The combined effect of fenbendazole treatment and a move to aftermath 7 or 9 weeks after turnout on Dictyocaulus viviparus infections in calves

A grazing study was performed with the main objective of examining the effect of fenbendazole (FBZ) in a ‘dose and move’ system on nematode infections in calves with special emphasis on Dictyocaulus viviparus.

Three groups of six calves were grazed from May to October 1993. One group (DM7) was treated with FBZ and moved to aftermath (pasture which had only been mown) 7 weeks after turnout. The second group (DM9) was similarly treated and moved 9 weeks after turnout and the third group served as untreated pasture control group (PC) and was moved to aftermath 9 weeks after turnout.

FBZ treatment removed adult lungworms from DM7 and DM9. Tracer calves grazed during the first 7 or the first 9 weeks after turnout acquired mean burdens of 18 and 125 lungworms, respectively. In PC faecal larval counts increased until the end of August. Most of the animals in this group were then suffering from lungworm disease and emergency treatment with ivermectin was given. In both FBZ-treated groups, larvae reappeared in the faeces of some of the calves 4–5 weeks after treatment. Subsequent reinfection resulted in higher mean faecal larval counts in both groups 2 months after treatment, although variation in faecal larval counts was high. In DM7 values tended to be higher than in DM9. These higher larval counts were associated with mild signs of parasitic bronchitis in some calves of DM7, whereas no signs were seen in DM9.

At the end of the experiment, all calves, and also a group of six permanently housed non-infected control calves (HC), were infected experimentally with 5000 D. viviparus larvae to evaluate development of immunity. The worm counts at necropsy showed that all calves on pasture had developed immunity.     

Equine Melanocytic Tumors: A Retrospective Study of 53 Horses (1988 to 1991)

A study of 57 cutaneous melanocytic tumors from 53 horses revealed 4 distinct clinical syndromes: melanocytic nevus, dermal melanoma, dermal melanomatosis, and anaplastic malignant melanoma. Melanocytic nevus and anaplastic melanoma each had histopathologic features that distinguished them from dermal melanoma and dermal melanomatosis. Dermal melanoma and dermal melanomatosis were histologically similar but could be differentiated by their clinical features. Melanocytic nevi were diagnosed in 29 horses with an average age of 5 years; they were solitary, superficial masses that occurred in both grey and nongrey horses, and in which surgical excision was generally curative. Dermal melanomas were diagnosed in 20 horses with an average age of 13 years; all horses of known coat color were grey. Eight horses with an average age of 7 years had 1 or 2 discrete dermal melanomas. Follow-up information was available for 6 horses; metastases occurred in 2 horses, and surgical excision was apparently curative in 4 horses. Dermal melanomatosis was diagnosed in 12 grey horses with an average age of 17 years; all 6 of these horses evaluated had internal metastases. In 2 aged nongrey horses with anaplastic malignant melanoma, the tumors metastasized within 1 year of diagnosis. Two tumors with features of both melanocytic nevus and dermal melanoma remained unclassified.     

Evaluation of Sperm-Activating Solutions in Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar Fertilization Tests

The use of saline solutions was tested to determine their efficacy as replacements for ovarian fluid as sperm activators and to eliminate variability encountered with the use of Ovarian fluid. We tested fertilization rate of semen from eight males on Atlantic salmon Salmo salar eggs after five sperm-activating solutions and a non-activating saline were substituted for ovarian fluid. We used solutions shown acceptable for use with other salmonid species. The six solutions tested were a non sperm-activating phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, 7.2 g/L NaCl, 1.48 g/L Na₂HPO₄, 0.43 g/L K H₂PO₄), a Tris buffer (6.99 g/L NaCl, 3.63 g/L Tris and 2.42 g/L glycine), a Borax buffer (12.2 g boric acid/L in solution 1, 76 g disodium tetraborate/L combined 100:118, then 1 L combined with 3.7 L water and 18 g NaCl), and three solutions of 9.25 g/L (125 mM) NaCl buffered to pH 6.0, 7.5, and 8.9. The latter five solutions activated sperm immediately on contact, while PBS required additional water to activate sperm. The PBS solution was the least effective (mean percent eyed eggs 37.6%) for egg fertilization. The mean percent eyed eggs for the other five saline solutions (range 78% to 86%) were not significantly different. Sperm from one male provided significantly lower egg fertilization (39.6%) when compared with the other seven males (67.2–87.4% egg fertilization). Percent egg fertilization was not related to number of live sperm cells per egg. Our results show that osmotically-balanced sperm-activation solutions, even those with a pH range from 6.0 to 8.9 provide adequate media for fertilization of Atlantic salmon eggs. Fertilization in a deactivation saline and water reactivation of sperm resulted in low egg fertilization.     

