Heartworm in dogs in Canada in 1984

In late December 1984, 1853 institutional veterinarians and small and mixed animal clinics across Canada were sent a questionnaire in order to assess the status of Dirofilaria immitis in Canada in 1984 and 35% of them responded. Veterinarians reported that 97,794 dogs were blood-tested to check for microfilariae and 1417 dogs (1.45% of those tested) were found with heartworm. Another 34 dogs were amicrofilaremic, but were diagnosed as having heartworm disease, to give the total number diagnosed in 1984 as 1451 (1.48%). Heartworm was reported from all provinces except Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland but most (1310) of the cases were in Ontario. In Quebec, 126 cases were reported mostly from west of Montreal.

Heartworm was found most frequently in companion dogs over three years of age maintained mainly outdoors in rural areas. About 27% of the cases were observed with clinical signs of heartworm disease and 72% had a history of not having left Canada. Southwestern Ontario continued to be the primary focus of the infection.

     

Heartworm in dogs in Canada in 1985

In late December 1985, 1485 institutional veterinarians and small and mixed animal clinics across Canada were sent a questionnaire in order to assess the status of Dirofilaria immitis in Canada in 1985 and 44% of them responded. Veterinarians reported that 137,300 dogs were blood-tested to check for microfilariae and 1210 dogs were found with heartworm. Another 36 dogs were amicrofilaremic but diagnosed with heartworm disease to give the total number diagnosed in 1985 as 1247 (0.91%).

Heartworm was reported from all provinces except Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Saskatchewan but most (1126) of the cases were in Ontario. Southwestern Ontario continued to be the primary focus of the infection in Canada. From Quebec, 91 cases were reported mostly from and around Montreal. From Manitoba, 19 cases were reported from Winnipeg and surrounding areas. Heartworm was found most frequently in companion dogs over three years of age maintained mainly outdoors in rural areas. About 28% of the cases were observed with clinical signs of heartworm disease and 78% had a history of not having left Canada.

     

Heartworm in dogs in Canada in 1991

In late November 1991, 1883 clinics in Canada were sent a questionnaire to assess the status of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs in 1991 and there was a 60.0% response. There were 344,031 dogs tested for heart-worm (HW), 627 were found infected and the prevalence of HW infection was 0.18%. There were 417 dogs with HW in Ontario, 116 in Manitoba, 38 in Quebec, 53 in British Columbia, three in Alberta, and one in Nova Scotia. In British Columbia, all of the infected dogs but one were from the Okanagan valley which, as from 1991, is a new focus of infection in Canada. Most dogs with HW had not been on preventive medication in 1990, and the prevalence among dogs tested and unprotected was 0.59%. That prevalence was considerably higher in endemic areas. Companion dogs, over three years of age and maintained primarily outdoors in rural areas, were most frequently infected. One cat was diagnosed with D. immitis and 33 dogs had Dipetalonema reconditium.     

Heartworm in dogs in Canada in 1986

In late December 1986, 1224 institutional veterinarians and small and mixed animal clinics across Canada were sent a questionnaire in order to assess the status of Dirofilaria immitis in Canada in 1986; 46% of them responded. Veterinarians reported that 150,989 dogs were blood-tested for microfilariae and 869 dogs were found with heartworm. Another 65 dogs were amicrofilaremic but diagnosed with heartworm disease and one was found with heartworm at necropsy to give the total number diagnosed in 1986 as 935 (0.62%).

Heartworm was reported from Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec, but most (810) of the cases were from Ontario. South-western Ontario continued to be the primary focus of the infection in Canada. There were 103 cases reported from Quebec, mostly from and around Montreal, and 21 cases from Manitoba, from Winnipeg and surrounding areas. Heartworm was found most frequently in companion dogs over three years of age maintained mainly outdoors in rural areas. About 33% of the cases were observed with clinical signs of heartworm disease and 81% had a history of not having left Canada.

     

Heartworm in dogs in Canada in 1988

In late November 1988, 1581 small and mixed animal clinics and institutional veterinarians across Canada were sent a questionnaire in order to assess the status of Dirofilaria immitis in Canada in 1988, and 46% of them responded. Veterinarians reported that 181,577 dogs were blood-tested for heartworm disease and 367 dogs were found with D. immitis microfilariae. Another 60 dogs were amicrofilaremic but diagnosed with heartworm disease to give the total number of cases diagnosed in 1988 as 441 (0.24%).     

