Cellulitis in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

A case of cellulitis was observed in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) reared for commercial meat production. This condition in Japanese quail has not been reported in the literature. This incident was the first, and to date only, occurrence of cellulitis in this processing plant. The cellulitis lesions were localized to the subcutis overlying the breast and inner thigh. Carcasses of processed birds and live birds from the affected farm were presented to the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, University of Georgia. Escherichia coli was cultured from the lesion. The affected live birds displayed lameness and had osteomyelitis. Pasteurella multocida serotype 3,4 was cultured from the liver and bone marrow of affected birds. Approximately 4.61% of the processed carcasses from the flock were condemned because of cellulitis. This represented a 10fold increase from the typical condemnation rate. Further investigation revealed birds were placed in higher than normal density; therefore, we theorize that the concurrent pasteurellosis and increased placement density resulted in the cellulitis condition.     

Presence of fluoroquinolone-resistant coliforms in poultry litter

Litter was collected from four turkey farms (eight houses) with a history of fluoroquinolone (FQ) treatment failure, 10 adult broiler breeder chicken farms (43 houses) with one having a history of FQ treatment, and 30 broiler chicken farms (110 houses) with 24 having a history of FQ treatment. In the turkey litter, the percentage of nalidixic acid-resistant (at 100 microg/ml) coliforms/total number of coliforms ranged from 0.6% to 61.9%. Two of the four farms had houses containing coliforms resistant to the two FQs, enrofloxacin (1 microg/ml) and sarafloxacin (1 microg/ml). There was also multiple resistance to other antimicrobials on all four turkey farms (ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, kanamycin). The level of total coliforms from the adult broiler breeder litter was low, and there were no nalidixic acid-resistant isolates from any of the 10 farms. In the broiler chickens, 7 of 91 houses with a history of FQ usage contained coliforms resistant to nalidixic acid; however, 2 of the 19 houses on farms with no history of FQ usage had nalidixic acid-resistant coliforms. All of the broiler farms with nalidixic acid-resistant isolates were also resistant to the FQ sarafloxacin, whereas only 3 of the 24 treatment history farms and 1 of the no-treatment history farms exhibited enrofloxacin-resistant coliforms in the litter.     

Sperm Morphology in the Domestic Cat, and its Relation with Fertility: A Retrospective Study

Knowledge about normal ranges in semen quality and the association between sperm morphology and fertility in felids is limited. The aims of this retrospective study were to (1) define a normal spermiogram in cats; (2) evaluate possible effects of season, age and breed on sperm morphology; and (3) evaluate the relationship between sperm morphology and fertility. Semen samples collected by electroejaculation from 52 cats were evaluated for sperm morphology. The cats constituted two groups: a general population of cats (n = 48) and cats examined because of poor breeding records (n = 4). The general population was divided into household (n = 20), pedigree (n = 19) and colony cats (n = 9) and into three age classes, <12 months, 12-59 months and >or=60 months. The median percentage of normal spermatozoa in the general population was 44.0% (range 1.0-91.0%). Criteria were tentatively set for what was considered a normal spermiogram. The mean percentage of normal spermatozoa was higher during February to July than during August to January (p < 0.05). Pedigree cats had a lower mean percentage of normal spermatozoa than did household cats (p < 0.05). Age had no effect on the percentage of normal spermatozoa but was positively correlated with the percentage of proximal droplets. Of the cats with <40% normal spermatozoa (n = 19), all those with known breeding records (n = 11) had produced litters. The four cats examined because of poor breeding results had higher percentages of different sperm abnormalities than tentatively stipulated for the normal spermiogram. In two of these cats both sperm morphology and fertility changed over time.     

