Mycobacteria isolated from deer in New Zealand from 1970–1983

Mycobacterium bovis was isolated from 504 deer from 1970 to 1983. It was first isolated from feral red deer (Cervus elaphus) in New Zealand in 1970, and from farmed deer in 1978. Cervine tuberculosis has emerged as a significant problem in farmed deer and in 1983 M. bovis was found on 40 different farms. Thirty-five isolates of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare have been cultured from deer but were associated with clinical disease in only four cases. Mycobacterium nonchromogenicum, Mycobacterium diernhoferi, Mycobacterium gastri, Mycobacterium chelonei, Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium vaccae were isolated from deer but were not considered to be pathogenic.     

Sarcoptic mange in red deer from Spain: improved surveillance or disease emergence?

Concern about emerging diseases has risen in recent years, and multihost situations have become increasingly relevant for wildlife management and conservation. We present data on Asturias, northern Spain, where 80 mangy red deer (Cervus elaphus) have been found since the beginning of the epizootic in chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) in 1993. We combine field and necropsy data with the results of a serosurvey using an in-house ELISA test to evaluate if deer mange due to Sarcoptes scabiei is an emerging disease in this area. The mean number of deer mange cases per year was 5, with a maximum of 16. No significant relationship was detected between monthly temperatures, rainfall or number of days with snow cover and the annual number of sarcoptic mange cases in red deer. Only 4 mangy red deer (5%) were detected outside the limits of scabietic chamois distribution during the same year, and all were less than 2500 m away from that limit. The longest distance reported between two consecutive mangy deer locations was 18 km. Mange cases were significantly more frequent in stags than in hinds and in adults than in juvenile deer. The time of the first mange detection in chamois in each sector, year with minimum number of chamois recorded, year with maximum chamois population decline rate and chamois density offered no significant correlation with red deer mange cases appearance moment and frequency. In the mange affected area, ELISA testing of 327 blood samples from hunter-harvested deer without obvious mange-compatible lesions revealed only 4 seropositive animals. All 83 sera from hunting preserves without clinical cases yielded negative ELISA results. According to these epidemiological data mange does not seem to threaten red deer populations in Asturias. However, continued monitoring of deer health and ELISA testing for sarcoptic mange is advisable.     

A replyto “logomach”

Madam:— The letter extracted from the Veterinary Record (no reference given) which appears on viii “News and Views” under “Comment” in the October issue of the organ of the NZVA re pleonasm, under the heading “Verbal Tics” indicates that the writer, “Logomach” has become infected. “... the entire body”, “... an almost exact analogy”, “... quite useless” are early signs of his unfortunate condition.     

An outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever in Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus)

Thirteen (54%) of 24 Père David's deer (Eluphurus duvidianus) imported from England died of malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) within a year of arrival at Invermay Agricultural Centre. The duration of clinical illness was from one to approximately 33 days, and the most common clinical signs were depression, a hunched stance and diarrhoea. On post-mortem examination, most deer showed recent localised haemorrhages, often into the large intestine. In all deer there was histological vasculitis especially in the brain.     

Preorbital gland opening in red deer (Cervus elaphus) calves: signal of hunger?

The opening of the preorbital gland in red deer (Cervus elaphus) calves has been hypothesized to be a signal to the mother that her calf is hungry. Closing of the gland should indicate that the calf has received a sufficient amount of milk, and thus the mother should stop the suckling. We tested the hypothesis that the calf signals hunger when its preorbital gland is open and signals satiation when the gland is closed. To test this, the behavior of eight bottle-reared calves was monitored for 6 mo. For each meal during this time period, opening of the preorbital gland was recorded before calves were offered the meal and after they ate. Satiation of the calf was estimated (not begging for more food after the meal = satiated; begging = not satiated). The data set contained 3,116 records of paired measurements of preorbital gland opening (before and after the meal). Calves were satiated after feeding for 90.15% of the meals. The opening of the preorbital gland was associated with feeding and achieving satiety. In most cases (77%), calves opened their preorbital glands before their meal. Eighty-five percent of hungry calves still had preorbital glands open after the meal, whereas preorbital gland opening was decreased (P < 0.03) up to 46.6% in satiated calves. Despite this, we found a large range in individual responses in preorbital gland opening before and after the meal, and also according to whether the calf reached satiety. The heavier calves in this study tended to have their preorbital glands open more frequently than the lighter ones, which may indicate the need for an increased amount of milk intake. There was no clear trend in the frequency of preorbital gland opening with age. In conclusion, preorbital opening is likely to be a signal of calf satiety, as suggested earlier. Nevertheless, preorbital glands were not always open when the calves were hungry and did not vanish during the feeding in all cases.     

