Serological responses against the pathogenic dimorphic fungus Mucor amphibiorum in populations of platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) with and without ulcerative mycotic dermatitis

Mucor amphibiorum, a dimorphic fungus, causes ulcerative dermatitis and systemic infections in the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus in some river systems in Tasmania but apparently not in other regions of Australia. As yet there are no suitable tests for population surveys, nor for detection of internal lesions in live animals. Consequently, immunoglobulins were purified from the serum of platypuses and anti-immunoglobulin antisera were prepared in rabbits in order to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for anti-M. amphibiorum antibodies. Antigens from plate-grown cultures resulted in greater signal-to-noise ratios in indirect ELISA than those from broth-grown cultures. Platypuses with clinical ulcerative dermatitis had elevated anti-Mucor antibody levels compared to apparently unaffected individuals. Seroconversion was observed in one animal coincident with the development of cutaneous ulcers. The results suggested that platypuses in affected rivers were exposed to M. amphibiorum at a higher frequency than the occurrence of clinical disease. Some platypuses from New South Wales had elevated antibody levels but these increased significantly with age suggesting exposure to cross-reactive antigens, although exposure to M. amphibiorum cannot be excluded. Further studies are warranted to determine factors that result in progression from infection to disease, the occurrence of the fungus in areas where disease has not been observed and the specificity of antigen used in ELISA.     

A novel nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis in young greyhounds in Ireland

Fourteen 4- to 18-month-old vaccinated Greyhounds (10 males, 4 females) from three kennels in southern Ireland presented over a 2-year period with acute or insidious onset neurological signs. Head tilting, ataxia, recumbency, circling, and blindness were commonly observed, and animals were dull, dehydrated, and had lost weight. Hematologic and biochemical parameters reflected dehydration but were otherwise unremarkable. Microscopic examination revealed severe diffuse and focal gliosis and gemistocytosis accompanied by mononuclear cell perivascular cuffing in caudate nucleus and cortical gray matter of the cerebrum and in the periventricular gray matter of the anterior brainstem. Milder lesions were noted in the caudal brainstem, cranial spinal cord, and in the molecular layer of the cerebellum. This was accompanied by a lymphocyte and plasma cell infiltration of the cerebral and cerebellar meninges. Demyelination, neuropil necrosis, neuronophagia, and vasculitis were not observed. No inclusion bodies, fungi, or protozoal cysts were seen. Additional serologic and molecular pathology tests also failed to determine a cause, suggesting that these cases may represent a previously undiagnosed condition in the dog.     

Genetic factors affecting susceptibility of dairy cows to udder pathogens

Bovine mastitis remains the most costly disease in dairy cattle. Breeding for resistance to udder pathogens has been proposed as a complementary tool to therapeutic and prophylactic measures not totally effective against the disease. This paper reviews factors affecting cows' susceptibility to pathogens at the animal, cellular/hormonal and DNA levels. Such factors will be useful in achieving genetic improvement for resistance only if they have desirable properties at the genetic and immunological levels. Because such properties are not always of significant magnitude, further research is necessary to identify characteristics of resistance in cows, considering the constant and complex interactions that occur between hosts and pathogens.     

An immunohistochemical study of the organization of ganglia and nerve fibres in the mucosa of the porcine intestine

In order to elucidate the organization of the enteric nervous system in the mucous plexus, wholemounts from six intestinal regions in six pigs were studied by vasoactive intestinal peptide, substance P, nitric oxide synthase and neurofilament proteins immunohistochemistry. The mucous plexus of both large and small intestine contained ganglia and isolated neurons. They were many and comparably larger in the caecum and colon, few in the ileum, and fewer and smaller in the jejunum. The mucous plexus was subdivided into the lamina muscularis mucosae and lamina proprial subplexuses, and based on location the latter was subdivided further in order to clarify their variations with respect to the amount, sizes and shapes of ganglia and neurons, sizes and orientation of nerve strands and immunoreactivities. Ganglia were situated at different topographical levels in the lamina muscularis mucosae subplexus, outer proprial and interglandular proprial meshworks in the lamina proprial subplexus with the majority of ganglia occurring in the outer proprial meshwork. The mucous plexus in the intestine of the pig is thus a ganglionated plexus showing marked segmental variation in the amount of intramucosal ganglia and isolated nerve cells. These new observations, calls for a re-examination of the mucous plexus to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of importance in mucosal functions and consideration of the mucous plexus in the intestine of the pig to be one of the major ganglionated plexuses.     

Can goats learn about foods through conditioned food aversions and preferences when multiple food options are simultaneously available?

