Pharmacologic effects and detection methods of methylated analogs of fentanyl in horses

Pharmacologic effects of alpha-methylfentanyl and 3-methylfentanyl, analogs of fentanyl, were investigated in mares. The ability of an 125I-labeled fentanyl radioimmunoassay (125I-RIA) to detect these methylated fentanyl analogs in individual and pooled urine samples from horses was evaluated. Also, the ability of 7 fentanyl antibodies to react with fentanyl and fentanyl derivatives (sufentanil, alfentanil, and carfentanil) was investigated. Mares were studied in a locomotor test to determine the amount of stimulation methylated fentanyl analogs might induce. Two mares each were given alpha-methylfentanyl at 1, 2, 4, 8, or 13 micrograms/kg of body weight, IV, or 3-methylfentanyl at 0.4, 0.7, or 1 microgram/kg IV. The cross-reactivity of sufentanil, alfentanil, carfentanil, alpha-methylfentanyl, and 3-methylfentanyl with 7 fentanyl antibodies was studied, using the 125I-RIA. All fentanyl analogs, with the exception of alfentanil, cross-reacted well with a C1 antibody raised to fentanyl. Less satisfactory cross-reactivity was determined with 6 other antibodies raised to fentanyl derivatives. When the C1 antibody was combined with an iodinated analog to fentanyl, good detectability of alpha-methylfentanyl and 3-methylfentanyl, in terms of fentanyl equivalents, was obtained from urine samples of dosed mares. The ability of the 125I-RIA to detect methylated fentanyl analogs in forensic urine samples pooled in groups of up to 20 samples was evaluated. When these methylated analogs were administered to mares in doses that induced measurable locomotor stimulation, the analog's presence was readily detected in individual or pooled samples.     

Lymphosarcoma with disseminated skeletal involvement in a pup

Lymphoblastic lymphosarcoma with disseminated skeletal involvement was diagnosed in a 15-week-old Golden Retriever. The skeletal disease was characterized by diffuse, irregular areas of radiolucency most evident in the diaphyseal portion of long bones and was associated with gait abnormalities and signs of pain. Necropsy also revealed involvement of the spleen, liver, kidneys, and mesenteric lymph nodes.     

Arthrodesis of metatarsophalangeal joints in a dog

Chronic osteomyelitis and septic arthritis involving the 3rd and 4th metatarsophalangeal joints were diagnosed in a Doberman Pinscher. Arthrodesis of the 3rd and 4th metatarsophalangeal joints resulted in a subtle persistent gait abnormality, but limb function was preserved. Arthrodesis of metatarsophalangeal joints is an alternative to amputation, especially when main weight-bearing digits are involved.     

Variation in Doubled Haploid Plants of Wheat Obtained through Wheat (Triticum aestivum) × Maize (Zea mays) Crosses

Variation was investigated in 110 doubled haploid (DH) lines of wheat derived from wheat × maize crosses. Field observation revealed visible variations in 15 DH2 lines such as extreme dwarfism, low seed fertility, alteration of spike type and stripes. Six agronomic traits, i.e., heading date, spike number/ plant, culm length, spike length, seed fertility and grain weight were statistically analyzed in the DH2 and DH3 generations. Out of the 88 DH2 lines/DH3 groups, 26 %/64 % showed significant differences from the parental variety in the means of one or more traits. Ranges of the DH3 lines were larger than those of the DH2 lines, except for spike number/plant. Furthermore, analyses of variance within and between DH lines showed the presence of heterogeneity/heterozygosity in the DH2 lines/plants. These results indicated the occurrence of gametoclonal variation in the DH lines. It is considered that most of the variations detected were due to the colchicine treatment rather than to the 2,4-D treatment or in vitro culture.     

