In this issue – March 2010

Topical anaesthesia for castration and tail docking in lambs · Disease surveillance activities for saleyard pigs · Reproductive effects of time on prepartum transition diets in dairy cows · Bovine herpesvirus type 5 in bull semen · Rib osteomyelitis in three foals · Mycobacterium ulcerans in two horses · Nasal vascular hamartoma in a cat     

In this issue – November 2010

Management and preventive health care in aged horses · Echocardiographs in healthy Thoroughbred foals · Surgical stapling technique for caecal impaction in horses · MRI of the second phalanx in horses · Radiotransmitters in snakes · Nasotracheal intubation of a kangaroo · Avian tracheal resection and anastomosis · Nasal bot fly in a cat · First report of Cryptosporidium andersoni in Australian cattle     

IN THIS ISSUE – July 2010

Presence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in raw milk · Profiling of Haemophilus parasuis in live pigs · Cysticercus bovis in Australian cattle · Thoracoscopy for lung lobectomy in the dog · Common bile duct cyst in a cat · Caecal intussusceptions in horses in New Zealand · Improving access to the oral cavity of the wombat · Mycobacterium in a Tasmanian devil · Surgical treatment of osteomyelitis in an alpaca cria     

Development of a technique for Lake Habitat Survey (LHS) with applications for the European Union Water Framework Directive

• 1. In the absence of a standard procedure for characterizing the physical habitat of lakes in Europe, this paper describes the development of a multi‐purpose Lake Habitat Survey (LHS). The technique has been designed to meet the hydromorphological assessment needs of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), as well as to assist in monitoring the condition of designated sites in the UK and for wider application in environmental impact assessments and restoration programmes.
• 2. LHS involves detailed recording of shoreline features at a number of plots (Hab‐Plots), complemented by a meso‐scale survey of the entire lake, including shoreline characteristics and pressures, and modifications to the hydrological regime. A temperature and dissolved oxygen profile is also compiled at the deepest point of the lake (Index Site). Existing databases are exploited where possible, and remote sensing data (e.g. aerial photographs) are used to assist field‐based observations.
• 3. Initial field trials demonstrated that the consistency of the method, whether conducted by boat or on foot, was high. More than 250 surveys were carried out across the UK in 2004 through collaboration with the statutory environment and conservation agencies.
• 4. Two levels of complexity were tested — a full version requiring 10 Hab‐Plots and an abridged version, LHS_core, involving four plots and omitting the Index Site. While 8–10 plots were required to capture the full diversity of features at complex sites, LHS_core data were sufficient to generate metrics for classification purposes.
• 5. A Lake Habitat Modification Score (LHMS) may be calculated from LHS data. This synthesizes a wide array of hydromorphological and human pressures and has direct applications for assessment of ecological status under the WFD. Preliminary analysis illustrates a spectrum of hydromorphological alteration of 82 lakes in the UK.
• 6. Further considerations are discussed, including the prospect that the LHS protocol might form the basis of a European standard developed through CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation).

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Erythrocytic pyruvate kinase deficiency and AB blood types in Australian Abyssinian and Somali cats

Objective   To determine the frequency of the mutant pyruvate kinase (PK) allele, haematological parameters and AB blood types of Abyssinian and Somali cats in Australia.
Design   Complete blood cell and reticulocyte counts, DNA PK mutation testing and blood typing were performed in all cats.
Results   A total of 60 cats (36 Abyssinians, 24 Somalis) were included (37 females, 23 males). For the mutant PK allele, three female Somalis were homozygous (affected, 5%), 17 cats were heterozygous (carrier, 28%) and 40 cats tested negative (normal, 67%). Pedigree analysis revealed common ancestry of affected and many carrier cats. Of affected cats, two had regenerative anaemias and all had reticulocytosis (range 64–390 × 10⁹/L; P < 0.001 compared with normal or carrier cats). The only consistent historical sign was lethargy. One affected cat was euthanased 18 months after testing, because of anaemia, neutropenia, anorexia and weight loss. The mutant allele frequency was 0.19 overall (0.29 in Somalis, 0.13 in Abyssinians). All cats had blood type A. The commercial blood typing card method incorrectly identified 12 cats as having type AB blood.
Conclusions    The frequency of the mutant PK allele is high in Australia. Screening for PK deficiency is indicated before mating and in individual cats of these breeds, even in the absence of anaemia and especially when there is reticulocytosis. Although all cats in the present study had blood type A, blood type B is common in these breeds worldwide. Retyping of any AB typed cats by a laboratory technique is recommended.