Use of ticarcillin in the management of canine otitis externa complicated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Twelve dogs were referred with purulent and proliferative otitis externa. Prior treatment included fluoroquinolones, glucocorticoids and polyvalent ear drops over seven days to five months. In all cases the vertical and horizontal ear canals were inflamed and thickened, with ruptured tympanic membranes in four cases. No abnormalities were seen on radiography of the osseous bullae. Numerous rod bacilli and degenerate neutrophils were seen on cytology. Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to fluoroquinolones and gentamicin was cultured in all cases. Treatment was initiated with 1 to 2 mg/kg prednisolone per os once daily, and a cleansing and drying ear cleaner followed by topical administration of injectable ticarcillin solution four times daily. Cases with ruptured tympanae also received 15 to 25 mg/kg ticarcillin three times daily intravenously until the membranes had healed. All cases were anaesthetised for repeated saline ear flushes until no further discharge was evident and no rods were seen on cytology. Topical ticarcillin and the ear cleaner were continued twice daily for 14 days after clinical resolution. The duration of treatment ranged from 14 to 36 days. Treatment was withdrawn in one case which developed a drug reaction. All other cases responded well with no adverse effects.     

Personal and family backgrounds of first-year veterinary science students at The University of Queensland

Objective To provide information on changes in the social and educational backgrounds of veterinary students over a 10 year period in an effort to determine the extent to which they are representative of the community.
Methods Questionnaires were completed by first-year veterinary students at The University of Queensland in 1985 and 1986 (152 students), and 1995 and 1996 (154), and the data were analysed using the SAS System for Windows.
Results The gender ratio of first-year veterinary students was 50:50 (male:female) in 1985 and 1986 but 10 years later it had changed to 38:62. In 1985 and 1986 77% had come directly from school, with 43% of the total coming from government schools, 17% from Catholic schools and 34% from other private (Independent) schools. A decade later the percentage coming directly from school had decreased to 40%, that from Independent schools increased to 45% and that from cities increased from 53% to 64%. The educational backgrounds of parents varied widely though a high percentage had university degrees; mothers had received less formal education than fathers, and the educational attainments of both parents were higher at the beginning than at the end of the study. More than half (57% initially; 67% 10 years later) the fathers were in professional or managerial occupations, and a similar number (50% initially; 48% 10 years later) of mothers were teachers, nurses or clerks. The number of males from country areas decreased from 26 to 16 over this period.
Conclusion These veterinary students differed from the community generally in that progressively more were female, more were from Independent schools, their parents had more formal education and more of their parents were in professional, managerial or clerical occupations.     

Paucity of genes on the Drosophila X chromosome showing male-biased expression

Sex chromosomes are primary determinants of sexual dimorphism in many organisms. These chromosomes are thought to arise via the divergence of an ancestral autosome pair and are almost certainly influenced by differing selection in males and females. Exploring how sex chromosomes differ from autosomes is highly amenable to genomic analysis. We examined global gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster and report a dramatic underrepresentation of X-chromosome genes showing high relative expression in males. Using comparative genomics, we find that these same X-chromosome genes are exceptionally poorly conserved in the mosquito Anopheles gambiae. These data indicate that the X chromosome is a disfavored location for genes selectively expressed in males.     

Successful intravenous human immunoglobulin treatment of drug-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome in a dog

A two-year-old, male English springer spaniel developed severe mucocutaneous ulceration following treatment with trimethoprim-potentiated sulphadiazine. The clinical signs were consistent with Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS): there were no target or arciform lesions typical of erythema multiforme minor and major; more than one mucosal surface was affected; epidermal detachment affected less than 10 per cent of the body surface area; and there was a clear history of drug exposure. Systemic signs included a severe hepatopathy, dyspnoea, pyrexia and cachexia. Glucocorticoid therapy was associated with secondary infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The clinical signs rapidly resolved following a single intravenous infusion of 0.51 g/kg human immunoglobulin (ivHIG) as a 5 per cent solution. By blocking FAS/FAS ligand (CD95/CD95L) interactions, ivHIG is thought to prevent keratinocyte apoptosis. It also binds to immunoglobulin G Fc receptors, inhibiting cell activation and cytokine synthesis, neutralises autoantibodies and immune complexes, blocks complement activity, is antimicrobial and increases colloid osmotic pressure. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of successful treatment of canine SJS using ivHIG, although it has been used to treat erythema multiforme in a cat and toxic epidermal necrolysis in a dog.