USE OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF A CEREBRAL ABSCESS IN A GOAT

A 7-month-old La Mancha doe was presented with a right head tilt and ventral strabismus while circling to the left. History and physical examination led to a tentative diagnosis of a cerebral abscess. Computed tomography revealed a large, complex mass with ring enhancement in the left cerebral hemisphere, supporting the diagnosis. Postmortem examination confirmed the cerebral abscess. Bacterial cultures yielded heavy growth of Actinomyces pyogenes.     

Improvement of zein dough characteristics using dilute organic acids

The replacement of gluten in dough products poses a major challenge. Preparing zein doughs in dilute acetic acid and lactic acid, such as produced during sourdough fermentation, was investigated. Increasing acid concentrations (0.7, 1.3 and 5.4% [v/v]) increased zein extensibility and reduced the stress and related parameters. Preparation of zein-maize starch/-rice doughs in dilute organic acids improved dough properties to the extent that the doughs could hold air and be inflated into a bubble by Alveography. Further, they exhibited similar Stability (P), Distensibility and deformation energy (W) to wheat flour dough. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed an ordered linear fibril network in zein and zein-rice flour doughs prepared in the dilute acids, which became uniform with increasing acid concentration. SDS-PAGE showed that the acids did not hydrolyse or polymerise the zein. FTIR indicated that the acidic conditions slightly increased the proportion of α-helical conformation in the zein doughs, possibly as a result of deamination. This conformational change may be responsible for the considerably improved zein dough properties. Zein doughs prepared in dilute organic acids show potential as a gluten replacement in gluten-free formulations.     

Warm weather transport of broiler chickens in Manitoba. I. Farm management factors associated with death loss in transit to slaughter

This observational study was conducted to identify flock of origin level factors associated with mortality during transport to slaughter of 1 090 733 Manitoba broiler chickens in spring and early summer. The death loss in transit was 0.346% (3778 birds). Death loss on the farm of origin during the growing phase of production and bird body weight at slaughter were associated with increased mortality in-transit. Death loss during production significantly exceeded, while crowding of growing birds was significantly less than, European proposed animal welfare standards.     

Postweaning mortality in Manitoba swine

A case-control study to investigate the contribution of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) and Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) to deaths among piglets of nursery age (19 to 68 d) in Manitoba indicated a significant positive association between PCV-2 infection and an increased mortality rate in nursery pigs. The clinical syndrome PMWS was seldom recognized in case or control herds; however, PCV-2 infection was widespread at the herd level. Other factors more strongly associated with increased piglet mortality rate than herd level PCV-2 infection were Mycoplasma hyopneumonia infection, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), and diarrhea caused by Eschericia coli K88. Management factors associated with case herd status included close proximity to other herds, larger number of sows supplying pigs to the nursery, larger range in age and weight going into the nursery, the moving of lightweight pigs into another nursery room at the end of the nursery fill, and not using spray-dried plasma in the 1st nursery ration. These results highlight the host-agent-environment triad leading to high nursery-barn mortality rates.     

Time to critical overcrowding of Manitoba swine barns in the event of restriction on animal movement

Canada maintains a stamping-out policy for control of foreign animal disease. Integral to stamping out, there are obligatory animal movement restrictions that, over time, can result in severe animal welfare problems. The purpose of this study was to estimate the time to critical overcrowding in a sample of Manitoba swine farms, if they were placed under movement restriction. Time to critical overcrowding in both static and dynamic populations was estimated by modeling swine growth and projecting anticipated on-farm stocking density through time and comparing it with a standard maximal stocking density. The time to critical overcrowding of 15 isowean piglet production units was 0.66 +/- 0.88 weeks. On average, 7 isolated nursery facilities reached critical overcrowding in 52 +/- 14 days and 5 farrow-to-finish operations reached critical overcrowding in 43 +/- 18 days. Animal welfare concerns should be included in contingency plans to control foreign animal disease.     

