May 17, 1996

Rosalina Angel, Ph.D.

Purina Mills, Inc.

St. Louis,  Mo. 

Fax (314) 768-4859

Dear Rosalina,

I would like to volunteer my services as a member of the AOA Research Committee.  My contributions to this industry have been innovative, insightful, unprejudiced, and of enduring value.  I feel it is time for the AOA to acknowledge my contributions to the infrastructure of the industry both nationally and locally.

I have worked under the most adverse intellectual conditions imaginable: ostracized, condemned, my calls and letters unanswered, and falsely accused of wrongdoing and illegal activity (including the local state chapter entertaining a motion that my membership be revoked because another member felt my penchant for the truth was a threat to the unsubstantiated “breeders market” claims.  The state newsletter chooses to publish only those opinions that portray me in a negative or evil light,  never publishing anything positive about me even when it was available or submitted). 

My complaints of injustice and discrimination to the immediate past president went unanswered.  From time to time I read the AOA’s code of ethics and wonder why time and paper were wasted on such a farcical policy.  I often reflect how much of this continued cruelty, hostility, and isolation is based on my prominence in the South American ostrich industry:  birds purchased as practice birds for my African ostriches, only to have no African ostrich chicks in 7 breeding seasons of boarded African ostriches, leaving only South American ostriches to work with.

Even though in the past my accurate, but unwelcome, prediction questioning the lack of product development and the precarious state of the breeders market was a license to relegate me to the status of non-person (however the AOA was more than happy to accept my dues), I will make more predictions:

1.     Megabacteriosis will eventually be proven to be nothing more than fading chick syndrome with an opportunistic invader of questionable pathogenicity.

2.     Adenovirus will be proven to be similar to E. coli, pathogenic only when it is in the wrong place at the wrong time, serving birds by promoting lipogenesis[1] as a factor in the immune response.  Other factors will emerge as the basis for most of the adenovirus problems.

3.     The cytochrome P-450 system in the African ostrich and South American ostrich is fragile or does not become fully functional until they are about 3 months of age, which will explain their extreme sensitivity to environmental toxins as infants.

4.     The high level of arachidonic acid in African ostrich meat may antagonize immune responses mediated by arachidonic acid metabolites in humans consuming large amounts of the meat. It is not yet known what effect high levels of dietary arachidonic acid will have in humans with conditions such as arthritis and other autoimmune disorders although there are many animal studies demonstrating that phospholipids reflect dietary fat content.  By addressing this now through changes in the birds’ diet, future marketing problems can be avoided.

5.     It is about to be announced, probably with a great deal of hoopla, that the fatty acid profile of African ostrich fat is the same as South American ostrich fat.  This is true, however the as yet unidentified anti-inflammatory activity is less in the African ostrich.  I sent similar data to Robert Lakey in 1994 stating that the ostrich fat was worth studying.  No doubt someone else is about to “discover” the same commercial possibilities of African ostrich fat I saw in the South American ostrich fat.  Since I had no response from anyone in the AOA regarding the news releases for my patent application and the AOCS Ratite Common Interest Group, I must assume you get so many similar faxes they have become commonplace and boring, or believe I am including African ostrich fat in jest (flowchart attached).  However, it is my opinion that had anyone else’s name been on those news releases it would have been considered important.  Well, I am about to file another (provisional) patent application for other things I have found in both the African and South American ostriches and it will be interesting to see if the AOA ignores that one, too.

Should you intend to decline my offer to serve, please substantiate your decision.  I look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

Donna Fezler

cc:  Brian Speer, DVM

enc.

Drug patent filed for multi-species injectable uses of

South American Ostrich (RHEA) and African Ostrich oil

On Wednesday April 3, 1996, Donna C. Fezler, filed a patent covering the therapeutic uses of oil derived from the body fat of the South American Ostrich (genus Rhea) and African Ostrich (genus Struthio).  Rheas and ostriches are being raised as a very environmentally efficient, low-fat red meat.

The patent application covers injection of Rhea or Ostrich oil, or the active components, which may affect the body’s autoinflammatory agents and promote cell membrane reconstruction (rapid healing), into animals including humans.  The discovery that depletion of the body fat of these animals is a life-threatening situation, similar to kwashiorkor in humans, lead to the hypothesis of an immune system, detoxification, and regulatory  function of adipose in these birds.  Intraperitoneal injection of the oil into sick chicks and adult animals shows a marked therapeutic effect in apparent essential fatty acid deficiency or adipose depletion.

Rhea oil may have very wide anti-inflammatory therapeutic applications with activity in many species, including humans.  Ostrich oil may be useful in treating Fading Chick Syndrome and hypoglycemia in the African Ostrich although the application does not differentiate between the two species.

The patent application covers the following applications and conditions which can benefit from an anti-inflammatory agent:

·       As an adjuvant for vaccinations to reduce the risk of inflammation

·       As a synergistic adjunct to accentuate and accelerate the actions of antibiotics by inhibiting the body’s autoinflammatory response (i.e. fever, rashes, edema) and potentially accelerating the defensive immune response

·       As an injectable alternative or adjunct to steroids in the management of rheumatic and collagen diseases

·       As an injectable alternative in cases where steroids are contraindicated, such as:

·       As an injectable alternative where use of steroids with other drugs decrease the effects of the corticosteroids

·       As an injectable alternative when corticosteroids increase the reactions of other drugs causing hypoglycemia

·       As an adjunct to chemotherapeutic agents to reduce the toxic effects of chemotherapy on liver function

·       As a treatment for kwashiorkor

·       As a treatment for ascites

·       As a synergistic adjunct to antihistamines

·       As an injectable leukotriene (a powerful autoinflammatory agent) inhibitor

·       As a treatment to promote rapid healing of surgical incisions

Currently, Rhea oil is used topically, but since is was used by indigenous South American Indians as a healing and pain relieving oil, it cannot be patented for topical purposes.