On the longevity of Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus in petioles of Fraxinus excelsior

Air‐dried pseudosclerotia produced by the ash dieback pathogen Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus (anamorph: Chalara fraxinea) can survive up to 3 months. Under field conditions, they are capable of postponing fructification for 1 year. The implications of this observation for epidemiology and control of ash dieback are discussed.     

Structural Changes of Goat Parotid Salivary Gland: Pre‐ and Post‐Weaning Periods

Previously, the structure of the adult goat parotid salivary glands (PGs) was studied. However, little information was elucidated of the juvenile ones. This study aimed to clarify the correlations between the structure of goats' PGs and the nature of food intake among milk‐suckling kids (MSKs) and diet‐fed goats (DFGs). The secretory endpieces of the goats' PGs are of the pure serous type. The serous cells in MSKs showed apical accumulation of numerous secretory granules (SGs) of smaller size and of more intense positive periodic acid‐Schiff reaction. Ultrastructurally, most of the SGs in the DFGs contained peripherally located inclusions that showed dense reaction products for acid phosphatase. In MSKs, the PGs showed less‐developed basal infoldings, sparseness of the inter‐cellular inter‐digitations, fewer inter‐cellular canaliculi and microvilli and also less‐developed myoepithelial cells with fewer and shorter cytoplasmic processes. In conclusion, the less‐developed membrane specializations and myoepithelial cells, as well as the accumulated SGs in the PGs of MSKs, suggest that it secretes less saliva with a little secretory activity than that of DFGs, which may be correlated with the reduced masticatory activity.     

Seroepidemiology of infection with Toxoplasma gondii in waste pickers and waste workers in Durango, Mexico

Municipal waste is a potential source of infection for Toxoplasma gondii as it may contain contaminated meat with parasite tissue cysts and cat excrement with parasite oocysts. Therefore, we sought to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection and associated characteristics in two populations exposed to municipal solid waste in Durango, Mexico. Ninety waste pickers and 83 waste workers of Durango City, Mexico were examined for T. gondii infection. They were tested for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using enzyme-linked immunoassays. In addition, socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics from each participant were obtained. Nineteen (21.1%) of the 90 waste pickers and seven (8.4%) of the 83 waste workers were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies. The difference in prevalence among the groups was statistically significant (P =0.03). Waste pickers aged 31-50 years showed a significantly higher prevalence (40.9%) than waste workers of the same age group (2.9%, P < 0.001). Anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were found in two (2.2%) of the waste pickers but in none of the waste workers. The seroprevalence of T. gondii was significantly higher in workers of the waste transfer station (25.0%) than in drivers or helpers of waste vehicles (2.5%) (P =0.03). Multivariate analysis showed that T. gondii infection was associated with consuming food found in the garbage [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 4.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-11.8] and with lack of education (adjusted OR = 3.2; 95% CI 1.1-8.8). From this study, we conclude: (i) waste pickers may represent a risk group for T. gondii infection; (ii) lack of education might be a contributing factor for T. gondii infection; (iii) the higher the exposure to garbage, the higher the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection; (iv) Eating food products from the garbage may represent an important route for T. gondii infection.     

Sheep performance under intensive continuous grazing of native grasslands of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paspalum notatum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Axonopus compressus</Emphasis> in the subtropical region of the Highlands of Central Mexico

Liveweight gain was evaluated in tropical Dorper X Pelibuey lambs under intensive continuous grazing of native grasslands dominated by Paspalum notatum (PN) or Axonopus compressus (AC) in the subtropics of Central Mexico. Two trials were undertaken. Trial 1 lasted 12 weeks with 10 lambs (initial weight 18 +/- 2.57 kg, 3 months old) per treatment in 2002, and Trial 2 for 13 weeks with 8 lambs (initial weight 24.0 +/- 2.0 kg, 4 months old) per treatment. Lambs were weighed once per week, and liveweight change was estimated by linear regression over day of the experiment, using individual regression coefficients as unbiased estimates of daily liveweight change; analysed in a random block design. Lambs on Trial 1 gained 0.061 kg/lamb/day on PN and 0.047 kg/lamb/day on AC (P > 0.05) at an overall mean stocking rate of 25 lambs/ha. In Trial 2, liveweight gain was significantly larger in PN (0.060 kg/lamb/day) than on AC (0.043 kg/lamb/day) (P < 0.05), at a mean stocking rate of 21.5 lambs/ha. It is concluded that intensive continuous grazing of native grasslands in the subtropics of the highlands of Central Mexico enables moderate liveweight gains for weaned lambs during the rainy season; with better results in grasslands dominated by Paspalum notatum.     

Feeding Acacia etbaica and Dichrostachys cinerea fruits to smallholder goats in northern Ethiopia improves their performance during the dry season

