All-Russian Research Institute for Animal Health

The phenomenon of cross-excitation—interaction between neurons of a dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in intact organism, presents a great challenge since its discovery. It can not be attributed to classical neuron–neuron interactions, as the mentioned neurons are believed to be physiologically isolated by glial sheaths from one another. In this work we test existing hypotheses which explain the phenomenon from both biophysical and statistical perspectives. Our conclusion is that neither each proposed mechanism alone, nor interactions of them can adequately describe cross-excitation in normal conditions. We wish to draw greater attention towards the phenomenon, as it seems to be an important part of normal sensory information processing.

Introduction. Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogenic microorganism that causes a large number of deaths due to the consumption of contaminated animal products. This underpins the relevance of monitoring the spread of the listeriosis agent in raw materials, animal products, and environmental objects, as well as the antibiotic resistance of isolates. Objective. Serotype identification and antibiotic resistance analysis of Listeria monocytogenes isolates recovered from animal products in 2021–2024. Materials and methods. The work was performed at the Microbiology Unit of the Vladimir Testing Laboratory, the Federal Centre for Animal Health. Listeria genus bacteria isolates were identified using time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Antibiotic resistance of isolates belonging to the species Listeria monocytogenes was determined by the disk diffusion method. The values of the growth retardation zones were interpreted according to the Russian recommendations “Determination of the sensitivity of microorganisms to antimicrobial drugs” (IACMAC, version 2025-01). Listeria serological groups were identified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) with primers manufactured by Syntol (Russia). Results. The article presents the results of antibiotic resistance testing of 77 Listeria monocytogenes isolates detected in animal products in 2021–2024, as well as their differentiation by serogroups. Listeria monocytogenes was most frequently detected in poultry products. The detected isolates showed maximum resistance to cefuroxime, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, norfloxacin, rifampicin, levofloxacin, and kanamycin. Moreover, most isolates exhibited resistance to more than one antimicrobial medicinal product. The study established the belonging of the Listeria monocytogenes isolates to the following serogroups: IIa (serotypes 1/2a, 3a) – 92.2%; IIc (serotypes 1/2c, 3c) – 5.2%; IVb (serotypes 4b, 4d, 4e) – 2.6%. Conclusion. The spread of resistance, including multidrug resistance, among Listeria monocytogenes isolates detected in animal products in 2021–2024 was demonstrated. The study identified the presence of listeria belonging to group IVb (serotypes 4b, 4d, 4e). However, the dominant part of Listeria monocytogenes isolates was classified as group IIa (serotypes 1/2a, 3a).

Introduction. Foot-and-mouth disease is one of the key threats to global animal welfare and international economic relations. Like any other transboundary animal disease, it shall be notified to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in accordance with the relevant international standards. By 2016, the largest part of the territory of the Russian Federation (i. e. 50 subjects and 2 federal cities) had been recognized by the WOAH as an FMD-free zone without vaccination. From 2021 to 2023, 4 more zones of the country were granted the status of freedom from foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination. At the end of 2024, only 10 subjects of the Russian Federation, all located within zone Western Siberia – Urals, lacked official recognition. Objective. Descriptive analysis of the animal health situation in the Russian Federation from 2021 to 2024: substantiating success of the Rosselkhoznadzor’s systematic approach to regionalization in accordance with the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code. Materials and methods. Various information sources were used to collect and analyze materials on the animal health situation in Russia, including the USSR archives, veterinary reports, and the WOAH statistics. Results. FMD situation was analyzed in 10 subjects of the Russian Federation bordering on the Republic of Kazakhstan, with an emphasis on FMD control measures, regionalization and zoning. This section focuses on distribution of statuses across Russia’s administrative subjects and the historical records on the disease outbreaks. It also outlines regulatory and surveillance measures implemented by the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (the Rosselkhoznadzor) to manage the FMD status in various regions, taking into account the prophylactic measures implemented in place. The paper describes these measures and their results step-by-step, showing a dynamic improvement of the FMD surveillance system. Conclusion. On 29 May 2025, at the 92 nd WOAH General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates, Zone Western Siberia – Urals was officially recognized as a foot and-mouth disease-free zone with vaccination. This decision completes the process of structuring the territory of the Russian Federation into 6 zones. The WOAH-granted disease-freedom statuses confirm efficacy of the preventive and surveillance measures, which is crucial to ensure global epizootic stability. These accomplishments result from the efforts jointly taken by the Rosselkhoznadzor and its subordinate institution the Federal Centre for Animal Health.

