The quantity and quality of the honey bee drone semen have a significant determination on the performance of bee colonies. The existence of a smaller number of mature drones to participate in the mating of queens, as well as a sufficient number of drones but with poor quality semen can have serious implications for the productivity of bee colonies. Our study aimed to investigate the correlation between two body weight ranges of drones and semen parameters in the Buckfast honey bee, data that could be integrated into the optimization of instrumental insemination in been queens. Semen was collected from two groups of drones with different body weights (200–240 mg and 240–280 mg). Semen volume, semen concentration, motility, morphology and membrane integrity of spermatozoa were analyzed. The phenotype indicator related to body weight in correlation with the main semen parameters studied gives a weak influence or causality ratio. In drones with 240–280 mg body weight, a higher percentage of spermatozoa with abnormal morphology (>9.60%) was recorded, compared to drones with 200–240 mg body weight. The study reveals that a higher weight of honey bee drones is correlated with higher sperm concentration and total number of spermatozoa/ejaculate, with an increase in the percentage of spermatozoa with abnormal morphology.

The effects of aluminium exposure on reproductive biomarkers in male rats were followed in a three-generation study. Forty Wistar male rats (F0) were divided into the following groups: control (C), receiving only tap water, and three experimental (E) groups, receiving aluminium sulphate (AS) (E1: 200 ppb, E2: 400 ppb, and E3: 1000 ppb) in drinking water for a 6-month exposure period. To obtain F1, three males from each group were mated with previously unexposed females (1:2 sex ratios) that during gestation and lactation were exposed to the same AS levels as males. The F1 generation male offspring were divided as described and exposed to the same AS levels. The protocol to obtain F2 was similar to that described for F1. Significantly lower testosterone levels in rats exposed to AS and in generations F1 and F2 compared to the parental one, luteinising hormone (LH) fluctuations in F0 and a significant LH decrease in F2 and F3 generations, testis weight decrease, increased immobile and abnormal sperm, and histoarchitecture alterations in the testes were observed. Moreover, interval between deliveries increased. Chronic exposure to AS was significantly deleterious, producing a pronounced decrease in the sperm count and testosterone levels in all experimental groups.

Staphylococcal infection treatment in dogs is frequently associated with adverse side effects, high costs, prolonged treatment, and resistant strain selection. Staphylococcus aureus is the most frequently isolated staphylococci in cases of canine superficial pyoderma. The number of Staphylococcus strains to exhibit primary resistance to various drugs in vitro is increasing. Propolis has a diverse chemical composition and well-known therapeutic properties against bacterial infections. The current investigation evaluated in vitro the antimicrobial activity of the commercial allopathic antimicrobials, Romanian propolis ethanolic extracts, against clinical Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from superficial dermatitis clinical samples in dogs and two reference strains: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300, as the MSSA and MRSA positive controls, respectively, in western Romania. We used the microdilution broth technique to evaluate the susceptibility profile of the bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the Romanian propolis ethanolic extract ranged from 6 to 10 μg/mL for all isolates, determined by the broth microdilution method. The MICs of ethanolic Romanian propolis extracts had a pronounced antibacterial activity. These results indicate that propolis can potentially be used and recommended for in vivo experiments as a promising therapeutic agent against Staphylococcus aureus infections in superficial dermatitis of dogs.

The alarming decline in sturgeon populations doubled by growing demands for sturgeon products, urge us to prevent the loss of these species. Fish stocking in natural habitats and developing fish farms are viable solutions, which can be successfully implemented with the help of reproductive biotechnologies. Despite the fact that semen cryopreservation is admittedly an important step for saving the Russian sturgeon, a reproducible standard method with good results has yet to be identified. Sperm quality assessment is essential for quantifying the impact of cryopreservation on spermatozoa. The purpose of our study was to provide additional information regarding semen cryopreservation and semen quality evaluation for the Russian sturgeon. Our study method is based on the use of two yolk-free extenders (with different cryoprotectants: DMSO and methanol) for freezing semen, using a simple freezing protocol. Parameters such as volume, concentration, motility, morphology and membrane integrity were evaluated. In conclusion, cryopreservation of Russian sturgeon spermatozoa using an extender containing methanol as cryoprotectant led to high egg fertilization percentages (72.67 ± 5.4%) even if the total motility values recorded for thawed semen were quite low (18–25%). Additionally, we identified two optimal stains for morphological studies and morphometry (Spermac stain kit and Trypan Blue Solution).

Demodicosis is one of the most important external parasitic diseases found in carnivores. Three species of the Demodex mite inhabit the skin of dogs and related species, D. canis being the most prevalent. This paper describes the first case of infestation with D. injai in a golden jackal in Romania. An emaciated golden jackal female body found in Timiș County, western Romania, was examined at Parasitology Department of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Timișoara. The gross lesions were present on different regions of the body: feet, tail, axillary and inguinal areas, and skin folds as well, consisting of erythema, extensive severe alopecia with lichenification, seborrhea, and scaling. In order to establish diagnosis, microscopic examination of skin scrapes, trichogram (hair plucking), acetate tape test (impression), fungal culture, and PCR were performed. Both microscopic measurements and PCR analysis have confirmed the presence of D. injai.

The wolf (Canis lupus) is an apex predator with high mobility and trophic plasticity, serving as a valuable indicator of helminth transmission at the wildlife–livestock interface. Given the ecological overlap between wolves and both wild and domestic ungulates in Romania, we aimed to identify and molecularly characterize cestodes from wolves’ small intestines. Between November 2022 and June 2025, small intestines from nine wolves were collected across four Romanian counties, frozen, and examined using classical parasitology (macroscopic and microscopic) and molecular methods (PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing of mitochondrial cox1, nad1, and 12S rRNA fragments). Taeniids were detected in three (33.33%) out of nine tested individuals. Genetic analyses confirmed the presence of Taenia krabbei and Taenia hydatigena—species not previously reported in wolves from Romania. This study provides the first molecular evidence of T. krabbei and T. hydatigena in wolves from Romania, and likely Eastern Europe, indicating active transmission and underscoring the need for broader surveillance of hosts to clarify their ecology and regional dynamics within a One Health context.