Etiology and occurrence of periodic eye inflammation of horses in the area of Berlin

Over 130 cases of equine periodic ophthalmia (p.o.), which were treated as in-patients at the Equine Clinic of the Free University of Berlin in the last 35 years, were examined statistically in relation to the age and gender of the animals involved as well as to the development of the illness and the season in which it arose. As regards aetiology, the extraction of 71 affected Trotters was investigated. Antibodies to toxoplasmosis, leptospirosis and intestinal parasites were found only in some of the patients. Younger animals, aged between one and four years, and male animals (63.6%) were predominantly affected. The results of the examinations of faeces showed no correlation between cases of p.o. and a vermination of the horses. The examinations for antibodies to toxoplasmosis gave no indication of a participation of the toxoplasmas in the aetiology of recurrent uveitis. In contrast, the results of the examinations for antibodies to leptospirosis, of which 58.8% were positive, showed a seven to ten times higher infection than in healthy horses in Berlin. Breed analysis showed that in certain breeds of Trotters and warm-blooded horses, p.o. illnesses were frequent, supporting the hypothesis that the occurrence of p.o. is due to a hereditary, allergic reaction, triggered by various factors, in particular an infection without clinical signs.     

The effectiveness of the paramunity inducer Baypamun (PIND-ORF) for the prevention and metaphylaxis of an experimental infection with the infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus in cattle

Efficacy of the paramunity inducer Baypamun (PIND-ORF) was evaluated by an IBR challenge trial in cattle, as one model for infectious diseases in bovine. Prophylactic treatment with Baypamun protected cattle against manifestation of clinical symptoms after experimental IBR infection. The degree of protection depended on the time between paramunization and challenge infection. Even in metaphylactically paramunized cattle Baypamun reduced the IBR symptoms. In correlation to the reduction of clinical symptoms paramunization also reduced virus excretion by more than 99% in treated cattle compared to non paramunized animals. The induction of interferon following IBR infection was investigated in paramunized cattle. Application of Baypamun enabled treated animals to react faster with interferon synthesis following IBR infection than control animals did. The demonstration of the status of paramunity following Baypamun application in cattle provides a concept in the prevention of infectious disease in the practice.     

Vaccination of rabbits and fur animals

Short survey of vaccination programmes for rabbits and fur animals and of vaccines, available in Western Germany. Rabbits: myxomatosis, pasteurella infection, dysenteria; mustelides (mink, polecat a.o.): distemper, virus enteritis, botulism, pseudomonas infection; fox: leptospirosis, distemper, fox encephalitis; ocelot: panleukopenia; chinchilla: pseudomonas infection, coli infection, yersinia infection.     

Ocular manifestations of selected zoonoses in humans]

A report is given on the epidemiology and clinical signs of some selected zoonoses that may be of significance for ocular infections in man: brucellosis, leptospirosis, Lyme borreliosis, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, Newcastle Disease, ornithosis (chlamydiosis), rabies, Streptococcus suis infection, larva migrans ocularis by Toxocara canis or Baylisascaris procyonis, toxoplasmosis and tularemia.     

A 6-year study of Thelohania contejeani parasitism of the noble crayfish, Astacus astacus L., in Lake Steinsfjorden, S. E. Norway

Abstract. During 1981-1986, the mean prevalence of Thelohania contejeani parasitism of the noble crayfish, Astacus astacus L., in Lake Steinsfjorden, S. E. Norway, was 0.29%. The crayfish population is heavily exploited. Thelohania contejeani infection levels increased significantly during the fishing season, and variations between years were more pronounced in catches after the fishing season (0.38-2.11%) compared to catches before the fishing season (0.05-0-19%). Sixty-eight per cent of the variation between years could be explained from variations in trap effort. Scuba-diving yielded significantly higher T. contejeani infection levels than simultaneous trapping with baited traps. Thus, in years with heavy exploitation, a larger fraction of non-infected crayfish are removed from the population as these are more susceptible to capture. The findings do not support the hypothesis that density and cannibalism influence T. contejeani infection.     

Replication of the infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)

Infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) is a viral disease of farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., in Norway. However, in laboratory experiments, the virus has also been found to propagate in trout, Salmo trutta L., where it is a persistent infection. It is crucial for the management of ISA in Norway, and for the prevention of spread to fish in other countries, that possible carriers of the virus are found. Another possible salmonid reservoir species is the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). After experimental infection, the ISA virus was found to be present in O. mykiss as late 28 days after infection, with a peak around day 20. The infection resulted in a significant drop in the haematocrit and haemorrhages on the liver in some specimens. The ISA virus was seen budding from endothelial cells lining blood vessels in the heart ventricle of challenged rainbow trout. It is concluded that the ISA virus is able to propagate in O. mykiss and that this species may function as a reservoir when cultured in areas where the virus is found. The virus does not seem to cause any significant mortalities of infected rainbow trout.     

