Fractionation of the reference inoculum of epizootic rabbit enteropathy in discontinuous sucrose gradient identifies aetiological agents in high density fractions

Epizootic rabbit enteropathy (ERE) is a major cause of economic loss in intensive rabbit production. Since its first recognition in 1997, much work has been done to determine the pathogenic mechanisms of the disease and to identify the aetiological agent(s). Unfortunately, the quest for aetiology has only met with limited success despite the ability to reproduce the syndrome by inoculation of intestinal contents from field cases. These intestinal inocula contain a huge number of microorganisms which could all be involved in the aetiology of ERE. To decrease the number of putative agents, the French reference inoculum TEC3 was fractionated on a discontinuous sucrose gradient so that seven fractions (supernatant, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% and pellet) were obtained. Specific-pathogen-free rabbits were inoculated with three out of these seven fractions (supernatant, 30%, and pellet). The objectives were: (1) to characterise the seven fractions by bacteriological examination; (2) to verify whether the aetiological agent was present in the fractions by inoculation of rabbits; (3) to assign the aetiological agent of ERE to a morphological group of pathogens; (4) to identify a fraction which could replace the reference inoculum TEC3 in applications such as cell cultures or egg inoculation. The results strongly suggest that ERE is a bacterial disease and does not have a viral or parasitic aetiology.     

Survey of 11 western states for heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection, heartworm diagnostic and prevention protocols, and fecal examination protocols for gastrointestinal parasites

Heartworm infection in dogs and cats in the western United States is a fairly new phenomenon, and for this reason it is often considered to be of minimal significance.The purpose of this survey was to collect data from 11 western states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) in an effort to assess awareness of heartworm disease and identify areas in which improvement in understanding is needed. To accomplish this goal, veterinary clinics and hospitals in these states were sent a one-page survey in early 2006. The results of the survey demonstrate that cases of heartworm disease have been reported in all 11 states, illustrating the importance of annual testing and the routine use of preventives.     

Carvedilol in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by reduced systolic function, heightened sympathetic tone, and high morbidity and mortality. Little is known regarding the safety and efficacy of beta-blocker treatment in dogs with DCM. HYPOTHESIS: Carvedilol improves echocardiographic and neurohormonal variables in dogs with DCM over a 4-month treatment period. METHODS: Prospective, placebo-controlled, double-blinded randomized study. Dogs with DCM underwent echocardiography, ECG, thoracic radiographs, and neurohormonal profiling, followed by titration onto carvedilol (0.3 mg/kg q12h) or placebo over a 4-week period and subsequently received 3 months of therapy. Primary study endpoints included left ventricular volume and function. RESULTS: Sixteen dogs received carvedilol and 7 received placebo. At study end, 13 carvedilol dogs and 5 placebo dogs were alive. There was no difference in the mean percentage change in left ventricular volume at end-diastole (LVVd), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVVs), and ejection fraction (EF) between treatment groups, suggesting that both groups experienced similar amounts of disease progression. Carvedilol treatment did not result in significant changes in neurohormonal activation, radiographic heart size, heart rate, or owner perceived quality-of-life. Baseline B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) predicted dogs in the carvedilol-treated group that maintained or improved their EF over the study duration. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Carvedilol administration did not improve echocardiographic or neurohormonal indicators of heart function. The lack of effect may be related to severity of disease, carvedilol dose, or brevity of follow-up time. Statistical power of the present study was adversely affected by a high fatality rate in study dogs and small sample size.     

Dystocia in a Rothschild giraffe leading to a caesarean section

A 9-year-old female Rothschild giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi), weighing approximately 900 kg, at Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire, UK was presented with dystocia in September 2005. This paper details the surgical and anaesthetic procedures carried out performing a caesarean section to remove a dead male calf and the successful recovery of the giraffe.     

