Porcine encephalomyelitis caused by hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus.

Six epizootics of encephalomyeltis in suckling pigs in Minnesota were attributed to infection with hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus. The disease occurred in 74 litters of pigs and was characterized by sudden onset of tremors, inappetence, weakness, atazia, and hyperesthesia, with high morbidity and case fatality rate. Pathologic changes consisted of marked nonsuppurative, nondemyelinating encephalomyelitis characterized by perivascular mononuclear cuffing, gliosis, neuronal death, and satellitosis. Clinical disease was limited principally to suckling pigs during a single farrowing period and did not recur in the herds involved during the ensuing 18 months.     

Influence of organic carbon on reductive dechlorination of thiobencarb in California rice field soils

The herbicide thiobencarb is suspected of causing delayed phytotoxicity syndrome (DPS) in rice plants. While the ultimate agent appears to be its dechlorinated product (deschlorothiobencarb), the influence of organic carbon on the formation of deschlorothiobencarb in California rice field soils has not been investigated. Thus, two different soils were compared for their ability to reductively dechlorinate thiobencarb with carbon augmentation: one from the eastern Sacramento Valley, which has historically displayed DPS, and one from the western Sacramento Valley, which has not. Rice straw was homogenized into samples of each soil to produce 0, 0.33 or 2% organic carbon augmentation. During 90-days of anoxic incubation, substantial deschlorothiobencarb production was measured in both soil types. However, only the thiobencarb degradation rate in the eastern valley soil was positively correlated with carbon content. Thus, other characteristics of DPS-resistant soils may limit deschlorothiobencarb formation.     

Analysis of the outer membrane proteins of Bacteroides nodosus, the causal organism of ovine footrot

Examination by SDS-PAGE of lithium acetate extracts of several strains of depiliated Bacteroides nodosus revealed 6 major outer membrane proteins (including pilin). The 5 membrane proteins exhibited approximate molecular weights of 75000, 50000, 38000, 34500 and 26500 whereas pilin had a MW of 17500 for the majority of strains. All proteins were accessible to lactoperoxidase-catalysed iodination and proteins 1, 2 and 5 were shown to be glycoproteins. Several attempts to isolate individual OMC proteins in pure form by selective solubilization and gel filtration were unsuccessful, but electroelution of individual outer membrane complex proteins resolved by SDS-PAGE provided sufficient quantities of antigen for immunization of sheep and for immunochemical analysis.     

Transmission of hog hog cholera virus by mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes trapped during an epizootic of hog cholera (HC) in Maryland in 1969 were prepared into 40 pools which were inoculated in pigs. Hog cholera virus was confirmed in pigs inoculated with 8 of 40 pools of mosquitoes. Generally, the pigs contracting HC developed chronic infections with persistent viremia that lasted 30 or more days. Two pigs seemed healthy when euthatized 62 and 80 days after inoculation, yet viremia of high titer was detected in each. Experimental studies were performed with 2 laboratory strains of mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Culex tarsalis, to determine if biological and mechanical transmission occur. Biological transmission was not confirmed, but HC virus was retained in A aegypti for 3 days. Mechanical transmission was confirmed with A aegypti in 2 of 9 experiments.     

Diarrhoea in dairy calves reduced by feeding colostrum from cows vaccinated with rotavirus

Forty-two dairy calves remained with their dams for two days after birth, and then were removed to a calf rearing shed. Calves were allocated to three groups for the next 14 days, and received twice daily either whole milk, whole milk with a 10 per cent supplement of pooled normal bovine colostrum or whole milk with 10 per cent supplement of colostrum from cows vaccinated with rotavirus. A natural outbreak of diarrhoea occurred, affecting 28 of the 42 calves. Feeding immune colostrum delayed the onset of diarrhoea, and reduced its incidence, duration and severity. Live weight gains were consequently improved. The group fed normal colostrum had diarrhoea intermediate in severity between that of control calves and those fed immune colostrum. The aetiology of the diarrhoea was complex, with calves excreting rotavirus, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and cryptosporidia.     

Medical management of spinal cord disease

In spinal cord disease of horses, a complete history, neurologic examination, and adjunctive diagnostic procedures are very helpful in establishing a tentative diagnosis; however, a definitive diagnosis may be difficult or impossible to establish antemortem. Medical management should be initiated with full consideration of possible etiologies and knowledge of the effects and consequences of medical therapies. This article discusses the drugs commonly used in the management of spinal cord disease and the rationale for their use.