Clinical pathology of myodegeneration (pancreas disease) in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

The clinical pathology and histopathology of two groups of Atlantic salmon with severe degenerative myopathy (pancreas disease) is described and compared with a third healthy group. One affected group was anorexic and had low plasma protein and albumin levels while the other was feeding and had normal levels. Both diseased groups had plasma and tissue vitamin E and selenium levels lower than the healthy group. Similarly, creatine kinase values were raised in affected groups. If representative of the syndrome as a whole, the results suggest that the myopathy of pancreas disease has a basis in a vitamin E-selenium deficiency, but whether primary or induced is not clear. The results also demonstrate that the myopathy and pancreatic atrophy do not inevitably lead to anorexia or any other clinically obvious sign of disease, despite both cardiac and oesophageal involvement.     

Serological Studies of Parasitized Cattle: II. Electrophoretic Properties of Serial Serum Samples

Electrophoretic examinations using cellulose acetate strips were made on 17 serum samples collected at two-week intervals from each of three calves before and for about four months after they were placed on parasite-infected pastures in June, 1964. Four additional serum samples taken during the winter months when the animals were stabled and two obtained after they were again exposed to infected pastures in June 1965, were also examined. Two control animals of the same age, that were placed on clean pasture in 1964 and not exposed to infected pasture until June 1965, were bled on the same dates and their sera examined in parallel. All five calves showed an increase in the proportion and amount of γ-globulin in their serum as they increased in age but the gain was greatest in the two exposed calves that developed the highest complement-fixing titres with nematode antigens. Complement-fixing titres rose slowly in the other exposed calf and its serum γ-globulin level remained relatively comparable to that of the two controls.     

Complement Titres of Naturally and Artificially Raised Piglets II. Comparison with the Results of Electrophoretic Examinations

Serial serum samples from piglets in one naturally-raised and three artificially-raised litters, 19 animals, were examined by cellulose acetate electrophoresis. The electropherograms of all day-old suckling and colostrum deprived piglets showed five definite bands, the first, third, fourth and fifth corresponding in position to the albumin, alpha-, beta- and gamma-globulin regions for adult pig serum. The second, well-defined band was located between the albumin and main alpha-globulin bands. This component, considered to be alpha₁-globulin or fetuin, was no longer visible as a distinct band in the electrophoretic pattern for sera of three-week old suckling piglets or of five-week old artificially-raised piglets. No consistent relationship was observed between the rate of increase in haemolytic complement titre and the proportional changes in the various categories of serum globulins.     

Genetic characterization of 2 novel feline caliciviruses isolated from cats with idiopathic lower urinary tract disease

Feline caliciviruses (FCVs) are potential etiologic agents in feline idiopathic lower urinary tract disease (I-LUTD). By means of a modified virus isolation method, we examined urine obtained from 28 male and female cats with nonobstructive I-LUTD, 12 male cats with obstructive I-LUTD, and 18 clinically healthy male and female cats. All cats had been routinely vaccinated for FCV. Two FCVs were isolated; I (FCV-U1) from a female cat with nonobstructive I-LUTD, and another (FCV-U2) from a male cat with obstructive I-LUTD. To determine the genetic relationship of FCV-U1 and FCV-U2 to other FCVs. capsid protein gene RNA was reverse transcribed into cDNA, amplified, and sequenced. Multiple amino acid sequence alignments and phylogenetic trees were constructed for the entire capsid protein, hypervariable region E, and the more conserved (nonhypervariable) regions A, B, D, and F. When compared to 23 other FCV isolates with known biotypes, the overall amino acid sequence identity of the capsid protein of FCV-U1 and FCV-U2 ranged from 83 to 96%; identity of hypervariable regions C and E ranged from 58 to 85%. Phylogenetically, FCV-U1 clearly separated from other FCV strains in phenograms based on nonhypervariable regions. In contrast, FCV-U2 consistently segregated with the Urbana strain in all phenograms. Clustering of isolates by geographic origin was most apparent in phenograms based on nonhypervariable regions. No clustering of isolates by biotype was apparent in any phenograms. Our results indicate that FCV-UI and FCV-U2 are genetically distinct from other known vaccine and field strains of FCV.     

Sperm Morphology in the Domestic Cat, and its Relation with Fertility: A Retrospective Study

Knowledge about normal ranges in semen quality and the association between sperm morphology and fertility in felids is limited. The aims of this retrospective study were to (1) define a normal spermiogram in cats; (2) evaluate possible effects of season, age and breed on sperm morphology; and (3) evaluate the relationship between sperm morphology and fertility. Semen samples collected by electroejaculation from 52 cats were evaluated for sperm morphology. The cats constituted two groups: a general population of cats (n = 48) and cats examined because of poor breeding records (n = 4). The general population was divided into household (n = 20), pedigree (n = 19) and colony cats (n = 9) and into three age classes, <12 months, 12-59 months and >or=60 months. The median percentage of normal spermatozoa in the general population was 44.0% (range 1.0-91.0%). Criteria were tentatively set for what was considered a normal spermiogram. The mean percentage of normal spermatozoa was higher during February to July than during August to January (p < 0.05). Pedigree cats had a lower mean percentage of normal spermatozoa than did household cats (p < 0.05). Age had no effect on the percentage of normal spermatozoa but was positively correlated with the percentage of proximal droplets. Of the cats with <40% normal spermatozoa (n = 19), all those with known breeding records (n = 11) had produced litters. The four cats examined because of poor breeding results had higher percentages of different sperm abnormalities than tentatively stipulated for the normal spermiogram. In two of these cats both sperm morphology and fertility changed over time.