Outbreak of Clostridium difficile-associated disease in a small animal veterinary teaching hospital

An apparent outbreak of enteric disease occurred in dogs and cats at a veterinary teaching hospital. Clostridium difficile Toxin A or B or both were identified in 1 or more fecal samples from 48 of 93 (52%) dogs over a 5-month period, 30 of which were identified in the 1st 26 days, after which strict infection control measures, including closure to elective cases, were implemented. Affected animals included in-patients, out-patients that were housed temporarily in the wards, and resident blood donor dogs. Infection control measures, including partial depopulation, isolation, hospital and yard cleaning, and barrier precautions, were instituted, after which, the incidence of nosocomial diarrhea decreased from 19 cases per 1,000 admissions to 2.5 cases per 1,000 admissions (P < 0.001).     

中西药合治猕猴奇异变形杆菌性腹泻的临床观察

本文观察中西药结合治疗猕猴奇异变形杆菌性腹泻的疗效。方法：将63例先后发病猴的诊治资料分为两组，后发病组41例，给予黄连素、藿香正气水等中成药，并配合敏感抗生素治疗；先发病组22例，当时只给抗生素治疗。结果：后发病组有效率85．4％，先发病组59．1％。两组疗效差异显著（P〈0．05）。结论：中西药结合治疗疗效优于单纯抗生素治疗。     

Experimentally induced systemic hyperchloremic acidosis in calves

Background: Among the various metabolic disturbances occurring in calves affected by neonatal diarrhea or ruminal acidosis, acidemia constitutes an important condition requiring specific therapy. Although various attempts have been made to estimate the degree of metabolic acidosis on the basis of clinical signs alone, some doubts have been raised regarding the accuracy and predictive value of the clinical variables suggested. HYPOTHESIS: The induction of metabolic acidosis in healthy calves via the infusion of hydrochloric acid (HCl) will lead to a clinical picture similar to that seen in neonatal calves with diarrhea or ruminal acidosis. ANIMALS: The study was carried out on 15 Holstein male calves between 5 and 19 days of age. METHODS: Hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis was induced over a period of 80 minutes by an IV infusion of 4,000 mL of 0.9% NaCl solution containing 400 mM HCl. RESULTS: Acidemia occurred rapidly and increased constantly up to a maximum value, which was reached in all calves by the end of the administration and amounted to a 22.4 mM/L mean base deficit (range from 17.0 to 33.1 mM/L). Despite the relatively severe acute acid-base imbalance during the entire observation period, no calves showed any clinical signs or depressed appetite. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Factors other than a disturbance of the acid-base balance should be considered to be primarily responsible for the clinical picture in calves affected by diarrhea or ruminal acidosis.     

L-丙氨酰-L-谷胺酰胺对21-35日龄仔兔生长发育的影响

选用21±1日龄、平均体重405．23±80．56g的新西兰白兔96只,按完全随机区组设计分为4组,每组24只（公母各半）,研究日粮中分别添加0％、0．05％、0．10％和0．20％的L-丙氨酰-L-谷胺酰胺对21～35日龄仔兔生长性能的影响。结果表明：仔兔日粮中添加0．05％-0．20％L-丙氨酰-L-谷胺酰胺可提高断奶仔兔日增重（P〈0．05）,降低仔兔腹泻率,提高饲料报酬。第0～7d各试验组增重均显著高于对照组,平均日增重分别比对照组高出62．06％、60．93％、62．19％（P〈0．01）;第7-14d,试验组的增重效果与对照组相比未体现出优势。试验期试验Ⅰ组、试验Ⅱ组的增重成本分别比对照组降低19％和6％．试验Ⅲ组增重成本比对照组高出42．4％。综合增重、腹泻发生率和增重成本,L-丙氨酰-L-谷胺酰胺的适宜添加量为0．05％～0．1％．     

仔猪黄白痢病防治研究——“痢见停”的抑菌试验

采用纸片法试验了“痢见停”(Lijianting)对大肠杆菌和沙门氏杆菌的抑制作用。结果表明,当药物浓度为1%时,两菌对该药极为敏惑,其抑菌圈直径分别为22mm 和20mm;当药物浓度为0.05～0.1%时,抑菌圈直径分别为13mm 和12mm。与其它治疗下痢病的药物比较,抑菌效果亦不逊色,但比它们廉价。故“痢见停”可考虑为治疗仔猪黄白痢的首选药物。     

Probiotics in pigs — modulation of their intestinal distribution and of their impact on health and performance

