Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis: A Review

The economic impact of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) warrants continued investigation of the mechanisms by which Moraxella bovis survives on and colonizes the corneal surface. Virulent strains of M bovis produce hemolysin and exhibit different plasmid profiles than nonvirulent strains. Interactions among host, environment, vector, season, and concurrent infection influence the prevalence of IBK. Mycoplasma sp. or infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus may enhance or hasten the disease process. The manifestations of IBK may range from mild conjunctivitis to severe ulceration, corneal perforation, and blindness. Treatment of IBK is dictated by economic considerations, intended animal use, and feasibility of administration. Antibiotic therapy is aimed at achieving drug concentrations in tears to meet or exceed the minimum inhibitory concentration for prolonged periods. At present, IBK is not a preventable disease. Affected animals must be separated from the herd and vector control vigorously instituted. Carrier animals must be identified and removed from the herd. Vaccination trials have been unsuccessful because of pili antigen crossreactivity, variable strains, and uncontrolled environmental factors. Recent investigations have determined that M bovis may utilize host iron sources via iron-repressible outer membrane proteins and siderophores for growth. Elucidation of normal defense mechanisms of the bovine eye may lead to new strategies to enhance the immune response against M bovis.     

PARTURIENT PARESIS OF COWS: BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS

During 1967, 1968 and 1969, blood samples were taken from 83 cows affected by parturient paresis. Whole blood glucose estimations were made on these samples. The range was 1.33 to 10.22 mmol/1 with an average of 3.94 mmol/1. Eighteen cows known to have been affected less than 4 hours had average levels of 3.06 +/- 1.11 mmol/1. All (except one) "previously untreated" cows with levels less than 3.33 mmol/1 were on their feet within 10 minutes whereas cows with higher levels than this had a 28.6% delayed recovery rate. The evidence suggests that low levels have no clinical significance but that higher levels are significant in that they occur as a result of prolongation of attacks of parturient paresis.     

Actin polymerization enhances Pasteurella haemolytica leukotoxicity

Pasteurella haemolytica leukotoxin is cytotoxic to bovine leukocytes, causing increased cell membrane permeability, osmotic swelling, release of cytosolic proteins and cell lysis. These studies were designed to test if leukotoxin causes release of the cytoskeletal protein, actin, from bovine leukemia cells and if purified actin-influenced bacterial growth or leukotoxin production. Culture supernatants caused a 7-fold decrease in viability of bovine leukemia cells and increased cell permeability that was accompanied by release of beta-actin into the cell culture supernatant. Exposing P. haemolytica to purified actin solutions induced the conversion of monomeric G-actin to polymerized F-actin. This conversion was partially inhibited by bovine P. haemolytica immune, but not pre-immune, serum. Loss of streptomycin resistance following treatment of the organism with acridine orange ablated the polymerizing activity. Incubation of P. haemolytica in the presence of purified F-actin did not affect growth but resulted in culture supernatant that had 3.0-3.9-fold greater leukotoxicity compared to medium alone or medium containing G-actin, heat-denatured actin or albumin. The effect of actin on leukotoxicity was concentration-dependent and directly associated with increases in secreted leukotoxin. The interaction between P. haemolytica and actin is potentially detrimental to the host by inducing polymerization of actin into insoluble filaments and by enhancing leukotoxicity.     

Experimental infection of newborn piglets with Yersinia enterocolitica: an animal model of enteritis

Newborn, colostrum-deprived Large White piglets infected with a human isolate of Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 4 serotype 0:3 were used as an animal model of yersiniosis. Within 3 hours of birth and before being fed, 14 piglets were inoculated orogastrically with 10 ml of bacterial suspension containing about 3 x 10(10) colony forming units of Y. enterocolitica, followed by 10 ml of 10% NaHCO3 solution. A further 14 litter mates acted as controls. The animals were reared on an artificial milk formula and humanely killed at 3 or 5 days after infection. Of the 14 infected piglets, 11 became anorexic, five vomited and 13 developed diarrhoea. Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated from their faeces and small intestinal contents. Body weight gains and the plasma glucose concentrations were significantly lower in the infected piglets than in the controls. Damage to the mucosa was observed in the whole gastro-intestinal tract, but was more severe in the small intestine and caecum. Micro-abscesses surrounding bacteria were present at the base of the villi in all parts of the small intestine, particularly in the distal ileum. Lesions were present in the small intestine in all infected piglets by day 3 and were more extensive by day 5. The liver was damaged by day 5, but not day 3. Similar lesions were seen in the mucosa of the stomach in one of six piglets at 3 days and in two of eight piglets at 5 days. It is hypothesised that the hypoacidity in the newborn stomach, as well as the administration of the NaHCO3 solution, may have produced favourable conditions for bacterial invasion.     

