Serologic survey of cats and dogs during an epidemic of West Nile virus infection in humans

OBJECTIVE: To estimate West Nile virus (WNV) infection rates, assess environmental variables that correlated with seropositivity in dogs and cats, and assess whether pets should be considered as possible sentinels for WNV and therefore of potential human exposure. DESIGN: Cross-sectional serosurvey. ANIMALS: 442 dogs and 138 cats. PROCEDURE: Serum samples were screened for seropositivity against WNV by use of the plaque reduction neutralization test. RESULTS: 116 (26%) dogs and 13 (9%) cats yielded positive results. The odds of seropositivity against WNV for outdoor-only family dogs were almost 19 times as great as those for indoor-only family dogs and almost twice as great for stray dogs as for family dogs. Family dogs not receiving heartworm medication were 2.5 times as likely to yield positive results for antibodies against WNV as family dogs receiving heartworm medication. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Seropositivity was greater for outdoor family dogs than for indoor family dogs. Further investigation of the potential use of stray dogs as sentinel indicators for WNV infection and the potential risk of human exposure is warranted.     

The bacillus spore coat

ABSTRACT Bacilli, which are abundant in the soil, form highly resistant dormant cell types, called spores, in response to starvation. The spore is organized into a series of concentrically arranged structures, each of which contribute in a different way to resistance against environmental stress. In certain bacteria, including Bacillus subtilis, the outermost of these structures is a multilayered protein shell, called the coat. The coat is both an armor plating and, almost certainly, possesses enzymatic activities, allowing it to have active roles as well. Assembly of the proteins comprising the coat is carefully controlled during spore assembly, resulting in a distinct pattern of layers, seen in cross section, and a discreet pattern of ridges on the surface. Although our understanding of spore coat composition and assembly is deepening, we still know little about the roles of the coat in interactions between spores and other organisms, particularly in the soil. Critical future directions for spore coat research include continued identification of the proteins that comprise the coat surface, characterization of the global chemical characteristics of this surface, and elucidation of how these features impact on other organisms in the soil.     

Avoidance of injuries to migrating fish by hydropower and water intake plants

Every year numerous downstream migrating fish are lethally injured by hydro power plants and inlet works. Especially the katadromous Eel (Anguilla anguilla) and anadromous species like Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar), which have to migrate downstream into the ocean for closing their life cycle, are highly endangered. Due to their specific migratory behavioral pattern, size and morphology conventional protection techniques, like screens do not properly keep them out from getting into the power plant intakes. Despite of the relevance of this problem for ecology and fishing, there are no protection and downstream migration facilities in Europe available, which can efficiently avoid the damage of all species and sizes of downstream migrating fish. Nevertheless according to protect the fish populations it's necessary to use consequently fish protection and downstream migration facilities, i.e. mechanical barrieres or alternative techniques like early warning systems as a prerequisit for a fish-friendly operational management of hydro power plants.     

Effects of oxygen tension in the gas atmosphere during in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilization and in vitro culture on the efficiency of in vitro production of mouse embryos

Effects of oxygen (O2) tension in the gas atmosphere during in vitro maturation (IVM), in vitro fertilization (IVF) and in vitro culture (IVC) on the efficiency of in vitro production of mouse embryos were examined. Mouse oocytes recovered from large antral follicles were subjected to IVM in Waymouth medium for 15, 16 and 17 hr under 5 or 20% O2 and then subjected to IVF and IVC under 5 or 20% O2 tension. Lowering the O2 tension in the gas atmosphere for IVM from 20 to 5% improved the cleavage rate after IVF when the oocytes were subjected to IVM for 15 hr; however, no improvement in the cleavage rate was observed when the culture period for IVM was extended to 16 and 17 hr. Lowering the O2 tension to 5% for IVM and IVC improved the development of the cleaved oocytes to the blastocyst stage, regardless of the culture period for IVM. However, the O2 tension for IVF had no remarkable effect on the subsequent embryonic development. These results demonstrate that 5% O2 is superior to 20% O2 for IVM and IVC, and suggest that 20% O2 for IVM may delay oocyte maturation and/or the acquisition of fertilizability and impair the developmental competence of oocytes.     

Prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in poultry meat and raw milk using PCR, conventional cultural methods and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

The identification of thermotolerant campylobacters in official food control in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg has been traditionally performed using the cultural procedure as described in the ISO-Norm 10272:1995. Analysis thus took 5-6 days to complete. Additionally diagnostic problems caused by the accompanying flora as well as the resistance to nalidixic acid occured. Within the scope of this study these problems could be solved by introducing a filtration step for the reduction of the accompanying flora and by performing the indoxyl acetate-hydrolysis-test in addition to the antibiotic-resistance-test. Besides various PCR protocols for the identification of thermotolerant campylobacters from food were established as an alternative to the cultural procedure, providing reliable results within two days. Furthermore, infrared spectroscopy was tested for the identification of Campylobacter isolates. Using this technique and with the help of a suitable data base, bacterial pure cultures can be differentiated within 2 hours. Among others 356 samples of raw poultry meat were tested with the newly established procedures as well as with the classical cultural method, showing that 32% of the samples were Campylobacter spp. positive. 37% of these isolates were resistant against nalidixic acid. This indicates that the development of resistances in Campylobacter spp. in Germany follows the same trend described for other European countries.     

Quantification of surgical blood loss

OBJECTIVE: To compare gravimetric and colorimetric methods of quantifying surgical blood loss, and to determine if there is a correlation between preoperative hemostatic tests (buccal mucosa bleeding time [BMBT] and intraoperative blood loss). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. ANIMALS: Dogs (n=15) admitted for cutaneous tumor excision, orthopedic procedure, or exploratory laparotomy. METHODS: Intraoperative blood loss was quantified by measuring irrigation fluid and weighing surgical sponges used for blood and fluid collection during surgery. Results of gravimetric measurements were then correlated to blood loss quantified using spectrophotometric analysis of hemoglobin (Hb) content. Hemostatic variables including BMBT were measured before surgery and compared with the calculated amount of blood loss. RESULTS: Blood loss quantified by gravimetric measurement showed a significant correlation with colorimetric determination of Hb content in surgical sponges and collected irrigation fluid (r=0.93, P<.0001). BMBT correlated weakly but significantly with intraoperative blood loss (r=0.56, P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Quantifying intraoperative blood loss using spectrophotometric Hb analysis accurately assessed the amount of blood loss; however, it is a time-consuming procedure, primarily applicable as a research tool. Gravimetric evaluation of intraoperative blood loss was found to be an accurate method, which can be recommended for use in a clinical setting. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Estimation of blood loss using a gravimetric method is accurate and applicable in the clinical setting and provides surgeons with a simple and objective tool to evaluate intraoperative blood loss.