Presumed canine trigemino‐abducens synkinesis in a dog

A ten‐year‐old male neutered Rhodesian ridgeback cross dog was presented for the investigation of abnormal bilateral protrusion of the third eyelid when chewing. Physical, ophthalmological, and neurological examinations were unremarkable. Thoracic radiographs, abdominal ultrasound, and magnetic resonance of the brain and orbits failed to reveal any abnormalities. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed elevated protein, but the nucleated cell count was normal. trigemino‐abducens synkinesis was presumptively diagnosed. Aetiopathogenesis of this condition is discussed. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of presumed trigemino‐abducens synkinesis in a dog.     

Interactions of Mycoplasma bovoculi with erythrocytes: role of p94 surface protein.

The attachment of two strains of Mycoplasma bovoculi to erythrocytes was measured using 35S-methionine-labelled organisms. Receptor sites of M. bovoculi involved in this attachment are trypsin-sensitive, since mild trypsin treatment of the intact organisms abolished this process completely. Pretreatment of erythrocytes with trypsin or increasing concentrations of neuraminidase resulted in no measurable effect. Monoclonal antibody MA25.5 directed against a M. bovoculi surface antigen of 94 kDa termed p94 blocked 40% of the attachment, while MA18.13 directed against a 57 kDa protein band of M. bovoculi had no effect on the attachment process. Other properties of M. bovoculi were tested using six strains of the mycoplasma and erythrocytes from several animal species. None of the strains showed haemagglutinating or haemadsorbing activities.     

Vaccination of cattle with Mycoplasma bovoculi antigens: evidence for field immunity

Cattle previously exposed to Mycoplasma bovoculi developed a high serum IgG and cellular responses detected by ELISA and lymphocyte blastogenesis respectively, when immunized with three M. bovoculi antigen preparations (two non-ionic detergent extracts and a killed whole organism). Similar responses to the detergent immunogen were observed in colostrum-deprived calves free of M. bovoculi. Following ocular challenge with live M. bovoculi all animals including the control group cleared the organism. However the organism colonized the eyes of the colostrum-deprived calves. These observations indicate that previous exposure to M. bovoculi confers immunity to reinfection and that none of the vaccines provided a protective activity against the organism.     

Effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia senegal</Emphasis> on growth and yield of groundnut,sesame and roselle in an agroforestry system in North Kordofan state,Sudan

Two field trials were conducted under rainfed conditions at El-Obeid Research Farm and Eldemokeya Forest Reserve, North Kordofan State during the growing seasons 2004/2005 and 2005/2006. The objective was to investigate the effect of Acacia senegal on the performance and yield of groundnut (Arachis hypogea), sesame (Sesamum indicum) and roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) in an agroforestry system. The two trials consisted of seven treatments: three represented the intercropping of groundnut, sesame and roselle with A. senegal, three without trees and one represented A. senegal alone. Data were recorded on soil physical and chemical properties, soil moisture content, crops fresh weight (kg/ha), dry weight (kg/ha), gum yield (g/picking) and crop yield (kg/ha). The trees at El-Obeid yielded no gum, whereas those at Eldemokeya were 15 years old and were tapped as part of the total harvest in the agroforestry plots. Land equivalent ratios (LER) and simple financial analyses of gross surpluses were used to evaluate the productivity of the different treatments. Fresh weight of groundnut, sesame and roselle was significantly different (P < .0.05) at both sites. Higher fresh weights were found under the intercropping system than the sole cropping system. This could be attributed to a shading effect that limits fruit production of the field crops more than vegetative growth. Dry weights were significantly greater for sesame and roselle in both sites, while that of groundnuts was not significantly different. In both sites, intercropping reduced the yield of sesame by 6 and 11% in the first season and 37 and 39% in the second season. The reduction in roselle yield was 19 and 28% in the first season and 15 and 8% in the second season. Yield reduction in groundnut was 35 and 17% in the first season and 35 and 11% in the second season. The combined analysis indicated that intercropping reduced groundnut yield by 26%, sesame by 21% and roselle by 20%. All the treatments gave LER of more than one—indicating the superiority of growing the field crops in intercropping over the sole cropping systems. The highest LER of (1.71) was obtained when roselle was intercropped with A. senegal, while the lowest LER (1.48) was obtained when groundnuts were intercropped with A. senegal. All the treatments gave positive net revenues, the highest being for intercropped roselle (438 SDG/ha). The intercropping of sesame gave the second highest net revenue (387 SDG/ha), while the sole roselle gave the lowest net revenue (97 SDG/ha).     

The influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation on key growth parameters and fruit yield of pepper plants grown at high salinity

This study investigated the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonisation by Glomus clarum on growth and fruit yield of pepper (Capsicum annum cv. 11B 14) grown at high salinity. The experiment was conducted in pots containing a mixture of perlite and sand (1:1, v/v) under glasshouse conditions. Treatments were: (1) no added NaCl without arbuscular mycorrhizae (NS-AM), (2) no added NaCl with arbuscular mycorrhizae (NS + AM), (3) added 50 mM NaCl without arbuscular mycorrhizae (S1-AM) and (4) added 100 mM NaCl without arbuscular mycorrhizae (S2-AM), (5) added 50 mM NaCl with arbuscular mycorrhizae (S1 + AM) and (4) added 100 mM NaCl with arbuscular mycorrhizae (S2 + AM). The NaCl treatments reduced pepper shoot and root dry matter, and fruit yield compared with the non-saline treatments. The concentrations of N, P and K, in the leaves were significantly reduced by salinity stress, however, mycorrhizal colonisation of the salt-stressed plants restored leaf nutrient concentrations to the levels in non-stressed plants in most cases. AM inoculation improved pepper growth under salt or saltless conditions and reduced cell membrane leakage.     

