Blindness associated with toxoplasmosis in canaries.

Seven of 30 canaries in an aviary in New Zealand developed ophthalmic problems. Clinically, 5 birds had unilateral and 2 birds had bilateral lesions characterized by conjunctivitis, crusty exudates on eyelids, and collapse of the eyeball. Microscopic lesions in 12 of 14 eyes examined included inflammation of the choroid and retina, with osseous replacement of the globe in some. Numerous Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites were seen in the detached retina and vitreous humor of acutely affected birds. The diagnosis of toxoplasmosis was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining with T gondii antiserum. Affected birds had encephalitis, and T gondii was localized in the brains of these by immunohistochemical examination and by use of bioassays in mice. Toxoplasmosis should be considered in differential diagnosis of ophthalmitis in canaries.     

Evaluation of rhinoscopy and rhinoscopy-assisted mucosal biopsy in diagnosis of nasal disease in dogs: 119 cases (1985-1989).

The case records of 149 dogs examined from 1985 to 1989 with clinical signs of nasal disease were reviewed. Gross rhinoscopy was performed in 119 dogs, and rhinoscopy-assisted pinch biopsy was performed in 109. Rhinoscopy was performed by use of a 2.7-mm rigid fiberoptic endoscope. Mucosal biopsy specimens were obtained with rhinoscopic guidance by use of a 2 x 3-mm biopsy forcep. Gross, cytologic, and histologic findings are summarized. Ninety-four of 119 cases could be evaluated on the basis of diagnostic and follow-up criteria established by the authors. The diagnostic success rate of gross rhinoscopy with rhinoscopy-assisted biopsy was 83% (78 of 94 evaluated cases). Protracted hemorrhage was a complication in 2 of 109 cases in which rhinoscopy-assisted biopsy was performed. It was concluded that rhinoscopy with rhinoscopy-assisted biopsy contributes important diagnostic information in dogs with nasal disease without the relative invasiveness, expense, and risk of surgery.     

Effect of the manganese content in laying hen feed with different Ca and mineral levels on the egg shell quality and bone mineralization of hens]

Four experiments with 270, 44, 432 and 66800 Leghorn hens were carried out to investigate the influence of various Mn additions to diets differed in mineral or Ca contents on egg shell quality. The addition of 300 mg Mn/kg diet improved significantly egg shell breaking strength by 4 N over one year. The supply of 50-500 mg Mn/kg diet for 10-24 weeks of the second half of laying year did not influence the egg shell quality. Addition of mineral mixture or Ca grit to layer rations with adequate or higher Mn levels did not influence egg shell strength. High mineral content in a low manganese diet increased number of cracks by 3%. Strength, weight and ash content of tibia were significantly reduced by feeding a low mineral level. Addition of 50-150 mg Mn per kg low mineral diet normalized partially tibia stability in young hens. It was concluded that supplied dietary Manganese influences calcification positively only in young hens. High levels of Ca did not influence the effects of Mn. 50 mg Mn per kg layers mixture have been considered as an essential supply.     

Genotypic Variability in Biomass Protein and Nucleic Acids in Four Linum Species to Sodicity Stress

Differences in gas exchange parameters i.e. carbon exchange rate (CER), transpiration (Tr), water vapor conductance (g) were investigated, under a controlled environment, in a semi-dwarf (SD) Triticum aestivum line, its tall (TL) near isoline and the Payne (PA) variety characterized by small leaves. The plants were maintained in: (a) optimal substrate moisture condition (CTR); (b) salinized by watering with a 0.12 m NaCl solution (SLT); (c) water stressed by withholding waterings during a period of six days (STR); (d) stressed and salinized during the same period and with the same saline solution (S + S). CER and Tr were negatively affected by the stresses; SLT and S + S treatments had a higher WUE compared to their respective controls CTR and STR.
SD line had a better performance in terms of CER and WUE, particularly when water and salt stresses interacted. Leaf anatomy and assimilation/internal CO₂ concentration curves contributed to explaining the SD performance.     

Increasing number of Salmonella paratyphi B isolates from slaughtered poultry sent in to the national Salmonella reference laboratory.]

In the last years the number of isolations of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar paratyphi B (S. paratyphi B) sent to the national salmonella reference laboratory of Germany has increased steadily. Most of the isolates originated from fowl or poultry products. The bacteriological, serological and biochemical properties of the isolates were investigated. Special emphasis was given to the utilization of d-tartrate which subgroups the serovar. All of them belonged to the d-tartrate positive variant, which is generally considered less virulent for humans and was formerly called S. java. The performance of various tests is compared and in addition the possibility of the spread within the production line is discussed.     

Pilot study of the effect of acemannan in cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus.

Acemannan, a complex carbohydrate shown to stimulate interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor alpha and prostaglandin E2 production by macrophages, has also demonstrated antiviral activity in vitro against human immunodeficiency virus, Newcastle disease virus and influenza virus. A pilot study was undertaken to determine acemannan's effect in 49 feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infected cats with clinical signs of disease (Stage 3, 4 or 5), 23 of which had severe lymphopenia. Cats received acemannan either by intravenous (Group 1) or subcutaneous (Group 2) injection once weekly for 12 weeks, or by daily oral (Group 3) administration for 12 weeks. Upon entry into the study, cats were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. Laboratory analyses were performed at the beginning of the study and at Weeks 6 and 12. Cats were allowed to continue with a predetermined maintenance regimen of acemannan after completing the 12-week study. Thirteen cats died during the course of treatment. Upon necropsy, the most frequent histopathologic findings were neoplastic, kidney and pancreatic disease. Friedman's two-way ANOVA test showed no significant differences in efficacy among groups administered acemannan by the different routes. Therefore, groups were combined and a signed-ranks test was used to determine changes over time. A significant increase was seen in lymphocyte counts (P < 0.001). Neutrophil counts decreased significantly (P = 0.007), as did incidence of sepsis (P = 0.008). When cats entering with lymphopenia were analyzed separately, a much greater increase in lymphocyte counts was noted (235%) compared with non-lymphopenic cats (42%). A survival rate of 75% was found for all three groups. Thirty-six of 49 animals are alive 5-19 months post-entry. These results suggest that acemannan therapy may be of significant benefit in FIV-infected cats exhibiting clinical signs of disease.     

Brachycephalic airway syndrome.

The range of clinical syndromes and the pathophysiology of respiratory disorders in brachycephalic animals are presented. The problem of deciding which patients require surgical management is reviewed in the light of recent studies and the author's clinical experience. Newer information from related disorders in humans suggests that serious problems can be subclinical and difficult to diagnose. The index of suspicion and guidelines for providing surgical relief to veterinary patients may need to undergo revision.     

Antibody response to crustacean ectoparasites in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), immunized with Argulus foliaceus L. antigen extract

Abstract. A humoral antibody response was demonstrated by ELISA in rainbow trout immunized intraperitoneally with extracts from the branchiuran ectoparasite Argulus foliaceus. A similar immunization protocol produced a higher titre response in a rabbit. Both trout and rabbit identified several antigenic components on immunoblots. ELISA and immunoblotting indicated that rainbow trout and rabbit anti-A. foliaceus sera identified components from the parasitic copepods Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus elongatus.