Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of respiratory tract pathogens from sheep and goats

OBJECTIVE: To determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of common respiratory tract pathogens from sheep and goats. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE POPULATION: 41 respiratory tract isolates from sheep and 36 isolates from goats. PROCEDURES: Disk diffusion assay was used to determine antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ceftiofur, ciprofloxacin, florfenicol, and tetracycline. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of florfenicol for these isolates were determined by use of the microbroth dilution technique. RESULTS: The most common isolates were Pasteurella multocida (n = 28) and Mannheimia haemolytica (39). All isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ceftiofur, ciprofloxacin, and florfenicol. Five percent (4/77) of isolates were resistant to tetracycline. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Susceptibility of respiratory tract pathogens isolated from sheep and goats to commonly used antimicrobial drugs in this study was high. Treatment of these species for bacterial respiratory tract disease is likely not complicated by antimicrobial resistance.     

Effects of non-repellent termiticides on the tunneling and walking ability of the eastern subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

BACKGROUND: Non-repellent insecticides, including fipronil and indoxacarb, are becoming increasingly important for soil treatments to manage the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar). The effects of these insecticides on termite walking and tunneling behavior could significantly reduce their efficacy against colonies. RESULTS: Groups of R. flavipes were exposed to several concentrations of commercial formulations of fipronil and indoxacarb, and the ability of treated termites to tunnel in soil and walk was assessed. Increasing insecticide concentration resulted in a reduction in the ability of R. flavipes to walk, tunnel and form tunnel branches; the importance of these effects on the use of non-repellent insecticides is discussed. CONCLUSION: Exposure of R. flavipes to 1, 10 or 50 mg L⁻¹ of fipronil or 50, 100 or 200 mg L⁻¹ of indoxacarb significantly reduced termite walking and tunneling and the number of tunnel branches. Distance walked (ca 73 mm) by untreated control termites did not change over time for at least 16 h after treatment; control termites formed ca 150 cm of tunnels with ca 40 branches. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Urinary glucocorticoid excretion in the diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism in ferrets

Hyperadrenocorticism in ferrets is usually associated with unaltered plasma concentrations of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), although the urinary corticoid/creatinine ratio (UCCR) is commonly elevated. In this study the urinary glucocorticoid excretion was investigated in healthy ferrets and in ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism under different circumstances. In healthy ferrets and in one ferret with hyperadrenocorticism, approximately 10% of plasma cortisol and its metabolites was excreted in the urine. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed one third of the urinary corticoids to be unconjugated cortisol; the other peaks mainly represented cortisol conjugates and metabolites. In 21 healthy sexually intact ferrets, the UCCR started to increase by the end of March and declined to initial values halfway the breeding season (June). In healthy neutered ferrets there was no significant seasonal influence on the UCCR. In two neutered ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism the UCCR was increased, primarily during the breeding season. In 27 of 31 privately owned ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism, the UCCR was higher than the upper limit of the reference range (2.1 x 10(-6)). In 12 of 14 healthy neutered ferrets dexamethasone administration decreased the UCCR by more than 50%, whereas in only 1 of the 28 hyperadrenocorticoid ferrets did the UCCR decrease by more than 50%. We conclude that the UCCR in ferrets primarily reflects cortisol excretion. In healthy sexually intact ferrets and in ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism the UCCR increases during the breeding season. The increased UCCR in hyperadrenocorticoid ferrets is resistant to suppression by dexamethasone, indicating ACTH-independent cortisol production.     

Dosage rate, temperature, and food source provisioning affect susceptibility of Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum to chlorfenapyr

A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate residual efficacy of the insecticidal pyrrolle chlorfenapyr (Phantom^®) on treated concrete for control of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), assess development of progeny from exposed parental adults, and to determine if starvation before exposure with or without a flour food source increased susceptibility of adult T. castaneum and adult Tribolium confusum Jacqueline du Val to chlorfenapyr. No adults survived exposure on concrete treated with chlorfenapyr at the maximum label rate of 1.1 g active ingredient (AI)/m², and no progeny were produced in bioassays conducted at 0–8 weeks posttreatment. In the second test, application rates were reduced, and bioassays were conducted at 27 and 32 °C. Adult survival and progeny production decreased as the application rate increased from 28 to 225 mg AI/m², and survival and progeny production were generally lower at 32 °C than at 27 °C, but at higher rates survival was <1 %, and no progeny were produced. In the final test, adult T. castaneum and adult T. confusum were starved for 1–7 days and then exposed either with or without flour on concrete treated with 3.9 and 27.5 mg AI chlorfenapyr/m². Mortality generally increased with starvation time, the presence of a food source led to decreased mortality at both application rates, and T. confusum was the more susceptible of the two species. Results show that chlorfenapyr could effectively control both species, but precise dosage levels need to be determined. Also, the presence of a food source greatly compromises adult control.     