Dietary protein for young grazing sheep: Interactions with gastrointestinal parasitism

Effects of protein supplementation and of nematode control on production responses in young grazing sheep and on nematode population dynamics were assessed. Young Merino wether sheep (n = 270) were allocated to one of three supplementation (Su) treatments and one of three regimes of nematode control (drench, Dr) in a factorial design. Each of the nine treatments was replicated three times in a randomised complete block. Animals received no supplement (SuO) or were given supplements at a level equivalent to 200 g day⁻¹, fed three times a week. The supplements contained 25% lucerne meal with either 75% sunflower meal (Su1) or 75% formaldehyde-treated sunflower meal (Su2). Nematode control regimes were: not drenched unless survival of individual animals was threatened (DrO); drenched according to a strategic drenching programme (Dr1); treatment with a controlled-release albendazole capsule (Dr2). Infections with Haemonchus contortus were suppressed by use of closantel. Due to drought conditions and lack of pasture growth, lucerne hay was fed to all sheep from Week 14 onwards (350 g per head per day, fed twice a week). Supplementation reduced the need for ‘survival drenching’ in Dr0 sheep considerably. Live-weight gain was increased significantly by supplementation with Su1 or Su2 during the 36-week experiment. Undrenched animals given Su1 or Su2 tended to grow faster than unsupplemented animals in the Dr1 and Dr2 groups. Greasy wool production and fibre diameter were increased by supplementation and anthelmintic treatment. Faecal worm egg counts (FEC) in undrenched sheep were significantly lower for Su1 and Su2 sheep than for Su0 sheep. There were no effects of supplementation on FEC in Dr1 or Dr2 sheep. Worm burden was generally unaffected by supplementation, while the drenching treatments Dr1 and Dr2 reduced worm burden at Week 16 and to a lesser extent at Week 27. Trichostrongylus colubriformis was the predominant nematode species, with smaller numbers of Nematodirus spp., Trichostrongylus vitrinus, Trichostrongylus axei and Ostertagia circumcincta also present. It was concluded that supplementary feeding with protein meal substantially reduced production losses attributable to nematode infections in young grazing sheep. This appears to be due to an enhanced resilience of the host, rather than any major changes in development of protective immunity.     

Heterologous Radioimmunoassay for Llama and Alpaca Luteinizing Hormone with a Monoclonal Antibody,an Equine Standard and a Human Tracer

A radioimmunoassay for llama and alpaca LH was developed using a human I¹²⁵LH tracer from a commercial kit, equine LH diluted in human LH free serum as standard, and a monoclonal antibody (518B7) specific for LH but with low species specificity. A 60-min delay in the addition of the tracer and overnight incubation gave a sensitivity of 0.8 μg L⁻¹. The intra-assay coefficient of variation was 37% at 1 μg L⁻¹, declined to 15% at 4 pg L⁻¹ and was below 6% for concentrations up to 32 μg L⁻¹. The inter-assay coefficients of variation for 3 control samples were 20% (2.8 μg L⁻¹), 16% (7.1 μg L⁻¹) and 9.8% (19 μg L⁻¹). In an attempt to increase sensitivity, all tubes were preincubated for 4 h at room temperature before adding the tracer, and the sample volume was increased from 50 μL to 100 μL· (in the standard curve the increased volume was compensated for by human LH free serum). With this protocol, the assay sensitivity was 0.5 μg L⁻¹. The assay was validated clinically and demonstrated increased concentrations of LH after mating in llamas and alpacas. Furthermore, the assay was used to monitor LH responses to a single dose of GnRH in llamas (adult males and females at different ages).