The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which herbivores are able to use conditioned food aversions and preferences to learn about the nutritional and toxic properties of food plants, when food options are simultaneously available. Conditioned food aversions and preferences have been invoked as important mechanisms by which free-ranging herbivores optimize food selection by learning about the negative and positive consequences of consuming particular plant species through a series of encounters. In most previous tests of this hypothesis, access to individual test foods has been separated in time, giving animals the opportunity to associate particular foods with particular post-ingestive effects. We presented animals with a more complex scenario by offering test feeds simultaneously during the learning phase. Such a test is an important step in assessing the importance of conditioned food responses as mechanisms by which herbivores learn to select an optimal diet. We first assessed the ability of goats to learn about test foods and their post-ingestive effects, when different conifer species were offered on separate days during the learning phase and animals were dosed with compounds eliciting positive, negative, or neutral post-ingestive effects. We then investigated the ability of animals to learn to make appropriate choices when all potential test foods were simultaneously available during the learning phase. The results confirmed that goats can learn to associate particular foods with particular post-ingestive effects and adjust their diet selection accordingly. The success with which animals made such associations was greatly reduced when they were presented with test foods simultaneously during the learning phase. When test foods were simultaneously available, animals tended to select a mixed diet, thereby reducing their opportunity to learn about the post-ingestive effects of particular foods. The results suggest that caution is required in extrapolating results of artificial conditioning experiments to free-ranging herbivores. The results also suggest that reducing the risk of toxicity through selection of mixed diets is an important component of a successful foraging strategy.     

Heparinised blood ionised calcium concentrations in horses with colic or diarrhoea compared to normal subjects

Our objectives were to 1) establish ionised calcium (ICa), C-terminal PTH and biologically active PTH (intact molecule) concentrations in blood from normal horses, 2) examine the stability of ionised calcium and acid-base values in stored equine heparinised blood and serum and 3) check the applicability of the formulas based on these parameters in certain disease states. Mean +/- s.d. % ionised calcium in heparinised blood of normal Warmbloods was 51 +/- 2.7 (n = 20) of total calcium, range 1.45-1.75 mmol/l (n = 15) at Michigan State University and 1.43-1.69 mmol/l (n = 20) at Utrecht University. Mean +/- s.d. EDTA plasma concentration for intact +/PTH in normal horses measured 0.6 +/- 0.3 pmol/l (n = 11). Both mean serum and the heparinised blood ionised calcium concentrations changed (not significantly) after 102 h storage at room temperature. Six cycles of freezing and thawing did not affect serum ionised calcium concentration significantly. Ionised calcium concentration and pH in heparinised blood of 20 normal Warmbloods were used to calculate the regression equation for the prediction of the adjusted ionised calcium concentration to a pH of 7.4. The linear regression equation found was: adjusted plasma ICa at pH 7.4 mmol/l = -6.4570 + 0.8739 x (measured pH) + 0.9944 x (measured ICa mmol/l). By means of this formula, mean adjusted ionised calcium concentration in heparinised blood calculated was 100% of the actual value given by the analyser in the normal horses. When using this formula in horses with colic or diarrhoea, mean adjusted ionised calcium concentration was underestimated by 0.2 and 0.3%, respectively. Furthermore, to adjust the measured ionised calcium concentration in heparinised blood to a pH of 7.4 in healthy as well as in 2 groups of diseased horses 2 formulas with a good prediction are now available.     

Relationship between semi-quantitative thyroid palpation and total thyroxine concentration in cats with and without hyperthyroidism

In 155 cats, both with and without clinical signs of hyperthyroidism, total thyroxine (TT4) concentrations were compared to a sensitive, semi-quantitative thyroid palpation technique. On the basis of TT4 concentrations, 23 of the 155 cats were classified as hyperthyroid. The size of individual thyroid glands was scored between '0' (non-palpable) and a maximum of '6'. One or more enlarged thyroid glands (score >0) were palpated in 22 of the 23 hyperthyroid cats and in 78 of the 132 euthyroid cats. However, none of the 132 euthyroid cats had a thyroid lobe score of greater than '3' whereas 18 of the 23 hyperthyroid cats had a thyroid lobe score of '4' or greater, and in two of the five that had scores below '4' there was evidence of intrathoracic functional thyroid tissue on scintigraphy.     

Degree of amino acid restrictions during the grower phase and compensatory growth in pigs selected for lean growth efficiency

