Hepatic lipidosis in pregnant cows on a dairy farm.

A syndrome very similar to hepatic lipidosis is described in dairy cows during the dry period. After being sent to pasture the animals did not eat well for undetermined reasons. The disease phenomena were mainly observed in animals carrying twins. At post mortem examination severe falty infiltration was found in the 3 animals made available for post mortem examination. Increase of the energy supply to the dry cows by addition of maize silage to the ration prevented new cases.     

Effect of inoculum density of Macrophomina phaseolina on seedling susceptibility of six conifer species

The severity of charcoal root disease of conifer seedlings (Abies concolor, A. magnified, Pinus jeffreyi, P. lambertiana, and Pseudotsuga menziesii) was a power function of the sclerotial density of the fungus (Macrophomina phaseolina) in nursery soil.     

Common and stage-specific antigens of Theileria annulata.

Western blot analysis of Theileria annulata antigens was carried out using sera collected from cattle which had been immunised and challenged with either T. annulata sporozoites or schizont-infected cells. Three antigens between 71 and 73 kDa proved to be common to the three stages of parasite studied: sporozoites, schizonts and piroplasms. An antigen was found at 32 kDa which was specific to T. annulata piroplasms. Results were reproducible using sera from Morocco and the UK. At least one of the proteins at 71-73 kDa, but not that at 32 kDa were also recognised by sera from animals infected with Babesia species.     

Destruction of Trichinella spiralis spiralis during the preparation of the "dry cured" pork products proscuitto, proscuittini and Genoa salami

Genoa salami, proscuittini and proscuitto were prepared from pork carcasses that were heavily infected experimentally with Trichinella spiralis spiralis. Genoa salami was prepared with salt concentrations of 2.0%, 2.75% and 3.3%. Proscuitto was prepared by two procedures approved by Agriculture Canada. At various times postpreparation, samples of the various cured products were taken and examined by pepsin digestion and rat bioassay for the presence of viable trichinae. Water activity and pH of the cured meat were also determined. Curing of the various products was shown to destroy the Trichinella larvae. Pepsin digestion revealed that larvae progressively became loosely coiled, uncoiled and more subject to digestion (ghost larvae) during the curing process. Rat bioassay revealed the presence of viable trichinae in the proscuitto prepared using a sodium chloride salt mixture at day 34 but not at day 48 postpreparation. All other bioassays carried out on Genoa salami between 13 and 42 days postpreparation, on proscuittini between days 27 and 69 and on proscuitto between days 34 and 69 were negative for viable trichinae. Under the conditions of this study, preparing Genoa salami with salt concentrations as low as 2% did not appear to affect the destruction of Trichinella larvae.     

Surgery of hepatic cysts in a cat.

A 2-year-old female Japanese domestic cat weighing 3.6 kg was presented due to marked abdominal distention and was diagnosed as hepatic cyst. The bile acid concentration of the hepatic cyst was as low as the serum bile acid concentration. The membrane of the cysts was excised from the edge of the compressed hepatic tissue and no other surgical manipulation was performed. This surgical procedure is simple and quick compared to hepatic lobectomy, however, it is necessary to evaluate the fluid of the cyst before performing this procedure.     

D-Dimer Improves the Prognostic Value of Combined Clinical and Laboratory Data in Equine Gastrointestinal Colic

The discriminating ability of 15 parameters alone or in combinations, including results from analysis of plasma endotoxin, the Nycomed plasma D-Dimer test and phospholipase A₂, were analyzed to predict morbidity and mortality in equine gastrointestinal colic. Endotoxaemia was a characteristic feature of the colic horses. The problem of adequately predicting non-survivors among colic horses required several parameters to be included in the logistic model: if the “classical parameters”, (heart rate, respiratory rate, PCV, anion gap) were included in the model, addition of plasma D-dimer, phospholipase A₂, and Cl^- significantly improved the predictive value of the logistic model. Increasing heart rate and D-dimer together with decreasing chloride was a risk factor for nonsurvival. The sensitivity of this three-parameter logistic model to predict nonsurvival was 78% and specificity 77%. The Nycomed D-Dimer test is recommended as a horse-site test to predict disseminated intravascular coagulation and nonsurvival in equine colic.