Study of the short- and long-term outcomes of 65 horses with peritonitis

The records of 65 horses with peritonitis examined at two uk referral centres over a period of 12 years were reviewed. Peritonitis was defined in terms of the horse's peritoneal fluid containing more than 5 x 10(9) nucleated cells/l. Horses that had developed peritonitis after abdominal surgery or a rupture of the gastrointestinal tract were excluded. Of the 65 horses, 56 (86 per cent) survived to be discharged. Follow-up information was obtained from practice records and telephone calls to the owners for 38 of the horses. Of these, 32 (84 per cent) had survived for at least 12 months and were considered to be long-term survivors; the others six were euthanased within 12 months. Thirteen (34 per cent) of the horses discharged had experienced complications that could have been sequelae to peritonitis and eight of the 13 were euthanased. The cause of the peritonitis was identified in 15 cases; survival rates were lowest in horses with peritonitis secondary to urinary tract involvement or intra-abdominal masses. Of the other 50 cases, 47 (94 per cent) survived to discharge, but two were euthanased owing to recurrent colic.     

Persistent Frenulum of the Epiglottis in Four Foals

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical signs and management of 4 foals with persistent frenulum of the epiglottis. STUDY DESIGN: Case report. ANIMALS: Four newborn foals. METHODS: Foals were admitted with a complaint of oronasal reflux after nursing. Variable systemic signs of aspiration pneumonia were evident. Nasal endoscopy confirmed persistent dorsal displacement of the soft palate. Persistent frenulum of the epiglottis, confirmed by oral endoscopic examination, was transected. RESULTS: After surgery, all foals had the epiglottis positioned normally, dorsal to the soft palate. Clinical signs of oronasal reflux resolved by the second nursing attempt in 3 foals, whereas this was difficult to assess in one foal that was nursed intermittently because of the mares behavior. This foal died 2 days later. The other 3 foals have had normal epiglottic function for 2-4 years. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent frenulum of the epiglottis should be considered in foals with oronasal reflux from birth. With appropriate medical and surgical management the prognosis for resolution should be good.     

A 31P topical magnetic resonance study of embryonic development in hens' eggs

1. A ³¹P topical magnetic resonance study of whole chicken's eggs in vivo is described.

2. Resonances from adenosine triphosphate, phosphocreatine, inorganic phosphate and phosphorous storage protein were observed. These changed in relative intensity as the embryo developed.

3. No ill effects due to exposure to radiofrequency radiation or magnetic fields were observed.

4. It is concluded that topical magnetic resonance can make a useful contribution to the study of embryonic development in avian eggs.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility and serotypes of Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae recovered from Missouri swine

The antimicrobial susceptibility of 73 Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae isolates from swine in Missouri was determined with a microdilution minimal inhibitory concentration test system. Serotyping was accomplished by means of co-agglutination. Serotype 1 (39/73) and serotype 5 (30/73) were commonly found, whereas serotype 7 (4/73) was infrequently encountered. Most isolates (MIC90) were found susceptible to ampicillin (amoxicillin), cephalothin, penicillin, erythromycin, gentamicin, and kanamycin. Marked resistance was found with oxytetracycline, tylosin, and sulfadimethoxine. The data indicate that use of ampicillin (amoxicillin) or penicillin may correlate well with the favorable outcome of treatment.     

Use of Fourier‐Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to Quantify Immunoglobulin G Concentrations in Alpaca Serum

Background

Rapid, economical, and quantitative assays for measurement of camelid serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) are limited. In camelids, failure of transfer of maternal immunoglobulins has a reported prevalence of up to 20.5%. An accurate method for quantifying serum IgG concentrations is required.

Objective

To develop an infrared spectroscopy‐based assay for measurement of alpaca serum IgG and compare its performance to the reference standard radial immunodiffusion (RID) assay.

Animals

One hundred and seventy‐five privately owned, healthy alpacas.

Methods

Eighty‐two serum samples were collected as convenience samples during routine herd visits whereas 93 samples were recruited from a separate study. Serum IgG concentrations were determined by RID assays and midinfrared spectra were collected for each sample. Fifty samples were set aside as the test set and the remaining 125 training samples were employed to build a calibration model using partial least squares (PLS) regression with Monte Carlo cross validation to determine the optimum number of PLS factors. The predictive performance of the calibration model was evaluated by the test set.

Results

Correlation coefficients for the IR‐based assay were 0.93 and 0.87, respectively, for the entire data set and test set. Sensitivity in the diagnosis of failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) ([IgG] <1,000 mg/dL) was 71.4% and specificity was 100% for the IR‐based method (test set) as gauged relative to the RID reference method assay.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

This study indicated that infrared spectroscopy, in combination with chemometrics, is an effective method for measurement of IgG in alpaca serum.     

