Actinobacillosis in an alpaca (Lama pacos)

The death of a 6-week-old alpaca being treated for acute polyarthritis is described. Post-mortem and histological findings included fibrinous mural endocarditis, lung abscessation, acute passive congestion of the liver, embolic suppurative nephritis and chronic nonsuppurative polyarthritis. Actinobacillus suis was isolated from the heart lesion and in pharyngeal swabs from four of six clinically normal alpacas in the same flock.     

Iodine content of commercially-prepared cat foods

Twenty-eight varieties of commercially-available cat food (23 canned, 5 dried) were analysed for iodine. The iodine concentration varied from less than 0.37 micromol/kg to 41.8 pmol/kg, wet weight (less than 1.48 micromol/kg to 167 micromol/kg, dry weight). Excessive or insufficient iodine intake or wide swings in iodine intake over prolonged periods may contribute to thyroid disorders in cats.     

An evaluation of an oral formulation of moxidectin against selected anthelmintic-resistant and -susceptible strains of nematodes in lambs

The efficacy of an oral formulation of the newly developed parasiticide, moxidectin, was tested against benzimidazole-resistant Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, and Nematodirus spathiger, levamisole-resistant Ostertagia circumcincta, and susceptible Cooperia curticei infections in weaned lambs. Thirty-two lambs were experimentally infected with mixed doses of the above strains of nematodes. They were allocated into four treatment groups by stratified randomisation using liveweights and faecal egg counts 28 days later. One group received moxidectin at 0.2 mg/kg liveweight, one group oxfendazole at 4.5 mg/kg liveweight, one group levamisole at 7.5 mg/kg liveweight and the last group remained untreated as the control. Worm burdens in the lambs at slaughter 10 days after oral treatment confirmed the resistance status of the nematode strains used, and showed that moxidectin had a greater than 99.9% efficacy (p<0.01) against all of them. No adverse effects due to treatment with moxidectin were observed in any of the animals.     

Behavioural and heart rate responses to velvet antler removal in red deer

Heart rate and behaviour during and following velvet antler removal were monitored in yearling red deer stags to determine the extent to which this procedure was perceived by the deer to be aversive. Nine stags normally kept at pasture were habituated over 5 weeks to the following daily handling procedure. Each deer was fitted with a harness containing a heart rate monitor. It was then allowed to run through a fixed course in a deer yard, restrained for 40 s in a mechanical deer crush, and then confined for 3.5 h with the remainder of the group of stags in an indoor pen containing food and water. In Week 6, the deer were subjected to either restraint for 6 minutes (the control treatment) or removal of one velvet antler under local anaesthesia. Each velvet antler was removed on separate occasions, either on Days 1 and 2 (five deer) or Days 3 and 4 (four deer). The control treatment was applied to all deer when velvet antler was not being removed, and on Day 5. Heart rate and behaviour (time taken to enter the treatment area, and number of struggles made during restraint) were measured before and during treatment, and post-treatment activities were recorded at 0, 1 and 3 h (indoors), and at 6 and 9 h (at pasture). Heart rate was higher during the second velvet antler removal treatment than during the first, but lower during the second control treatment than the first (P<0.05). During velvet antler removal, stags struggled more, and after the treatment flicked their ears, shook their heads, and groomed themselves more than control stags (P<0.05). Stags whose velvet antler had been removed spent less time eating than control stags, and spent progressively more time sitting during the 3.5 h of confinement (P<0.05). However, during the paddock observation at 9 h post-treatment, stags which had had their velvet antler removed grazed more than control stags (P<0.05). The increase in heart rate over the two velvet antler removal treatments and the greater amount of struggling during velvet antler removal indicated that it was more aversive than the control treatment. Post-treatment differences in behaviour may have been due to pain following velvet antler removal.     

Influence of age,sex, capture technique,and restraint on hematologic measurements and serum chemistries of wild California sea otters

Hematologic and/or serum chemical analyses were done on a total of 27 non-tranquilized adult and juvenile wild sea otters, 66 tranquilized adult and juvenile wild sea otters, and 26 wild sea otter pups. The median and inner 90 percentile range were determined for the adult, juvenile, and pup groups and for the following subgroups: adult male versus adult female, juvenile male versus juvenile female, pup male versus pup female, captured with dip net versus captured with Wilson trap, and tranquilized adults and juveniles versus non-tranquilized adults and juveniles. When values for adults were compared to values for juveniles and pups, hematocrits, red blood cell counts, and hemoglobin levels were significantly lower in pups. This is consistent with documented findings in other species. White cell counts were also somewhat lower in younger animals. Among the subgroups, significantly higher hemoglobin levels, white cell counts and neutrophil counts were found in adult females than in adult males. This is in direct contrast to what is seen in other mammalian species and warrants further documentation. Method of capture and tranquilization did not appear to influence either hematologic or serum biochemical determinations from a clinical perspective.     

