Evaluation of the white-coat effect in cats

The diagnosis and management of systemic hypertension in cats requires a reliable method for measurement of systemic arterial blood pressure (BP) in clinical patients. Unfortunately, the setting of a clinical practice and the act of measuring BP might raise BP and heart rate (HR), an effect referred to as the white-coat effect in human patients. The purpose of the present study was to determine if a white-coat effect was experienced by cats. Radiotelemetric implants were used to measure BP and HR in 13 conscious cats in a research colony while undisturbed in their cages and while subjected to simulated visits to a veterinarian's office. The white-coat effect was taken to be the difference between the overall 24-hour average value for parameters of BP and HR and the corresponding value during the simulated office visit. A white-coat effect was observed in cats. In healthy cats, the systolic BP measured during the examination period of the simulated office visit exceeded the 24-hour average systolic BP by 17.6+/-1.5 mm Hg. However, marked heterogeneity occurred in the pattern and magnitude of the increase in systolic BP above the 24-hour baseline and the increase varied between 75.3 and -27.2 mm Hg for the healthy cats. Variation in response to the simulated office visit was observed among cats and among visits by the same cat. During an office visit, the magnitude of the white-coat effect tended to decrease, but not disappear, over time. The magnitude of the white-coat effect varied when cats were subjected to 5 repeat office visits, but did not diminish in the group as a whole. The mean increase in systolic BP during the examination (22.3+/-0.9 mm Hg) was greater (P < .05) in cats with renal insufficiency. Although the heterogeneity of response expected from companion animals might be greater than that observed in these colony cats, these results indicate that veterinarians should carefully consider the white-coat effect in evaluation of BP in cats. A quiet, undisturbed environment and adequate time for acclimation should be included in the standard protocol for measurements of BP. Because of day-to-day variation in the white-coat effect in individual cats, multiple serial measurements following a standard protocol should provide the best estimate of BP in cats.     

Freezing of stallion semen with addition of glycine betaine

The effect of addition of glycine betaine to a lactose-EDTA freezing medium on the post-thaw motility of stallion semen was determined. The first three semen-rich fractions of nine stallions were collected with an open-end Krakow artificial vagina on consecutive weekdays. Semen was frozen using the Hannover method with freezing media containing glycine betaine in various concentrations from 0 to 5%. After thawing, sperm motility was analysed both by a light microscope and by a Hamilton-Thorn Motility Analyser. Total and progressive post-thaw motilities of semen containing 0.25-3% glycine betaine did not differ significantly from the total and progressive post-thaw motilities of semen frozen without glycine betaine. The total and progressive post-thaw motilities of semen containing 4 or 5% glycine betaine were significantly lower (P < 0.001) than those of semen without glycine betaine. In conclusion, glycine betaine did not show any beneficial effect on the post-thaw motility of stallion semen when semen was frozen using the Hannover method.     

A dermoid of the eye in a blue-fronted Amazon parrot (Amazona aestiva)

A corneo-conjunctival dermoid is reported in a blue-fronted Amazon parrot ( Amazona aestiva ). After laminar keratectomy, histology showed the epidermis with feather follicles and dermal connective tissue with lymph follicles and sebaceous glands.     

Rapid Detection of the Fusarium oxysporum Lineage Containing the Canary Island Date Palm Wilt Pathogen

ABSTRACT Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. canariensis causes Fusarium wilt disease on the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis). To facilitate disease management, a polymerase chain reaction diagnostic method has been developed to rapidly detect the pathogen. A partial genomic library of F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis isolate 95-913 was used to identify a DNA sequence diagnostic for a lineage containing all tested isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis. Two oligonucleotide primers were designed and used to amplify a 567-bp fragment with F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis DNAs. DNA from 61 outgroup isolates did not amplify using these primers. Once the primers were shown to amplify a 0.567-kb fragment from DNA of all the F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis isolates tested, a rapid DNA extraction procedure was developed that led to the correct identification of 98% of the tested F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis isolates.     

