Heat stress represents significant challenges for livestock, adversely affecting their production, reproduction, and overall welfare. This study aimed to explore the interrelationships between environmental and animal-related factors and the flank temperature (FT) and eye temperature (ET) recorded using IRT in dromedary camels. This study was conducted in the Cholistan Desert in 2023, and IRT images of the eyes and flanks were captured from 510 camels across 54 herds. During the image analyses, pictures taken from 499 camels were of good quality and included. The camels were of both sexes and of various ages (minimum 3 years, pubertal and adult stages), and they had diverse physiological statuses (breeding, immature, lactating, non-lactating, and pregnant). Before taking the IRT pictures, ambient temperature and humidity were registered using a weather station, and light intensity was recorded using a lux meter. The ET was associated only with physiological status (p < 0.05), with pregnant females showing the lowest values, while no effects of physiological status, sex, or age were found for FT. The environmental temperature showed a positive correlation with both ET (r = 0.7887) and FT (r = 0.6280), highlighting the sensitivity of camel thermoregulation to temperature fluctuations. As expected, a strong positive correlation between ET and FT (r = 0.6643) was found. Conversely, a significant negative correlation was observed between humidity and ET (−0.7444) and FT (−0.5519), indicating that higher humidity levels lead to decreased temperatures in both regions. Light intensity (lux) exhibited minimal influence on both temperatures, with correlations of 0.1019 for ET and 0.2650 for FT. This study contributes to the field of precision livestock farming by suggesting a possible application of IRT for detecting thermal stress in camels in pastoral settings.

This pilot study investigated the effects of postbiotics supplementation on both milk yield and composition within a semi-intensive management system in Barela camels. The key indicators included daily milk yield, fats, protein, solid not fats, and lactose levels. A total of 12 dairy camels from early to mid-lactation stages (second to fourth parity) were divided into four groups to obtain similar milk production among groups. Prior to the study, all camels were dewormed and confirmed for good health status. The first group served as the control and was permitted to graze for only 8 h per day without any supplementation. The second group received an additional 3 kg of concentrate feed alongside the same grazing schedule. The third and fourth groups were supplemented with 3 kg of concentrate feed plus 6 grams and 15 grams of extra pure metabolites (postbiotics - XPM), respectively, while maintaining the daily grazing duration of 8 h. The trial spanned 45 days, with an initial adaptation period of 15 days. Milk yield was recorded at four intervals: days 0, 16, 30, and 45. Milk composition analysis occurred on days 0 and 45 to establish baseline and final metrics. A complete randomized design was used, and one-way ANOVA was applied for statistical analysis at a significance level of 5%. The least significant difference test facilitated comparisons among treatment means. Results indicated significant differences in milk production across groups (p < 0.005), with the highest yield observed in the fourth group (8.93 ± 0.74 kg) compared to the control group (4.64 ± 0.32 kg) (p = 0.0010). In terms of milk composition, there was a notable effect on fat percentage among treatment groups, with the fourth group exhibiting the highest fat content (3.40 ± 0.05%) and the control group showing the lowest (2.82 ± 0.05%) (p = 0.0450). However, variations in protein, lactose, and solids-not-fat levels were not statistically significant. In short, postbiotics significantly enhance fat content in Barela dromedary camels, highlighting their potential as a valuable dairy breed within semi-intensive management systems. This will serve as a pilot study for the field of camel science, which could be used for further detailed studies about camel semi-intensive and intensive feeding management systems.

This study evaluated the effects of replacing inorganic trace minerals with organic glycinate forms at two inclusion levels in layer breeders during the late laying cycle over 6 weeks (66 to 72 weeks of age). For this, a total of 180 layer breeders (162 hens and 18 males; Lohmann LSL Ultralite) were randomly divided into three treatment groups having six replicates of nine hens each and one male for each replicate following a completely randomized design (CRD). The dietary treatments included: (1) Basal diet + inorganic trace minerals at breed recommended levels (ITM100), (2) Basal diet + organic trace minerals at recommended levels (OTM100), (3) Basal diet + organic trace minerals at half dose of recommended levels (OTM50). The trace mineral contents in the samples (feed, bone, and excreta) were determined through inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The results indicated that glycinate minerals supplementation at half dose enhanced (p ≤ 0.05) tibial breaking strength compared to the inorganic minerals (38.97 vs. 29.55 MPa). Similarly, egg quality (egg geometry, yolk index, eggshell properties), and hatching traits (hatchability and fertility) were enhanced (p ≤ 0.05) following the use of glycinate organic minerals as compared to inorganic minerals. Copper deposition was higher (p ≤ 0.05) in the OTM100 as compared to other groups. Excreta levels of zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) were higher (p ≤ 0.05) in the ITM100 group compared to OTM100 and OTM50. In conclusion, supplementation of glycinate trace organic minerals to layer breeder hens during the late laying cycle had enhanced the bone and eggshell breaking strength, hatching traits, and absorption of certain trace minerals.

Viral infections during pregnancy can lead to several adverse outcomes, including miscarriage, stillbirth, intrauterine growth restriction, and neonatal complications, which may manifest congenital malformations and organ dysfunction. Infants who exhibit symptoms following maternal infection tend to have poorer health outcomes compared to their asymptomatic counterparts. Various viruses are known to cause birth defects, with the most common being cytomegalovirus (CMV), rubella virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), Zika virus, and human immunodeficiency virus. In this review article, we examined the most prevalent maternal viral infections that can cross the placental barrier and affect the fetus, potentially resulting in severe damage. Nanomedicine emerges as a promising candidate capable of traversing the placenta to mitigate viral infections in the fetus, thereby minimizing damage. We explored several classes of nanoparticle-based clinical approaches, along with their associated complications and success rates in various trials targeting different types of maternal viral infections. Additionally, we discussed several nanomedicines that can effectively combat viral infections during pregnancy, serving as potential safeguards for both the mother and the fetus.