The availability of state-level data on interstate cattle movements in the United States

Knowledge about the patterns of animal movement – particularly feeder-cattle movement – within the USA is necessary in order to anticipate how diseases might be spread geographically. This study was conducted to explore the availability of interstate-level movement data which might be used to develop a more coherent national picture of interstate feeder-cattle movement. State Statistical Offices of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, 1996 (NASS) and Departments of Agriculture in all 50 states were contacted to determine the type of information collected regarding the import and export of feeder cattle. Eighteen of the 50 states contacted recorded updated import and export information by using certificates of veterinary inspection and (occasionally) entry permits for verification. The 18 states were: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Profiles of import and export data from Kansas, Texas, Colorado and Iowa (the primary receivers of 51% of total 1995 imports) were developed. These four states received at least 50% of their cattle imports from <9 different states. As a result, approximately half of the nation's import movement can be explained by a total of 13 states and Mexico (excluding duplicates). Also, >50% of the exports from Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and Iowa go to ≤3 states. This import and export information confirms conclusions of others that cattle tend to move toward the center of the USA. However, if more states kept comprehensive, up-to-date records of movement information, knowledge about cattle-movement patterns in the USA would be importantly increased. The lack of specific notations on certificates of veterinary inspection can lead only to perceived trends; the present records have limited value in tracking animal movement.     

USE OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF A CEREBRAL ABSCESS IN A GOAT

A 7-month-old La Mancha doe was presented with a right head tilt and ventral strabismus while circling to the left. History and physical examination led to a tentative diagnosis of a cerebral abscess. Computed tomography revealed a large, complex mass with ring enhancement in the left cerebral hemisphere, supporting the diagnosis. Postmortem examination confirmed the cerebral abscess. Bacterial cultures yielded heavy growth of Actinomyces pyogenes.     

Grass Yields Under Clipping and Watering Explain Varied Efficacy of Management Intensive Grazing on Rangelands

Management intensive grazing (MIG) may not maximize plant productivity on rangelands because of morphophysiological traits of grassland vegetation. We examined defoliation and moisture effects on the biomass yield of rhizomatous and caespitose grass pairs that were either phylogenetically similar or of similar agroclimatic adaptation, including two agronomic grasses. From relatively low to high moisture regime adaptation, species pairs included western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii [Rydb.] A. Love) and needle-and-thread (Hesperostipa comata [Trin. & Rupr.] Barkw.), northern wheatgrass (Elymus lanceolatus [Scribn. & J.G. Sm.]) and western porcupine grass (H. curtiseta [Hitchc.] Barkw.), plains and foothills rough fescue (Festuca hallii [Vasey] and F. campestris Rydb.), and smooth and meadow brome (Bromus inermis Leyss. and B. riparius Rehm). Response variables were shoot yield, root-shoot ratio, and water-use efficiency. We hypothesized that caespitose grasses, regardless of their origin or adaptation to agroclimate regime, would respond more determinately in biomass accumulation. Defoliation effects on shoot biomass were more pronounced under high moisture. Low intensity ? high frequency defoliation yielded similarly to deferred controls in all grasses, and the same was true for high-intensity ? low-frequency (HILF) defoliation in 1 rhizomatous grass. Three of the 4 rhizomatous grasses and 1 caespitose grass yielded greater under HILF defoliation compared with high-intensity ? high-frequency defoliation. Caespitose grasses allocated more biomass to roots under low moisture conditions. Water-use efficiency decreased under high moisture conditions and more intense and/or frequent defoliation and peaked in agronomic grasses. Overall, our results suggested that growth patterns corresponded more with phylogenetic similarity as opposed to growth form. A conceptual model from these results showed that across all species, only the introduced bromes generated greater biomass under HILF defoliation, and this may explain why past research consistently concludes that MIG does not enhance plant productivity on rangelands.     

Topical 0.1% tacrolimus for the treatment of discoid lupus erythematosus and pemphigus erythematosus in dogs

Topical 0.1% tacrolimus was used for treatment of localized lesions associated with 10 cases of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and two cases of pemphigus erythematosus (PE) either as a sole therapy (n=2) or as an adjunctive treatment (n=10). Eight of 10 dogs with DLE and both dogs with PE were improved following 8 weeks of topical application. In six of the eight dogs that improved, other medications were discontinued. No adverse effects in clinical or laboratory parameters were noted throughout the study.     

Chicken dendritic cells and type II pneumocytes express a common intracellular epitope

1. CVI-ChNL 74·3, a dendritic cell-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) also identifies chicken lung granular pneumocytes (type II pneumocytes), which produce surfactant.

2. The 74·3 mAb does not cross-react with any other avian or mammalian granular pneumocyte, and provides a convenient tool for monitoring the status of type II pneumocytes in the chicken lung.     

Hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase and glucocorticoid abuse in meat cattle

Bertarelli, D., Balbo, A., Carletti, M., Cannizzo, T., Girolami, F., Nebbia, C. Hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase and glucocorticoid abuse in meat cattle. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap.  35 , 596–603. Besides being extensively applied as therapeutical remedies, glucocorticoids (GCs) – most notably dexamethasone or prednisolone – are also illegally used in livestock for growth‐promoting purposes. This study was designed to assess the suitability of liver tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT), a gluconeogenic enzyme known to be induced by GCs, to act as a reliable candidate biomarker to screen for GC abuse in cattle. Enzyme activity was measured spectrophotometrically in liver cytosols or in cell extracts, and TAT gene expression was determined by real‐time PCR. Compared with untreated veal calves, a notable scatter (20‐fold) and much higher median values (3‐fold) characterized TAT specific activity in liver samples from commercially farmed veal calves. A time‐related increase in both enzyme activity and gene expression was detected in rat hepatoma cell lines treated with dexamethasone concentrations (10^?8 or 10^?9 m ) in the range of those recorded in noncompliant samples from EU official controls. In experimental studies in which finishing bulls were administered GCs at growth‐promoting dosages, however, no such changes were recorded in dexamethasone‐treated animals; a statistically significant rise in liver TAT activity (+95%) only occurred in prednisolone‐treated bulls. Although further research is needed to characterize the GC‐mediated response in cattle liver, TAT does not appear to be a specific and sensitive biomarker of GC abuse in the bovine species.