The ACVD task force on canine atopic dermatitis (VI): IgE-induced immediate and late-phase reactions, two inflammatory sequences at sites of intradermal allergen injections.

Intradermal testing is a common diagnostic procedure used in the evaluation of dogs with suspected atopic dermatitis (AD). To do this, most investigators assess the appearance of wheals that develop at the sites of intradermal allergen injections. However, wheals are rarely seen in dogs with naturally occurring AD. Furthermore, infiltration of inflammatory cells into the injection sites can occur 6-24h later, a phenomenon known as the late-phase reaction. The histological appearance of these late-phase reactions closely approximates that seen in the natural disease, suggesting that they might be more relevant than the immediate reactions. In this paper, we review the literature on immediate and late-phase reactions and re-assess the evidence for using current intradermal testing procedures as a diagnostic test in dogs.     

Circulating cortisol, tumor necrosis factor-alpha interleukin-1beta, and interferon-gamma in pigs infected with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

This study evaluated the time course of systemic cytokine concentrations in an acute model of pneumonia in pigs challenged intranasally with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Feed intake and serum cortisol were measured as overt clinical and systemic markers of disease onset, respectively, and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interferon-gamma as representative systemic inflammatory markers. Crossbred barrows (n = 15), approximately 5 wk of age, were used in the study. Pigs were housed in an environmentally controlled facility at 25 degrees C and under continuous illumination in pens measuring approximately 1.5 m2. Pigs had free access to water and an unmedicated diet. Approximately 1 wk prior to disease challenge, pigs were fitted nonsurgically with venous catheters. At challenge, pigs were given 5 x 10(8) CFU Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae intranasally (n = 8) or a similar volume of sterile growth media intranasally (Control; n = 7). Feed intake was estimated by the change in feeder weight at 12-h intervals from -12 to 72 h relative to the time of disease challenge. Blood sampling began 12 h prior to challenge and continued until 72 h after challenge. Pigs were sampled at -12, -6, and 0 h, then at 90-min intervals until 12-h post-challenge, continuing at 3-h intervals until 24-h post-challenge, then again at 6-h intervals until 72 h after challenge. Serum was harvested and frozen until assayed for cortisol, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interferon-gamma. Feed intake was reduced in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae pigs during the intervals 0 to 12 h (P < 0.001), 24 to 36 h (P < 0.001), 48 to 60 h (P <0.05), and 60 to 72 h (P < 0.05). TheActnobacillus pleuropneumoniae-challenged pigs had elevated serum cortisol from 180-min to 18-h post-challenge (P < 0.001) and also at 36 (P < 0.05), 42 (P < 0.001), and 60 (P < 0.05) h following infection. Circulating cytokines were not affected by disease challenge. Thus, in this experimental model of pneumonia, weaned pigs demonstrated expected behavioral and endocrine characteristics of disease in the absence of significant changes in circulating inflammatory cytokines.     

Effect of pharmacological concentrations of zinc oxide with or without the inclusion of an antibacterial agent on nursery pig performance

A study involving nine research stations from the NCR-42 Swine Nutrition Committee used a total of 1,978 crossbred pigs to evaluate the effects of dietary ZnO concentrations with or without an antibacterial agent on postweaning pig performance. In Exp. 1, seven stations (IA, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, and OH) evaluated the efficacy of ZnO when fed to nursery pigs at 0, 500, 1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 mg Zn/kg for a 28-d postweaning period. A randomized complete block experiment was conducted in 24 replicates using a total of 1,060 pigs. Pigs were bled at the 28-d period and plasma was analyzed for Zn and Cu. Because two stations weaned pigs at < 15 d (six replicates) and five stations at > 20 d (18 replicates) of age, the two sets of data were analyzed separately. The early-weaned pig group had greater (P < 0.05) gains, feed intakes, and gain:feed ratios for the 28-d postweaning period as dietary ZnO concentration increased. Later-weaned pigs also had increased (P < 0.01) gains and feed intakes as the dietary ZnO concentration increased. Responses for both weanling pig groups seemed to reach a plateau at 2,000 mg Zn/kg. Plasma Zn concentrations quadratically increased (P < 0.01) and plasma Cu concentrations quadratically decreased (P < 0.01) when ZnO concentrations were > 1,000 mg Zn/kg. Experiment 2 was conducted at seven stations (KY, MI, MO, NE, ND, OH, and OK) and evaluated the efficacy of an antibacterial agent (carbadox) in combination with added ZnO. The experiment was a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design conducted in a total of 20 replicates. Carbadox was added at 0 or 55 mg/kg diet, and ZnO was added at 0, 1,500, or 3,000 mg Zn/ kg. A total of 918 pigs were weaned at an average 19.7 d of age. For the 28-d postweaning period, gains (P < 0.01), feed intakes (P < 0.05), and gain:feed ratios (P < 0.05) increased when dietary ZnO concentrations increased and when carbadox was added. These responses occurred in an additive manner. The results of these studies suggest that supplemental ZnO at 1,500 to 2,000 mg Zn/kg Zn improved postweaning pig performance, and its combination with an antibacterial agent resulted in additional performance improvements.     

