Diagnosis of mastitis for therapy decisions.

Identifying specific groups of mastitis pathogens by their growth on selective agars can help identify the pathogens that are present in mastitic milk samples. This article addresses issues that are essential in making good use of diagnostic procedures to improve udder health on dairies.     

Milk production, water consumption, and somatic cell count responses of cows subject to one to two volts of alternating current.

A dairy farm located in central New York was visited because of complaints of electrical shock in the farmhouse shower and the milk house sink. As much as 2 volts AC of potential difference was measured between the waterline and the cow platform (cow-contact voltage). Voltage was coming from the primary neutral wire. The farm's electrical service was modified so that the farmstead could be connected or disconnected from the primary neutral wire at 2-week intervals for 12 weeks. When connected to the primary neutral wire, voltage between waterline and floor ranged between 0 and 1.8 volts, producing estimated current flow through cows of 3.6 to 4.9 mA; when disconnected from primary neutral wire, voltage between waterline and floor was less than 0.1 volt. There was no difference in mean milk production, bulk tank milk somatic cell count, or water consumption among periods when cows were exposed or unexposed to voltage. Despite statistical nonsignificance, the values for somatic cell count were lower and water consumption was higher when cows were exposed to voltage than when they were not.     

Comparison of cardiopulmonary responses during sedation with epidural and local anesthesia for laparoscopic-assisted jejunostomy feeding tube placement with cardiopulmonary responses during general anesthesia for laparoscopic-assisted or open surgical jejunostomy feeding tube placement in healthy dogs

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of laparoscopic-assisted jejunostomy feeding tube (J-tube) placement in healthy dogs under sedation with epidural and local anesthesia and compare cardiopulmonary responses during this epidural anesthetic protocol with cardiopulmonary responses during general anesthesia for laparoscopic-assisted or open surgical J-tube placement. ANIMALS: 15 healthy mixed-breed dogs. PROCEDURES: Dogs were randomly assigned to receive open surgical J-tube placement under general anesthesia (n = 5 dogs; group 1), laparoscopic-assisted J-tube placement under general anesthesia (5; group 2), or laparoscopic-assisted J-tube placement under sedation with epidural and local anesthesia (5; group 3). Cardiopulmonary responses were measured at baseline (time 0), every 5 minutes during the procedure (times 5 to 30 minutes), and after the procedure (after desufflation [groups 2 and 3] or at the start of abdominal closure [group 1]). Stroke volume, cardiac index, and O(2) delivery were calculated. RESULTS: All group 3 dogs tolerated laparoscopic-assisted J-tube placement under sedation with epidural and local anesthesia. Comparison of cardiovascular parameters revealed a significantly higher cardiac index, mean arterial pressure, and O(2) delivery in group 3 dogs, compared with group 1 and 2 dogs. Minimal differences in hemodynamic parameters were found between groups undergoing laparoscopic-assisted and open surgical J-tube placement under general anesthesia (ie, groups 1 and 2); these differences were not considered to be clinically important in healthy research dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Sedation with epidural and local anesthesia provided satisfactory conditions for laparoscopic-assisted J-tube placement in healthy dogs; this anesthetic protocol caused less cardiopulmonary depression than general anesthesia and may represent a better choice for J-tube placement in critically ill patients.     

Dislodgeable residues and persistence of diazinon,chlorpyrifos and isofenphos following their application to turfgrass

In laboratory experiments, residues of diazinon applied to turfgrass, Poa pratensis L., that could be dislodged by rubbing with cheese-cloth, declined from c. 10% of the total applied when the grass was vigorously rubbed immediately after application to 0.3% after 1 day. Sunlight did not influence the rate of decline in dislodgeable residues or residues remaining on or within the leaf blades. In field experiments where 4.5 kg ha^?1 of diazinon was applied in liquid or granular form, about 20 times more diazinon was dislodged from the liquid formulation immediately after application than from the granular. By 1 day after application the percentage of the total applied diazinon that could be dislodged was equal for both formulations. Rainfall had a significant effect on the amount dislodged from grass blades, but mowing did not. Similar rates of decline in the dislodgeable fraction of diazinon, chlorpyrifos and isofenphos were observed in field experiments. Recovery of the dislodgeable fraction declined to 0.25% or less of the total amount of any of these insecticides by 1 day after application. However, residues in the thatch remained sufficiently high for control of insects for up to 7 days after application for diazinon and 14 days for chlorpyrifos and isofenphos.     

