Atlantic salmon resources in the Northeastern United States and the potential effects of acidification from atmospheric deposition

The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) was formerly abundant in northeast coastal rivers in the United States from the Canadian border to the Connecticut River, and possibly as far south as the Delaware River. It was eliminated from most of its former range by a combination of overfishing, construction of dams impassable to migrating fish, and municipal and industrial pollution. Reproducing populations are now limited to a few rivers in Maine, but attempts are under way to reintroduce the species to some rivers where populations formerly existed. Most of the native Atlantic salmon rivers are low in acid neutralizing capacity and receive acidic precipitation. The third order streams are not now acidic; however, in some first and second order streams in Maine, pH episodically declines to 4.7 and Al increases to 350 μg g^?1. These conditions could be toxic to sensitive early life history stages of Atlantic salmon. Comparison of chemical conditions in two Maine rivers in 1980–1982 with those in 1969–1970 indicated that the streams have not become more acidic during this interval. Data on the sport catch of Atlantic salmon indicated that populations have generally remained stable or recently increased in the Maine rivers having naturally reproducing populations. The recent increase probably resulted from introductions of hatchery smolts to supplement natural reproduction, and the occurrence of strong year classes in 1978 and 1980. The population in one stream has declined significantly in recent years, but the cause of the decline is probably not related to acidic precipitation. Atlantic salmon resources in the U.S. have apparently not been adversely affected by atmospheric deposition at the present time.     

Echinococcus granulosus in the Northern Territory,Australia: hydatid disease reported in beef cattle from the region

Hydatid disease in beef cattle has been reported to be widespread throughout Australia, but cattle bred and raised in the Northern Territory were previously believed to be free of the disease. Between 2010 and 2016, 1061 cattle from the Northern Territory were slaughtered at a New South Wales abattoir and inspected for hydatid disease. The proportion of cattle reported infected with hydatid disease was 3.5%. Individual cattle identification numbers indicated that the cattle included in the study had most likely remained within the Northern Territory from birth until immediately prior to slaughter, so were assumed to have become infected within the region. We suspect that the sylvatic cycle of Echinococcus granulosus transmission could be responsible for infection of cattle in this region.     

Effects of Acidity and Aluminum on the Physiology and Migratory Behavior of Atlantic Salmon Smolts in Maine, USA

Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, smolts of hatchery origin were held for 5 to 16 days in ambient (pH 6.35, labile Al = 60 µg L^?1), limed (pH 6.72, labile Al = 58.4 µg L^?1), or acidified (pH 5.47, labile Al=96 µg L^?1) water from the Narraguagus River in Maine, USA. Wild smolts were captured in the same river in rotary traps and held for up to two days in ambient river water. Osmoregulatory ability was assessed by measuring Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase activity, hematocrit, and blood Cl concentration in freshwater, and after 24-hr exposure to seawater. Hatchery smolts exposed to acidic water and wild smolts displayed sub-lethal ionoregulatory stress both in fresh and seawater, with mortalities of wild smolts in seawater. Using ultrasonic telemetry, hatchery-reared ambient and acid-exposed, and wild smolts were tracked as they migrated through freshwater and estuarine sections of the river. The proportion of wild smolts migrating during daylight hours was higher than for hatchery-reared smolts. Wild smolts remained in the freshwater portions of the river longer than either group of hatchery smolts, although survival during migration to seawater was similar for all three treatments. Acid-exposed hatchery-origin and wild Narraguagus River smolts were both under ionoregulatory stress that may have affected their migratory behavior, but not their survival for the time and area in which we tracked them.     

Residues of endosulfan in the tissues of lactating goats

SUMMARY: The sites of tissue accumulation in lactating goats of the organochlorine insecticide endosulfan were studied. Twelve lactating goats were dosed orally with endosulfan (1 mg/kg body weight per day) for 28 days. Groups of 3 animals were killed on days 1, 8, 15, and 21 after endosulfan treatment ended and their tissues examined for the presence of endosulfan. Total residues of α and β endosulfan and endosulfan sulphate (mg/kg) were detected in kidney (0.29), gastro-intestinal tract (0.20), liver (0.12), brain (0.06), muscle and spleen (0.04), lung and heart (0.01) and milk (0.02) on the flrst sampllng day but within 15 days, concentrations had fallen to < 0.01 mg/kg in all tissues except kidney (0.20). Endosulfan could not be detected in animals 21 days after dosing had ceased. The residue in milk could only be detected on day 1 of sampling. This study indicates that kidney rather than fatty tissue should be used to monitor the presence of endosulfan in animals intended for human consumption.     

