Development of comparable agro‐climatic zones for the international exchange of data on the efficacy and crop safety of plant protection products1

Data on the efficacy and crop safety of plant protection products can be used for registration purposes in other countries, provided crop growth conditions are comparable. This article identifies the main conditions which are relevant in this respect, with particular emphasis on climatic conditions. Comparison of several systems of agro‐climatic classification developed for the EPPO region, particularly the climate diagrams of Walter & Lieth, the climate classification system of Köppen & Geiger, the agro‐climatic areas of Thran & Broekhuizen and natural vegetation maps, has led to a division of the EPPO region (Europe, Mediterranean area, Middle East) into four agro‐climatic zones (Mediterranean, Maritime, North‐east, Central) within which conditions can be considered comparable.     

Long‐Term Totally Implantable Venous Access Ports in Dogs and Cats Receiving Chemotherapy

Introduction:  We evaluated the totally implantable subcutaneous vascular access port (VAP) in 16 cancer patients undergoing intermittent chemotherapy for more than 30 months.
Methods:  Ports were surgically placed (The CompanionPort, Norfolk Vet Products, Skokie, Illinois 60076) in the jugular vein of 12 dogs and 4 cats between 1/2002 and 7/2004. Body weight determined polyurethane catheter size (4, 5, 7 fr.). The polysulfone port, surrounded by titanium, was anchored to subcutaneous tissue in the dorsolateral neck and confirmed with C‐arm fluoroscopy. All blood samples were obtained via VAP. Nine anticancer agents, other medications, crystalloids/colloids, and whole blood were administered. Ports were flushed every 4–5 weeks with heparinized saline solution (100 IU/ml). Removed catheters were submitted for bacteriology.
Results:  Seven of 16 animals are still alive. VAP were used for 1.5 to more than 30 months with 4–60 injections/port. Catheter tips were visualized from the left atrium distally into the caudal vena cava. Adverse events included post‐operative subcutaneous bruising and/or hematoma (4/16), difficult aspiration (4/16), catheter malposition (1/16), positional flushing (1/16), and occlusion requiring replacement (1/16). No thrombus formation or extravasation was evident. Bacterial colonization without signs of septicemia was observed in 3/4 catheters.
Conclusions:  VAP are an effective way of achieving long‐term venous access in the dog and cat. Complications are typically minor and infrequent.     

Different biological behaviour of Waldenström macroglobulinemia in two dogs

Waldenström Macroglobulinemia is a low‐grade immunosecretory disorder associated with lymphoid tumours, which is rarely reported in veterinary medicine. In this study, we describe two clinical cases of this rare syndrome in dogs, each characterized by a different onset and clinical course. In one case, a hyperacute onset and aggressive behaviour of the neoplasm was observed. Absolute serum viscosity (SV) was retrospectively evaluated in order to explain clinical findings. Rotational viscosimetry showed good precision in measuring SV. Both dogs had SV values higher than a control groups of healthy dogs although only one subject developed hyperviscosity symptoms and complications. At high paraprotein concentrations, a slight reduction of the M‐component was associated with a marked decrease in SV. Thus, this work suggests that SV assessment is a relevant tool for managing monoclonal gammopathies, whose usefulness should be further confirmed in larger cohorts of dogs.     

Spatial epidemiology of the Asian honey bee mite (Varroa destructor) in the North Island of New Zealand

We describe the spatial epidemiology of Varroa destructor infestation among honey bee apiaries in the greater Auckland area of the North Island of New Zealand. The study population was comprised of 641 apiaries located within the boundaries of the study area on 11 April 2000. Cases were those members of the study population declared Varroa-infested on the basis of testing conducted between April and June 2000. The odds of Varroa was highest in apiaries in the area surrounding transport and storage facilities in the vicinity of Auckland International Airport. A mixed-effects geostatistical model, accounting for spatial extra-binomial variation in Varroa prevalence, showed a 17% reduction in the odds of an apiary being Varroa infested for each kilometre increase in the squared distance from the likely site of incursion (95% Bayesian credible interval 7–28%). The pattern of spatially autocorrelated risk that remained after controlling for the effect of distance from the likely incursion site identified areas thought to be ‘secondary’ foci of Varroa infestation initiated by beekeeper-assisted movement of infested bees. Targeted investigations within these identified areas indicated that the maximum rate of local spread of Varroa was in the order of 12 km/year (interquartile range 10–15 km/year).     