Use of the Reflotron system for the determination of creatine kinase (CK) in the blood of swine, sheep, cattle, horses and dogs]

The Reflotron-CK test was evaluated with blood samples of healthy and diseased pigs, sheep, cattle, horses and dogs in relation to the standard CK-NAC test (UV-method). The precision within the series on the day of blood sampling was better than VK = 7.5% (coefficient of variation) with both methods. The day to day precision was estimated by using deep frozen plasma and was in the same order of magnitude with the Reflotron-CK and the UV-method (CV less than 10%). While fresh whole blood of sheep, cattle, horses and dogs respectively should be applied directly onto the dry reagent carrier with the Reflotron-pipette (32 microliters), the blood samples of pigs must be diluted (200 microliters 0.9% NaCl-solution and 32 microliters blood, factor 7.25) before determination with Reflotron-CK. In the five species mentioned the correlation between Reflotron-CK and CK values obtained with the standard UV-method was satisfactory (r greater than 0.96). Systemic deviations of the Reflotron-CK values should be corrected by calculation formulae, given in the paper.     

Practice observations of cross protection between bovine and porcine herpesviruses]

In many cattle herds in Lower Saxony the serologic IBR/IPV = BHV-1-status is known because since 1988 the bovine herpes virus infection (BHV 1), the infectious rhinotracheitis and pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV) are being fought. Through extensive investigations in five districts in the Weser-Ems area, it was found that cows infected by bovine herpes virus (BHV 1) are also protected to a high degree against infection by porcine herpes suis virus (SHV 1). An interpretation of the observed cross protection is not yet possible; further research is necessary.     

Eimeria scardinii Pellérdy and Molnár, 1968 in the kidneys of Rutilus rutilus (L,) and Scardinius erythrophthalmus (L.) from northern Greece

Abstract. The occurrence of Eimeria scardinii in roach, Rutilus rutilus (L.), and rudd, Scardinius erythrophthalmus (L.), from a lake in northern Greece is reported. The coccidium was found in the renal haemopoiettc tissue, mainly in the form of mature sporulated oocysts. The morphology and dimensions of the parasite, as well as the host reaction, were very similar in both species of fish examined. The overall prevalence of infection in roach and rudd was 6·67% and 6·3%, respectively. The prevalence of infection of roach was higher during summer (22·22%) but less than 5% in other seasons.     

Experiences with local administration of herd-specific vaccines

The results of oral vaccination of 388 calves with herd-specific vaccines against E. coli are described. Innocuity was optimal, whereas the potency was estimated not as efficient as parenteral vaccination of the dam (in 22% of the cases), i.e., transient diseases in vaccinated calves occurred there. Further the results of intranasal vaccination of 496 cattle against salmonellosis are reported. Salmonella excretion in the faeces was stopped within 1-3 weeks post vaccination in 75% of the herds. In one case it took 3 months to reach this effect. A few permanent excretor cattle remained in two other cases.     

Mandibular fractures in cattle--treatment and results

The results of a retrospective investigation of 25 cases of mandibular fractures in cattle are reported; 19 animals were treated and 6 slaughtered without therapy. Five cases of unilateral fracture of the pars molaris healed with conservative therapy, whereas the same method of treatment was unsuccessful in four cases with compound fractures (2 x pars incisiva, 1 x diastema, 1 x pars molaris) and in one with multiple fractures of the corpus and ramus of the mandible. For animals with symphyseal fractures, surgical fixation using cerclage wire (three cases) proved successful, as did percutaneous fixation in six animals with fractures of the diastema or body of the mandible. The fractures healed well in 14 out of 19 treated cattle and the animals were retained, on average, for a further four years.     

Experimental mycobacteriosis in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L

Piscine mycobacteriosis causes losses in a number of fish species both in the wild and in aquaculture worldwide. Mycobacterium salmoniphilum infections have on several occasions been reported in farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. The present study tested and confirmed the susceptibility of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., an important yet relatively novel aquaculture species, to infection with M. salmoniphilum. Atlantic cod injected intraperitoneally with a suspension of this bacterium were maintained together with cohabitant (COH) fish in a flow-through marine water system at 10-11 °C. The fish were supervised daily and samples taken at 2, 7, 14, 23, 34 and 53 weeks post-infection and examined pathologically, bacteriologically and using molecular biology. Injected mycobacteria were re-isolated in high concentrations from both injected and COH fish groups. Death attributable to mycobacterial infection was observed in both injected (47%) and COH (28%) fish groups. Extensive development of granuloma in visceral organs, mainly the mesenteries, spleen, kidney and liver (lesser extent) and at later stages of the infection in heart tissues and gills, was observed in both injected and COH fish. Granulomas underwent a temporal progression of distinct morphological stages, culminating in well-circumscribed lesions surrounded by normal or healing tissue. Acid-fast bacilli were detected in both granulomas and non-granulomatous tissues. This study confirms that Atlantic cod is highly susceptible to M. salmoniphilum infection and that this bacterial species may be a threat to cod both in the wild and in the aquaculture.     

