Errata

In the paper "The Effect of Choline-Deficiency on Uterine Activity of Rats," by Kraatz and Gruber (Science, March 25), the tenth line from the end, p. 312, ". . . choline every second" should be amended to read "...choline every second day."     

Contagious ecthyma in the live sheep export industry

Objective: To investigate control options for contagious ecthyma (scabby mouth) in Australian sheep exported live to the Middle East.
Design: Prevalence, vaccination and modelling studies.
Procedure: One hundred and forty weaner sheep (less than 1 year old) on each of 106 farms in Western Australia (WA) and 18 farm groups of adult wethers received at a WA commercial feedlot were examined for lesions of scabby mouth. Sheep on a total of 26 farms in 3 States were divided into treatment and control groups for the vaccination study. A simple deterministic compartmental model was developed to establish which parameters had the greater effect on disease prevalence.
Results: The proportion of farms with evidence of scabby mouth in weaner sheep was 23.6% and, on those farms with the disease, the overall prevalence was 6.1%. At the feedlot, 4 out of 18 farm groups had 5 or more sheep with lesions on arrival. The overall prevalence in the 4 diseased groups was 5.2%. Sheep vaccinated on farm before trucking to the feed-lot had a lower prevalence of scabby mouth at the end of simulated shipping than controls. The main determinant of scabby mouth prevalence was the proportion of sheep immune to the disease.
Conclusion: A program of vaccination for scabby mouth will reduce the prevalence of disease during live export. However, using current technology it is not possible to deliver shipments of sheep to the Middle East that are guaranteed completely free of scabby mouth.     

Unguided bronchoalveolar lavage techniques and residual effects in dogs

Objectives To investigate the use of unguided bronchoalveolar lavage techniques in dogs without fibreoptic bronchoscopy, using an adapted single vascular catheter and a double-lumen catheter made from two single vascular catheters.
Animals Sixty-nine dogs were examined with the single-catheter technique and 110 dogs with the double-catheter technique.
Design A prospective study.
Procedure Sixty-nine and 220 samples, collected with the single catheter and the double catheter respectively, were examined cytologically Lungs of 69 dogs were examined grossly and histologically. Radiographic examination was performed on 11 dogs.
Results The double-catheter technique produced samples with significantly higher cellularity (P < 0.01) and fewer red blood cells (P < 0.01) than the single-catheter technique. Repeat samples collected with a double catheter were not significantly different (P > 0.01) in any value. A reference range for nucleated cell counts of 62 to 1210 – 10⁶/L was calculated from 57 clinically and histologically normal dogs. The major residual effects of the technique were localised pulmonary oedema, and alveolar distension with collapse and congestion of distant parenchyma. Thoracic radiographs revealed increased lung opacity for at least up to 7 h after the procedure.
Conclusions The cellularity of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained was adequate and sufficient fluid was retrieved when the single catheter was located in a proper position. However, the double catheter obtained better samples more quickly and easily, with less damage to the respiratory tract.     

Cutaneous cryptococcosis in three cats

Cutaneous cryptococcosis was diagnosed in 3 cats. No other organ involvement was found. One cat has remained healthy after surgical excision of the cryptococcal skin lesion. One cat was euthanatized after diagnosis. The third cat was treated successfully with a 5-month course of ketoconazole.     

Immunohistochemical characterization of canine prostatic carcinoma and correlation with castration status and castration time

The purpose of this study was to characterize canine prostate cancer using immunohistochemical staining specific for acinar and urothelial/ductal tissue and correlate these results with the dogs' castration status/castration time. Seventy dogs with prostate cancer were included, 71% were castrated and 29% were intact. Compared with an age‐matched control population, castrated dogs were at increased risk of prostate cancer, odds ratio 3.9. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on 58 cases. Forty‐six of the 58 stained positive for cytokeratin 7 (CK 7) (ductal/urothelial origin) and one of the 58 stained positive for prostate‐specific antigen. Dogs with CK 7‐positive tumours were younger when castrated than dogs with CK 7‐negative tumours, 2 versus 7 years (P = 0.03); dogs castrated at ≤2 years of age were more likely to be CK 7‐positive (P = 0.009). These results show that most canine prostatic carcinomas are of ductal/urothelial, androgen‐independent origin. This is consistent with the epidemiological findings, showing increased risk in castrated dogs. Canine prostate cancer may, therefore, not be a realistic model for the human disease.     

Feline oral neoplasia: a ten-year survey

A retrospective histological study was conducted on 371 neoplasms of the oral cavity in cats. Oral neoplasia accounted for 10% of feline neoplasms identified during the survey period. Eighty-nine percent of the oral neoplasms were malignant. Twenty different oral neoplasms were found. The most common were squamous cell carcinoma (61.2%), fibrosarcoma (12.9%), and fibromatous epulis of periodontal ligament origin (7.8%).     

Intestinal choristoma in the midcervical region of a dog

A 5-year-old, neutered male, mixed-breed dog was evaluated for a fluctuant mass in the right midcervical region. The mass recurred following aspiration of its contents and after removal of the right sublingual and mandibular salivary glands. The lateral midcervical location of the mass and the serous nature of the fluid within the mass were inconsistent with a salivary mucocele. Excisional biopsy was curative and revealed an intestinal choristoma.     

Extranodal conjunctival Hodgkin's-like lymphoma in a cat

A seven-year-old female spayed Domestic Short-haired cat was brought for examination following a four-month history of conjunctivitis in the right eye. The superior palpebral conjunctiva was diffusely swollen and firm, displacing the right globe ventrally and preventing full closure of the eyelids. The right popliteal lymph node was enlarged as were several other peripheral lymph nodes. An incisional biopsy of the conjunctival swelling revealed a lymphoid neoplasm, the cellular make up of which suggested features of feline Hodgkin's-like lymphoma. Although the neoplasm was poorly responsive to standard chemotherapeutic protocols for lymphoma, radiation therapy rapidly reduced its size. Three years following the initial diagnosis, there has been no recurrence of the conjunctival neoplasm. To the authors' knowledge, there are no previous reports of extranodal or adnexal (conjunctiva, eyelid, orbit) Hodgkin's-like lymphoma in the veterinary literature.