Novel treatment of equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis of incisor teeth in a 22-year-old Arabian mare

Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis is a rarely reported condition in the incisor and canine teeth of older horses. Histologically, there is internal and external resorption of the tooth with formation of excessive cementum. Once lesions become infected or supragingival this condition is very painful. The clinical manifestation, diagnosis and treatment of hypercementosis in an Arabian mare are described.     

Infectious canine hepatitis associated with prednisone treatment

An 11-week-old, female Alaskan husky dog housed outdoors in the Yukon, Canada, was diagnosed with infectious canine hepatitis. The predisposing factors in this puppy for such a rare disease included inappropriate vaccination program, potential contact with endemic wildlife, and immunosuppression due to prednisone treatment.     

Crusted scabies (sarcoptic mange) in four cats due to Sarcoptes scabiei infestation

Four new cases of sarcoptic mange in cats are described. Two cats resided in areas known to be frequented by foxes, another cohabited with a dog recently diagnosed with sarcoptic mange, while the final cat lived with a mixed breed dog that had been treated for sarcoptic mange 7 months previously. Three cases were diagnosed on the basis of characteristic mite size and morphology in skin scraping from representative lesions, situated on the head (two cases) or head and distal hind limbs (one case). Mites were highly mobile and abundant in all instances, and easily detected also in skin biopsy specimens procured from two cases. Eosinophilic inflammation, hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis were prominent in the tissue sections. In the remaining case, the diagnosis was presumptive, based on characteristic lesions, cohabitation with a canine scabies patient and positive response to scabicide therapy. Pruritus was not a prominent clinical feature in any patient and was considered to be absent in three of the four cases. Lesions in three cats with long-standing disease were reminiscent of crusted scabies (synonym: Norwegian scabies, parakeratotic scabies) as seen in human patients. In three cases, in-contact human carriers developed itchy cutaneous papular lesions. Two cases responded promptly to therapy with systemic avermectin drugs, while one responded to topical treatment with lime sulphur and the remaining cat received both a lime sulphur rinse and ivermectin. Sarcoptic mange should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cats with non-pruritic crusting skin diseases, especially when there is contact with foxes or dogs, and when owners have itchy papular lesions.     

Production of Transgenic Plants: More, Better, and Faster

Over the last two decades, transgenic plants have moved from being solely laboratory vehicles for basic research work to providing new varieties grown on large areas throughout the world.     

Protection of ducklings with a broth-grown Pasteurella anatipestifer bacterin

Pasteurella anatipestifer (PA) serotypes 1, 2, and 5 grew to high densities in tryptic soy broth and tryptose broth (TB) when the media were continuously shaken or aerated. Growth in 100 ml to 15 liters of TB exceeded an absorbance of 1.0 at a wavelength of 525 nm (about 0.7 for a 1/3 dilution) and contained more than 10(10) colony-forming units per ml. A bacterin was prepared from the three serotypes of PA grown in aerated TB. Two subcutaneous injections of this bacterin protected 70% to 85% of ducklings against experimental challenge with each of the three PA serotypes, which killed 90% to 100% of unimmunized controls. The bacterin could be diluted 1/5 without decreasing protection below 80%. Field studies on Long Island duck farms in 1980 and 1981 demonstrated significant reductions in mortality with the use of the broth-grown PA bacterin.     

Primary lymphangiectasia in a dingo (Canis familiaris dingo).

A 3-yr-old intact male dingo (Canis familiaris dingo) presented with a 3-mo history of diarrhea. The diarrhea did not resolve with antibiotics or intestinal protectants. Fecal examination for parasites, fecal cultures, physical examination, and radiographs were unremarkable. Enteroscopic duodenal biopsies showed dilated lacteals without inflammation. Results of serum folate, cobalamin, and trypsin-like immunoreactivity were normal. Low serum total protein and albumin combined with increased fecal levels of alpha-1 protease inhibitor suggested the diagnosis of lymphangiectasia. Full-thickness intestinal biopsies of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum revealed dilated mucosal and submucosal lacteals without associated inflammation, confirming the diagnosis of primary lymphangiectasia. Currently, the dingo is being maintained with nutritional management.     

Genetic diversity and origin of North American green foxtail [<Emphasis Type="Italic">Setaria viridis</Emphasis> (L.) Beauv.] accessions

Setaria viridis (L.) P. Beauv. and its domesticated form, S. italica (L.) P. Beauv., have been developed over the past few years as model systems for C₄ photosynthesis and for the analysis of bioenergy traits. S. viridis is native to Eurasia, but is now a ubiquitous weed. An analysis of the population structure of a set of 232 S. viridis lines, mostly from North America but also comprising some accessions from around the world, using 11 SSR markers, showed that S. viridis populations in the US largely separate by latitude and/or climatic zone. S. viridis populations from the Northern US and Canada (north of 44°N) group with accessions from Western Europe, while populations in the Mid and Southern US predominantly group with accessions from Turkey and Iran. We hypothesize that S. viridis in the US was most likely introduced from Europe, and that introductions were competitive only in regions that had climatic conditions that were similar to those in the regions of origins. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that Canadian S. viridis lines were fast cycling and undersized when grown in the Mid-Western and Southern US compared to their morphology in their native environment. A comparison of the population structure obtained with 11 SSR markers and ~40,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a common set of S. viridis germplasm showed that both methods essentially yielded the same groupings, although admixture was identified at a higher frequency in the SNP analysis. Small numbers of SSR markers can thus be used effectively to discern the population structure in this inbreeding species.