Nocardiosis in tank-reared Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

Nocardiosis is an infection caused by aerobic Gram-positive, branching, filamentous rods of the genus Nocardia . The organism is resident in both soil and plants ( Austin & Austin 1993 ; Frerichs 1993 ), and is closely related to Mycobacterium spp. Nocardiosis caused by Nocardia asteroides and N. seriolae (previously N. kampachi ) has been reported in several finfish species, both freshwater and marine. The first reported incidence was recorded by Valdez & Conroy (1963) in neon tetras, Hyphessobrycon innesi (Myers), and subsequently in other fish species, some of commercial significance including rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) ( Snieszko, Bullock, Dunbar & Pettijohn 1964 ), brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), ( Campbell & MacKelvie 1968 ) and yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata (Temminck & Schlegel; Kubota, Kariya, Nakamura & Kira 1968 ). Despite two of these incidences occurring in salmonids, infection by Nocardia spp. in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., has not previously been reported.     

Ultrastructure and prevalence of viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) virus in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., from the northern Atlantic Ocean

Abstract. Blood samples were taken from Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., and several other marine teleost species in the northwest Atlantic Ocean to determine the prevalence of viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN). The infection was found in G, morhua at a level of approximately 1.5° in the samples collected from both Newfoundland and Greenland. The latter finding extends the geographic range of VEN infection in this species. Ultrastructural details of the virus in erythrocytes of G. morhua from Greenland differed in several morphologic features from those previously reported.     

PRODUCTION,CHEMICAL QUALITY AND USE OF DUCKWEEDS (LEMNACEAE) IN AQUACULTURE,WASTE MANAGEMENT,AND ANIMAL FEEDS

The vascular plants known as duckweeds have been the subject of intense interest during the past decade as an aquacultural crop, part of waste management systems, and as a feed supplement for aquatic and terrestrial animal stocks. Yields in high nutrient lagoons in regions with nine-month growing season average about 10 metric tons (dry)/hectare, with maximum yields of 12 metric tons projected from .04 hectare lagoons. Crude protein for duckweeds cultured on animal waste lagoons has ranged from 35 to 45% of the dry weight and all essential amino acids are present. Lysine is present in sufficient concentration to meet FAO reference standards for animal feeds, and methionine equals or exceeds recommended standards in specific clones of Lemna turionifera, L. minor, and Spirodela polyrrhiza. Minerals, fat, fiber, and carbohydrate levels are not excessive for most animal diets. Successful feeding trials have been conducted with several species of fish, ducks, swine, poultry, and cattle. A review of research indicates this family of plants holds high promise for producing high quality animal and human food world-wide, but the technology for controlled production under full-scale systems is incomplete.     

Presence of anti-Neoparamoeba sp. antibodies in Tasmanian cultured Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L

Previous studies have indicated that when Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., are exposed to Neoparamoeba sp. the fish produce anti-Neoparamoeba sp. antibodies. It appears unlikely that these antibodies elicit any specific protection against amoebic gill disease (AGD) as fish with demonstrable activities have been affected by AGD. Experiments were conducted on Atlantic salmon cultured throughout Tasmania to assess the natural production of antibodies towards Neoparamoeba sp. Fish were sampled from areas where AGD was prevalent and from areas where there had been no reported cases. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure anti-Neoparamoeba sp. antibody activities in serum. All fish from sea water had antibody activities greater than the negative control fish, including fish from areas with no reported cases of AGD. Time trial samples indicated that time after transfer to sea water did not appear to be a significant (P > 0.05) factor in antibody activity, however location was (P < 0.05). There was no agreement (corrected kappa value, 0.16) between the ELISA result and the isolation of Neoparamoeba sp. from the gills of the same fish. The results suggest that Atlantic salmon in seawater culture in Tasmania produce anti-Neoparamoeba sp. antibodies regardless of infection history, suggesting the presence of Neoparamoeba sp. in the environment.     

Aeromonas salmonicida infectivity studies in goldsinny wrasse, Ctenolabrus rupestris (L.)

