Equine viral arteritis — epidemiology and control

The epizootic of equine viral arteritis (EVA) in the Thoroughbred population in central Kentucky in 1984 aroused concern for a disease whose previous sporadic occurrences had gone largely unnoticed.The threat of spread of EVA through the internal movement of horses led to the imposition of considerable restrictions by other major bloodstock-raising countries on the importation of horses of all breeds from the US. Though in no way disputing the importance of spread of the EVA infection at racetracks, sales and equestrian events, etc., it has become evident that the long-term carrier stallion probably plays a major epidemiologic role in perpetuating the virus from year to year. In contrast to the stallion, the carrier state has not yet been confirmed in the mare, nor has there been any evidence of a congenitally acquired carrier state in foals.     

Pre-race testing and its role in equine medication control

In general, blood is the only material on which a practical pre-race testing scheme can be based. Blood testing is not as sensitive as urine testing and detects only about 66 per cent of the drugs detectable in urine. Therefore, pre-race blood testing is always performed in conjunction with post race urine testing. Because blood is easily and rapidly drawn, the use of blood samples in all post race testing schemes is recommended. Pre-race testing is also a relatively expensive proposition, but it is the only method which actually prevents the running of an illegally medicated horse.     

Pharmacokinetics of carprofen and firocoxib for medication control in racing greyhounds

Animals used in sport should be treated as required to ensure animal welfare but any such use of medication should also be controlled to ensure integrity. Pharmacokinetic studies on groups of six greyhounds were performed to measure plasma and urine levels of carprofen and firocoxib to inform medication control advice. Using the standard methodology for medication control the Irrelevant Plasma Concentration was determined as 20 and 2 ng/mL for carprofen and firocoxib, respectively. The Irrelevant Urine Concentration was also determined as 0.3 and 2 ng/mL for carprofen and firocoxib, respectively. These Irrelevant Plasma and Urine Concentrations will allow laboratory Screening Limits, Detection Times and Withdrawal Time advice to be determined and publicised by regulators of greyhound racing. The Screening Limits will also inform Recommended Limits of Detection if meat-containing residues of these medications are fed to greyhounds.     

Some reflections on positive results from medication control tests in the USA

This article describes 3 of the drugs responsible for positive tests in American racing in recent years: fentanyl, apomorphine and reserpine. Experimental work is described in which the effect of administration was measured objectively against step counting; other aspects of locomotor stimulation and clinical responses are discussed. The supposed tonic effects of “pangamic acid” are considered and attention is drawn to the view of the US Food and Drug Administration that the substance does not exist.     

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—CANINE MENINGIOANGIOMATOSIS

Meningioangiomatosis is a rare proliferative disorder of the central nervous system. It occurs sporadically in dogs and is characterized by a leptomeningeal plaque that extends from the subarachnoid space along the perivascular spaces into the adjacent parenchyma. We describe the clinical presentation, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and neuropathologic characteristics of two additional dogs with meningioangiomatosis, and document involvement of the thoracolumbar spinal cord, a site not previously described for this condition. MR imaging findings were different from those previously described, most likely reflecting the degree of vascularity and collagen deposition. The MR imaging features of meningioangiomatosis are not specific.     

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—HEMORRHAGIC MENINGIOMA

An 8‐year‐old Labrador Retriever developed acute central vestibular signs. An extra‐axial mass was detected on MR images ventral to the brainstem. The mass was both T1‐ and T2‐hypointense; there was also thin‐rimmed patchy contrast enhancement. These findings were nonspecific, but the extreme T2‐hypointensity was notable and suggested a hemorrhagic mass. The histologic diagnosis was anaplastic meningioma with acute hemorrhage. These findings document an unusual appearance of a meningioma in MR images due to intratumoral hemorrhage.     

A live vaccine from Brucella abortus strain 82 for control of cattle brucellosis in the Russian Federation

During the first half of the twentieth century, widespread regulatory efforts to control cattle brucellosis due to Brucella abortus in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were essentially non-existent, and control was limited to selective test and slaughter of serologic agglutination reactors. By the 1950s, 2-3 million cattle were being vaccinated annually with the strain 19 vaccine, but because this vaccine induced strong, long-term titers on agglutination tests that interfered with identification of cattle infected with field strains of B. abortus, its use in cattle was discontinued in 1970. Soviet scientists then began a comprehensive program of research to identify vaccines with high immunogenicity, weak responses on agglutination tests and low pathogenicity in humans, as a foundation for widespread control of cattle brucellosis. While several new vaccines that induced weak or no responses on serologic agglutination tests were identified by experiments in guinea pigs and cattle, a large body of experimental and field studies suggested that the smooth-rough strain SR82 vaccine combined the desired weak agglutination test responses with comparatively higher efficacy against brucellosis. In 1974, prior to widespread use of strain SR82 vaccine, over 5300 cattle farms across the Russian Federation were known to be infected with B. abortus. By January 2008, only 68 cattle farms in 18 regions were known to be infected with B. abortus, and strain SR82 continues to be the most widely and successfully used vaccine in many regions of the Russian Federation.