Immunogenicity of amoebic antigens in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)

Abstract. Rainbow trout developed a humoral immune response against numerous antigens of sonicated amoebae which were emulsified with Freund's complete adjuvant and injected into the peritoneum. The amoebae were cultured from the gills of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., affected by amoebic gill disease. Antibodies in fish sera were detected by both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting. Non-spedfie reactivity in fish serum against Escherichia coli, the bacterium used in co-cultivation of amoebae in vitro, was removed by immunoadsorption. Results obtained using ELISA and immunoblotting were comparable and indicated no significant difference in response to immunization with 10, 50 or 250 μg of sonieatcd amoebic protein. Amoebae contained immunogenie components of > 100, 100, 89, 49, 37 and 34kDa.     

ULNAR METAPHYSEAL OSTEOCHONDROSIS IN SEVEN CAPTIVE BRED CHEETAHS (ACINONYX JUBATUS)

Distal ulna metaphyseal osteochondrosis was identified in seven captive bred cheetahs raised in Australia between 1984 and 2005. The disorder was characterized by bilateral carpal valgus conformation. In the metaphyseal region of the distal ulnae, an osteolucent defect that appeared as a proximal extension of the lucent physis was identified radiographically between 6 and 10 months of age. Ulna ostectomy was done to correct the angular limb deformity. Histologically, changes were identified in the osteolucent lesion that resembled osteochondrosis. We propose that the condition is probably familial and/or dietary in origin.     

Basin-scale advection and population persistence of Calanus finmarchicus

Advection of Calanus finmarchicus in the eastern North Atlantic was analysed using a particle-tracking model based on the Hamburg Shelf Ocean Model (HAMSOM). Quasi-static seasonal mean flowfields were simulated, archived and interpolated to represent a climatological-mean annual cycle. Particles had a simple prescribed depth profile comprising deep overwintering, spring ascent, a shallow-water phase followed by descent to overwintering depth. Export routes for C. finmarchicus from the model area were identified to the south of Greenland and to the north of the Lofoten Basin. Self-sustaining overwintering areas were identified by observing how closely particles returned to their origins after one calendar year. Several such areas were found, notably in the Norway and Lofoten Basins, and in the Færoe–Shetland Channel. The particle tracking was run for up to 10 years to demonstrate persistence of these cycles. Known features of the winter and summer distributions of C. finmarchicus were reproduced by the model. The success of the HAMSOM in simulating both the shallow and deep circulation of the eastern North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea was critical to the identification of these spatio-temporal cycles of C. finmarchicus.     

Prosthetic Coxofemoral Joint Repiacement in the Goose (Anser Sp.): I. Preliminary Results

In order to study failure modes of fixation of artificial hip joints in man, an animal model was needed that had similar loading conditions concerning the hip joint and a life expectancy long enough to allow for fixation failures to occur. Femoral components of a hip joint were implanted into domestic geese ( Anser sp.) to evaluate their suitability for long-term in vivo studies of femoral implants. A prosthesis was developed. It was implanted into mature geese under general anesthesia using a lateral surgical approach. The animals were sacrificed 5 to 11 months after implantation. The results indicate that prosthetic hip joints could be implanted and that joint function was restored in all cases. There was no postoperative morbidity or mortality. Prosthetic loosening was observed in three out of the nine implants.