A total of 32 select line (SL) and 32 control line (CL) Duroc pigs were used in two trials to determine the effect of dietary amino acid contents during the grower (G) phase and selection for lean growth efficiency on growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality. In each trial, pigs weighing 20 kg were assigned to 16 pens with two gilts or two castrated males per pen, and pens were randomly assigned within the genetic line to corn-soybean meal G diets formulated to contain 5.0, 7.0, 9.0, or 11.0 g lysine/kg. After 50 kg, all pigs were fed common finisher 1 (F1) and finisher 2 (F2) diets. Pigs were allowed ad libitum access to feed and water. After the initial statistical analyses, the data sets from the two trials were combined. During the G phase, pigs consumed less feed [linear (Ln), P < 0.001] and more lysine (Ln, P < 0.001), grew faster (Ln, P < 0.05) but utilized feed more and lysine less efficiently (Ln, P < 0.001) for weight gain as the amino acid content of G diets increased. Increasing dietary amino acids resulted in less ultrasound backfat (Ln, P < 0.001) and more serum urea nitrogen [Ln, P < 0.001; quadratic (Qd), P < 0.01] at the end of the G phase. Pigs grew more slowly during the F1 (Ln, P < 0.01 and Qd, P = 0.05) and F2 (Ln, P = 0.07) phases and utilized feed and lysine less efficiently (Ln, P < 0.05) for weight gain during the F1 phase as the amino acid content of G diets increased. The grower diet had no effect on overall weight gain and feed efficiency, carcass traits, or meat quality scores. The efficiency of lysine utilization for overall weight gain (Ln, P < 0.001) and lean accretion (Ln, P < 0.05) improved as the amino acid content of G diets decreased. The SL pigs grew faster (P < 0.05) and had less (P < 0.001) ultrasound backfat throughout the study compared with the CL pigs. The SL pigs had less 10th rib backfat (P < 0.001) and tended to have larger longissimus muscle area (P = 0.09) than the CL pigs, which were reflected in greater rate (P < 0.001) and efficiency (P < 0.05) of lean accretion. Marbling (P < 0.05) and meat color (P = 0.07) scores were lower in the SL pigs. No grower diet x genotype interactions were observed in response criteria of interest. The results indicate that pigs subjected to dietary amino acid restrictions during the G phase (as low as 5.0 g lysine/kg) compensated completely in terms of growth rate and body composition regardless of the genotype. Compensatory growth can have a positive impact not only on the overall efficiency of pig production but also on the environment by reducing excretion of unused nutrients.     

Characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates associated with mortality in broiler chicks

In mid-2000, a broiler chicken company in Alabama experienced high early mortality rates in chicks from two different hatcheries. Five isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, obtained from these contaminated hatcheries and resulting broiler chicks with omphalitis, were selected to determine virulence of the bacteria. One-day-old specific-pathogen-free white leghorn chicks were placed into positive pressure isolation units (10 chicks per unit); feed and water were provided ad libitum. The five isolates of P. aeruginosa (1 x 10(1) or 1 x 10(1) colony-forming units/bird) were used to challenge two replicates of 10 chicks via yolk sac inoculation. Two control groups were injected with 0.1 ml of phosphate-buffered saline, and two groups received no treatment. Mortality was recorded daily, and the chicks that died were necropsied and liver and yolk sacs were cultured. After 14 days, the remaining chickens were euthanatized and necropsied. Bacterial isolates retrieved from liver and yolk sacs were identified by the API 20 NE typing system to confirm that they were the same as the challenge isolate. Virulence varied greatly among the isolates, resulting in mortality rates from 0 to 90%. The challenge isolates produced different and often distinctive postmortem lesion patterns. Antibiotic sensitivity tests showed that all five isolates were resistant to sulfisoxazole, ceftiofur, penicillin, lincomycin, bacitracin, oxytetracycline, erythromycin, naladixic acid, and tetracycline. The isolates varied in sensitivity to other antibiotics, but all isolates were sensitive to gentamicin.     

Effects of increasing dietary niacin on growth performance and meat quality in finishing pigs reared in two different environments

We conducted two experiments to determine the effects of added dietary niacin on growth performance and meat quality in finishing pigs. Pigs were blocked by weight and assigned to one of six dietary treatments in both experiments. Dietary treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal-based control diet (no added niacin) or the control diet with 13, 28, 55, 110, or 550 mg/kg of added niacin. In Exp. 1, pigs were housed at the Kansas State University research from with two pigs per pen (six pens per treatment per sex). In Exp. 2, pigs were housed with 26 pigs per pen (four pens per treatment per sex) in a commercial research barn. In Exp. 1, 144 pigs (initially 51.2 kg) were fed diets in two phases (d 0 to 25 and 25 to 62) that were formulated to 1.00 and 0.75% lysine, respectively. In Exp. 2, 1,248 pigs (initially 35.9 kg) were fed diets in four phases (d 0 to 28, 29 to 56, 57 to 84, and 85 to 117), with corresponding total lysine concentrations of 1.25, 1.10, 0.90, and 0.65% lysine, respectively. Added fat (6.0%) was included in the first three phases. In Exp. 1, average daily feed intake tended (quadratic, P < 0.07) to increase then return to values similar to control pigs as dietary niacin increased. Longissimus muscle (LM) 24-h pH (longissimus of pigs fed added niacin) tended to increase (control vs niacin, P < 0.06) for pigs fed added niacin. In the commercial facility (Exp. 2), increasing added niacin improved gain:feed (quadratic, P < 0.01) and subjective color score, and ultimate pH (linear, P < 0.01). Added niacin also decreased (linear, P < 0.04) carcass shrink, L* values, and drip loss percentage. Results from these two studies show that 13 to 55 mg/kg added dietary niacin can be fed to pigs in a commercial environment to improve gain:feed. It also appears that pork quality, as measured by drip loss, pH, and color, may be improved by higher concentrations of added dietary niacin.