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing of Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus isolated from sheep abortions in New Zealand

AIMS: To genotype Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus isolates cultured from sheep abortions submitted to diagnostic laboratories in New Zealand during the year 2000 breeding season. To compare the types found nationally with those found in the Hawke' Bay region in 1999, and strains held in the New Zealand Reference Culture Collection, Medical Section (NZRM) from a study published in 1987.

METHODS: Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus isolates cultured by veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the year 2000 breeding season, from sheep abortions from throughout New Zealand, were typed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). In addition, seven freeze-dried C. fetus subsp. fetus isolates (strain numbers 2939–2945) from the NZRM, representing restriction types a–g found amongst sheep abortion isolates in a study published in 1987, were typed using PFGE.

RESULTS: In total, 293 C. fetus subsp. fetus isolates from 200 farms were obtained from veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Twenty-two distinct PFGE profiles were identified amongst the isolates. PFGE type B1 was predominant in each region of New Zealand and was identified from 66% of farms overall. Of the C. fetus subsp. fetus restriction types a–g lodged with the NZRM, 3/7 had PFGE profiles indistinguishable from profiles found in the current study. The other four restriction types had PFGE profiles that were unique but similar to those found in the current study.

CONCLUSIONS: PFGE type B1 was predominant amongst the C. fetus subsp. fetus isolates cultured from sheep abortions in each region of New Zealand in the year 2000, as was found in Hawke' Bay in 1999. The similarity between PFGE profiles of C. fetus subsp. fetus sheep abortion isolates from 1987 and 2000, and the relative prevalence of the PFGE groups, suggests that there has been no major genotypic shift in the population of C. fetus subsp. fetus implicated in sheep abortion in New Zealand during this time.     

Branchial calcium uptake: possible mechanisms of control by stanniocalcin

The branchial Ca²⁺ uptake by teleost fish is under inhibitory control by the hormone stanniocalcin (STC) which is generated by the corpuscles of Stannius (CS). Removal of the CS in North American eel, Anguilla rostrata LeSueur, induced a rapid rise in blood calcium levels. Branchial Ca²⁺ influx following the extirpation of the CS (stanniectomy, STX) increased during the first four days and stayed elevated thereafter (in agreement with previous studies). The transepithelial potential (TEP) across the gills did not change after STX and this means that the electrochemical gradient for Ca²⁺ is less favourable for passive influx of Ca²⁺ in STX eel. Therefore, the Ca²⁺ influx in STX eels is a transcellular flux, with Ca²⁺ crossing the apical and basolateral membrane barrier. The kinetics of ATP-driven Ca²⁺-transport across basolateral plasma membranes from eel gills did not change after STX. Thus, the increased Ca²⁺-influx after STX is not correlated with changes in ATP-dependent Ca²⁺-extrusion across the basolateral membrane, suggesting a regulation at the apical membrane. Moreover, STC did not affect ATP-driven Ca²⁺-transport in isolated basolateral membranes (in vitro). STC (0.1 nM) reduced cAMP levels in dispersed eel gill cells. It had no significant effect on the IP₃ levels in these cells. We postulate that STC controls the permeability to Ca²⁺ of the apical membranes of the Ca²⁺ transporting cells of fish gills by controlling second messenger operated Ca²⁺ channels in the apical membrane.

