In vitro predatory activity of nematophagous fungi <Emphasis Type="Italic">Duddingtonia flagrans</Emphasis> on infective larvae of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oesophagostomum</Emphasis> spp. after passing through gastrointestinal tract of pigs

One isolate of predator fungi Duddingtonia flagrans (AC001) was assessed in vitro regarding the capacity of supporting the passage through pigs' gastrointestinal tract without loss of the ability of preying infective larvae Oesophagostomum spp. Fungal isolates survived the passage and were efficient in preying L₃ since the first 8 h of collection (p < 0.01) in relation to the control group (without fungus). Compared with control, there was a significant decrease (p < 0.01) of 59.6% (8 h), 71.7% (12 h), 76.8% (24 h), 81.0% (36 h), 78.0% (48 h), 76.1% (72 h), and 82.7% (96 h) in means of infective larvae Oesophagostomum spp. recovered from treatments with isolate AC001. Linear regression coefficients of L₃ of recovered Oesophagostomum spp. regarding the collections due to time were −0.621 for control, −1.40 for AC001, and −2.64 for NF34. Fungi D. flagrans (AC001) had demonstrated to be promising for use in the biological control of pig parasite Oesophagostomum spp.     

Does Rhipicephalus microplus tick infestation increase the risk for myiasis caused by Cochliomyia hominivorax in cattle?

The larval phase of Cochliomyia hominivorax (screwworm) is an obligate parasite of vertebrate animals, particularly mammals, and widespread in South America, where it remains one of the most important parasitic diseases of domestic animals. The skin of cattle highly infested by ticks, with cutaneous lesions, exudation of tissue fluid and blood scent seems to produce the ideal environment for fly attraction. However, an association between these parasites was never investigated. The aim of this work was to verify if there is an association between Rhipicephalus microplus tick load and the occurrence of C. hominivorax myiasis in cattle, and to quantify the risk. Sixty bovine (Bos taurus taurus, Angus breed) under field conditions were observed for 24 weeks, during which weekly tick counts and examination for the presence of myiasis were performed. There was a significant association between a high tick burden (24-week mean above 50 ticks per animal) and myiasis occurrence (P = 0.0102). The calculated relative risk (RR) for C. hominivorax myiasis occurrence in cattle with high tick burden was 3.85 (CI95% = 1.23–12.13); indicating that cattle highly parasitized by R. microplus have about four times more risk of myiasis than those with a low parasite load. As far as we aware, this is the first statistically based evidence of the relationship between R. microplus parasitic load and occurrence of myiasis by C. hominivorax. This result could be useful for the design of integrated control strategies for these parasites and to provide more information for the understanding of cattle tick parasitism in cattle production.     

Determination of creatinine excretion and evaluation of spot urine sampling in Holstein cattle

Four experiments were carried out to determine urinary creatinine excretion in Holstein growing bulls, lactating cows, and replacement heifers. In addition, we evaluated the use of spot sampling technique to estimate purine derivatives (PD) excretion. In Experiment I, 15 lactating cows were used in a randomized block design to compare creatinine excretion obtained in different time-spans of urine collection (during 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 h). In Experiment II, four bulls were allocated in a 4 × 4 Latin square to evaluate the effect of diet (levels of cottonseed hulls of 0, 10, 20, and 30% of the DM) on excretion of creatinine. In Experiment III, 15 lactating cows were used to evaluate the effect of milk production (ranging from 3.9 to 36.7 kg/d) on daily creatinine and PD excretions. In Experiment IV, 22 replacement heifers were utilized to evaluate the effect of body weight (BW, ranging from 107 to 545 kg) on daily creatinine and PD excretions. For all experiments, total urine collections were made over 24 h and daily creatinine and PD excretions were determined. Different time-spans for total urine collection had no effect (P = 0.70) on creatinine excretion compared to the 24-h collection period, indicating a constant excretion rate of creatinine. The roughage source did not influence (P = 0.64) creatinine excretion by bulls, averaging 0.248 ± 0.008 mmol/kg BW. Similarly, milk production did not affect (P = 0.82) creatinine excretion in cows, averaging 0.212 ± 0.004 mmol/kg BW. In contrast, the creatinine excretion (mmol/kg BW) decreased linearly (P < 0.001) as BW of heifers increased, suggesting that creatinine excretion might vary with the degree of maturity of growing animals. There were no differences (P > 0.14) between the 24-h total collection and spot sampling technique in estimating daily PD excretion. The spot sampling technique may be used to estimate the daily excretion of urinary PD in Holstein cattle under practical conditions.     

