Conjunctival Pedicle Grafts Used to Repair Corneal Perforations in the Horse

Four horses with corneal perforations of various etiologies were presented for surgical correction. Pedicle grafts taken from the bulbar or palpebral conjunctiva were used to repair the defects. Two horses regained functional vision in the affected eyes while a third had significant impairment. The fourth eye, which had an intense uveitis pre and postoperative, became phthisic and blind.     

The Pathology of Vinyl Chloride Exposed Mice

Outbred albino laboratory mice were exposed to 50 p.p.m. and 500 p.p.m. vinyl chloride by inhalation 6 hrs./day, 5 days/week during 52 and 26 weeks, respectively. Pathologic examination showed the presence of histologically benign alveologenic lung adenomas, haem-angiosarcomas in fat tissue as well as a few benign and malignant tumours at various sites. Only one liver haemangiosarcoma was noted. All animals exposed to 500 p.p.m. developed tumours; 71 % of the animals given 50 p.p.m. were tumour bearing. The frequency of all tumours, number of tumour foci and size of foci in both groups suggest a dose-dependent carcinogenic effect of vinyl chloride. Haemocoelia due to blood vessel rupture was a common cause of death. Telangiectasis of the liver was also observed in a few animals. The role of fat tissue as well as blood vessel involvement in the pathology of vinyl chloride is discussed.     

Effects of vaccination infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and simultaneous administration of levamisole on primary humoral responses in calves.

In a study on the primary humoral response of calves vaccinated against infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and simultaneously given levamisole, mild but consistent suppression of the group's geometric mean serum-neutralization titer to IBR virus occurred between 12 and 59 days later. The quantitative determination of circulating immunoglobulins (Ig) over the same period indicated a slight decrease in the IgG concentrations from an initial geometric mean concentration of 18.28 mg/ml before calves were vaccinated to 15.29 mg/ml after vaccination, and the control calves (vaccinated and given saline solution only) maintained their prevaccination IgG geometric mean concentration of 20.92 mg/ml. Difference was not observed in the circulating IgM values of the 2 groups. Levamisole had no apparent effect on the circulating Ig-bearing lymphocyte values when compared with control calves during the 24 hours of treatment. It was concluded that a single treatment of levamisole may mildly suppress the primary humoral response to IBR vaccination in calves, but it is unlikely that this would affect the animal's capability to recover from, or maintain resistance to, IBR infection.     

Combined immunodeficiency in a calf

Combined immunodeficiency was documented in a 6-week-old Angus calf. The calf had lymphopenia, undetectable serum IgM or IgA, and low concentrations of serum IgG (420 mg/dl). The calf was treated for diarrhea, pneumonia, and shock, and was given antimicrobial drugs, fluids, and plasma. The calf died of systemic candidiasis and Escherichia coli bacteremia. Aggregated lymphatic folliculi (Peyer patches), lymph nodes, and thymic and splenic lymphoid tissue could not be identified at necropsy.     

Histologic classification as a prognostic criterion for canine lymphosarcoma

Neoplastic tissues from 72 dogs with lymphosarcoma were histologically classified according to the Rappaport schema to determine if the histologic features of the disease had any clinical or prognostic importance. Of 72 dogs, lymphosarcomas in 7 were classified as nodular (9.7%) and 65 were classified as diffuse (90.3%). The two principal cytologic types were lymphocytic, poorly differentiated, and histiocytic, which composed 39% and 56% of the lymphosarcomas, respectively; whereas lymphocytic, well differentiated, mixed, and undifferentiated composed 6%. Clinically, all of the dogs were stage III or IV, according to the accepted criteria for canine lymphosarcoma. The overall complete remission rate was 64% and was defined as no clinical evidence of disease after 9 weeks of chemotherapy. Median remission among nodular histiocytic, diffuse lymphocytic, poorly differentiated, and diffuse histiocytic (DH) groups of dogs was 42 days, 29 days, and 42 days (range, 0 to 1,095), respectively. Median survival for the same groups was 235 days, 190 days, and 173 days (range, 1 to 1,261), respectively. A logarithmic analysis of variance revealed no significant differences among nodular histiocytic, diffuse lymphocytic, poorly differentiated, and DH groups relative to days remission, as well as to days survival. It was observed that those dogs with neoplasms classified as DH had longer remission durations. It would appear that for any one animal, histologic classification according to the Rappaport schema cannot be used as a prognostic criterion in predicting therapeutic response, remission, or survival.     

Ventral rhinotomy in the dog and cat

The nasal cavities of 14 dogs and three cats were explored surgically using a ventral rhinotomy. The exposure achieved through this approach was considered to be equal to a dorsal rhinotomy. One animal died during the immediate postoperative period from perforation of a gastric ulcer. The other animals recovered well and had no significant complications. The long-term survival of the animals was consistent with previous reports for their diseases. Ventral rhinotomy is no more difficult than dorsal rhinotomy, has less patient morbidity and fewer postoperative complications, and is more cosmetically acceptable.     

The influence of age, breed, rearing intensity and exercise on the incidence of spavin in Swedish dairy cattle. A clinical and morphological investigation

The hocks of tied cows of a Swedish dairy herd of different breeds were radiographed. Osteoarthrosis of the arthrodial joints (spavin) was found in 37 % of the animals. Changes were seen before the cows were 2 years old, and they increased in severity with increasing age. Macroscopic and histologic examination revealed that there was osteoarthrosis also in many radiologically normal hocks. The study shows that the frequency of spavin in tied dairy cows is higher than clinical signs indicate. Apparently only cows with fusion of the arthrodial joints show the stiff hind leg movements considered typical of spavin. Differences in the incidence of spavin were found between the different breeds. Cows of the Swedish Friesian breed had the lowest (20%) and cows of the Jersey breed had the highest (50%) incidence of spavin. However, as regards the Jersey breed this was due to the high incidence (71%) found in cows raised on a high intensity feeding during the young stock period. Among the SJB cows raised on a normal intensity feeding the incidence of spavin was 25 %. Such a relationship between high young stock feeding intensity and the incidence of spavin was not seen within the other breeds. The cows in another herd with loose housing had a lower frequency of spavin than the tied cows. Offspring of animals with spavin had a higher incidence of spavin than the offspring of animals without spavin.     

Pathogenicity characterization of a bovine triple reassortant rotavirus in calves and piglets

Rotaviruses are important human and animal pathogens with high impact on public health and livestock industry. There is little evidence about the cross-species pathogenicity and extra-intestinal infections of animal and human reassortant rotaviruses, particularly based on all 11 genotyping data. In this study, the bovine triple reassortant KJ56-1 strain harboring two bovine-like genome segments, eight porcine-like genome segments, and one human-like genome segment was used to evaluate the cross-species pathogenicity in its parent species, calves and piglets, and to determine its abilities of causing viremia and extra-intestinal tropisms in piglets. The KJ56-1 strain isolated from a calf diarrhea fecal sample replicated without causing diarrhea and severe intestinal pathology in calves. However, piglets inoculated with this strain showed persistent severe diarrhea and marked intestinal pathology. By SYBR Green real-time RT-PCR, viral RNA was detected in the sera, mesenteric lymph node, lung, liver, choroid plexus, and cerebrospinal fluid in the experimental piglets. An immunofluorescence assay confirmed viral replication in these extra-intestinal organs and tissues. These results indicated that the bovine triple reassortant KJ56-1 strain was virulent to piglets but not to calves. Our data also demonstrated that the reassortant rotaviruses had the ability to spread to the bloodstream from the gut, enter and amplify in the mesenteric lymph node, and disseminate to the extra-intestinal organs and tissues.