Female Foxes Research Articles

The prevalence of intestinal nematodes among red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in north-western Poland

BackgroundThe red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and Australia. The presence of nematode-infected foxes in urbanized areas increases the risk of transmission of nematodes to domestic dogs and thus, to humans. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and species composition of intestinal nematodiasis in red foxes in Western Pomerania, a province in north-western Poland. The intestinal contents of 620 red foxes killed during a government reduction shooting programme were examined for adult nematodes using the sedimentation and counting technique (SCT).ResultsIntestinal nematodes, including Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Uncinaria stenocephala and Trichuris vulpis, were found in 77.3% (95% CI 73.8–80.4%) of the examined foxes with a mean infection burden of 20.1 nematode per animal. Male and female foxes had similar infection burdens.ConclusionsThe nematodes are present in high prevalence and intensity among foxes in north-western Poland. Furthermore, this high prevalence of nematodes in foxes may likely constitute a health risk to humans and domestic animals due to increasing fox densities in urban and periurban areas.

The global prevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii among foxes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most successful intracellular protozoan parasites in the world, which can infect most warm-blooded animals including foxes in the world and cause toxoplasmosis. This is the first meta-analysis to assess the overall prevalence and potential risk factors of T. gondii among foxes in the world. Relevant studies were comprehensively collected from ScienceDirect, Springer-Link, PubMed, VIP Chinese Journal Databases (VIP), WanFang, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. The random-effect model was used to calculate pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and analyzed data were from 20 countries. The pooled T. gondii prevalence in foxes was estimated to be 39.6%. T. gondii has the highest prevalence in North America (51.2%), and lowest in Asia (8.3%). The prevalence in the sub-group after 2006 (44.7%) was lower than 2006 or before (48.5%). The prevalence in female foxes was 46.1%, which was higher than that in male foxes (19.7%). In species subgroup, red fox has the highest prevalence (46.8%). Wild foxes have a higher rate of infection (40.8%) than captive foxes (8.4%). Genotype Ⅱ of T. gondii is the most prevalent in foxes. We also evaluated the effects of geographical and climate variables on pooled prevalence of T. gondii in foxes. Our research indicated that toxoplasmosis widely existed in the world. The investigation of T. gondii infection in wild animals can provide an estimate of environmental pollution and T. gondii circulation in the ecosystem. It is essential for us to prevent and control T. gondii infection in foxes in order to reduce the risk of human infection.

The effectiveness of belmin in feeding of female arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus L.) to increase reproductive functions

The article presents the results of tests of protein-organic additives on pregnant female Arctic foxes. The criteria for assessing the impact on the productivity of females of arctic fox and the number of missing, poor and disadvantaged females gave birth, fertility, the number of mothers who are good reproduction, number of stillborn puppies, preservation of offspring before registration and the number of puppies in terms of the main female. During the experiments, it was found that the inclusion in the number of pregnant females should be 1,5 grams per day, which leads to a decrease in the number of stillborn puppies and, with, as a consequence, an increase in the number of young animals to be deposited.

Spatial Aspects of Gardens Drive Ranging in Urban Foxes (Vulpes vulpes): The Resource Dispersion Hypothesis Revisited.

Red foxes are a well-established species of urban ecosystems in the UK and worldwide. Understanding the spatial ecology of foxes in urban landscapes is important for enhancement of urban biodiversity and effective disease management. The Resource Dispersion Hypothesis (RDH) holds that territory (home range) size is linked to distribution and richness of habitat patches such that aggregation of rich resources should be negatively associated with range size. Here, we tested the RDH on a sample of 20 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in the city of Brighton and Hove. We focused on residential garden areas, as foxes were associated with these in previous studies. We equipped 12 male and 8 female foxes with GPS collars recording at 15 min intervals during discrete seasons over four years. We regressed fox core area size against garden size, number of garden patches, and edge density within and between patches as extracted from GIS in a series of bivariate linear mixed models. We found that foxes used smaller core areas where gardens were large and well-connected and larger core areas where numerous, smaller gardens were fragmented by internal barriers (e.g., fences, walls) or bisected by other habitats such as managed grassland or built-up areas. Our findings confirm the RDH and help to inform future urban planning for wildlife.

