Actinomycin D for Reinduction of Remission in Dogs With Resistant Lymphoma

Twenty-five dogs with malignant lymphoma refractory to chemotherapy were treated with actinomycin D at a median dose of 0.7 mg/m² (range, 0.5 to 0.9 mg/m²) every 3 weeks. The dogs treated had received between 2 and 8 chemotherapeutic agents (median 7), for a median of 266 days before being treated with actinomycin D. For 23 of the 25 dogs, previous chemotherapy included doxorubicin. No dog responded to actinomycin D chemotherapy.     

Studies on mutlispecific resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes to benzimidazoles on dairy-goat farms

Multispecific resistance to benzimidazoles was studied in three selected farms. These farms had bred dairy goats for more than 15 years. The helminths were introduced with the goats at the establishment of the farms which afterwards remained isolated. Nematode resistance could then be related to their own management practices. Faecal egg count tests and egg hatch assays were performed to assess intensity of resistance. The generic (infective larvae in faecal cultures) and specific richness (adult worms) were assessed. The resistant species were Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Teladorsagia circumcincta, Haemonchus contortus and Oesophagostomum venulosum. Faecal egg count reduction tests and egg-hatch assays did not match exactly. Faecal larval counts after treatments gave a distorted picture of multispecific resistance: Haemonchus and Oesophagostomum were very largely over represented. The number of species found in the three farms was relatively low compared with other reports in goat farms of the area. This reduction of diversity might also be due in part to characteristics of breeding management and history (use of permanent pasture and introduction of goats at the establishment of farm).     

Spondylosis deformans in the boxer: Estimates of heritability

This study presents the estimates of heritability for spondylosis deformans in the boxer based on 353 offspring from 24 randomly selected sires, each with at least three radiographically investigated offspring. The estimated heritability (h²) for maximum degree of osteophyte development was high, both when estimated by paternal half-sib correlation (0·42) and by the regression of offspring based on the parents (0·62). The heritability for the number of affected discs estimated by paternal half-sib correlation was also high (0·47). The estimate of heritability for the number of affected discs based on regression of offspring on the parents was lower at 0·13. All heritabilities had large standard errors. A positive phenotypic correlation between spondylosis deformans and hip dysplasia was observed. Assuming a significant portion of the correlation is genetic, this fact may permit selection against spondylosis deformans without negatively influencing the incidence of hip dysplasia. Since the incidence of spondylosis deformans is high even in young dogs, it should be possible to detect a large proportion of genetically predisposed animals by radiographic examination of the spine at one year of age; at the same time that dogs are presented for a routine test for hip dysplasia.     

Efficacy of abamectin against natural infections of gastrointestinal nematodes and lungworm of cattle with special emphasis on inhibited, early fourth stage larvae of Ostertagia ostertagi.

The anthelmintic efficacy of abamectin (avermectin B1) was evaluated against gastrointestinal nematodes, including Ostertagia ostertagi inhibited larvae and lungworm, in yearling crossbred beef heifers during late spring. The calves were grazed on contaminated pasture for 10 weeks and then held under conditions free of nematode infection for 3 weeks prior to allotment and treatment on 5 June. Thirteen calves were randomly assigned to two groups of six by restricted randomization on body weights; the extra lightest calf was assigned to the non-treated control group. Group 1 calves were treated with abamectin at 200 micrograms kg-1 body weight by s.c. injection and Group 2 calves were not treated; all were killed at 14 days after treatment. Ostertagia ostertagi was present in all controls; arithmetic mean numbers of adults, developing fourth stage larvae (L4) and inhibited EL4 were 7683, 605 and 36,102, respectively. Other nematode genera present in controls in sufficient numbers for the experiment were Haemonchus placei adults, Trichostrongylus axei adults, Cooperia spp. adults, Oesophagostomum radiatum adults, Bunostomum phlebotomum adults, Dictyocaulus viviparus adults and E5 (immature adults). Abamectin was highly effective (consistently greater than 99% efficacy and P less than 0.05) in removing all nematodes present in treated calves as represented in non-treated controls, including the primary target of Ostertagia ostertagi inhibited EL4. The lowest efficacy was 93.8%, against D. viviparus E5.     

Prevalence of mycoplasmas in the respiratory tracts of pneumonic calves.

