Use of thromboelastography in dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia: 39 cases (2000–2008)

Objective – To analyze thromboelastograms (TEGs) of naturally occurring cases of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) in order to identify whether a hypercoagulable state was present and whether its presence was associated with differences in survival.
Design – Retrospective study spanning January 2000 to June 2008. Medical records of dogs were evaluated. Endpoints were considered death or discharge from the hospital.
Setting – Academic teaching hospital.
Animals – Thirty-nine dogs with a diagnosis of IMHA and at least one TEG performed during hospitalization were included.
Interventions – None.
Measurements and Main Results – Four values were evaluated from the TEG: the R time (R), K time (K), alpha angle (α), and maximum amplitude. From these values, a coagulation index (CI) was calculated to classify patients as normocoagulable, hypercoagulable, or hypocoagulable. Thirty-three of 39 patients were hypercoagulable based on the CI. The 6 remaining dogs were normocoagulable. The patients with a normocoagulable CI had an increased mortality rate (100%) when compared with the hypercoagulable patients using Fisher's exact test ( P =0.02). Additionally, prolongation of partial thromboplastin time did not preclude hypercoagulable TEG values.
Conclusions – The majority of dogs with IMHA were hypercoagulable as measured by TEG. A normal CI was associated with a worse outcome in this patient population. TEG may provide additional and complementary information to prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time relating to coagulation status in dogs with IMHA and may help predict prognosis and potentially guide clinical decisions to utilize anticoagulant drugs.     

Bacterial canker of cherry trees, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus avium,</Emphasis> in South Africa

Laboratory and nursery experiments were conducted to identify the causal agent of a needle blight of Pinus wallichiana, a species native to the Western Himalayas. The pathogen was identified as Myrothecium verrucaria, on the basis of morphological, cultural and molecular characterization. BLAST analysis of ITS sequences of the pathogen revealed maximum sequence identity of 99% with M. verrucaria. The sequence is the first of this fungus from P. wallichiana. Phylogenetic analysis grouped all M. verrucaria isolates in a single clade; M. roridum and M. inundatum clustered in separate clades. The pathogen grew optimally at 25 ± 1 °C on oat meal agar, pH 5.5. Inoculation experiments with M. verrucaria demonstrated pathogenicity on Pinus halepensis, Cedrus deodara and Cryptomeria japonica, in addition to Pinus wallichiana.     

Metabolic blood profile of beef heifers during oestrous and non‐oestrous states

Haematological metabolic profiles in heifers could contribute to the development of proxies for oestrous detection and provide clues to further characterize biological changes during oestrus. One hundred and seven beef heifers were observed for oestrous behaviour twice daily for 124 days. Feed intake and productive performance (body weight and composition) traits were measured, and feed efficiency was determined using residual feed intake (kg DM/day). Blood plasma samples were collected when signs of oestrus were observed and every 30 ± 2 days. Heifers were considered in oestrus (n = 71) when plasma progesterone concentrations were <0.6 ng/ml. Least square means of blood metabolic parameters were compared between oestrous and non‐oestrous states and within oestrous groups according to performance traits and age. Heifers in oestrus exhibited higher concentrations of alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), beta‐hydroxybutyric acid, creatine kinase (CK) and triiodothyronine (T3) than heifers in non‐oestrus. Heifers in oestrus revealed lower osmolality and concentrations of calcium, sodium and total protein than during non‐oestrus. Younger (and smaller) heifers had greater concentrations of CK, gamma‐glutamyl transferase (GGT), glucose and sodium than the older heifers. Heifers with lower fatness had increased osmolality and concentrations of cholesterol, CK, phosphorus, sodium and reduced T3 levels. Feed efficient heifers had greater levels of AST, cholesterol and GGT than inefficient heifers. Blood plasma parameters may be complementary to oestrous detection upon further validation; effects of age, feed efficiency, body size and body composition should be considered to optimize this haematological assessment.     

Dietary map of Nile tilapia using stable isotopes in three tropical lakes,Ethiopia

Comprehensive analysis of food webs requires identifying dietary sources that support the production of all major organisms within the food web/food chain. Here, we use stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C, δ³⁴S and δ¹⁵N) to assess the relative contribution of different basal carbon sources to the diet of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) in three tropical lakes Hawassa (also Awasa in literature), Ziway and Koka (Ethiopia). Computations were carried out with Stable Isotope Analysis in R (SIAR) model to quantify the dietary proportion of each prey for the tilapia fish. Basal food sources were distinguishable based on their δ¹³C, δ³⁴S and δ¹⁵N values. In Lake Ziway, macrophytes (64%) were the dominant assimilated diet of tilapia while particulate organic matter (POM) and zooplankton contributed only 20% and 16%, respectively. In parallel, Nile tilapia in Lake Hawassa assimilated macrophytes (35%), POM (33%) and zooplankton (32%) at comparatively equal proportion. The dietary sources of the fish in Lake Koka were POM (49%) and zooplankton (51%). In contrast with earlier studies based on gut content analysis, the present results reveal that macrophytes contributed more and phytoplankton less than previously reported especially in macrophyte‐dominated lakes Ziway and Hawassa. The ecological condition of the lakes might have been predominantly accountable for the diet change of the tilapia. As dietary data are prerequisite for food web/food chain analysis and aquaculture industry, re‐evaluating the diet of aquatic organisms appear relevant.     

Isolation, identification and characterization of group A rotavirus from a chicken: the inner capsid protein sequence shows only a distant phylogenetic relationship to most other avian group A rotaviruses

Rotavirus particles were identified in the intestinal content of a 35-day-old stunted chicken. The virus was isolated, RNA pattern was analysed and the viral genome segment 6 was sequenced. In particular, the sequence data showed a very close similarity to the chicken rotavirus isolate Ch-1 (99.2% amino acid homology), this is distantly related to all known avian rotaviruses and supports the existence of different VP6 types amongst avian group A rotaviruses.