The journal

Extract

At the Annual General Meeting of the New Zealand Veterinary Association in 1951 a motion was carried “that this meeting recommend that a journal be started, and ask Council to investigate the matter from all aspects, and to report to the next Annual General Meeting.” To implement the wishes of the meeting, Council appointed a subcommittee which reported to the Annual General Meeting of 1952. The report, after dealing with costs and publishable material, recommended as follows:—     

大兴安岭南段东南麓低山丘陵牧草种质资源初探

为了充分了解及有效保存内蒙古地区的牧草种质遗传资源,对大兴安岭南段东南麓低山丘陵各类天然草场资源的分布及组成进行了调查研究,根据采集植物标本的鉴定结果统计,该地区共有野生种子植物和蕨类植物774种,属88科329属,饲用植物占植物总数的82.17%.同时调查还发现,该区草地资源存在过度放牧、良种未得到充分保护等问题,并提出了一些针对性的建议,为进一步完善该地区牧草育种和良种繁殖体系及有效地保护和利用牧草种质资源提供参考.     

The Iron Ore Market in the Sino-Brazilian Trade

China has required a large quantity of commodities in order to keep with its economic growth path,driven by large exports,rapid urbanization and investment in fixed assets.Commodities exporter countries have benefited from China ’s immense"hunger"for commodities,especially during the 2000s.Brazil,for instance,has emerged in this scenario as one of the largest iron ore producers and exporters.However,the cooling down of the Chinese economy has brought doubts to the iron ore industry,which may remain strong in near future but one cannot claim for certain whether or not this trend will remain this positive in the long run.     

DOPPLER ULTRASONOGRAPHIC ESTIMATION OF RENAL AND OCULAR RESISTIVE AND PULSATILITY INDICES IN NORMAL DOGS AND CATS

Resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) are indirect measurements of blood flow resistance that may be used to evaluate vascular changes in renal and ophthalmologic diseases. To our knowledge, no reports are available describing values for renal and ocular PI index in the unsedated dog and ocular RI and PI indices in the unsedated cat. The purpose of this study was to measure normal values for both intrarenal and ocular RI and PI within the same subject in unsedated clinically normal dogs and cats. Twenty-seven dogs and 10 cats were considered healthy by means of physical examination, CBC, biochemical profile, urinalysis, and ultrasonography. Systolic blood pressure was measured by Doppler ultrasonography. Intrarenal and ocular arteries were scanned by pulsed Doppler ultrasonography to calculate RI and PI. No significant differences were noted between the values obtained for the right vs. the left kidney and eye. The upper values of these indices were calculated as mean+2 standard deviations resulting in 0.72 and 1.52 for dog renal RI and PI; 0.7 and 1.29 for cat renal RI and PI; 0.76 and 1.68 for dog ocular RI and PI; and 0.72 and 1.02 for cat ocular RI and PI.     

Serological survey for evidence of Leptospira interrogans in free-living platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

Objective   To survey free-living platypuses for evidence of Leptospira interrogans .
Methods   A serological study of Leptospira antibodies was carried out on 21 platypuses captured between May and October 2001 in the Wollondilly River 200 km south of Sydney, New South Wales.
Results   Positive reactions, all to the L Hardjo serovar, were seen in 14 (66%) of the captured animals, with adult males showing a higher prevalence of antibodies than adult females. Several individual platypuses showed a high titre of L Hardjo antibodies, and some animals demonstrated cross-reactions to the serovars L Medanensis and L Kremastos.
Conclusion   The serological findings demonstrate that these animals are constantly exposed to infection with Leptospira in their environment, but it is not known if platypuses suffer from clinical leptospirosis or if they mount an immune response, but are unaffected by the bacteria. The prevalence of Leptospira infection among the platypus population could not be precisely estimated because of the unknown number of individuals inhabiting the Wollondilly River inside the survey property. Domestic livestock, mostly cattle, may be the major source of Leptospira infection. The effects of this disease on population dynamics and on reproduction in wild platypuses are not well understood. The role of other wildlife in the transmission and maintenance of Leptospira in the environment is unknown.     

Comparison of the effects of etomidate and its fluoro analogue, R 8110, on plasma Cortisol, 11β-deoxycortisol, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone and testosterone concentrations in dogs

R 8110, an imidazole derivative, was shown to be clinically superior to etomidate for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia in dogs. The present study compared the effects of intravenous (i.v.) R 8110, etomidate and Ringer solution on cortisol biosynthesis by the adrenal gland in seven male labradors. A tetracosactide challenge was carried out 30 min after the i.v. injection of 3 mg/kg of both drugs and after i.v. Ringer solution (1 ml/kg). Etomidate and R 8110 both suppressed the cortisol response to tetracosactide almost completely and increased the plasma 11 beta-deoxycortisol levels more than 20 fold. Maximal 11 beta-deoxycortisol values were reached 120 min after R 8110, and not less than 300 min after etomidate. Plasma 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone and testosterone concentrations did not differ between placebo and R 8110 treatment, but they decreased after etomidate. These results indicate that the effects of R 8110 on steroid biosynthesis in dogs are less pronounced than those of etomidate and are largely limited to a temporary inhibition of the 11 beta-hydroxylase in the adrenal gland.     

PERINATAL FOAL MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH A HERPESVIRUS

An outbreak of perinatal foal mortality associated with a herpesvirus is described. Twenty two foals either were still-born, or died soon after birth, or were weak and soon developed severe respiratory signs, or were normal at birth and developed respiratory symptoms 18 to 24 hours later. Elevated temperatures, heart and respiratory rates were constant features. The animals were severely leucopaenic, and showed an absolute neutropaenia. At autopsy the lungs were enlarged, and showed varying degrees of aeration and moderate to severe oedema and congestion. Histopathology showed an acute focal necrotising bronchiolitis with the presence of intranuclear eosinophilic inclusion bodies. Herpesvirus was recovered from 9 foals in cell culture and identified by electron microscopy.     

Helminth parasites of freshwater fishes from Cuatro Ciénegas,Coahuila, in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico: inventory and biogeographical implications

As part of an ongoing inventory of the helminth parasites of freshwater fishes in Mexico, 570 individual fish were collected between Apr 2008 and Oct 2011 in 26 localities along the Cuatro Ciénegas region in Coahuila State, northern Mexico. Seventeen species of hosts, mostly corresponding to Nearctic freshwater elements, were studied. A total of 8324 individual worms were collected during this survey, representing 25 species of helminths, of which 9 were digeneans, 3 monogeneans, 3 acanthocephalans, 9 nematodes and 1 cestode. Most of the records in this checklist represent new host or locality records. The information provided in this checklist may be helpful for our understanding of the biodiversity and historical biogeography of this host–parasite system, because in the Cuatro Ciénegas region occur a Nearctic freshwater fish fauna, along with Neotropical and endemic elements, and from a biogeographical point of view, this may represent a transitional area.