Agreement between noninvasive oscillometric and invasive blood pressure measurements in isoflurane-anesthetized guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus)

ObjectiveTo assess the agreement between an oscillometric device and invasive blood pressure (IBP) measurements in anesthetized healthy adult guinea pigs.Study designProspective experimental study.AnimalsA total of eight adult Hartley guinea pigs.MethodsAll animals were anesthetized; a carotid artery was surgically exposed and catheterized for IBP measurements. A size 1 cuff placed on the right thoracic limb was connected to an oscillometric device for noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) assessment. Concurrent pairs of systolic (SAP), diastolic (DAP) and mean (MAP) arterial pressures were recorded simultaneously with both methods every 3 minutes for 30 minutes. Agreement between IBP and NIBP measurements was determined using the Bland–Altman method, considering the recommended standards for the validation of NIBP measurement devices proposed by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM).ResultsThe bias and the 95% limits of agreement were: –14 (–31 to 3) mmHg, –2 (–14 to 10) mmHg and –1 (–13 to 11) mmHg for SAP, DAP and MAP, respectively.Conclusions and clinical relevanceThe oscillometric device used in this study to measure NIBP did not meet ACVIM criteria for validation. It showed good agreement for DAP and MAP but not for SAP measurements. Considering the small size of these animals and the resulting difficulty in performing percutaneous arterial catheterization, this device might be a useful tool to assess MAP and DAP during anesthetic procedures in adult guinea pigs.     

Epidemiology, clinical signs, histopathology and molecular characterization of canine leproid granuloma: a retrospective study of cases from Brazil

Thirty-eight cases of canine leproid granuloma were diagnosed between 2000 and 2008. Diagnosis was based upon clinical and histopathological findings and the presence of acid-fast bacilli in skin sections. The clinical lesions were localized predominantly on the pinnae and included papules, plaques and nodules, with or without ulceration. Boxer dogs were the breed most affected. Histopathological findings included nodular to diffuse pyogranulomatous, lymphoplasmocytic inflammatory infiltrates, with or without necrosis, localized in the dermis or subcutaneous tissue. The bacillary loading and morphology were variable among the lesions analysed. There was no significant correlation between bacterial load and histopathological pattern, dominant type of inflammatory infiltration or the amount of necrosis or giant cells. No correlation was observed between giant cells and histopathological pattern. In the majority of cases where a PCR-based assay was done, a novel mycobacterium species as the main aetiological agent was identified, as reported in previous studies.     

Evaluation of colostral immunity in swine with commercial anti-leptospira polyvalent whole-bacteria vaccine

The intensity and duration of passive immunity against swine leptospirosis were investigated by the microscopic agglutination test and in vitro leptospira growth inhibition. Twenty-one females at first parturition were divided into three groups: Group A (n=08): received two doses with 30 days interval of the commercial anti-leptospira bacterin A. Group B (n=06) received two doses with 30 days interval of the commercial anti-leptospira bacterin B and Group C (n=07) was the control. In all groups the colostrums were collected. Blood collection of piglets was performed in four different ages. Agglutinin antibodies were equally detected in sera and colostrums for serovars Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Copenhageni, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Pomona (Group A) and Canicola, Copenhageni, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona and Hardjo (Group B). Mean neutralizing antibodies titers were low. Passive immunity was low duration.