Experimental reproduction of respiratory tract disease with bovine respiratory syncytial virus

An experiment was conducted to reproduce respiratory tract disease with bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) in one-month-old, colostrum-fed calves. The hypothesized role of viral hypersensitivity and persistent infection in the pathogenesis of BRSV pneumonia was also investigated. For BRSV inoculation a field isolate of BRSV, at the fifth passage level in cell culture, was administered by a combined respiratory tract route (intranasal and intratracheal) for four consecutive days. Four groups of calves were utilized as follows: Group I, 6 calves sham inoculated with uninfected tissue culture fluid and necropsied 21 days after the last inoculation; Group II, 6 calves inoculated with BRSV and necropsied at the time of maximal clinical response (4-6 days after the last inoculation); Group III, 6 calves inoculated with BRSV and necropsied at 21 days after the last inoculation; Group IV, 6 calves inoculated with BRSV, rechallenged with BRSV 10 days after initial exposure, and necropsied at 21 days after the initial inoculation. Clinical response was evaluated by daily monitoring of body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial blood gas tensions, hematocrit, total protein, white blood cell count, and fibrinogen. Calves were necropsied and pulmonary surface lesions were quantitated by computer digitization. Viral pneumonia was reporduced in each principal group. Lesions were most extensive in Group II. Disease was not apparent in Group I (controls). Significant differences (p less than 0.05) in body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial oxygen tension, and pneumonic surface area were demonstrated between control and infected calves. Results indicate that severe disease and lesions can be induced by BRSV in one-month-old calves that were colostrum-fed and seropositive to BRSV. BRSV rechallenge had minimal effect on disease progression. Based on clinical and pathological response, results did not support viral hypersensitivity or persistent infection as pathogenetic mechanisms of BRSV pneumonia.     

Fatal, generalized bovine herpesvirus type-1 infection associated with a modified-live infectious bovine rhinotracheitis parainfluenza-3 vaccine administered to neonatal calves.

Generalized bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) infection was diagnosed in six Salers calves from the same herd. The calves had received an intramuscular injection of modified-live infectious bovine rhinotracheitis parainfluenza-3 vaccine between birth and three days of age. The purpose of this study was to determine if the outbreak was associated with the vaccine strain of BHV-1. Analysis of epidemiological data and BHV-1 DNA for restriction fragment length polymorphism was undertaken. Multifocal necrosis in multiple organs was observed on pathological examination, and the presence of BHV-1 in tissues was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Forty-three calves (aged birth to thirty days) were vaccinated over an 11-day interval. The 10 deaths recorded for vaccinated calves were clustered over a subsequent 14-day interval. Mortality in calves vaccinated between birth and three days of age was significantly higher than in nonvaccinated calves (chi-square test; p < or = 0.025), and this mortality was characterized by a greater age at death and duration of illness for vaccinated calves (t test; p < or = 0.001). The patterns of the restriction fragments, generated by six restriction endonucleases, of BHV-1 isolated from a necropsied calf and from the vaccine were identical, and different from that of a laboratory strain of BHV-1 (P8-2). These findings support the conclusion that newborn calves were susceptible to an intramuscularly injected vaccine strain of BHV-1, and that administration of an intramuscular modified-live infectious bovine rhinotracheitis parainfluenza-3 vaccine to neonatal calves may not be an innocuous procedure.     

Amoxycillin as an alternative to dihydrostreptomycin sulphate for treating cattle infected with Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar hardjo

Objective To assess the effect of amoxycillin treatment on urinary excretion of leptospires from cattle infected with Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar hardjo .
Design A chemotherapy trial with controls.
Procedure Fourteen heifers serologically negative to L hardjo were inoculated with L hardjo via the conjunctival route and assessed for evidence of infection by serological, fluorescent antibody and microbiological tests. Two injections (48 h apart) of amoxycillin at a dose of 15 mg/kg were administered intramuscularly to seven heifers 6.5 weeks after infection; the remaining heifers acted as untreated controls. Later, these seven control group heifers were treated with a single dose of amoxycillin (15 mg/kg). Samples of urine were collected before and after amoxycillin treatments; kidneys were collected at slaughter, and examined by fluorescent antibody test and microbiological culture.
Results Leptospires were isolated from the urine of 11 of 14 heifers inoculated with L hardjo . After treatment of six of these with two injections of amoxycillin, leptospires were not isolated. Of the controls, four of the five initially leptospiruric heifers continued to shed leptospires; after a single injection of amoxycillin, no leptospires were detected in the kidneys of these four.
Conclusion Amoxycillin may be an acceptable alternative to dihydrostreptomycin sulphate for the treatment of cattle infected with L hardjo .     

Immunohistochemical evidence for immunoglobulin and complement deposition in spinal cord lesions in degenerative myelopathy in German shepherd dogs.

The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution of immunoglobulin and complement component C3 in spinal cord tissues of dogs with degenerative myelopathy. Sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded spinal cord from five German Shepherd dogs with clinical and histological features consistent with degenerative myelopathy (DM) and one normal dog were tested immunohistochemically for deposition of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and the third component of complement (C3). In all dogs there was staining associated with large and small blood vessels. In addition, in the dogs with DM there was focal staining for IgG and C3 in spinal nerve tracts characteristically affected in DM. Deposition of IgG and C3 was found in histological lesions, and in addition, in other areas independent of visible lesions, suggesting that IgG and C3 deposition may precede histological evidence of spinal cord damage. These findings suggest a role for immune-mediated destruction of the spinal cord which may contribute to the pathogenesis of DM in German Shepherd dogs.