Milk yield, age at first calving, and the risk of BSE: an analysis at the farm level in France

The epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in France, as in the UK, has affected dairy cattle much more than beef cattle. However, the intensification of dairy herd management as a risk factor for BSE has not to date been analyzed. For this purpose, two databases were merged: the French Milk Records database, and the French BSE database, which can be considered as being devoid of notification bias since July 2001, when systematic tests were implemented. Only pure Holstein herds were considered, which represent the vast majority of total and BSE-affected dairy herds in France. A case-control study was designed so that 20 control herds were matched to each case herd according to the location of the farm and the year of birth of the index case. Three thousand and forty five farms were included, among which 145 with a BSE case notified between July 2001 and July 2003, and 2900 controls. With respect to the risk of BSE, odds ratios for each class of milk yield and age at first calving were estimated by using conditional logistic regression models with appropriate adjustments to herd size. The two main results were the following: firstly, whereas most Holstein herds, with average production between 7000 and 10,000kg, had nearly the same BSE risk, a small category of very intensive herds, with annual milk yields above 10,000kg, were significantly more at risk than the other herds. Secondly, a very early first calving (under 26 months of age) was found to be at risk for BSE as compared to other categories, independently of the milk yield. These results are discussed in the light of the known age-dependent susceptibility to BSE.     

Paratuberculosis, a notifiable disease in Austria--current status, compulsory measures and first experiences

Paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) is one of the most important diseases in ruminants today. Its contribution is worldwide and the disease is causing severe financial losses among cattle producers in some countries [Hasanova, L., Pavlik, I., 2006. Economic impact of paratuberculosis in dairy cattle herds: a review. Vet. Med.-Czech. 51, 193–211]. Paratuberculosis is untreatable; diagnosis limited to the early stages of the infection and control of the disease is difficult. The prevalence of serologically positive Austrian cattle farms rose significantly to 19.0% during the past years [Baumgartner, W., Damoser, J., Khol, J.L., 2005. Comparison of two studies concerning the prevalence of bovine paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) in Austrian cattle in the years 1995–1997 and 2002/2003 (Article in German with extended English summary). Vet. Med. Austria/Wien. Tierärztl. Mschr. 92, 274–277]. Based on these findings clinical paratuberculosis in ruminants was declared a notifiable disease in Austria in April 2006.

A survey of the current situation in Austria, the most important parts of the new compulsory measures and their practical implementation and impacts are presented in this short communication.     

Echinococcus multilocularis and Toxocara canis in urban red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Brussels, Belgium

During the last decades, European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have been implicated in the transmission of several viral or parasitic pathogenic agents to domestic animals and humans. In urban areas, risks of zoonoses transmission are likely to increase as a result of a higher rate of intra- and inter-species contacts. Foxes occur on 35% of the Brussels-Capital Region area and local densities reach up to 4 family groups per square kilometre. According to the directive 2003/99/ECC, a first survey for the presence in foxes of Echinococcus multilocularis and Toxocara canis was conducted in Brussels from 2001 to 2004. None of 160 foxes were found to be infected with E. multilocularis and 24 of 134 foxes were found to be infected with T. canis. Considering numbers of examined foxes, the sensitivity and the specificity of tests used for diagnosis, the 95% credibility intervals for the true prevalence of E. multilocularis and T. canis were estimated in a Bayesian framework to be 0 to 1.87% (median value of 0%) and 12.7 to 26% (median value of 18.7%), respectively. For T. canis, a significantly higher risk to be a carrier occurs in cubs and a significantly lower risk in adults.     

Perceptions of veterinarians and clients to expressions of clinical uncertainty

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes of veterinarians and clients towards expressions of clinical uncertainty. METHODS: Questionnaires that assessed the respondent's attitudes towards expressions of clinical uncertainty were completed by clients at six small animal practices. In addition, questionnaires that evaluated what veterinarians thought their client's attitudes would be towards expressions of clinical uncertainty were completed by veterinarians. The responses from clients and veterinarians were statistically compared. RESULTS: Veterinarians significantly underestimated the desire of clients to be told about uncertainties in treatment and significantly overestimated how the expression of uncertainty would generally reduce client confidence. Veterinarians significantly overestimated the loss of client confidence resulting from saying "I am not sure about this" and from asking a nurse for advice. Both clients and veterinarians considered that verbal expressions of uncertainty would lead to a greater reduction in client confidence than behavioural expressions of uncertainty. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study suggests that most clients want to be told about their veterinarian's clinical uncertainties, and how this uncertainty is expressed can markedly influence client confidence.     

