Influence of the Expert Effect on Cultural Models

We examined hunters’ perceptions of fauna to see if expert hunters and other hunters perceive wildlife abundance similarly. We used cultural consensus analysis (CCA) to assess the knowledge of 25 hunters in the Bolivian Amazon about the abundance of 38 animals. CCA indicated highly shared beliefs among hunters concerning wildlife abundance (average agreement = .62). However, expert hunters (as judged by their reported successful hunts of rare species, having hunted recently, and consuming more game in their diet) perceived more animals as abundant than did non-experts, although they all shared the same model. Since the expert hunters did not always agree on which species was more abundant, they had low cultural knowledge scores in CCA results. These experts may be unwilling to curtail hunting efforts on key species that they perceive to be abundant.     

A retrospective review of treatment and response of high‐risk mast cell tumours in dogs

This retrospective case series evaluates survival outcome of 94 dogs with high metastatic risk mast cell tumours (MCT). Patients were treated with a cytotoxic chemotherapy protocol or the tyrosine kinase inhibitor masitinib, in the presence of gross disease or as an adjunct to surgical resection of the primary tumour. In patients presenting with metastatic disease, surgical resection of the primary tumour with adjunctive therapy with any chemotherapy incurred a significant survival advantage [median survival time (MST): 278 days] compared to patients receiving chemotherapy without surgical excision of the primary tumour (MST: 91 days, P < 0.0001). Patients with a surgically excised Patnaik grade II tumour and high Ki‐67 in the absence of metastatic disease treated with vinblastine and prednisolone showed a significantly longer survival (MST: 1946 days) than those treated with masitinib (MST: 369 days, P = 0.0037). Further prospective case‐controlled clinical trials of high‐risk MCTs are required to make precise evidence‐based treatment decisions for individual patients.     

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis of the spine in a nine‐year‐old cat

A nine‐year‐old intact female domestic shorthair cat was evaluated for paraparesis, ataxia and severe spinal hyperaesthesia. Neurological examination indicated a T3‐L3 spinal cord segment lesion. Computed tomography of the thoracolumbar and lumbosacral vertebral column was performed. This showed contiguous smooth new bone formation ventral and lateral to the vertebrae extending from the cranial thoracic area to the lumbosacral junction and appearing similar to canine diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. There was also marked dorsolateral stenosis of the vertebral canal at the level of T4‐T5 because of degenerative changes of the facet joints. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first published report of feline diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.     

Precaecal phosphorus digestibility of inorganic phosphate sources in male broilers

1. The aim of this study, comprising two experiments, was (1) to determine in Experiment 1 the relationship of incremental dietary P (phosphorus) content on precaecal digestible P in male broilers and (2) to determine in Experiment 2 the precaecal P digestibility of various inorganic P sources at marginal levels of P supply.

2. In Experiment 1, a total of 260 male Ross 308 broilers were divided into groups of 10 birds per pen resulting in 8 replicates for treatment 1 and 6 replicates for treatments 2–4. Experimental diets were formulated to contain 4 incremental concentrations of digestible P by means of increasing concentrations of monocalcium phosphate (MCP). In the second experiment, 480-d-old male Ross 308 broilers were divided in groups of 12 birds per pen resulting in 16 replicates for the basal diet and 6 replicates for each test diet. A total of 4 inorganic P sources, MCP, monodicalcium phosphate (MDCP), dicalcium phosphate (DCP) and defluorinated phosphate (DFP) were added to the basal diet to determine the precaecal P digestibility. Three of the 4 inorganic P sources (MCP, MDCP and DCP) represented a mix of batches from different producers. At the end of both experiments, the chyme of the posterior part of the small intestine was collected. Digestibility of P and Ca was determined using titanium dioxide as indigestible marker.

3. In Experiment 1, a reduction in precaecal digestibility of P was observed above an estimated precaecal digestible dietary P concentration of 4.8 g/kg.

4. The precaecal P digestibility of the tested inorganic P sources in Experiment 2 was 78.3% for MCP, 59.0% for DCP, 70.7% for MDCP and 31.5% for DFP.

     

Tenogenic induction of equine mesenchymal stem cells by means of growth factors and low-level laser technology

Tendons regenerate poorly due to a dense extracellular matrix and low cellularity. Cellular therapies aim to improve tendon repair using mesenchymal stem cells and tenocytes; however, a current limitation is the low proliferative potential of tenocytes in cases of severe trauma. The purpose of this study was to develop a method useful in veterinary medicine to improve the differentiation of Peripheral Blood equine mesenchymal stem cells (PB-MSCs) into tenocytes. PB-MSCs were used to study the effects of the addition of some growth factors (GFs) as TGFβ3 (transforming growth factor), EGF2 (Epidermal growth factor), bFGF2 (Fibroblast growth factor) and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) in presence or without Low Level Laser Technology (LLLT) on the mRNA expression levels of genes important in the tenogenic induction as Early Growth Response Protein-1 (EGR1), Tenascin (TNC) and Decorin (DCN). The singular addition of GFs did not show any influence on the mRNA expression of tenogenic genes whereas the specific combinations that arrested cell proliferation in favour of differentiation were the following: bFGF2 + TGFβ3 and bFGF2 + TGFβ3 + LLLT. Indeed, the supplement of bFGF2 and TGFβ3 significantly upregulated the expression of Early Growth Response Protein-1 and Decorin, while the use of LLLT induced a significant increase of Tenascin C levels. In conclusion, the present study might furnish significant suggestions for developing an efficient approach for tenocyte induction since the external administration of bFGF2 and TGFβ3, along with LLLT, influences the differentiation of PB-MSCs towards the tenogenic fate.     

