Endometrial polyp in an African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)

An 8-year-old female African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) from a zoo in Gyeonggi province, Republic of Korea presented with a 3.0 x 2.0 x 2.5 cm in size, smooth-surfaced, solitary pedunculated mass protruding into the uterine lumen. Microscopically, the mass was covered with epithelium, contained endometrial gland tissue, and was dilated in the vascularised stroma. Within the mass, there was extensive diffuse haemorrhage with several blood vessels apparently plugged with fibrin. At the base of the mass, the spaces lined with epithelium near the attachment of the stalk were interpreted to be glandular structures. There were segments of cuboidal epithelium found on the surface of the mass, which was similar to the lining the uterus. A diagnosis of an endometrial polyp was made based on the gross and histology findings. This is the first case report of a spontaneous endometrial polyp in an African wild dog.     

Continuous monitoring of penicillin G and gentamicin in allantoic fluid of pregnant pony mares by in vivo microdialysis

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Most current treatments for placentitis in mares are empirical with few control studies to evaluate their effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: To monitor drug concentrations in allantoic fluid of pregnant pony mares using in vivo microdialysis and establish if this method would be useful for determining allantoic concentrations of drugs in normal mares and those with placentitis. METHODS: Five late gestational pony mares had microdialysis probes inserted into the allantoic fluid using transabdominal ultrasound-guided allantocentesis. Single injections of penicillin G (22,000 u/kg), gentamicin (6.6 mg/kg bwt) and flunixin meglumine (1 mg/kg bwt) were administered i.v. and dialysate samples collected continuously for 24 h. In a separate study, drug concentrations were monitored in allantoic fluid of 2 mares with experimental placentitis induced by intracervical inoculation with Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus. Drug concentrations were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (penicillin G, flunixin meglumine) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (gentamicin). RESULTS: Penicillin G and gentamicin achieved average peak concentrations of 9.8+/-2.2 and 8.5+/-3.1 microg/ml, respectively, in allantoic fluid of noninfected mares. Pharmacokinetic comparisons indicate that penicillin G persists much longer in allantoic fluid than blood, whereas gentamicin exhibited similar profiles in the 2 compartments. Flunixin meglumine was not detected in allantoic fluid. In infected mares, penicillin G achieved a similar peak concentration in allantoic fluid (11.2 microg/ml) whereas peak gentamicin concentration (3.9 microg/ml) appeared to be reduced relative to drug concentrations in noninfected mares. CONCLUSIONS: Microdialysis is a useful technique for continuous in vivo monitoring of drugs in equine allantoic fluid. Our results indicate that penicillin G and gentamicin undergo effective placental transfer in pregnant mares and in 2 mares that transplacental drug transfer may be altered selectively if active placental infection is present. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Further studies are needed to evaluate the feasibility of using increased dose intervals for penicillin G and an increased dose rate of gentamicin to effectively combat placental infections in mares.     

Assessing hygiene proficiency on organic and conventional pig farms regarding pork safety: A pilot study in Finland

A key element in the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will be a single farm payment system that is linked to compliance with rules on, for instance hygiene standards. However, there are no recommended methods for assessing the hygiene proficiency of pig production farms. The present study was undertaken to develop a method for this purpose. A first implementation was done on pilot scale; with a set of both conventional and organic pig farms (N = 15). Fifty hygiene-related factors were selected, especially with reference to the possible proliferation of enteric pathogens Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. The factors were allocated into 8 evaluation categories: (1) general production management, (2) animal density, (3) the outdoor area for pigs, (4) pest and pet animals, (5) general hygiene in the piggery, (6) pen hygiene, (7) feed production hygiene, and (8) feeding hygiene. A farm questionnaire and a supplementary on-site observation form were devised, and one arbitrary scale of hygiene points assigned for each factor. In addition to the mailed questionnaires, one person subsequently visited all the farms, perused the questionnaire with the owners and completed the observation form. The hygiene scores of the farms in each evaluation category were compared both without weighting and with weighting based on expert opinions. The method proved to be feasible and applicable to different types of production.     

Monthly variation of fertility and oestrus frequency in crossbred dual-purpose cows in three agroecological areas of the South American tropics

The aim of this study was to examine the monthly variation of the first service conception (FSC) and oestrus frequency (OF) from 8308 artificial inseminations (AI) of 2960 crossbred dual-purpose cows on three commercial farms with improved management located in the Maracaibo Lake Basin, Venezuela. The effects of month of the year, agroecological area (from dry tropical forest to sub-humid tropical forest on the three farms), predominant breed (BT, Bos taurus; BI, Bos indicus), and season (December–April}; May–August; and September–November) were considered. Data were analysed using logistic regression (FSC) and GLM (OF) from SAS. The mean FSC was 55.4% overall and 48.7%, 57.0% and 58.3% for farms A, B and C, respectively (p < 0.01). Within the three agroecological areas (farms A, B and C), the FSC was highest during the cooler and drier months of the year (season 1), while the lowest FSC was obtained during the months of highest rainfall and humidity (season 3) (53.3% vs 37.4%; 58.5% vs 49.0% and 63.0% vs 52.3% on farms A, B, C, respectively; p < 0.01). In the three studied farms, OF was higher during the first 4 months of the year; with a diminishing trend towards the end of the year (p % 0.05). In general, BI cows had a higher FSC than BT cows, especially during the second half of the year, when environmental conditions were characterized by higher rainfall and humidity with lower wind velocity (58.8%^a 55.5%^b and 46.4%^c in season 1, 2 and 3 respectively; ^{a, b, c} p < 0.01).     

