Gastrointestinal parasitism reduces the plasma availability of doramectin in lambs

A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of parasitism on plasma availability and pharmacokinetic behaviour of doramectin (DRM) in lambs. Fourteen parasitised grey face Suffolk lambs (26.9 ± 1.5 kg bodyweight) were selected for the study. Seven pairs of lambs were allocated to two groups to obtain an approximately even weight distribution. Group I (non-parasitised) was pre-treated with three repeated administrations of 5 mg/kg fenbendazole to maintain a parasite free condition. In group II (parasitised), the lambs did not receive any anthelmintic treatment. After the 85-day pre-treatment period, both groups of animals were treated with DRM by subcutaneous (SC) injection in the shoulder area at 200 μg/kg. Throughout the experimental period, both groups were maintained together under similar feeding and management conditions. Blood samples were collected by jugular venepuncture at different set times between 0.5 h and 60 days post-treatment. After plasma extraction and derivatisation, samples were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. A computerised kinetic analysis was performed and the data were compared using the Student’s paired t test.The parent molecule was detected in plasma between 30 min and either day 20 (parasitised) or day 35 (non-parasitised) post-DRM treatment. The AUC values of the parasitised group (143.0 ± 18 ng d/mL) were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those observed in the parasitically naïve animals (229.6 ± 21.7 ng d/mL). The mean residence time (MRT) in the parasitised group (3.4 ± 0.3 days) was significantly shorter (P < 0.05) than in the healthy group (6.6 ± 0.6 days). Study results have shown that parasitic disease, through alteration in the body condition, can produce significant changes in the plasma disposition of DRM when administered SC to parasitised lambs.     

Co-infection with Mycoplasma haemofelis and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' in three cats from Brazil

The two most common haemotropic Mycoplasma of cats, Mycoplasma haemofelis and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' have been identified using molecular techniques in all continents, except Antarctica. We report the first molecular characterization in South America of a dual infection with M haemofelis and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' in three domestic cats. The 16S ribosomal RNA gene was amplified in three anaemic cats in which haemoplasma organisms were seen attached to the erythrocytes in the peripheral blood smear. Bands of the expected size for M haemofelis and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' were observed in all three cats. The 393 bp segment of one of the amplicons had a similarity value of 100% to M haemofelis, whereas the other amplicon, a 192 bp segment, was 100% similar to 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum'. After diagnosis, two cats received blood transfusion and they were all treated with doxycycline. All three cats recovered uneventfully.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Salmonella isolates from cattle in feedlots

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Salmonella isolates from feedlot cattle. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE POPULATION: 263 Salmonella isolates. PROCEDURES: Fecal samples were collected from the floor of 2 pens in each of 100 feedlots. Two hundred eighty Salmonella isolates were recovered after bacteriologic culture from 38 pens. Of these, 263 isolates were available for antimicrobial susceptibility testing to 16 antimicrobials, using microbroth dilution breakpoint plates. RESULTS: Less than 5% of isolates were resistant to any of the antimicrobials tested, with the exception of sulfamethoxazole (15; 5.7%) and tetracycline (61; 23.2%). Most isolates (197; 74.9%) were susceptible to all antimicrobials tested, whereas 18 (6.8%) were resistant to 2 or more antimicrobials. The percentage of isolates with resistance to any antimicrobial varied by serotype. The percentage of isolates resistant to various antimicrobials was not related to concurrent use of antimicrobials in the feed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: With the exception of tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole, resistance of Salmonella isolates to any of the antimicrobials was uncommon. Most isolates were susceptible to all antimicrobials tested. Antimicrobial resistance was not related to the presence of antimicrobials in the ration being fed at the time of sample collection.     