Serum lipase determination in the dog: a comparison of a titrimetric method with an automated kinetic method

An enzymatic, kinetic method for determining serum lipase activity was evaluated and compared to a standard manual method for use in dogs. The kinetic method was a commercial kit adapted for use on a tandem access clinical chemistry analyzer and utilized a series of coupled enzymatic reactions based on the hydrolysis of 1,2-diglyceride by lipase. The manual method was the Cherry-Crandall technique based on the titration of base against the acid formed by hydrolysis of an olive oil substrate by lipase. The correlation between the two methods was very good (r = 0.94). The reference range for 56 clinically healthy dogs assayed by the kinetic method was 90 to 527 U/L. Diseases associated with a greater than twofold elevation in serum lipase activity as determined by the kinetic method included pancreatitis, gastritis with liver disease, and oliguric renal failure with metabolic acidosis. In some cases, pancreatitis was seen with other clinical problems, such as gastroenteritis, diabetic ketoacidosis, duodenal mass, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and septic peritonitis. Diseases associated with serum lipase activity within the reference range or elevated less than twofold included gastritis, gastric ulcer, cholestasis, phenobarbital-induced hepatopathy, colitis, copper hepatopathy, abdominal hematoma, apocrine gland adenocarcinoma, and thrombocytopenia with pneumonia.     

Comparative histological study of the reproductive system of the female llama (Lama guanicoe glama). I. Ovary]

In the present study a cytological, histological and morphometrical comparison between the ovaries of the llama, the cow and the sheep is presented, at two phases of the ovarian cycle. There were found differences in the amount of primordial and primary follicles, the size of secondary follicles and follicular cells, and type and distribution of the connective tissue inside the stroma of the ovary. It would be necessary to study the fine structure of the ovary and the so-called "embryological remnants", for its permanent appearance in most (50%) of the ovaries.     

‘Plantibodies’: a flexible approach to design resistance against pathogens

Engineering resistance against various diseases and pests is hampered by the lack of suitable genes. To overcome this problem we started a research program aimed at obtaining resistance by transfecting plants with genes encoding monoclonal antibodies against pathogen specific proteins. The idea is that monoclonal antibodies will inhibit the biological activity of molecules that are essential for the pathogenesis. Potato cyst nematodes are chosen as a model and it is thought that monoclonal antibodies are able to block the function of the saliva proteins of this parasite. These proteins are, among others, responsible for the induction of multinucleate transfer cells upon which the nematode feeds. It is well documented that the ability of antibodies to bind molecules is sufficient to inactivate the function of an antigen and in view of the potential of animals to synthesize antibodies to almost any molecular structure, this strategy should be feasible for a wide range of diseases and pests.Antibodies have several desirable features with regard to protein engineering. The antibody (IgG) is a Y-shaped molecule, in which the domains forming the tips of the arms bind to antigen and those forming the stem are responsible for triggering effector functions (Fc fragments) that eliminate the antigen from the animal. Domains carrying the antigen-binding loops (Fv and Fab fragments) can be used separately from the Fc fragments without loss of affinity. The antigen-binding domains can also be endowed with new properties by fusing them to toxins or enzymes. Antibody engineering is also facilitated by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A systematic comparison of the nucleotide sequence of more than 100 antibodies revealed that not only the 3′-ends, but also the 5′-ends of the antibody genes are relatively conserved. We were able to design a small set of primers with restriction sites for forced cloning, which allowed the amplification of genes encoding antibodies specific for the saliva proteins ofGlobodera rostochiensis. Complete heavy and light chain genes as well as single chain Fv fragments (scFv), in which the variable parts of the light (V_L) and heavy chain (V_H) are linked by a peptide, will be transferred to potato plants. A major challenge will be to establish a correct expression of the antibody genes with regard to three dimensional folding, assembly and intracellular location.     

Response of five temperate deciduous tree species to water stress

Gas exchange, tissue water relations, and leaf/root dry weight ratios were compared among young, container-grown plants of five temperate-zone, deciduous tree species (Acer negundo L., Betula papyrifera Marsh, Malus baccata Borkh, Robinia pseudoacacia L., and Ulmus parvifolia Jacq.) under well-watered and water-stressed conditions. There was a small decrease (mean reduction of 0.22 MPa across species) in the water potential at which turgor was lost (Psi(tlp)) in response to water stress. The Psi(tlp) for water-stressed plants was -1.18, -1.34, -1.61, -1.70, and -2.12 MPa for B. papyrifera, A. negundo, U. parvifolia, R. pseudoacacia, and M. baccata, respectively. Variation in Psi(tlp) resulted primarily from differences in tissue osmotic potential and not tissue elasticity. Rates of net photosynthesis declined in response to water stress. However, despite differences in Psi(tlp), there were no differences in net photosynthesis among water-stressed plants under the conditions of water stress imposed. In A. negundo and M. baccata, water use efficiency (net photosynthesis/transpiration) increased significantly in response to water stress. Comparisons among water-stressed plants showed that water use efficiency for M. baccata was greater than for B. papyrifera or U. parvifolia. There were no significant differences in water use efficiency among B. papyrifera, U. parvifolia, A. negundo, and R. pseudoacacia. Under water-stressed conditions, leaf/root dry weight ratios (an index of transpiration to absorptive capacity) ranged from 0.77 in R. pseudoacacia to 1.05 in B. papyrifera.