Giardia infection in budgerigars

Budgerigars ( Melopsittacus undulatus ) from two different breeding colonies were found to have Giardia infection. Light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and in-vitro and in-vivo studies confirmed the species was G psittaci . Chicks were clinically affected and showed signs of retarded growth, dehydration and diarrhoea. The faeces of adult birds treated with metronidazole in drinking water were negative for Giardia 5 days after treatment. Megabacteria were also found in adult birds but were not treated. This study extends the known host range for Giardia in Australia to include budgerigars.     

注射用头孢呋辛钠的安全性试验研究

通过试验研究对注射用头孢呋辛钠的安全性进行评价。采用豚鼠和家兔分别进行本品的全身用药过敏性、血管和肌肉局部刺激性及家兔红细胞体外溶血性试验研究。结果显示本品对豚鼠无明显全身过敏性、静脉注射对家兔耳缘静脉无明显局部刺激性、对家兔肌肉注射给药无明显局部刺激性、对家兔红细胞无明显体外溶血性。表明本品的各项安全性均良好,为实际应用提供了有力依据。     

Dermatoses caused by infestations of immature Ixodes spp. on dogs and cats in Sydney, Australia

Infestations of larval and nymphal Ixodes spp. were identified in 16 dogs and 16 cats from several small animal clinics in Sydney. Cases occurred in late summer or autumn, peaking in February, and were seasonally recurrent in some individuals. Clinical signs of infestation included a papular dermatitis and irritation or pruritus that ranged from severe to mild or absent. The distribution of tick attachment tended to be cranial and ventral, with the face, legs, axillae and ventrum the most commonly affected sites. The estimated number of ticks in each infestation varied from less than 10 to more than 100. Basic morphological examination of ticks collected from affected animals was performed by attending veterinarians using light microscopy, and larvae and nymphs belonging to the Ixodes genus were identified. Ticks collected from 17 animals and submitted to the Department of Medical Entomology, Westmead Hospital were putatively identified as I. trichosuri (57%) and I. holocyclus (25%) larvae. Histopathological samples of attachment sites collected from three dogs and one cat were characterised by ticks attached in well-demarcated invaginations of the skin ('tick craters') associated with variable epidermal and/or dermal necrosis, focal eosinophilic intraspinous pustules, mild to marked eosinophilic and neutrophilic, superficial to deep, dermal perivascular to interstitial inflammation, and moderate to marked superficial dermal oedema and red cell extravasation. A range of topical acaricidal preparations, including fipronil and synthetic pyrethroids, were used for treatment.     

Measurement of daily water intake in the dog

Water intake was measured for 50 days in four Kelpie bitches, housed in a room kept at a temperature of 22–25^oC and a relative humidity of 55%. The mean daily water ingested (free and combined water) was 55-9 ± 3–70 ml/kg body weight while the mean daily intake (free, combined and metabolic water) was estimated to be 72-9 ± 3–70 ml/kg. The experimental findings are compared with those observed in the dog by other workers and it is emphasized that, in determining daily water ingestion for the differentiation of clinical polydipsia, feed dry matter intake should be correlated with volume of water drunk.     

Glucose metabolism in a pony mare with a tumour of the pituitary gland pars intermedia

A case of pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism in a horse is reported. Clinical signs included hirsutism, polydipsia and general debility. The horse was persistently hyperglycaemic and glucose values were unchanged following subcutaneous administration of insulin. Resting cortisol values were normal, but dexamethasone suppression of cortisol concentration was shorter than normal. Plasma glucose, cortisol, insulin and glucagon concentrations were measured as part of an intravenous glucose tolerance test. The patient responses were different from those in a control pony.     

鸭瘟活疫苗生产工艺改进试验

利用尿囊腔接种法替代绒毛尿囊膜接种法生产鸭瘟活疫苗,收获的胚液和绒毛尿囊膜及胎儿的病毒含量(ELD50)均高于<中华人民共和国兽用生物制品规程>2000年版中的病毒含量标准,而且降低了早死率,提高了鸡胚利用率.     

COMPARATIVE ULTRASONOGRAPHIC INVESTIGATIONS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT AND THE LIVER IN HEALTHY AND DISEASED PIGEONS

The use of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool in birds has been documented for cardiac, urogenital, and liver disease. However, its use in gastrointestinal tract disease is not defined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the ultrasonographic findings of the intestine and liver of six healthy racing pigeons with those of six racing pigeons with gastrointestinal disease. The echogenicity of the liver was significantly different between the two groups. Pigeons with gastrointestinal disease had less homogeneous liver echogenicity with focal heterogeneous areas and the hepatic blood vessels were visible and dilated. The duodenum was visualized and its mean diameter of 7.2 +/- 0.3 mm in the diseased pigeons was significantly wider (P < or = 0.001) than the 5.7 +/- 0.2 mm in healthy birds. The thickness of the duodenal wall in healthy and diseased pigeons was 1.6 +/- 0.1 and 2.4 +/- 0.1 mm, respectively, and they were significantly different (P < or = 0.001). We defined baseline measurements for the duodenal loop in pigeons and provided evidence that ultrasound can be a useful diagnostic tool for investigating intestinal disease in pigeons.     

Impacts of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide on model terrestrial ecosystems

In model terrestrial ecosystems maintained for three plant generations at elevated concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide, increases in photosynthetically fixed carbon were allocated below ground, raising concentrations of dissolved organic carbon in soil. These effects were then transmitted up the decomposer food chain. Soil microbial biomass was unaffected, but the composition of soil fungal species changed, with increases in rates of cellulose decomposition. There were also changes in the abundance and species composition of Collembola, fungal-feeding arthropods. These results have implications for long-term feedback processes in soil ecosystems that are subject to rising global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.