In vitro effects of malathion and O,O,S-trimethyl phosphorothioate on cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses

Oral administration of O,O,S-trimethyl phosphorothioate (OOS), an impurity present in technical formulations of malathion, has been shown to be associated with a high incidence of pneumonia in rats and to be highly immunosuppressive in mice. Based on these findings, an in vitro model was established to study the effect of this and other organophosphorus compounds on murine cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses. The organophosphorus compounds were tested for their ability to block in vitro generation of CTL responses to alloantigen and/or the expression of these cytotoxic responses. Responses were generated in C57Bl/6 (H-2^b) spleen cells to mitomycin C-blocked P815 (H-2^d) tumor cells. The cytotoxicity of the cultured splenocytes to P815 target was measured using a 4-hr chromium release assay. These data demonstrated that malathion was able to block the ability of splenocytes to sensitize to P815 at concentrations as low as 25 μg/ml, but was not able to block the expression of cytotoxicity by mature killer T cells. The same was true for OOS which had been activated by preincubation with rat liver postmitochondrial supernatant (PMS). Activated OOS blocked the generation of CTL responses at concentrations as low as 75 μg/ml while having no effect on mature cytotoxic cells. In fact, both malathion and activated OOS were no longer able to suppress CTL responses if treatment was performed as early as 24 hr after exposure to antigen. Additionally, it was demonstrated that when malathion was preincubated with PMS it was no longer suppressive and that OOS without activation failed to suppress CTL responses.     

Interaction of Grazing Muzzle Use and Grass Species on Forage Intake of Horses

The impact of horse preference and grass morphology on grazing muzzle effectiveness has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of grazing muzzle use at reducing forage intake when horses grazed grasses with different morphology and preferences. The study was conducted in 2012 and 2013. Four horses were grazed in 2012, and three horses were grazed in 2013. Four species of perennial cool-season grasses were grazed in 2012 including Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), meadow fescue (Schedonorus pratensis Huds.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.). In 2013, only Kentucky bluegrass and reed canarygrass were grazed because of winter kill of other species. Horses were allowed to graze a small pasture seeded with an individual species for 4 hours each day in June and August of 2012 and August and September of 2013. Horses grazed the same grass species for two consecutive days, one day with a muzzle and one day without. Before and after each grazing, a strip was mechanically harvested to determine initial and residual herbage mass. The difference was used to estimate forage intake. The effectiveness of a grazing muzzle was not affected by forage species (P ≥ .05). Use of a grazing muzzle decreased the amount of forage consumed by an average of 30% compared with not using a grazing muzzle (P < .0001). Results will aid horse owners and professionals in estimating forage intake of muzzled horses on pasture.     

Bulk deposition of metals in Tulsa,Oklahoma

Samples of bulk precipitation were collected at six sites adjacent to the Arkansas River in Tulsa, Oklahoma for a period of 11 mo (June 1980 to April 1981). Collected samples were analyzed by flameless atomic absorbtion spectrophotometry for Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The data were reported as volume-weighted metal concentrations (μg L¹) and metal deposition (mg m^?2 yr^?1). Metal deposition was fairly constant from site to site and appeared to be proportional to the amount of precipitation collected. Zinc was by far the largest contributing metal, 497 mg m^?2 yr^?1 followed by Pb. Cr, Ni, and Cd with depositions of 25.5, 25.7, 7.02, and 0.95 mg m^?2 yr^?1 respectively. Concentration data varied greatly over the collection period. Compared to data previously reported in the literature, all of the metal concentrations obtained in this study fall within the ranges observed by other investigators with the exception of Zn which was slightly higher. The average volume-weighted concentrations in μg L^?1 were Cd-2.1, Cr-57.0, Ni-15.6, Pb-56.6, and Zn-1100.     

Why is climate sensitivity so unpredictable?

Uncertainties in projections of future climate change have not lessened substantially in past decades. Both models and observations yield broad probability distributions for long-term increases in global mean temperature expected from the doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide, with small but finite probabilities of very large increases. We show that the shape of these probability distributions is an inevitable and general consequence of the nature of the climate system, and we derive a simple analytic form for the shape that fits recent published distributions very well. We show that the breadth of the distribution and, in particular, the probability of large temperature increases are relatively insensitive to decreases in uncertainties associated with the underlying climate processes.