The first article in this issue reports the findings of a survey of Australian horse owners’ understanding and perceived benefits of equine research.1 Approximately half of the participants were aware of equine research that had taken place in Australia and some individual researchers were cited. However, 20% of respondents reported they were unaware of any research and 20% did not comment. Almost half of the survey respondents felt that they had gained some benefit from Australian equine research, particularly a better understanding of health and diseases such as equine influenza and Hendra virus infection. In contrast, one-quarter of respondents reported they had not gained any benefit from research. The authors discuss strategies to increase awareness and valuing of research in the general horse-keeping community. A study conducted at a Sydney racing yard evaluated the relationship between Thoroughbred racing performance and the presence of increased tracheal mucus or blood and inflammatory cells in tracheal wash (TW) samples collected after strenuous exercise.2 All horses enrolled in the study were considered clinically normal and their age ranged from 2 to 7 years. Racing performance was assessed as overall position in the race closest to time of sampling. The overall prevalence of visible (grades 1–2) or increased (grades 3–4) tracheal mucus in the study was low (2.5% and 0%, respectively) and was not significantly associated with racing performance. Some tracheal blood (grade 1) was detected in 8.8% of all endoscopic examinations and increased tracheal blood scores (grades 2–4) were found in 4.6% of cases. A significant positive association was found between increased tracheal blood and race position. This suggests that that the presence of tracheal blood (caused by exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage), but not tracheal mucous, may be a risk factor for poor racing performance. Of the TW samples, 36% had increased (>20%) neutrophil proportions, with all occurring in the absence of increased tracheal mucous. No significant association was found between the proportions of inflammatory cells in TW and race position. The authors discuss that cytological examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid may provide a more accurate diagnosis of inflammatory airway disease than TW cytology. An interesting case report involving a 13-year-old Border Collie sparks interesting hypotheses about modes of infection in patients with pacemakers.3 The dog was presented with acute-onset syncope, severe lethargy, fever and bradycardia 10 months following transvenous pacemaker implantation. On fluoroscopy it was found that the pacemaker tip had migrated through the apex of the right ventricle; echocardiography also demonstrated acoustic shadowing of the pacemaker lead through the right ventricle with no evidence of pericardial effusion. Postmortem examination confirmed the pacemaker lead had perforated the apex of the right ventricle and lodged in the right pleural space. Moraxella phenylpyruvica, a bacterium that is present in the normal oral microbiota, was identified in cultures of blood, cardiac tissues and pacemaker lead tip. There was no gross or histological evidence of valvular endocarditis and the cause of M. phenylpyruvica bacteraemia could not be identified. The authors speculate infection could have resulted from pre-existing myocarditis or opportunistic infection after pacemaker implantation and recommend pacemaker function should be assessed at regular intervals. The second small animal article in this issue details the clinical signs, diagnostic investigation, treatment and outcome of a 6-year-old Australian Kelpie diagnosed with lissencephaly, a rare developmental anomaly likely with a genetic basis.4 Previous reports typically involved small-breed dogs, with onset of clinical signs, including seizures, behavioural abnormalities and visual deficits typically occurring at less than 1 year of age. In contrast, in this case the initial onset of seizures was at 4 years of age. The diagnosis of lissencephaly was confirmed by MRI of the brain, which showed a reduced number of sulci and gyri, giving the brain a smooth appearance, and thickened cortical grey matter. The condition appears to have been successfully managed in the long term through medication with oral phenobarbitone twice daily and oral levetiracetam every 8 h for 3 days after a seizure. An experimental study describes a novel approach to dorsal wound protection in pigs used in research, which could be applicable to other production animals used as research models for wound healing, delivery of nutrition, fluids or medications.5 Open C-shaped rigid polyethylene shells were developed and effectively protected the wounds on the dorsum of pigs against blunt and sharp trauma and facilitated tube management. The shells were simple to remove and there was no evidence of wound infection or inflammation. They were also well tolerated and allowed for animal growth. An increasing number of disease outbreaks attributable to Theileria orientalis infection has been observed in Australian cattle in recent years, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria. In a recent survey of 24 beef herds in the North Coast region of NSW, all herds had at least one animal infected with T. orientalis with a herd-level prevalence of 100%.6 This prevalence is higher than that previously found in the greater NSW region.7 The Chitose, Ikeda and Buffeli major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) types were present in all herds tested without associated clinical disease. The Ikeda type was the most common type found, but the majority of animals were infected with more than one MPSP type. Overall, 82% of animals had a low-level infection, suggesting subclinical infection, while 17% had a moderate level of infection and only 1% had a high level. The Wildlife & Zoos article in this issue reviews the reasons for admission and subsequent outcomes of free-ranging platypus and short-beaked echidnas admitted to the Australian Wildlife Health Centre in Victoria over a 14-year period.8 There was no sex predisposition for platypus or echidna presentations. Adult and sub-adult platypus and adult echidnas were more likely to be presented than juveniles. Both species were more frequently admitted in warmer months: platypus earlier in the year and echidnas in late spring and summer. Trauma was the most common reason for presentation in both species, accounting for approximately 90% of short-beaked echidna cases, including impact with motor vehicles and domestic dog attacks, and 74% of platypus cases, including entanglement in fishing lines, unknown trauma or excavation. Trauma was also the most common cause of death or euthanasia, with an overall mortality rate of 58% for platypus and 51% for echidnas. Interestingly, a small proportion of animals were presented uninjured, typically by members of the public, which provided a good opportunity to foster public interest in monotreme and wildlife conservation. Data on reference ranges for haematology and serum biochemistry tests in healthy alpacas are limited to a few published studies, including one Australian study conducted over two decades ago. A recent survey of 69 adult alpacas from 11 South Australian farms provides a clinically useful range of serum biochemistry values for Australian alpacas.9