Occurrence, distribution, and role in abortion of Coxiella burnetii in sheep and goats in Sardinia, Italy

Between 1999 and 2002, 9349 sera and 517 aborted samples (422 foetuses and 95 placenta) were analysed from 675 sheep and 82 goat farms distributed all over the island of Sardinia. After abortion notification, sera collected at random from adult animals were examined to detect antibodies specific to Coxiella burnetii by ELISA, whereas foetuses and placenta were analysed by PCR assay. Specific IgG antibodies were detected in 255 (38%) sheep farms and in 39 (47%) goat herds whereas 40 ovine (10%) and 3 (6%) caprine foetuses were C. burnetii PCR-positive. Although C. burnetii DNA was amplified from different types of tissues, placenta was the tissue with the highest detection rate. Seroprevalence analysis indicates that C. burnetii distribution in sheep and goats is very high, but PCR results demonstrate that C. burnetii has a relatively low role in abortion, especially in goats.     

Serologic prevalence of toxoplasmosis in cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, bison, and elk in Montana

Serum samples from 2,539 cattle, 649 sheep, 123 goats, 413 pigs, 93 bison, and 56 elk from Montana were examined for antibody to Toxoplasma gondii in the Sabin-Feldman dye test or the modified agglutination test (MAT). Cattle, bison, and elk serum samples were treated with 0.2 M-mercaptoethanol before examination in MAT. In the dye test, 13.2% of sheep, 5.0% of pigs, and 22.7% of goats had antibody at a dilution of greater than or equal to 1:16. In the MAT, 3.2% of cattle, 3.1% of bison, and none of the elk were positive at a dilution of greater than or equal to 1:128.     

Comparative cardiovascular, analgesic, and sedative effects of medetomidine, medetomidine-hydromorphone, and medetomidine-butorphanol in dogs

OBJECTIVE: To compare sedative, analgesic, and cardiopulmonary effects after IV administration of medetomidine (20 microg/kg), medetomidine-hydromorphone (20 microg of medetomidine/kg and 0.1 mg of hydromorphone/kg), and medetomidine-butorphanol (20 microg of medetomidine/kg and 0.2 mg of butorphanol tartrate/kg) in dogs. ANIMALS: 6 dogs healthy mixed-breed dogs. PROCEDURE: Instruments were surgically inserted, and heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), systolic arterial pressure (SAP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), central venous pressure (CVP), core body temperature, and cardiac output (CO) were measured 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after injection. Cardiac index (CI), stroke volume (SV), stroke index (SI), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were calculated. Arterial samples for blood gas analysis were collected 0, 15, and 45 minutes after injection. Intensity of analgesia, degree of sedation, and degree of muscle relaxation were evaluated at aforementioned time points and 75, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 210 minutes after injection. RESULTS: Administration of medetomidine, medetomidine-hydromorphone, and medetomidine-butorphanol was associated with increases in SAP, MAP, DAP, MPAP, PCWP, CVP, SVR, PVR, core body temperature, and PaCO2 and decreases in HR, CO, CI, SV, SI, RR, pH, and PaO2. Clinically important differences were not detected among treatments. Medetomidine-hydromorphone and medetomidine-butorphanol provided a longer duration of sedation and better quality of analgesia, compared with medetomidine alone. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Medetomidine-hydromorphone or medetomidine-butorphanol is associated with improved analgesia and sedation but has cardiopulmonary effects comparable to those for medetomidine alone.     

Effects of butorphanol, flunixin, levorphanol, morphine, and xylazine in ponies

The analgesic and behavioral effects of butorphanol (0.22 mg/kg), flunixin (2.2 mg/kg), levorphanol (0.033 mg/kg), morphine (0.66 mg/kg), and xylazine (2.2 mg/kg), given IM were observed in 8 ponies. These ponies were instrumented to measure response objectively to painful superficial and visceral stimuli. Effects on the cardiopulmonary system and rectal temperature also were evaluated in 6 of these ponies. Observations were conducted before drug injection (base-line values) and after injection at 30, 60, 120, 180, and 240 minutes. Xylazine provided the highest pain threshold for the first 60 minutes and a sedative effect for 105 minutes. The effects for superficial pain and visceral pain persisted 3 hours and 4 hours, respectively. Morphine produced good analgesia for superficial pain (30 minutes), whereas butorphanol provided good effect for visceral pain (4 hours). A slight degree of analgesia for visceral pain was obtained after morphine (1 hour) and levorphanol (4 hours); flunixin did not induce analgesia. Butorphanol, levorphanol, and morphine stimulated motor activity. Behavioral effects did not occur after flunixin was given. Xylazine decreased systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressures. Marked increases in these pressures, heart rate, and respiratory rate were observed after morphine was given. Changes of central venous pressure, rectal temperature, and blood gas values remained within base-line limits after both drugs were given. Butorphanol increased heart rates for 1 hour; flunixin and levorphanol did not alter any of the above values.     

