Leptospirosis in beef herds from western Canada: serum antibody titers and vaccination practices

One study described the frequency of pre-breeding vaccination for leptospirosis in 205 cow-calf herds from across western Canada and the prevalence of positive Leptospira antibody titers in unvaccinated, weaned calves from 61 of these herds. The percentages of herds vaccinated for leptospirosis were 13.7% in 2001 and 8.4% in 2002. Of 1539 calves examined, 13 (0.8%) had a positive antibody titer for a Leptospira serovar; the most common serovar detected was hardjo. A second study examined the prevalence of positive Leptospira antibody titers during the summer grazing season in 313 vaccinated and 478 unvaccinated cows from 40 cow-calf herds in southern Saskatchewan. Antibody titers for 7 Leptospira serovars were measured during the grazing season. Of the non-vaccinated cows, 9.6% were positive in the spring for serovar pomona, 6.7% for serovar grippotyphosa, and 6.1% for serovar icterohaemorrhagiae; the corresponding percentages for the fall were 5.5%, 3.0%, and 1.3%, respectively. Of 781 vaccinated and unvaccinated cows that were sampled twice, 11.3% of vaccinated cows and 2.3% of unvaccinated cows had increases in Leptospira antibody titers during the grazing season.     

Incidence of meniscal injury in cats with cranial cruciate ligament ruptures

This retrospective study evaluated the incidence of meniscal injury in cats with cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) ruptures. Medical records for cats diagnosed with CCL ruptures treated by a lateral fabellotibial suture (LFS) were reviewed for signalment, history, physical examination and surgical findings. Ninety-five cats (98 stifles) met the inclusion criteria. The incidence of meniscal injuries in feline CCL deficient stifles was 67%. Isolated medial meniscal injuries were found in 55 stifles (56%), isolated lateral meniscal injuries were found in 5 stifles (5%), and lateral and medial meniscal injuries were found in 6 stifles (6%). There was no correlation between the presence of a meniscal injury and age, breed, sex, weight, duration of lameness, presence of concurrent medial patellar luxation, degree of degenerative joint disease, or presenting side of lameness. Given the high rate of meniscal pathology in cats with CCL ruptures, exploratory surgery for meniscal assessment and concurrent stifle stabilization should be considered in feline patients.     

Trial design to estimate the effect of vaccination on tuberculosis incidence in badgers

The principal wildlife reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis in Ireland is the European badger. Studies in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) have shown that badgers culled in association with cattle herd tuberculosis breakdowns (focal culling) have a higher prevalence of infection than the badger population at large. This observation is one rationale for the medium term national strategy of focal badger culling. A vaccination strategy for the control of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in badgers is a preferred long-term option. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been shown to decrease disease severity in captive badgers under controlled conditions. As the vaccine has been tested in a controlled environment with precise information on infection pressure, it cannot be assumed a priori that the effects of vaccination are similar in the wild, where other environmental and/or ecological factors prevail. For this reason we have designed a vaccine field trial to assess the impact of vaccination on the incidence of TB infection in a wild badger population. The selected study area for the vaccine trial (approximately 755 square kilometers) is divided into three zones each of which has similar characteristics in terms of size, number of main badger setts, cattle herds, cattle and land classification type. Three vaccination levels (100%, 50% and 0%) will be allocated to the three zones in a way that a gradient of vaccination coverage North to South is achieved. The middle zone (zone B) will be vaccinated at a 50% coverage but zone A and C will be randomly allocated with 100% or 0% vaccination coverage. Vaccination within zone B will be done randomly at individual badger level. The objective of this paper is to describe the design of a field tuberculosis vaccination trial for badgers, the epidemiological methods that were used to design the trial and the subsequent data analysis. The analysis will enable us to quantify the magnitude of the observed vaccination effect on M. bovis transmission in badgers under field conditions and to improve our knowledge of the biological effects of vaccination on susceptibility and infectiousness.     

Low temperature (−196°c) storage of true seed from the tuber-bearingSolanum species

Seeds from several of the tuber-bearingSolanum species were exposed to low temperatures using liquid nitrogen. No differences in final percent germination or in the rate of germination were observed between the control and treated seeds for any species tested. High viability after liquid nitrogen treatment suggests that long-term storage ofSolanum seed should be practical and warrants further investigation, especially for the long-term storage of valuable germplasm.     

Morphology of alpaca (Vicugna pacos) embryos in the first third of pregnancy

The breeding of South American camelids is the main economic activity of the high Andean region of South America and it, is potentially, the most profitable resource in of the Puna environmental conditions of the Puna. The duration of the gestation in alpaca is 339.7 ± 12 days. The objective of the present work was to macroscopically and microscopically describe the ontogenic development of the splanchnic cavities of the alpaca and to determine the gestational time in which the post‐cranial ossification centers are observed in the embryos/fetuses of this species, from day 21 to 107 of gestation. The documentation of normal ontogenic development, which is vacant for this period, is of the utmost importance to understand the consequences of the alterations at the different gestational times, as well as for the estimation of the gestational age in the case of abortions. Forty‐seven alpaca specimens of both sexes, at different times of their gestational development, collected during slaughter at local slaughterhouses of the Department of Huancavelica, Peru, were evaluated. Specimens were assigned to seven groups according to their morphological characteristics. The embryogenesis in the alpaca was characterized by a series of changes comparable to those occurring in other mammals with similar gestational periods. Despite these similarities, species differences were found in some organs as stomach, which are observed too in adult individuals.     

Current Status of Genetic Studies of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency in Dogs

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is a disorder wherein the pancreas fails to secrete adequate amounts of digestive enzymes. In dogs, EPI is usually the consequence of an autoimmune disease known as pancreatic acinar atrophy. Originally believed to be a simple autosomal recessive disorder, a test-breeding recently revealed that EPI has a more complex mode of inheritance. The contributions of multiple genes, combined with environmental factors, may explain observed variability in clinical presentation and progression of this disease. Research efforts aim to identify genetic variations underlying EPI to assist breeders in their efforts to eliminate this disease from their breed and provide clinicians with new targets for therapeutic intervention and/or disease prevention. Genome-wide linkage, global gene expression, and candidate gene analyses have failed to identify a major locus or genetic variations in German Shepherd Dogs with EPI. Recently, genome-wide association studies revealed numerous genomic regions associated with EPI. Current studies are focused on alleles of the canine major histocompatibility complex. In this article we review findings from scientific investigations into the inheritance and genetic cause(s) of EPI in the purebred dog.     

Applied information retrieval and multidisciplinary research: new mechanistic hypotheses in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Background

Collaborative efforts of physicians and basic scientists are often necessary in the investigation of complex disorders. Difficulties can arise, however, when large amounts of information need to reviewed. Advanced information retrieval can be beneficial in combining and reviewing data obtained from the various scientific fields. In this paper, a team of investigators with varying backgrounds has applied advanced information retrieval methods, in the form of text mining and entity relationship tools, to review the current literature, with the intention to generate new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying a complex disorder. As an example of such a disorder the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) was chosen. CRPS is a painful and debilitating syndrome with a complex etiology that is still unraveled for a considerable part, resulting in suboptimal diagnosis and treatment.

Results

A text mining based approach combined with a simple network analysis identified Nuclear Factor kappa B (NFκB) as a possible central mediator in both the initiation and progression of CRPS.

Conclusion

The result shows the added value of a multidisciplinary approach combined with information retrieval in hypothesis discovery in biomedical research. The new hypothesis, which was derived in silico, provides a framework for further mechanistic studies into the underlying molecular mechanisms of CRPS and requires evaluation in clinical and epidemiological studies.