Obituary: Dr Sam Jamieson,OBE, MRSVS,DVSM, PhD

Extract

Dr Sam Jamieson died suddenly at his home on 11 May 1987, aged 77 years     

Use of thermokeratoplasty for treatment of ulcerative keratitis and bullous keratopathy secondary to corneal endothelial disease in dogs: 13 cases (1994-2001)

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of thermokeratoplasty for treatment of ulcerative keratitis and bullous keratopathy secondary to corneal endothelial disease in dogs. DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 13 dogs. PROCEDURES: Medical records from 1994 to 2001 for dogs evaluated because of ulcerative keratitis and bullous keratopathy and treated with thermokeratoplasty were reviewed. RESULTS: There were 7 spayed females, 5 castrated males, and 1 sexually intact male, ranging from 6 to 16 years of age. Ten dogs had endothelial degeneration, and 3 dogs had breed-related endothelial dystrophy. All dogs had bullous keratopathy, characterized by microbullae formation that was detected via biomicroscopy. Recurrent or nonhealing corneal ulcers were detected unilaterally in 5 dogs and bilaterally in 8 dogs. Mean +/- SD duration from thermokeratoplasty until ulcerations were healed for all dogs was 2.2 +/- 1.1 weeks. All dogs that underwent thermokeratoplasty for nonhealing corneal ulceration secondary to endothelial disease and corneal edema had epithelial wound healing and resolution of corneal ulceration. Mean duration of treatment (ie, topical treatment required until resolution of ulceration) was significantly less after thermokeratoplasty than duration of treatment (with multiple treatments) prior to referral. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: It may be necessary to perform thermokeratoplasty of the entire cornea to prevent recurrence of ulcerations in areas that have not been treated with thermokeratoplasty.     

Detection of Helicobacter spp. in gastric, fecal and saliva samples from swine affected by gastric ulceration

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Helicobacter (H.) spp. in swine affected by gastric ulceration. Stomachs from 400 regularly slaughtered swine were subjected to gross pathological examination to evaluate the presence of gastric ulcers. Sixty-five samples collected from ulcerated pars esophagea and 15 samples from non-ulcerated pyloric portions were submitted to histopathological and molecular analyses, to detect Helicobacter spp., H. suis and H. pylori by PCR. Feces and saliva swabs were also collected from 25 animals in order to detect in vivo the presence of Helicobacter spp.. Gastric ulcers were detected in 373 cases (93%). The presence of ulcers in association with inflammatory processes was further confirmed by histological examination. Forty-nine percent (32/65) of the ulcerated esophageal portions as well as 53% (8/15) of the non-ulcerated pyloric portions were positive for Helicobacter spp. by PCR. The Helicobacter spp. positive samples were also positive for H. suis, while H. pylori was not detected. These results were confirmed by restriction enzyme analysis. With regard to feces and saliva samples, 15/25 (60%) and 16/25 (64%) were positive for Helicobacter spp. PCR, respectively but all were negative in H. suis and H. pylori specific PCR.     

Comparison of hemodynamic, clinicopathologic, and gastrointestinal motility effects and recovery characteristics of anesthesia with isoflurane and halothane in horses undergoing arthroscopic surgery

OBJECTIVE: To compare hemodynamic, clinicopathologic, and gastrointestinal motility effects and recovery characteristics of halothane and isoflurane in horses undergoing arthroscopic surgery. ANIMALS: 8 healthy adult horses. PROCEDURE: Anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane or halothane (crossover study). At 6 intervals during anesthesia and surgery, cardiopulmonary variables and related derived values were recorded. Recovery from anesthesia was assessed; gastrointestinal tract motility was subjectively monitored for 72 hours after anesthesia. Horses were administered chromium, and fecal chromium concentration was used to assess intestinal transit time. Venous blood samples were collected for clinicopathologic analyses before and 2, 24, and 48 hours after anesthesia. RESULTS: Compared with halothane-anesthetized horses, cardiac index, oxygen delivery, and heart rate were higher and systemic vascular resistance was lower in isoflurane-anesthetized horses. Mean arterial blood pressure and the dobutamine dose required to maintain blood pressure were similar for both treatments. Duration and quality of recovery from anesthesia did not differ between treatments, although the recovery periods were somewhat shorter with isoflurane. After isoflurane anesthesia, gastrointestinal motility normalized earlier and intestinal transit time of chromium was shorter than that detected after halothane anesthesia. Compared with isoflurane, halothane was associated with increases in serum aspartate transaminase and glutamate dehydrogenase activities, but there were no other important differences in clinicopathologic variables between treatments. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Compared with halothane, isoflurane appears to be associated with better hemodynamic stability during anesthesia, less hepatic and muscle damage, and more rapid return of normal intestinal motility after anesthesia in horses undergoing arthroscopic procedures.     

