DIAGNOSIS OF COMMON CONGENITAL HEART ANOMALIES IN THE DOG USING SURVEY AND NONSELECTIVE CONTRAST RADIOGRAPHY

The most common canine congenital heart anomalies include patient ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defects, tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonic stenosis, and aortic stenosis. Survey radiography and nonselective (venous) angiography can allow the practicing veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis in many of these patients. Typical radiographic findings using these diagnostic procedures are reviewed. Nonselective angiocardiography is a relatively easy, rapid, and noninvasive procedure which can be performed using conventional equipment. The major disadvantage of this special procedure is that the superimposition of opacified structures can make the identification of some left-to-right shunts difficult. Dilution of contrast medium can occur if a rapid bolus injection is not made.     

鸡蛋在水貂营养中的应用——营养成分和消化率

在一个6×6的拉丁方设计中,用12只6月龄水貂研究了6种鸡蛋制品,即蛋粉(PE)、带壳生鸡蛋(RwS)、不带壳生鸡蛋(RWOS)、带壳熟鸡蛋(CWS)、不带壳熟鸡蛋(CWOS)和煎鸡蛋(FE)的利用情况,测定了这6种鸡蛋制品的营养成分和能量消化率。研究结果表明,水绍对鸡蛋能量、蛋白质和脂肪的消化率极高,分别在86.2％～95.6％,85.0％～95.6％和91.3％～97.1％之间。鸡蛋煮熟对蛋白质消化率无显著影响(P>0.05),但显著降低脂肪和能量的消化率(P<0.05);煎处理能显著提高不带壳鸡蛋的蛋白质消化率。根据本研究结果,在水貂日粮中使用15％的带壳生鸡蛋是可行的。     

Competitive ELISA for serodiagnosis of bluetongue: evaluation of group-specific monoclonal antibodies and expressed VP7 antigen.

The performance of 2 competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (C-ELISA) was compared with the reference C-ELISA I for the detection of antibodies to bluetongue virus (BTV). One of the assays (C-ELISA II) used a group-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) to BTV, obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (8A3B-6) and tissue culture (TC)-derived BTV antigen (Ag), and the other assay (C-ELISA III) used BTV core protein VP7 (expressed in yeast) and the reference MAb (Pirbright Laboratory, 3-17-A3). Test sera were obtained by sequential blood samples from 22 calves, each inoculated with a different serotype (T) of BTV (South African [SA] T-1-T-16 and T-18-T-20 and USA T-11, T-13, and T-17). Sera were also obtained from 4 calves and 4 sheep inoculated with USA BTV T-10 and from several groups of calves exposed to single or multiple doses of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) T-1-T-4 grown in TC (BHK-21) or suckling mouse brain (SMB). A total of 618 bovine and ovine field sera collected from BT-free and BT-endemic areas were also tested. The C-ELISA III was more sensitive than the C-ELISA II in the detection of anti-BTV antibody in sera from cattle and sheep early after infection with BTV. Seroconversion was demonstrated by the 3 C-ELISAs in all animals inoculated with BTV by 20 days postinfection (DPI), except in calves that received SA T-3 or USA T-13, which became positive at 40 DPI.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Molecular definition of the bovine granulocytopathy syndrome: identification of deficiency of the Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) glycoprotein

Leukocytosis (34,600 WBC/microliter of blood) was detected in an apparently healthy 7-day-old Holstein heifer. Analysis of blood samples obtained over the next 41 days revealed chronic progressive neutrophilia, which peaked at greater than 85% neutrophils and exceeded 100,000 WBC/microliter. In vitro assessment of isolated blood neutrophils obtained from the heifer at 38 and 45 days of age revealed selected functional abnormalities. Endocytosis of immunoglobulin-opsonized Staphylococcus aureus and killing of this test organism by the calf's neutrophils were significantly diminished, as were phagocytosis-associated superoxide generation, chemiluminescence activity, and myeloperoxidase-catalyzed iodination. Diminished H2O2 elaboration by the calf's neutrophils was evident during ingestion of opsonized zymosan or on exposure to phorbol myristate acetate. Extracellular release (secretion) of elastase during ingestion of zymosan was also diminished, although total cell content of elastase was normal, compared with that of neutrophils from age-matched calves, and granular or other morphologic abnormalities of the calf's neutrophils were not evident by ultrastructural examination. Abnormalities of random migration were inconsistently detected, and normal or high degree of antibody-dependent cytotoxicity or natural killing by the calf's neutrophils was observed. Similar in vitro assessment of neutrophils obtained from the calf's dam revealed no functional abnormalities. The calf died at 48 days of age, with persistent fever and chronic diarrhea, despite administration of antibiotics. Histologic examination at necropsy revealed large numbers of intravascular neutrophils in most tissues, including massive neutrophil sequestration in spleen. However, a striking lack of extravascular neutrophils was evident in inflamed submucosa adjacent to intestinal ulcers heavily contaminated with enteric microorganisms. Bone marrow examination revealed diffuse myeloid hyperplasia, but no other abnormalities.     

Factors associated with circulation of pseudorabies virus within swine herds

Data were collected from 104 Minnesota swine farms quarantined for pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection. Each herd was serologically evaluated for the presence of antibodies to PRV in finishing pigs. Herd management practices, swine housing design, and disease profiles were described for each farm. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine which factors were associated with circulation of PRV in the finishing pigs of farrow-to-finish farms. Sixty-seven (64%) of the herds had no serologic evidence of PRV circulation in the finishing section, whereas 37 herds (36%) contained at least one PRV seropositive finishing pig. The odds of a given finishing herd being seropositive for PRV were 2.85 times higher if the finishing pigs were housed in confinement (P = 0.01), 2 times higher if Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae was a clinical problem in the herd (P = 0.03), 1.36 times less for each year that passed since the herd quarantine was issued (P = 0.01), 1.74 times higher if clinical signs of PRV were reported (P = 0.04), and 1.52 times higher if animal protein was included in at least one of the rations (P = 0.08).