Dietary crude protein concentration does not affect the leucine requirement of growing dogs

The objective of the present study was to examine the interaction between graded levels of leucine and dietary crude protein. Dose–response curves were generated using four 3 × 3 Latin squares (two dogs/square). Each square represented one of two concentrations of crude protein (140 or 280 g/kg diet) and one of two combinations of three concentrations of leucine (5.0, 7.0 and 9.0 g/kg diet or 9.0, 11 and 13 g/kg diet). An additional experiment was performed by feeding crude protein at 210 g/kg diet with either 7.0 or 11 g leucine/kg diet. Weight gain, food intake, nitrogen retention, plasma albumin and plasma amino acids were measured. The requirement was determined to be the minimum leucine concentration required to maximize weight gain and nitrogen retention. For 8–14-week-old male Beagle dogs, 140 g crude protein/kg diet in a diet containing 18 kJ metabolizable energy/g does not appear to support maximal growth. The leucine requirement was not affected by doubling the dietary crude protein level from 140 to 280 g/kg diet. From these results, the leucine requirement of 8–14-week-old Beagle dogs appears to be 11 g leucine/kg diet independent of the level of dietary crude protein, whereas dogs over 14 weeks require only 7 g leucine/kg diet for maximal nitrogen retention.     

Evaluation of an autogenous Salmonella bacterin and a modified live Salmonella serotype Choleraesuis vaccine on a commercial dairy farm.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of a Salmonella bacterin and a modified live Salmonella ser. Choleraesuis vaccine on a commercial dairy. ANIMALS: 450 cows in late gestation and 80 calves. PROCEDURE: Group-1 cows (n = 150) were vaccinated once with a modified live S. Choleraesuis (serogroup C1) strain 54 (SC54) vaccine, group-2 cows (150) were vaccinated on enrollment and 30 days later with a Salmonella ser. Montevideo (serogroup C1) bacterin, and group-3 cows (150) served as unvaccinated controls. One gallon of colostrum harvested from the first 80 cows to calve was fed to each calf. Outcome assessments included fecal shedding of Salmonella spp for the first 10 days after parturition (cows) or birth (calves), milk production, involuntary culling rate, mastitis incidence, antimicrobial use, and mortality rate. RESULTS: Salmonellae were isolated from 306 of 309 (99%) cows and 64 of 74 (86.5%) calves. Shedding frequency was less in SC54-vaccinated cows and calves that received colostrum from those cows, compared with the other groups, and vaccination was specifically associated with less shedding of serogroup C1 salmonellae. Production data were similar among groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Vaccination of pregnant cows with an autogenous Salmonella bacterin had no effect on fecal shedding of salmonellae, whereas vaccination with a modified live S. Choleraesuis vaccine reduced the frequency of fecal shedding of serogroup C1 salmonellae during the peripartum period. A commercial S. Choleraesuis vaccine licensed for use in swine may be more efficacious than autogenous Salmonella bacterins on dairies infected with serogroup C1 salmonellae.     

Isolation of Nocardia asteroides from a dog with haemorrhagic cystitis

The clinical, clinicopathological, serial urinalysis, urinary bladder radiography and urine bacteriological culture results in a three-year-old male dog with haematuria of four days duration are presented. The dog had cystitis associated with suspected Nocardia asteroides infection. There was rapid resolution of clinical signs on institution of treatment with ampicillin.     

Pharmacokinetics of midazolam administered concurrently with ketamine after intravenous bolus or infusion in dogs

Brown, S.A., Jacobson, J.D., Hartsfield, S.M. Pharmacokinetics of midazolam administered concurrently with ketamine after intravenous bolus or infusion in dogs. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 16 , 419–425. Midazolam, a water-soluble benzodiazepine tranquilizer, has been considered by some veterinary anaesthesiologists to be suitable as a combination anaesthetic agent when administered concurrently with ketamine because of its water solubility and miscibility with ketamine. However, the pharmacokinetics of midazolam have not been extensively described in the dog. Twelve clinically healthy mixed breed dogs (22.2–33.4 kg) were divided into two groups at random and were administered ketamine (10 mg/kg) and midazolam (0.5 mg/kg) either as an intravenous bolus over 30 s (group 1) or as an i.v. infusion in 0.9% NaCl (2 ml/kg) over 15 min. Blood samples were obtained immediately before the drugs were injected and periodically for 6 h afterwards. Serum concentrations were determined using gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. Serum concentrations were best described using a two-compartment open model and indicated a t_½α of 1.8 min and t_½β.p of 27.8 min after i.v. bolus, and t_½α f 1–35 min and t_½β of 31.6 min after i.v. infusion. The calculated pharmacokinetic coefficient B was significantly smaller after i.v. infusion (429 ± 244 ng/ml) than after i.v. bolus (888 ± 130 ng/ml, P = 0.004). Furthermore, AUC was significantly smaller after i.v. infusion (29 800 ±6120 ng/h/ml) than after i.v. bolus (42 500 ± 8460 ng/h/ml, P < 0.05), resulting in a larger Cl_B after i.v. infusion (17.4 ± 4.00 ml/min/kg than after i.v. bolus (12.1 ± 2.24 ml/min/kg, P < 0.05). No other pharmacokinetic value was significantly affected by rate of intravenous administration.     