Evidence for BTV-4 circulation in free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Cabañeros National Park, Spain

Bluetongue (BT) is an infectious disease of wild and domestic ruminants caused by bluetongue virus (BTV). BTV-4 spread through southern Spain from 2004 to 2006, whereas a BTV-1 outbreak that started in southern Spain in 2007 is still ongoing. Vaccination and movement restriction regulations are applied to domestic ruminants to control BT, but the potential reservoir role of wild European ungulates has not been clarified so far. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of BTV in the wild free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) population of Caba?eros National Park (CNP) in central Spain during the BTV-4 and BTV-1 epizootics, assessing the potential role of this deer population as a BTV reservoir. Blood samples from 2885 (2542 adults, 208 calves and 135 undetermined) wild red deer were collected from 2005 to 2010 in CNP and surrounding hunting estates. All sera were tested for antibodies against the BTV VP7 protein by ELISA. Ninety-four of the ELISA-positive samples were analysed by serum neutralization to detect BTV-4 and BTV-1 specific antibodies, and 142 blood samples were analysed by RT-PCR for BTV RNA. A total of 371 (12.9%) out of the 2,885 deer (35/208 calves, 307/2,542 adults, and 29/135 undetermined) were positive for antibodies against BTV. Prevalence increased in adult deer from 2005-2006 to 2008-2009, declining thereafter. No positive samples for BTV-1 were found by serum neutralization, whereas 43 deer (38 adults, four calves and one undetermined) were positive for BTV-4 specific antibodies. No BTV RNA positive deer were found by RT-PCR. Antibody detection throughout the study period suggests a maintained circulation of BTV in red deer. However, the lack of BTV RNA detection suggests a minor transmission risk to livestock.     

A simply-constructed “surgical instrument”

Extract

Sir,—“Farmers' Friend”—surely, there can be no veterinary surgeon in New Zealand who is ignorant of this synonym for No. 8 wire!     

Concurrent multicentric hemangiosarcoma and ovarian teratoma in an aged Père david's deer (Elaphurus davidianus).

A 20-yr-old female Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus) died following a 3-wk history of depression, anorexia, and progressive respiratory distress. At necropsy, numerous soft to firm, tan or blood-filled nodular structures, 1-6 cm in diameter, were noted in the lung and the visceral and parietal pleura and within the mediastinum. Similar nodules were also found in the liver, spleen, kidney, and lymph nodes. Histologically, the nodules were diagnosed as hemangiosarcoma. A benign teratoma was present in the left ovary.     

“对虾病毒免A”问世

一种为防治中国对虾肝胰腺细小样病毒病(HPV)药物——“对虾病毒免A”已研制成功,这是由河北省饲料酵母企业集团水产药品研究所名誉所长徐新章副研究员主持攻关完成的。这是我国靠自己的科学技术研究出来的新产     

《红字》中的“A”

《红字》是美国小说家霍桑最杰出的代表作,也是美国浪漫主义小说中较有影响的作品之一。本文分别论述了海丝特·白兰是真正有形的红字;丁梅斯代尔是无形的红字;罗杰·齐灵沃斯是红字的制造者,成为小说中最坏的罪人。本文从不同角度来分析这几个人物来衬托红字A的涵义。     

草原基况(Range condition)

<正> Range condition,我们译为“草原基况”。通俗地说,就是草原健康状况(ran—ge health)。草原基况的好坏是根据草原的土地及植被状况来评定的。美国的 Samp—son(1919)首先提出这一概念,后来为美国农业部及草原学界所采用。     

浅谈“A型流感病毒和禽流感”

香港特区政府前段时间在１８个病人身上分离到Ｈ５Ｎ１禽流感病毒,香港的１５０多万只活鸡被悉数扑杀,此事令香港的养禽业受到严重的打击,加之某些传媒的渲染报道闹得人心惶惶,引起市民对食鸡的恐慌。继而香港禽流感事件使广东省乃至全国的养禽业和出口贸易也受到相应...     

Clinico-pathological findings in natural cases of “mascadera” in goats

“Mascadera” is a chronic emaciating neuropathy affecting goats; it produces significant economic losses in many regions and its cause is unknown. Here, the histological lesions found in 15 animals naturally affected by the disease are described. Complete necropsy was performed and tissue samples were collected for histopathological study. Severe atrophy of the masseter and buccinator muscles and tongue was observed, as well as vacuolar degeneration of neurons in the nuclei of the trigeminal, facial, and glossopharyngeal nerves. No relevant lesions were observed in other tissues. These findings and the clinical signs are consistent with those observed by other authors in animals spontaneously and experimentally intoxicated with Prosopis juliflora. The disease may be due to consumption of a similar species present in our country that is still unknown. Further research on the etiology and pathogenesis of this disease is needed to establish appropriate prevention guidelines.

     

“A”牌牛奶推广案例分析

畜牧企业生产出来的产品，质量再好也必须得有一套适合市场的推广方式，仅仅有好的方案还不行，市场是无情，只有企业真正做到了与市场接轨，才能体现出自身的价值。生产企业在生产的同时，必须认真对待与上下游企业的关系，确立了正常的、畅通的渠道，才能使企业的产品在市场上立于不败之地。本文通过牛奶的包装推广案例，希望广大生产企业能够了解市场的需要，生产出符合消费者需要的产品。     

浅谈“A型流感病毒和禽流感”

香港政府前段时间在１８个病人身上分离到Ｈ５Ｎ１禽流感病毒,香港的１５０多万只活鸡被悉数扑杀,此事令香港的养禽业遭受到毁灭性的打击,加之某些传媒的渲染报道闹得人心惶惶,引起市民对食鸡的恐慌。香港禽流感事件使广东省乃至全国的养禽业和出口贸易也受到相应的冲...