Caecal lipomatosis as a cause of colic in a 9‐year‐old gelding

Lipomatosis is an uncommon cause of colic. This case report details the pre‐ and intraoperative findings of a 9‐year‐old gelding, presented with acute abdominal pain. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a massive fatty infiltrate involving an extensive portion of the base and mid‐body of the caecum. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of an infiltrative lipomatous lesion of the equine caecum.     

Land‐use changes influence the sporulation and survival of Phytophthora agathidicida,a lethal pathogen of New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis)

Phytophthora agathidicida is the accepted causal agent of dieback in remnant stands of long‐lived indigenous New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) and poses a significant threat to the long‐term survival of this species. Little is known about the effect of key soil physicochemical characteristics on the growth of P. agathidicida. In this study, we investigated the growth of P. agathidicida in soils collected from adjacent areas under original kauri forest, short rotation pine (Pinus radiata) plantation forest and grazed pastures. A growth response assay was used to quantify asexual (sporangia) and sexual (oospore) spore counts over 8 days in soils sampled from each land‐use. Significantly higher numbers of sporangia (p < 0.001) and oospores (p < 0.01) were found in pasture and pine forest soil within 2 days of the growth assay trials, suggesting these soils may favour asexual/sexual reproduction in the early stages of P. agathidicida establishment compared to kauri forest soils. Additionally, oospore production significantly increased over 8 days in pine forest soil, suggesting that with an increase in inoculum loads, these soils potentially act as pathogen reservoirs. The soil physicochemical properties (e.g., pH, C and N, phosphorus content and electrical conductivity) investigated in this study did not significantly correspond to spore count data between land‐uses, suggesting that differences in growth response are driven by other edaphic factors not explored in the present study.     

Association of Treponema spp. with canine periodontitis

To evaluate the association of oral Treponema (T.) spp. with severity of canine periodontitis, subgingival plaque samples of dogs of various breeds undergoing surgery were investigated. A wide range of oral Treponema spp. was analysed by a molecular and culture-independent approach applying DNA-DNA dot blot hybridization analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization using Treponema specific oligonucleotide probes specific for phylogenetic groups I-VII of oral treponemes as well as probes specific for T. socranskii and T. denticola. To assess the periodontal status of affected dogs clinical parameters were measured and the periodontal status was classified from grade 0 (physiological periodont) to 3 (severe periodontitis). The periodontal status correlated significantly with an increasing concentration of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC, r=0.854) determined with a Halimeter, indicating a positive correlation between the presence of VSC-producing bacteria and periodontitis. In this study Treponema spp. of phylogenetic groups III, V-VII were not detected in any sample, whereas T. denticola-like treponemes were found only in 2 of 51 animals. However, treponemes belonging to phylogenetic groups I, II and IV of oral treponemes or T. socranskii were found in up to 64.84% of the dogs. The detection rate of Treponema spp. was significantly associated with an increased periodontal status. Treponemes present in periodontal lesions were also visualized by fluorescence in situ hybridization of gingival biopsies showing Treponema spp. not only in the microbial biofilm but also within the gingival tissue. The data presented here indicate that oral Treponema spp. are associated with canine periodontitis. Similar to human periodontitis, treponemes of groups I, II and IV and T. socranskii were found more frequently the higher the degree of periodontitis was.     

Prognostic significance of clinical presentation,induction and rescue treatment in 42 cases of canine centroblastic diffuse large B‐cell multicentric lymphoma in the United Kingdom

Canine lymphoma is a heterogeneous group of diseases and many previous studies have evaluated the response of a mixed population of lymphoma cases to one specific treatment protocol. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the outcome and prognostic factors in 42 cases of multicentric centroblastic diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma treated with either a COP‐type (35%) or CHOP‐type (64%) induction chemotherapy. The objective response rate to induction therapy was 94%; entire dogs had a greater rate of complete vs partial remissions than neutered dogs (P = .017). Median progression‐free survival for the first remission (PFS1) was 182 days; absence of anaemia at diagnosis (P = .002) and pretreatment neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (NLR) below 9.44 (P = .015) were independently predictive of longer PFS1. Fifty‐eight percent of dogs received rescue protocols with an objective response rate of 81%; 31% of dogs received further rescue protocols (up to a total of 5) and the median number of protocols administered were 2. Median overall survival (OS) was 322 days, the 1‐year survival rate was 38% and the 2‐year survival rate was 9%. Lymphocyte:monocyte ratio above 1.43 (P = .031), NLR below 11.44 (P = .009), the combination of induction and rescue therapy (P = .030) and the total number of doxorubicin doses used (P = .002) were independently predictive of longer OS. Use of a COP‐type protocol induction compared with CHOP did not undermine OS providing doxorubicin was used as rescue therapy.     