Multiple endocrine neoplasias in a dog: Corticotrophic tumour,bilateral adrenocortical tumours,and pheochromocytoma

Summary

In a 10‐year‐old ovariohysterectomized standard Schnauzer, the finding of dexamethasone‐resistant hypersecretion of cortisol, the results of computed tomography, and elevated plasma concentrations of ACTH suggested the presence of both adrenocortical tumour and pituitary‐dependent hyperadrenocorticism. The dog made an uneventful recovery after bilateral adrenalectomy and remained in good health for 31/2 years with substitution for the induced hypoadrenocorticism. Then the enlarged pituitary caused neurological signs and eventually euthanasia was performed. The surgically excised right adrenal contained a well‐circumscribed tumour of differentiated adrenocortical tissue and in the left adrenal there were two adrenocortical tumours and a pheochromocytoma. The unaffected parts of the adrenal cortices were well developed and without regressive transformation. At necropsy there were no metastatic lesions. The cells of the pituitary tumour were immunopositive for ACTH and had characteristics of malignancy.

The present combination of corticotrophic tumour, adrenocortical tumours, and pheochromocytoma may be called ‘multiple endocrine neoplasia’ (MEN), but does not correspond to the inherited combinations of diseases known in humans as the MEN‐1 and the MEN‐2 syndromes. It is suggested that the co‐existence of hyperadrenocorticism and pheochromocytoma may be related to the vascular supply of the adrenals. Some chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla are directly exposed to cortical venous blood, and intra‐adrenal cortisol is known to stimulate catecholamine synthesis and may promote adrenal medullary hyperplasia or neoplasia.     

Two Novel Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cycle Inhibitory Cyclodepsipeptides from a Hydrothermal Vent Crab-Associated Fungus Aspergillus clavatus C2WU

Two novel cyclodepsipeptides containing an unusual anthranilic acid dimer and a d-phenyllactic acid residues, clavatustides A (1) and B (2), were identified from cultured mycelia and broth of Aspergillus clavatus C2WU isolated from Xenograpsus testudinatus, which lives at extreme, toxic habitat around the sulphur-rich hydrothermal vents in Taiwan Kueishantao. This is the first example of cyclopeptides containing an anthranilic acid dimer in natural products, and the first report of microbial secondary metabolites from the hydrothermal vent crab. Clavatustides A (1) and B (2) suppressed the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines (HepG2, SMMC-7721 and Bel-7402) in a dose-dependent manner, and induced an accumulation of HepG2 cells in G1 phase and reduction of cells in S phase.     

Leptospirosis in a lamb

Abstract

Extract

Recently, we reported on outbreaks of Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona infection in newly weaned lambs(1) Vermunt, JJ, West, DM, Cooke, MM, Alley, MR and Collins-Emerson, J. 1994. Observations on three outbreaks of Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona infection in lambs. New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 42: 133–6. [Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]. It was suggested that wet environmental conditions played an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease in that class of sheep. This communication presents observations on another case of ovine leptospirosis, one that occurred under different circumstances, i.e. different season, age and environmental conditions.     

Thrombogenicity of dietary milkfat,fish oil and hydrogenated coconut oil in a pig model

Extract

Several indicators of thrombosis and thrombolysis were measured in four groups of 16 pigs fed for 10 weeks on either a low fat basal ration or rations containing 10% anhydrous milkfat (AMF), 10% fish oil (MaxEPA), or 10% hydrogenated coconut oil (HCO). At the end of the feeding period, pigs on the three test fat/oil rations were subjected to balloon angioplasty of both femoral arteries. Thrombus size at the site of injury was measured both morphometrically and using autologous blood platelets labelled with ⁹⁹Tc-HMPAO (technetium - “Deretec”).     

Biosecurity and risk management for dairy replacements.

Biosecurity, biocontainment, and disease risk management on dairy replacement operations are time- and labor-intensive, planned programs. Oftentimes the value of these programs is realized only after disease is introduced to a facility or a disease outbreak occurs. There is no "one-plan-fits-all;" each plan must be tailored to meet the needs of management's goals and expectations and problems specific to a production enterprise or geographic region. A standard framework applicable to biosecurity programs includes: (1) hazard identification, (2) exposure assessment, (3) risk characterization, and (4) risk management. The discussion presented here helps lay the framework for development and implementation of biosecurity and risk-management programs within dairy replacement facilities.