Evaluation of short-term outcomes of experimental stifle luxation in feral pigeons (Columba livia domestica) treated with a hinged transarticular external skeletal fixator and physical therapy

Genetic properties of conjugative R plasmids in Escherichia coli and Salmonella isolated from feral and domestic pigeons, crows and kites

Objective: To explore the characteristics and methods of different fixation methods and prevention of open knee joint fracture. Methods: The data of 86 cases of open knee joint fracture admitted from January 2002 to December 2015 in Department of Orthopaedics, Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University were analyzed retrospectively.There were 65 males and 21 females aged of 38.6 years. There were 38 cases treated with trans articular external fixation alone, 48 cases were in the trans articular external fixation plus auxiliary limited internal fixation group. All the patients were treated according to the same three stages except for different fixation methods. Observation of external fixation and fracture fixation, fracture healing, wound healing and treatment, treatment and related factors of infection control and knee function recovery. χ(2) test was used to analyze data. Results: Eleven patients had primary wound healing, accounting for 12.8%. Seventy-five patients had two wounds healed, accounting for 87.2%. Only 38 cases of trans articular external fixator group had 31 cases of articular surface reduction, accounting for 81.6%; Five cases of trans articular external fixator assisted limited internal fixation group had 5 cases of poor reduction, accounting for 10.4%; There was significant difference between the two groups (χ(2)=44.132, P<0.05). Take a single cross joint external fixation group, a total of 23 cases of patients with infection, accounted for 60.5% of external fixation group; trans articular external fixation assisted limited internal fixation group there were 30 cases of patients with infection, accounting for the assistance of external fixator and limited internal fixation group 62.5%; There was significant difference between the two groups(χ(2)=0.035, P>0.05). Five cases of fracture nonunion cases of serious infection, patients voluntarily underwent amputation. The Lysholm Knee Scale: In the external fixation group, 23 cases were less than 50 points, accounting for 60.5%, 15 cases were more than 50 points, accounting for 39.5%, external fixation and limited internal fixation group 20 cases were less than 50 points, accounting for 41.7%, 28 cases were more than 50 points, accounting for 58.3%; There was significant difference between the two groups(χ(2)=1.279, P>0.05). Conclusions: Prevention and control of infection is a central link in the treatment of open fracture of the knee. Trans articular external fixator plus limited internal fixation is an important measure to treat open fracture of the knee-joint.

Feral pigeons, common wood pigeons and Eurasian collared doves are the most common representatives of the Columbidae family in Switzerland and are mostly present in highly populated, urban areas. Pigeons may carry various members of the obligate intracellular Chlamydiaceae family, particularly Chlamydia (C.) psittaci, a known zoonotic agent, and C. avium. The objective of the study was to identify the infection rates of common free-roaming pigeons for different Chlamydia species with the overall aim to assess the risk pigeons pose to public health. In this study, 431 pigeons (323 feral pigeons, 34 domestic pigeons, 39 Eurasian collared doves, 35 common wood pigeons) from several geographic locations in Switzerland were investigated for the presence of Chlamydiaceae. Samples consisted of pooled choanal-cloacal swabs (n = 174), liver samples (n = 52), and paired swab and liver samples from 205 pigeons (n = 410). All 636 samples were screened using a Chlamydiaceae family-specific 23S rRNA real-time PCR (qPCR). Subsequent species identification was performed by DNA-microarray assay, sequencing of a 16S rRNA gene fragment and a C. psittaci specific qPCR. In total, 73 of the 431 pigeons tested positive for Chlamydiaceae, of which 68 were positive for C. psittaci, four were C. avium-positive and one pigeon was co-infected with C. avium and C. psittaci. The highest infection rates were detected in feral (64/323) and domestic pigeons (5/34). Common wood pigeons (2/35) and Eurasian collared doves (2/39) revealed lower infection rates. Additionally, multilocus sequence typing of twelve selected C. psittaci-positive samples revealed closely related sequence types (ST) between and within different Swiss cities. Furthermore, liver and corresponding swab samples from the same bird were colonized by the same ST. Considering the high infection rates of C. psittaci in domestic and feral pigeons, close or frequent contact to these birds poses a human health risk.

