Dermatitis associated with microfilariae (Filarioidea) in 10 dogs

Dermatitis associated with microfilariae of a nematode of the superfamily Filarioidea was diagnosed in 10 dogs from the western United States. Clinically, lesions were single or multiple papules and plaques with alopecia, scarring, erythema, ulceration, or crusting. Eight dogs had lesional pruritus. Microscopically, there was perivascular, periglandular, to interstitial inflammation, with many eosinophils and/or plasma cells, and scarring affecting the dermis and subcutis. Microgranulomas containing microfilaria were seen in six dogs. Microfilariae were noted in microgranulomas or free in the dermis or subcutis, but not in vessels. In one case, an adult female nematode emerged from a biopsy sample that was placed in physiologic saline. Study of this nematode revealed that it was a filarioid of the family Onchocercidae; it was identified as Acanthocheilonema sp. (syn: Dipetalonema ). Antigen tests of five dogs were negative for Dirofilaria immitis . The Knott tests and/or filter tests of nine dogs were negative for microfilariae. An indirect fluorescence antibody test of one dog was also negative for D. immitis . One dog was not evaluated for microfilariae.     

Consumer interest in social sustainability issues of whitefish from capture fisheries in the north‐east Atlantic

Capture fisheries in the north‐east Atlantic account for approximately 10% of all fish consumed from capture fisheries globally. The literature shows that consumers show considerable interest in social sustainability of products in general and of fish specifically. This interest, however, has not yet been investigated for fish from the north‐east Atlantic. The first objective of this study, therefore, was to investigate whether consumers are interested in social sustainability issues of whitefish from the north‐east Atlantic by determining preferences for four social sustainability issues with distinct benefits in relation to a known reference point (i.e. approach to overfishing). The second objective of this study was to determine to what degree case‐specific and general psychographic consumer characteristics explain preferences for these issues. Choice modelling results from an online survey among 457 Dutch consumers show that consumers have the strongest preference for the environmental sustainability issue approach to overfishing. In addition, results on the social sustainability issues showed that consumers prefer fish welfare over product quality, worker safety and local employment, indicating that in this case, consumers place animal benefits over personal, worker and community benefits. The case‐specific psychographic characteristic concern contributed most to explaining preferences for the environmental sustainability issue, whereas the general psychographic characteristic personal relevance contributed most to explaining preferences for the social sustainability issues. This result is likely explained by the principal focus on MSC certification in markets for fish products, which caused consumers to form opinions (e.g. concern) on overfishing, but not on social sustainability.     

Growth, nutrient utilization, radiographic bone characteristics and postprandial thyroid hormone concentrations in weanling horses fed added dietary fat

Thirty, 19-week-old Quarter Horses were utilized in a 112-d study to compare growth, nutrient utilization and post prandial thyroid hormone concentrations in weanling horses fed fat-supplemented or conventional diets. Concentrates were formulated to contain the same nutrient-calorie ratios and were fed with Coastal Bermuda grass hay in a 70:30 concentrate:hay ratio. Initially and at 28-d intervals the horses were weighed and measured for height, heart girth circumfer ence and subcutaneous fat thickness over the rump and ribs. Radiographs were taken of the right carpal and metacarpal phalangealjoints at the beginning and end of the experimental period for evaluation of bone density and physeal maturation. A digestion trial was conducted on each horse 10 d prior to completion of the study. On d 70, blood samples were col lected from 6 females in each treatment group over a 6-h collection period for evaluation of postprandial insulin, T₄ and T₃ concentrations in response to the diets. Horses in both groups consumed an average of 2.6% of body weight daily of total feed (Dry Matter). Weanlings consuming the fat-supplemented concentrate tended to have higher (P = .10) average daily weight gains (.80 vs .74 kg) and lower (P<.05) feed:gain ratios (6.3 vs 7.3) than weanlings fed the control diet. Gain in heart girth circumference was greater (P<.05) for the fat fed weanlings (20.1 cm) than the control weanlings (17.9 cm). All other linear measurements of growth were similar between treatments. There were no radiographic indications of abnormalities in the physes of horses on either treatment. Closure of the physes occurred at normal rates in foals on both treatments. Radiographic bone density was not different between treatments, and there was an expected increase in bone density in weanlings on both treatments over time. Digestibilities of protein and energy were similar between treatments, while ether extract and neutral detergent fiber digestibilities were higher (P<.05 and P<.06, respec tively) in those horses consuming the fat-supplemented diet (65.39 vs 57.67% and40.55 vs 35.62%, respectively). These data indicate that fat can be used as an energy source to support growth and development in weanling horses.     