Introduction. Newcastle disease is a notifiable disease and is a major threat for commercial poultry. There are many known genotypes of the Newcastle disease virus (NDV), which differ in virulence. In recent years, there is an increasing interest in NDV genotype VII that stems from its prevalence and high pathogenicity in chickens and other species of commercial poultry, causing severe disease with up to 100% mortality. Objective. Investigation of the infectious process and other clinical and post-mortem signs in chickens infected with Newcastle disease virus via different routes. Materials and methods. Thirty-day-old chicks were experimentally infected with NDV genotype VII via three different routes: intranasal, oral and intramuscular. Forty eight hours post infection, six intact chickens were introduced in each group. Over the next 10 days, the clinical condition of the infected and contact poultry was assessed. Oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs were collected and tested by polymerase chain reaction. Dead chicks were subjected to post-mortem examination. Results. The experiment demonstrated that NDV/chicken/rus/Saratov/2403-3/22 isolate causes poultry mortality within 5–7 days. Intramuscular infection led to faster disease progression and death in poultry compared to oral or intranasal routes. The NDV genome was identified in samples of oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs tested by polymerase chain reaction. While nonspecific signs of the disease were recorded in all individuals, the predominant clinical presentation varied with the infection route. Pronounced neurological symptoms were observed in birds infected via the intramuscular and oral routes. In contrast, respiratory signs were characteristic of infections via the oral and intranasal routes. The autopsy results indicate that specific pathological signs characteristic of Newcastle disease developed within 24 hours of the disease onset. A number of post-mortem lesions were found in the internal organs of individuals that died early. However, these lesions were not informative for a diagnosis of Newcastle disease. Conclusion. The Newcastle disease virus NDV/chicken/rus/Saratov/2403-3/22 strain (genotype VII) was pathogenic to chickens during experimental infection. The disease was easily reproduced by intramuscular, intranasal, and oral routes of infection and was characterized by a peracute course with respiratory and neurological symptoms.

Introduction . The widespread use of polyethylene sleeves worldwide has led to their application in various sectors of the national economy. For example, in the agro-industrial complex, polyethylene sleeves are an integral part of the modern method of storing crop products in the field. During the practical application of this storage method in Russia, farmers encountered various problems during their operation, including one of the main ones, namely a violation of the sleeves' tightness. Materials and Methods. The study focused on a non-stationary method of storing crop products in polyethylene bags (silo bags). The research methods included field observations conducted in the Central Federal District during the 2015–2023 agricultural seasons. Surveys of sites for the placement of grain-filled polyethylene bags were conducted over a nine-month period (summer, fall, and winter). Parameters studied included the moisture content of crop products and the degree of damage to the silo bags. Result s. A classification of processes for depressurizing polyethylene bags containing grain during storage is proposed (authorized and unauthorized). The main causes of unauthorized depressurization of silo bags have been identified: improper operation of silo bags at the production site; and the harmful effects of rodents and birds. It has been found that the baseline moisture content of the commercial product influences unauthorized depressurization of silo bags, as their greatest degree of storage damage was detected in grain with moisture contents up to 13.0%. It was established that the cause of grain moisture changes during storage is depressurization of polyethylene bags. Moreover, the nature of the depressurization affects the rate of increase in the grain's moisture content. The nature of damage to silo bags and polyethylene sleeve housings was determined, and the degree of damage (I-III) was established. Conclusions . The results of long-term field observations allowed us to identify the main causes of unauthorized depressurization of silo bags during storage of plant products. It was found that season and relative humidity influence changes in the overall moisture content of grain during storage. It was found that if unauthorized depressurization occurred in summer or winter, when precipitation is lowest, the change in grain moisture content is insignificant.

The paper deals with the spatiotemporal analysis of the tick-borne infections spread in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast. The study used materials on tick bites of people and tick infection with pathogens of especially dangerous infections for the period from 2018 to 2022. Information was collected on five infections relevant to the region, namely tick-borne viral encephalitis, ixodic tick-borne borreliosis, Siberian tick-borne typhus, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, and human monocytic ehrlichiosis. The distribution of tick-borne infections by administrative districts of the region was analyzed. It was found that ixodic tick-borne borreliosis is the most widespread one. Based on point data about the places where infected ticks were found and considering a number of natural factors, a map of the potential range of tickborne infections in the region was compiled. Taking into account the predicted climatic data for the period of 2081-2100 under the most severe SSP5-8.5 climatic scenario, a map of the predicted area of tick-borne infections for the territory of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast at the end of the 21st century was prepared.

Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is one of the most dangerous viral diseases affecting ungulates, and is characterized by a wide range of clinical manifestations in horses, including rhinopneumonia, abortion, neonatal death, and myeloencephalopathy. It is well known for causing mass abortions in mares and respiratory diseases in young animals. Once introduced into a horse breeding farm of any type, EHV-1 tends to establish as a persistent infection. The disease is reported on nearly all continents and causes substantial annual economic losses to horse breeding operations. In Kazakhstan, 34 EHV-1 outbreaks were recorded between 2017 and 2024. The objective of our study was to identify potential risk factors associated with the presence of EHV-1 within the study area. We employed a forest-based classification and regression approach to explore a set of sociodemographic, environmental, and transportation-related factors associated with the presence or absence of EHV-1 at the level of administrative regions. A standard set of explanatory variables was supplemented with horse population density, derived from demographic data of horse-breeding farms obtained through a nationwide survey. Modeling results indicated that the most significant factor influencing EHV-1 presence was the average wind speed in January, followed by road density, the number of horse farms, and the number of livestock-related facilities targeted for surveillance. Horse population density was found to be among the least significant variable in the model. The resulting risk map highlights areas with a higher suitability for EHV-1 emergence, primarily located in regions with moderate-to-high horse population densities and characterized by steppe- and grassland-type landscapes, which are predominantly found in the northern, central, and south-western parts of Kazakhstan. These findings can serve as a foundation for further investigation into the spatial patterns of EHV-1 in the country and for enhancing veterinary surveillance and control measures.

Adenovirus infection in dogs caused by canine adenovirus serotype 2 predominantly results in respiratory disease typically manifested by respiratory tract lesions. Infectious laryngotracheitis is the most often recorded in dogs in the central part of the Russian Federation and its incidence tends to increase. Therefore, preventive immunization against this disease remains important. Primarily, the virus strains currently important and circulating in the particular territory shall be used for vaccine production to induce long-term and strong immunity in animals. The study was aimed at isolation of canine adenovirus type 2 remaining stable during five or more passages from the biological samples collected from animals with adenovirus infection signs as well as at determination of its cultivation parameters. As a result, five virus isolates were recovered, one of the recovered virus isolates had optimal properties for its use for vaccine production. Comparative analysis of continuous Vero, MDCK (NBL-2 and NBL-9 line) cell cultures as well as primarily trypsinized cell cultures (baby dog kidney, baby dog spleen, baby cat kidney, baby cat spleen) for their susceptibility to the recovered virus showed that MDCK (NBL-2 line) was the most susceptible. The virus cultivation parameters in this cell culture was determined at the next step. The following optimal conditions under which the virus accumulated to the maximum titres were determined: cell culture monolayer age for inoculation – 48 hours, multiplicity of infection – 0.01 TCID50/cell, preliminary holding time – 60 min, temperature – (37.0 ± 0.5) °С, cultivation period – 120 hours.

The growth of the Earth’s population and people’s striving for healthy life style lead to an increase in the global demand for protein food. Quails are a valuable source of protein, which is thought to reduce the risk of obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Inclusion of alternative protein sources into the composition of feeds for quails is an answer to ecological problems associated with the use of traditional protein sources. Plants, insects, algae and mushrooms are among alternative protein sources that are mentioned most frequently in scientific studies. The aim of this review is analysis of scientific literature dedicated to the use of plants, insects, algae and mushrooms as alternative protein sources in feedstuff for quails. Plant sources of protein, such as soya and maize, are successfully used in feedstuff production. However, studies have shown that addition of other sources, including by-products of crop husbandry, will allow increasing sustainability and reducing the dependence of the industry on traditional raw materials. Flour from black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae is the promising and most widely studied source of protein among insects and can positively affect productivity and health of quails. Among algae, it is necessary to mention spirulina (Spirulina platensis and Arthrospira platensis). Upon addition of 4% of the spirullina powder, productivity parameters in poultry increased. Mushrooms are described as a promising protein source in feedstuff that is also capable of ensuring an increase in productivity and quality of poultry meat. Today, however, there are few studies on this subject. It is recommended to focus further studies of the application of alternative protein sources in quail diets on questions of safety of their use and more detailed analysis of economic feasibility.