Systemic blastomycosis in a horse.

Progressive multisystemic disease caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis was diagnosed in a 17-year-old Quarter horse broodmare. The mare had been treated unsuccessfully with antibiotics for mastitis 3 months postpartum. The disease progressed to exudative cutaneous lesions affecting the ventrum, pectoral region, and limbs accompanied by weight loss across several months. Yeast bodies were observed in swabs of the cutaneous exudate, suggesting a clinical diagnosis of blastomycosis. Following referral, pleural effusion, cavitated lung lesions, and hyperproteinemia were identified, and the mare was euthanized because of poor prognosis. Necropsy revealed extensive pyogranulomas in the mammary gland, skin, subcutaneous tissues, and lungs, accompanied by thrombi in major blood vessels of the lungs and hind limbs. Histologically, pyogranulomatous inflammation was evident in many tissues, and fungal organisms were seen in sections of mammary gland, skin, subcutis, pericardium, and lung. Blastomyces dermatitidis was cultured from mammary tissue, lungs, lymph node, and an inguinal abscess. Although blastomycosis is endemic in the area of origin of the mare in northwestern Wisconsin, the disease is extremely rare in horses and hence easily misdiagnosed. Unique features of this case included the extent of mammary gland involvement and the presence of thrombi in multiple sites.     

Development of an assay to determine single nucleotide polymorphisms in the prion gene for the genetic diagnosis of relative susceptibility to classical scrapie in sheep.

The objective of this study was to develop a reliable Taqman 5' Nuclease Assay for genotyping sheep for scrapie susceptibility. The sheep prion gene contains 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that may mediate resistance to classical scrapie, one at codon 136, alanine (A) or valine (V), and another at codon 171, arginine (R) or glutamine (Q). The R allele appears to confer resistance to classical scrapie, with the AA(136) RR(171) genotype the most resistant to scrapie and QR(171) only rarely infected in the US sheep population. The Assays by Design protocol was used for development of probes and primers for codon 136 and Primer Express for codon 171. Commercially available kits were used to isolate genomic DNA from blood or muscle. For validation, 70 SNP determinations for each codon were compared to commercial testing with an error rate of less than 1%. Then, 935 samples from blood (n = 818) and muscle (n = 117) were tested for both codons with 928 successful determinations and only 7 samples (<1% of total samples) that needed repeating. Genotypes were AA QQ (n = 102; 11.0%), AV QQ (n = 28; 3.0%), AA QR (n = 396; 42.7%), AV QR (n = 54; 5.8%), and AA RR (n = 348; 37.5%). Thus, 86% of the sheep tested (n = 798) contained R at codon 171 and were expected to be scrapie-resistant. This new Taqman 5' Nuclease SNP genotyping assay is accurate, easy to perform, and useful in the study of classical scrapie in sheep and its prevention through selective breeding programs to eliminate highly susceptible animals.     

Geospatial methods provide timely and comprehensive urban forest information

Urban forests are unique and highly valued resources. However, trees in urban forests are often under greater stress than those in rural or undeveloped areas due to soil compaction, restricted growing spaces, high temperatures, and exposure to air and water pollution. In addition, conditions change more quickly in urban as opposed to rural and undeveloped settings. Subsequently, proactive management of urban forests can be challenging and requires the availability of current and comprehensive information. Geospatial tools, such as, geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS) and remote sensing, work extremely well together for gathering, analyzing, and reporting information. Many urban forest management questions could be quickly and effectively addressed using geospatial methods and tools. The geospatial tools can provide timely and extensive spatial data from which urban forest attributes can be derived, such as land cover, forest structure, species composition and condition, heat island effects, and carbon storage. Emerging geospatial tools that could be adapted for urban forest applications include data fusion, virtual reality, three-dimensional visualization, Internet delivery, modeling, and emergency response.     

