Bilateral seminal vesiculitis and ampullitis in a stallion

A Thoroughbred stallion suspected of having venereal disease was found to have an infection of the accessory sex glands. Purulent debris, blood, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were recovered from all ejaculates. Treatment with gentamicin sulfate, tobramycin, and amikacin sulfate was unsuccessful in eliminating the infection. The stallion's seminal plasma, collected during treatment with gentamicin sulfate, did not contain any appreciable antibacterial activity. Apparently, negligible amounts of gentamicin diffused across the mucosal cell borders of the accessory sex glands into the seminal plasma. Bilateral seminal vesiculitis and ampullitis were evident on examination of the reproductive tract when the stallion was euthanatized.     

Proliferative haemorrhagic enteropathy in pigs.

An outbreak of proliferative haemorrhagic enteropathy (PHE) occurred in two epidodes and affected 372 adult pigs in the breeding units of a minimal disease piggery; 186 pigs died. In the initial episode breeding sows and boars of all ages were affected, suggesting infection of a fully susceptible population. Animals involved in the first episode of the disease did not show clinical symptoms at a later date and further clinical cases occurred only in animals introduced into the breeding population. Antibiotic feed medication was an effective method of prophylaxis. Bacteria resembling Campylobacter sputorum subspecies mucosalis were isolated from the intestinal mucosa of affected animals.     

Reproductive disease and congenital malformations caused by Menangle virus in pigs

OBJECTIVE: To describe a new syndrome characterised by embryonic mortalities, stillbirths, mummified foetuses and congenital malformations in a herd of intensively farmed pigs. DESIGN: Field observations, laboratory investigations and examination of breeding records. PROCEDURE: Pathology examinations were performed on mummified and congenitally deformed piglets during an outbreak of reproductive disease at a 2600 sow intensive piggery in New South Wales from April to October 1997. Reproductive performance was monitored during the outbreak and breeding records were examined retrospectively. Serum and tissue samples from pigs were tested for evidence of infection with known porcine pathogens and for a new virus, Menangle virus, isolated from stillborn piglets with deformities from the affected piggery in August 1997. RESULTS: Reproductive disease occurred sequentially in all four breeding units at the affected piggery over a period of 21 weeks. The farrowing percentages in each unit decreased from 80 to 82% before the outbreak to 63 to 78% during the outbreak and the number of live piglets per litter declined from a mean of 9.6 to 9.8 before the outbreak to 7.2 to 8.9 during the outbreak. The proportion of affected litters (litters with less than six liveborn piglets) was highest (64%) in the sixth week of the outbreak. Mummified foetuses, stillborn piglets with arthrogryposis, craniofacial deformities and degeneration of the brain and spinal cord, were observed along with occasional abortions. Sera from sows that produced affected litters contained neutralising antibodies against Menangle virus and there was evidence that this virus had been introduced to the piggery in February 1997. CONCLUSIONS: Reproductive disease in pigs due to Menangle virus was characterised by stillbirths, mummification, embryonic death and infertility, along with abortions, skeletal deformities and degeneration of the brain and spinal cord in affected foetuses and stillborn piglets.     

Treatment of canine leproid granuloma syndrome: preliminary findings in seven dogs

OBJECTIVE: To determine effective treatment strategies for patients with refractory canine leproid granuloma syndrome. DESIGN: Multi-institutional retrospective/prospective case series using client-owned dogs. PROCEDURE: Seven dogs (four Boxers, one Dobermann, one Bullmastiff and one Bullmastiff cross-bred; ages 3 to 11 years) with leproid granulomas were treated successfully using a variety of treatment regimens. These cases were recruited because: lesions were either widely distributed over the dog; progressive, despite routine therapy, or were associated with particularly disfiguring lesions. The treatment regimen evolved during the course of the clinical study. RESULTS: Combination therapy using rifampicin (5 to 15 mg/kg p.o., every 24 h) and clarithromycin (8 to 24 mg/kg p.o. daily; dose divided every 8 or every 12 h) was used most frequently and proved to be effective and free from side effects. Total daily doses of clarithromycin in excess of 14 mg/kg were considered optimal and long treatment courses, in the order of 1 to 3 months, were used. Combination therapy using rifampicin (25 mg/kg; that is, higher than the recommended dose) and clofazimine was effective in one case, but resulted in hepatotoxicity. A topical formulation of clofazimine in petroleum jelly was used as an adjunct to oral rifampicin and doxycycline in another patient treated successfully. CONCLUSION: Based on our evolving clinical experience, a combination of rifampicin (10 to 15 mg/kg p.o., every 24 h) and clarithromycin (15 to 25 mg/kg p.o. total daily dose; given divided every 8 to 12 h) is currently recommended for treating severe or refractory cases of canine leproid granuloma syndrome. Treatment should be continued (typically for 4 to 8 weeks) until lesions are substantially reduced in size and ideally until lesions have resolved completely. A topical formulation, containing clofazimine in petroleum jelly may be used as an adjunct to systemic drug therapy. Further work is required to determine the most cost effective treatment regimen for this condition.     

