Idiopathic periadnexal multinodular granulomatous dermatitis in twenty-two dogs

A distinctive periadnexal multinodular granulomatous dermatitis of unknown cause was diagnosed over a 6-year period in 22 dogs (13 males and nine females) aged 8 months to 10 years, purebred as well as mixed-breed. Nodules, usually more than two, started on the face and were often unaccompanied by signs of irritation. All dogs were otherwise healthy except a Viszla with bilateral anterior uveitis and a Basset hound with nasal congestion and sneezing. Microscopically, cutaneous lesions occurred in a periadnexal pattern, replaced sebaceous glands, coalesced, and extended into the subcutis and in more advanced cases through the panniculus carnosus. Infectious agents were not demonstrated by aerobic, anaerobic, or fungus cultures or by light or electron microscopy, nor were ectoparasites seen. Immunofluorescence and peroxidase-antiperoxidase techniques gave negative results for intraepidermal and basement membrane deposits of IgA, IgG, IgM, and C3. Lesions were unresponsive to a variety of antibiotics; they regressed spontaneously in two untreated dogs and rapidly in dogs given only corticosteroid therapy. Continuous low-dose corticosteroids were necessary in a few dogs to prevent recurrence.     

An analysis of an early-warning system to reduce abortions in dairy cattle in Denmark incorporating both financial and epidemiologic aspects

Emergency preparedness relies on the ability to detect patterns in rare incidents in an early stage of an outbreak in order to implement relevant actions. Early warning of an abortion storm as a result of infection with a notifiable disease, e.g. brucellosis, bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) or infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), is a significant surveillance tool. This study used data from 507 large Danish dairy herds. A modified two-stage method for detecting an unusual increase in the abortion incidence was applied to the data. An alarm was considered true if an abortion were detected in the month following the alarm month, otherwise false. The total number of abortions that could potentially be avoided if effective action were taken ranged from 769 (22.9%) to 10 (0.3%), as the number of abortions required to set the alarm increased from 1 to 6. The vast majority of abortions could, however, not be predicted, much less prevented, given this early-warning system. The false to true alarm ratio was reduced when the number of abortions that set the alarm increased. The financial scenarios evaluated demonstrated that the value of an abortion, the cost of responding to an alarm and the efficiency of the actions are important for decision making when reporting an alarm. The presented model can readily be extended to other disease problems and multiple-time periods.     

Surgical procedure and postoperative management of a perineal urethrostomy in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).

A chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) with traumatic loss of the distal penis developed a gradually enlarging ventral urethral swelling and progressive dysuria. Endoscopy identified a urethral diverticulum, and endoscopic resection of the diverticulum wall was performed. Postoperative infection caused extensive necrosis of the penis, which necessitated a perineal urethrostomy. Complications of the urethrostomy included urethral obstruction from recurrent urethral stricture. The stricture was managed by regular dilatation using urethral bougies. Because of considerable postoperative swelling, catheterization was required to allow micturition following both the diverticular resection and polyp debulking. A shortened catheter sutured to the skin was tolerated for up to 10 days. Four yr after the urethrostomy, the animal is healthy and asymptomatic with endoscopic examinations performed at 12 mo intervals. This case demonstrates that with appropriate aftercare, perineal urethrostomy is an effective technique in the treatment of chronic distal urethral obstruction in the chimpanzee and probably other primate species.     

Effect of ACTH on plasma corticosterone and cortisol in eagles and condors

The effect of ACTH on plasma corticosterone and cortisol was determined in 12 eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and in 6 Andean condors (Vultur gryphus). In all raptors, the concentration of plasma corticosterone was substantially greater than that of cortisol. After ACTH administration, the eagles had a marked increase (P less than 0.001) in plasma corticosterone concentrations, but not in plasma cortisol. Administration of saline solution did not induce increased plasma corticosterone concentrations in the eagles. The condors had a smaller increase (P less than 0.002) in plasma corticosterone concentrations after ACTH administration, as compared with that of the eagles. However, administration of saline solution in 2 condors resulted in an increase in corticosterone similar to the increase after ACTH administration. In the condor, a stress-related release of endogenous ACTH may have an effect similar to that induced by exogenously administered ACTH. Plasma cortisol concentrations did not increase significantly after administration of ACTH or saline solution in either raptor species.     

The use of the log-linear model to evaluate the effects of three herd factors on Streptococcus agalactiae mastitis occurrence in California, 1977

Epidemiologic relationships among Streptococcus agalactiae infected dairy herds and herd size, location and California Dairy Herd Improvement Association (CDHIA) participation were examined using log-linear methodology. Dairies located in five out of the six California Bureau of Animal Health veterinary districts were studied. Data sources included the Dairy Cattle Data Base, which uniquely identifies each of the 2875 dairies in California, the 1977 statewide CDHIA year-end summary report and microbiological results from a 1977 statewide survey of bulk tank milk samples. These data were merged, fitted and the best model selected using likelihood-ratio statistics. The model included all four “main effects”, the six possible “1st-order effetss” and the “2nd-order effect” due to the interaction of herd size, location and CDHIA participation. Subsequently, a logit model was used to estimate the effect of the independent herd factor variables (size, location and CDHIA participation) on the log odds of the dependent S. agalactiae variable. This model required conditioning on the three-way relationship among the independent variables.medium-sized, non-CDHIA herds in district 2 (northcentral California) showed the highest expected odds (3.37) for S. agalactiae in bulk tank milk, while small, CDHIA herds in district 3 (northcentral coastal California) produced the lowest odds (0.39).     

An investigation into the transition from technological to ecological rice farming among resource poor farmers from the Philippine island of Bohol

A conceptual framework influenced bythe concept of moral ecology is developed andused to analyze the transition fromtechnological (green revolution) to ecological(organic) rice farming by resource poor farmersfrom the Philippine island of Bohol. This MoralEcology Framework (MEF) focuses on theepistemology of the two farming systems and howthis influences management principles andpractice. The orienting concepts of systemic understanding, exchange betweensociety and the environment, local versusextra-local exchange and scope areintegral to this analysis. The case studydemonstrates how the ostracism of nature underthe green revolution coupled with itsinflexible production options affected thesustainability of some local rice farmingsystems. Whereas the transition to organicfarming and the concomitant incorporation ofecological processes and more flexibleproduction options has allowed local farmers toenhance the sustainability of their farmingsystems by altering the exchange processeswithin the socio-ecological system.