REPRODUCTION AND DENNING BY SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND FOXES: AGE, SEX, AND POLYGAMY

Channel Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) live on six of the eight California Channel Islands, and each island is inhabited by a distinct subspecies. Until recently, four of these subspecies were listed under the Endangered Species Act as endangered. Although three of the four subspecies have been delisted, and one subspecies was downlisted to threatened, all subspecies are still vulnerable because of small population sizes and potential threats from predation and disease. Consequently, information on reproductive behavior for each subspecies, including the San Clemente Island fox (Urocyon littoralis clementae), is important for understanding fox population dynamics. We determined reproductive status of 28 island foxes through observations of radio collared yearlings and adults with or without juveniles between 25 February and 8 October 2009. We found a greater number of adult foxes than yearling foxes and a greater number of female foxes than male foxes observed with juveniles. Also, there was a significantly greater probability of observing adult female foxes with juveniles than yearling males with juveniles. Only 1 of 28 radio collared foxes exhibited either polygamous or “helper” behaviors. Parturition started approximately 2 months earlier than historically recorded for other Channel Island fox subspecies. Our results suggest that in future studies of reproductive success more effort should be placed on monitoring adult females than yearling males. If emergence from dens continues to occur earlier than previously recorded, the current recommended time period for trapping (20 June–31 January) might need revision to exclude January to reduce stress to pregnant females. If all foxes have similar probabilities of transmitting disease on a given contact with juveniles, our data suggest that it may be appropriate to focus more vaccination efforts on females than males and adults than yearlings because they contact juveniles more frequently.

First assessment of hoary fox (Lycalopex vetulus) seasonal ovarian cyclicity by non-invasive hormonal monitoring technique.

Reproduction is key to species survival, and reproductive physiology represents a high priority investigative area for conservation biology, as it provides a basic understanding of critical life-history traits, information that is helpful for the establishment of management strategies. Here, we generated knowledge about the reproductive endocrinology of the hoary fox (Lycalopex vetulus), a small canid (2.5–4 kg) endemic to open areas of the Brazilian Cerrado and listed in the Brazilian National List of Endangered species. Specifically, we utilized non-invasive hormone monitoring methods to assess oestrogen and progestagen metabolites from eight female hoary foxes housed in five zoological institutions in the state of São Paulo—Brazil. We observed the elevations of oestrogen and progestagen metabolites between July and September in six of the eight females. No significant evidence of ovarian activity was observed during other months. Two females, who shared the same enclosure, did not show a pattern of reproductive cyclicity. Based on these characteristics, we concluded that captive hoary foxes are seasonal monoestric, with the beginning of the oestrus cycle occurring mainly in July followed by 2 months of the luteal phase when conception does not occur. We suggest the dosage of faecal metabolites of estradiol and progesterone could be used to differentiate the reproductive period from a non-reproductive period in Lycalopex vetulus females, providing relevant information about their reproductive biology that may contribute to species conservation and management strategies, such as increased ex situ reproductive success.

Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis in the carnivores and its vectors in Mymensingh municipal area of Bangladesh

