Monochorial diamniotic dizygotic twins in a German Shepherd Dog: A case report

Case report: A 6.5‐year‐old clinically healthy German Shepherd Dog with regular oestrous cycles of 6 months was presented for pregnancy diagnosis on day 38 after ovulation (p.ov.). Ultrasonography revealed three individual placental sites in progressed resorption and two vital adequately developed foetuses sharing a joint placenta. On days 41 and 48 p.ov., sonographic signs indicated normal development of both foetuses, but on day 52 p.ov., both foetuses were found to be dead. A caesarean section was performed the same day. Examination of the removed uterus confirmed the diagnosis of a “twin” pregnancy with two foetuses sharing the same placental site but separate amniotic membranes. One foetus showed generalized oedema (anasarca). Bacterial culture of swabs taken from inside the placental cavity was negative. At histological examination of the uterus, no signs of inflammation were found. Serum relaxin concentrations (day 38, 41, 48 and 52. p.ov.) were consistent with those of bitches with normal pregnancies. Cytogenetic analysis of the two foetuses revealed dizygotic twins, one male and one female according to SRY‐PCR. By genotyping 17 high‐polymorphic canine microsatellites, it could be demonstrated that the two foetuses developed from two different oocytes.     

Evaluation of an ultrasonic Doppler probe for pregnancy diagnosis in cattle

SUMMARY The use of an ultrasonic Doppler probe for pregnancy diagnosis was evaluated. Data from the examination of 1115 cattle were analysed. Comparison of the probe with manual rectal palpation by an experienced clinician yielded a sensitivity of 92.8 ± 1.6% (± 95% confidence interval) and a specificity of 75.8 ± 7.4%. This level of accuracy was found to be insufficient to recommend the probe be used by farmers for the diagnosis of pregnancy.     

The prevalence of antibodies against B. burgdorferi, an indicator for Lyme borreliosis in dogs? A comparison of serological tests

Five serological tests for the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative microorganism of Lyme borreliosis (LB), were compared in 1177 sera from Dutch dogs: 401 healthy working hunting dogs, 100 healthy city pet dogs, 629 city dogs suspected of having LB with various clinical symptoms, and 47 hunting dogs with intermittent lameness. The results of the in-house species-independent enzyme immunoassay (i.e. an EIA which can be used to test serum samples from different animal species) showed a strong agreement (kappa: 0.78-0.81) with those of an experimental and a commercially available EIA (Genzyme Virotech, Rüsselsheim, Germany) for the detection of canine IgG antibodies to B. burgdorferi. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the in-house EIAs for the detection of antibodies to B. burgdorferi was independent of the antigenic heterogeneity, as demonstrated by the results of sera from dogs suspected of LB with various clinical symptoms: lameness (n = 60), and neurological (n = 60) and skin disorders (n = 52). Because of its high sensitivity for IgM antibodies, the indirect assay (Diagast, Pessac, France) proved to be an interesting tool for the detection of an acute Lyme infection in dogs. However, in this study a positive serological result could not be linked to any clinical symptom that has been related to LB in dogs. Results showed no difference in seroprevalence between dogs considered at high or at low risk of a B. burgdorferi infection. It was concluded that LB is an uncommon disease in the Dutch dog population despite the fact that many of Dutch dogs are infected with B. burgdorferi. Because of this low prevalence, the use of any immunoassay to support the clinical diagnosis of LB in dogs might be of limited value. Nevertheless, the species-independent EIA could be valuable in seroepidemiological studies when sera of several different animal species need to be tested.     

Epidemiological studies of pig diseases: 2. Post-weaning diarrhoea and performance in Western Australian pigs

Objective To determine in Australian pig herds the accuracy of French protocols for risk factor assessment of post-weaning diarrhoea and illthrift.
Procedure French protocols for the collection of data on health indicators and risk factors for post-weaning diarrhoea were conducted on 54 batches of weaner pigs from 28 Western Australian pig herds during three years.
Results Large variations in post-weaning performance were found. About one-third of the batches were growing at <200 g/day during the 3 weeks after weaning, and 54% had growth rates of <250 g/day. Weaning age and weight of at least 30 days and 7.9 kg, respectively, optimised weaner performance. Other risk factors associated with little post-weaning diarrhoea and good weaner performance were high creep feed intakes, relatively little diarrhoea as suckers, and, contrary to expectations, large temperature fluctuations.
Conclusion Overall, the 'predictability' of post-weaning problems as assessed by measurement of risk status, was good. However, the model was less accurate at predicting the performance of a single batch of pigs.     

