Pathophysiology of ovine trypanosomiasis: ferrokinetics and erythrocyte survival studies.

The haematological changes, erythrokinetics and ferrokinetics of sheep were investigated after infection with Trypanosoma congolense. Following the detection of parasites in blood, the infected sheep developed macrocytic hypochromic anaemia. Studies with 51Cr-red cells, 125I-albumin and 59Fe as ferric citrate 11 weeks after infection revealed that infected sheep had significantly lower mean circulating red cell volumes but higher plasma and blood volumes than control sheep. The infected sheep also had enhanced erythropoietic activity as judged by significantly higher plasma iron turnover rates, faster disappearance of radio-labelled iron and higher iron incorporation rates than control sheep. The rate of disappearance of 51Cr-labelled red cells was greater in infected than in control sheep. It was concluded that the anaemia observed at this stage of infection was due to an increased rate of removal of red cells from the circulation coupled with haemodilution, with no evidence of dyshaemopoiesis.     

Use of a hospital database for the evaluation of clinical biochemistry results

A database of the clinical chemistry results from unwell animals referred to Glasgow University Veterinary School, by general practitioners, was studied. This database contains over 60,000 records, from more than 25,000 animals, obtained over a period of 18 years. A four-year period was selected during which the instruments and methods used for these analyses were unchanged. The biochemical analyses made on plasma from those dogs when first presented to the veterinary school were scrutinised in detail. These data have been summarised in a tabular form using the first, fifth, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th and 99th percentiles. The distributions of these values differ for different analytes and in particular do not conform to a normal curve. These data can be used to provide estimates of rarity to indicate the frequency with which extreme values associated with disease can be expected. Thus an individual datum can be flagged as high*, high**, high***, or high**** depending on whether it lies in the top 25 per cent, top 10 per cent, top 5 per cent or top 1 per cent, respectively, of cases in the hospital database. Low values can be flagged in the same way. This approach can complement the use of reference ranges from healthy animals to aid the interpretation of clinical biochemistry results from a new patient.     

THE BLOWFLY STRIKE PROBLEM OF SHEEP IN NEW SOUTH WALES

A field survey was undertaken between 1972-76 to reappraise the nature of the blowfly problem in New South Wales. For 2 years, 1972-1974, some 80,000 sheep were kept under observation and 12,481 strikes were reported, most due to Lucilia cuprina. Breech strike was still the basic problem but tail strike associated with scouring had become an important component where pastures have been improved. Breech strike was controlled at minimal cost by managerial practices such as docking tails the correct length--second joint-space palpable ventrally (midway down the vulval orifice in ewes) for radically mulesed lambs and the third joint-space (tip of vulva in ewes) for all other lambs-mulesing at lamb marking, mid-season crutching, determining the cause of scouring and applying the appropriate preventative or remedial measures. Thus the use of insecticides could be reserved for the control of body strike in young sheep in the odd wet years and poll strike in horned rams. Major outbreaks of body strike occurred in 1973/74. Body strike worried graziers most because of its unpredictability, sudden onset and scale. and only failing insecticides were available for control.     

Intestinal myxosarcoma in a thoroughbred mare.

A large fibrotic mass originating from the cecal base was discovered upon surgical exploration of the abdomen in a Thoroughbred mare with a history of chronic colic and weight loss. The mass protruded intraluminally resulting in partial obstruction. Surgical excision was not feasible due to the location of the mass and the inability to exteriorize it adequately from the abdominal cavity. The mass was fibrous with a shiny, gelatinous material present throughout the neoplasm. Histologically, large confluent spaces filled with mucopolysaccharides were identified by staining with Alcian blue. The diagnosis of myxosarcoma was based upon finding of atypical fibroblastic cells, mucinous stroma, local invasiveness, and metastasis to the regional lymph nodes. Myxomatous tumors have not previously been documented to occur in the equine intestinal tract.     

Ovarian response to PMSG and GnRH in ewes immunised against oestradiol-17 beta

Forty-six adult merino ewes were immunised against oestradiol-17 beta-6 carbomethyloxime:human serum albumin and 48 comparable ewes were used as controls in an experiment to study the effects of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) on ovulatory responses after treatment with pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin (PMSG). All the ewes were treated with progestogen sponges for 14 days and received 1500 iu PMSG on the 12th day. Twenty-four control and 24 immunised ewes received 25 micrograms GnRH 21.5 hours and 23 hours after the sponges were withdrawn. Plasma samples were collected between 17 and 50 hours after the sponges were withdrawn and assayed for luteinising hormone (LH). Immunisation reduced the proportion of ewes which ovulated and their rate of ovulation. Injection of GnRH increased the proportion of immunised ewes ovulating (P less than 0.0005) and their rate of ovulation (P less than 0.0001). More unovulated follicles were observed in immunised ewes regardless of GnRH treatment (P less than 0.0001). The rate of recovery of eggs was reduced after immunisation. Treatment with GnRH produced a surge of LH of equal magnitude in the control and immunised ewes although not as many immunised ewes ovulated.     

Evaluation of leukapheresis and thrombocytapheresis in the horse

Continuous-flow centrifugation leukapheresis techniques were used to collect 300-ml volumes of leukocyte-rich plasma from 5 nonmedicated horses and from 5 corticosteroid-stimulated horses. White blood cell counts and differential counts were performed on the horses before (base line) and up to 48 hours after leukapheresis. Systemic administration of hydrocortisone increased numbers of total WBC and neutrophils and improved harvest of these cells. Nonmedicated horses had a mean yield of 3.38 X 10(10) leukocytes in the 300-ml volume. Stimulated horses yielded a mean of 6.88 X 10(10) leukocytes. After leukapheresis, WBC counts decreased a mean of 38% in nonstimulated horses and decreased a mean of 30% in stimulated horses. By 6 hours after leukapheresis, circulating WBC counts of horses in both groups had returned to preleukapheresis values. The relationship between neutrophil yield and the 4 variables (preleukapheresis WBC count, preleukapheresis neutrophil count, preleukapheresis lymphocyte count, and the PCV of the leukocyte-rich plasma) were examined, using simple (pair-wise) correlation and multiple linear regression. A significant positive correlation was found between neutrophil yield and preleukapheresis WBC and neutrophil counts. Because sodium citrate was used in the collection system to prevent extracorporeal blood coagulation, ionized and total serum calcium concentrations were monitored before and after leukapheresis. Although total serum calcium concentrations remained unchanged, ionized calcium concentrations decreased approximately 33% from base-line values during the 2-hour leukapheresis procedures. Occasional mild muscle fasciculations were the only adverse clinical signs of citrate toxicity exhibited by the horses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)