Heartworm is a global problem caused by Dirofilaria immitis that occurs in some carnivores in tropics and subtropics including some temperate countries. There is also a public health implication, since infection in human is occasionally reported. We investigated the prevalence of D. immitis among carnivores and to identify its vectors and to correlate between them in the study area. We examined the prevalence of D. immitis in stray dogs, wild foxes, and community cats, and in their vectors in Mymensingh Municipal Area. In this study, following the guidelines of the animal welfare and experimentation ethical committee, euthanized animals and mosquitoes were investigated for adult parasites and microfilariae, respectively. Among animals investigated 56.0% of dogs and 71.4% of foxes and none of cats were infected with D. immitis. Infection in animal below 2 years of age were 46.1% and 66.6% in dogs and foxes respectively compared to 66.6% and 75.0% infection respectively in dogs and foxes above 2 years of age. In male the rate of infections were 61.5% in dogs and 75.0% in foxes compared to 50.0% in female dogs and 66.66% in female foxes. Microfilariae were detected in 44% dogs and 57.14% foxes examined. The Culex sp. had 11.3% and the Anopheles sp. had 6.1% infection, whereas none of the Aedes sp had any microfilariae. Since these dogs and foxes live near the human habitations in study area, it was considered a serious public health threat to humans. Because of both veterinary and public health significance, further detailed studies on the prevalence of D. immitis in Bangladesh are highly emphasized.
 Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.6(2): 315-322, August 2019

PLK1 contributes to autophagy by regulating MYC stabilization in osteosarcoma cells.

BackgroundPLK1, a typical PLK protein, is the main driver of cancer cell growth and proliferation. It is an inhibitor of the protein kinases that is currently being investigated in clinical studies. It is often used as a tumor marker, as high PLK1 expression correlates with poor prognosis in cancer. Overexpression of MYC is a hallmark of many human cancers. MYC modulates the transcription of thousands of genes that required to coordinate a series of cellular processes, including those essential for growth, proliferation, differentiation, self-renewal and apoptosis. To date, functions of PLK1 and MYC on tumor are mostly studied in separate researches, and studies on their mutual crosstalk are lacking.PurposeTo investigate the mechanism of PLK1 and MYC in regulating progress of osteosarcoma.MethodsProtein level was examined using Western blot. Animal experiments were performed with female FOX CHASE severe combined immunodeficient mice. Mice were randomly divided into experimental or control groups.ResultsPLK1 or MYC promoted the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells through the autophagy pathway. PLK1 contributed to MYC protein stabilization. PLK1 inhibition enhanced MYC degradation in osteosarcoma cells. PLK1 inhibition led to a marked decline in MYC protein abundance. The representative MYC target genes were deregulated by PLK1 inhibitors. BI2536 treatment caused a significant delay in xenograft tumor growth in mice injected with U-2 OS cells subcutaneously, with lower mean tumor weight compared to the control group.ConclusionPLK1 is crucial for MYC stabilization. It promotes cell proliferation by autophagy pathway in osteosarcoma cells. Data validate PLK1 as a potential therapeutic target in osteosarcoma caused by MYC-amplified.

Use of oral fluralaner (Bravecto) to successfully manage adult-onset generalised demodicosis in a silver fox (Vulpes vulpes)

A six-year-old spayed female silver fox (Vulpes vulpes) presented with bilateral ocular discharge, lethargy, facial alopecia and dermatitis of six months’ duration. The fox was immobilised with ketamine (4 mg/kg),...

Serum Fatty Acid Contents and Their Relationships with Bone Quality Indices and Bone Metabolism Markers in Male and Female Silver Foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Serum Fatty Acid Contents and Their Relationships with Bone Quality Indices and Bone Metabolism Markers in Male and Female Silver Foxes (<i>Vulpes vulpes</i>)

The Red Fox Y-Chromosome in Comparative Context.