Factors Affecting the Release of Ascospores of Anisogramma anomala

ABSTRACT Relationships between environmental factors and release of ascospores of Anisogramma anomala, the causal agent of eastern filbert blight, were examined in four European hazelnut (Corylus avellana) orchards during a 2-year period. In each orchard, Burkhard volumetric spore traps and automated weather-monitoring equipment were deployed for 12-week periods beginning at budbreak, when hazelnut becomes susceptible to infection. Ascospores of A. anomala were released when stromata on the surface of hazelnut branches were wet from rain but not from dew. Release of ascospores ceased after branch surfaces dried. The duration of free moisture on branch surfaces regulated the initiation and rate of ascospore release, but no significant effects of temperature, relative humidity, wind, or light on ascospore release were apparent. Most (>90%) ascospores were captured during precipitation events that exceeded 20 h in duration, which represented about 10% of the total precipitation events each season. Quantitative relationships between the hourly capture of A. anomala ascospores and hours since the beginning of a precipitation event were developed. With the onset of precipitation, the hourly rate of ascospore capture increased until the fifth hour of rain, remained relatively constant between the fifth and twelfth hours, and then declined gradually. During the 12-week spore-trapping periods, the likelihood and rates of ascospore release associated with precipitation were highest at budbreak and then declined through April and May until early June, when the reserve of ascospores in the perithecia was depleted. Large numbers of ascospores were captured in the volumetric spore traps, indicating that ascospores may be commonly dispersed long distances on air currents as well as locally by splash dispersal within the canopy, as reported previously. The results indicate that monitoring seasonal precipitation patterns may be useful for estimating the quantity and temporal distribution of airborne inoculum during the period that the host is susceptible to infection.     

Chromosomal Location of Genes for Resistance to Puccinia striiformis in the Wheat Line TP1295 Selected from the Cross of Soissonais-Desprez with Lemhi

Crosses of a wheat line TP1295 with the cultivar Chinese Spring monosomic series were used to locate, on chromosome 1D, a major gene for resistance to isolate WYR 85-22 of race 6E0 of Puccinia striiformis. The gene is designated as Yr25 and is probably present in several of the cultivars currently widely used for differentiating races of this pathogen. The expression of the gene was modified by the environment and by at least one minor gene which may be located on chromosome 6A. In F2 and F3 generations from a cross between TP1295 and euploid Chinese Spring, a wide range of variation in infection type (IT) was observed. This precluded the classification of the plants as either resistant or susceptible, so they were assigned to 6 classes and analyzed by factorial correspondence analysis and non-hierarchical classification. When all F3 plants in a family were fully resistant, like TP1295 itself (IT ;), both Yr25 and the modifying gene were assumed to be present and homozygous. In environments favourable to expression of the gene, families thought to carry Yr25 alone had a distribution of ITs from fully resistant (IT ;) to intermediate (IT 2, rarely 3 or 3+). This F3 analysis indicated that use of IT data alone, in the monosomic analysis, would not reveal the chromosomal location of the genes and that chromosome counting of numerous plants was necessary. As well as indicating the chromosomes carrying the genes for resistance to isolate WYR 85-22, the data showed that plants monosomic for chromosomes 5B and 5D were more resistant than the corresponding disomics, indicating that these chromosomes promote susceptibility and supporting other evidence of the effects of these chromosomes on yellow rust resistance.     

A comparison of the clinical field efficacy and safety of florfenicol and tilmicosin for the treatment of undifferentiated bovine respiratory disease of cattle in western Canada.

We compared the field efficacy of a new antibiotic, florfenicol, with tilmicosin in the treatment of naturally occurring undifferentiated bovine respiratory disease. Beef calves with rectal temperatures greater than 40.5 degrees C and signs compatible with undifferentiated bovine respiratory disease were entered into the trial. Calves were randomly assigned to receive either florfenicol (20 mg/kg bodyweight intramuscularly; 2 injections 48 h apart) or tilmicosin (10 mg/kg bodyweight subcutaneously; 1 injection). Clinical measures of efficacy included mortality, rectal temperature, illness index score, assessment of treatment success or failure, and the number of relapses or reinfections. Performance was assessed based on weight gains from day 0 to day 90. Two hundred and twenty calves entered the trial; 112 received florfenicol and 108 received tilmicosin. Seventeen deaths occurred between day 0 and day 90, but only 10 during the 28-day trial period. Seven calves receiving tilmicosin died, compared with 3 receiving florfenicol (P = 0.20). Of the 220 initial treatments, 45 (20%) were categorized as treatment failures; 27 in the tilmicosin group and 18 in the florfenicol group (P = 0.10). The number of calves experiencing a 2nd relapse was significantly different, with 17 of 30 (57%) calves on tilmicosin compared with 7 of 26 (27%) calves on florfenicol relapsing at least twice (P = 0.02). Average daily gains over 90 days were 1.55 kg/day for florfenicol-treated calves and 1.51 kg/day for tilmicosin-treated calves. No significant adverse reactions were noticed with either drug. Results indicate that florfenicol and tilmicosin are comparable in the treatment of undifferentiated bovine respiratory disease in western Canada.     