Exercise-induced alterations in plasma concentrations of ghrelin, adiponectin, leptin, glucose, insulin, and cortisol in horses

Six Standardbred (STB) mares (11+/-2 years, 521+/-77 kg; means+/-SD) performed an exercise trial (EX) where they underwent an incremental exercise test (GXT) as well as a parallel control trial (CON) to test the hypothesis that short-term, high intensity exercise would alter plasma concentrations of glucose, leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin, insulin and cortisol. Plasma samples were taken before (0 min), during (last 10s at 6, 8m/s, and the velocity eliciting VO(2max)), and after exercise (2, 10, 30, 60 min; 12 and 24h post-GXT). A second set of blood samples was collected before and after an afternoon meal given at 1515 h (at 1500, 1514, 1530, and 1545 h). Data were analyzed using ANOVA for repeated measures and Tukey's test. During the GXT, there were no changes (P>0.05) in the plasma concentrations of glucose, leptin, adiponectin or ghrelin. However, there was a 29% increase (P<0.05) in mean plasma cortisol concentration and a 35% decrease (P<0.05) in mean plasma insulin concentration. Substantial increases (P<0.05) in the mean plasma concentrations of glucose and cortisol of 36% and 102%, respectively, were seen in the EX trial during the first 60 min post-GXT. Plasma leptin concentration, measured at the 24h post-GXT time point, was 20% lower (P<0.05) during the EX trial compared with the parallel time point in the standing control (CON) trial. Plasma ghrelin concentration was 37% lower (P<0.05) in the EX trial compared with CON before and after the afternoon meal, but was 43% higher (P<0.05) 12h post-GXT. There were no differences between EX and CON for plasma concentrations of insulin or adiponectin during recovery. It was concluded that short-term high intensity exercise alters plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations in STB mares post-exercise, which may signal the exercised animals to alter energy intake.     

Weaning,yearling, and preharvest ultrasound measures of fat and muscle area in steers,bulls, and heifers

Longissimus muscle area and fat thickness were measured following weaning, at yearling, and prior to harvest using real-time ultrasound, and corresponding carcass measurements were recorded 3 to 7 d following the preharvest scan in composite steers (n = 116, 447 +/- 19 d), bulls (n = 224, 521 +/- 11 d), and heifers (n = 257,532 +/- 12 d). Although fat deposition was limited in bulls and heifers from weaning to yearling, coefficients of variation ranged from 8.46 to 13.46% for muscle area, and from 27.55 to 38.95% for fat thickness, indicating that significant phenotypic variance exists across genders. Residual correlations, adjusted for the effects of year of birth, gender, and age at measurement, were high and ranged from 0.79 to 0.87 among ultrasound and carcass measures of muscle area. Residual correlations among ultrasound and carcass measures of fat thickness were also high, ranging from 0.64 to 0.86. Weaning and/or yearling ultrasound muscle area yielded similarly accurate predictions of carcass muscle area. Yearling ultrasound fat thickness accounted for 13% more of the observed variance in carcass fat thickness than the weaning ultrasound measure in single-trait prediction models. When both weaning and yearling ultrasound measures were used to predict carcass fat thickness, partial R2 values were 0.15 and 0.61 for weaning and yearling ultrasound fat thickness, respectively. The difference between predicted and carcass measures with respect to muscle area (fat thickness) was less than 6.45 cm2 (2.5 mm) for 80.2 to 88.9% (90.3 to 95%) of animals. Preharvest ultrasound measures yielded standard errors of prediction of less than 4.95 cm2 for muscle area and 1.51 mm or less for fat thickness. These results indicate that ultrasound measures taken between weaning and yearling provide accurate predictors of corresponding carcass traits in steers, bulls, and heifers.     