While the number of mammalian genome assemblies has proliferated, Y-chromosome assemblies have lagged behind. This discrepancy is caused by biological features of the Y-chromosome, such as its high repeat content, that present challenges to assembly with short-read, next-generation sequencing technologies. Partial Y-chromosome assemblies have been developed for the cat (Felis catus), dog (Canis lupus familiaris), and grey wolf (Canis lupus lupus), providing the opportunity to examine the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) Y-chromosome in the context of closely related species. Here we present a data-driven approach to identifying Y-chromosome sequence among the scaffolds that comprise the short-read assembled red fox genome. First, scaffolds containing genes found on the Y-chromosomes of cats, dogs, and wolves were identified. Next, analysis of the resequenced genomes of 15 male and 15 female foxes revealed scaffolds containing male-specific k-mers and patterns of inter-sex copy number variation consistent with the heterogametic chromosome. Analyzing variation across these two metrics revealed 171 scaffolds containing 3.37 Mbp of putative Y-chromosome sequence. The gene content of these scaffolds is consistent overall with that of the Y-chromosome in other carnivore species, though the red fox Y-chromosome carries more copies of BCORY2 and UBE1Y than has been reported in related species and fewer copies of SRY than in other canids. The assignment of these scaffolds to the Y-chromosome serves to further characterize the content of the red fox draft genome while providing resources for future analyses of canid Y-chromosome evolution.

Free amino acid concentration in serum and trapezius muscle from male and female silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Serum and muscle concentrations of 29 amino acids were determined in Silver fox. Serum concentrations of proline, alanine, tyrosine and aromatic amino acids were significantly higher in males than in females (all P = 0.05). Taurine and glycine concentrations in skeletal muscles were significantly higher in males than in females (P &amp;lt; 0.01). Muscle concentrations of cysteic acid, taurine, aspartate, threonine, serine, glycine, alanine, citruline, valine, leucine, gamma-amino-butyrate, ethanoloamine, lysine and histidine were significantly higher than in serum in both sexes (P &amp;lt; 0.05). In females, the concentrations of glutamate, glutamine, cystathionine, isoleucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, arginine and amino-adipic acid were significantly higher in muscles than in serum (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Tryptophan concentration was significantly higher in serum from males than in muscles (P = 0.01). The concentration of branched-chain amino acids in skeletal muscles was approximately two times higher than in serum in both groups of foxes (P ≤ 0.01). Similar differences were obtained for aromatic amino acids in females (P = 0.04). The elaborated experimental model may serve for further studies focused on amino acid metabolism regulation in Canide and other monogastric mammals, especially with the use of environmental, dietary, pharmacological and toxicological factors. The elaborated experimental model may be an attractive alternative to replace some experiments on dogs.

Female Linguistic Differences Based on the Addressee’s Gender in Fox News Coverage

Journalism outlets provide coverage of Capitol Hill’s endeavors, but the passion and tension within the political atmosphere can elicit subconscious bias in treatment of interviewed parties. This study selects three female anchors’ respective July 12, 2018 Fox News broadcasts and analyzes their gender-isolating tendencies to offer mitigative or assertive language when engaging with male versus female interviewees. The data collected for the three anchors followed a trend of utilizing authoritative forms of language towards women and deferring with reservation towards men. These anchors displayed selective choices in the visibility of expressing dissent with significantly more interruptions of female guests and a greater use of hedges towards male guests. When accounting for the political parties of the interviewees, the anchors offered more deference to Democratic male guests than female Republican guests or female Fox News correspondents. These findings indicated a sociolinguistic difference which could possibly indicate a denial of equal opportunity to female interviewees on news broadcasts.

A three-dimensional reconstruction of the scapula in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

In the last years multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) images were used in morphometric measurement of the scapula. The present study was aimed to reveal morphometrical aspects and morphometric differences between sexes regarding the scapula via three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction performed by using MDCT images of the fox scapula. Twelve adult red foxes (6 each of male and female) were used for this study. The high resolution images of the scapula were obtained by using a general diagnostic MDCT. The images obtained by MDCT were stacked and overlaid to reconstruct the 3D model of the scapula by using 3D modeling software (Mimics 13.1). Some morphometric measurements were taken from the reconstructed models of the scapula. The statistical analysis of data was performed for both sexes. Based on the 3D reconstructed scapula, the differences of the scapular measurements between male and female red fox were statistically significant (p less than 0.05). Some morphometrical differences of the scapula were revealed in both sexes of red fox. These results were compared with other studies in the literature and they emphasize the morphologic diversities among species. This study may contribute to improve the knowledge related to the anatomy of the red fox.