Heartworm in dogs in Canada in 1987

In late November 1987, 1246 institutional veterinarians and small and mixed animal clinics across Canada were sent a questionnaire in order to assess the status of Dirofilaria immitis in Canada in 1987, and 50% of them responded. Veterinarians reported that 165,428 dogs were blood tested for heartworm disease and 511 dogs were found with D. immitis microfilariae. Another 78 dogs were amicrofilaremic but diagnosed with heartworm disease to give the total number of cases diagnosed in 1987 as 589 (0.35%).     

Heartworm in dogs in Canada in 1989

In late November 1989, 1732 clinics and institutional veterinarians were sent a questionnaire to assess the status of Dirofilaria immitis, and 51.7% responded. Of 247,716 dogs tested, 394 had D. immitis microfilariae and 51 were amicrofilaremic for a total of 445 cases and heartworm prevalence of 0.17%. Most (408) of these dogs had no preventive medication and the prevalence among dogs tested and unprotected was 1.01%. That prevalence was considerably higher in endemic areas. Thirty-seven dogs with heartworm had preventive medication. Heartworm was most frequent in companion dogs over three years of age maintained outdoors in rural areas. About 75% of the cases had never left Canada, 26% had clinical signs and 125 were not treated.

Heartworm was reported from British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, but 383 cases were in Ontario. South-western Ontario was the primary focus of infection. There were 33 cases in Quebec and 24 in Manitoba, mainly found in and around Metropolitan Montreal and Winnipeg respectively.

     

Pathogens in dog bite wounds in dogs in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Over a year swabs were taken from 87 untreated bite wounds in dogs seen by veterinary practitioners in Harare, Zimbabwe. Swabs were also taken from normal skin adjacent to the wound site, and gingival swabs were collected from normal dogs coming to the same clinics. The swabs were cultured aerobically for pathogens, particularly Staphylococcus intermedius, and the antibiotic sensitivities of the pathogens were determined by disc diffusion assay. The most common pathogens isolated from the wounds were S intermedius (23 per cent), Escherichia coli (18 per cent) and non-lactose-fermenting coliforms (14 per cent). S intermedius was common on the normal skin of the dogs with infected wounds, and was associated with wounds on the abdomen, hindlimbs and tail and wounds that were more than three days old. This organism was, however, isolated only infrequently from the gums and there was little correlation in general between the prevalence of pathogens in the mouth and their prevalence in wounds. Of the S intermedius isolates from wounds, 30 per cent were resistant to penicillin and multiple antibiotic resistance was common among the enterobacterial isolates. The majority of the pathogens were sensitive to cotrimoxazole.     

Heartworm in dogs in Canada in 1983

In late December 1983, 2 800 veterinarians across Canada were sent a questionnaire in order to assess the status of heartworm disease in Canada in 1983 and 26% of them responded. Veterinarians reported that 59 504 dogs were blood-tested to check for microfilariae and 771 dogs (1.30% of those tested) were found with Dirofilaria immitis. Heartworm disease was diagnosed in all provinces except New Brunswick and Newfoundland but most (733) of the cases were in Ontario.

Heartworm disease was found most frequently in companion dogs over three years of age maintained mainly outdoors in rural areas. About 31% of the cases were observed with clinical signs of heartworm disease and 64% had a history of not having left Canada. Southwestern Ontario continues to be the focus of the infection and most of the dogs there had not left the province previously.

     

戈壁草原蒙古羊春季羔羊铜缺乏症的研究

[目的] 确定内蒙古苏尼特左旗北部地区春季发生的戈壁草原蒙古羊羔羊发病、死亡现象的主要原因。[方法] 选取3户羔羊发病情况最为严重的牧户采样,每户各采集5只发病羔羊的血液样本、放牧草场的饮用水样本,以及羔羊所处环境中3种主要牧草（红砂、珍珠猪毛菜和盐爪爪）样本和土壤样本,同时采集当地种羊场15只相同品种健康羔羊的样本作为对照,测定上述样本中的10种矿物质元素（钙、磷、铁、锰、铜、锌、镁、钼、硒、钴）的含量。[结果] 发病羔羊血液中铜和镁的含量显著（P<0.05）低于同品种健康羔羊,钼的含量显著（P<0.05）高于同品种健康羔羊,其他矿物质元素的含量差异不显著（P>0.05）。发病羔羊所处环境中饮用水的镁和钙含量较高。发病羔羊所处环境中红砂的钼、铁、锰和硒含量均高于文献报道值,其他矿物质元素含量均处于正常范围;盐爪爪的钼、铁、锰、硒、镁和钴的含量高于文献报道值,其他矿物质元素含量均处于正常范围;珍珠猪毛菜、红砂和盐爪爪的铜钼比分别为15.96∶1、0.23∶1和2.34∶1。发病羔羊所处环境中土壤样本的铜、铁、锰、硒、钴含量均低于文献报道值,镁、钙和磷含量均高于文献报道值,钼和锌含量在正常范围内。[结论] 该地区戈壁草原蒙古羊羔羊发病、死亡的原因主要是放牧羊摄入铜不足、钼超标、铁和锰等矿物质元素摄入量过多,导致羔羊对铜的吸收发生障碍,最终引起继发性铜缺乏症。     

