First cases of animal diseases published since 2000. 4. Horses

In this fourth article of a series of papers listing first case reports of animal diseases published since 2000, the following six cases of horse diseases are discussed: Disseminated metastatic intramedullary melanoma. Lipoma of the extensor tendon sheaths. Meningoencephalomyelitis in a neonatal foal due to Salmonella agona infection. Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Placentitis due to Rhodococcus equi infection. Right atrial diverticulum in a foal. After a short introduction, the bibliographical data, the abstract of the author(s), and some additional information derived from the article are given. The article will be regularly updated adding overlooked as well as new first reports.     

Glomerulonephritis and anasarca in a colony of frogs.

A colony of frogs experienced excessive mortality due to glomerulonephritis. The presenting symptom in all cases was bloating due to hydrocoelom and anasarca. Mycobacteria sp was suspected to be a source of chronic antigenic stimulation that resulted in the glomerulonephritis. The prognosis was grave once symptoms appeared. Histopathology from some of the affected frogs is described, and mycobacterial disease in amphibians is discussed.     

The influence of diet on necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens.

Necrotic enteritis was reproduced in broiler chickens by mixing cultures of Clostridium perfringens in the feed. Mortality due to necrotic enteritis was higher among chickens fed rations based on wheat, rye, barley, and oat groats than among chickens fed corn-based rations. Addition of pentosanase to a wheat-based diet did not affect the level of mortality due to necrotic enteritis. Addition of pectin and guar gum to different rations severely reduced growth rate and eliminated necrotic enteritis from test birds. Addition of glucose to a corn-based diet caused a small increase in mortality due to necrotic enteritis.     

Comparison of electrophoretograms of normal canine serum and plasma and of serum and plasma of hemolyzed specimens.

Comparison of the electrophoretograms of normal canine plasma and serum revealed a greater concentration of the beta3-fraction in plasma due to the presence of fibrinogen. When serum or plasma of hemolyzed canine blood was analyzed electrophoretically, there were slurring of the beta-globulin peaks due to the presence of free hemoglobin and increases in alpha2-globulins due to the formation of the haptoglobin-hemoglobin complex.     

Prevention of edema disease in pigs by passive immunization.

The effect of treatment with verotoxin 2e (VT2e) specific antiserum was evaluated in 3 Danish pig herds with edema disease (ED). The antiserum was prepared by immunizing horses with a VT2e toxoid. The study was performed as a randomized blind field trial with parallel treatment and control groups. There were approximately 50 piglets in each group in each of the 3 herds and 741 piglets were included in the study (244 from herd A, 249 from herd B, and 247 from herd C). Treatment groups received 2, 4, or 6 mL anti-VT2e serum intramuscularly the day before weaning. Control groups were treated with 6 mL normal horse serum or 6 mL RPMI 1640 medium as placebo. All pigs that died in the trial period (1 d before weaning to 44 d after weaning) were examined pathologically and microbiologically. Mortality due to ED, mortality due to other causes, and adverse effects due to treatment were recorded. As there was no mortality due to ED, herd B was excluded from statistical calculations on mortality. The content of horse antibodies specific to VT2e in serum from pigs was analyzed in an indirect ELISA. A higher dose of anti-VT2e serum was reflected in higher optical density values in the indirect ELISA. Transient adverse reactions, seen as vomiting, ataxia, and cyanosis, occurred shortly after the injection of horse serum in 1.5% of the pigs, and one pig died. There were no statistically significant differences in mortality due to other causes among the 3 treatment groups in herds A and C. Only pigs from which F18+, VT2e+, ST-, LT- hemolytic E. coli (0139 or O-rough) was isolated were diagnosed as dead due to ED. Deaths due to ED in the control groups were 8.1% and 12.0% in herds A and C, respectively, compared with 0% and 0.7% in the corresponding serum groups. The difference between treatment and control groups was statistically significant (P<0.0001). It was not possible to establish an effect of dose (2, 4, or 6 mL) of anti-VT2e serum, because only one pig died of ED in the treatment groups. It was concluded that passive immunization by intramuscular injection of a VT2e-specific antiserum can be used for protecting piglets against ED.     

