Botulism in birds living in an aquatic environment in Nové Mlyny in the Breclav District

Epizootic of wild water birds caused by the toxin Clostridium botulinum of C type occurred in extensive shallow artificial lakes of the Nové Mlyny dam system from May to October 1988 and later on from February to early April 1989. In total more than 3,000 dead or dying birds of 44 species were found, the following orders were prevailing: Anseriformes (56%), Lariformes (33%), Charadriiformes (6%) and Ralliformes (4%). Botulotoxin was detected at high concentrations in sarcophagic fly larvae of Calliphora vomitoria and Lucilia sericata which were collected in bird cadavers, but it was not found in different components of the aquatic environment (water, submersed vegetation, phytoplankton, zooplankton, Gastropoda, Crustacea, Oligochaeta, larvae of Odonata, Chironomidae and Ceratopogonidae). Future development of the epizootic situation in the Nové Mlyny artificial lakes will depend on the water level and meterological conditions in the critical period (May to September).     

Pathogenesis of experimental combined infections with Isospora suis and rotavirus in conventional and gnotobiotic piglets

51 gnotobiotic and 63 conventional, one-, or two-days-old piglets were divided into five groups and infected orally either with Isospora suis or rotavirus alone, or with both agents simultaneously or successively with alternative sequences and various intervals. 15 gnotobiotic and 10 conventional piglets served as controls. The development of small intestinal lesions after infection with I. suis was biphasic. The dominant alteration resulting from rotavirus infection was villus atrophy, considerably more pronounced and extensive in gnotobiotic than in conventional piglets. Synergistic action of I. suis and rotavirus was manifested both clinically, and morphologically. This action culminated at the time of the actual, or presumed development of merogony of I. suis, i.e. on DPI 3 to 5. The action develops only if the intestinal epithelium is damaged functionally and morphologically by a preceding rotavirus infection. It is concluded that the synergistic action is based on a competition of rotavirus and I. suis for mature, enzymatically active absorptive cells.     

Avascular necrosis of the femoral heads in a red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens): possible Legg-Calve-Perthes disease.

A 17-mo-old captive-born female red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) presented with a sudden onset of lameness in its left hind leg was diagnosed radiographically as having possible severe, bilateral Legg-Calve-Perthes disease with fracture of the great trochanter of the left femur. Surgical repair of the fracture was performed using pins and a tension band wire through a lateral approach to the hip. This is the first case reported at Madrid Zoo-Aquarium, where 63 individuals have been bred over 15 yr.     

Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia psittaci infection in dogs]

The prevalence of Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia psittaci antibodies was investigated in 530 dog specimens divided into six groups, i. e. A = private watch dogs, B1 = service dogs from Bratislava, B2 = service dogs from other localities of Slovakia and Moravia, C = watch dogs from farms, I = household dogs, T = stray dogs. The dogs demonstrated the higher seropositivity to C. burnetii (11.7%) than to Ch. psittaci (5.5%). The highest percentage of antibodies to C. burnetii was found in stray dogs (23.7%), less prevalence of antibodies was observed in the animals in group C (13.6%), almost the same positivity was proved in the dogs of group B1 and B2 (10.5 and 10.6%). The highest positivity to Ch. psittaci was demonstrated in the dogs of group A (8.7%), less in group B2 (6.6%) and the least number in group B1 (1.9%). The stray dogs occupied the intermediate position in this data (Tab. I). Ninety four localities were tested, from which 38 were seropositive. Neither acute coxiellosis nor chlamydiosis were proved in any animals examined. Ninety per cent of dogs were found healthy, but 10% of dogs demonstrated hepatopathia and gastroenteritis. Two of them (category A and I) were seropositive to C. burnetii (titer 1:8 to 1:16) and one to Ch. psittaci (titer 1:16). Both C. burnetii and Ch. psittaci attack dogs parallely with the agents of other zoonoses, of which the most common is Toxoplasma gondii (Tab. II). Several dogs demonstrated seropositivity to three up to five zoonotic agents (Tab. III).     

A comparison between the efficacy of thiabendazole and febantel on experimental trichinellosis in rats

Febantel at a dose level of 5 mg kg-1 had a lethal efficacy of 54.1% against the adult worm and 69.5% against the migrating larvae of Trichinella spiralis in rats. When administered at 15 mg kg-1, it demonstrated lethal effects of 94.4, 92.5 and 74.7% against adult, young and encysted larvae, respectively. Infected rats treated with 300 mg kg-1 died. Thiabendazole had efficiencies of 96.4 and 83.3% against intestinal and migrating early muscle phases, respectively, and was 42% effective against the encysting phase.     

Rapid detection of Aujeszky's disease (pseudorabies) virus infection of pigs by direct filter hybridisation of nasal and tonsillar specimens

A direct filter hybridisation method has been developed to diagnose acute Aujeszky's disease in live pigs. The advantages of the method are easy, fast sample processing; no DNA-purification is needed, and the hybridisation itself is simplified. The direct filter hybridisation method has been tested on pseudorabies virus infected cultured cells, experimentally infected pigs and on specimens from an outbreak of Aujeszky's disease. Virus isolation and filter hybridisation gave comparable results, indicating that the direct filter hybridisation method is a good tool for rapid diagnosis. It is independent of cell culture facilities and the disease can be diagnosed in live animals within 15 hours.     

Phage typing coagulase-positive staphylococci from rooks and gulls

Phage typing was performed on 86 strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 25 strains of Staphylococcus intermedius from rooks and gulls with human, bovine, chicken and canine phages. Eighty per cent of the S aureus strains and 64 per cent of the S intermedius strains were typable. The S aureus biotype D strains of rook origin were specifically lysed at routine test dilution (RTD) by chicken phages from groups I or I + IV, by human phages belonging to groups I and M, and partly by canine phage 58. The other rook and gull S aureus strains did not show characteristic phage patterns. The S intermedius strains isolated from both species of birds could be typed only with canine phages and this correlated with their classification into biotypes. All the biotype 1 strains tested but only two of 12 biotype 2 strains were lysed with canine phages at RTD.     

Hemoconcentration in calves and its relation to the hematologic, protein, mineral and electrolyte profile

The dynamics of hematological, protein, mineral and electrolytic profile was examined clinically in nine calves when the hemoconcentration was induced experimentally. The hemoconcentration occurred after diarrhea caused by the per os application of 12 g saccharose per one kg of live weight. The hemoconcentration culminated six hours after application. The calves where the hemoconcentration did not exceed the critical value were included in the first group, and the calves with the extreme hemoconcentration values in the other group. In the first group (with the increasing hemoconcentration degree), a statistically significant increase was found in the values of hematocrit, erythrocytes, hemoglobin, total protein in blood serum and total immunoglobins and a statistically insignificant increase in the levels of leucocytes, inorganic phosphorus, serum calcium and sodium. Serum potassium and magnesium showed the inverse dynamics, i. e. the decrease. In the second group (with the extreme hemoconcentration), hyperkalemia and slight hypermagnesemia were identified, while the other parameters showed deviations similar to those observed in the first group. After the rehydration of animals by a preparation without any influence on the studied parameters, the hemoconcentration and the parameters under study stabilized, while in the second group the hemoconcentration was increasing even during the rehydration and the levels of serum potassium and magnesium showed different tendencies. As follows from the results, in the calves suffering from scours accompanied by hemoconcentration the correction of the parameters of metabolic profile is necessary.