Intravenous anesthesia

Anticholinergics, tranquilizers, and sedative-hypnotics are the usual agents used for preanesthetic sedation of the horse. Of these drugs, the anticholinergics are of little importance in the horse. Acepromazine is the most useful and widely used tranquilizer, whereas xylazine is a safe and popular sedative. A newer sedative recently made available to the veterinarian for clinical use in horses is detomidine. Thiobarbiturates are seldom used alone any longer but are still useful when combined with guaifenesin for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. Other, more contemporary drug combinations that have largely replaced thiobarbiturates and chloral hydrate include xylazine with ketamine, xylazine with Telazol, detomidine with Telazol, and guaifenesin with ketamine and xylazine.     

Predicting beef-longissimus tenderness from various biochemical and histological muscle traits

Our objective was to determine the predictive value of various biochemical and histological traits for tenderness of the longissimus muscle. Data collected from 27 crossbred cattle included longissimus pH, temperature, sarcomere length, total and percentage of soluble collagen, muscle-fiber type and area, cathepsin B and B + L activities, calcium-dependent protease (CDP)-I, -II and inhibitor activities, myofibril fragmentation indices (MFI), Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) force, sensory-panel tenderness (SPT) ratings and carcass traits. Stepwise regression analyses were performed among breeds or pooled within breeds with WBS and SPT as dependent variables. When MFI were included in the analysis, MFI at d 7 explained 50% of the variation in WBS and SPT at d 14. An additional 19% of SPT was accounted for by the addition of CDP inhibitor d 1 activity and percentage-area of alpha R fibers to the model. However, because variation in MFI was not significant within breed subclasses and MFI could be classified more as a dependent variable, it was removed from the model. This resulted in CDP inhibitor d 1 activity explaining 44% of the variation in WBS and SPT at d 14. Also, percentage-area of beta R fibers, 6 h pH and cathepsin B + L d 14 activity appeared in the model. In addition, CDP inhibitor activity was the only variable to be significant within breed groups. These data suggest that d 7 MFI could be used as a single predictor of d 14 longissimus muscle tenderness; however, CDP inhibitor d 1 activity (a biological event) also may be useful in predicting tenderness.     

Observations on mouse-infective stocks of Cowdria ruminantium: microscopical demonstration of the Kwanyanga stock in mouse tissue and the carrier-status of the Senegal stock in mice

The behaviour of two different stocks of Cowdria ruminantium was investigated in mice. The mouse-pathogenic Kwanyanga stock of C ruminantium was microscopically demonstrated in mice in capillary endothelial cells of the lung, spleen, kidney, liver and brain. Mice of the ninth passage of the Senegal stock, which is infective but not pathogenic to mice, were kept alive for a year. Their blood and homogenised spleens, inoculated intravenously, caused fatal heartwater in a goat. However, the Senegal stock could not be demonstrated microscopically in mice. These results indicate the possible role of rodents in the epidemiology of heartwater.     

An economic evaluation of the differences between intensive and extensive beef production systems

A model to evaluate economic criteria involved when cattle are raised on high-forage diets prior to finishing or finished directly after weaning was developed using data from two experiments. In Exp. 1, each year for 3 yr, 136 Charolais-cross calves were weaned and allotted to either an intensive system, in which they were immediately finished on a high-grain diet, or an extensive system, in which they were wintered on crop residues, grazed on summer pasture and finished on a high-grain diet. In Exp. 2, 160 British breed steers were wintered, in one of eight different wintering systems utilizing crop residues, using supplemental protein and(or) alfalfa hay. After wintering, the steers grazed summer pasture and then were finished on a high-grain diet. Overall cost of gain and final "break-even" price were lower for cattle finished through the extensive system except when the price of corn was very low in relationship to other inputs. Interest costs were higher for cattle in the extensive system. Increasing the feeder calf purchase price had almost no effect on differences between the systems. Corn price and purchase price affected both systems similarly, whereas interest rate, wintering yardage and finishing yardage affected each system differently. Because of the additional weight produced through the extensive system, it yielded lower final "break-even" prices in most situations.     

MALDI-TOF MS identification of Prototheca algae associated with bovine mastitis

We evaluated the use of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of 3 major, dairy-associated Prototheca species, namely, Prototheca bovis (formerly P. zopfii genotype 2), P. blaschkeae, and P. ciferrii (formerly P. zopfii genotype 1). The MALDI-TOF MS spectra established for those species were introduced into the reference spectra library of the Bruker Biotyper MALDI-TOF MS analysis software. Next, 31 Prototheca isolates from Holstein cows with mastitis, from herds located in the midwestern area of São Paulo State, Brazil, were subjected to MALDI-TOF MS profiling. MALDI-TOF MS allowed identification of 22 of 27 P. bovis and 3 of 4 P. blaschkeae isolates with scores >2.0, with 5 of 27 P. bovis and 1 of 4 P. blaschkeae isolates identified only to the genus level. With our extended algae database, MALDI-TOF MS can contribute to quick and effective speciation of Prototheca from mastitis cases.     

Alteration in intestinal morphologic features associated with extensive large-colon resection in horses

Light microscopy, morphometry, and scanning electron microscopy were used to examine the mucosal morphologic features of 7 intestinal specimens (3 from the small intestine; 4 from the large intestine) from each of 8 horses 1 year after sham operation (group 1; n = 3) or extensive large-colon resection (group 2; n = 5). Qualitative light microscopic examination did not reveal differences between groups, but morphometry revealed significantly (P less than 0.05) greater intercrypt area and distance in horses with colon resection and this was most pronounced in the cecum and remaining right ventral and dorsal colon. Crypt area and depth were similar for horses with colon resection and sham operation (P greater than 0.05). Qualitative evaluation of the scanning electron micrographs revealed more prominent crypt orifices in the large intestine of horses with colon resection. The larger intercrypt distance in the colon of horses with resection was not an obvious feature of the qualitative evaluation of the surface with scanning electron microscopy. Small intestinal morphologic features were variable and significant differences were not detected between horses with sham operation and colon resection. Horses adapted to extensive large-colon resection within 1 year by increasing the absorptive (intercrypt) surface area of the remaining large intestine.     

Enteric Function in Cats after Subtotal Colectomy for Treatment of Megacolon

The enteric function of four cats that had undergone subtotal colectomy for megacolon was compared with that of four normal cats. All cats were fed the same diet before and during the study. History, physical condition, body weight, blood chemistry panel, fasting and postprandial serum bile acids, serum cobalamin concentration, serum folate concentration, fecal weight, fecal water content, fecal fat content, fecal osmolality and electrolyte concentration, quantitative anaerobic fecal bacterial culture, partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, breath hydrogen concentration, urinary calcium, phosphorus and electrolyte concentrations, and abdominal radiographic examination with air contrast studies (pneumocolon) were examined. The four cats treated surgically were healthy and thriving and, in general, enteric function was similar to the controls. Bowel movements occurred only slightly more frequently with no significant differences in fecal volume or water content. Serum cobalamin concentrations were significantly higher in cats treated surgically. Fecal sodium concentrations were high and fecal potassium concentrations were low. Results of this study did not show any significant subclinical evidence of abnormal bowel function in cats after subtotal colectomy.