Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity (PSP) is a condition most notably found in birds, but that is also present in other saurischian dinosaurs and pterosaurs. In birds, skeletal pneumatization occurs where bones are penetrated by pneumatic diverticula, membranous extensions that originate from air sacs that serve in the ventilation of the lung. Key questions that remain to be addressed include fur...

BACKGROUND: The Ostrich is an interesting subject concerninganimal evolution and morphology studies. It has been speculatedthat ostrich eyes would have distinct tissue structures and this hasnot been previously studied in detail. OBJECTIVES: The aim of thepresent study was to investigate the histology of the outer layer ofthe ostrich. METHODS: Ten mature ostriches were chosen from anostrich bre...

background and aims: newcastle disease virus (ndv) infection have been established in at least 241species of birds representing 27 of the 50 orders of the class.ndv isolate were obtained from infected ostrich flock during the outbreaks of nd in iran 2012. the f gene fragment which codes the main functional region of the f protein was obtained by rt-pcr and sequenced. methods: from the pathotype...

The appearance and shape of sesamoid bones within a tendon or ligament wrapping around a joint are understood to be influenced by both genetic and epigenetic factors. Ostriches (Struthio camelus) possess two sesamoid patellae (kneecaps), one of which (the distal patella) is unique to their lineage, making them a good model for investigating sesamoid tissue development and evolution. Here we use...

Streptococcus agalactiae causes a range of clinical syndromes in camels (Camelus dromedarius). We report the genome sequences of two S. agalactiae isolates that induce abscesses in Kenyan camels. These genomes provide novel data on the composition of the S. agalactiae "pan genome" and reveal the presence of multiple genomic islands.

The effects of five levels of dietary protein and energy on ostrich performance during hot season were evaluated in this study. Five males and 10 females of healthy mature ostriches (Struthio camelus) were randomly assigned equally into five nutritional groups A, B, C, D and E, each of 1 male and 2 females. Birds were fed (16% protein +2800 kcal) , (17% protein + 2900 kcal ) , (18% protein + 30...