Comparison of isoflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia after premedication with butorphanol in the green iguana (Iguana iguana).

The anesthetic and cardiopulmonary effects of butorphanol followed by sevoflurane or isoflurane were compared in 23 male green iguanas (Iguana iguana). Heart and respiratory rates were recorded before administration of butorphanol (2 mg/kg i.m.) and at 30 min after premedication. Anesthesia was induced in 12 iguanas (group 1) with isoflurane (5%) and in 11 iguanas (group 2) with sevoflurane (7%). Heart rate, relative arterial oxygen hemoglobin saturation (SpO2), and end-tidal CO2 concentrations (EtCO2) were measured every minute for the first 5 min and every 5 min thereafter. Arterial blood gas parameters were determined at 10 and 40 min after induction. Thirty minutes after butorphanol administration, no significant changes in heart and respiratory rate were seen as compared with baseline values. Quality and time to induction were superior with butorphanol-sevoflurane (6 +/- 3 min) than with butorphanol-isoflurane (9 +/- 4 min). Vaporizer settings during maintenance ranged between 1-3% and 2-4%, respectively. No significant differences in heart rate were noted between groups. In the sevoflurane group, SpO2 values were > 90% throughout. Although SpO2, values were < 90% at 20, 25, and 30 min in the isoflurane group, no significant differences in SpO2 values were seen over time and between groups. A significant decrease in EtCO2 with time was present in both groups, with no significant differences between the groups. At 10 and 40 min, arterial blood oxygen saturation values were > 90% in both groups and no significant differences were noted with time and between groups. Recovery time was significantly longer in the butorphanol-isoflurane group (35 +/- 27 min) than in the butorphanol-sevoflurane group (7 +/- 4 min). The cardiopulmonary effects of butorphanol-isoflurane and butorphanol-sevoflurane assessed in this study are similar, and both inhalants appear to be safe and effective for induction and maintenance in the green iguana.     

Comparison of individual and pooled sampling methods for detecting bacterial pathogens of fish.

Examination of finfish populations for viral and bacterial pathogens is an important component of fish disease control programs worldwide. Two methods are commonly used for collecting tissue samples for bacteriological culture, the currently accepted standards for detection of bacterial fish pathogens. The method specified in the Office International des Epizooties Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals permits combining renal and splenic tissues from as many as 5 fish into pooled samples. The American Fisheries Society (AFS) Blue Book/US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Inspection Manual specifies the use of a bacteriological loop for collecting samples from the kidney of individual fish. An alternative would be to more fully utilize the pooled samples taken for virology. If implemented, this approach would provide substantial savings in labor and materials. To compare the relative performance of the AFS/USFWS method and this alternative approach, cultures of Yersinia ruckeri were used to establish low-level infections in groups of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) that were sampled by both methods. Yersinia ruckeri was cultured from 22 of 37 groups by at least 1 method. The loop method yielded 18 positive groups, with 1 group positive in the loop samples but negative in the pooled samples. The pooled samples produced 21 positive groups, with 4 groups positive in the pooled samples but negative in the loop samples. There was statistically significant agreement (Spearman coefficient 0.80, P < 0.001) in the relative ability of the 2 sampling methods to permit detection of low-level bacterial infections of rainbow trout.     

Adaptations of subpalpebral lavage systems used for llamas (Lama glama) and a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina).

Subpalpebral lavage systems (SPLSs) were adapted for use in zoo llamas (Lama glama) and a wild harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) during therapy for severe ulcerative keratitis or corneal perforation. One llama presented with a melting corneal ulcer caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which necessitated frequent application of a topical ophthalmic antibiotic. The lavage system was used routinely during the day and was connected to a balloon infusion system at night to allow for continuous medication administration. The ulcer healed soon after therapy was extended to include overnight treatment with the infusion system. A SPLS system was also combined with a balloon infusor during postoperative treatment of a second llama that had sustained a corneal perforation. Both llamas tolerated the infusor/lavage systems well and regained vision. One llama had minor conjunctival irritation from the SPLS that resolved quickly without treatment. Bilateral SPLS were placed in a wild harbor seal for treatment of severe ulcerative keratitis associated with Candida albicans infection. The seal tolerated the lavage systems well throughout 14 wk of their use in an aquatic environment with other seals. Partial detachment of the lavage systems from the skin of the seal occurred a few times during treatment and was easily corrected. Severe keratitis resolved with administration of antimicrobials through the lavage systems, and the seal was returned to the wild. The use of SPLSs alone or in ombination with balloon infusion systems warrants consideration for exotic, wild, and aquatic animals that cannot tolerate repetitive manual applications of topical ophthalmic medication.     