A spontaneously occurring malignant ovarian Sertoli cell tumor in a young Sprague Dawley rat

Primary ovarian tumors are generally uncommon in rats used in toxicologic studies. A malignant Sertoli cell tumor was present in the ovary of a 19-week-old female Sprague Dawley rat. Macroscopically, the mass was white and firm, 10 × 13 × 17 mm in size, and located in the right ovary. Histopathologically, the mass was composed of nests of pleomorphic cells, which formed seminiferous-like tubules separated by a thin fibrovascular stroma. The tubules were lined by tumor cells, which had basally located nuclei and abundant eosinophilic and vacuolated cytoplasm. In some areas, the tumor cells were arranged in a retiform growth pattern, mimicking a rete testis/ovarii. Disseminated metastases to the surfaces of the mesentery, spleen and liver were also present. Immunohistochemically, many tumor cells were strongly positive for vimentin, estrogen receptor α and Ki 67. Some tumor cells were positive for pancytokeratin and inhibin α. These findings closely resemble those of an ovarian-derived human malignant Sertoli cell tumor. From our review of the literature, we believe this is the first report of a spontaneous malignant Sertoli cell tumor in the ovary of a young laboratory rat. This case might provide useful historical control information for rat toxicity studies.     

Suspect osteogenesis imperfecta in a male kitten

A 4.5-month-old, male domestic shorthair was presented with bilateral femoral fractures after falling from a low height. Radiographs revealed reduced radio-opacity and thin cortices of all long bones. A presumptive diagnosis of osteodystrophy, secondary to osteogenesis imperfecta, was made on postmortem examination.     

Molecular and serologic characterization, pathogenicity, and protection studies with infectious bronchitis virus field isolates from California

In this study, we characterized three variant infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains isolated in 2003 and 2004 from broiler chickens in California and compared them to previously isolated California variant viruses and to common vaccine serotypes used in the United States. We conducted genetic, serologic, and pathogenicity studies on all three isolates, then tested different vaccines against one of the viruses. Genetically the three variant IBV strains, designated CA557/03, CA706/03, and CA1737/04, were not related to each other. GenBank BLAST database search and phylogenetic analysis of the hypervariable region of the S1 subunit of the spike gene to determine the most closely related viruses to the three variants showed the CA557/03 variant to be 81.8% similar to the CAV/CA56b/91 whereas the CA706/03 and CA1737/04 variant viruses were only distantly related to Dutch/D1466/81 (72.2%), a vaccine strain used in Europe, and Korea/K142/02 (72.7%), a Korean field isolate, respectively. Cross virus-neutralization testing showed that none of the 2003-04 California IBV variant viruses were serologically related to each other or to Ark, Conn, or Mass vaccine strains. In addition the CA1737/04 isolate was also tested against DE072 and found not to be serologically related. All three variant viruses were pathogenic in 1-wk-old broilers and vaccination with Mass/Conn followed by Holland/Conn provided 80% protection against the CA1737/04 virus. The 2003-04 California variant viruses were not compared with variants isolated in California during 1970s and 1980s because, to our knowledge, no genetic information is available and those viruses are no longer obtainable. This study shows that the CA557/03 virus was distantly related to the CAV-type viruses isolated in California in the early 1990s, but that none of the 2003-04 viruses were similar genetically or serologically to the CAL99-type viruses, indicating that new IBV variants continue to emerge and cause disease in commercial chickens in California.     

Central nervous system signs in chickens caused by a new avian reovirus strain: a pathogenesis study

The present study describes the pathogenesis of infection of chicks with a new avian reovirus strain, belonging to the so-called enteric reovirus strains (ERS) that is capable of causing central nervous system signs in SPF white leghorns. After intramuscular (IM) or oral inoculation birds were either observed for clinical signs or sacrificed for macroscopic, histological and virological examination for 21 days. Virus isolation was performed on the brain, leg muscle, hock joint, liver and spleen. For the detection of viral antigen the immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique was performed on the caudal part of the cerebrum, spinal cord including spinal ganglia and right N. Ischiadicus. High mortality (79% in 7 days) was seen in birds that were inoculated IM. Survivors were depressed and stayed small until the end of the experiment. One bird had tremor and showed torticollis at 9 days after IM inoculation. Birds that were inoculated orally were depressed from day 4 and stayed small until the end of the experiment. One bird showed a torticollis at 10 days after inoculation. After both IM and oral inoculation ERS was isolated from the brain between 3 and 10 days after inoculation. Other examined organs were positive for virus isolation from day 1 or 5 until day 21. IHC revealed viral antigen positive cells in the Plexus chorioideus (plexus epithelial cells or cells within the underlying connective tissue) and in a spinal ganglion. The results indicate that the pathogenesis of ERS infection in chickens bears some resemblance with that of the mammalian reoviruses serotype 1 in mice.