Congenital polycystic kidney disease in lambs

AIM: To describe the pathology and inheritance of a congenital polycystic kidney disease (PKD) of sheep.

METHODS: Mode of inheritance of PKD was investigated by evaluation of results of the disorder from planned matings in two consecutive years within subsets of a flock that had a high prevalence of PKD in lambs. Gross pathological and histopath- ological studies were based on tissues derived from this study. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained paraffin sections of kidney, liver, extrahepatic biliary and pancreatic ducts, pancreas and epididymis were used to describe the lesions.

RESULTS: Twenty-five lambs affected by PKD, of both sexes, were born, numbers in accord with those expected for an autosomal recessive disorder in the population studied. In all cases for which tissues were available, the renal, bile ductal (intrahepatic and extrahepatic), pancreatic and epididymal tissues had widespread dysplastic changes and associated cyst formation.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of renal cysts in conjunction with cysts in other organs are unifying features in many of the human and animal forms of PKD and suggest a related pathogenic and genetic base consistent with an autosomal recessive disorder.     

Shedding patterns of dairy calves experimentally infected with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis

Although substantial fecal shedding is expected to start years after initial infection with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), the potential for shedding by calves and therefore calf-to-calf transmission is underestimated in current Johne’s disease (JD) control programs. Shedding patterns were determined in this study in experimentally infected calves. Fifty calves were challenged at 2 weeks or at 3, 6, 9 or 12 months of age (6 calves served as a control group). In each age group, 5 calves were inoculated with a low and 5 with a high dose of MAP. Fecal culture was performed monthly until necropsy at 17 months of age. Overall, 61% of inoculated calves, representing all age and dose groups, shed MAP in their feces at least once during the follow-up period. Although most calves shed sporadically, 4 calves in the 2-week and 3-month high dose groups shed at every sampling. In general, shedding peaked 2 months after inoculation. Calves inoculated at 2 weeks or 3 months with a high dose of MAP shed more frequently than those inoculated with a low dose. Calves shedding frequently had more culture-positive tissue locations and more severe gross and histological lesions at necropsy. In conclusion, calves inoculated up to 1 year of age shed MAP in their feces shortly after inoculation. Consequently, there is potential for MAP transfer between calves (especially if they are group housed) and therefore, JD control programs should consider young calves as a source of infection.     

Improvement in In Vitro Fertilization Rate,Decrease in Reactive Oxygen Species and Spermatozoa Death Incidence in Rams by Dietary Fish Oil

Our aim was to evaluate the effects of fish oil feeding on sperm classical parameters, level of reactive oxygen spices (ROS), spermatozoa death incidence and in vitro fertilization (IVF) rate in rams. We randomly assigned nine rams, into two experimental groups (isoenergetic and isonitrogenous rations with constant level of vitamin E supplement): control (CTR; n = 5) and fish oil (FO; n = 4, 35 g/day/ram). Diets were fed for 70 days during the physiological breeding season. After a 21‐day dietary adaptation period, semen was collected weekly from each ram by an artificial vagina. Sperm classical parameters were determined by the computer‐assisted sperm analyzer system (CASA), and it was prepared for IVF process by swim‐up technique. These evaluations were performed during the first and last weeks of sampling. Intracellular ROS level and spermatozoa death incidence were detected by flow cytometry on a weekly basis after adaptation. Data were analysed with SPSS 15. The volume, concentration (3.6 and 2.7 × 10⁹/ml) and sperm progressive motility (60 and 48%) were significantly improved in the FO group compared with the CTR (p < 0.05). A comparison of two‐cell stage embryos following IVF in the two groups showed a significantly higher fertilization rate in the FO group (56%) compared with the CTR (49%). Superoxide anion (O₂^?) rate was significantly lower (p < 0.05) at the third week of sampling in the FO. Although the H₂O₂ rate was numerically lower in the FO group compared with the CTR, this difference was not significant. In addition, apoptosis showed a significant difference in the third week of sampling (15 and 30% for FO and CTR, respectively; p < 0.05). Overall, adding fish oil to the ram diet not only improved sperm quality and IVF results, it also could reduce oxygen‐free radicals and the incidence of spermatozoa death.