To evaluate the combination of the FESSA-HLESF/lateral collateral ligament prosthesis in repairing the stifle joint and to study the effect of early physical therapy, eight feral pigeons were divided in two groups. One started physical therapy one day post surgery, and the controls after the HLESF removal (3rd postoperative week). Healing was monitored with clinical, radiographic, pathologic and histologic criteria for six weeks. The combined technique stabilized the joint successfully, and clinically all birds used their limbs normally. Range of motion (ROM) was reduced in all birds (5o in flexion, 40o in extension). No significant difference was detected between the groups in ROM, thigh thickness and circumference or muscle/joint histology. Regressive lameness and pododermatitis (grade I) affected all birds. Fibrosis of the operated joint capsule, reduced synovial fluid and excessive callus were also detected (75% of cases). Muscle histology indicated atrophy of the operated limb (mean fiber Ø 49 µm). Joint histology revealed inaccurate reposition and osteophytes in 62.5%. Remodelling of subchondral and trabecular bone was unremarkable (&lt;5 new osteoid areas/bone). Common structural abnormalities, associated with remobilization, were the presence of pannus/surface irregularities (25%) and radial clefts (12.5%). In conclusion, the clinical interpretation of a stabilized joint should be made with caution, as intraarticular structures are highly impacted during remobilization. Zur Auswertung einer kombinierten FESSA-HLESF/lateralen kollateralen Sehnenprothese zur Wiederherstellung des Kniegelenks bei früh begonnener Physiotherapie wurden acht Tauben in zwei Gruppen eingeteilt. Gruppe 1 begann Physiotherapie einen Tag nach der OP, die Kontrollgruppe nach Abnahme des HLESF (3. Woche nach OP). Der Heilungsprozess wurde 6 Wochen klinisch, radiographisch, pathologisch und histologisch geprüft. Die Kombinationstechnik stabilisierte das Gelenk erfolgreich; alle Vögel verwendeten ihre Gliedmaßen klinisch unauffällig. Für alle war der Bewegungsbereich (ROM) eingeschränkt (5o Flexion, 40o Extension). Die Gruppen unterschieden sich kaum bzgl. ROM, Schenkeldicke/- Umfang oder im Muskel-/Gelenksgewebe. Alle Vögel waren von regressiver Lahmheit und Pododermatitis betroffen sowie Fibrose der operierten Gelenkkapsel, verringerter Synovialflüssigkeit und exzessivem Kallus. Das Muskelgewebe wies eine Atrophie der operierten Gliedmaßen auf (Faserdicke Ø 49 µm); das Gelenksgewebe zu 62.5% inakkurate Repositionierung und Osteophyten. Die Remodellierung des subchondralen und trabekulären Knochens war unauffällig (&lt;5 neue Osteoidbereiche/Knochen). Hinzu kamen strukturelle Abnormalitäten wie Pannus/Oberflächenirregularitäten (25%) und radiale Spaltungen (12.5%). Fazit: Klinische Beurteilungen stabilisierter Gelenke sollten vorsichtig durchgeführt werden, da intraartikuläre Strukturen während der Remobilisierung äußerst belastet sind.

To report the use of a hybrid, transarticular external skeletal fixator and platelet-rich plasma injection without primary tenorrhaphy for management of partial calcanean tendon disruption in dogs. Multi-institutional retrospective study. A total of 11 client-owned dogs. Medical records from two referral centers from 2019 to 2022 were reviewed for inclusion in the study. Dogs diagnosed with partial, non-traumatic calcanean tendon disruption treated with hybrid, transarticular external skeletal fixation and platelet-rich plasma injection were included in the study. Cases that did not include complete postoperative follow-up over 8-12 weeks and owner-reported outcomes at >6 months were excluded from the study. Dogs with traumatic laceration or those in which a primary tenorrhaphy was performed were also excluded. A total of 11 (n = 11) dogs met the inclusion criteria. Median follow-up time was 18.5 months (6 months-34 months). Mean time of fixation was 9 weeks (6 weeks-12 weeks). Five dogs returned to full, pain-free function (5/11 = 45%). Five dogs had an acceptable return to function (5/11 = 45%). One dog had an unacceptable outcome (1/11 = 9%). Pin tract complications occurred in five dogs (5/11 = 45%) and resolved with medical intervention. The results of this study suggest that temporary tibiotarsal immobilization with a hybrid, transarticular external skeletal fixator and platelet-rich plasma injection without primary tenorrhaphy can lead to a successful outcome in dogs with partial calcanean tendon disruption. Temporary hybrid, transarticular external skeletal fixation and platelet-rich plasma injection without primary tenorrhaphy may play a role in the management of partial calcanean tendon disruption in dogs.