Two probiotics of different ecological origin, Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 10415 and Bacillus cereus var. toyoi, were chosen as model organisms. Feed for sows during gestation/lactation and for piglets pre-/postweaning was supplemented with either of these probiotics. To evaluate the effect of different starting points of E. faecium NCIMB 10415 initiations the probiotic was administered to piglets of sows, which have not received the probiotic, from birth onwards or just postweaning. Here we report the impact of these variants on probiotic distribution in the gut, on the gut microbiota, on diarrhea and on performance. Both probiotic strains were detected immediately after the start of the supplementation in feces of sows and piglets. The vertical transfer of both probiotic strains with sow feces to piglets could be demonstrated already before suckling piglets had access to the supplemented diets. Both probiotics were recovered from all intestinal segments of piglets. The dominant autochthonous colonic microbiota of young piglets as revealed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was more similar within than between treatment groups (control vs. probiotic). Both probiotics reduced the incidence of postweaning diarrhea (p < 0.05). For the E. faecium probiotic the relative magnitude of this effect was largely independent of dietary probiotic concentration or starting time of supplementation. Significant overall influence on piglet performance was observed only with the B. cereus probiotic.     

猪舍温度对仔猪生长和腹泻发生率的影响

本试验选择两批哺乳仔猪823头作为试验组,25栋舍生产的两批(第三、四批)哺乳仔猪936头作为对照组,观察温度对哺乳仔猪的影响。19栋舍(试验组)第二周、第三周、第四周的平均温度分别为19.2℃、17.0℃、17.6℃,25栋舍(对照组)第二周、第三周、第四周的平均温度分别为26.8℃、25.2℃、24.3℃,2栋分娩舍的温差很大,范围为5℃~14.7℃。两栋舍生产的2组4批哺乳仔猪(每组2个重复)30日龄断奶,对哺乳期内仔猪死亡率、腹泻发生率、平均断奶重进行了比较。结果试验组和对照组哺乳期内死亡率、腹泻发生率、30日龄平均断奶重均差异显著(P<0.05)。     

Tolerance of a rice-based oral rehydration solution given to normal calves

The objective of the study was to test the tolerance of a rice-based oral rehydration formula when fed to calves. Six healthy Holstein calves, 1 week of age, were fed the formula instead of milk replacer for 3 days. Pre- and posttreatment results of clinical examination and laboratory parameters were compared. Vital signs, attitude, appetite, clinical hydration status, urine specific gravity, and most routine serum biochemistry test results did not vary and remained within the normal range. Five of the 6 calves developed diarrhea when fed the rice-based formula, which was accompanied by a reduction in fecal pH and presence of reducing sugars in the feces. This effect was reversed when calves were returned to the milk replacer diet at the end of the study. Diarrhea was accompanied by increased water consumption, which allowed the calves to maintain normal hydration status. These results suggest that calves are unable to properly digest the rice-derived carbohydrate, and this type of formula is not recommended for oral rehydration of calves.     

Characterization of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from calves in Poland

Fecal samples from 67 3–5-months-old calves with diarrhea were screened for the presence of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Several accessory virulence factors genes were also tested. Among 192 E.coli isolates tested, 15 (7.6%) were found to harbour the shiga toxin 1 or 2 (stx1 or stx2) genes. The stx2-carrying samples were further subtyped by PCR for the stx2c, stx2d, and stx2e toxin variants. It was shown that stx2-positive bacteria mainly possessed the stx2c shiga toxin type gene. The enterohemolysin (hlyA) and intimin (eae) genes were found in seven (46.7%) STEC strains whereas the cytotoxic necrotizin factor 1 and 2 or the P fimbrial genes were detected in two isolates only. This study confirmed that calves are a reservoir of STEC strains (with all pathogenicity genes) that may be virulent for humans.     

两种教槽料对仔猪断奶前生长性能和腹泻发生率的影响

该试验主要是针对本场两种不同性状教槽料对哺乳仔猪生长性能及腹泻发生率进行对比分析试验,并评估其经济效益。试验选取了54头出生时发育良好,体况健康的仔猪,随机分成两个处理组,每个处理组3个重复,每个重复9头仔猪。分别饲喂两种教槽料：试验Ⅰ组饲喂康地5900,试验Ⅱ组饲喂安佑人工乳,试验期为20d。结果表明：康地5900和安佑人工乳进行比较,平均日增重差异显著（P〈0．5）,平均日采食量差异显著（P〈0．5）,料肉比差异显著（P〈0．5）。仔猪断奶前,饲喂康地5900可明显提高仔猪的生长性能和降低腹泻率。