The detection of lice (Bovicola ovis) in mobs of sheep: a comparison of fleece parting, the lamp test and the table locks test

Knowledge of the presence or absence of lice in a flock of sheep enables wool growers to make informed decisions as to the need for insecticidal treatments. However, with inapparent infestations, traditional methods of detection are not sufficiently sensitive and, as a consequence, flocks may be left untreated. Conversely, the routine application of insecticide to sheep with no sign of infestation is an unnecessary cost. The sensitivity of 3 procedures for detecting lice was evaluated in 68 mobs of sheep from 50 farms. In 24 mobs of sheep known to be lightly infested, lice were detected in 17% by either parting the fleece of 10 sheep or by the lamp test in which 8 g samples of shorn wool from 30 randomly selected fleeces were placed under lamps for 10 min to repel the lice. Twenty of 23 mobs (87%) were found to be infested by the table locks test in which a 30 g sample of locks wool was dissolved in 10% sodium hydroxide and the filtered residue examined with x 40 magnification. A screening test, in which either fleeces on 5 sheep were examined by fleece parting or lice were repelled from 30 shorn fleeces for 5 minutes, detected about 60% of lightly infested mobs. When this was followed by the table locks test 91% of lightly infested mobs were detected. Conducting any one of the tests on more than one mob, and in large mobs testing more frequently, increases the sensitivity of detection of lice within the whole flock.     

Antibiotic prophylaxis of lower respiratory tract contamination in horses confined with head elevation for 24 or 48 hours

Objective To evaluate the administration of procaine penicillin prior to or during confinement with head elevation as a means of reducing the associated accumulation of inflammatory lower respiratory tract secretions and increased numbers of bacteria within the lower respiratory tract of confined horses. Design and Procedure Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different dose rates and dosing frequencies. In experiment A a single low dose (15,000 IU/kg) of procaine penicillin was administered to four horses immediately prior to confinement with head elevation for 48 hours. The systemic leucocyte response, gross and cytologic characteristics of transtracheal aspirate and bacterial numbers in lower respiratory tract samples were compared with corresponding samples from two horses confined with heads elevated but not given penicillin. The efficacy of higher dose rates (20,000 IU/kg and 40,000 IU/kg) given before and during confinement with heads elevated for 24 hours was evaluated in experiment B. Results Treatment with procaine penicillin had no effect on the systemic leucocyte response or on the accumulation of inflammatory lower respiratory tract secretions at any of the dosing schedules evaluated. The number of bacteria isolated from trans-tracheal samples was reduced at 12 hours for treated horses in experiment A and at 24 hours for experiment B. β-haemolytic Streptococcus spp were not isolated from treated horses in either experiment. Bacterial species isolated from treated horses were predominantly Pasteurella and/or Actinobacillus spp, however, members of the family Enterobacteriaceaé and a Staphylococcus sp were isolated from treated horses. One treated horse in experiment A developed clinically apparent pulmonary disease. Conclusions The prophylactic administration of penicillin before or during confinement did not reliably reduce bacterial numbers or prevent the accumulation of purulent lower respiratory tract secretions in horses confined with their heads elevated. Numbers of β-haemolytic Streptococcus spp were reduced following treatment, suggesting that the repeated administration of procaine penicillin may have some merit as part of a strategy to prevent transport-associated respiratory disease. However, methods directed at minimising the duration of confinement with head elevation, augmentation of the clearance of accumulated secretions and prompt identification of animals in which airway inflammation has extended to the pulmonary parenchyma remain the best ways of minimising transport-associated respiratory disease.     

Bacteria as Mediators of Copper Sulfide Enrichment During Weathering

Supergene chalcocite enrichment during weathering is an economically vital natural process that may lead to severalfold increases in the copper content of sulfide deposits. A scanning electron microscope study of chalcocite (Cu2S) from major enriched copper deposits in northern Chile revealed myriad bacterioform bodies in original growth positions near replacement interfaces with remnant hypogene sulfide grains. These minute (0.03 to 0.2 micrometers) chalcocite bodies are interpreted as fossilized and metallized nannobacteria that promoted the fixation of mobilized copper ions. Bacterial activity may thus be a fundamental factor in supergene enrichment of copper deposits.