Mycobacterial nodular granulomas affecting the subcutis and skin of dogs (canine leproid granuloma syndrome)

Objective To obtain a better understanding of a disease affecting dogs in which nodular mycobacterial granulomas are present in the subcutis or skin. Design Retrospective survey Procedure A diagnosis of an unidentified mycobacterial infection was made in 45 dogs following detection of acid-fast bacilli surrounded by granulomatous or pyogranulomatous inflammation in tissue sections. Eight cases were identified from the records of our diagnostic laboratory. In all cases culture for mycobacteria was unsuccessful. Another 37 cases were identified by practitioners and veterinary pathologists in response to a survey mailed to veterinary clinics throughout Australia. Data from these 45 cases were entered into a data base. The data set was incomplete, as some respondents did not answer all questions. Results Over 90% of affected dogs had short coats and about half were Boxers or Boxer-cross dogs. A weak seasonal trend for the development of primary lesions in autumn and winter was identified. Cases were recorded from New South Wales (35 dogs), Western Australia (4), Queensland (4), Tasmania (1) and New Zealand (1). The subcutis and skin of the ears and head (including the ears) were involved in 64% and 85% of cases, respectively, for which lesion site was recorded. Culture was attempted but was unsuccessful in 19 cases, including 11 cases where material was submitted to our laboratory and/or a Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory. Lymph node enlargement, internal organ involvement or constitutional signs were not a feature of the syndrome, and most lesions did not worry the dogs. Although many practitioners recorded a favourable response to therapy with doxycycline (response rate 57%) or amoxycillin-clavulanate (63%), spontaneous resolution of infection was thought to have occurred in six of seven dogs (86%) not given systemic antimicrobials, and three dogs where antimicrobials had failed previously. A minority of cases failed to respond to antimicrobial therapy and continued to have chronic lesions. There was no discernible trend for dogs of a particular age or sex to be affected. Conclusion This syndrome is caused by saprophytic mycobacteria of limited pathogenicity that give rise to lesions restricted principally but not exclusively to the subcutis and skin of body extremities. Fastidious growth requirements have prevented their isolation on synthetic media used for culture of mycobacteria. Organisms presumably enter the subcutis following a breach in integrity of the epidermal barrier and produce self-limiting disease in immunocompetent dogs. Lesions tend to resolve spontaneously. The possibility of a public health threat from affected dogs is highly unlikely.     

Seroprevalence of equine herpesvirus 1 in Thoroughbred foals before and after weaning

Objective To investigate the seroprevalence of equine herpesvirus 1 in foals around weaning and after weaning on two large Thoroughbred farms using a type-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine exposure to infection.
Design A longitudinal population study in groups of Thoroughbred weanling foals.
Study population Two hundred weanling Thoroughbred foals from a population of about 380 foals were enrolled on two adjacent stud farms in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Foals on both farms were weaned from February to May 1995 into randomly selected groups of 10 to 15 foals. Farms were selected because of their willingness to cooperate in the survey and because their detailed records of foals and their movements. They were representative of well-managed large Thoroughbred stud farms in New South Wales. Both studs had upper respiratory tract disease among weanling foals around weaning each year although the sero-prevalence of viral respiratory disease on either farm was not known before the study.
Procedure Serum was collected from foals within each group at fortnightly intervals from 9th February until 1st June 1995, and at a single follow-up period in August 1995. Each sample was tested in triplicate using an antibody-detection ELISA which is type-specific for EHV-1 and EHV-4 antibodies.
Results and conclusions There was serological evidence of EHV-1 infection both before and after weaning. The prevalence of EHV-1 antibody in the sample population increased during the study and individual cases of EHV-1 infection were identified. The increase was caused both by the seroconversion of foals within the groups and by the recruitment into the study of foals with pre-existing EHV-1 antibody. Evidence of EHV-1 infection in Thoroughbred foals after weaning has not been reported previously in Australia and this has implications for vaccination regimens.     

Analgesic effect of pre-operative etodolac and butorphanol administration in dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy

The analgesic, bleeding, and renal effects of dogs pre‐medicated with etodolac with and without butorphanol were evaluated. Twenty‐four 1‐year‐old healthy dogs, weighing 19 ± 3 kg (mean ± SD) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (n = 6): control (C), etodolac (E), butorphanol (B), and etodolac with butorphanol (EB). Etodolac (12–14 mg kg^?1 PO) was given 1 hour before propofol induction and isoflurane maintenance anesthesia. Butorphanol (0.4 mg kg^?1 IV) was given immediately following endotracheal intubation. Control dogs received only propofol (8 mg kg^?1 to effect) and isoflurane anesthesia. All dogs were mechanically ventilated to maintain Pe ′CO₂ between 35 and 45 mm Hg (4.7–6.0 kPa). Lactated Ringer's solution was given at 10 mL kg^?1 hour^?1 during anesthesia. Plasma cortisol concentrations were assessed 1 day prior to surgery (baseline), immediately prior to anesthesia induction, and every 30 minutes until 5 hours following extubation, and 1 day after surgery. Total duration of anesthesia was 50 minutes and total surgery duration was 30 minutes. Isoflurane concentration area under the curve (AUC) over time during the anesthesia was compared among treatment groups. Buccal mucosal bleeding time (BMBT) was assessed 1 day before E administration and during surgery. Urine GGT to urine creatinine ratio, BUN, and plasma creatinine were taken daily from 1 day before to 3 days after surgery. Behavioral pain scores (numerical rating scale) were assessed by two observers blinded to the treatment during the 5‐hour recovery period at 30 minute intervals until 3 hours, and again at 5 hours after extubation. All data were analyzed using anova . Multiple comparisons were performed if the anova was significant. Alpha value was set at 0.05. Plasma cortisol concentrations significantly increased from time of extubation in all the treatment groups. They did not return to the baseline until 5, 2.5, 1.5, and 1.5 hours after extubation in the C, B, E, and EB groups, respectively. Isoflurane AUC was not significantly different among treatment groups. Dogs treated with EB had significantly less behavioral pain than all other groups throughout the 5‐hour recovery period. No significant difference was found between treatment groups or within treatment groups over time in BMBT, or any renal variables. This study demonstrated that (i) pre‐operative administration of E provides profound analgesia during the post‐operative period without renal or bleeding side‐effects in dogs undergoing OHE; and (ii) a combination of butorphanol–etodolac provides the best analgesic effect during the post‐operative period based on the behavioral pain score.     

Compressibility, Phase Transitions, and Oxygen Migration in Zirconium Tungstate, ZrW2O8

In situ neutron diffraction experiments show that at pressures above 2 kilobars, cubic zirconium tungstate (ZrW2O8) undergoes a quenchable phase transition to an orthorhombic phase, the structure of which has been solved from powder diffraction data. This phase transition can be reversed by heating at 393 kelvin and 1 atmosphere and involves the migration of oxygen atoms in the lattice. The high-pressure phase shows negative thermal expansion from 20 to 300 kelvin. The relative thermal expansion and compressibilities of the cubic and orthorhombic forms can be explained in terms of the "cross-bracing" between polyhedra that occurs as a result of the phase transition.     

Effects of Chemical Activation Treatment on Development of Swamp Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Oocytes Matured In Vitro and Fertilized by Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

The objective of this study was to optimize the activation protocol for buffalo oocytes after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The release of the second polar body (PB) at 3, 6 and 9 h after ICSI of in‐vitro matured oocytes activated either with 5 μm ionomycin (Io) or with 7% ethanol (EtOH) was preliminary examined. The highest rate of second PB extrusion occurred at 3 h of activation, and the second PB extrusion in EtOH group was significantly higher than that in Io group. Oocytes that extruded the second PB were selected and cultured either with 1.9 mm 6‐dimethylaminopurine (6‐DMAP) for 3 h or with 10 μg/ml cycloheximide (CHX) for 5 h. Significantly higher rate of oocytes formed 2 pronuclei in EtOH combined with CHX (EtOH + CHX) (62%) group compared to those of Io + CHX (42%) and EtOH + 6‐DMAP (48%) groups (p < 0.01) whereas Io + 6‐DMAP group showed intermediate value (58%). Significantly higher blastocyst formation rates were obtained in Io + 6‐DMAP (29%) and EtOH + CHX (24%) groups than in Io + CHX (6%) and EtOH + 6‐DMAP (17%) groups. Our results indicate that buffalo ICSI oocytes are effectively activated by combination treatment of Io with 6‐DMAP and EtOH with CHX resulting in the highest cleavage and blastocyst formation rates.     

Economics of Prophylaxis against Peste des Petits Ruminants and Gastrointestinal Helminthosis in Small Ruminants in North Cameroon

Data on reproduction and mortality were collected over one year from 5100 sheep and 13 300 goats in treated and control flocks. The treated animals received vaccination against peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and anthelmintics twice a year. Productivity parameters (fecundity and mortality rates) obtained with and without prophylaxis were fitted into a benefit–cost economic analysis model and run for project lifespans varying from one to five years. At a 7% discount rate, the overall benefits for a project lifespan of five years were estimated as over 15 million FCFA and 11 million FCFA for sheep and goats, respectively. The benefit–cost ratio ranged from 2.26 to 3.27 in goats and 3.01 to 4.23 in sheep, depending on the project lifespan. It was concluded that PPR and gastrointestinal helminthosis are important causes of economic losses in small ruminants in Cameroon. A national or even a regional vaccination campaign against PPR and strategic anthelmintic treatment of small ruminants are recommended.