Growth and ripening season effects on antioxidant capacity of strawberry cultivar Selva

There is wide awareness on the importance of antioxidants in cell protection against free radicals constantly produced by the cell metabolism. In this work, carried out with strawberry cultivar “Selva”, the antioxidant capacity and content of the main accepted antioxidants – ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid, total phenols and anthocyanins – were determined along 10 growth stages of the fruit. Strawberries were harvested in winter and summer. Minimum/maximum temperatures in the two seasons were 6.3 °C/14.9 °C and 14.5 °C/27.8 °C, respectively. Antioxidant capacity in the small green stage was 27 mmol DPPH/100 g fresh tissue, keeping noticeably high values in the large-green one. Towards the white stage, antioxidant capacity reduced, to remain mostly constant. The antioxidant capacity was higher in those stages where cell division was more important and this parameter correlated mostly with the contents of total phenols and ascorbic acid.     

Characterization of circulating lymphocyte subpopulations in canine leishmaniasis throughout treatment with antimonials and allopurinol

Canine leishmaniasis (CL) is a systemic parasitic disease with a wide variability of response to specific therapy: the majority of patients apparently improve with treatment, some of them respond but later relapse, and few of them do not respond at all. It has been demonstrated that the immune response plays a key role in the development and outcome of Leishmania infection in the dog and in the response to the treatment, although this response is not well understood. Some authors have suggested that ill dogs show a reduction in the percentage of circulating CD4+ lymphocytes and in the CD4+/CD8+ ratio, both of which normalize after treatment and clinical recovery. The present paper discusses the variation of the different lymphocyte subpopulations (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD21) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in 28 dogs diagnosed with CL and submitted to conventional treatment with meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime) for 1 month and with allopurinol (Zyloric) for 1 year, in order to evaluate the usefulness of these parameters as indicators of the immunological condition of the ill animals and of the prognosis of their evolution during the treatment. It is concluded that circulating lymphocyte subpopulations are similar in dogs with leishmaniasis and in healthy dogs and that there is no correlation between the clinical status or response to therapy and the values of the counts of the different lymphocyte subpopulations. Therefore, the percentage of different lymphocyte subpopulations cannot be used as a parameter to predict the evolution of an individual patient in a clinical context.     

A retrospective study of Newcastle disease in Kenya

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Newcastle disease (ND) is a major constraint to Kenya’s poultry production, which is comprised of approximately 80% indigenous chickens (ICs; caged and...     

Honey bee nest thermoregulation: diversity promotes stability

A honey bee colony is characterized by high genetic diversity among its workers, generated by high levels of multiple mating by its queen. Few clear benefits of this genetic diversity are known. Here we show that brood nest temperatures in genetically diverse colonies (i.e., those sired by several males) tend to be more stable than in genetically uniform ones (i.e., those sired by one male). One reason this increased stability arises is because genetically determined diversity in workers' temperature response thresholds modulates the hive-ventilating behavior of individual workers, preventing excessive colony-level responses to temperature fluctuations.     

Laryngeal obstruction caused by lymphoma in an adult dairy cow

A Holstein cow was presented for inspiratory dyspnea. Endoscopic evaluation revealed swollen arytenoids and a presumptive diagnosis of bilateral arytenoidal chondritis was made. A partial arytenoidectomy was performed, the right arytenoid was submitted for histopathology, and a diagnosis of laryngeal lymphoma was made. Due to the poor prognosis, the cow was euthanized.     

Gamma Interferon Production and Plasma Concentrations of Pregnancy‐Associated Glycoproteins 1 and 2 in Gestating Dairy Cows Naturally Infected With Neospora caninum

Gamma interferon (IFN‐γ) production and cross‐breed pregnancy have been attributed a role in protecting dairy cows infected with Neospora caninum against abortion. Plasma levels of pregnancy‐associated glycoproteins‐1 (PAG‐1) are a marker of placental/foetal well‐being and of PAG‐2 is an abortion risk indicator in chronically N. caninum‐infected animals. The present study examines, in cross‐breed pregnancies, interactions between IFN‐γ production and levels of PAG‐1 and PAG‐2 in non‐aborting naturally Neospora‐infected dairy cows. Data were obtained from 60 pregnant Holstein‐Friesian cows: 44 Neospora‐seropositive and 16 Neospora‐seronegative; 12 became pregnant using Holstein‐Friesian semen and 48 using Limousin semen. Blood samples were collected on Days 40, 90, 120, 150, 180 and 210 of gestation. Gamma interferon was only detected in the plasma of nine of the 44 Neospora‐seropositive cows, all of them became pregnant using Limousin semen. Through GLM procedures, in cows inseminated with Limousin semen and Neospora‐seropositive cows showing no IFN‐γ production, PAG‐1 concentrations were high and increased throughout gestation compared to the levels detected in cows inseminated with Holstein‐Friesian semen and Neospora‐seropositive cows producing IFN‐γ, respectively. In Neospora‐seronegative cows and in Neospora‐seropositive cows showing no IFN‐γ production, significantly increased PAG‐2 concentrations were observed on gestation Day 120. Our findings indicate that IFN‐γ production correlates negatively and the production of antibodies against N. caninum is uncorrelated with plasma PAG concentrations during gestation in Neospora‐infected dairy cows. Accordingly, IFN‐γ production could be linked to the transplacental migration of tachyzoites, which may cause a reduction in PAG levels.