Morphological Considerations in the Pathogenesis of Paratuberculosis in Goats

Paratuberculosis is a chronic granulomatous enteritis and lymphadenitis in ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberuclosis . To investigate the efficacy of assays for early diagnosis, experimental infections were performed in goat kids. Oral doses of M. a. paratuberculosis were administered to goat kids over extended periods and the resulting infection was followed for 12–24 months. Complementary experiments were performed on goat kids vaccinated against M. a. paratuberculosis . Immunological, pathological and morphological examinations were undertaken in both these experimental systems. The analysis of results from these experiment series provided novel insights into the influence of the biology of gut-associated lymphoid tissue on the progress of disease, into the character of the tissue granuloma and its dominance of the local tissue response and into the relationship between the local and systemic immune responses.     

Supernumerary cheek teeth (n = 24): clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and outcome in 15 horses

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: There are few reports of case series of horses with supernumerary cheek teeth (SCT) that document clinical findings, treatment and long-term outcome. OBJECTIVES: To review the clinical and ancillary diagnostic findings and responses to different treatments in horses with SCT. METHODS: The case records of 15 horses were reviewed and long-term outcomes obtained by telephone interview. RESULTS: Fifteen horses with a total of 24 SCT were identified. Two SCT were incidental findings and were not treated. Clinical signs were improved or resolved in 11 of 13 of the teeth treated conservatively and all 6 treated by extraction had a favourable outcome. Four horses were subjected to euthanasia within a short period of diagnosis, either due to a poor prognosis at the outset or failure to respond to initial conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Some SCT are chance findings and do not cause clinical signs. In those instances where clinical signs of dental disease are mild, conservative treatment including the management of diastema and reduction of overgrowths is often effective. Horses with severe clinical signs attributable to an SCT are likely to require extraction of the offending tooth. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: An SCT is an uncommon dental anomaly but should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cases with signs of severe dental disease. The preferred management for SCT is very variable and determined by the severity of the associated changes, but ranges from conservative measures through forceps extraction per os to major facial flap surgery.     

Perinatal mortality and season of birth in captive wild ungulates

The magnitude of perinatal mortality in 50 species of captive wild ungulates born at the Zoological Society of London's collections at Regent's Park and Whipsnade between 1975 and 1985 is reviewed. Thirty-five per cent of 2471 ungulates born during this 11 year period died before six months old and most deaths occurred in the first week after birth. Similar findings have been reported at other zoos and in the wild. The seasonal distribution of births is described in 43 species. Significantly higher perinatal mortality was found in species which breed throughout the year (notably axis deer and sitatunga) than in seasonal breeders, and differences associated with system of management were apparent in some species (eg, mouflon and scimitar-horned oryx) kept at Regent's Park and Whipsnade. Considerable advances have been made in the management of captive wild ungulates in recent years but it is likely that perinatal mortality rates could be further reduced by improved management and veterinary care of the dams and neonates.     

Potential for the transmission of foot-and-mouth disease virus from African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) to cattle

Foot-and-mouth disease viruses of types SAT 1 and SAT 2 isolated from diseased cattle and carrier buffalo, either on the same farm or in the same ecological area within a short time of each other, were compared by T1 oligonucleotide mapping. No similarity was observed between the maps obtained, indicating that the different populations of virus were unique to each species and that no interspecies transmission had occurred.     

Efficiency of food utilization by pregnant and lactating sows. 2. The influence of isocaloric diets with different protein levels on pregnancy and lactation

The efficiency of utilization of feed energy as digestible, metabolizable and net energy is similar in pregnant and lactating sows irrespective of the stage of these physiological conditions. This efficiency with the value of about 71% resembles the one found in the growing and fattening pigs, which enables us to use, for this category of animals, the same system offered evaluation and of the energy requirements based on fat nutritive units. The maintenance energy requirement expressed in ME varies from 467 kJ/kg 0.75 in pregnant sows to 512 kJ/kg 0.75 in lactating sows, for the suckling piglets having intermediary value of 498 kJ/kg 0.75. The efficiency of utilization of diets protein for maintenance and for synthesis is also similar for these categories of pigs, varying from 71% in lactating sows to 75-76% in pregnant sows. In suckling piglets we had recorded an efficiency of DCP utilization which varies parabolically with size of the ingesta and therefore with that of weight gain. The DCP maintenance requirement expressed in g N dig./kg 0.75 varies within narrow limits between 0.345 g N in suckling piglets 0.380 g N in pregnant sows; In lactating sows we have detected an intermediary value of 0.355 g N. Based on these experimental data and also using recent experimental results obtained by Schiemann and Beyer (1984) regarding the energy and N content of the foetuses, of the organs of reproductions and of milk, we could calculate the energy and protein requirements. These requirements when compared with the values used in our country show us higher values of energy in pregnant and lactating sows and lower values of protein for the same categories, including the piglets, where we have also found lower values for the energy too.     

Prevalence of feline leukemia virus infection among adult cats at an animal control center: association of viremia with phenotype and season

The overall frequency of feline leukemia virus infection among 555 cats tested from the Hillsborough County Florida Animal Control facility, using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, was 9.4%. Among male cats, the frequency was 13.8%, which was statistically higher (P = 0.003) than that for females (5.9%). There was no statistical evidence to associate frequency of viral infection with hair length or coloration. There was an association with color distribution. The frequency of viral infection in cats with a solid color in their coat, excluding tabby, calico, and tortoise, was higher (12.2%) than the frequency in the remainder of the cats (5.5%; P = 0.011). Finally, there was a difference in frequency related to season. For the 10 months of the study, cats collected in the 5 cooler months (January, February, March, April, and October) had a frequency of 14.6%; cats obtained in the 5 warmer months (May, June, July, August, and September) had a frequency of 7.2% (P = 0.038).