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Résumé L'entrée de calcium au niveau des branchies est sous le controle inhibiteur de la stanniocalcine (STC) qui est synthétisée au niveau des corpuscules de Stannius (CS). L'ablation des CS chez l'anguille d'Amérique du Nord, Anguilla rostrata LeSueur, induit une augmentation rapide des niveaux de calcium dans le sang. Le flux entrant branchial de calcium consécutif à l'ablation des CS (stanniectomie, STX) augmente pendant les 4 premiers jours et reste élevé au-delà (en accord avec des études antérieures). Le potentiel transépithélial (TEP) à travers les branchies ne change pas après STX, ceci indiquant que le gradient électrochimique du Ca²⁺ est moins favorable pour le flux entrant passif du Ca²⁺ chez l'anguille STX. En conséquence, le flux entrant de Ca²⁺ chez l'anguille STX est un flux transcellulaire, avec le Ca²⁺ traversant la barrière membranaire apicale et basolatérale. La cinétique du transport de Ca²⁺ conduit par l'ATP à travers les membranes plasmatiques basolatérales de branches d'anguille n'est pas modifiée après STX. Ainsi, l'augmentation du flux entrant de Ca²⁺ après STX n'est pas corrlée avec des modifications de l'excrétion de Ca²⁺ conduit par l'ATP à travers la membrane basolatérale, suggérant donc une régulation au niveau de la membrane apicale. De plus, la STC ne modifie pas le transport de Ca²⁺ conduit par l'ATP dans des membranes basolatérales isolées (in vitro). La STC (0.1 nM) réduit les niveaux d'AMPc dans des cellules dispersées de branchies d'anguille. Cette hormone n'a pas d'effet significatif sur les niveaux d'IP₃ dans ces cellules. Nous suggérons que la STC régule la perméabilité au Ca²⁺ des membranes apicales des cellules branchiales transporteuses de Ca²⁺ en controlant un second messager agissant sur les canaux calciques de la membrane apicale.

     

Transmission of Brucella ovis from rams to red deer stags

AIM: To determine whether B. ovis will transmit from infected rams to non-infected red deer stags (Cervus elaphus) grazing together in the same paddock. METHODS: Six rams artificially infected with B. ovis were grazed with six non-infected 14-month-old red deer stags for a four and a half month period from March 4 to July 20, 1999. Stags were blood sampled at one- to six-weekly intervals to test for B. ovis antibodies using a complement fixation test. Stags that seroconverted were semen sampled to test for B. ovis infection by bacteriological culture. RESULTS: Between day 92 and day 124 of grazing together (June 4 and July 6), sera from five of the six stags became positive in the B. ovis complement fixation test. B. ovis was cultured from semen samples from four of the seropositive stags. CONCLUSIONS: Brucella ovis can be transmitted from infected rams to non-infected stags grazing in the same paddock, suggesting that B. ovis infection in farmed deer in New Zealand initially came from infected rams. Whether transmission occurs from direct contact between rams or stags, or indirectly by environmental contamination needs to be established.     

Mortality in swine herds endemically infected with Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae: effect of immunization with cross-reacting lipopolysaccharide core antigens of Escherichia coli

The benefit of increased immunity to cross-reacting lipopolysaccharide core antigens of gram-negative bacteria induced by vaccination with an Rc mutant of Escherichia coli 0111:B4 (strain J5) was evaluated in commercial swine herds endemically infected with Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae. Weanling pigs were vaccinated IM with E coli J5 (group 1) before the expected time of H pleuropneumoniae infection. Clinical signs, antibiotic treatment frequency, mortality, growth performance (days to market weight), and serologic responses of the pigs were monitored for approximately 5 months after vaccination. The results were compared with those of pigs vaccinated IM with a commercial H pleuropneumoniae bacterin (group 2) and with those of nonvaccinated control pigs of the same age (group 3). The treatment frequency and growth performance were similar in the 3 groups. However, vaccination with E coli J5 or with the H pleuropneumoniae bacterin lowered mortality, compared with mortality in the controls. Serum titers against E coli J5 increased after vaccination with the E coli J5 bacterin, but were not increased by vaccination with the H pleuropneumoniae. In contrast, serum titer to E coli J5 increased in all treatment groups as a result of H pleuropneumoniae infection or exposure. The protection against lethal H pleuropneumoniae infections in swine that was provided by vaccination with the E coli J5 and the H pleuropneumoniae bacterin appeared to be immunologically distinct on the basis of serologic analysis, indicating the possibility of different mechanisms of protection.     

Rabies Prevention and Management of Cats in the Context of Trap–Neuter–Vaccinate–Release Programmes

Domestic cats are an important part of many Americans' lives, but effective control of the 60–100 million feral cats living throughout the country remains problematic. Although trap–neuter–vaccinate–return (TNVR) programmes are growing in popularity as alternatives to euthanizing feral cats, their ability to adequately address disease threats and population growth within managed cat colonies is dubious. Rabies transmission via feral cats is a particular concern as demonstrated by the significant proportion of rabies post‐exposure prophylaxis associated with exposures involving cats. Moreover, TNVR has not been shown to reliably reduce feral cat colony populations because of low implementation rates, inconsistent maintenance and immigration of unsterilized cats into colonies. For these reasons, TNVR programmes are not effective methods for reducing public health concerns or for controlling feral cat populations. Instead, responsible pet ownership, universal rabies vaccination of pets and removal of strays remain integral components to control rabies and other diseases.