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and Puma Lentivirus in Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi): Epidemiology and Diagnostic Issues

This study documents the seroprevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and puma lentivirus (PLV) in free-ranging and captive Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) (n = 51) and translocated Texas cougars (P. concolor stanleyana) (n = 10) from 1985 to 1998. The sera were tested for anti-FIV antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot tests. The ELISAs were read kinetically (KELA) and the sera were retrospectively examined by PLV peptide ELISA. Eleven panthers and one cougar were positive by KELA; 4 panthers and 4 cougars were equivocal; 35 panthers and 5 cougars were negative; and 1 panther had no data. Seven of the 11 KELA-positive panthers were also positive by Western blot tests and all but one were positive by PLV peptide ELISA. Ten KELA-negative and Western blot-negative cats, were positive by PLV peptide ELISA. KELA results varied within cats from one sample period to the next, but PLV peptide ELISA results were consistent. Territorial sympatry and mating behaviour, noted from radiotelemetry location data on the cats, may have contributed to viral transmission between seropositive animals. These findings suggest that Florida panthers and the introduced Texas cougars have been exposed to FIV and/or PLV.     

Development of diets for the intensive culture of Pacific lamprey

The Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus is an ancestral species of critical importance to the ecosystem and indigenous cultures in the Pacific Northwest. Conservation aquaculture has been proposed as a potential technique to restore Pacific lamprey populations. Intensive culture methods and diets for this species have not been developed. A sixteen week feeding trial tested the effects of seven diet treatments on the survival, growth, fatty acid profile and whole body lipid content of Pacific lamprey ammocoetes. Dietary treatments were: active dry yeast, yeast plus fish oil emulsion, micro‐algae, micro‐algae plus fish oil emulsion, yeast with micro‐algae, yeast with micro‐algae plus fish oil emulsion and yeast with larval fish diet. Each diet was offered to five replicate tanks stocked with 20 ammocoetes that were 51 days post hatch. Survival during the trial was not affected by diet. The greatest length and weight increases were in fish fed diets containing yeast. Growth decreased as the amount of algae in the diet was increased. Lipid retention was significantly higher in fish fed yeast with larval fish diet relative to the other treatments. Feed conversion ratio was lowest in fish fed diets containing yeast. Whole body fatty acid profiles tended to reflect the fatty acid profile of the diet. Percentages of 20:5n‐3 and 22:6n‐3 were significantly higher in fish fed diets containing fish oil emulsion. Overall, yeast with larval fish diet provided the best growth performance in larval Pacific lamprey.     

In vitro effect of levamisole on the cell viability,phagocytosis and respiratory burst of Barbel chub (Squaliobarbus curriculus) macrophages

The present study was to determine in vitro effect of levamisole on the immune functions of Barbel chub (Squaliobarbus curriculus), head–kidney‐derived (HKM), spleen‐derived (SM) and peripheral blood monocyte‐derived macrophage (PBM). Macrophages were incubated with levamisole 10³, 10¹, 10⁻¹ and 10⁻³ ng mL⁻¹ to assay the cell viability, respiratory burst and phagocytosis. The results showed that macrophages treated with levamisole 10⁻³ ng mL⁻¹ gave a maximum respiratory burst response, whereas levamisole 10³ ng mL⁻¹ had no effect. Phagocytosis activity of the macrophages treated with levamisole enhanced significantly when compared to control, maximum response being at 10⁻³ ng mL⁻¹. While using the methylthiazoletetrazolium method to measure the cell activity for 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 h, there was no significant role on proliferation and the cell viability began to decline after 24 h. In conclusion, levamisole is a potent enhancer of Barbel chub macrophage activity with low concentration.     

Somaclonal variation in Coffea arabica: effects of genotype and embryogenic cell suspension age on frequency and phenotype of variants

We determined how age of embryogenic cell suspensions affects somaclonal variation in five F1 hybrids of Coffea arabica L. Batches of plants were produced either directly from embryogenic callus, or after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of embryogenic cell suspension culture. Seven phenotypic variants were characterized. Based on vigor and productivity of the regenerated plants, we classified the variants in order of increasing severity of physiological disorders as: Juvenile leaf color, Giant, Dwarf, Thick leaf (Bullata), Variegata, Angustifolia, and Multi-stem. The Dwarf, Angustifolia and Multi-stem variants were the most frequent among the regenerated plants (1.4, 4.8 and 2.9%, respectively). The frequency (f) of variants increased exponentially with the age (t) of the embryogenic suspension, in accordance with the function f = 0.99e(0.267t). For all genotypes, somaclonal variation was low (1.3%) in plants produced from embryogenic callus or 3-month-old cell suspensions and increased in frequency with increasing suspension age (6, 10 and 25% in plants produced from cell suspensions aged 6, 9 and 12 months, respectively). Large differences in somaclonal variation among genotypes were found only in plants produced from 12-month-old cell suspensions. For two genotypes, the oldest suspensions produced a majority of somaclonal variants (80-90%), whereas somaclonal variation ranged between 8 and 18% in the other genotypes. Cell suspension age and genotype also affected the type of variant produced. The severity of somaclonal variations increased with cell suspension age. For all genotypes combined, the Angustifolia variant was the most common. The other somaclonal variations were specific to certain genotypes or distributed randomly among the genotypes.