Approaches towards efficient use of boar semen in the pig industry

The current cervical artificial insemination (CAI) procedure, involving deposition of excessive sperm numbers, is uneconomical for pig industry. The most obvious alternative requires uterine deposition in combination with fixed-time AI, which would reduce the number of sperm required per pregnant sow, thus allowing the best use of valuable boars and, ultimately, the commercial integration of frozen-thawed and sexed sperm. This review depicts possible best ways to implement an efficient use of liquid-stored, frozen-thawed and sexed sperm by the pig industry.     

Proinflammatory cytokines and CD14 expression in mammary tissue of cows following intramammary inoculation of Panax ginseng at drying off

The lack of efficacy of conventional strategies for the maintenance of healthy udders in domestic cattle has prompted studies on the use of immunomodulators or biological response modifiers (BRM) for this purpose. These compounds are agents that modify the host's response to pathogens leading to beneficial effects on disease outcome. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a single intramammary infusion of Panax ginseng (GS) extract on the amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the number of monocytes/macrophages present in bovine mammary tissues at drying off. Eight mammary quarters from six nonpregnant cows in late lactation were infused with 10 mL of GS (3mg/mL), six quarters were treated with 10 mL of placebo (vehicle alone) and six quarters were maintained as uninoculated controls. The analyses of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) by immunohistochemistry revealed that the production of this proinflammatory cytokine significantly increased (P<0.05) in the inoculated mammary glands of cows following BRM inoculation, whereas the interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) and IL-6 staining area was not affected by BRM treatment. The number of monocytes/macrophages detected with CD14 antibody was significantly higher (P<0.05) in BRM-treated quarters than in placebo and uninoculated control quarters. These results indicated an immunomodulator potential of the BRM used. The beneficial effect of the extract could be used as alternative therapy in the control of mastitis at drying off, either alone or in conjunction with dry cow antibiotic therapy.     

Two atypical cases of granulosa cell tumours in Belgian Blue heifers

This paper describes two atypical cases of granulosa cell tumours (GCTs) in Belgian Blue heifers. In the first case, an 18-month-old heifer died after ovariectomy, and a granulosa-theca cell tumour was diagnosed post-mortem. The second heifer (31 months of age) was near term and was successfully treated surgically for a malignant granulosa cell tumour. Unfortunately, no further reproductive data are available, as the heifer was sold for slaughter. This is the first report describing GCTs in Belgian Blue beef cattle.     

CLINICAL RELEVANCE OF ABNORMAL SCINTIGRAPHIC FINDINGS OF ADULT EQUINE RIBS

Horses with cranial rib abnormalities may exhibit severe acute lameness and may have unusual gait deficits characterized by forelimb abduction during protraction at the walk. Horses with caudal rib abnormalities may resent being saddled and ridden. In a retrospective evaluation of 20 horses with a documented rib lesion, 25 sites of increased radiopharmaceutical uptake were found in one or more ribs. Thirteen (52%) scintigraphic lesions involved the first rib; four were located immediately dorsal to the sternal articulation, eight were near the costochondral junction and one was at the costovertebral junction. Six (24%) scintigraphic rib lesions involved ribs 2–8; one was located immediately dorsal to the sternal articulation, three were at the costovertebral junction and two were near the costochondral junction. Six (24%) scintigraphic rib lesions involved the mid‐portion (five) or costovertebral junction (one) of ribs 9–18. The 20 horses were divided into three groups based on the clinical relevance of the scintigraphic findings. Group 1 (n=3) horses had clinical signs attributed to a rib abnormality; Group 2 (n=6) horses had a rib abnormality that was a plausible explanation for clinical signs; Group 3 (n=11) horses had clinical signs that could not be attributed to a rib abnormality. For horses with cranial rib abnormalities, a modified lateral scintigraphic image with the ipsilateral limb pulled caudally and a left (right) 45° caudal–right (left) radiograph facilitated the diagnosis.     

Vaccination of pregnant ponies against equine rhinopneumonitis

Bovine herpesvirus 1247 (one dose) was given subcutaneously to five pregnant pony mares between 227 and 319 days of their gestations. There were no adverse clinical reactions, and the virus was not recovered from nasal swabs collected during a 2-week period after vaccination. Four ponies foaled full-term, live, healthy foals. The foal of the fifth mare (No. 1) was found dead, but on the basis of the pathologic and virologic examinations, the virus was not considered to be the cause of the death. At 3 weeks after vaccination, the pregnant pony mares had a 13- to 250-fold increase in serum antibody titer to equine herpesvirus-1. A virulent-virus challenge exposure of all pony mares at 208 days after vaccination resulted in antibody titers greater than those just before this exposure. Virus was recovered from nasal swabs from vaccinated mares only on postexposure day 1, whereas the one control (nonvaccinated) pony shed virus for at least 3 days after challenge exposure. The immunogenic and the nonabortifacient characteristics of the herpesvirus 1247 in pregnant pony mares indicate that it may be useful to vaccinate horses against equine herpesvirus-1.     

Evaluation of the agar-gel immunodiffusion test in the diagnosis of canine blastomycosis

The agar-gel immunodiffusion test was used to evaluated 35 dogs with histopathologically confirmed blastomycosis and 98 dogs without blastomycosis. The test had a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 96%. Thirteen of the dogs treated for blastomycosis were tested at 6 to 33 months after treatment with amphotericin B. Ten of 13 dogs became seronegative and 3, though clinically normal, remained seropositive at 19, 20, and 20 months, respectively, after amphotericin treatment.