Appetite,metabolism and growth regulation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) exposed to hypoxia at elevated seawater temperature

High temperature combined with low dissolved oxygen (DO) is one of the most challenging environmental conditions farmed fish experience; thus, understanding their impact on growth regulation is of relevance to cultured and wild populations. This study examines appetite‐ and growth‐regulating mechanisms in Atlantic salmon postsmolt exposed to either high (HO) or low oxygen (LO) at a suboptimally high temperature (17°C). Additionally, the effects of high (HE) and low (LE) dietary energy (DE) were examined. After a month of treatment, analyses of hormones, regulating appetite (ghrelin) and growth (growth hormone receptor ghr1 and insulin‐like growth factor IGF‐1), and free amino acids (FAA) were measured pre‐ and postprandially at ?4, ?2, 0, 2, 4 and 6 h. No preprandial ghrelin peaks were detected despite a significant reduction in feed intake and growth under hypoxia compared to normoxia. LO treatment also had an overall negative effect on survival compared to HO, while nutrient retention efficiency, FCR and plasma FAA concentrations were unaffected (P > 0.05). Feeding HE diet resulted in increased growth (+17%) and improved FCR (?14%) and energy retention efficiency (+26%) independent of DO. Plasma FAA concentrations were unaffected by LO treatment and DE (P > 0.05). Growth regulatory gene expressions possibly reflect an overall lower growth at a high temperature overriding the impacts of DO and DE. This study also indicates that optimal adaptation time to environmental conditions and feeding regime is crucial for establishing a regular hormonal appetite signalling that reflects real feeding anticipation in salmon.     

Behaviour of metamitron and hydroxy-chlorothalonil in low-humic sandy soils

The behaviour of the herbicide metamitron and of the main transformation product, hydroxy-chlorothalonil (HTI), of the fungicide chlorothalonil was studied to assess the risk of leaching from low-humic sandy soil. The adsorption of metamitron corresponded to a K_om value of about 60 dm³ kg⁻¹ (moderate adsorption). The half-life of metamitron in soil at 15 °C was only three days, presumably due to adaptation of the micro-organisms. In the autumn, the residue of metamitron in the soil profiles corresponded to less than 1% of the cumulative dosage. The half-life of chlorothalonil at 15 °C was about 12 days and about 45% of it was transformed to HTI. The adsorption of HTI to the soils corresponded to a K_om value of 260 dm³ kg⁻¹. The incubation study (15 °C) showed the transformation of HTI in the soils to be very slow. The amounts of HTI remaining in the soil profiles in the autumn corresponded to 4 and 16% of the cumulative dosage of chlorothalonil. In winter, the HTI residue decreased by 40% relative to the autumn level. Occasionally, HTI could be detected in the upper ground-water level (at a depth of about 1 m), at an average concentration of 0.1 to 0.2 µg dm⁻³. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modifying land management in order to improve efficiency of rainwater use in the African highlands

Water scarcity and drought in Africa are often in the news. The widespread tendency to relate farmers’ notion of drought to changes in the occurrence of dry spells is misguided: several recent studies have yielded little evidence of an increase in the length and/or frequency of such spells. The farmers’ concept of drought is contextual and an indirect result of land degradation. Plant production suffers because water is not available due to deteriorated physical properties of soil. Farmers’ perception of drought refers to the Green Water Use Efficiency (GWUE), i.e. the fraction of rain that is used for plant transpiration. GWUE in Africa is remarkably low: in sub-Saharan Africa, only 15% of the terrestrial rainwater is used by plants for the production of food, fodder and fibre. Although a millet crop grown under traditional circumstances uses only 50 mm in transpiration, the crop frequently suffers from agricultural drought due to excessive losses of rainwater.A range of land management practices is available to help improve GWUE. They can be classified according to their function. Hedgerow barriers and terraces can mitigate runoff; infiltration rates below hedgerows in Kenya were found to be three to eight times higher than where the crop was grown. Mulch that triggers soil fauna can improve water availability; mulching with straw from a local perennial grass in Burkina Faso doubled the water use efficiency from 1 kg mm⁻¹ without fauna to 2 kg mm⁻¹ with fauna. Water harvesting and water–nutrient synergy can improve water use; in case permeable barriers combined with the use of compost Sorghum yield in Burkina Faso was 2.3 times higher than in the control plots and the plots with the barriers only.Green water deserves more attention from policy makers, planners, land users, water engineers and managers.     

Serum thyroxine concentrations in clinically healthy pet guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Background: Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) are often presented as patients in veterinary practice. Nevertheless, only limited information is available about endocrine diseases or thyroxine reference values for the species. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine serum thyroxine concentrations in a well‐defined population of clinically healthy pet guinea pigs. Methods: Between October 2007 and July 2008, serum samples were collected from 40 clinically healthy guinea pigs of different sexes, ages, and breeds that were presented to our clinic for a general health check or for castration. Pregnant females were excluded from the study. Thyroxine concentration was measured using a chemiluminescence test (Immulite 2000 Canine Total T4). Results: Thyroxine concentrations ranged from 14.2 to 66.9 nmol/L (1.1–5.2 μg/dL) with a median value of 27.0 nmol/L (2.1 μg/dL). Females (n=16) had significantly (P=.039; Mann–Whitney U‐test) lower thyroxine values than castrated males (n=8), whereas no differences were found between females and intact males (n=16) or between intact and castrated males. No significant correlation was found between thyroxine concentration and age. Conclusion: This is the first report of serum thyroxine reference values for a well‐defined population of healthy pet guinea pigs as measured by a chemiluminescence assay. The results were higher than those previously reported for this species and emphasize the importance of using appropriate reference intervals for the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism.     

Naturally acidic waterways: conceptual food webs for better management and understanding of ecological functioning

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