In vitro drug susceptibility pattern of Mycoplasma alligatoris isolated from symptomatic American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis).

A recently described mycoplasma, Mycoplasma alligatoris, was isolated from dead American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) that had demonstrated clinical signs of lethargy, anorexia, bilateral ocular discharge, edema. paraparesis, and polyarthritis. The in vitro minimum inhibitory concentration for nine antibacterial agents was determined through serial dilution in broth and plate culture for M. alligatoris isolates. The inhibitory concentration obtained for doxycycline, enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin, oxytetracycline, tilmicosin, and tylosin (< 1 microg/ml) was lower than that of clindamycin (1-8 microg/ml), chloramphenicol (8-16 microg/ml), and erythromycin (32-138 microg/ml).     

Evaluation of urine marking by cats as a model for understanding veterinary diagnostic and treatment approaches and client attitudes

OBJECTIVE: To obtain information regarding diagnostic and treatment approaches of veterinarians and attitudes and beliefs of clients about a common clinical problem, urine marking in cats. DESIGN: Cohort study. STUDY POPULATION: 70 veterinarians providing care for urine-marking cats and 500 owners of urine-marking cats. PROCEDURE: Veterinarians were interviewed via telephone regarding criteria for diagnosis of urine marking and recommended treatments. Cat owners who responded to recruitment efforts for a clinical trial for urine-marking cats were interviewed via telephone regarding whether and from what sources they sought help to resolve the marking problem. RESULTS: Almost a third of veterinarians did not seem to correctly distinguish between urine marking (spraying) and inappropriate urination. Those that did make this diagnostic distinction reported recommending environmental management and prescribing medication significantly more often that those that did not make this distinction. Seventy-four percent of cat owners sought help from their veterinarians for urine marking; other common sources of information were the Internet and friends. Among those who did not consult a veterinarian, the most frequently cited reason was that they did not think their veterinarian could help. Among cat owners who consulted their veterinarians, 8% reported receiving advice on environmental hygiene and 4% on environmental management (limiting intercat interactions), although veterinarians who correctly diagnosed urine marking reported giving such advice 100 and 83% of the time, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results may serve as a model for obtaining information critical to developing veterinary continuing education and public outreach programs for animal owners for various diseases.     

Inhibition of ecdysis in Oncopeltus fasciatus by 2-acetylpyridine thiosemicarbazones

[1-(2-Pyridinyl)ethylidene]hydrazide of 1-pyrrolidinecarbothioic acid (AI3-63967) and seven similar thiosemicarbazones applied topically to Oncopeltus fasciatus were toxic or prevented ecdysis in fifth instars without the appearance of supernumerary nymphs. Treatments with AI3-63967 did not affect weight gain of the nymphs but delayed by 2 days the rise in hemolymph ecdysteroids and reduced their maximal titer by ca. 40%. Restoration of the ecdysteroid titer by injections of makisterone A or 20-hydroxyecdysone did not prevent the molting aberrations. Treated fourth instars exhibited incomplete ecdysis followed by death and treated adults died within 9 days post-treatment. Apparently, this group of thiosemicarbazones acts by a mechanism different from that of juvenile hormone mimics or chitin synthesis inhibitors.     

The effect of route of administration on the anthelmintic efficacy of benzimidazole anthelmintics in sheep infected with strains of Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis resistant or susceptible to thiabendazole

Observations of erratic anthelmintic activity of fenbendazole against known standardised thiabendazole-resistant strains of Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis in sheep were investigated. Fenbendazole at a dose rate of 10 mg/kg body weight was administered by oral, intra-ruminal or intra-abomasal routes, and was most effective against both resistant strains following intra-ruminal administration. In addition thiabendazole, oxibendazole, fenbendazole, parbendazole and mebendazole plus two unrelated compounds, levamisole and morantel tartrate, were used at one and a half times their suggested or recommended therapeutic dose rate against thiabendazole-resistant strains of H contortus and T colubriformis in sheep; each drug being administered by the intra-ruminal or intra-abomasal routes. Fenbendazole was more effective against both strains following intra-ruminal administration. Parbendazole was more effective against the resistant strain of T colubriformis following intra-ruminal administration. At the dose rate chosen for the other benzimidazoles used against these resistant strains, there was no difference in anthelmintic efficacy due to route of administration. Levamisole was highly effective against both resistant strains, irrespective of the route of administration. In the groups treated with morantel tartrate, the results obtained were difficult to interpret due to mortalities and a highly variable response in the surviving sheep. Fenbendazole, thiabendazole and mebendazole when used at their suggested or recommended therapeutic dose rate in sheep, were highly effective against known thiabendazole-susceptible strains of H contortus and T colubriformis following both intra-ruminal or intra-abomasal administration.