Treatment of potassium balance disorders.

Potassium is the predominant intracellular cation and is critical for the maintenance of resting cellular membrane potential. Abnormalities of potassium balance can manifest as skeletal and cardiac muscle dysfunction. Abnormalities of potassium concentration in plasma can result from changes in external potassium balance (intake vs. excretion) or internal balance (intracellular to extracellular). Hyperkalemia can result from renal failure, uroperitoneum, or severe dehydration and acidosis in calves with diarrhea. Hypokalemia occurs due to reduced forage intake, when increased gastrointestinal losses occur as with diarrhea, due to increased renal losses as with metabolic alkalosis or exogenous corticosteroid administration which promote kaliuresis, or with redistribution of potassium into the intracellular compartment with alkalosis or in association with insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Aggressive intravenous and oral therapy are often necessary to correct potassium balance disorders, in addition to therapy aimed at correcting any underlying disorder contributing to the potassium imbalance.     

Lungworms of ruminants.

Several species of nematodes parasitize the respiratory tract of ruminants. Disease due to infection with these parasites occurs less frequently in North America than in other parts of the world but can be locally and regionally important. The life cycles, epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis and treatment of Dictyocaulus viviparus, Dictyocaulus filaria, and Muellerius capillaris are summarized in this article.     

A survey of skeletal disorders in five turkey flocks in Saskatchewan.

Losses due to skeletal disorders varied from 1.8 to 6.1 percent in five flocks, varying in size from 2040 to 7033 birds, of broad breasted white tom turkeys. Very little evidence of significant air-sacculitis due to Mycoplasma meleagridis was found in hatching poults or during the growing period. Major disorders causing the losses included rickets, rotated tibia, arthritis/osteomyelitis and long bone distortion. Rickets and arthritis/osteomyelitis due to infection with Staphylococcus aureus were significant problems only in one flock each, while rotated tibia caused significant losses in three flocks. Long bone distortion was the major cause of economic loss and occurred in all flocks. Possible causes of long bone distortion are briefly discussed.     

Prevention of traumatic indigestion in cattle.

The incidence of traumatic indigestion in an industrialised agricultural country, the economic losses due to the disease, and its prevention by use of a permanent reticular magnet are reviewed.     

Experimentally produced calf pneumonia.

Experimental pneumonia was produced in calves by the endobronchial inoculation of pneumonic lung homogenates. Irradiated homogenates produced minimal pneumonia. Ampicillin treatment of the homogenates and the experimental calves reduced the extent of pneumonia. Treatment with tylosin tartrate prevented experimental pneumonia. These results suggest that the total pneumonia was due to organisms susceptible to tylosin tartrate and that the residual pneumonia remaining after ampicillin treatment was due to organisms susceptible to tylosin tartrate but not to ampicillin. Of the organisms isolated from the lungs, the ones in this latter category most likely to be responsible are Mycoplasma dispar and ureaplasmas (T-mycoplasmas).     

Nutritional support of hospitalized animals.

Nutritional support of hospitalized animals is new and encouraging, although it is in need of rigorous evaluation. Principles and procedures of established value in human patients appear to be readily applied to other species, with due regard to comparative physiologic properties and medicine.     

Tuberculosis in alpaca (Lama pacos) on a farm in Ireland. 1. A clinical report

This case report describes tuberculosis (TB) due to infection with Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) in alpaca (Lama pacos) on a farm in Ireland. Two severely debilitated alpaca were presented to the University Veterinary Hospital, University College Dublin in November 2004. Bloods were taken, and haematology and biochemistry results were indicative of chronic infection. Radiological examination showed evidence of diffuse granulomatous pneumonia suggestive of tuberculosis. On necropsy there were granulomatous lesions present throughout many body organs including lung, liver, kidney, intestine as well on peritoneum and mesentery. Culture of acid-fast bacilli from lesions led to a diagnosis of tuberculosis due to M. bovis. The use of intradermal skin testing proved inefficient and unreliable for ante mortem diagnosis of tuberculosis in alpaca. Infection due to M. bovis should be considered among the differential diagnoses of debilitating diseases in alpaca, particularly those farmed in areas known to be traditional black spots for tuberculosis in cattle.     

