The use of omeprazole to alleviate stomach ulcers in swine during periods of feed withdrawal

Controlled trials were conducted to determine if treatment with the benzimidazole compound, omeprazole, would prevent gastric ulceration associated with feed withdrawal. Pigs were fed ad libitum, fasted for 24 h, or fasted for 48 h, and within each of these 3 groups the effect of no medication (controls), of 20 mg or 40 mg of omeprazole was evaluated on the pH of gastric fluid and the presence or absence of lesions in the pars esophagea. Medication with 40 mg of omeprazole resulted in significantly higher gastric pH 24 h after treatment compared with untreated pigs or pigs medicated with 20 mg of omeprazole. Fasting for 24 h or for 48 h, resulted in more pigs developing ulcers (15 of 25) than pigs allowed free access to feed (1 out of 10) (P = 0.01). The results of this trial suggest that omeprazole was effective in preventing some, but not all, of the tissue damage in the pars esophagea related to feed withdrawal. In addition to hydrochloric acid, possibly other components, such as bile acids in the fluid gastric contents, are important in causing epithelial injury.     

Response to 13 generations of selection for increased 8-week body weight in lines of mice carrying a sheep growth hormone-based transgene

The purpose of this study was to evaluate selection in lines of transgenic mice. Two replicates of lines that either carried or did not carry the sheep metallothionein-1a sheep growth hormone transgene (oMt1a-oGH) were established. The host lines had been previously selected for rapid growth or selected randomly. Within-litter selection for increased 8-wk body weight was carried out for 13 generations. The frequency of oMt1a-oGH was monitored in all generations in the transgenic lines, but no genotypic information regarding the transgene was used as an aid to selection. The oMt1a-oGH was activated from weaning, at 3 wk, until 8 wk of age by adding ZnSO4 to the drinking water. Zinc stimulation of the transgene was not done during mating, gestation, or lactation. Data on body weights and weight gains were analyzed with a conventional mixed model and with an animal model. Genetic progress was achieved in all lines subjected to directional selection. In the control background, response to selection for 8-wk body weight was larger in the nontransgenic lines than in the transgenic lines, whereas no difference was found in the selected background. The frequency of the transgene was increased from the initial .5 to .62 in the randomly selected background but decreased to .04 in lines from a selected background. The REML estimates of variance components and genetic gain estimates varied greatly between the two methods. In general, there was better agreement between the realized heritability estimates and the heritability estimates obtained from the conventional mixed model analysis than between realized heritability estimates and results obtained using the animal model. Favorable correlated responses were obtained for 3- and 6-wk body weights and on 3- to 6- and 6- to 8-wk weight gains. Correlated responses to selection were larger in the selected than in the nonselected background but were not affected by the presence of the transgene. Results suggest that constructs similar to the oMt1a-oGH, which allow tight regulation, may be successfully incorporated into commercial livestock and should have larger effects in populations that have not been subject to selection.     

The distribution of tsetse (Diptera: Glossinidae) and bovine trypanosomosis in the Matutuine District, Maputo Province, Mozambique

A tsetse and bovine trypanosomosis survey was conducted during 1998 and 1999 in the Matutuine District of Maputo Province (Mozambique). A total of 59 Glossina brevipalpis and 17 Glossina austeni were captured throughout the district. Survey results suggest that Glossina brevipalpis is mainly concentrated in dense vegetation along the Maputo River and in the wetlands east of the river. G. austeni, on the other hand, was captured mainly in dense thickets in drier areas. Both tsetse species are suspected to be vectors of bovine trypanosomosis. Bovine trypanosomosis (75,5% Trypanosoma congolense) was diagnosed in 53 animals (13,9%) from seven sampling sites distributed throughout the district. The prevalence of cattle with anti-trypanosomal antibodies was high (29,9%).The incidence of trypanosomal infections in sentinel cattle was also high. The widespread distribution of bovine trypanosomosis and the high prevalence of infection are likely to have a significant impact on cattle production and, hence, the cattle restocking exercise in the district.     

Diagnostic features, confirmation and disease progression in 28 cases of lethal acrodermatitis of bull terriers

Lethal acrodermatitis (LAD) is a genetically determined metabolic disease of bull terriers first described in the USA in the 1980s. In this study, the largest so far reported, 28 bull terriers born in the UK were diagnosed as suffering from LAD, and the clinical findings and the progression of the disease with time are described. The main characteristics of LAD are stunting, splayed digits, eating difficulties, skin disease of the face and feet, and increased susceptibility to microbial infections. In older dogs, paronychia, nail disease and hyperkeratosis of the footpads develops, becoming severe in dogs over six months of age. A diagnosis of LAD can be strongly suspected in any bull terrier showing a combination of the aforementioned signs from an early age. Dermatohistopathological demonstration of marked parakeratotic hyperkeratosis is strongly supportive of the diagnosis of LAD and, in association with the typical clinical findings, is sufficient to confirm a diagnosis. Although many of the clinical signs and the pathology of this condition suggest zinc deficiency, the measurement of blood zinc levels as a diagnostic aid is of limited value.     

Regulation of atrial fibrillation in horses with oral quinidine sulfate. Discussion of the disease picture in a typical case

Atrial fibrillation is a disorder of cardiac rhythmicity, and its importance in the horse depends on the underlying cause and the function of the horse. Before the decision is taken to start treatment, it has first to be ascertained whether treatment is worthwhile and whether the horse is an appropriate candidate for treatment. This article gives a short overview of current opinion on the cause and treatment of atrial fibrillation in the horse. The most used treatment at the moment, oral chinidine sulphate, is discussed. The hemodynamic consequences of atrial fibrillation and the response of a patient to treatment with chinidine sulphate are also discussed.     

Effects of short-term exposure to condensed tannins on adult Trichostrongylus colubriformis

Twelve parasite-naive sheep were used to study the possible direct anthelmintic effect of a condensed tannin extract (quebracho) on the population and fecundity of the intestinal nematode Trichostrongylus colubriformis. The sheep were infected with a single dose of 20,000 L3 of T colubriformis. Twenty-eight days later, six of them were drenched daily for a week with quebracho extract at 8 per cent by weight of their food intake. All lambs were then slaughtered, and their small intestines removed to estimate the worm burdens and the numbers of eggs in utero. Two days after the first drench with tannin extract the faecal egg counts of the treated sheep were approximately 50 per cent of those of the control sheep (P<0.01), but there was no further reduction with continued drenching. In the treated sheep the worm burdens and number of eggs per gram faeces per worm were reduced by 30 per cent compared with the controls (P<0.05), but the sex ratios, the number of eggs in utero and length of the worms were not affected by drenching with tannin.