Treatment of temporary upward fixation of the patella in an alpaca by abrasion trochleoplasty and imbrication of the medial retinacular fascia

A two-year-old female alpaca suddenly became lame on its right hindlimb. Eight days later clinical and radiographic examinations showed that the patella had become temporarily fixed within the supratrochlear notch of the femur. Under general anaesthesia an abrasion trochleoplasty followed by fascial imbrication was carried out. After two weeks in supporting slings, the animal put full weight on the leg, and six months after the surgery it showed no signs of lameness or recurrence of the upward fixation.     

Static space requirements of male meat turkeys

The area covered by standing male meat turkeys between 11 and 21 weeks of age was measured by planimetry on photographs taken from directly above the birds. There was a strong relationship (r = 0.86) between their liveweight and the area covered, and a formula was derived for the calculation of the area covered by turkeys weighing between 7.6 and 21.8 kg. A comparison with the formula developed on theoretical grounds in 1995 by the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) showed that for heavy turkeys the FAWC formula is not valid, because it yields values which are about 50 per cent too low.     

Study of the plasma pharmacokinetics and faecal excretion of the prodrug olsalazine and its metabolites after oral administration to horses

Olsalazine sodium (Dipentum*) has been used therapeutically against inflammatory bowel disease in human medicine as an alternative to sulphasalazine over the past 20 years. Bacteria in the colon split this prodrug into two molecules of the locally effective 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA). Considering the potential therapeutic use in equine colitis, the pharmacokinetics of olsalazine (OLZ) after single oral administration to six horses at a dosage of 30 mg/kg was investigated. Plasma concentrations of OLZ, 5-ASA, and its main metabolite N-acetyl-5-aminosalicylic acid (Ac-5-ASA) were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography methods. Evaluation of the plasma pharmacokinetics revealed a rapid, but low extent of absorption of OLZ (peak concentrations around 1 microg/mL at 0.5-1.5 h), and a delayed minimal absorption of 5-ASA (concentrations < 0.2 microg/mL, at 11-35 h), which is immediately metabolized to Ac-5-ASA. As indicators of the local availability in the colon, high faecal water concentrations of 5-ASA and Ac-5-ASA (mean C(max) about 300 and 130 microg/mL, respectively), but only traces of OLZ were found in faeces excreted 18-50 h after dosing. Of the administered OLZ dose 26% could be recovered from faeces, almost completely as 5-ASA and Ac-5-ASA. Routine clinical examination of the horses and assay of standard haematological and serum chemistry parameters before and after OLZ administration confirmed that a single dosage of 30 mg/kg was well tolerated. To estimate the systemic availability of 5-ASA liberated from OLZ, 5-ASA was administered i.v. at a dosage of 1.5 mg/kg to four horses and plasma concentrations of 5-ASA and Ac-5-ASA were determined. The pharmacokinetic evaluation showed a very low bioavailability of 2.4% for 5-ASA, released from orally administered OLZ. Furthermore, in an in vitro experiment, the metabolic transformation of 5-ASA to Ac-5-ASA mediated by bacteria in the caecal content of horses was determined at 38 degrees C for 31 h and compared with the metabolism data of the in vivo study. The markedly lower degree of acetylation in vitro supports the assumption that biotransformation of 5-ASA in vivo occurs not only by colonic bacteria, but also at other sites.     

Dynamics in serum of the inflammatory markers serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin,fibrinogen and alpha2-globulins during induced noninfectious arthritis in the horse

Despite the importance of noninfectious joint diseases in equine medicine, little is known about the acute phase response which may be elicited if the local inflammatory process of noninfectious arthritis is sufficiently strong, Therefore the aim of this study was to monitor the systemic inflammatory response during experimentally-induced noninfectious arthritis by studying the dynamics in serum of the acute phase proteins serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin, fibrinogen and alpha2-globulins. Twenty-four Standardbred horses, age 3-7 years, found healthy on thorough clinical, radiological, haematological and serum biochemical examination, were injected aseptically into the right midcarpal joint with amphotericin B. Blood samples were drawn before induction of arthritis (0 h), and at 8, 16, 24, 36 and 48 h postinduction and then on Days 3, 4, 5 and 15 postinduction. All horses developed lameness with joint effusion and joint heat as well as increased respiratory rate, heart rate and body temperature. The lameness started to decline after 24-36 h and, in most animals, systemic signs disappeared on Day 2 postinjection. The concentration of the acute phase proteins increased following induction of arthritis. The SAA concentrations were higher than baseline concentrations from 16 h postinduction and were maximal at 36-48 h (227 times baseline concentration). The haptoglobin concentrations were higher than baseline concentrations from 24 h and were maximal at 48-96 h (1.14 times baseline concentration). The maximal concentrations of fibrinogen were seen between 36-72 h postinjection and increased on average 0.87 times from baseline concentrations. The fibrinogen concentrations were higher than baseline concentrations from 24 h postinjection. Alpha2-globulins concentrations showed a minor increase and increased 0.55 times from baseline concentrations. The markers had returned to baseline concentrations by Day 15. Our results demonstrate that amphotericin B-induced arthritis in a single joint gives rise to a systemic acute phase response measurable as increased concentrations in serum SAA, haptoglobin, fibrinogen and alpha2-globulins during the first 2 weeks of the condition and, thereby, that such an increase need not be indicative of infectious arthritis. Further research should be aimed at determining whether chronic noninfectious arthritis in the horse gives rise to increased acute phase protein concentrations in serum.     