Bovine embryo transfer pregnancies. I. Abortion rates and characteristics of calves

Data were obtained from 1,908 pregnancies resulting from bovine embryo transfer procedures. Responses examined included sex ratio, fetal, neonatal and preweaning death losses, birth weight and calving assistance. The sex ratio for 1,751 embryo transfer calves examined was 51.11% males. Cows older than 10 yr that had become repeat breeders produced more (P less than .05) male calves than other donors. Breed of embryo, age and quality of embryos at the time of transfer, embryo storage time from collection to transfer, asynchrony of recipient with donor estrus and number of palpable corpora lutea in superovulated donors were not related to sex ratio (P greater than .05). The abortion rate between 2 and 3 mo of gestation in embryo transfer recipients was 3.15%, and between 3 to 7 mo, 2.14%. Neonatal and preweaning losses for 1,682 calves with complete information were 1) congenital defects, .54%; 2) death due to premature birth (7 to 8 mo of gestation), .18%; 3) dystocia-related deaths, 2.38%; 4) deaths of unknown causes at birth, 2.14%; 5) deaths of unknown causes from 24 h after birth to weaning, 1.43%; 6) deaths due to calfhood diseases, 1.25% and 7) deaths due to environmental factors, 1.13%. Total losses of 2-mo pregnancies due to abortion or death of calves or recipients were 14%. Birth weight of embryo transfer calves changed .29 kg/d of deviation from average gestation length (P less than .005) for pregnancies within breeds. Birth weight was also affected (P less than .005) by donor breed and recipient breed and age. Male calves averaged 2.19 kg heavier (P less than .005) than females. Calving assistance was affected by donor breed; Angus calves required the least assistance (P less than .005). Hereford, Holstein and Limousin calves were similar and intermediate; Simmental calves needed the most calving assistance. Recipient breed and age influenced calving ease, with younger recipients of Angus and Hereford descent requiring more assistance (average calving score, 2.1) than both cow (1.3) and heifer (1.5) recipients of the larger Continental European breeds. Characteristics of 305 non-embryo transfer calves were not significantly different from 185 embryo transfer calves from the same farms. We conclude that embryo transfer calves did not differ from the non-embryo transfer population in any of the characteristics studied.     

Characterization of serum lysosomal enzymatic activities. I. Effect of dietary urea in dairy cows.

The experiment was carried out on ten Holstein dairy cattle fed on conventional concentrate as base diet for 15 days, then turned on unconventional concentrate diet supplemented with 3% urea (CM-U) for 45 days to study the effect of four lysosomal enzymes in both states. The N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase enzyme level reflected the highest value among other enzymes inspite of its significant drop in the serum after feeding cows on the unconventional ureated diet. Beta-galactosidase was the sole enzyme to rise significantly in the serum of cows during the unconventional ureated diet feeding. Acid phosphatase and alpha-galactosidase showed highly significant decreases due to the effect of the tested diet.     

Effects of different rates of inbreeding on the body weight and rate of gain of Japanese quail.

1. The effect of regular full-sib and double first cousin mating on body weight and rate of gain over six generations of Japanese quail was determined. 2. The depression of characters was more pronounced in the full-sib than in the double first cousin mating system, the relative depression due to parental inbreeding and offspring inbreeding depending on the magnitude of parental effect and individual's own genotypic effect on the character. 3. The body weight and rate of gain taken at an early age showed greater depression due to parental inbreeding whereas that taken near sexual maturity was depressed mainly due to individual's own inbreeding.     

Characterization of serum lysosomal enzymatic activities. II. Effect of lumpy skin disease in Egyptian cows.