Pigeon paramyxovirus-1 (PPMV-1) is predominantly isolated from pigeons or doves and forms a separate group of viral strains within Avian Orthoavulavirus-1, the causative agent of Newcastle disease in poultry. Since the introduction of PPMV-1 into Europe in 1981, these strains have rapidly spread all over Europe, and are nowadays considered to be enzootic in feral and hobby pigeons (Columba livia domestica). Infections with PPMV-1 can range from asymptomatic to fatal. To assess whether PPMV-1 continuously circulates in healthy feral pigeons, 396 tissue samples of pigeons from the city of Zurich were tested by reverse transcriptase real-time PCR over the period of one year. PPMV-1-RNA was detected in 41 feral pigeons (10.35%), determined as the dominant European genotype VI.2.1.1.2.2. In 38 of the 41 pigeons where organ samples tested positive, PPMV-1-RNA was also detected in either choana or cloaca swabs. There were no significant differences in positivity rates between seasons, age, and sex. The current study shows that feral pigeons without clinical signs of disease can harbour and most likely excrete PPMV-1. Spill-over into free-range holdings of chickens are therefore possible, as observed in a recent outbreak of Newcastle disease in laying hens due to PPMV-1 genotype VI.2.1.1.2.2. in the canton of Zurich in January 2022.

Extra-articular suturing techniques and transarticular external skeletal fixators were used to repair traumatic luxation of the stifle joint in four cats. Rupture of the cranial cruciate, caudal cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, together with injury to one or both menisci, were the most common injuries observed. The method of stifle repair was successful in all cases, but serious complications occurred when cats with transarticular external fixators were not kept confined indoors. Complications consisted of pin loosening and disruption of the fixator, or fractures through proximal or distal pins. Transarticular external skeletal fixation was considered to be a simple and effective method of maintaining short-term joint stability to allow healing of injured soft tissue structures. The apparatus facilitated early weightbearing and, on removal, allowed for the return of near-normal stifle function. Careful pin insertion and owner compliance in enforcing confinement are essential in minimising complications associated with immobilising the stifle joint using transarticular external skeletal fixation.

Salmonella typhimurium, Copenhagen variety was isolated from 13 domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica) of 4 pigeonries in which clinical salmonellosis occurred during the period of 1970 to 1975. Of 58 composite fecal samples collected from feral pigeons (Columba livia domestica) in 13 districts of Honshu and Hokkaido in 1975 and 1976, 12 (20.7%) from 3 districts gave the same antigenic form. The antigenic form was also isolated from the tissues of 2 (1.8%) feral pigeons (Columba livia domestica) caught at one site among a total of 110 feral pigeons (80 Columba livia domestica and 30 Streptopelia orientalis orientalis) caught in 3 districts of Hokkaido in 1976. No Salmonella other than S. typhimurium, Copenhagen variety was obtained from pigeons. These isolates fermented maltose, and belonged to biovar 10 [2]. All the isolates from feral pigeons and most of those from domestic pigeons showed in-vitro drug sensitivity. S. typhimurium, Copenhagen variety having the same characteristics was isolated from animals, chickens and wild birds, though the antigenic form originating from hosts other than pigeons was drug resistant with variable frequencies, and different biovars were found in some hosts. This appears to indicate that pigeons have a role in the epizootiology of salmonellosis in animals and birds in Japan.