Prevalence of fecal contamination in sandpits in public parks in Sapporo City, Japan

A total of 107 sandpits in public parks in Sapporo City were examined, 9 and 73 were contaminated with helminth eggs and fecal coliforms, respectively. Of the nine in which eggs were detected, eight were contaminated with Toxocara spp. and one with Capillaria spp. eggs. The contamination rate of sandpits of more than 30 m2 ranged from 43 to 50%, while in those 30 m2 or less it was between 73 and 92%. Although helminth eggs were evenly distributed throughout all layers of the sandpits, fecal coliforms were localized on the sandpit surfaces. Recovered Toxocara eggs were identified according to their size and surface structures, and almost all eggs were T. cati. Based on these results, and given the inherent habits of cats, measures to prevent their defecation in sandpits are needed, especially ones of smaller size.     

Abomasal Nematodes in Cattle in Ontario

During 1970, 93 abomasa from cattle in Ontario were examined, and from 63 of these abomasa nematode species of the genera Ostertagia, Haemonchus and/or Trichostrongylus axei were recovered. The abomasa were from cattle six months to two years of age and were collected either from the postmortem room at the Ontario Veterinary College or from two abattoirs near Guelph. The numbers of worms per abomasum were estimated and their genera were identified from a one-twentieth volume of the washings and contents. The prevalence of Ostertagia species was estimated by examining random samples of adult male worms. Morphological variations in the species of the genera Ostertagia and Haemonchus were estimated by examining random samples of adult females. The predominant nematode was Ostertagia ostertagi. Other Ostertagia species recovered were O. trifurcata, O. lyrata and O. circumcincta. The numbers of nematodes recovered were generally low. Adult Ostertagia females had well-developed vulvar flaps. However, in abomasa where adult male O. trifurcata and O. lyrata were found, some adult female Ostertagia worms had reduced or no vulvar flaps. In two abomasa, adult Haemonchus females had large pendulous or “linguiform” vulvar flaps, and adult males had mean spicule lengths of 517 and 512 μ and were, therefore, unlike any of the recognized Haemonchus species.     

Salmonella in sheep in Iceland

In 1995 several outbreaks of food poisoning in humans occurred in Iceland, that were traced to salmonella contamination of singed sheep heads. This prompted us to study the prevalence of salmonella infection in sheep and to trace where and how infection might have occurred. Faecal, intestinal contents and tonsillar samples were collected in the spring and autumn from sheep on 50 farms in the southwestern part of the country, where salmonellosis had been detected and from 5 farms in the northwestern part of the country. All faecal samples from the southwest were negative, whereas samples from 3 farms obtained in the autumn in the northwest were positive. Tonsillae taken in the autumn were positive in sheep from 3 farms in the southwest and 2 in the northwest. Our results show that salmonella infection is rare in Icelandic sheep but healthy carriers my harbour the bacteria in tonsillae. Salmonella was not detected in drainage from slaughterhouses nor in singed sheep heads.     

Hydatid disease in goats in Bangladesh

A total of 12 344 goats of different ages from various localities of Bangladesh were examined for the presence of hydatid disease and 1024 (8.29%) were found to be infected. The incidence of infection by organ was: liver 36.72%, lungs 32.03%, spleen 4.69%, heart 3.13%, kidney 1.56%, omentum 0.78%, and both liver and lungs 21.09%. The severity of infection was: weak (84.56% and 86.55%), medium (13.32% and 11.87%) and heavy (2.12 and 1.58%) in the liver and lungs respectively. Of the 1792 cysts examined, 175 (9.76%) were fertile, 1342 (74.89%) were sterile, 206 (11.50%) were calcified, 47 (2.62%) were supporative and 22 (1.23%) were undeveloped. The incidence of infection by age of host was: 0.63% between 0 and 1 year, 2.48% between 1 and 2 years, 5.53% between 2 and 3 years, 16.80% between 3 and 5 years and 21.64% for 5 years old and above.     