Clinical findings and lysosomal enzymes (LYE) in eight lumpy skin diseases (LSD) cows and same number of healthy ones were reported in Tal-El Baker village and Tal Alkabir centre, Ismailia province, Egypt. LSD began with fever, anorexia, skin lesions in form of nodules all over the body, which disappeared spontaneously or gathered to form large lumps. It was complicated with respiratory manifestation, corneal opacity, mastitis, dehydration and later on recumbency. It is noteworthy that the level of 3 LYE showed the same trend of significant reduction in acute stage of the disease (5 days after occurrence of LSD) probably due to injection of animals with a therapeutics dose of terramycin. Acid-phosphatase (ACP) enzyme is the sole that behaved very high significant increase in the serum in acute stage of LSD due to the damaged tissues caused by the virus. It underwent insignificant decrease in late stage of the disease (20 days after its occurrence) to restore the normal LYE level in control cows indicating recovery. Alpha-galactosidase (alpha-GAL) decreased perpetually by the progression of LSD because of the decreased bactericidal index which ist in concomitance with the secondary bacterial invader. N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (beta-NAG) and beta-galactosidase (beta-GAL) in LYE had the same fluctuating manner. The activities showed very highly significant decrease in acute stage, followed by highly significant and significant increases (late LSD stage) respectively. The appreciable significant increase of beta-GAL may declare the effect of anorexia on LSD. In view of these findings, it can be postulated that LSD may be diagnosed and prognosed through LYE changes in the serum.     

Alterations of rat brain lipids in methyl mercury intoxication.

Lipid alterations due to experimental intoxication by methyl mercury were studied in rat brain. The methyl mercury was administered perorally as a hydroxide bound to bovine liver protein. The lipids were separated by thin layer chromatography and the fatty acids identified by gasliquid chromatography. The lipids studied included free fatty acids, cholesterol and the main phosphatidylesters, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine.The methyl mercury treatment resulted in an increase in total brain lipids and palmitic acid (16:0) in the free fatty acid fraction. This increase is interpreted as the cellular response to compensate for the loss of membrane proteins known to take place in the brain due to methyl mercury intoxication.     

Toxicology of aquarium fish.

Most aquarium fish live in a closed system, so the effects of toxins can be cumulative and devastating. Most cases of toxicity are due to deficiencies in husbandry and tank maintenance. Poor water quality kills more fish than infectious agents, making client education a very important preventive tool for aquatic practitioners. This article includes a discussion of toxicities related to water quality, chemotherapeutics, pesticides, and household substances.     

Diagnosis of canine hyperadrenocorticism.

Canine hyperadrenocorticism is one of the most common endocrinopathies in dogs. Diagnosis remains difficult in some cases due to factors such as the presence of non-adrenal illness and limitations in the tests. Differentiation between the pituitary and adrenal forms is important for providing accurate prognostic information and delineating treatment options and protocols. This article reviews the tests available for diagnosis (screening) and differentiation and evaluates their advantages and disadvantages. Recommendations for testing are made.     

Calf health from birth to weaning. II. Management of diarrhoea in pre-weaned calves

Calfhood diseases have a major impact on the economic viability of cattle operations. The second of this three part review series considers the management of diarrhoeic diseases in pre-weaned calves. In neonatal calf diarrhoea, oral rehydration therapy is the single most important therapeutic measure to be carried out by the farmer and is usually successful if instigated immediately after diarrhoea has developed. Continued feeding of milk or milk replacer to diarrhoeic calves is important, to prevent malnourishment and weight loss in affected calves. Indiscriminative antibiotic treatment of uncomplicated diarrhoea is discouraged, whereas systemically ill calves can benefit from systemic antibiotic treatment for the prevention of septicaemia or concurrent diseases. Ancillary treatments and specific preventive measures are discussed. Eimeriosis has a high economic impact on the farming industries due to direct cost of treatment and calf losses, but especially due to decreased performance of clinically as well as sub-clinically affected animals. Emphasis lies on prophylactic or metaphylactic treatment, since the degree of damage to the intestinal mucosa once diarrhoea has developed, makes therapeutic intervention unrewarding.