Studies on feasibility of producing Salmonella-free turkeys

The feasibility of producing salmonella-free turkeys was investigated over a 5-year period. In Phase 1, a hatchery-breeder flock operation was monitored extensively for 4 years. Hatching eggs from a primary breeder over this period (1978-81) resulted in salmonella-free day-old poults from which 7500 hens and 600 tons were selected for breeders each of the 4 years. Approximately 2.5 million poults were produced over the 4 years. Salmonella arizonae was isolated from the hatchery debris over a 2-week period in 1980. The pelleted feed contained no animal protein products except fish solubles. A sample of feed from each delivery was cultured with no salmonella isolations. Environmental samples of dust and litter remained negative for salmonella. Phase 2 involved monitoring seven grow-out flocks initiated with salmonella-free poults with extra precautions directed at the feed and environment. The intestinal tracts of five of seven flocks at the time of marketing were negative for salmonella. Phase 3 involved a primary breeder-hatchery that had a 10-year history of S. sandiego infection in its breeder flocks and poults. A vaccination program using an autogenous oil-adjuvant bacterin supplementing other sanitation and management efforts resulted in elimination of S. sandiego. Because the breeder went out of business, it was not possible to determine if the freedom from salmonella could be sustained over a period of years.     

Lactate Kinetics in veterinary Critical Care: A Review

Elevation in blood lactate concentration, with or without accompanying metabolic acidosis, is a hallmark finding in patients with circulatory compromise, and is also consistently noted in other conditions affecting critically ill or injured individuals. Little is reported in a veterinary literature regarding lactate measurement in the emergency and critical care setting, despite impressive reports of the clinical usefulness of lactate measurement in people. The purpose of this article is to review lactate kinetics and the clinical utility of lactate measurement. Limitations to lactate evaluation will also be discussed.     

A study of the basis of virulence variation of bovine rotaviruses.

Rotaviruses are enteric pathogens of cattle but sub-clinical infections are common. Virulence variation has been identified with bovine rotaviruses and some rotaviruses replicated without clinical signs in non-immune calves. The rotavirus genome is composed of eleven segments of double-stranded RNA and the fourth largest segment codes for a non-glycosylated surface protein, VP4, which has been linked with virulence. In the present study the biological basis of rotavirus virulence variation was studied in vivo and compared with the known properties of the fourth gene. Calves were inoculated orally with a virulent rotavirus or a rotavirus of low virulence which multiplied but failed to cause diarrhoea. They were taken for necropsy at intervals of 2 days after inoculation. Clinical signs, virus in faeces and the percentage of infected small intestinal epithelium were determined. Damage to the small intestine was assessed by measurement of villus heights and crypt-cell production rates. Virulence was associated with a greater level of colonization of the small intestinal epithelium, greater enterocyte damage and preferential infection of the upper small intestine. The fourth gene determines the ability of rotaviruses to spread in vitro and the finding that virulence was associated with greater colonization in vivo raises the possibility that this gene may have an important role in rotavirus virulence.     

Hemostatic defects associated with two infusion rates of dextran 70 in dogs.

We investigated changes in hemostatic function after infusion of 6% dextran 70 (high molecular weight dextran) at 2 rates. Six healthy dogs underwent 3 regimens: 20 ml of dextran/kg of body weight administered in 1 hour (trial A), 20 ml of dextran/kg administered in 30 minutes (trial B), and 0.9% sodium chloride solution as a control administered over 1 hour to achieve hemodilution equivalent to that for 20 ml of dextran/kg (trial C). Before and at 2, 4, 8, and 24 hours after the start of trials A and B, we measured PCV, total solids (TS) concentration, amount of von Willebrand factor antigen (vWf:Ag), factor VIII coagulant activity (VIII:C), prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), platelet retention in a glass bead column, and buccal mucosa bleeding time (BMBT). Values were not obtained at 8 and 24 hours for trial C. Saline-induced changes in hemostasis were significant (P less than 0.05) from baseline throughout the sample collection period. Significant differences (P less than 0.05) between trial A and control were observed for vWf:Ag, VIII:C, BMBT, APTT, TS, and PCV values at 2 hours, and for VIII:C at 4 hours. Significant differences (P less than 0.05) between trial B and control were observed for APTT, TS, and PCV values at 2 hours, and for vWf:Ag, VIII:C, BMBT, APTT, TS, and PCV values at 4 hours. During trials A and B, mean values of analytes infrequently deviated from reference intervals, and clinical signs of bleeding were not observed in any dog.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effects of 'Agri-SC' soil conditioner on soil structure and erodibility: some further observations

Abstract. In field and laboratory experiments the conditioner‘Agri-SC’has shown improvements in the structure of loamy sand soils in east Shropshire, UK. It resulted in statistically significant decreases in soil bulk density values and increases in soil porosity and aggregate stability. Further experiments are in progress on both loamy sand and silt loam soils.     

