SEPTIC COXOFEMORAL ARTHRITIS AND OSTEOMYELITIS IN A DOG

An 8-year-old male Labrador retriever presented with a rear limb lameness cased by an osteolytic lesion of the left acetabulum and femoral head and neck. Initial bone biopsy study was nondiagnostic. Histopathologic study and culture of the subsequently excised femoral head and neck revealed a Staphyloccocus intermedial arthritis and osteomyelitis. Neoplash was ruled out on the basis of histopathologic analysis.     

A review of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium metabolism in the horse

Mineral metabolism in the equine is a complex process involving absorption sites and interactions between the minerals themselves and other compounds. Factors such as the digestibility of the minerals and the extent of the interactions all play an important role in the mineral amounts required in the diet.Inadequate levels of minerals in the diet can lead to physiological maladies such as HNS and Ricketts. A knowledge and understanding of mineral metabolism is essential to the success of equine management.     

THE ISOLATION OF MYCOPLASMA HYOSYNOVIAE AND EXPOSURE OF PIGS TO EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION

Arginine-utilising mycoplasmas isolated from the pneumonic lungs of 4 pigs were identified as M. hyosynoviae by their growth characteristics, biochemical activity and serological similarity to each other and to 2 type strains of M. hyosynoviae in growth inhibition tests. A purified culture of one M. hyosynoviae isolate was inoculated intravenously into 3 pigs which were killed 9 days later. Although arthritis was not observed clinically, M. hyosynoviae was isolated from 8 of 9 joints cultured, the tonsils and retropharyngeal lymph nodes of all 3 pigs and the lungs of 2 pigs. No histopathological changes were observed in synovial membranes of the joints cultured or lungs but severe depletion of lymphocytes in the cortex of lymphoid follicles in lymph nodes and tonsils was observed.     

Extrapulmonary gas exchange enhances brain oxygen in pigeons

Blood in mouth, nose, and eye tissues of birds cools by evaporation, then flows to a cephalic vascular heat exchanger, the ophthalmic rete. There, acting as a heat sink, blood from the evaporative surfaces cools arterial blood flowing counter-current to it toward the brain. The brain thus remains cooler than the body core. Data for unanesthetized domestic pigeons (Columba livia) suggest that in addition to losing heat, blood perfusing the evaporative surfaces also exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide with air. In the heat exchanger, this blood apparently gives up oxygen to, and gains carbon dioxide from, arterial blood. The consequent increase in oxygen and decrease in carbon dioxide in the brain's arterial blood enhance diffusion of these gases in, and oxygen supply to, the brain. Such events may help birds maintain the brain's oxygen supply during the high systemic demand of exercise and at the reduced oxygen availability of high altitude.     

Isolation of Feline Herpesvirus 1 from the Trigeminal Ganglia of Acutely and Chronically Infected Cats

Feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) is one of the most common viral infections of domestic cats worldwide, estimated to cause 50% of all respiratory infections in this species. Feline herpesvirus 1 is also an important ocular pathogen of cats, causing conjunctivitis, epithelial and stromal keratitis, symblepharon formation, keratocon-junctivitis sicca, and corneal sequestration. Despite the importance of this viral disease, major questions remain unanswered concerning the pathogenesis of its most important manifestation, the recrudescent infection. Although the taxonomic classification of FHV-1 as an alpha herpesvirus implies the ability of FHV-1 to establish neural latency, attempts at recovering the virus from the trigeminal ganglia of latently infected cats have typically yielded negative results. This failure has stimulated speculation that neural tissue is not an important site for latent FHV-1. However, in the most successful of such studies, FHV-1 was isolated from the trigeminal ganglia of 3 of 17 cats using an explant technique. In the present study, we describe the successful isolation of FHV-1 from the trigeminal ganglia of cats using a similar tissue culture method.     

Comparison of the properties of hyaluronate products used in treatment of joint dysfunction in horses

A standardized investigation was conducted to compare the biophysical properties of hyaluronate products used in the treatment of joint dysfunction in horses. Results showed that two of the five products, Hyvisc® and Hylartin®V, contained higher-weight molecular hyaluronate (greater than 1.5×10⁶). Other investigations have shown that higher molecular weight hyaluronate is effective in providing physical resistance to shear, in stimulating endogenous hyaluronate synthesis, and in inhibiting excess cell proliferation which may be associated with synovial pannus formation. It is suggested that the therapeutic benefits of hyaluronate products may be dependent on the molecular size of the hyaluronate molecules. Higher molecular weight hyaluronate products would be expected to be more effective than lower molecular hyaluronate products in providing therapeutic benefits.     

Growth and feed utilization by yearling horses fed added dietary fat

Twenty-four yearlings were used to evaluate the efficacy of feeding feed-grade fat to growing horses. All horses were started on trial at 13-months-of-age and were fed for 112 days. The experimental diets, containing similar nutrient-to-calorie ratios, were: 1) control (no added fat; 2) 5% added fat and; 3) 10% added fat. There was a trend for yearlings fed the 10% added fat diet to grow faster and eat less feed than those on the control diet. Data from this study indicate that feed-grade fat can be safely fed to growing horses. Feeding fat to yearlings stimulated growth and efficiency of feed utilization initially, but these effects were not maintained as the yearlings grew toward maturity.     

Gas Exchange during Xylazine–ketamine Anesthesia in Neonatal Calves

Ten neonatal calves were anesthetized with xylazine and ketamine intramuscularly and breathed air spontaneously. Drug injection was repeated after 45 minutes. Each injection resulted in a rapid and sustained increase in respiratory rate, but arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) increased, indicating hypoventilation. Arterial hypoxemia, primarily caused by hypoventilation, developed within 15 minutes of each injection, but gradually disappeared. Acidemia was primarily respiratory in origin. Heart rate and arterial blood pressure decreased for the duration of anesthesia (90 minutes). This form of anesthesia is a satisfactory alternative to inhalation anesthesia of neonatal calves.     

Genetic and Phenotypic Analysis of Soybean mosaic virus Resistance in PI 88788 Soybean

ABSTRACT Resistance to Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) was identified in PI 88788 soybean, a germ plasm accession from China that is used widely as a source of resistance to soybean cyst nematode. Strains SMV-G1 through -G7 infected the inoculated leaves of PI 88788 but were not detected in upper, noninoculated trifoliolate leaves. Inheritance of resistance was determined by inoculating progenies of crosses of PI 88788 with susceptible cvs. Essex and Lee 68 with SMV strains G1 and G7. Allelomorphic relationships with known genes for resistance to SMV were tested in crosses with the resistant genotypes PI 96983, L29, and V94-5152, possessing Rsv1, Rsv3, and Rsv4 genes, respectively. Data analyses showed that resistance in PI 88788 to SMV-G1 is controlled by a single, partially dominant gene; however, to SMV-G7, the same gene was completely dominant. The PI 88788 gene was independent of the Rsv1 and Rsv3 loci, but allelic to Rsv4 in V94-5152. Expression of the Rsv4 gene in PI 88788 resulted in a reduced number of infection sites and restricted short- and long-distance movement of virus, rather than hypersensitivity. A unique late susceptible phenotype was strongly associated with heterozygosity. This gene has potential value for use in gene pyramiding to achieve resistance to several SMV strains, as well as for rate-reducing resistance.