A survey of bone fractures in the cat

A survey of 108 bone fractures in the cat was made over a 1 year period in a city practice in south west England. Seventy-three per cent involved the pelvic limb. The three bones most commonly affected were femur (38%), pelvis/sacrum (22%) and mandible (16%). Forty-five cases were the result of road accidents and 75% of cats were 2 years old or less.
Treatment of femoral shaft fractures by intramedullary pinning gave good results. The majority of proximal epiphyseal separations and femoral neck fractures responded well to conservative treatment. 'Cage rest' was used successfully to treat severely comminuted femoral shaft fractures. All cases of pelvic fracture were treated conservatively (up to 3 weeks 'cage rest'). Separation of the mandibular symphysis and fracture of the horizontal ramus healed readily. Repair of tibial (10%) and humeral (5%) fractures was without complications.     

Limited effects of land use on soil dissolved organic matter chemistry as assessed by excitation–emission fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular weight fractionation

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soil solution represents a complex mixture of organic molecules and plays a central role in carbon and nitrogen cycling in plant–microbial–soil systems. We tested whether excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy can be used to characterize DOM and support previous findings that the majority of DOM is of high molecular weight (MW). EEM fluorescence spectroscopy was used in conjunction with MW fractionation to characterize DOM in soil solution from a grassland soil land management gradient in North Wales, UK. Data analysis suggested that three distinct fluorescence components could be separated and identified from the EEM data. These components were identified as being of humic‐like or fulvic‐like origin. Contrary to expectations, the majority of the fluorescence signal occurred in the small MW (<1 kDa) fraction, although differences between soils from the differently managed grasslands were more apparent in larger MW fractions. We conclude that following further characterization of the chemical composition of the fluorophores, EEM has potential as a sensitive technique for characterizing the small MW phenolic fraction of DOM in soils.     

Characterisation of major and minor Dermatophagoides allergens in canine atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a well-recognised chronic inflammatory skin disease of humans and dogs. Most atopic dogs are sensitised to Dermatophagoides mites. The aim of this study was to characterise allergens in different Dermatophagoides species using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to canine IgE. Western blots were prepared from crude extracts of D farinae, D pteronyssinus and D microceras, and purified group 1 and 2 allergens under reducing and non-reducing conditions. They were probed with sera from atopic (n = 33) and healthy (n = 27) dogs. There was no significant difference in the sensitivity or specificity between the polyclonal and monoclonal sera in detecting Dermatophagoides -specific IgE. Major allergens common to both D farinae and D pteronyssinus were detected at 97-98 kDa, 103-104 kDa and 134-139 kDa on both reducing and non-reducing blots. Major allergens at 84-85 kDa, 65-69 kDa and 44-45 kDa were only recognised on reducing blots, suggesting that these are fragments of the larger allergens. Only a few sera recognised group 1 or 2 allergens on blots of crude extracts or purified allergens. These results confirm that, in atopic dogs, high molecular weight allergens are the most important Dermatophagoides allergens, rather than the low molecular weight group 1 and 2 proteins.