A retrospective clinicopathologic study of 212 dogs with cutaneous hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas.

The relationship between skin pigmentation and piliation and the development of hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue was studied in 212 dogs. These 212 dogs had a combined total of 306 tumors; 38 of these 212 dogs had two or more of the same tumor in a different location or a combination of hemangioma and hemangiosarcoma. The average age of the dogs at the time of excision of these tumors was greater than 10 years. There was no sex predilection for the presence or absence of tumors. Cutaneous hemangiomas (73%) were more common than cutaneous hemangiosarcomas (27%). Hemangiomas had no predilection for dermis (51%) or subcutaneous tissue (47%), but hemangiosarcomas had a marked predilection for dermis (73%) over subcutaneous tissue (7%). Dogs with short hair coats and lightly pigmented skin had more hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas of the dermis (65%) than did dogs with variable length hair coats and pigmentation (28%). Dogs with short hair coats and lightly pigmented skin had fewer hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas of the subcutaneous tissue (10%) than did dogs with variable length hair coats and pigmentation (22%). Dogs with short hair coats and lightly pigmented skin also had more hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas of ventral glabrous skin (65%) than did dogs with variable length hair coats and pigmentation (22%). In addition, there was no predilection of subcutaneous hemangiosarcoma for haired (33%) versus glabrous (33%) skin, but dermal hemangiosarcoma had a marked predilection for the glabrous skin (63%) when compared with haired skin (10%). The increased incidence of dermal hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas in ventral glabrous skin suggests an association between solar radiation and the biologic properties of glabrous skin in the genesis of these tumors.     

A bacteriologic study of scabby-hip lesions from broiler chickens in Texas

Broilers from commercial flocks experiencing a 10-60% incidence of scabby-hip lesions at processing were examined, and selected skin lesions were cultured. Over 70% of the lesions were associated with traumatic excoriations, particularly on the caudal dorsal convexity of the birds. Most lesions were observed on birds that were 5 weeks of age or older. From the 27 specimens cultured, Clostridium perfringens was isolated in pure culture from 4 lesions and Staphylococcus species from 10 lesions. Pure cultures of staphylococci were recovered from 4 lesions, and 2-5 different staphylococci were isolated from 6 lesions. Eight staphylococci were identified as S. sciuri, 8 as S. simulans, 2 as S. epidermidis, 2 as S. lentus, 2 as S. warneri, 1 as S. cohnii, and 1 as S. intermedius. Fifty cutaneous specimens from 10 5-week-old normal broilers were cultured. A total of 197 isolates were identified including 65 S. sciuri, 52 S. lentus, 24 S. simulans, 12 S. hyicus, 11 S. warneri, 9 S. cohnii, 9 S. gallinarium, 8 S. xylosus, and 7 S. epidermidis.     

Familial canine dermatomyositis: clinicopathologic, immunologic, and serologic studies

Laboratory studies were performed on 3 Collies with familial canine dermatomyositis, 6 progeny from a breeding of 2 of the Collies (incross litter), and 4 progeny from the breeding of an affected Collie male and a normal Labrador Retriever (outcross litter). Hematologic abnormalities were leukogram changes consistent with inflammation, and, in 2 severely affected incross dogs, anemia of inflammatory disease. Serum muscle enzyme activities were not markedly increased. High concentrations of immune complexes and proportionally increased total immunoglobulin G were present in the sera of moderately and severely affected incross dogs. The same dogs had weakly positive direct Coombs' tests, and 1 affected outcross dog had a strongly positive direct Coombs' test. Rheumatoid factor was present in a severely affected incross dog. A few dogs had polyclonal globulin increases that were attributed to inflammation. Low antibody titers to canine calicivirus were present in 3 dogs and a low titer to canine coronavirus was present in 1 dog.     