Infectious diseases of New-World camelids (NWC)

Although there are notable infectious conditions that are capable of producing clinical disease in the NWC, overall, these species are quite healthy. Of the bacterial diseases, enterotoxemia caused by Clostridium perfringens types C and D would be deemed the most significant in North America, while type A also would be regarded as important in South America. Other important bacterial infections of potential concern are tuberculosis, Johne's disease, anthrax, malignant edema, actinomycosis, tetanus, and the South American condition referred to as alpaca fever, which, to date, has not been observed in North America. Fungal infections include classical ringworm, principally caused by Trichophyton spp., and the cases of coccidioidomycosis that are associated with the arid desert lands of the southwestern United States. Most notable of naturally occurring viral infections in the NWC would be rabies, ecthyma, and a recently described blindness neuropathy that has been associated with the equine herpesvirus I. NWC can be infected experimentally with agents causing hoof-and-mouth disease and vesicular stomatitis, but naturally occurring cases do not seem to occur. Serological evidence of exposure to many viral agents, including blue tongue, parainfluenza 3, bovine respiratory syncytial virus, bovine herpesvirus I, bovine viral diarrhea, influenza A, and rotavirus, has been demonstrated; however, no clinical disease associated with these agents, as yet, is apparent.     

Identification of a potentially important antigen of pasteurella haemolytica

To identify antigens which may be important for stimulating immunity to pneumonic pasteurellosis, a bovine antiserum to whole P. haemolytica was used to screen a recombinant lambda gt11/P. haemolytica expression library. One of the recombinant bacteriophage clones identified with the bovine antiserum, SW20C, expressed a fusion protein which was also recognized by rabbit antiserum to partially purified P. haemolytica culture supernatant and was found to be immunogenic in guinea pigs. The guinea pig antibody recognized a 100 kDa protein in P. haemolytica cell lysates. Sequence analysis of the cloned DNA from SW20C identified a fragment of 1443 bp with a small open reading frame that was contiguous with the lacZ sequence. The 153 bp P. haemolytica-specific open reading frame encoded a polypeptide of approximately 6kDa. Homology searches of Genbank and the EMBL data bases revealed no homology of this open reading frame with any other bacterial sequences including P. haemolytica leukotoxin and Ssa1. Evaluation of sera from calves that were scored either susceptible or resistant to experimental pneumonic pasteurellosis demonstrated a significant (P < 0.001) correlation between the intensity of the antibody response to the SW20C antigen and resistance to disease.     

Effect of season and lactation on postpartum fertility of Polypay, Dorset, St. Croix and Targhee ewes

The objective of this study was to compare rebreeding activities of spring- vs fall-lambing Polypay, Dorset, St. Croix and Targhee ewes that either suckled their lambs for 40 d or had lambs weaned at birth. Seasonal effects of male fertility were reduced by utilizing an excess number of fertile rams in the spring. Plasma concentrations of progesterone were monitored to assess days to the first normal ovulation, days to conception and estrous vs anestrous activity. Breed, season and lactation affected the rebreeding performance. Dorset ewes had similar conception rates between spring and fall but a shorter interval from lambing to first ovulation in the fall. Polypay and Targhee ewes were the opposite; they had higher conception rates in fall than in spring matings with no seasonal influence on postpartum interval. Postpartum ewes in the fall had higher conception rates, and fewer of these ewes became anestrous or had estrous cycles of abnormal duration than of those ewes lambing in the spring. Ewes that suckled for 40 d in the spring had delayed estrous activity, but when these ewes became estrual they had higher conception rates than ewes whose lambs were weaned at birth. Lactation had no inhibitory affect on the postpartum interval of fall lambing ewes. These data suggest that the response of different breeds to various components of postpartum fertility varies with season and management of the flock.     

Urinary protein level determination as a rapid method for the detection of contamination of slaughtered swine

Reference is made to work undertaken by Stehle (1983) on rapid semiquantitative determination of urinary protein in pigs for slaughter to identify premortal strain and stress, with additional studies being conducted into the suitability of the method. The investigations performed for this study covered urinary protein samples from 59 living and 762 slaughtered pigs. The Biophan E paper strip test was applied to groups of animals, and, when compared to high-accuracy laboratory determination of urinary protein, it provided sufficiently accurate information on the presence of stress-related proteinuria. Its accuracy, however, proved to be insufficient, when individual animals were examined. The number of clearly stressed slaughter pigs was unexpectedly high, although the same animals had been rated clinically inconspicuous prior to slaughter. Brief rest period resulted in significant rise of stress. The Biophan E paper strip test was found to be suitable for instantaneous determination of stress and strain on pigs for slaughter.