Observational study of temperature,moisture, pH and bacteria in straw bedding,and faecal consistency,cleanliness and mastitis in cows in four dairy herds

A study of four dairy farms showed that much of the straw stored for bedding was too wet (over 15 per cent moisture content). Most of the beds, including their top surfaces, were damp (above 75 per cent relative humidity). The temperature of the surface of most of the straw beds was related to the air temperature, many being below 15 degrees C, but below the surface the temperatures of most beds reached between 15 degrees C and 45 degrees C within about a week of their being renewed. Bacterial counts also reached a plateau within one to two weeks. The pH of the top layers of straw was usually between 8.5 and 9.5. Adding lime daily to the top layer of the straw failed to raise the pH to levels at which Escherichia coli and Streptococcus uberis do not survive. Most of the counts of E coli and faecal streptococci in the top layers of straw were above 10(6) colony-forming units/g. Counts of E coli and S uberis were much higher in the beds of early lactation cows than in those of dry cows. Many of the early lactation cows were heavily and persistently contaminated with faeces. Dry cows were much cleaner. Groups of cows with firmer faeces were also cleaner. The farm with the lowest incidence of mastitis had the cleanest cows and the most satisfactory beds.     

Serological survey of canine dirofilariosis in Chongqing, Kunming, Nanchang, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Nanning in Southern China

The present study conducts a serological survey on the presence of canine dirofilariosis in domestic dogs using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. A total of 310 household dogs (166 females and 144 males) in Chongqing, Kunming, Nanchang, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Nanning in Southern China were examined. Of the 310 dogs, 42 (13.5%) were seropositive for dirofilariosis. No statistically significant difference was observed in terms of sex in the seroprevalence of dirofilariosis using the ELISA kit. The positive rates for dirofilariosis were 6.6% in the 0-1-year-old group, 13.8% in the 1-4-year-old group, and 21.6% in the less than 4-year-old group. The statistical analysis revealed that significant differences were observed in the 1-4-year-old group (P=0.037, OR=0.441, 95% CI=0.170-1.144) and less than 4-year-old group (P<0.001, OR=0.256, 95% CI=0.095-0.693). In the regional comparison, the shoreline city Shenzhen (18.8%) had a significantly higher prevalence than urban and mountain areas (P<0.05, OR=0.310, 95% CI=0.066-1.445). In conclusion, Dirofilaria immitis infection in domestic dogs was present in Chongqing, Kunming, Nanchang, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Nanning. Therefore, heartworm treatment and/or chemoprophylaxis for the captured domestic dogs are necessary in these areas. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first using serological methods to examine D. immitis infection in domestic dogs in Mainland China in the recent years.     

Epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of blastomycosis in dogs and cats

Blastomycosis is one of the most common systemic fungal diseases in dogs in North America, but it is rarely diagnosed in cats. The typical route of infection is inhalation of aerosolized conidia of Blastomyces dermatitidis. From the respiratory tract, the developing yeast form may disseminate throughout the body and affect multiple organ systems, most commonly the lymphatic, skeletal and central nervous systems, eyes and skin. Disseminated disease often is associated with nonspecific signs of illness including lethargy, inappetence and fever, as well as signs referable to specific organ systems like chronic cough and dyspnea, peripheral lymphadenopathy, endophthalmitis, and central nervous signs. Diagnosis is typically made by detection of Blastomyces dermatitidis yeast in affected tissues by fine-needle aspiration cytology or histopathology. The treatment of choice is itraconazole. Prognosis is fair in dogs without central nervous disease and guarded in cats.     

Quantification of cortisol, cortisol immunoreactive metabolites, and immunoglobulin A in serum, saliva, urine, and feces for noninvasive assessment of stress in reindeer

This study was designed to develop reliable methods for quantification of cortisol and cortisol immunoreactive metabolites (C-CIM) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in reindeer serum, saliva, urine, and feces as tools for the objective noninvasive assessment of well-being and immunocompetence in reindeer. Although C-CIM was readily quantifiable by radioimmunoassay in serum, urine, and feces, the levels in saliva samples were low, rendering quantification unreliable. Whereas IgA concentrations were high in feces samples, they were much lower, albeit quantifiable, in serum and urine; the levels in saliva samples were too low for quantification with the use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that we developed. Further studies are in progress to validate the usefulness of fecal levels of C-CIM and IgA in the assessment of welfare in reindeer.     