The behavior of landscape metrics commonly used in the study of habitat fragmentation

A meaningful interpretation of landscape metrics is possible only when the limitations of each measure are fully understood, the range of attainable values is known, and the user is aware of potential shifts in the range of values due to characteristics of landscape patches. To examine the behavior of landscape metrics, we generated artificial landscapes that mimicked fragmentation processes while controlling the size and shape of patches in the landscape and the mode of disturbance growth. We developed nine series of increasingly fragmented landscapes and used these to investigate the behavior of edge density, contagion, mean nearest neighbor distance, mean proximity index, perimeter-area fractal dimension, and mass fractal dimension. We found that most of the measures were highly correlated, especially contagion and edge density, which had a near-perfect inverse correspondence. Many of the measures were linearly-associated with increasing disturbance until the proportion of disturbance on the landscape was approximately 0.40, with non-linear associations at higher proportions. None of the measures was able to differentiate between landscape patterns characterized by dispersed versus aggregated patches. The highest attainable value of each measure was altered by either patch size or shape, and in some cases, by both attributes. We summarize our findings by discussing the utility of each metric.     

Intraepidermal adenocarcinoma in the perianal skin of two cats, a condition resembling human extramammary Paget's disease

In humans, mammary and extramammary Paget's disease is an uncommon to rare manifestation of intraepidermal adenocarcinoma arising from simple epithelium, usually glandular in origin. This report describes two cats with lesions in perianal skin consisting of atypical intraepidermal neoplastic cells. Differential diagnoses included intraepidermal adenocarcinoma, in situ squamous or basal cell carcinoma, junctional amelanotic melanoma, and epitheliotropic tumours of histiocytic or lymphocytic origin. The atypical intraepidermal cells in the cats were immunohistochemically positive for cytokeratin 8/18 (CK8/18), which stains simple (glandular) epithelium. The keratinocytes and basal cells were negative for CK8/18. In addition, the atypical intraepidermal cells were immunohistochemically negative for melanocytic, lymphocytic, and histiocytic markers. The staining results confirmed the atypical intraepidermal cells to be of simple glandular origin, and ruled out other causes of intraepidermal malignancy. In one cat the clinical lesions consisted of a pruritic erythematous eruption surrounding the anus. Another cat presented clinically for an area of irregular anal thickening; this cat had well-regulated diabetes mellitus. The cats were otherwise clinically healthy. The clinical features, histological appearance, and immunohistochemical staining of the skin lesions were consistent with those described for human perianal extramammary Paget's disease. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of an intraepidermal adenocarcinoma in a cat or other animal species.     

Antimicrobial residue detection in chicken yolk samples following administration to egg-producing chickens and effects of residue detection on competitive exclusion culture (PREEMPT) establishment

Competitive exclusion (CE) cultures may offer alternatives to antimicrobial agents for disease prophylaxis in poultry. To avoid potential transfer of antibiotic resistance, safe and effective CE cultures must, by necessity, be highly sensitive to antimicrobial residues. The following studies evaluated the effect of maternal administration of selected antibiotics on the establishment of a licensed CE culture, PREEMPT. Selected antibiotics were administered to actively laying hens for a period of 7 days (experiment 1) or 9 days (experiment 2) in drinking water [sulfadimethoxine (0.05%), enrofloxacin (0.005%), and tylosin tartrate (0.05%)] or feed (sulfadimethoxine with ormetoprim, 250 ppm). In experiment 1, fertile eggs were collected daily and subjected to bioassay for detectable antimicrobial residues in yolk. Antimicrobial residues were not detected during the 7 days of treatment or the subsequent 3 days following cessation of treatment in the control, sulfadimethoxine, sulfadimethoxine with ormetoprim, or tylosin treatment groups. However, detectable residues were observed in eggs derived from enrofloxacin-treated hens on days 6 and 7 during antibiotic administration and also on days 2 and 3 post-antibiotic administration. In experiment 2, antimicrobial residues were also only detected in yolks from hens treated with enrofloxacin. Residue detection occurred on days 2-6 of antibiotic administration, on day 9 of antibiotic administration, on days 1-3 post-antibiotic administration, and also on day 7 post-antibiotic administration. A subset of eggs from each experimental group, corresponding to days 2-6 of antibiotic administration, days 4-6 post-antibiotic administration, and days 14-16 post-antibiotic administration, were pooled for incubation, and chicks hatched from these pools of fertile eggs were treated with PREEMPT at hatch. When 48-h cecal propionate concentrations were used as an index of culture establishment, reduced (P < 0.05) efficacy was observed only in chicks derived from enrofloxacin-treated hens at either collection period. Although several antibiotics do not appear to produce detectable egg residues or interfere with CE culture establishment, these data suggest that chicks derived from enrofloxacin-treated hens may not be candidates for safe and effective CE culture treatment.