Feral pigeons originated from escaped domestic pigeons, themselves derived from wild rock doves around 5000 years ago. The domestic pigeon’s origins probably lie in the Neolithic, though the first evidence of domestication comes from Mesopotamian figurines dating from c.4500 bce (Simms 1979). This bird was quickly adopted by many cultures and spread westward throughout Europe (probably arriving in Britain with the Romans) and eastward into India and China. When domesticated pigeons first reverted to the wild is not known, but the second-century writer Plautus reported that feral pigeons were very tame and lived on the rooftops in Rome. Feral pigeons were known in London by the late fourteenth century, for the Bishop of London complained that the building of nests on St Paul’s Cathedral had led to people throwing stones which broke windows and statues (Simms 1979). Pigeons were well-established in London by the seventeenth century (Lever 1987), and by the mid-nineteenth century were commonly nesting elsewhere in urban Britain and indeed Europe. While pigeons were probably widelydistributed actual numbers sharply increased during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Until the early twentieth century, pigeons benefited from spillage of grain used to feed the horses that drew wagons and carriages; this important source of food disappeared with the arrival of motor vehicles. During the twentieth century, the genetic stock of feral pigeons has been enriched through breeding with escaped racing birds. In many parts of Europe numbers fell during the Second World War because of a lack of food, then picked up again during the 1950s. Urban feral pigeons are common in much of south and south-east Asia and parts of the Far East. Domesticated pigeons were introduced to South Africa in 1654 and some went feral shortly afterwards. Such a story was repeated in Australia (domestic pigeons introduced in 1788, ferals noted in the late nineteenth century); New Zealand (1850s); Latin America (various dates); Canada (1606); and the USA (probably in the 1820s) (Lever 1987).

-Domestic pigeons were derived from Rock Doves (Columba livia) by artificial selection perhaps 5,000 ybp. Feral pigeon populations developed after domestics escaped captivity; this began in Europe soon after initial domestications occurred and has continued intermittently in other regions. Ferals developed from domestic stocks in North America no earlier than 400 ybp and are genealogically closer to domestics than to European ferals or wild Rock Doves. Nevertheless, North American ferals are significantly closer in skeletal size and shape to European ferals and Rock Doves than to domestics. Natural selection evidently has been reconstituting reasonable facsimiles of wild size and shape phenotypes in feral pigeons of Europe and North America. Received 17 April 1991, accepted 13 January 1992. Man, therefore, may be said to have been trying an experiment on a gigantic scale; and it is an experiment which nature during the long lapse of time has incessantly tried [Darwin 1868]. Of the many kinds of animals examined for the study of variation under domestication by Charles Darwin, only for pigeons (Columba livia) did he describe fully the chief domestic strains, along with history, the amount and nature of their differences, and the probable steps by which they have been formed (Darwin 1868: 1 [vol. 1]). He did artificial selection and studied inheritance of plumage colors, color patterns, and body size and shape in domestic pigeons; the results of these studies were important to his work on natural selection (Darwin 1859, 1868). Darwin's findings supported the idea that the range of colors, patterns, sizes, and shapes shown by domestic strains had antecedents in the variation of wild Rock Doves. He also thought that feral pigeons were an understandable consequence of domestic birds escaping captivity. In the late 1850s, however, Darwin was heavily involved in writing his big book (Stauffer 1975), so origins of ferals from domestics were barely mentioned. Details of such origins, involving character variation molded presumably by natural selection, are nevertheless of interest to thinking concerning population differentiation; some details inferred from skeletal morphology are reported here. Rock Doves were domesticated in the period 10,000 to 5,000 ybp, earlier than has been previously suggested (e.g. Sossinka 1982). Domestications evidently occurred many times throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Near East, and southwestern Asia; this is known to be true in more recent time (Darwin 1868; N. E. Baldaccini, pers. comm.). Later, pigeons escaping captivity either rejoined wild colonies or became feral, and are now found in most of the world (Long 1981). European, North African, and Asiatic ferals may have histories of several thousand years. North American ferals have a significantly shorter history, stemming from British dovecote pigeons (the earliest of which were brought to Britain by the Romans; Levi 1974) introduced by Scottish and English immigrants to American Atlantic seaboard localities in 1600-1610 (Schorger 1952). North American ferals, therefore, are not directly lineally related to ferals of the Old World (Fig. 1). Additionally, founder gene frequencies seemingly departed significantly from those of European domestics, judging from allozymes of North American and European ferals (Johnston et al. 1989). Thus, the evolutionary derivation of ferals is more complex than it might have been. The complexity is most useful-it is, for example, important that feral pigeons were derived from domestics more than once, because the development of ferals in North America can be viewed as an independent replicate of the natural experiment in ferality tried in Europe and Asia. Without the replicate, this study would almost certainly not have been undertaken, nor would it in any event have a satisfactory conclusion. Getting to that conclusion employs assessment of skeletal similarities and differences among wild, domestic, and the two feral lines of Rock Doves, and approximating how the similarities and differences could have occurred.