Protection of chickens from Newcastle and Marek's diseases with a recombinant herpesvirus of turkeys vaccine expressing the Newcastle disease virus fusion protein.

Recombinant strains of herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) were constructed that contain either the fusion protein gene or the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase gene of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) inserted into a nonessential gene of HVT. Expression of the NDV antigens was regulated from a strong promoter element derived from the Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat. Recombinant HVT strains were stable and fully infectious in cell culture and in chickens. Chickens receiving a single intra-abdominal inoculation at 1 day of age with recombinant HVT expressing the NDV fusion protein had an immunological response and were protected (> 90%) against lethal intramuscular challenge at 28 days of age with the neurotropic velogenic NDV strain Texas GB. Recombinant HVT expressing the NDV hemagglutinin-neuraminidase provided partial protection (47%) against the same challenge. Chickens vaccinated with recombinant HVT vaccines had low levels of protection against NDV replication in the trachea when challenged ocularly. Recombinant HVT vaccines and the parent HVT strain provided similar levels of protection to chickens challenged with the very virulent RB1B strain of Marek's disease virus, indicating that insertion of foreign sequences into the HVT genome did not compromise the ability of HVT to protect against Marek's disease.     

Effect of prostaglandin F2 alpha on adrenal-produced steroid hormones in cows

Ovariectomized, nonlactating cows were treated with IM injections of either physiologic saline solution or prostaglandin F2 alpha. Plasma concentrations of cortisol increased significantly by 30 to 60 minutes after injection of prostaglandin F2 alpha, but there were no significant increases in plasma concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, or testosterone. After saline solution treatment, there were no increases in any of the hormones measured.     

Comparison of three in vitro techniques to estimate benzimidazole resistance in Haemonchus contortus of sheep

Three in vitro assays to detect benzimidazole resistance, namely, the egg-hatch assay, tubulin-binding assay, and a larval-development assay, were evaluated by estimating the level of benzimidazole resistance in three field isolates of Haemonchus contortus compared with a susceptible reference strain. Comparisons were also made with estimates of benzimidazole resistance of the three field strains obtained from an in vivo controlled anthelmintic efficacy test. All three in vitro tests showed similar, consistent results which also suggested greater sensitivity than the in vivo assay. These results indicate that selection of an in vitro technique to determine benzimidazole resistance should therefore be based on considerations other than precision, such as technical expertise, availability of equipment, cost and speed in which diagnosis is required.     

Release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha from bovine alveolar macrophages stimulated with bovine respiratory viruses and bacterial endotoxins

The release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-) from cultured bovine alveolar macrophages (BAM) was evaluated following stimulation of BAM with bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), parainfluenza-3 (PI-3) virus, bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), Escherichia coli 0111:B4 endotoxin, Pasteurella haemolytica type 1 endotoxin, Pasteurella multocida endotoxin, and virus/endotoxin combinations. A cytotoxic assay system using Georgia bovine kidney cells as targets was used to measure TNF- activity. The cytotoxic activity was neutralized by an anti-human TNF- monoclonal antibody.

Stimulation of BAM with 1 median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID₅₀) of live or ultraviolet (UV)-inactivated PI-3 virus/cell resulted in release of TNF- in significantly (P<0.05) higher amounts than sham-induced BAM. The quantities of TNF- released after live or UV-inactivated BHV-1 or BRSV induction were not significantly higher than sham-induced BAM. E. coli 0111:B4, P. haemolytica type 1 and P. multocida endotoxins stimulated TNF- release in a dose-dependent manner. Sequential exposure of BAM to 1 TCID₅₀ per cell of either live BHV-1, PI-3 virus or BRSV and then 5 μg ml⁻¹ of either E. coli 0111:B4, P. haemolytica type 1 or P. multocida endotoxin caused a significant (P<0.05) reduction in detectable TNF- in seven of nine virus/endotoxin combinations tested, when compared with 5 μg ml⁻¹ of endotoxin alone. Parainfluenza-3 virus/endotoxin combinations stimulated higher TNF- release when compared with other virus/endotoxin combinations. Five out of six test animals had serum-neutralizing antibodies to PI-3 virus, one out of six had serum-neutralizing antibodies to BHV-1, and two out of six had serum-neutralizing antibodies to BRSV, suggesting a possible relationship between serum neutralizing antibodies and TNF- release from in vitro cultivated BAM.