Topical 0.1% tacrolimus for the treatment of discoid lupus erythematosus and pemphigus erythematosus in dogs

Topical 0.1% tacrolimus was used for treatment of localized lesions associated with 10 cases of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and two cases of pemphigus erythematosus (PE) either as a sole therapy (n=2) or as an adjunctive treatment (n=10). Eight of 10 dogs with DLE and both dogs with PE were improved following 8 weeks of topical application. In six of the eight dogs that improved, other medications were discontinued. No adverse effects in clinical or laboratory parameters were noted throughout the study.     

Primary Aspergillus and Fusarium keratitis in a Holstein cow

A 5-year-old female Holstein cow was examined for ocular discharge, periorbital swelling, an area of full-thickness corneal cellular infiltrate, fibrin, hypopyon, diffuse corneal edema, and miosis. The patient was diagnosed with a corneal stromal abscess and secondary anterior uveitis. Histopathology, mycotic culture, and polymerase chain reaction positive for Aspergillus and Fusarium DNA confirmed the presence of fungal infection. Response to therapy was adequate, and follow-up with the patient 1 year after diagnosis revealed a focal area of corneal fibrosis.     

Native plant enthusiasm reaches new heights: Perceptions,evidence, and the future of green roofs

The use of native plants on green roofs has attracted considerable attention in recent years. With this comes the implicit assumptions that native plants are better adapted, provide greater environmental benefit, and are more aesthetically pleasing than non-native plants. We examined papers published in scholarly journals and papers presented at the annual North American green roof conference to identify who is promoting the use of native plants on green roofs, their rationale for doing so, and the scientific evidence to support the assertion that natives are better adapted. Architects, landscape architects, and biologists were the most likely to promote native plants and engineers were the least likely. Many of the reasons for using native plants on green roofs originate from ground-level landscaping and have simply been transplanted to the roof, without regard for the fact that the rooftop is a fundamentally different environment than the ground. Nearly half of all pro-native papers used the term “native” without definition. This review highlights the need for greater rigor and transparency when promoting the use of native plants and further demonstrates how misconceptions can result in sub-optimal green roof design and performance.     

More than eating dirt: a review of avian geophagy‡

Geophagy, the ingestion of earth varying in particle size from stones to soils rich in clay, is a relatively widespread behaviour across avian taxa. We reviewed its occurrence in birds and its hypothesised adaptive functions in birds. Of the ～30 avian orders, 23 exhibit geophagy. However, it has only been documented in ～260 species (～2% of birds) and therefor is relatively uncommon. Ingestion of stones and other large particles (grit) is recorded in 54 extant families across the avian phylogeny and appears to be ancient in birds and has evolved several times. Clay ingestion is recorded in 14 phylogenetically scattered families and might have evolved repeatedly. Furthermore, at least nine families exhibit both clay and grit ingestion. Six hypothesised functions of avian geophagy involve digestion and nutrition. Ingested grit might provide (1) essential minerals, particularly sodium or calcium, but it appears to primarily (2) improve mechanical digestion of food in the gizzard, where ingested stones and sand particles are known as gastroliths. Consistent with this gastrolith hypothesis, ～86% of species ingesting grit consume “hard” food: seeds, leaves, insects or other animals. In contrast, ingested clay appears to be for sodium or other nutrient intake and/or protecting birds from ingested plant secondary compounds, by (3) protecting the digestive tract and (4) adsorbing these compounds. Consistent with this, ～88% of species ingesting clay eat fruit that is often rich in secondary compounds and low in sodium, and clay ingestion is associated with frugivory in a representative sample of genera of which many have been shown to source sodium. The other two hypotheses are buffering gastric pH (5) and acquiring antidiarrheal agents (6), but no documentation of this in birds was found. We suggest additional tests of these hypotheses and additional investigation of these proposed benefits of geophagy in birds.     

Reduced effective population size in an overexploited population of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

Unchecked exploitation of wildlife resources is one of the major factors influencing species persistence throughout the world today. A significant consequence of exploitation is the increasing rate at which genetic diversity is lost as populations decline. Recent studies suggest that life history traits affecting population growth, particularly in long-lived species, may act to moderate the impact of population decline on genetic variation and lead to remnant populations that appear genetically diverse despite having passed through substantial demographic bottlenecks. In this study we show that the retention of genetic variation in a partially recovered population of Nile crocodile is deceptive, as it masks the reality of a significant decline in the population’s effective size (N_e). Repeated episodes of unchecked hunting in the mid to late 20th century have today led to a five-fold decrease in the population’s N_e. Using current census data we estimate the contemporary N_e/N ratio as 0.05 and, in light of quotas that permit the ongoing removal of adults, simulated the likely effects of genetic drift on extant levels of variation. Results indicate that even if the current effective size is maintained, both allelic diversity and heterozygosity will decline. Our findings have complex implications for long-lived species; an emphasis on the retention of genetic variation alone, whilst disregarding the effects of population decline on effective size, may ultimately obscure the continued decline and extinction of exploited populations.     

Escherichia coli and selected veterinary and zoonotic pathogens isolated from environmental sites in companion animal veterinary hospitals in southern Ontario

Hospital-based infection control in veterinary medicine is emerging and the role of the environment in hospital-acquired infections (HAI) in veterinary hospitals is largely unknown. This study was initiated to determine the recovery of Escherichia coli and selected veterinary and zoonotic pathogens from the environments of 101 community veterinary hospitals. The proportion of hospitals with positive environmental swabs were: E. coli--92%, Clostridium difficile--58%, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)--9%, CMY-2 producing E. coli--9%, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius--7%, and Salmonella--2%. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp., canine parvovirus, and feline calicivirus were not isolated. Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli isolates was low. Important potential veterinary and human pathogens were recovered including Canadian epidemic strains MRSA-2 and MRSA-5, and C. difficile ribotype 027. There is an environmental reservoir of pathogens in veterinary hospitals; therefore, additional studies are required to characterize risk factors associated with HAI in companion animals, including the role of the environment.