Pharmacokinetics of ruminally dosed sodium [36Cl]chlorate in beef cattle

The recently recognized potential of sodium chlorate as a possible preharvest food safety tool for pathogen reduction in meat animals has spurred interest in the pharmacokinetics of intraruminally dosed chlorate. Six Loala cattle were assigned (one heifer and one steer per treatment) to one of three intraruminal doses of radiolabeled sodium [36Cl]chlorate (21, 42, or 63 mg/kg body weight) administered in four equal aliquots over a 24-h period. Blood and serum were collected (29 samples in 48 h). Total radioactive residues were measured and the radioactive moieties were speciated. Chlorate appeared rapidly in blood and serum after dosing. For animals administered a dose of 42 or 63 mg/kg, the half-life of absorption was estimated at 0.6-0.9 h. Serum chlorate concentrations progressively increased with aliquot administration until peaking at 6-21 parts per million at 26 h. Between aliquot administrations, serum chlorate levels typically peaked in 3.5 h or less. The half-life of chlorate elimination ranged between 6.9 and 11 h, depending on the dose. Ultimately, absorption of chlorate removes it from its desired site of action, the lower gastrointestinal tract, thereby reducing its efficacy. Further research is needed to develop a chlorate formulation that will allow passage to the lower gastrointestinal tract.     

Genetic variation within and between G1 and G3 genotypes of Echinococcus granulosus in Italy revealed by multilocus DNA sequencing

Numerous studies have provided evidence that Echinococcus granulosus exists as a complex of different strains, that differ in a wide variety of criteria that have an impact on the epidemiology, pathology and control of cystic hydatid disease (CHD) and, to date, 10 distinct genotypes (G1-G10) have been identified. In Italy, sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cox1 and nad1 genes showed the occurrence of the G1 genotype, the common sheep strain, the G3 genotype, the buffalo strain and of one isolate identified as G2 genotype, the Tasmanian sheep strain. In the present work, we have analysed E. granulosus strains in Italy, by genotyping a large sample of isolates and by checking out the genetic differentiation within and among the G1 and G3 genotypes using an additional mitochondrial gene as marker, the rrnS gene. Sequencing of the rrnS gene revealed a significant genetic differentiation between isolates identified as belonging to the G1 and G3 genotypes, with fixed nucleotide substitutions. This study provides further evidence of the occurrence of the E. granulosus G3 buffalo strain in Italy, a strain previously thought to be confined to the Indian region.     

Getting a grip on strangles: recent progress towards improved diagnostics and vaccines

'Strangles', caused by infection with the bacterium Streptococcus equi, remains one of the most commonly diagnosed and important infectious diseases of horses world-wide. This review discusses the diagnosis and pathogenesis of strangles with particular attention to the significance of persistent infections in disease transmission and the rapid progress now being made towards the development of effective preventative vaccines. It is now possible combine recent sequence data from the N-terminal region of the SeM protein and reassign the SeM alleles using the on-line database http://pubmlst.org/szooepidemicus/seM/. Hypotheses concerning the origin of this variation and the potential for its exploitation for the epidemiological analysis of outbreaks are proposed. Advances in understanding of the molecular evolution of S. equi highlight the role played by phage-mediated acquisition of virulence factors and suggest new avenues for prophylactic intervention.     

Postpartum Ovarian Activity and Serum Estradiol-17beta Level in Thai Crossbred Native Mares

To study the postpartum ovarian activities for investigation of first postpartum oestrus, twenty-five Thai crossbred native mares were monitored after parturition by oestrous detection, transrectal palpation and reproductive ultrasonography. Blood samplings were also taken for estradiol-17beta (E2) analysis. The first ovulation occurred within 20 days postpartum in 92% (23/25) of the mares. The mean intervals of foaling to first oestrus and to first ovulation were 10.3 +/- 2.9 and 13.4 +/- 2.6 days (mean +/- SD) respectively. Serum E2 increased from 7.0 +/- 2.9 to a peak of 10.8 +/- 3.3 pg/ml (mean +/- SD) at 2 days before ovulation. In conclusion, from the study, it can be stated that the postpartum breeding management should be considered after day 10 postpartum by careful examination of ovarian activity with various methods. However, the uterine condition should be also estimated associated with the ovarian activity after parturition which may increase breeding performance and foal production.     

