Pathological findings in the bulbourethral glands of bulls

The bulbourethral glands of 323 Bos indicus or B. indicus crossbred bulls more than 1 1/2 years old were examined in an abattoir study. Bulbourethral adenitis was diagnosed grossly and confirmed by histological examination in 4 (1.2%). Unilateral chronic interstitial inflammation was seen in 2 cases; one of these was associated with a degenerative-type seminal vesiculitis. In the others adenitis was bilateral; in one case it was associated with a concretion and foreign (plant) material in the principal duct of the left bulbourethral gland; in the other bilateral case, numerous calculi were present and microscopically, a chronic active and diffuse inflammation was observed. Chemical analysis of the calculi showed calcium oxalate and tricalcium phosphate to be the most important components. Corynebacterium spp was isolated from the lesion with multiple calculi but attempts to isolate Chlamydia spp, Mycoplasma spp and Brucella abortus from the 4 adenitis cases were unsuccessful. Congenital abnormalities such as glandular fusion (2.2%) or unilateral aplasia (0.6%) were also observed. Cysts were the most common finding (19.2%), and duct dilation was frequent (7.1%). The significance of these findings in relation to fertility is considered.     

有机铬对舍饲阉牛生产性能和胴体品质的影响

舍饲牛的生长速度和饲料效率受采食量和能量利用效率的影响很大 ( NRC,1 996)。在调节人和实验动物的血糖和免疫反应方面。铬是起重要作用的微量元素 ( NRC,1 997)。有机铬能改善猪的繁殖、生长和胴体指标 ( Boleman等 ,1 995;L in-demann等 ,1 995;Komegay等 ,1 997;Mooney和Cromwell,1 997)。对牛补铬可加强细胞免疫 ,降低血液皮质醇水平 ,提高抗体的效价 ( Chang等 ,1 992 ;Kegley等 ,1 996;Mallard等 ,1 997)。 Moon-sie- Shageer等 ( 1 993)报道补充铬可减少受应激架子牛的发病率。但在肉牛日粮中添加铬对生产性能影响不一致。…     

Suspensory Apparatus Prosthesis in the Horse Part 1: In Vitro Mechanical Properties

Mechanical properties of equine suspensory apparatus preparations and three braided synthetic prostheses were evaluated in vitro. Force versus displacement plots and failure modes were recorded from single load-to-failure testing in 18 cadaver limbs before and after replacement of each suspensory apparatus with a prosthesis. Mean load at failure, energy to failure, and stiffness values of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) prostheses were lower than those of the suspensory apparatus and aramid prosthesis. The PTFE prosthesis failed by elongation or rupture of the prosthesis. Mechanical properties of the aramid prosthesis with collar augmentation were not significantly different from the suspensory apparatus. The main site of failure in both aramid prostheses was at the screw fixation to bone.     

Prevalence of the causes of fleece derangement among sheep flocks in New South Wales

SUMMARY An investigation of sheep flocks with unknown histories of fleece derangement, selected at random from the main sheep raising areas of New South Wales, showed that Psorergates ovis was present in 53 of the 177 flocks surveyed and In 162 of the 3495 sheep examined. Of the single causes of fleece derangement, the most prevalent was grass seed contamination (15.7%) followed by Infestation with sheep body lice, Bovicola ovis, (14.7%) and Infestation with Itch mite (7.8%). The prevalence of fleece derangement was significantly higher on sheep In which lice were the only ectoparasites found than on those In which Itch mites were the only ectoparasites present. The greatest prevalence of P ovis was In flocks In the Young, Yass, Mudgee and Tenterfield districts. In most affected flocks, more than one potential cause of fleece derangement was present. Itch mite Infestation was more prevalent in flocks that received no treatment for ectoparasites than in those that had been treated in the year preceding the survey. Our results did not support a commonly held belief among farmers that arsenical compounds control Infestations of Itch mites more effectively than other types of pesticides. There was no significant difference in prevalence of fleece derangement between flocks treated with different pesticide groups and those that received no treatment, but mean fleece derangement score was significantly lower in sheep treated with organophosphates than in untreated sheep. Infestations of lice were significantly more prevalent in sheep from flocks treated with synthetic pyrethroids than from those treated with organophosphates or those that received no treatment.     

The Development of Stain in Wounded Sitka Spruce Stems

In order to investigate the severity of staining in woundedSitka spruce stems, the vertical extent of two categories ofstain (based on colour and termed ‘light’ and ‘heavy’)was measured in stems at two sites in south Scotland. Data wereobtained from 98 wounds most of which were between 8 and 14years old and most of which had been caused by Red deer. Theupward extent of stain and its rate of upward spread were positivelycorrelated with wound surface area and length. Most stain wasof the light type which, although it was associated with nearlyall wounds, usually constituted an insignificant defect anddid not commonly extend for more than 1 m ahve wounds. Heavystain occurred above less than half of all wounds studied butwas common above wounds exceeding 300 cm² surface area. Forall wounds, the mean value for the upward extent of heavy stainwas 16.1 cm with a mean rate of spread of 1.9 cm y^–1.However, for wounds exceeding 300 cm² surface area, the valueswere 51.7 cm and 5.5 cm y^–1. These results suggest that,although there is an important effect of wound size on the typeand extent of stain, wounds of the type studied are unlikelyto lead to severe stain and decay in Sitka spruce over a periodof 8–14 years. The results are discussed in relation toother studies on wound staining in conifers.