Variation in clinical and parasitological traits in Pietrain and Meishan pigs infected with Sarcocystis miescheriana

Future prophylaxis needs new concepts, including natural disease resistance of hosts against infectious agents. Genomic approaches to detect and improve disease resistance in farm animals and the molecular mechanisms involved in host-parasite interactions depend to a high degree on the trait differences between founder breeds, i.e. on the animal model. The present study evaluates differences in susceptibility/resistance against Sarcocystis miescheriana in the European Pietrain (PI) and the Chinese Meishan (ME) pig breeds, based on 25 individuals, infected orally with 5x10(4) sporocysts of S. miescheriana. Significant differences appeared in clinical, serological, haematological and parasitological findings. The major discriminating period post infection (p.i.) was between days 42 and 45. Severity of signs was negatively correlated with specific immunoglobulin titres during the first 3 weeks p.i. and positively with the load of bradyzoites in muscle tissues of the pigs. Loads of bradyzoites in muscle tissues were 20 times higher in PI than in ME. Sarcocystis-specific differences between the two breeds were in the range of 1-2 standard deviations. The study lays the foundation for further experiments to analyse chromosomal regions, candidate genes, and thus the molecular basis of Sarcocystis susceptibility/resistance as a model for host-parasite interaction in protozoan infectious disease.     

An analysis of the performance characteristics of serological tests for the diagnosis of Neospora caninum infection in cattle

AIMS: To analyse the performance characteristics (sensitivity/specificity) of two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) against the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). METHODS: A total of 1199 sera were tested in two ELISAs and the IFAT and results analysed utilising software that performed a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity for the two ELISAs were calculated for a range of different cut-offs. Minimal misclassification was achieved at cut-offs that, in the case of the Central Animal Health Laboratory (CAHL)-ELISA were in line with previously published cut-off values. In the case of the IDEXX-ELISA lower cut-off values than suggested by the manufacturer were calculated. CONCLUSIONS: ROC-analysis resulted in optimised, as compared to the IFAT, cut-off thresholds for the CAHL and IDEXX-ELISA which can be further adjusted depending on the purpose of the investigation.     

Neospora caninum and Waddlia chondrophila strain 2032/99 in a septic stillborn calf

Characteristics of an intracellularly growing micro-organism isolated from an aborted bovine foetus are described. The organism replicated within cytoplasmic vacuoles, was resistant to penicillin and exhibited structural characteristics compatible with Waddlia chondrophila. An ELISA specific for Chlamydia spp., immunofluorescence tests using antibodies directed against Chlamydia spp. or Simkania negevensis, and PCR using Chlamydia-specific primers showed that the agent was distinct from Chlamydiae or S. negevensis. Determination of 16S and partial 23S ribosomal RNA gene sequences in combination with the PCR results and the morphological, antigenic and developmental characteristics provided evidence that the isolate 2032/99 can be classified as W. chondrophila or a closely related organism.     

Ataxia and disequilibrium in domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos f. dom.) with intracranial lipomas

Four birds in a flock of 125 purebred Crested ducks (Anas platyrhynchos f. dom.) had cerebellar signs of unknown etiology. They had radiographically evident perforations of various sizes in the parieto-occipital calvaria. Gross necropsy of euthanatized ducks revealed yellow intracranial masses in the brain of each. Histologically, these masses were intracranial lipomas consisting of univacuolated fatty tissue separated into lobules by strands of connective tissue. The masses had caused serious deformation of the rostral part of the cerebellum, leading to a nearly complete flattening of cerebellar folia, and were interpreted as the cause for the central nervous clinical signs observed. These intracranial lipomas were similar to those previously reported in other animals and humans.     

Effect of seasonal conditions on oestrus occurrence and postpartum period in Anatolian water buffaloes

Oestrus and calving records of Anatolian buffaloes were analyzed to investigate influence of climatic conditions on oestrus occurrence and postpartum period. Oestrus records showed a seasonal pattern concentrated between July and September which is the warmest period of the year. Likewise, more than half (52.7%) of the total calvings occurred between May and August. Month of calving significantly influenced the length of calving to first oestrus interval and open period (P < 0.01). The average length of open period was significantly shorter in autumn and summer calvers compared to those calved in spring and winter (P < 0.05) during long days. The humidity rate was negatively correlated with both calving to first oestrus interval and open period (P < 0.05). In conclusion, exposure to high environmental temperatures around 20 degrees C exerted no suppressive influence on ovarian activity in Anatolian buffaloes. Although humidity rate (P < 0.05) and ambient temperature (P < 0.01) was found to be correlated with the duration of postpartum period, day length might be the main factor regulating reproductive biorhythm and postpartum events in Anatolian buffalo cows.