Comparison of two automated spectrophotometric methods for ceruloplasmin measurement in pigs

Ceruloplasmin (Cp) determination could provide an objective measure of the health status of an animal and could be used as marker of animal health and welfare (Skinner, 2001) (Skinner, J. G., 2001. Special report. International standardization of acute phase proteins. Veterinary Clinical Pathology 30, 2-7.) but only manual methods have been reported to determine Cp concentrations in pigs (McCosker, 1961; Toussaint et al., 1995; Eckersall et al., 1996) (McCosker, P. J., 1961. Paraphenylenediamine oxidase activity and copper-levels in mammalian plasmas. Nature. 190, 887-889; Toussaint, M. J. M., Van Ederen, A. M., Gruys, E., 1995. Implication of clinical pathology in assessment of animal health and in animal production and meat inspection. Comparative Haematology International 5, 149-157; Eckersall, P. D., Saini, P. K., McComb, C., 1996. The acute phase response of acid soluble glycoprotein, alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein, ceruloplasmin, haptoglobin and C-reactive protein, in the pig. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 51, 377-385). In the present study two automated methods based on the use of two different substrates for the determination of serum ceruloplasmin in pigs were developed, evaluated and compared. Both methods showed a good precision and detection limits, with no signs of inaccuracy and could be applied to biochemical autoanalyzers usually found in clinical laboratories using only minimal amounts of serum. Additionally the behaviour of Cp in experimental and clinical situations was studied showing an increase of around two fold after turpentine administration and significantly higher values in cases of pigs with inflammatory conditions when compared with healthy pigs.     

Toxoplasma gondii infections in sheep in Sicily, southern Italy

The aim of the study was to determine the burden of Toxoplasma gondii-infections in sheep in Sicily, southern Italy and the risk factors for infection. Sera from 1961 sheep were collected just before slaughtering from 62 farms located in 8 out of 9 Sicilian administrative districts. The sera were analysed for Toxoplasma-specific IgG antibodies using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sheep less than 4 weeks old were further analysed by ELISA for Toxoplasma-specific IgM-antibodies. Data on farm size and location were obtained from slaughterhouse sanitary reports and through structured telephone interviews of the veterinary officers from public health districts. The overall seroprevalence of Toxoplasma-specific IgG-antibodies were 49.9% (937/1876) by ELISA. Eighty-seven (54/62) percent of the farms had at least one Toxoplasma-positive animal. All the farms fed the animals outdoor on pasture and only one was claiming organic farming. Having cats on the farm, age of the animals, farm size and the use of surface water sources for drinking were all significantly associated with T. gondii-infected animals on the farm. T. gondii infection in mutton used for human consumption is very prevalent, and eating unprocessed sheep and lamb meat has a high risk of transmitting infections to humans. The presence of cats on the farm, farm size and using surface water as drinking water for the animals were risk factors for infection in sheep, with age as a significant confounder.     

Evaluation of dirlotapide for sustained weight loss in overweight Labrador retrievers

The effects of dirlotapide on body weight (BW) reduction were investigated in overweight Labradors in two parallel-design studies. Study A involved 42 dogs randomized to 0.0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 mg dirlotapide/kg/day orally for 4 weeks. Study B involved 72 dogs randomized to nine treatments: placebo (24 weeks); dirlotapide (24 weeks) followed by placebo (28 weeks); or dirlotapide (52 weeks); on diets containing 5%, 10% or 15% fat. Dirlotapide dose (initially 0.1 mg/kg) was adjusted monthly during 24-week weight-loss and subsequent 28-week weight-stabilization phases. Food was offered above maintenance energy requirements (MER× 1.1–1.2) based on initial BW. Body composition (body fat, lean tissue and bone mineral content) was monitored using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. After treatment, dogs that had received dirlotapide for 52 weeks were fed 90% of quantity consumed at week 52. In study A, BW and food intake decreased asymptotically with dose: mean weekly weight loss exceeded 1% at 0.1–0.4 mg/kg. In study B, dirlotapide resulted in significant mean weekly weight loss (>0.8%) and decreased food intake over 24 weeks compared with placebo ( P  = 0.0001) for all diets. Food restriction minimized post-treatment weight rebound. Dirlotapide administered daily to dogs for up to 52 weeks was clinically safe and resulted in sustained weight reduction.     