Assessment of pain associated with bovine respiratory disease and its mitigation with flunixin meglumine in cattle with induced bacterial pneumonia

Pleuritic chest pain from bacterial pneumonia is often reported in human medicine. However, studies investigating pain associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) are lacking. The objectives of this study were to assess if bacterial pneumonia elicits a pain response in calves with experimentally induced BRD and to determine the analgesic effects of transdermally administered flunixin. A total of 26 calves, 6–7 mo of age, with no history of BRD were enrolled into one of three treatment groups: 1) experimentally induced BRD + transdermal flunixin at 3.3 mg/kg twice, 24 h apart (BRD + FTD); 2) experimentally induced BRD + placebo (BRD + PLBO); and 3) sham induction + placebo (CNTL + PLBO). Calves induced with BRD were inoculated with Mannheimia haemolytica via bronchoalveolar lavage. Outcomes were collected from −48 to 192 h post-treatment and included serum cortisol, infrared thermography, mechanical nociceptive threshold, substance P, kinematic gait analysis, visual analog scale (VAS), clinical illness score, computerized lung score, average activity and rumination level, prostaglandin E₂ metabolite, plasma serum amyloid A, and rectal temperature. Outcomes were evaluated using either a generalized logistic mixed model for categorical variables or a generalized linear mixed model for continuous variables. Right front force differed by treatment (P = 0.01). The BRD + PLBO had lower mean force applied to the right front limb (85.5 kg) compared with BRD + FTD (96.5 kg; P < 0.01). Average VAS differed by a treatment by time interaction (P = 0.01). The VAS scores differed for BRD + PLBO at −48 (3.49 mm) compared with 168 and 192 h (13.49 and 13.64 mm, respectively) (P < 0.01). Activity for BRD + PLBO was higher at −48 h (27 min/h) compared with 48, 72, 120, and 168 h (≤ 22.24 min/h; P < 0.01). Activity differed by a treatment by time interaction (P = 0.01). Activity for BRD + FTD was higher at −48 and 0 h (28.2 and 28.2 min/h, respectively) compared to 48, 72, 96, and 168 h (≤23.7 min/h; P < 0.01). Results show a combination of reduced activity levels, decreased force on the right front limb, and increased VAS pain scores all support that bacterial pneumonia in cattle is painful. Differences in right front force indicate that flunixin transdermal may attenuate certain pain biomarkers in cattle with BRD. These findings suggest that BRD is painful and analgesic drugs may improve the humane aspects of care for cattle with BRD.     

Acute spinal cord injury in the cat: causes, treatment and prognosis

PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Acute spinal conditions are a common emergency presentation in general veterinary practice and have the potential to cause devastating spinal cord injury (SCI) and consequent severe neurological deficits. SCI can be divided into two subgroups: exogenous SCI (vertebral fracture and/or luxation/subluxation) and endogenous SCI (intervertebral disc extrusion and ischaemic myelopathy). CLINICAL CHALLENGES: The majority of cats with SCI have concurrent injuries. The clinician must perform a thorough physical examination and prioritise and then stabilise the life-threatening problems before focusing on the neurological examination. The possibility of multiple sites of SCI and spinal shock can make interpretation of the neurological examination challenging. While plain radiographs or myelography are usually diagnostic, they do not give direct information about the integrity of the spinal cord parenchyma or the severity of any damage. If facilities or experienced staff capable of performing the necessary surgery are not available, or advanced imaging is indicated, referral to a specialist veterinary institution should be considered. AUDIENCE: This review is aimed at clinicians dealing with feline SCI in the emergency setting or at first-opinion level, and discusses causes, initial management, specific treatment and prognosis. PATIENT GROUP: While any cat may potentially be affected by SCI, there is a tendency for exogenous SCI to be more common in younger individuals and, in the authors' experience, pure-breed cats are very rarely presented. Endogenous SCI can be seen in any breed and is typically a condition of adult cats.     

Ehrlichia canis infection in the cerebrospinal fluid of a dog characterized by morulae within monocytes and neutrophils

An 8-year-old neutered female English Pointer was referred to a veterinary referral center (southwest of England) with a 4-5-month history of fecal incontinence and no evidence of urinary incontinence. Blood and free-catch urine samples were collected and sent to an off-site laboratory. Further investigations were postponed until laboratory results were available. Blood results showed a mild leukopenia, mild nonregenerative anemia, moderate to marked thrombocytopenia, and a mild increase in ALT and ALP activities. The primary veterinarian and client did not proceed with any further investigations for thrombocytopenia. Three weeks after the initial presentation, there was considerable clinical deterioration and progression of neurologic signs. Thoracic radiographs and an abdominal ultrasonographic examination were unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and spinal cord revealed an intramedullary lesion at the level of the C7 vertebra, a cystic lesion in the forebrain, and a bilateral lesion in the thalamus. A lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was collected. CSF analysis showed a robustly increased protein concentration and marked pleocytosis. The cytologic evaluation revealed a mixed cellular population. Occasional neutrophils and monocytoid cells showed purple spherical intracellular inclusions, resembling Ehrlichia morulae. An aliquot of CSF was used off-label with a dot ELISA test, which showed a strong positive result for antibodies against Ehrlichia canis/Ehrlichia ewingii. PCR identified these morulae to be E canis. To best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case of ehrlichial infection in canine CSF where Ehrlichia sub-species morulae present within neutrophils were confirmed to be Ehrlichia canis using PCR.