Results of grid keratotomy, superficial keratectomy and debridement for the management of persistent corneal erosions in 92 dogs

Ninety-two cases of persistent corneal erosions in dogs were analyzed for breed, gender, age and which eye was affected. The results of the treatment of 92 persistent corneal erosions in dogs by superficial keratectomy (SK), grid keratotomy (GK), or debridement with a sterile dry cotton swab are presented. These techniques gave better rates of healing than have been previously reported. All cases of persistent corneal erosions healed in this study. However, it must be noted that three cases treated with debridement only failed to heal after several treatments and were eventually treated with SK. After one procedure 80 out of 92 (87%) had healed. After one procedure, 63% of cases treated with debridement healed, 100% of cases treated with SK healed, and 85% of cases treated with GK healed. At the first postoperative visit, 88% (21/24 cases) of ulcers treated by SK had healed, and 75% (39/52 cases) of ulcers treated by GK had healed. Only 25% of the persistent corneal erosions had healed at the first visit after debridement. All 24 cases of persistent corneal erosions treated with SK healed after one treatment in a mean +/- SD of 9.3 +/- 3.9 days (median of 7 days). Fifty-two cases were managed with GK; 44 (83%) of these healed with one procedure and eight cases required a second GK procedure to resolve. A mean +/- SD of 13.4 +/- 5.1 days (median of 11.5 days) following GK was required for the persistent corneal erosions to heal. Nineteen cases were initially managed by debridement with a dry cotton swab under local anesthesia. Sixteen out of these 19 debridement cases healed (giving an overall healing rate of 84%) in a mean +/- SD time of 23.4 +/- 11.1 days (median 21.5). There were three cases that did not heal with debridement. These cases were debrided at 10-20 day intervals for 30-60 days, and were then treated with SK. Two of these cases healed within 7 days, the other case required 18 days to heal. Sixty-three per cent of persistent corneal erosions treated with debridement healed after one procedure; however, only four out of 19 cases (21%) were healed at the first revisit. Complications were rare: corneal edema occurred in two cases following multiple GK, and excessive granulation tissue in one case was managed with a SK. There was the occurrence of an ulcer adjacent to the surgery site in four cases, two cases following GK and two cases following SK.     

Hemorrhage from the cosmetic otoplasty of Doberman Pinschers with von Willebrand's disease

The hemorrhagic tendencies of 23 Doberman Pinscher pups were observed during cosmetic otoplasty and were ranked by a +1 to +4 grading system (+1 = least hemorrhage, and +4 = most hemorrhage). A second estimate of the hemostatic competencies of these dogs was made by counting the gauze sponges used in the otoplasties. Factor VIII-related antigen concentrations and coagglutinin cofactor concentrations were measured in plasma samples from blood drawn not more than 30 hours before the surgical procedures were done. The factor VIII-related antigen concentrations were between 9% and 147% of the concentration in a normal plasma pool, and the coagglutinin cofactor concentrations were between 1% and 165%, indicating that some of these dogs had von Willebrand's disease. The hemorrhagic tendencies of 12 pups were graded +1. This group had a mean antigen concentration of 75% (min-max, 38% to 147%) and a mean coagglutinin cofactor concentration of 89% (min-max, 42% to 165%). These were significantly greater than the antigen and cofactor concentrations of the grades +2 (n = 5), +3 (n = 3), or +4 (n = 3) dogs. Significant differences were not found when antigen concentrations of the grade +2 dogs (mean, 16%; min-max, 11% to 22%), grade +3 dogs (mean, 13%; 12% to 16%), and grade +4 dogs (mean, 11%; 9% to 12%) were compared with each other, nor were significant differences seen among the coagglutinin cofactor concentrations of the grade +2 dogs (mean, 7%; min-max, 1% to 11%), grade +3 dogs (mean, 6%, 4% to 8%), and grade +4 dogs (mean, 5%; 2% to 9%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Possible immunoenhancement of persistent viremia by feline leukemia virus envelope glycoprotein vaccines in challenge-exposure situations where whole inactivated virus vaccines were protective

Kittens immunized with purified native FeLV-gp70 or -gp85 envelope proteins developed ELISA, but not virus neutralizing, antibodies in their serum to both whole FeLV and FeLV-gp70. Kittens vaccinated with envelope proteins and infected with feline sarcoma virus (FeSV) developed smaller tumors than nonvaccinates, but a greater incidence of persistent retroviremia. Similarly, FeLV-gp70 and -gp85 vaccinated kittens were more apt to become persistently retroviremic following virulent FeLV challenge exposure than nonvaccinates. Kittens vaccinated with inactivated whole FeLV developed smaller tumors after FeSV inoculation and had a lower incidence of persistent retroviremia than nonvaccinates. The protective effect of inactivated whole FeLV vaccine against persistent retroviremia was also seen with FeLV challenge-exposed cats. Protection afforded by inactivated whole FeLV vaccine was not associated with virus neutralizing antibodies, although ELISA antibodies to both whole FeLV and FeLV-gp70 were induced by vaccination.