Identification of infrared absorption spectral characteristics of synovial fluid of horses with osteochondrosis of the tarsocrural joint

OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of the use of Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy within the midinfrared range to differentiate synovial fluid samples of joints with osteochondrosis from those of control samples. ANIMALS: 33 horses with osteochondrosis of the tarsocrural joint and 31 horses free of tarsocrural joint disease. PROCEDURES: FTIR spectroscopy of synovial fluid was used. Sixty-four synovial fluid samples from the tarsocrural joint were collected. Of these, 33 samples were from horses with radiographic evidence of osteochondrosis of the tarsocrural joint and 31 from control joints. Disease-associated features within infrared spectra of synovial fluid were statistically selected for spectral classification, and the variables identified were used in a classification model. Linear discriminant analysis and leave-one-out cross-validation were used to develop a classifier to identify joints with osteochondrosis. RESULTS: 12 significant subregions were identified that met the selection criteria. The stepwise discriminant procedure resulted in the final selection of 6 optimal regions that most contributed to the discriminatory power of the classification algorithm. Infrared spectra derived from synovial fluid of joints with osteochondrosis were differentiated from the control samples with accuracy of 77% (81% specificity and 73% sensitivity). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The disease-associated characteristics of infrared spectra of synovial fluid from joints with osteochondrosis may be exploited via appropriate feature selection and classification algorithms to differentiate joints with osteochondrosis from those of control joints. Further study with larger sample size including age-, breed-, and sex-matched control horses would further validate the clinical value of infrared spectroscopy for the diagnosis of osteochondrosis in horses.     

Assessing the efficacy and impact of management of an invasive species in a protected area: Poa annua on sub‐Antarctic Macquarie Island

Plant eradication is difficult, particularly in remote, protected areas. The Southern Ocean Islands are very isolated and highly protected, but the flora contains many alien plants. Small restricted populations have been eradicated, but eradication of established species has proven difficult. A better understanding of the efficacy of control methods at sub‐Antarctic temperatures and their off‐target impacts may increase eradication success. With interest in controlling non‐native Poa annua in the region, we aimed to determine if physical and chemical methods can control P. annua (the sub‐Antarctic biotype) in sub‐Antarctic conditions and examined their impact on native plants. We quantified the effectiveness of physical control methods on P. annua in situ on sub‐Antarctic Macquarie Island through field‐based experiments and assessed their selectivity on P. annua compared with native grasses. We also quantified the effectiveness of several herbicides on P. annua at sub‐Antarctic temperatures and assessed their selectivity on native grasses. Of the four physical disturbance methods tested, none effectively reduced P. annua cover as one‐off treatments. Of the herbicide treatments, glyphosate and trifloxysulfuron sodium were effective and were less damaging to native grass species, indicating potential selectivity. Physical control was of limited effectiveness, but did not affect native species richness. An integrated weed management programme utilising the strategic use of selective herbicides with follow‐up chemical and physical intervention may balance control and biodiversity outcomes. This research highlights the importance of site‐specific testing of control methods and understanding off‐target impacts of control when managing alien plant species in protected areas.     

Immunohistochemical differentiation of reactive from malignant mesothelium as a diagnostic aid in canine pericardial disease

Objectives

To develop a provisional immunohistochemistry panel for distinguishing reactive pericardium, atypical mesothelial proliferation and mesothelioma in dogs.

Materials and Methods

Archived pericardial biopsies were subject to haematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin, vimentin, insulin‐like growth factor II mRNA‐binding protein 3, glucose transporter 1 and desmin. Samples were scored for intensity and number of cells stained.

Results

Ten biopsies of reactive mesothelium, 17 of atypical mesothelial proliferation, 26 of mesothelioma and five of normal pericardium were identified on the basis of haematoxylin and eosin staining. Cytokeratin and vimentin were expressed in all biopsies, confirming mesothelial origin. Normal pericardial samples had the lowest scores for insulin‐like growth factor II mRNA‐binding protein 3, glucose transporter 1 and desmin. Mesothelioma and atypical proliferative samples were similar to each other, with higher scores for insulin‐like growth factor II mRNA‐binding protein 3 and glucose transporter 1 than the reactive samples. Desmin staining was variable. Insulin‐like growth factor II mRNA‐binding protein 3 was the best to distinguish between disease groups.

Clinical Significance

An immunohistochemistry panel of cytokeratin, vimentin, insulin‐like growth factor II mRNA‐binding protein 3 and glucose transporter 1 could provide superior information compared with haematoxylin and eosin staining alone in the diagnosis of cases of mesothelial proliferation in canine pericardium, but further validation is warranted.