Mercury and mink. I. The use of mercury contaminated fish as a food for ranch mink.

Adult female and juvenile ranch mink were fed rations containing 50 and 75% of fish containing 0.44 ppm total mercury over a 145 day period. There was no clinical or pathological evidence of intoxication in these animals and mercury concentrations in tissue appeared to be at a level below that associated with toxicity.     

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis: experimental production in calves with antigens of Micropolyspora faeni.

Pneumonitis was induced in calves by exposure to aerosols of Micropolyspora faeni with or without prior sensitization of the animals by subcutaneous injection of antigen. The pneumonitis primarily involved centrolobular areas and was characterized by alveolar septal thickening and loss of air space by cellular infiltration. Vasculitis and focal haemorrhage occurred in certain individuals and haemoproteinaceous exudate appeared within septa and alveolar lumina. The pneumonitis was compared with human farmer's lung, pneumonitis of housed cattle and other experimental hypersensitivity pneumonitides.     

Mitotic instability in Aspergillus nidulans caused by the fungicides iprodione,procymidone and vinclozolin

The fungicides iprodione, procymidone and vinclozolin were found to increase greatly the frequency of mitotic recombination in diploid colonies of Aspergillus niduluns. Although generally more potent, these fungicides do not appear to differ in their activity from members of a previously suggested ?aromatic hydrocarbon group’? with which they should be classified in this context.     

Parental and revertant Brucella canis induced changes in the rabbit.

Chronic brucellosis was produced in the rabbit by parental and penicillin-induced L-phase revertant of Brucella canis. Animals in the experimental groups were injected with 1.2 x 10(8) organisms/ml of appropriate strains by specified routes at intervals. At a maximum of 12 weeks postinfection, animals were killed and samples were taken for bacteriology, serology, histology, immunofluorescent and electron microscopy. Results revealed faecal shedding in some animals from 72 hours up to three weeks postinfection. High agglutinating antibody titres of 1:1280 were sustained in all infected animals. Histopathological and ultrastructural changes attributed to the invading organisms were apparent and evidence of mitochrondriopathic changes are provided. The implication and indirect role of L-phase in brucellosis are discussed.