Friendly foxes: the relationship between steroid hormones and social behaviour in a monogamous African canid

AbstractAside from some studies on cooperatively breeding species, we know little about the underlying endocrine mechanisms of social behaviour in the order Carnivora. We investigated the correlations between steroid hormones and social behaviour in a socially monogamous canid, the bat‐eared fox (Otocyon megalotis). We collected faecal and observational data over 15 and 22 months, respectively, from 14 wild bat‐eared foxes in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa. These data were used to describe the relationship between faecal hormone metabolite concentrations and social behaviour. Faecal androgen metabolite (fAM) concentration differed by sex and mating season and was positively associated with faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) levels. Male foxes had substantially higher fAM concentrations (median: 9.99 μg g−1 org. content, IQR = 7.39–11.62 μg g−1 org. content) than females (median: 1.93 μg g−1 org. content, IQR = 1.68–2.56 μg g−1 org. content). Higher fAM concentrations were associated with more social tolerance in female but not male foxes. Concentrations of fAM were positively associated with rate of inter‐group encounters in female foxes. Furthermore, fAM concentrations were also positively associated with the overall rate of negative social interactions for females. Finally, fAM concentrations were positively associated with scent‐marking behaviour in male, but not female foxes. There was no association between fGCM concentrations and any of the observed social behaviours in male foxes. Female foxes had a negative relationship between fGCM concentration and marking behaviour as well as social tolerance. There was no difference in fGCM concentration between female (median: 0.19 μg g−1 org. content, IQR = 0.16–0.23 μg g−1 org. content) and male (median: 0.22 μg g−1 org. content, IQR = 0.19–0.31 μg g−1 org. content) foxes. Our study is the first to describe the endocrine correlates of aggressive and affiliative behaviour in the monogamous bat‐eared fox. Androgens play an important role in mating behaviour in monomorphic, monogamous species where females might drive sexual selection.

Parasitary Infestation In A Fox

Foxes are a member of Canidae family belonging to carnivora order. There are a lot of fox species all around the world. Human population growth, anthropogenic landscape changes, ameliorated vaccine protocols, laws against hunting, the increasing interest towards wildlife and wild animals resulted in augmented fox population and human-fox interaction. These all have important biologic consequences such as prevention and treatment of zoonotic diseases and endangered species protection. Both sarcoptic mange and coccidiois are two important parasitary diseases seen in foxes. In this case, a young female fox suffering sarcoptic mange and coccidiosis is presented. Haemogram and biochemistry measurements of the patient were between normal intervals except values pointing out a slight anemia. This anemia was thought to be due to parasitary infestations. A therapy schedule including ivermectin, trimetoprim/sulfa, vitamin-B was applied according to the literature and the treatment was judged as successful. Important conclusions gained from this report have been shared in the result of the case report.

Prey cortisol affects the usefulness of fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentration as an indicator of stress in a carnivore

The noninvasive nature of sample collection makes analysis of fecal hormone concentrations useful for examining endocrine responses in free-living wild animals. Glucocorticoid hormones (i.e., cortisol and corticosterone) are frequently measured as an indicator of activation of the endocrine stress axis. However, many factors may influence glucocorticoid concentrations in feces, and the influence of prey glucocorticoids on concentrations in the feces of predators is rarely considered. We tested whether cortisol consumption influenced concentrations of glucocorticoid metabolites in feces of captive Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758)) by adding cortisol (5 mg cortisol per kg fox body mass) to the foxes’ diet. Food supplemented with supraphysiological concentrations of cortisol increased fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations of Arctic foxes by 97% in males and 51% in females, compared with controls. In addition, fecal metabolite concentrations in nontreatment samples were higher for females (22.2 ± 3.3 ng·g−1, mean ± SE) than males (13.3 ± 1.5 ng·g−1), suggesting female Arctic foxes may have higher baseline cortisol concentrations or females may be more sensitive to captivity or relocation. These results indicate that prey cortisol can influence measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites in carnivore feces and suggest caution may be needed when interpreting such measurements in wild carnivores.