Pharmacokinetics of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in donkeys, mules, and horses

OBJECTIVE: To compare serum disposition of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim after IV administration to donkeys, mules, and horses. ANIMALS: 5 donkeys, 5 mules, and 3 horses. PROCEDURE: Blood samples were collected before (time 0) and 5, 15, 30, and 45 minutes and 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 24 hours after IV administration of sulfamethoxazole (12.5 mg/kg) and trimethoprim (2.5 mg/kg). Serum was analyzed in triplicate with high-performance liquid chromatography for determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim concentrations. Serum concentration-time curve for each animal was analyzed separately to estimate noncompartmental pharmacokinetic variables. RESULTS: Clearance of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in donkeys was significantly faster than in mules or horses. In donkeys, mean residence time (MRT) of sulfamethoxazole (2.5 hours) was less than half the MRT in mules (6.2 hours); MRT of trimethoprim in donkeys (0.8 hours) was half that in horses (1.5 hours). Volume of distribution at steady state (Vdss) for sulfamethoxazole did not differ, but Vdss of trimethoprim was significantly greater in horses than mules or donkeys. Area under the curve for sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim was higher in mules than in horses or donkeys. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dosing intervals for IV administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in horses may not be appropriate for use in donkeys or mules. Donkeys eliminate the drugs rapidly, compared with horses. Ratios of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole optimum for antibacterial activity are maintained for only a short duration in horses, donkeys, and mules.     

Systemic availability of o,p'-DDD in normal dogs, fasted and fed, and in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism

The systemic availability of o,p'-DDD was studied in 12 normal dogs and seven dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH). The drug was given by mouth at 50 mg kg-1 and plasma o,p'-DDD concentrations were determined by gas-liquid chromatography. First, six normal dogs were given the drug three times at intervals of one week in a Latin square pattern. Systemic drug availability was found to be very poor from intact tablets in fasted dogs, better with pure drug dissolved in maize oil given by stomach tube, and best with ground tablets mixed in oil poured on dog food. Then six normal dogs and five with PDH were given one dose of o,p'-DDD as intact tablets in dog food. Systemic drug availability was good in the normal animals and, for unknown reasons, better in dogs with PDH. The half-time of elimination was shorter in dogs with PDH than in normal ones. There was evidence of a gradual rise in plasma o,p'-DDD concentrations in seven dogs with PDH treated with 25 mg kg-1 every 12 hours for 14 or 20 days. The interaction between food and o,p'-DDD probably contributes to the variation in clinical response of dogs treated with the drug. The efficiency of therapy with o,p'-DDD should be improved considerably by administering the drug with food.     

Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of dirlotapide in the dog

Three once-daily oral doses of 0.2 mg/kg [¹⁴C]dirlotapide were administered to beagle dogs to study the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of dirlotapide. Mean ¹⁴C recovered at 2.5 and 4.5 h after the last dose was 90%. Mean ¹⁴C in urine, bile, and feces was <1%, 1.7%, and 56% of the dose, respectively. In tissues, 26% of the ¹⁴C dose was present in the gastrointestinal tract, 6.0% in liver, and <1% each in kidney, gall bladder, heart, and brain. To further characterize drug disposition, a single 2.5-mg/kg oral dose of [¹⁴C]dirlotapide was administered to beagle dogs. More than 84% of the dose had been eliminated by 72 h in feces, with 21% of the dose present in feces as parent dirlotapide. Less than 1% of the dose was excreted in urine. In bile collected during the first 24-h postdose from three dogs, 32% and 11% of the ¹⁴C dose was present in samples from male and female dogs, respectively. Based upon metabolite profiling of plasma, excreta, and bile samples, dirlotapide was extensively metabolized to more than 20 metabolites. Biliary/fecal excretion and the potential for enterohepatic recycling of metabolites are suggested.     

