Effect of ivermectin and oxfendazole on shedding of larvae of the lungworm (Dictyocaulus viviparus) by red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Thirty eight newly weaned hinds were randomly allocated to one of two equal groups. One group received ivermectin, the other, oxfendazole at dose rates of 0.2 mg/kg and 4.5 mg/kg, respectively. All deer were drenched four times and were grazed on pasture. Both anthelmintics reduced D. viviparus faecal larval counts to low levels 20 days after dosing, but the mean larval output and the proportion of deer shedding D. viviparus larvae at 27 and 33 days after treatment, were significantly lower in the ivermectin treated group. There was no significant difference in weight gain between the two groups throughout the trial. This study suggests that ivermectin prevents reinfection with D. viviparus for approximately 14 days longer than oxfendazole.     

Thromboembolic meningocephalitis caused by Haemophilus somnus infection in a bull calf-a new disease in New Zealand

Thromboembolic meningoencephalitis (TEME) caused by Huemophilus somnus infection was diagnosed for the first time in New Zealand in an eight month old bull calf. Clinical signs included pyrexia, excessive salivation, recumbency, opisthotonus and rigidity of the front legs. Multiple red, malacic foci (1-10 mm in diameter) were visible grossly on the surface of the cerebrum and cerebellum, and were scattered throughout the brain parenchyma. Histologically these lesions consisted of focal haemorrhage, necrosis and neutrophilic infiltration. Fibrin thrombi and colonies of gram negative bacteria were present in many small blood vessels within necrotic foci. An organism with the morphological and biochemical characteristics of Haemophilus somnus was cultured from the brain. Although TEME is an important disease of feedlot cattle in North America and Europe it is relatively uncommon in cattle grazing pasture and is therefore unlikely to become a major problem in New Zealand.     

Arsenic poisoning in dairy cattle from naturally occurring arsenic pyrites

An outbreak of arsenic poisoning occurred in which most of a 200 cow dairy herd were affected and six died. The source of the arsenic was naturally occurring arsenic pyrites from the Waiotapu Stream, near Rotorua. Arsenic levels in the nearby soil were as high as 6618 ppm. There was little evidence to suggest that treatment affected the course of the disease. Haematology was of little use in diagnosis, post-mortem signs were not always consistent and persistence of the element in the liver appeared short. Control of further outbreaks have been based on practical measures to minimise the intake of contaminated soil and free laying water by the stock.     

Isolation of oxfendazole resistant Cooperia oncophora in cattle

A field strain of Cooperia oncophora resistant to oxfendazole was isolated from a commercial cattle rearing property in Waikato, New Zealand. Resistance to oxfendazole was assessed by means of a faecal egg count depression test and an in vitro egg hatch test. This is the first documented case of anthelmintic resistance in Cooperia spp. and the first report of anthelmintic resistance in cattle in New Zealand.     

Recovery of Mycoplasma spp. from the Reproductive Tract of the Mare during the Estrous Cycle

The sites in the genital tract from which mycoplasmas could be recovered at various stages of the estrous cycle were studied in five Standardbred mares naturally infected with Mycoplasma. Mycoplasma equigenitalium and Mycoplasma subdolum were most frequently isolated from the clitoral fossa as compared to the vagina, cervix, and uterus. The lowest isolation prevalence was observed in the uterus. The recovery of Mycoplasma spp. from the clitoral fossa did not differ at any stage of the estrous cycle; however, recovery from the vagina, cervix, and uterus was variable during the cycle and more organisms were recovered on the day of ovulation than at any other time. From these results it was concluded that the clitoral fossa is the most likely “ecological niche” for Mycoplasma spp. in the mare. Ureaplasmas were not isolated.