Domestic pigeons

Objective To investigate the causes and treatment strategy for postoperative complications following trans-articular external fixation in the elder patients with distal radius fracture of type C3. Methods The clinical data were retrospectively studied of the 226 patients with distal radius fracture of type C3 who had been treated by trans-articular external fixation from January 2011 to December 2016 at Department of Orthopaedics, Union Hospital. Of them, 42 (18.6%) suffered from postoperative complications. They were 12 men and 30 women, aged from 65 to 83 years (average, 68.4 years). Results Of the 42 patients, 22 (52.4%) had loss of reduction which was improved by timely adjustment of their external fixators, 14 (33.3%) had joint stiffness which was mitigated by physical therapy, 5 (11.9%) had traumatic arthritis which was relieved after medication and physical therapy, and one (2.4%) had pin tract infection which was controlled after antibiotic treatment and regular dressing change. Conclusion Although trans-articular external fixation is an effective treatment for elder patients with distal radius fracture of type C3, it is likely to result in a major complication, loss of reduction, which should be treated timely and effectively to avoid serious consequences. Key words: Radius; Fractures; External fixator; Complications of fracture

Worldwide urban pigeons (Columba livia domestica) are an important reservoir of pathogenic and multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR). Plasmids are key genetic elements in the dissemination of antimicrobial drug resistance in bacteria, including beta-lactams and quinolones, which are the most important classes of drugs for treatment of Enterobacteriaceae infections in human and veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) harboring plasmids containing extend-spectrum (ESBL) and pAmpC beta-lactamases, also plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes in urban pigeons from São Paulo State, Brazil. A collection of 107 isolates of E. coli from urban pigeons from four cities was screened by antimicrobial resistance phenotypic and PCR for genes encoding ESBL, pAmpC and PMQR genes. Clonality was evaluated by ERIC-PCR. We found three strains positive for blaCTX-M genes. In two clonally related CTX-M-8-producing strains, the gene was associated with IncI1 plasmids. An MDR strain harboring blaCTX-M-2, the plasmid could not be transferred. No strain was positive for PMQR genes. These results indicate that CTX-M-2 and CTX-M-8-producing E. coli are present in urban pigeons, which could serve as a reservoir for ESBL-producing E. coli in Brazil.

Background: Feral pigeons (Columba livia domestica) live and breed in many city centres and contact with their droppings can be a hazard for human health if the birds carry Chlamydia psittaci.Objective: The aim of this study was to establish whether pigeon droppings in two Dutch cities (Utrecht and Haarlem) contain C. psittaci and/or C. avium, which could be a potential hazard for transmission to humans.Methods: In May 2017 seven feral pigeon ‘hot spots’ with between 5 and 40+ pigeons present were identified in two cities by visual observations over two days. During the following ten days fresh droppings were collected at these hot spots and the samples were pooled per three droppings to achieve 40–41 samples per city. Samples were analysed for Chlamydia DNA with a broad range 23S Chlamydiaceae Real-Time PCR and positive samples were tested with a specific C. psittaci and C. avium Real-Time PCR. Positive C. psittaci samples were genotyped.Results: C. psittaci and C. avium were detected in both cities. For C. psittaci the prevalences in Utrecht and Haarlem were 2.4% and 7.5%, respectively; for C. avium 36.6% and 20.0%, respectively. One sample contained both species. All C. psittaci samples belonged to genotype B.Conclusion: C. psittaci and C. avium are present in feral pigeon droppings in Utrecht and Haarlem. Human contact with droppings from infected pigeons or inhalation of dust from dried droppings represent a potential hazard to public health.

Chlamydial infections in feral pigeons in Europe: Review of data and focus on public health implications