Influence of stem diameter, water content, and freezing-thawing on bacterial canker development in excised stems of dormant stone fruit

ABSTRACT In excised dormant stems of peach (Prunus persica), prune (Prunus domestica), and almond (Prunus dulcis), stem diameter, stem hydration, and freezing-thawing influenced the extent of infection caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. Bacterial lesion length increased with increasing stem diameter, demonstrating the need to account for the effects of stem diameter when lesion length data are analyzed. Lesion length increased or decreased with stem hydration or dehydration, respectively. However, tissue water content was not a good indicator of tissue susceptibility to infection by P. syringae pv. syringae, as larger diameter stems had larger lesions and lower water content than did smaller diameter stems. After freezing at -5 degrees C for 12 to 24 h, inoculations made during the thawing process produced significantly larger lesions than did inoculations performed before freezing or after thawing. These results support the hypothesis that the increased susceptibility to bacterial canker that is associated with noninjurious freezing is a result of the increased passive spread of bacteria through water redistribution when inoculation is performed during the thawing process. Plant tissue water relationship characteristics that can influence water movement during freezing and thawing may be an important component of bacterial canker development in stone fruit trees.     

A Generalized Two-Dimensional Gaussian Model of Disease Foci of Head Blight of Wheat Caused by Gibberella zeae

ABSTRACT A generalized two-dimensional Gaussian model is proposed to describe disease foci of head blight of wheat in plots (100 to 2,500 m(2)) originating from small areas (1 to 16 m(2)) inoculated with Gibberella zeae-colonized corn kernels. These anisotropic, asymmetrical foci arose from ascospores produced in perithecia. The model is Z = exp[-(AX(2) + BY(2) + CXY + DX + EY + F)], in which Z = the incidence of seed or spikelet infection at point (X,Y) located in the plot, exp = the exponential function, X = the abscissa or spatial coordinate of the point along a given axis (approximately parallel to the average wind vector during the period of spore release in these experiments), Y = the ordinate or spatial coordinate of the point along the axis perpendicular to the X axis (approximately perpendicular to the wind direction in these experiments), A and B = the quadratic coefficients of the second-order polynomial AX(2) + BY(2) + CXY + DX + EY + F, C = the bilinear coefficient, D and E = the linear coefficients, and exp(-F) = the incidence of seed or spikelet infection at the focus peak in which X = 0 and Y = 0. The generalized two-dimensional Gaussian model was tested on data from a circular or isotropic focus, an elliptical or anisotropic focus with two axes of symmetry, and two anisotropic foci with one and zero axis of symmetry. Its goodness-of-fit (r(2) and adjusted r(2)) was compared with the inverse power, modified inverse power, exponential, and classical Gaussian models. Submodels using only the linear terms, only the quadratic terms, or combinations selected from stepwise regression procedures using various probabilities to enter and to stay and a procedure maximizing the adjusted r (2) were also considered. Spatial analysis of the residuals was performed using Geary's c coefficient at the first distance class. For the circular and elliptical foci, our model provided a fit similar to the modified inverse power and exponential models. However, for anisotropic foci with one or zero axis of symmetry arising from ascospores influenced by wind direction, the generalized two-dimensional Gaussian model provided a better fit. For these anisotropic foci, the linear term X but not the quadratic term X(2) was generally retained in the model, indicating an exponential gradient in the direction parallel to the wind. In all models, the quadratic term Y(2) was retained, along with Y in some cases, indicating that the gradient in the direction roughly perpendicular to the wind was Gaussian or Gaussian-exponential in shape. The bilinear term XY provided an indication of the orientation of the focus in relation to the axes of the sampling grid. This model has the versatility and parameters (quadratic, bilinear, and linear) to better describe the anisotropy of foci from wind-dispersed spores.     