Changes in plasma melanocyte-stimulating hormone,ACTH, prolactin,GH, LH,FSH, and thyroid-stimulating hormone in response to injection of sulpiride,thyrotropin-releasing hormone,or vehicle in insulin-sensitive and -insensitive mares

Six insulin-sensitive and 6 insulin-insensitive mares were used in a replicated 3 by 3 Latin square design to determine the pituitary hormonal responses (compared with vehicle) to sulpiride and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), 2 compounds commonly used to diagnose pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) in horses. Mares were classified as insulin sensitive or insensitive by their previous glucose responses to direct injection of human recombinant insulin. Treatment days were February 25, 2012, and March 10 and 24, 2012. Treatments were sulpiride (racemic mixture, 0.01 mg/kg BW), TRH (0.002 mg/kg BW), and vehicle (saline, 0.01 mL/kg BW) administered intravenously. Blood samples were collected via jugular catheters at −10, 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min relative to treatment injection. Plasma ACTH concentrations were variable and were not affected by treatment or insulin sensitivity category. Plasma melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) concentrations responded (P < 0.01) to both sulpiride and TRH injection and were greater (P < 0.05) in insulin-insensitive mares than in sensitive mares. Plasma prolactin concentrations responded (P < 0.01) to both sulpiride and TRH injection, and the response was greater (P < 0.05) for sulpiride; no effect of insulin sensitivity was observed. Plasma thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations responded (P < 0.01) to TRH injection only and were higher (P < 0.05) in insulin-sensitive mares in almost all time periods. Plasma LH and FSH concentrations varied with time (P < 0.05), particularly in the first week of the experiment, but were not affected by treatment or insulin sensitivity category. Plasma GH concentrations were affected (P < 0.05) only by day of treatment. The greater MSH responses to sulpiride and TRH in insulin-insensitive mares were similar to, but not as exaggerated as, those observed by others for PPID horses. In addition, the reduced TSH concentrations in insulin-insensitive mares are consistent with our previous observation of elevated plasma triiodothyronine concentrations in hyperleptinemic horses (later shown to be insulin insensitive as well).     

Occurrence of concurrent trypanosomosis,theileriosis, anaplasmosis and helminthosis in Friesian,Zebu and Sahiwal cattle in Uganda

An epidemiological investigation was conducted on farms in Tororo and Soroti districts of Uganda from January to February 2000 to determine the cause of reported persistent mortality of cattle. Blood and faecal material of 98 cattle comprising of 33 Friesians, 58 Zebu and 7 Sahiwal were examined. Results revealed that seven (7.1 %) cattle had trypanosome infection, mainly due to Trypanosoma vivax and T. brucei, 17 (17.3%) Fasciola infection, 28 (28.6%) gastrointestinal nematode infection, 33 (33.7%) Theileria sp. infection and 13 (13.3%) Anaplasma marginale infection. Mixed infections were detected in 30%, 20.6% and 43 % of the Friesian, Zebu and Sahiwal cattle respectively. Anaemia (PCV < 25) was detected in 24%, 19% and 14% of the Friesian, Zebu and Sahiwal cattle respectively. Persistent mortality of cattle on these farms could have been due to either single or mixed parasitic infections probably exacerbated by malnutrition.     

Ultrasonography of the reticulum, rumen, omasum, and abomasum in 10 calves before, during, and after ingestion of milk

The reticulum, rumen, omasum, and abomasum were assessed via ultrasonography before, during, and 15, 30, and 120 minutes after feeding milk to 10 healthy calves. The ultrasonographic examinations were conducted using a 5.0 MHz linear transducer. Loops were recorded on video for further evaluation. The reticulum could be visualised before feeding in seven calves. Its appearance and pattern of contractions were similar to those in adult cattle, although the amplitude (1.7 ± 0.75 cm) and velocity (2.7 ± 1.34 cm/s) of the first contraction were smaller than in adult cattle. The reticulum could not be visualised in any of the calves during feeding as it was displaced cranially and laterally and therefore being obscured by the lungs as the abomasum expanded with the ingested milk. 2 hours post ingestion it remained obscured in 5 individual and was visualized again the other 5. The position and size of the entire rumen including the dorsal and ventral sacs and the ruminal contents were assessed. There were no changes in the ultrasonographic appearance of the rumen during or after feeding. Except for its smaller size, the ultrasonographic appearance of the omasum of calves was similar to that of adult cattle. Milk flow through the omasum could not be seen in any of the calves, and there were no changes in the appearance of the omasum during and after feeding. The abomasum was seen to the left and right of the ventral midline before feeding in all calves; it occupied considerably more space on the left than the right. The flow of milk into the abomasum and milk clotting, which occurred 15 minutes after feeding, could be seen in all calves. The milk clots started to slowly disintegrate 30 minutes after the start of feeding, and by 2 hours post feeding, this process was greatly advanced but remained incomplete. Ultrasonography is an ideal tool for the evaluation of the reticulum, rumen, omasum, and abomasum before, during, and after the ingestion of milk in calves.