Use of androgenesis in intersubspecific hybrid rice breeding

Significant differences of callus induction, green plant regeneration and culture efficiency were observed among restorer lines and their hybrids in rice. Average callus induction percentage of F₁, hybrids was about twice that of their parents. Twenty doubled haploid (DH) lines that showed normal fertility with both indica and japonica CMS lines, were selected as widely compatible restorers (WCRs). TG8 derived from CPSLO17/Minghui 63 not only showed normal fertility to both indica and japonica test varieties and CMS lines, but also exhibited superior agronomic traits, in particular short plant, desired plant type, high tillerability, large panicles, good grain quality and resistance to rice blast disease. Strong heterosis for yield was observed in crosses between indica or japonica CMS lines and TG8. TG8 possessed a dominant, widely compatible gene (WCG) that was inherited from the variety CPSLO17. Results confirmed that the anther culture technique is a quick and effective way of developing widely compatible restorers in rice and that it is applicable to the direct use of intersubspecific heterosis with the three-line method.     

Double infection with maedi virus and adenomatosis virus in Merino sheep]

This is the first report of the simultaneous occurrence of sheep pulmonary adenomatosis and lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (Maedi) in the same animal in the Federal Republic of Germany. Seven adult sheep of the Merino Landrace were tested by immunodiffusion-assay for antibodies against Maedi/Visna-virus. Five of them originating from three different flocks had a positive reaction. In all pulmonary foci, which were examined by light microscopy, we found proliferations of the alveolar epithelium and therefore made a diagnosis of pulmonary adenomatosis. The animals with antibodies against Maedi-virus were additionally affected by a non-purulent peribronchitis and interstitial pneumonia. The diagnostic difficulties in double infections like those reported here are discussed. Eradication is complicated by the unknown epidemiologic situation.     

An Epidemiologic and Economic Study of Respiratory Diseases in Two Conventional Danish Swine Herds. I: Prevalence of Respiratory Lesions at Slaughter and Their Effects on Growth

A total of 578 slaughter pigs from 2 Danish conventional farrow-to-finish operations (Herds A and B) were followed from an age of 14 days to slaughter. Pigs were weighed at 3 weeks intervals and at slaughter and an extended post mortem examination of the plucks was done. Comparison of growth rates in pigs with and without specific types of lesions by the t-test and those with multiple lesions with regression models demonstrated that Mycoplasma-like pneumonia, complicated pneumonia, anterio-ventral pleuritis, fissures and atrophic rhinitis significantly reduced mean daily gain and increased the time required to reach slaughter weight. The total impact of the lesions in Herd A was an estimated reduction in mean daily gain of 27 grams and a 2 day increase in the interval from 14 days of age until slaughter (MDG14). Decreases in MDG14 in Herd B were more substantial, 98 grams and 16.7 days. Reductions in mean daily gains during the interval from the fourth weighing until slaughter were 31 grams in Herd A and 137 grams in Herd B. Chronic dorso-caudal and parietal pleuritis, without other lesions present, had no significant adverse effects on growth rates in either herd. Interactions between lesions did not significantly alter the estimates. The R² values obtained for the regression models showed that the presence, absence or extent of lesions at slaughter explained only 13-27% of the variations in growth rates in the 2 herds.     

Quantitative analysis of canine plasma lipoproteins

A combined ultracentrifugationl/precipitation method for the measurement of lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations was developed and validated for use with canine plasma. Very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) were isolated by flotation ultracentrifugation and low density lipoproteins (LDL) separated from high density lipoproteins (HDL) by precipitation with heparin-manganese chloride. Effective separation of these classes was confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis of native lipoproteins and by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of their apolipoprotein distributions. There was trace contamination of the LDL precipitate with HDL, but this represented less than 4 and 9 per cent of the total plasma HDL in normo- and hypercholesterolaemic dogs, respectively. The intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation for LDL- and HDL-cholesterol concentrations were between 3·3 and 6·9 per cent, and 7·2 and 9·0 per cent, respectively, for plasma cholesterol concentrations between 2·67 and 8·14 mmoll/litre. The intra-assay coefficient of variation for VLDL-cholesterol was 53·8 and 18·4 per cent at plasma cholesterol concentrations of 2·67 and 8·14 mmol/litre, respectively. The interassay coefficient of variation for VLDL was 22·5 per cent. Storage of plasma at -20°C for between two and eight weeks did not affect VLDL-cholesterol concentrations, but led to an increase in LDL-cholesterol and a decrease in HDL-cholesterol concentrations of approximately 10 per cent. The method described is appropriate for the measurement of lipoprotein concentrations in plasma from normo- and hypercholesterolaemic dogs, but samples should not be subjected to prolonged storage before analysis.