Comparative pathology and pathogenesis of spontaneous and experimentally induced fibropapillomas of green turtles (Chelonia mydas)

Tumor biopsy samples from 25 Floridian and 15 Hawaiian green turtles (Chelonia mydas) with spontaneous green turtle fibropapillomatosis (GTFP) and from 27 captive-reared green turtles with experimentally induced GTFP were examined microscopically to differentiate the histologic features that result from GTFP pathogenesis and those that result from incidental factors that may vary according to geographic region. Common histologic features for spontaneous and experimentally induced tumors included fibroblast proliferation in the superficial dermis, epidermal acanthosis and hyperkeratosis, epidermal basal cell degeneration with dermal-epidermal cleft formation, spinous layer degeneration with intraepidermal vesicle and pustule formation, and ulceration. Visceral tumors, found in eight of 10 (80%) free-ranging turtles with cutaneous disease that were examined after death, had extensive interstitial fibrous proliferation. The presence of spirorchid trematode eggs and associated foreign body granulomas, common secondary findings within spontaneous tumors, varied by geographic location, and these findings were not observed in experimentally induced tumors. Eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions and intranuclear herpesvirus-associated antigen immunoreactivity were found in 18 of 38 (47%) experimentally induced cutaneous tumors and nine of 119 (7.5%) spontaneous tumors from Floridian but not Hawaiian turtles. The possible involvement of GTFP-associated herpesvirus in the pathogenesis of epidermal degenerative changes and GTFP pathogenesis is discussed.     

Reduced anchoring fibril formation and collagen VII immunoreactivity in feline dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa was diagnosed in a cat with juvenile-onset epithelial sloughing of the oral mucosa, footpads, and haired skin. Dermoepidermal separation occurred in the absence of inflammation or cytolysis of basal epidermal cells. Collagen IV-specific immunostaining corroborated the fact that clefting took place below the epidermal basement membrane. Ultrastructural examination revealed that the proband's anchoring fibrils exhibited a filamentous morphology and were decreased in number compared with those in a normal cat. Finally, the attenuated immunoreactivity for collagen VII in our patient led us to suspect that its encoding gene, COL7A1, could be mutated in this case of feline dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.     

Liver pathology and immune response in experimental Fasciola hepatica infections of goats

The relationship between the immune response and the pathogenesis of the disease was studied in different primary and secondary experimental Fasciola hepatica infections of goats. The establishment of the infection, measured as percentage of recovered flukes at the necropsy, was similar in primarily and secondarily infected animals (between 19.7% and 24.3%), but the hepatic damage was much more severe in secondarily infected goats, as revealed by the levels of serum hepatic enzymes GGT and LDH. Primary infection evolves to chronic fasciolosis that did not induce the development of resistance, since goats were highly susceptible to secondary infection, showing severe acute and chronic hepatic lesions that led to the death of some animals in each group. The immune response to the infection was proved by the production of specific IgG antibodies to ESP of F. hepatica and the involvement of CD3+ T lymphocytes and lambda IgG+ plasma cells in the hepatic infiltrate. Secondary infection did not induce any difference in either IgG response or in the cellular composition of the infiltrate of hepatic lesions, although this was much more extended. However, neither antibodies nor cell-mediated response were protective: there was no correlation between IgG levels and fluke burden and there was no evidence of cell-mediated killing of the parasite. This suggests the existence of some immune evasion mechanisms in goat infection with F. hepatica. The parasite may depress the local inflammatory and immune response, as suggested by the scarcity of CD3+ T cells in the infiltrate surrounding acute migratory tunnels. Moreover, in secondary infected goats can be suspected an immunological damage of the liver, since a very severe infiltrate of immune cells replaced wide areas of hepatic parenchyma and an immune-mediated damage of hepatocytes could occur.     

DNA polymorphism of srRNA gene among Eimeria tenella strains isolated in Japan

DNA polymorphism in twelve starains of Eimeria tenella isolated from various places in Japan was examined using 1.l kb small subunits ribosomal RNA amplified by PCR. Genetic variation was evaluated by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. DNA fingerprint patterns were grouped into two, indicating that at least two DNA polymorphisms exist in Japanese E. tenella strains.