Protection, systemic IFNgamma, and antibody responses induced by an ISCOM-based vaccine against a recent equine influenza virus in its natural host

In the horse, conventional inactivated or subunit vaccines against equine influenza virus (EIV) induce a short-lived antibody-based immunity to infection. Alternative strategies of vaccination have been subsequently developed to mimic the long-term protection induced by natural infection with the virus. One of these approaches is the use of immune-stimulating complex (ISCOM)-based vaccines. ISCOM vaccines induce a strong antibody response and protection against influenza in horses, humans, and a mouse model. Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) has been demonstrated in humans and mice after ISCOM vaccination, but rarely investigated in the horse. The aim of this study was to evaluate EIV-specific immune responses after intra-muscular vaccination with an ISCOM-EIV vaccine (EQUIP F) containing both equine influenza H7N7 (A/eq/Newmarket/77) and H3N8 (A/eq/Borl?nge/91 and A/eq/Kentucky/98) strains. The antibody response was measured by single radial haemolysis (SRH) assay using different H3N8 EIV strains. Stimulation of type-1 immunity was evaluated with a recently developed method that measures EIV-specific IFNgamma synthesis by peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). The protective efficacy of this ISCOM-based vaccine against challenge infection with a recent equine influenza (H3N8; A/eq/South Africa/4/03) strain was also evaluated. Vaccinated ponies developed elevated levels of EIV-specific SRH antibody and increased percentage of EIV-specific IFNgamma(+) PBL, whereas these responses were only detected after challenge infection in unvaccinated control ponies. Vaccinates showed minimal signs of disease and did not shed virus when challenged shortly after the second immunisation. In conclusion, evidence of type-1 immunity induced by an ISCOM-based vaccine is described for the first time in horses.     

Minimum space allowance for transportation of swine by road

Space allowance for animals in transit is a consistent concern in many countries that are developing codes of practice and regulations to assure humane treatment of food producing animals. The minimum space allowance requirements for a broad size range of swine in transit has not been well described or scientifically substantiated. A maximal loading pressure recommendation for pigs weighing from 5 to 250 kg was derived by a consultative process involving the swine transportation industry, animal welfare groups, and a literature review. The recommended maximal loading pressure under ideal conditions for swine loaded in groups can be described as a hoerl model y = (37.53)(0.9969)w(W0.5008), where y = loading pressure in kg body weight/m2 and W = average animal body weight in kilograms.     

The effect of a porcine-derived small intestinal submucosa product on wounds with exposed bone in dogs

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of a porcine-derived small intestinal submucosa product (PSIS) on healing time, epithelialization, angiogenesis, contraction, and inflammation of wounds with exposed bone on the distal aspect of the limbs of dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, controlled, experimental study. ANIMAL POPULATION: 10 young adult, purpose-bred, male Beagles. METHODS: Small wounds with exposed bone were created on the lateral aspect of metatarsal V and the medial aspect of metatarsal II on both hindlimbs. Three sheets of PSIS were sutured into the wounds of the treated limb, and the other limb served as a control. On day 10, punch biopsies of the medial metatarsal wounds were collected and were evaluated microscopically after routine hematoxylin and eosin and phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin (PTAH) staining. The lateral metatarsal wounds were evaluated by planimetry and laser Doppler perfusion imaging on days 7, 14, and 21. Time until complete wound healing was also recorded. The level of significance was set at P < or =.05 for all statistical analyses. RESULTS: Laser Doppler perfusion measurements were significantly higher in control wounds on day 7, but no differences were noted on days 14 and 21. No significant differences in planimetric values, histopathologic appearance, or time until complete wound healing were noted among treated and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: No objective differences in healing were noted between control wounds and wounds treated with PSIS. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There appears to be no contraindication to the use of PSIS on clean wounds with exposed bone on the distal limbs of dogs. However, our objective data provides no evidence that this product affects epithelialization, contraction, or time to complete healing in wounds with exposed bone.