Characterization of Distinct Tombusviruses that Cause Diseases of Lettuce and Tomato in the Western United States

A soilborne disease of lettuce, associated with necrosis and dieback, has been found with increasing frequency in California and Arizona over the last 10 years. An isometric virus, serologically related to Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), was consistently isolated from lettuce plants with these disease symptoms. Back-inoculation to healthy lettuce plants and subsequent reisolation of the virus from symptomatic lettuce leaves suggested that this virus was the causal agent of this disease. A tombusvirus was also associated with a necrosis disease of greenhouse-grown tomatoes in Colorado and New Mexico. Complementary DNA representing the 3' end of viral genomic RNAs recovered from diseased lettuce and tomato plants had identical nucleotide sequences. However, these sequences were divergent (12.2 to 17.1%) from sequences of the previously described strains of TBSV, Petunia asteroid mosaic virus (PAMV), Artichoke mottled crinkle virus, and Carnation Italian ringspot virus. Additional tombusvirus isolates were recovered from diseased lettuce and tomato plants and these were most closely related to the TBSV-cherry strain (synonymous with PAMV) and to Cucumber necrosis virus based on comparison of 3'-end sequences (0.1 to 0.6% and 4.8 to 5.1% divergence, respectively). Western blot analysis revealed that the new tombusvirus isolated from diseased lettuce and tomato plants in the western United States is serologically distinct from previously described tombusvirus species and strains. Based on genomic and serological properties, we propose to classify this virus as a new tombusvirus species and name it Lettuce necrotic stunt virus.     

Ocular Onchocerca infections in two dogs in western United States

Two dogs, one from California and one from Arizona, were found to have aberrant infections caused by filarial nematodes of the genus Onchocerca. In both cases, the parasites are localized in or near the eye. In one case the worm was located in the cornea and was surgically removed. In the second case, a very marked granulomatous reaction was induced in the retrobulbar space, mimicking an abscess. This eye was enucleated. The worms in both instances were female, and were gravid, i.e. contained microfilariae in utero, indicating that a male worm(s) had been present and mating had occurred. The exact identity of the species of Onchocerca responsible cannot be determined, although the features observed are most like Onchocerca lienalis of cattle. These cases represent the fourth and fifth such cases reported from the US, and are especially interesting because of the unusual location of the worms, the small number of recognized cases, and the similarity to a recent zoonotic human infection.     

Comparison of Cryoprotective Effects of Lycopene and Cysteamine in Different Cryoprotectants on Bull Semen and Fertility Results

The objectives of this study were to compare glycerol and ethylene glycol at different concentrations as cryoprotectants and lycopene or cysteamine (with/without) as antioxidants in Tris extender for bull semen. Twenty‐four ejaculates were obtained from three bulls. Each ejaculate was split into four equal aliquots and diluted using both of the Tris extenders with glycerol (5% or 7%) or ethylene glycol (3% or 5%). After that, each extenders were split into three equal aliquots and added using both of the cysteamine 5 mm or lycopene 500 μg/ml, and control (without additives). The addition of 7% glycerol with cysteamine, 5% ethylene glycol with cysteamine and 3% ethylene glycol with cysteamine groups gave the lowest CASA motility than the other groups. However, 7% glycerol and 7% glycerol with lycopene resulted in a better rate of CASA progressive motility compared with that of other groups. Generally, all the lycopene groups signed better protective effects on acrosome and total morphology than the other groups. Glycerol 7% and 3% ethylene glycol with lycopene groups yielded to slight higher percentages of membrane integrity assessed by HOST than that of the other groups, but 7% glycerol with cysteamine and 3% ethylene glycol with cysteamine showed the worst percentages of membrane integrity. Glycerol 7% and 5% glycerol with lycopene gave rise to a higher value of VAP, VSL and VCL compared with that of the other groups. On the contrary, adding to 5% glycerol with cysteamine showed negative effect for VAP, VSL, VCL and ALH values. All cryoprotectant groups with lycopene decreased chromatin damage than the other groups. Ethylene glycol 3% led to lower non‐return rates of inseminated cows. However, this result was not considered to be statistically important.     

Participation of women in oyster and mussel farming in Western Visayas, Philippines

This paper provides baseline information on the involvement of women in small-scale coastal aquaculture such as the farming of slipper oyster, Crassostrea iredalei (Faustino 1933), and green mussel, Perna viridis (Linnaeus 1758). Data were gathered during a socio-economic survey of oyster and mussel farming in Western Visayas, Philippines conducted from July to December 1991.There were 175 respondents interviewed; 18.5% and 2.4% of oyster and mussel farmers were females. Fishing and related activities were the major source of livelihood for the majority of oyster and mussel farmers. In 1990, 79.4% and 69.8% of oyster and mussel farmers earned an annual income of less than P30 000 (1 USS P23). Based on the 1988 (latest data available) poverty threshold of P2654 (monthly) for Western Visayas, 80.4% and 71.7% of oyster and mussel farmers lived below poverty level in 1990. of 175 respondents. 79.3% and 48.2% of oyster and mussel farmers indicated that their household members participated in farming activities. More female household members were involved in oyster farming compared with mussel farming. Harvesting in mussel farming and both harvesting and marketing in oyster farming generated the widest participation among female household members.