. equorum detection in fecal samples from horses in Korea.

멸종 위기에 처한 침팬지에서 연중번식주기와 무월경, 번식주기, 임신진단을 포함한 번식형태를 관찰하기 위하여 형광항체 분석법을 사용하여 에스트라디올, 프로게스테론, 테스토스테론 호르몬 대사산물과 인간융모성 성선자극호르몬을 측정하였다. 본 연구결과, 침팬지의 번식능력은 연령이 번식에 중요한 영향을 주는 인자가 아니며, 개체별 번식능력의 차이, 산과질환의 유무, 배우자와 합사한 조건에서 나타나는 성적행동의 차이 같은 여러 가지 요인이 복합적으로 작용한다는 것