Assessment of serum protein electrophoresis for monitoring therapy of naturally acquired equine cyathostomin infections

Serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) has previously been suggested as a means of assessing cyathostomin burdens in horses, although SPE used for that purpose is supported by little evidence. This clinical research report describes a study that objectively evaluated the use of SPE on a population of 38 horses following the administration of different anthelmintics. The population was subdivided into three groups, Groups F, M and P: 7.5 mg/kg bwt fenbendazole was administered to Group F on day -12; on day 0 0.4 mg/kg bwt moxidectin was administered to Group M and 19 mg/kg bwt pyrantel was administered to Group P. Faecal worm egg counts were obtained on days -14, 0 and 10. Groups M and P acted as controls for the Group F faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) in which a high level of benzimidazole resistance was demonstrated. Group F was then used as a control group for the FECRT for both Groups P and M. A high anthelmintic efficacy of moxidectin and pyrantel was detected. SPE was performed on venous blood collected on days 0, 10, 30, 56 and 80. As the cyathostomins infecting the horses had been shown to be highly resistant to fenbendazole, Group F then served as a control group for comparison of any changes in protein fractions. Serum proteins did not vary significantly between groups on any of the sampling dates. No significant changes in serum proteins were observed in any group and no patterns were apparent on qualitative assessment of SPE profiles. SPE was therefore concluded to be an insensitive tool for the monitoring of cyathostomin treatment in horses in a clinical environment.     

Frontier Russet: A new potato variety for early fresh and processing use with resistance to Fusarium dry rot

Frontier Russet, a new, medium-early potato variety, was jointly released to growers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Experiment Stations of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado on April 9, 1990. It was tested in irrigated yield trials since 1979. Frontier Russet produces a moderately high yield of high quality, oblong to long, cylindrical, russet-skinned tubers. The tubers are well suited for baking and for processing into french fries at harvest. Frontier Russet is resistant to Fusarium dry rot and more resistant to Verticillium wilt than other early russets.     

Response of four potato cultivars to rate and timing of nitrogen fertilizer

The release of three new potato (Solarium tuberosum L.) cultivars, Bannock Russet, Gem Russet, and Summit Russet, with unique plant growth characteristics, necessitates the development of appropriate N fertilizer recommendations. These three new cultivars, along with the standard cultivar, Russet Burbank, were treated with four N rates (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg N ha^?1) using two different application timing procedures (“early,” with two-thirds N applied preplant, and “late,” with one-third applied preplant). Measurements included total and U.S. No. 1 yields, petiole NO₃-N concentrations, and net returns derived from economic analysis using a processing-based contract. Each of the four cultivars showed a unique response to N application treatments. Bannock Russet achieved maximum yield and net returns with relatively small amounts of N fertilizer. It also showed no response to N application timing and had moderate NO₃-N sufficiency concentrations early in the season, that decreased markedly late in the season. Gem Russet N requirement for maximum yield was similar to that of Russet Burbank, but required a higher amount of N for maximum net returns. Gem Russet also showed no response to application timing and had NO₃-N sufficiency concentrations similar to or slightly higher than those of Russet Burbank. Summit Russet showed a strong trend for improved N use-efficiency when most of the N was applied early. On the other hand, analysis of net returns revealed a trend for greater profitability for Summit Russet when the majority of N was applied during tuber bulking. Petiole NO₃-N sufficiency concentrations for Summit Russet were generally higher than those for the other three cultivars. In comparison with some earlier studies with Russet Burbank, this research suggested lower optimal N rates and petiole NO₃-N sufficiency concentrations.