The prevalence of mycoplasmas in the respiratory tracts of 148 pneumonic calves originating from 25 herds in the Netherlands is reported. Four types of culture media were used to isolate mycoplasmas: solid modified Edward medium, 2 types of Friis media, and A7B differential agar medium. Mycoplasmas were isolated both from nasal swab specimens and lung lavage fluids collected from live calves and from nasal mucosa and lung tissue specimens collected post mortem. All of the mycoplasma strains isolated could be identified as either Ureaplasma diversum (isolated from 80% of 25 herds), Mycoplasma dispar (92%), M. bovirhinis (88%), M. bovis (20%), M. bovigenitalium (4%), M. arginini (16%), or M. canis (12%). Isolation rates of M. dispar and U. diversum were considerably higher from lung lavage fluids than from nasal swab specimens. M. bovis was detected only in fattening herds and not in dairy herds. The respiratory tracts of 75% of the calves examined contained at least 2 mycoplasma species. In total, 25 different combinations of mycoplasma species were detected in specimens collected from noses and lungs. The pathogenic species U. diversum and M. dispar had not been isolated before in the Netherlands.     

Dinoseb toxicosis in two dogs

Two male English Setters were noticed to be breathing rapidly, hyperexcitable, and atactic after roaming a rural area for 2 hours. Both dogs' cost were stained with yellow liquid. One dog died while en route to the veterinarian. Treatment was begun for the surviving dog for what was initially diagnosed to be organophosphorus or carbamate insecticide toxicosis. Before the diagnosis could be confirmed, the second dog died. The yellow liquid on the dogs' skin was identified as dinoseb in high concentrations. Dinoseb is an acutely toxic, substituted dinitrophenolic herbicide believed to act as an uncoupler of electron transport from oxidative phosphorylation.     

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium sp in equids in Louisiana

In 1985, 22 pony foals reared in a helminth-free environment were tested daily for oocysts of Cryptosporidium sp by use of fecal flotation. Oocysts were found in all foals. Oocysts were first observed in feces collected from foals 9 to 28 days after birth. The mean period of oocyst shedding was 10 days and ranged from 2 to 18 days in individual foals. Diarrhea was observed in 14 of 22 (64%) foals and began before the period of oocyst shedding. Fecal samples also were examined for other infective agents. Salmonella poona was isolated from 1 foal that did not have diarrhea, and coronavirus particles were observed in the feces of 2 foals with diarrhea. Cryptosporidium sp oocysts also were observed in feces of 2 of 17 Thoroughbred foals, 3 of 14 Quarter Horse foals, and 3 of 26 pony foals reared on pastures with their dams. Samples from pasture-reared foals were collected at irregular intervals. Of the 11 Cryptosporidium-positive fecal samples collected from pastured foals, 2 were from foals with diarrhea. A similar survey was conducted during the 1986 foaling season, using the same procedures. Examination of 300 samples from 58 Quarter Horse, Arabian, and pony foals did not detect oocysts. Daily examination of feces from 10 pony foals reared under helminth-free conditions for 30 days also failed to detect Cryptosporidium oocysts.     

Antibodies to bovine serum albumin in swine sera: implications for false-positive reactions in the serodiagnosis of African swine fever

Antibodies to bovine serum albumin were detected in swine sera by use of an immunoblotting technique. Such sera had false-positive reactions, as determined by results of African swine fever virus serodiagnostic techniques when bovine serum albumin was a contaminant in the soluble cytoplasmic antigen obtained from infected cells cultured in the presence of bovine serum. The soluble cytoplasmic antigen obtained from cell cultures infected with African swine fever virus in the presence of porcine serum did not react with the false-positive sera and, therefore, was used for African swine fever virus serodiagnostic methods, with 0% false-positive results.     

Detection of hemorrhagic septicemia virus of salmonid fishes by use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay containing high sodium chloride concentration and two noncompetitive monoclonal antibodies against early viral nucleoproteins.

Inclusion of high-ionic strength buffers helped us to develop a sandwich ELISA to detect hemorrhagic septicemia virus (HSV) in cell culture and infected trout tissue extracts. For maximal sensitivity of 0.1 to 0.2 ng/well/100 microliters or about 10 to 50 TCID50/well/100 microliters, trout extracts were diluted 1:1 and assayed for the earliest synthesized nucleoprotein N. Simultaneous binding of the N protein from HSV in the sample to the wells coated with monoclonal antibody (2D5 against the N protein) and to the peroxidase-labeled monoclonal antibody (2C9 against the N protein) proceeded during a 2-hour incubation at 20 to 22 C (room temperature). The response was linear between 6 to 60 ng/well of purified virus. Monoclonal antibodies used were noncompetitive with each other and reacted with F1, F2, 23.75, and 5 Spanish isolates of HSV, but not with infectious hematopoietic necrosis or infectious pancreatic necrosis viruses. Tissue specimens with low content of HSV virus may now be assayed directly without use of cell culture, rapidly, and with high precision, during the acute phase of the disease in salmonid fishes.