Management of inappetant sheep during export by sea

In the first of 2 experiments, a simulated voyage was conducted to examine the effects of various treatments on bodyweight change and feeding frequency of inappetant sheep at the end of lot-feeding (non-feeders). The treatments, applied during simulated shipping, were: normal quantities of feed and length of troughs; extra trough length; extra feed. Adult Merino wethers (n = 108) were used in each treatment. A voyage to the Middle East was then conducted to establish whether shipboard mortality could be reduced by separating non-feeders (n = 305) from feeders (n = 5,620) late in the feedlot hase and housing the groups separately aboard ship. A control group of non-feeders (n = 215) mixed with feeders (n = 5,732) was used for comparison. Bars (marker bars), containing a coloured dye, were attached to feed troughs to mark sheep that fed. Most non-feeders (82%) began eating when placed in shipping pens in both studies. However, there was no significant difference in percentage of sheep that fed between non-feeders given extra trough length or extra feed compared with non-feeders given standard management at any stage of simulated shipping. There was no significant difference in mean bodyweights between treatment groups on days 1, 8 and 15 of simulated shipping. Differences in bodyweight on d 22 were probably associated with different levels of gut fill. Death rates were not significantly different in separated and control groups (1.1%, 0.9%, P = 0.6) in the voyage of 14 d to the Middle East.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effect of Oil Overlay on Inhibition Potential of Roscovitine in Sheep Cumulus‐Oocyte Complexes

Inhibitors of cyclin‐dependent kinases, as roscovitine, have been used to prevent the spontaneous resumption of meiosis in vitro and to improve the oocyte developmental competence. In this study, the interference of oil overlay on the reversible arrest capacity of roscovitine in sheep oocytes as well as its effects on cumulus expansion was evaluated. For this, cumulus‐oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured for 20 h in TCM 199 with 10% foetal bovine serum (Control) containing 75 μm roscovitine (Rosco). Subsequently, they were in vitro matured (IVM) for further 18 h in inhibitor‐free medium with LH and FSH. The culture was performed in Petri dishes under mineral oil (+) or in 96 well plates without oil overlay (?) at 38.5°C and 5% CO₂. At 20 and 38 h, the cumulus expansion and nuclear maturation were evaluated under stereomicroscope and by Hoechst 33342 staining, respectively. No group presented cumulus expansion at 20 h. After additional culture with gonadotrophins, a significant rate of COCs from both Control groups (+/?) exhibited total expansion while in both Rosco groups (+/?) the partial expansion prevailed. Among the oocytes treated with roscovitine, 65.2% were kept at GV in the absence of oil overlay while 40.6% of them reached MII under oil cover (p < 0.05). This meiotic arrest was reversible, and proper meiosis progression also occurred in the Control groups (+/?). So, the culture system without oil overlay improved the meiotic inhibition promoted by roscovitine without affecting the cumulus expansion rate or the subsequent meiosis progression.     

Monitoring Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae infection in breeder chickens after treatment with enrofloxacin.

Three experimental strains of breeder chickens were accidentally exposed to Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS), presumably from a newly introduced group of leghorn-type pullets. The experimental strains subsequently became infected and were diagnosed positive for MG and MS by the serum plate agglutination (SPA) test and confirmed by the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of tracheal swabs. Treatment with 10 mg/kg enrofloxacin via drinking water for 14 days was elected. Before and after initiation of treatment, MG and MS were monitored for changes by SPA, HI, PCR, and culture, with sampling intervals ranging from 1 wk to 7 wk. MG and MS SPA, HI, PCR, and culture were performed at each sampling period, with the exception of weeks 1.0 and 6.5. Week 1.0 included SPA and His for MG and MS. Week 6.5 included PCR and culture for MG and MS. The MG and MS SPA results were positive throughout the 29-wk trial period. MG HI titers declined until the last sampling, whereas the MS HI titers did not decline significantly. PCR for MG yielded only one positive result, which occurred before treatment. MS PCR remained positive throughout the trial period. MG was never isolated from any sample; however, one MS organism was isolated during treatment. The treatment regimen was effective for MG on the basis of PCR results. Treatment with enrofloxacin did not eliminate SPA reactions during the 29-wk trial period. MG HI titers remained in the suspicious range throughout the remainder of the trial period. Four weeks after the treatment ended, MG HIs were reduced by approximately 40%, with MS HIs remaining high throughout the 29-wk period. PCR appeared to be a sensitive and specific test on the basis of correlation with HIs. On the basis of the isolation of MS during treatment and continued subsequent PCR positive reactions, the treatment for MS with enrofloxacin was not as efficacious as for MG.