Identification of polymorphisms and association analysis with meat quality traits in the porcine KIAA1717 and HUMMLC2B genes

Skeletal muscle genes are potential candidates for production and meat quality. Screening a subtracted cDNA library constructed with mRNA obtained from longissimus dorsi muscles of F1 hybrids Landrace × Yorkshire and their female parents Yorkshire, we isolated two partial sequences coding for the H3-K4-specific methyltransferase (KIAA1717) and skeletal muscle myosin regulatory light chain (HUMMLC2B) genes. Database search revealed KIAA1717 and HUMMLC2B encoded proteins with SET domain and EF-hand calcium binding motif, respectively. In the present work we identified their partial polymorphisms and two SNPs, one (C1354T) at the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of KIAA1717 and one (A345G) at the SINE (PRE-1) element of HUMMLC2B, both created/disrupted a restriction site for endonuclease Msp I. The selected pigs were genotyped at the KIAA1717 C1354T and HUMMLC2B A345G sites by means of a PCR-RFLP protocol. Significant associations were observed for the KIAA1717 C1354T polymorphic site with meat marbling (longissimus doris (p < 0.05), biceps femoris (p < 0.01)) and intramuscular fat (p < 0.01). HUMMLC2B A345G were significantly associated with meat pH (longissimus doris (p < 0.05), biceps femoris (p < 0.01)), drip loss (p < 0.01), water holding capacity (p < 0.01) and meat color value (longissimus doris (p < 0.01), biceps femoris (p < 0.05)). Further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.     

Response of healthy dogs to infusions of human serum albumin

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical and immunologic response in healthy dogs to infusions of human serum albumin (HSA). ANIMALS: 9 healthy purpose-bred mixed-breed dogs. PROCEDURES: Each dog was administered a 25% HSA solution once or twice. Various physical examination and laboratory variables were serially evaluated. Antibody against HSA was assayed before and after infusion by use of an ELISA. Intradermal testing was also conducted. A repeated-measures ANOVA or Friedman repeated-measures ANOVA on ranks was used to compare results for the variables. RESULTS: Adverse clinical reactions were observed after the first or second infusion in 3 dogs. Anaphylactoid reactions were observed in 1 of 9 dogs during the first infusion and in 2 of 2 dogs administered a second infusion. Two dogs developed severe edema and urticaria 6 or 7 days after an initial infusion. All dogs developed anti-HSA antibodies. Positive responses for ID tests were observed in 8 of 9 dogs. Short-term increases were detected in blood protein, total bilirubin, and calcium concentrations after HSA infusion. Serum cholesterol concentrations and platelet counts decreased after HSA infusion. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Administration of HSA resulted in profound reactions in 2 of 9 dogs administered a single infusion and in 2 of 2 dogs administered a second infusion. This indicates that there is risk of life-threatening adverse reactions to HSA infusion in healthy dogs.     

Evidence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy in dogs with diabetes mellitus

The NeuroScope, a specific and sensitive indicator of cardiac vagal tone, was used to look for differences in autonomic tone between 25 dogs with naturally occurring diabetes mellitus and 23 healthy control dogs, to determine whether there was any correlation between the dogs' cardiac vagal tone, the duration of diabetes and the adequacy of glycaemic control. The cardiac index of parasympathetic activity (cipa) was determined for each dog over a period of 2600 heartbeats. The mean, median and modal cipa values were significantly lower in the diabetic dogs than in the healthy dogs. There was no significant relationship between the cipa values and the duration of disease or the adequacy of recent glycaemic control in the diabetic dogs, but there was a significant inverse relationship between the cipa values and the bodyweight of the diabetic dogs that was not evident in the normal dogs. The conclusions were based on a 500-heartbeat interval selected from the 2600 heartbeats recorded.