Acacia etbaica Schweinf. and Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight et Arn. are among the common woody browse plants that naturally grow in many arid and semi-arid rangelands in sub Saharan Africa. An experiment was conducted to compare the voluntary dry matter intake, body weight gain, nitrogen balance, carcass composition and sensory attributes of goats supplemented with different levels of A. etbaica and D. cinerea fruits. Average initial body weight of the goats was 20.4 kg (± 0.8SE) and received one of the following fruit supplementation regimes for 120 days (on body weight basis, n = 4 goats per group): (1) Control, no supplement; (2) 0.5% of A. etbaica; (3) 0.5% of D. cinerea; (4) 1.0% of A. etbaica; (5) 1.0% of D. cinerea; (6) 1.5% of A. etbaica; (7) 1.5% of D. cinerea. All groups were allowed to graze/browse during the day. Compared to A. etbaica, D. cinerea fruits contained higher amounts of crude protein (182 vs 135 g/kg DM), metabolizable energy (11 vs 8.4 MJ/kg DM), and in vitro dry matter digestibility coefficient (0.7 vs 0.6). The concentrations of acid detergent fiber (ADF), sulphuric acid solubulized lignin, and tannin (soluble and condensed) were lower (P < 0.05) in D. cinerea than in A. etbaica fruits. A. etbaica fruits, however, contained higher amounts of Na, K, Fe, and Zn concentrations than D. cinerea fruits. Dry matter intake was markedly higher in supplemented groups than in the control group without supplement. Similarly, body weight gain in the control group was negative and lower (P < 0.05) than any of the supplemented groups. During the course of the experimental period (120 days) the group placed in the 1.5% D. cinerea fruit diet gained 2.6 kg whereas the control group lost 2.0 kg. Thus, the difference between these two groups was 4.6 kg, which suggests about 22.5% increment of the goats' initial body weight. N retention was negative for the control group and varied little among the remaining treatment groups. Dressing percent increased with increased level of either type of fruit supplement, the highest (51.8%) being achieved at the 1.5% D. cinerea level. There was no difference in bone tissue across treatment groups. D. cinerea fruit intake also resulted in juicy/watery flavor and tender carcass. D. cinerea fruits appeared to have no adverse effects when included at the highest level (1.5%) and could be collected and stored as dry season supplement to smallholder goats. This study shows that poor farmers can increase goat performance substantially through supplement feeding with wild fruits. Areas in Ethiopia originally set aside for provision of ecological services and biodiversity protection can also be used for wild fruit production and feeding of small stock. The effect of increasing D. cinerea fruits above the 1.5% body weight level should be a focus of future investigation. Further work on deactivation mechanism of tannins is required for A. etbaica fruits included at levels higher than 1.0%.     

Pinch-induced behavioral inhibition ('clipnosis') in domestic cats

Research has documented immobilization of rodents, rabbits, guinea pigs and dogs by mechanical means, typically using neck clips or inversion ('animal hypnosis'). In contrast, only a few studies of mechanical immobilization of cats are available, although some success has been reported in the literature. Domestic cats may be effectively immobilized by clips placed along the animal's dorsum. We use the term 'pinch-induced behavioral inhibition' (PIBI) for this behavior because it describes both the method and the response, while avoiding the more anthropomorphic term 'hypnosis'. We investigated the effectiveness of PIBI and its neurological and habituation effects in healthy cats and cats with idiopathic cystitis (IC). Although not all cats were susceptible to PIBI and effectiveness varied among individuals, PIBI was useful for gentle restraint in most cats.     

Meperidine prolongs lidocaine caudal epidural anaesthesia in the horse

The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the effects of caudal epidural administration of meperidine (MP), lidocaine (LD), and a combination of the two (MPLD) in six mature saddle horses. Horses were randomly assigned to receive three treatments (MP 0.3 mg/kg; LD 0.2 mg/kg; and MPLD: MP 0.3 mg/kg and LD 0.2 mg/kg), with at least 1 week between treatments. Drugs were injected into the epidural space between the first and second coccygeal areas in conscious standing horses. Analgesia, ataxia, sedation, cardiovascular and respiratory effects, and rectal temperature were recorded at different intervals before (baseline) and after administration. Epidural administration of MPLD resulted in a longer duration of analgesia of the tail, perineum, and upper hind limb regions than did administration of MP or LD alone.     

Cardiovascular and pulmonary effects of hetastarch plus hypertonic saline solutions during experimental endotoxemia in anesthetized horses

BACKGROUND: Small volume resuscitation has been advocated as a beneficial therapy for endotoxemia in horses but this therapy has not been investigated in a prospective manner. The objective of this study was to determine the cardiopulmonary effects of small-volume resuscitation using hypertonic saline solution (HSS) plus Hetastarch (HES) during experimental endotoxemia in anesthetized horses. HYPOTHESIS: Treatment of horses with induced endotoxemia using HES-HSS does not alter the response of various cardiopulmonary indices when compared to treatment with either small- or large-volume isotonic crystalloid solutions. ANIMALS: Eighteen healthy horses were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups. Anesthesia was maintained with halothane. Endotoxemia was induced by administering 50 microg/kg of Escherichia coli endotoxin IV. The horses were treated over 30 minutes with 15 mL/kg of balanced polyionic crystalloid solution (control), 60 mL/kg of balanced polyionic crystalloid solution (ISO), or 5 mL/kg of HSS followed by 10 mL/kg of HES (HSS-HES). METHODS: Prospective randomized trial. RESULTS: Cardiac output (CO) after endotoxin infusion increased significantly (P < .05) from baseline in all groups, whereas mean central venous pressure increased significantly (P < .05) in the ISO group only. Mean pulmonary artery pressure increased from baseline (P < .05) in horses treated with isotonic fluids and HSS-HES. There was no effect of treatment with HSS-HES on CO, systemic vascular resistance (SVR), mean arterial pressure, blood lactate concentrations, or arterial oxygenation. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The use of HSS-HES failed to ameliorate the deleterious hemodynamic responses associated with endotoxemia in horses. The clinical value of this treatment in horses with endotoxemia remains unconfirmed.