The in vitro reduction of sodium [36Cl]chlorate in bovine ruminal fluid

Sodium chlorate effectively reduces or eliminates gram-negative pathogenic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tracts of live cattle. Limitations to the in vivo efficacy of chlorate are its rapid absorption from the gastrointestinal tract and its presumed reduction to chloride within the gastrointestinal tract. We hypothesized that chlorate would be reduced via ruminal bacteria in a ruminal in vitro system and that the reduction of chlorate would be influenced by the dietary for-age:concentrate ratio; thus, 4 ruminally cannulated steers were fed 20 or 80% concentrate diets in a crossover design. Ruminal fluid was collected in 2 periods and dispensed into in vitro tubes containing sodium [36Cl]chlorate, which was sufficient for 100 or 300 mg/L final chlorate concentrations. The tubes were incubated for 0, 1, 4, 8, 16, or 24 h; autoclaved, control ruminal fluid, fortified with sodium [36Cl]chlorate, was incubated for 24 h. Chlorate remaining in each sample was measured by liquid scintillation counting after [36Cl]chloride was precipitated with silver nitrate. A preliminary study indicated that chlorite, a possible intermediate in the reduction of chlorate, had a half-life of approximately 4.5 min in freshly collected (live) ruminal fluid; chlorite was, therefore, not specifically measured in ruminal incubations. The chlorate dose did not affect in vitro DM digestion (P > or = 0.11), whereas in vitro DM digestibility was decreased (P < or = 0.05) by 80% forage content. By 24 h, 57.5 +/- 2.6% of the chlorate remained in 100-mg/L incubations, whereas 78.2 +/- 2.6% of the chlorate remained in the 300-mg/L incubations. When the data were expressed on a concentration basis (mg/L), diet had no effect (P > or = 0.18) on chlorate reduction; however, when chlorate reduction was expressed on a percentage basis, chlorate reduction tended to be greater (P > or = 0.09) at 8 and 16 h in the incubations containing the low-concentrate diet. Chlorate remaining in autoclaved controls at 24 h was intermediate (P < 0.01) between chlorate remaining in live ruminal fluid samples incubated for 0 or 24 h. Attempts to isolate chlorate-respiring bacteria from 2 sources of ruminal fluid were not successful. These data indicate that microbial-dependent or chemical-dependent, or both, reduction of chlorate occurs in bovine ruminal fluid and that dietary concentrate had a negligible effect on chlorate reduction.     

Rumenocentesis: a suitable technique for analysis of rumen juice pH in cattle?

In the United States, rumenocentesis has been recommended especially for early diagnosis of subacute rumen acidosis (SARA). The objective of the current study was to evaluate health risks due to the technique ofrumenocentesis and to measure pH in ruminal juice using a commercial indicator paper (Pehanon) and a pH electrode (reference method). After 11 dairy cows underwent rumenocentesis, the clinical status of those animals was evaluated daily, and cows were slaughtered as well as pathologically--anatomically examined on day 7. During the observation period, the following pathological clinical signs were evident: forced inspiration (3 cows), transient episode of hyperthermia (2 cows), increased tension of the abdominal wall (8 cows) and positive foreign body tests (3 cows). One cow had to be culled on day 7 because of severe generalised septic peritonitis spreading from the site of rumenocentesis. At slaughter, hematoma formation in the area of the puncture site was found in 9 out of 10 cows. It was concluded that the severe complications encountered with this technique do not legitimate rumenocentesis as a routine procedure for collection of rumen juice samples in cows under Swiss conditions. The correlation between the pH reference method and the commercial indicator paper was the high (r = 0.926).