Kidney pathology in non-obstructive urolithiasis in cattle

The objectives of the present study were to investigate the gross and histopathological findings in non-obstructive urolithiasis. Pathological examinations were carried out on 102 cattle kidneys with non-obstructive urolithiasis. The common gross lesions were cyst formations in the kidney lobes, hyperaemia and haemorrhage. The weight of the stones differed from 0.02 to 237.44 g and the colour changed brown to white. The calculi had different shapes. At histopathological examination of the kidneys slight to severe mononuclear cell infiltrations were commonly observed. Haemorrhage and connective tissue proliferations were also seen. Neutrophil leucocyte infiltrations caused by pyelonephritis were observed in some cases and multiple stone formations were found in these cases. Widening of the Bowman's space was a common histopathological finding especially when the stones were big or the inflammatory reaction was severe. Calcium deposits and eosinophylic material were found in the medullary tubules and pelvis renalis lumens in some kidneys. Giant cell formations around the stone reactions were rarely observed. Hyperplasia of the pelvis renalis and tubulus epithelium was another finding which occurred seldom. Whereas sand-like material accumulation seen in urinary bladders in some cases, no obstruction was observed in the urinary canal in this study.     

Epidemiology of strongyles in ponies in Ontario.

The transmission of strongyles among 54 Shetland-cross mature ponies was examined from May 30 to November 22, 1983 when the ponies were on pasture and over the ensuing winter when they were in loose housing. Fecal and pasture herbage samples were taken fortnightly through the pasture season and periodically thereafter. Three foals born and reared on pasture were weaned and removed from pasture, two in early August and one in mid-September, and housed for a period before necropsy. Daily maximum and minimum air temperature and total precipitation were recorded. The mean fecal strongyle egg count was highest in the spring and early summer and lowest over the winter. Few larvae were found on the herbage in late May and their numbers were near zero by the third week in June. Subsequently, the numbers increased, were highest from late August through to mid-October and then declined and were low over the winter. Few strongyles were found in two foals removed earlier in the season, and many in the one later. The transmission of strongyles appeared to occur, therefore, principally from mid-summer to mid-fall.     

Atypical rotavirus in chickens in Argentina

In Argentina the presence of rotavirus was investigated in a chicken flock experiencing periodic episodes of diarrhoea during the winter of 1986. All the samples analysed were negative by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). However, when samples were observed by electron microscopy, particles which were indistinguishable from standard rotaviruses were detected in some samples. Ten of the 36 samples were positive after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) analysis, all of them showing the same electropherotype. Based on these results these viruses were classified as rotavirus-like or atypical rotaviruses.     

Pathology of listerial encephalitis in chickens in Japan

Neural signs (torticollis, drowsiness) and mortality were observed in five chickens of a native chicken flock (reared for meat) that included 450 male birds on a farm that had 2300 native chickens and 1120 layers. Histologic lesions were observed in the medulla oblongata, optic lobe, cerebellum, and spinal cord of the affected birds. The lesions, which were most severe in the medulla oblongata, were massive abscesses with rarefaction (demyelination and malacia) of the parenchyma with gram-positive bacteria. The degenerative and necrotic areas were characterized by fibrin thrombosis, hemorrhages, and congestion in the blood vessels. Immunohistochemically, the bacteria positive for L. monocytogenes antigen were observed in the medulla oblongata, cerebellum, and spinal cord. Ultrastructurally, the small rod-shaped and thin-cell-walled bacteria were observed in the parenchyma of the medulla oblongata. Listeria monocytogenes (serotype 4b) was isolated from the medulla oblongata and spinal cord. The pathogenesis of listerial encephalitis in chickens was discussed.     

Helminths in camels in Iraq

Summary Twenty-five camels (Camelus dromedarius) were examined at Baghdad City abattoir. Of the 13 helminth species recorded,Trichostrongylus spp. were the most common, whileCamelostrongylus mentulatus and the hydatid larval cysts ofEchinococcus granulosus were also frequently found.Cooperia oncophora, Cooperia memasteri were recorded for the first time in Iraq.     

Emergence of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella agona in horses in Kentucky

Eighty-seven of 283 isolates of salmonellae recovered from horses in Kentucky by the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center from July 1, 1980 through June 30, 1984 were Salmonella agona. No isolations of S agona were made from Jan 1, 1972 through June 30, 1980. Salmonella agona was isolated from horses on 56 farms and most of the isolations were made in the spring. All age classes of horses were involved. Clinical forms of salmonellosis observed were diarrhea, septicemia, infertility, and abortion. Antibiotic susceptibilities were determined for 83 of the 87 isolates, and 79 were resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents, including chloramphenicol and gentamicin.