Serum Concentration of Macro-, Micro-, and Trace Elements in Silver Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Their Interrelationships with Morphometric, Densitometric, and Mechanical Properties of the Mandible.

The optimal content of macro-, micro-, and trace elements in tissues ensures proper systemic growth and development and optimal health status in animals and humans. However, very little is known on the elemental content in the plasma compartment in Silver fox. The aim of this study was to determine the content of selected elements in serum obtained from 8-month-old female (N = 8) and male (N = 7) silver foxes. Moreover, relationships of the evaluated elements with the morphological, densitometric, and mechanical parameters of the mandible were determined. Serum content of 12 different elements was measured using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The morphometric and densitometric properties of the mandible were determined using quantitative computed tomography method, while mechanical endurance was tested using a three-point bending test. Serum concentration of calcium was significantly higher by 20% in male foxes (P = 0.01), while manganese concentration was significantly lower in males by over 17% (P = 0.03). Positive correlations of serum concentration of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium with the morphological traits of the mandible such as weight, length, and bone volume were stated (P < 0.05). In the group of elements playing regulatory functions, the positive relationships between serum concentrations of selenium, chromium, manganese, copper, and cobalt were found (P < 0.05). The elaborated experimental model may serve for further studies on foxes, especially focused on nutritional factors affecting elemental homeostasis, whole-body metabolism, and systemic growth and development. Daily diet formulation and precise delivery for farm foxes, together with relatively large animal population maintained at the same environmental conditions, regularly subjected to slaughter procedure, enable economical experimentation with various dietary and pharmacological manipulations.

Short-term tracking of three red foxes in the Simpson Desert reveals large home-range sizes

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is probably the most intensively studied introduced predator in Australia, but little is known about its movements in arid areas. Here, we report on the home-range sizes of one male and two female red foxes that were tracked for 2–8 months using collars fitted with ARGOS transmitters in the Simpson Desert, central Australia. Based on the 100% Minimum Convex Polygon method, home-range sizes were 5723 ha, 50 158 ha, and 12 481 ha, respectively. Based on the 95% kernel contour method, home-range sizes were 3930 ha, 26 954 ha, and 12 142 ha, respectively. These home-range sizes are much larger than any recorded previously from elsewhere in Australia, suggesting that red foxes in the Simpson Desert need to roam over extensive areas to find enough resources to meet their energetic needs. Given that predation by red foxes poses a key threat to many small and medium-sized native mammals, we suggest that red fox control operations may need to be undertaken at very large spatial scales to be effective in arid areas.

Parasites with possible zoonotic potential in the small intestines of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Northwest Bohemia (CzR)

Summary We determined the prevalence of primarily zoonotic parasites in the small intestines of 40 (20 males and 20 females) red foxes living near human dwellings. The total prevalence of parasite infection was 77.5 % (31/40); the prevalence was 37.5 % (15/40) for Toxocara canis and 35 % (14/40) for Toxascaris leonina. The mean intensity infection was 3 and 11 helminths for T. canis and T. leonina, respectively. The prevalence of other intestinal helminths and mean infection intensity in this study are given: Echinococcus multilocularis 40 % (16/40) with 1000 individuals, Mesocestoides spp. 40 % (16/40) with 8 individuals, Uncinaria stenocephala 10 % (4/40) with 8 individuals, and Taenia pisiformis 10 % (4/40) with 1 individual. With regards to prevalence and intensity of infection, as well as prevalence of individual parasites, there were no significant differences (P≥0.05) between male and female red foxes.