How to perform transvenous electrical cardioversion in horses with atrial fibrillation

Electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation is a well-established technique for restoration of sinus rhythm in humans. While transthoracic cardioversion is more commonly used, transvenous electrical cardioversion (TVEC) has been reported as having higher efficacy at substantially lower energy levels. In horses, treatment of atrial fibrillation has essentially been limited to the administration of quinidine salts either orally or intravenously. TVEC provides an alternative to quinidine salts, especially for those animals in which quinidine is neither effective nor tolerated. The present report details this technique in horses, discusses possible complications of the procedure, and provides guidance for successful outcome. Still and video images are used to illustrate details with regard to TVEC techniques in horses. Please view supplemental material for the videos.     

Growth performance, energy, and nitrogen balance of weanling pigs fed a cereal-based diet supplemented with Chinese rhubarb

Forty Swiss Large White piglets of 4 weeks of age were used to determine the effect of dietary Chinese rhubarb on growth performance, as well as on energy and nitrogen metabolism by means of indirect respiration calorimetry studies. A cereal-based diet, supplemented with four different dosages of Chinese rhubarb (0.0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%), was offered ad libitum to the piglets. Gaseous exchange was measured, and urine, faeces, and blood samples were taken. The addition of 0.25% dietary rhubarb increased feed intake (+32%) and daily weight gain (+67%) compared to the diet containing the greatest amount of rhubarb (1%). The piglets fed diet supplemented with 0.25% rhubarb digested and metabolised more energy and nitrogen relative to the animals of treatment 1%. As a consequence, the same group (0.25%) converted more energy and nitrogen into body protein than piglets receiving diet supplemented with 1% rhubarb. However, compared to the control group, the addition of 0.25% rhubarb to the diet resulted in not significantly alter growth performance, energy, and nitrogen metabolism of the animals.Blood parameters were not affected by the rhubarb supplementation. The dose-responding effect of Chinese rhubarb was reflected by the dry matter content of faecal samples. According to the laxative effect of higher doses of rhubarb, the addition of 1% rhubarb to the diet reduced dry matter content of faeces. This effect was well visible in practice, although not relevant in statistical terms. The addition of 0.5% dietary rhubarb had no relevant effect on growth performance or on energy and nitrogen metabolism of treated animals.     

GAL‐ and VIP‐Immunoreactive Nerve Structures in the Ileum and Large Intestine of Pigs with Dysentery

The morphology, neurochemistry and function of intramural nerve structures in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract are relatively well known, but in normal, healthy individuals. The present study was aimed at investigating the chemical coding of nerve structures in the wall of the ileum and large intestine in normal pigs (n = 3) and in pigs undergoing dysentery (n = 6). Dysentery was evoked by artificial infection of the clinically healthy animals per os with Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. All the animals were deeply anaesthetized and transcardially perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde. The cryostat sections of the intestines were processed for double‐labelling immunohistochemistry using antisera against PGP 9.5, GAL and VIP. In the intramural plexuses of the control pigs, the percentage of GAL‐immunoreactive (GAL‐IR) perykarya varied from 11% (descending colon) to 19% (centrifugal turns of the ascending colon) whereas in the dysenteric pigs, it was distinctly higher, reaching from 28% (ileum) up to 48% (cecum). In the control animals, the percentage of VIP‐IR neuronal somata varied from 3% (descending colon) to 19% (ileum). In dysenteric pigs, it was from 6% (descending colon) up to 28% (cecum). In the muscular coat (MC) and mucous membrane (MM) of the normal intestine, very numerous GAL‐ and VIP‐IR nerve fibres were observed. The nerve fibres in the myenteric plexus (MP) were even more numerous than those in the muscular coat while in the outer (OSP) and inner (ISP) submucous plexuses, they were less abundant. In the dysenteric pigs, the nerve fibres found in MC, MP and OSP were less numerous, whereas those observed in ISP and MM were more abundant than those in the control animals. The present results suggest that GAL and VIP are involved in the regulation of inflammatory processes developing in the porcine gastrointestinal tract during dysentery.