Anthelmintic efficacy of ivermectin in naturally parasitized cats

Ivermectin was administered per os [( PO]; n = 15) or subcutaneously [( SC]; n = 3) to naturally parasitized cats at 10 (n = 6), 100 (n = 6), or 300 (n = 6) micrograms/kg of body weight. Nontreated control cats were given sterile isotonic saline solution PO (n = 5) or SC (n = 1). Qualitative fecal examinations were performed on each cat 1 day before treatment and 14 days after treatment. Cats were euthanatized 14 days after treatment, at which time parasites from the gastrointestinal tracts were recovered, identified, and enumerated. Lungs and urinary bladders were examined histologically or by digestion (lungs only) for Capillaria spp and/or Aelurostrongylus abstrusus. Ivermectin was effective in removing Ancylostoma spp at all doses, but removal of Toxocara cati required 300 micrograms of ivermectin/kg. Efficacies against A abstrusus, Capillaria spp, and Physaloptera spp could not be determined definitively. Ivermectin had no effect on Dipylidium caninum, Hydatigera taeniaeformis, Spirometra mansonoides, or Isospora spp. Adverse reactions were not observed in cats given ivermectin PO; however, 3 cats given ivermectin SC reacted as though they experienced pain at the injection site.     

Anatrichosoma sp infection in a dog

Embryonated, double-operculated eggs were observed during routine examination of a fecal specimen from a 5-month-old dog. Similar eggs were found on a skin scraping of a raised, flaking, erythematous nodule on the dorsal midline in the lumbar region. Eggs were identified as being similar to those of Anatrichosoma spp. After surgical excision, histologic examination of the nodule revealed nematodes with morphologic features consistent with those of Anatrichosoma spp.     

Controlled dosage titration of febantel paste in naturally parasitized cattle

A controlled anthelmintic trial was conducted to determine the efficacy of febantel paste (45.5%) at dosages of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 mg/kg in calves harboring natural gastrointestinal nematode infections. Dosages of 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 mg of febantel/kg of body weight were greater than 96% effective in removing adults of Haemonchus contortus, Ostertagia spp, Cooperia spp, and Oesophagostomum radiatum. The 2.5 mg/kg dosage was considered suboptimal because of low efficacy against Ostertagia and Cooperia spp. Efficacies against Trichostronglylus axei, Trichuris spp, Bunostomum phlebotomum, and Stronglyloides papillosus were difficult to determine because fewer numbers of these nematodes were recovered. Efficacies of febantel paste against immature bovine parasites ranged from 83.62% to 97.72%.     

Enceladus' water vapor plume

The Cassini spacecraft flew close to Saturn's small moon Enceladus three times in 2005. Cassini's UltraViolet Imaging Spectrograph observed stellar occultations on two flybys and confirmed the existence, composition, and regionally confined nature of a water vapor plume in the south polar region of Enceladus. This plume provides an adequate amount of water to resupply losses from Saturn's E ring and to be the dominant source of the neutral OH and atomic oxygen that fill the Saturnian system.     

Compositional and sensory comparisons between normal- and high-oleic peanuts

The high-oleic-acid trait improves the oxidative stability of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) and their products. The explicit effect of the trait on sensory quality, particularly on off-flavors associated with oil rancidity, has not been well documented. To assess the effect of the trait on off-flavors, data from two independent databases were analyzed to compare sensory quality and composition in normal- versus high-oleic peanut genotypes. In data collected using a sensory panel in the Department of Food Science at North Carolina State University, there were small differences between near-isogenic lines for intensities of the roasted peanut, astringent, over-roast, and nutty attributes, with the high-oleic lines exhibiting slightly greater intensities of those attributes. There were no differences for off-flavors such as fruity, painty, stale, moldy, or petroleum. In data collected from the multistate Uniform Peanut Performance Test and evaluated by a panel in the USDA-ARS Market Quality and Handling Research Unit (MQHRU) at Raleigh, NC, there were differences in chemical composition associated with the high-oleic trait, including differences in oil content, tocopherols, and carbohydrates in addition to the expected differences in fatty acid contents. There were small decreases in the intensities of the sensory attributes cardboard and painty associated with the high-oleic trait in the MQHRU data when all high-oleic lines were compared with all normal-oleic lines. Comparison of the near-isogenic pair NC 7 and N00090ol showed differences in oil and glucose contents, but not in sensory attributes. The high-oleic trait does not appear to have a major impact on sensory quality on average, although there were individual instances in which the trait was associated with shifts in sensory attribute intensities that may be perceptible to consumers.     

Different behavioral patterns of the earthworms Octolasion tyrtaeum and Diplocardia spp. in tallgrass prairie soils: potential influences on plant growth

This study addressed differences between Diplocardia spp. (a native North American earthworm) and Octolasion tyrtaeum (an introduced European species), with respect to behavior, influence on soil microbial biomass, and plant uptake of N in tallgrass prairie soils. We manipulated earthworms in PVC-encased soil cores (20 cm diameter) over a 45-day period under field conditions. Treatments included: (1) control with no earthworms, (2) Diplocardia spp. only, and (3) O. tyrtaeum only. Prior to addition of earthworms, seedlings of Andropogon gerardii (a dominant tallgrass) were established in each core, and a dilute solution of ¹³C-labeled glucose and ¹⁵N-labeled (NH₄)₂SO₄ was added to the soil to facilitate examination of earthworm/microbe/plant interactions. We found that Diplocardia spp. were significantly more active than O. tyrtaeum, and quickly assimilated ¹³C and ¹⁵N from the tracer. Individuals of Diplocardia spp. were present at shallower soil depths than O. tyrtaeum throughout the study. Contrary to expectation, this greater activity of Diplocardia spp. did not result in increased plant productivity. Rather, the activity of Diplocardia spp. was associated with less plant growth and smaller amounts of N acquired by A. gerardii seedlings compared to controls or O. tyrtaeum treatments. We observed few significant influences of earthworm treatments on microbial biomass C or N pool sizes, but the microbial C/N ratio was consistently greater in the presence of Diplocardia spp. relative to O. tyrtaeum. Results of this study indicate that activity of earthworms may enhance competition for N between microbes and plants during the growing season in tallgrass prairie.     

Ultraviolet imaging spectroscopy shows an active saturnian system

Neutral oxygen in the saturnian system shows variability, and the total number of oxygen atoms peaks at 4 x 10(34). Saturn's aurora brightens in response to solar-wind forcing, and the auroral spectrum resembles Jupiter's. Phoebe's surface shows variable water-ice content, and the data indicate it originated in the outer solar system. Saturn's rings also show variable water abundance, with the purest ice in the outermost A ring. This radial variation is consistent with initially pure water ice bombarded by meteors, but smaller radial structures may indicate collisional transport and recent renewal events in the past 10(7) to 10(8) years.