Goldsinny wrasse, Ctenolabrus rupestris (L.). were experimentally and naturally infected with Aeromonas salmonicida. Goldsinny wrasse were found to be susceptible to infection with A. salmonicida but significantly more resistant to infection than Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. The pathology of the acute infection is described. Following infection significantly higher levels of agglutinating antibody were detected in the sera of recovered wrasse than those observed in the Atlantic salmon controls. However, a large proportion of the recovered wrasse were culture positive for A. salmonicida and appeared to have entered a chronic stage of infection quite distinct from the carrier status that can develop in Atlantic salmon. This study indicates that, although goldsinny wrasse are susceptible to A. salmonicida, these fish are unlikely to become primarily infected, but contract furunculosis from infected Atlantic salmon. However, goldsinny wrasse may act as a reservoir for subsequent infections of cultivated Atlantic salmon because of the development of a chronic form of the disease. The potential for the vaccination of goldsinny wrasse against furunculosis is discussed.     

Koi herpesvirus epizootic in cultured carp and koi, Cyprinus carpio L., in Taiwan

Koi herpesvirus (KHV) poses a significant threat to cultured koi and common carp, both Cyprinus carpio L. Since the first reported case in Israel in 1998, KHV has rapidly spread worldwide. This study investigates the spread of KHV to Taiwan by collecting 49 cases of suspected common carp and koi infections from 2003 to 2005 for analysis. Clinical signs included lethargy, anorexia, increased respiratory movements and uncoordinated swimming. Hyperaemia, haemorrhage on body surface and necrotic gill filaments were recorded. Gill epithelial hyperplasia, necrosis and eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies were observed by histological examination, while virions were detected using transmission electron microscopy. By detecting the presence of the KHV thymidine kinase (TK) gene and the KHV 9/5 gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 37 cases were identified as KHV-positive, and the cumulative mortality of infected fish was 70-100%. Positive cases showed identical sequences for the genes analysed, implying that they were of the same origin. For the KHV 9/5 gene sequence, these cases exhibited 100% identity with the Japanese strain (TUMST1, accession number AP008984) and 99% identity with the Israeli (KHV-I, DQ177346) and US (KHV-U, DQ657948) strains. Additionally, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was performed and found to be more sensitive than PCR tests, suggesting its potential use as a rapid diagnostic method for KHV. This is the first epidemiological study of KHV infection in cultured common carp and koi in Taiwan.     

Effects of Water pH and Hardness on Infection of Silver Catfish,Rhamdia quelen,Fingerlings by Ichthyophthirius multifiliis

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of (1) different pH levels (5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) with water hardness 20 mg/L CaCO₃ and (2) pH 5 and 7 with varying water hardnesses (20, 60, and 120 mg/L CaCO₃) on the intensity of infection by Ichthyophthirius multifiliis in fingerlings of the silver catfish, Rhamdia quelen. In Experiment 1, the lowest and highest mortality rates were observed in fingerlings exposed to pH 5 and 9, respectively; in Experiment 2, fish kept at pH 5 and 7 with hardness 20 mg/L CaCO₃ showed significantly lowest and highest cumulative mortality, respectively, than those maintained in other conditions. The lowest intensity of trophonts/fingerling was observed at pH 5 and hardness 20 mg/L CaCO₃ in both experiments. We conclude that infection by I. multifiliis is less severe in silver catfish maintained at pH 5 and hardness 20 mg/L CaCO₃. High water hardness led to an increased intensity of trophonts and decreased survival in silver catfish kept at pH 5, but decreased intensity of trophonts and improved survival when the fish were kept at pH 7.     

Infectious pancreatic necrosis in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L

A clinical and histopathological review was carried out of 21 outbreaks of acute infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) in Scottish Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., farms (13 marine and eight fresh water) during 1991-2004. A distinctive syndrome was evident in both post-smolts in sea water and fry in fresh water, where liver lesions, which had not previously been associated with IPN, became a consistent finding in addition to the more typical pancreatic and intestinal changes. Initial cases were described in post-smolts in Shetland, but by the end of the period of investigation this type of pathology had extended down the West coast of Scotland and into Ireland. Limited viral strain analysis suggested that similar strains were involved in both fresh water and sea water and that these differed from earlier isolates from rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). In fresh water, recovered fish frequently developed a greatly distended intestine associated with accumulation of undigested food. In sea water, after the initial, often significant (50% or more), losses, there were many fish which failed to grow and became chronically emaciated and prone to sea louse infection. Although use of transfer diets containing immune enhancers and the selection of IPN resistant broodstock has reduced losses the disease remains a serious cause of economic loss.