Conservative management of minimally displaced radial fractures in three horses

Minimally displaced, spiral, radial fractures were diagnosed in three adult horses. Two horses had open fractures and in one horse the fracture was closed. A diagnosis was made on radiographs taken 24 h, 5, and 9 days after the fracture. There was minimal displacement of the fracture fragments despite the considerable time which had elapsed between fracture and diagnosis and an unfavourable prognosis with internal fixation, so conservative therapy was the preferred method of treatment. One horse developed a sequestrum and draining sinus, which was treated surgically under general anaesthesia 3 months after diagnosis of the fracture. Other complications were minimal and transient. Two horses were being used for pleasure riding 12 months after fracture and one horse was pasture sound at 8 months.     

A longitudinal study of lymphocyte subsets in a cohort of cats naturally-infected with feline immunodeficiency virus

Despite the potential of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) as an animal model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) studies, the long term effects of naturally-occurring infection have not been determined. HIV infection causes an ongoing deterioration in immune function which directly correlates with disease, in particular acquired immunodefciency syndrome (AIDS). However, it is not known whether FIV-induced immunosuppression is progressive or related to the clinical condition. This study examined changes in lymphocyte subset numbers of serial samples, taken from cohorts of FIV-positive and FIV-negative cats over an 18-month period. FIV-positive cats were clinically staged as asymptomatic carriers (AC) or cats with AIDS-related complex (ARC), and FIV-negative cats matched and staged on the basis of similar diseases. During the course of the study, 4 FIV-positive cats developed AIDS, classed as the terminal stage of infection. There were no significant differences in the mean absolute numbers of any lymphocyte subset between the onset (to) and the completion (t18) of the study. Similarly there were no significant changes in subset numbers during the 18 months preceding the development of AIDS. While the study period was brief and the sample sizes small, it is postulated that FIV infection in Australia may not necessarily cause progressive immunodeficiency and that FIV-induced immunosuppression (as measured by subset analysis) may not be well correlated with the clinical status of the infected cat.     

A COMPLEMENT-FIXATION TEST FOR ENZOOTIC PNEUMONIA OF PIGS USING A COMPLEMENT DILUTION METHOD

Complement-fixing antibody to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in the serums of pigs experimentally infected with enzootic pneumonia was demonstrated by comparing the haemolytic titre of guinea-pig complement titrated in the presence of heated test serum, M. hyopneumoniae antigen and unheated normal pig serum with the titre obtained when the antigen was omitted. The haemolytic titres against sensitised sheep erythrocytes were determined after a fixation period of 16 to 18 hours at 5°C. When serums, collected at intervals of 3 to 7 days, from 43 pigs exposed to pigs experimentally infected with enzootic pneumonia were tested, 4.6 or more complement units were first fixed 14 to 44 (mean 23.4) days after contact began. Serums collected subsequently fixed from 4.6 to more than 31 complement units. This positive reaction usually persisted until the pigs were killed 4 to 35 weeks after contact began. Thirty-three had gross enzootic pneumonia lesions and 9 had lung lesions detected microscopically. Serum antibody was not detected in 73 weaned pigs aged 7 weeks in a pneumonia-free herd but serums from 9 of 15 unweaned piglets aged 9 to 14 days in the same herd, fixed between 3 and 7 complement units.     

Ultrastructure of the hydrophobic gastric surfactant barrier in the dog

OBJECTIVES: To confirm the hydrophobicity of the luminal surface of the canine stomach and to elucidate the ultrastructure of the lining imparting that property. DESIGN AND PROCEDURES: Gastric and duodenal mucosal samples from eight dogs were collected immediately after euthanasia and subjected to contact angle measurement using a goniometer. Other samples were examined by electron microscopy following a fixation procedure known to preserve phospholipids and oligolamellar structures. RESULTS: Contact angles for the canine gastric mucosal surface (85.1 +/- 5.5) were significantly greater (P < 0.0001) than for the duodenum (24.0 +/- 1.7). Electron microscopy revealed the existence of surfactant as abundant osmiophilic phospholipid material within the gastric and duodenal mucosae. CONCLUSION: We have confirmed the hydrophobic nature of the canine gastric mucosa whereas the luminal surface of the duodenum is hydrophilic. We propose that the water-repellent nature of the canine gastric lining contributes to the 'gastric mucosal barrier' and is imparted by an oligolamellar layer of surface-active phospholipid ('gastric surfactant') adsorbed to the surface. Both gastric and duodenal mucosae may also utilise phospholipids as an intercellular defense mechanism in the event that tight junctions are breached by acid. It is tempting to speculate that a deficiency of gastric phospholipids may predispose dogs to ulcers. Further, exogenous administration of phospholipids may be useful in preventing gastric ulceration.     

Field Test of Digital Photography Biomass Estimation Technique in Tallgrass Prairie

Fuel loading information is important for prescribed fire planning, evaluating wildfire risk, and understanding fire effects in grassland. Yet fuel loads in grasslands often go unmeasured because of the time required to clip plots and process samples, as well as limited access or proximity to a drying oven. We tested the digital photography biomass estimation technique for measuring fuel load in grasslands in two national parks in the eastern Great Plains. The method consists of using percentage image obstruction, as determined by digital photography, to estimate vegetation biomass based on a linear transformation (i.e., regressing dry clipped weights against percent digital obstruction). We used the technique with some modification and measured digital obstruction at two sites at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, Missouri (WICR), and three sites at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas (TAPR). The method did not result in strong correlations at either of the two sites at WICR (Site 1: r²=0.02; Site 2: r²=0.32), but performed relatively well at TAPR (Site 1 [<1 yr since burn]: r²=0.82; Site 2 [2 yr since burn]: r²=0.57; Site 3 [1 yr since burn]: r²=0.88). Linear regressions for the three sites at TAPR did not differ in slope (P>0.05). In general, the denser the vegetation, the weaker the relationship between the vegetation biomass of clip plots and the percentage image obstruction of digital images. The digital photography technique may not be useful for estimating fuel loads in grasslands with relatively high biomass (>80 g · 0.1 m^?2) or digital image obstruction >50%. Large amounts of litter may also potentially reduce the accuracy of the technique.     

Public health education at the University of California, Davis: past, present, and future programs

This article reviews the history of public-health education at the University of California, Davis, from the inception of the Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Program in the School of Veterinary Medicine through the creation of the Master of Public Health Program offered jointly by the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. The long history of collaborative teaching and research between the schools, as well as the university's close proximity to and relationship with numerous university-affiliated and state public-health agencies, has created remarkable opportunities for novel and creative public-health education. The university is already anticipating the approval of a School of Public Health on its campus, which will create even more educational opportunities in both human and veterinary public-health disciplines. Given the projected shortfall of veterinarians entering such fields, the opportunity of a novel Doctor of Public Health degree program specifically suited to the needs of veterinary medicine is also discussed as a means of addressing this shortage.     

Acute disseminated toxoplasmosis in a juvenile cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).

A juvenile cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) died with rapidly progressive pyrexia, tachypnea, abdominal effusion, and hepatomegaly. Postmortem examination revealed lesions consistent with acute disseminated infection with Toxoplasma gondii. The presence of this organism was confirmed in multiple organs by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction. To the best of our knowledge, we propose this to be the first reported case of primary acute disseminated toxoplasmosis in a cheetah.