Pathogenicity studies with the fungi Aphanomyces invadans, Achlya bisexualis, and Phialemonium dimorphosporum: induction of skin ulcers in striped mullet

Based on isolations from naturally infected fish in Florida, we investigated the role of the fungi Aphanomyces invadans, Achlya bisexualis, and Phialemonium dimorphosporum in the etiology of ulcerative mycosis (UM) in striped mullet Mugil cephalus. We injected healthy striped mullet subcutaneously with secondary zoospores of four oomycete isolates: two concentrations (50 and 115 zoospores/mL) of SJR (an endemic isolate of Aphanomyces invadans in American shad Alosa sapidissima from the St. Johns River); two concentrations each of CAL (25 and 65 zoospores/mL) and ACH (1,400 and 2,000 zoospores/mL; endemic isolates of Aphanomyces invadans and Achlyva bisexualis, respectively, in striped mullet from the Caloosahatchee River); and two concentrations of the ascomycete culture MTZ (2,500 and 3,500 zoospores/mL; endemic isolate of P. dimorphosporum from whirligig mullet M. gyrans in the Matanzas Inlet). All fish injected with either concentration of SJR developed granulomatous ulcers after 8 d and died within 21 d. Eighty percent (8/10) of fish injected with the high dose of CAL developed ulcers after 13 d and died within 28 d, but only 30% (3/10) of fish injected with the low dose of CAL developed ulcers. Four of the ulcerated fish died within 28 d, and the remaining fish were terminated after 32 d. Fish injected with zoospores of Aphanomyces invadans developed ulcers that were grossly and histologically similar to those observed in naturally infected striped mullet with UM from several estuaries or rivers in Florida. These hemorrhagic skin ulcers were characterized by myonecrosis and the presence of mycotic granulomas. None of the fish injected with ACH, MTZ, or sterile water developed ulcers. This study fulfilled Koch's postulates and demonstrated that ulcers could be experimentally induced in striped mullet after exposure via injection to secondary zoospores of an endemic Florida strain of Aphanomyces invadans.     

Lens-induced uveitis in dogs: 151 cases (1985-1990).

During a 5-year period, phacolytic uveitis was diagnosed in 202 eyes of 151 dogs admitted to the veterinary teaching hospital. The diagnosis of phacolytic uveitis was based on the finding of a cataractous lens and anterior uveitis, unassociated with other identifiable causes of uveal inflammation. The most commonly affected breeds were the Toy and Miniature Poodle (35%) and the American Cocker Spaniel (19%). The mean age was 7.0 years for all breeds, 5.1 years for the Cocker Spaniel, and 9.0 years for the Poodle breeds. Evidence of cataract resorption was visible in 72% of the eyes. Fifty-one dogs were affected bilaterally and 100 dogs unilaterally. The mean interval between recognition of the cataract and the onset of lens-induced uveitis (LIU) was 17 months; mean times of 25 and 11 months were seen in the Poodle breeds and American Cocker Spaniel, respectively. The mean age of dogs requiring greater than 1 revisit before the inflammation had subsided was 5.5 years. Complications, referable to the uveitis, were seen in 14% of eyes, the most important of which were glaucoma (16 eyes) and phthisis bulbi (9 eyes). Lens extraction surgery was done on 50 LIU-affected eyes, and on 35 normal eyes in LIU-affected animals. The 2- and 6-month success rates for LIU-affected eyes were 78 and 39%, respectively, and for normal eyes in LIU-affected animals were 85 and 71%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Ornamental lakes — an overlooked conservation resource?

• 1. Shallow lakes excavated for ornamental purposes during the 18th and 19th centuries are abundant in lowland Europe. However, relative to older man‐made and/or natural lakes, these lakes may have been undervalued from the perspective of nature conservation.
• 2. To evaluate this idea a comparison was made between the aquatic macrophyte communities (submerged and floating‐leaved vegetation) of 66 shallow, English lakes including 34 ornamental lakes and 32 flooded medieval peat workings (the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads system), the latter being widely protected by conservation legislation.
• 3. Some 47%, 38% and 15% of the lakes studied were phytoplankton‐dominated, macrophyte‐dominated or deemed too shallow (<50 cm water depth), respectively, to support a macrophyte vegetation. A higher proportion of the ornamental lakes were macrophyte‐dominated (51%) by comparison with the broads (34%). In addition, many of the ornamental lakes contained diverse plant communities including abundant populations of Characeae, a common feature of lakes in the region before the major onset of eutrophication.
• 4. From the perspectives of macrophyte species richness, charophyte communities and indeed ‘reference condition macrophyte assemblages’, many of the studied ornamental lakes can be considered to be of high conservation value. Yet, in contrast to the broads, the vast majority of ornamental lakes have little conservation protection and are rarely subject to biological monitoring and/or surveying, thus leaving them vulnerable to eutrophication and inappropriate management. This study suggests that ornamental lakes are worthy of much greater attention from conservation organizations.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.