Economic effects of bovine mastitis and mastitis management: a review

Several studies have been published since 1990 on the economics of mastitis and mastitis management. However, hardly any of these studies has discussed the consistency of results with other studies. In the present paper, the economic factors associated with mastitis are explained, providing a framework for economic analysis. As a second step calculations of the costs of mastitis and the costs in relation to the benefits of mastitis management published since 1990 in peer-reviewed journals are extensively reviewed and analysed. The result shows a large variation in the calculated costs and benefits of mastitis and mastitis management between the different studies. Moreover, it is clear that important factors were ignored in some of the studies. The framework provided in this paper can provide a basis for analysis for future studies on the economics of mastitis and mastitis management.     

Topical fusidic acid/betamethasone-containing gel compared to systemic therapy in the treatment of canine acute moist dermatitis

The efficacy of a topical preparation containing 0.5% fusidic acid and 0.1% betamethasone-17-valerate was compared to a systemic therapy (comprising a combination of parenteral dexamethasone and oral clavulanate-potentiated amoxycillin) in the treatment of 104 dogs with acute moist dermatitis. Significant improvement was evident after seven days in both treatment groups in all clinical parameters assessed and there was no significant difference in the overall response between the two treatment groups. Staphylococcus intermedius was the most frequently isolated organism from swabs at the first visit (Day 0). No resistance to fusidic acid or clavulanate-potentiated amoxycillin was encountered. The study demonstrates no difference in the clinical improvement achieved in canine acute moist dermatitis following topical or systemic therapy and that both treatment regimes represent effective treatment options for the condition.     

Prolapse of the uterus and cataract: a comparison of veterinary and human medicine in Greco-Roman antiquity

A number of surgical interventions in ancient veterinary medicine were modelled on the same procedures in human medicine. This is discussed in some detail for the prolapse of the uterus and the couching of the cataract in horses. In the introductory section, the importance of Switzerland and neighbouring areas for the transmission of ancient veterinary medicine is highlighted.     

Reproducibility of a commercial in vitro allergen-specific assay for immunoglobulin E in dogs

Samples of serum taken from 42 dogs with clinical signs and histories indicating pruritic skin disease and/or diseases of the ear were tested in a commercial allergen-specific assay for immunoglobulin E. Dogs which had been treated with glucocorticoids and/or antihistamines were not excluded. The samples were separated into two equal aliquots, given different randomised numbers, and analysed in two batches on two separate days. The laboratory was blinded to the identification numbers and the history of each dog, but knew the purpose of the study. The results for 48 allergens were expressed in modified absorbance units (MAU). The overall median MAU was 29. For each allergen the mean difference between the MAU values of the paired duplicates was determined and the difference was compared to zero by a paired t test. The number of means that were not 0 (P<0.05) in each allergen group were: seven of 10 grasses, seven of nine weeds, two of 13 trees, six of 10 fungi, and three of six environmental allergens. A single 2 x 2 table for the 48 allergens was created with MAU > or = 60 defined as 'positive' and < 60 as 'negative'. There were 116 of 188 (62 per cent) pairs that were reproducibly 'positive' and 1756 of 1828 (96 per cent) pairs that were reproducibly 'negative'.     

Methods for checking up screening tests for detection of shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) using PCR

Methods for making check ups of STEC-Screening-PCRs by using internal and external systems are given. A control-DNA with identical primer binding sites in relation to the target-DNA (stx-genes) was produced and by HPLC-chromatography quantified. It was used in an internal system. But we had to use too high concentrations of this DNA for making the check up in each sample. A false negative result could be shown in samples with a low stx content as a result of this coamplification process. Therefore we used an external system. A control-DNA with heterologous primer binding sites in relation to the stx-screening-PCR and the special primers were given in each vessel. The optimized system was used for making investigations of some faecal samples from cattle.     

Importance of Escherichia coli infection in ascites in broiler chickens shown by experimental production

Common commercial strain male broilers aged 14 days were intratracheally inoculated with 0.2 ml of 1.2 x 10(6) colony-forming units of Escherichia coli in nutrient broth and kept in a cool environment during the experiment. Ascites was produced in five surviving and two dead birds out of 50 but not in 50 mock-infected control birds. Among the 40 survivors that were infected, the erythrocyte packed cell volume (PCV) of the 10 birds with pericarditis was the same as in 21 grossly normal birds, although that of the four birds with enlarged right ventricle (RV) was high. The pericarditis caused by E. coli septicemia was not the primary cause of ascites. However, the PCV was high in some of the survivors with an enlarged RV without pericarditis, indicating overload due to the lung lesion. These data suggested that some of the birds with an enlarged RV, caused by supplying blood that was insufficiently oxygenated for the body size, suffered from ascites.     

Cytokines in the pathogenesis of influenza

Uncomplicated influenza in humans, horses or swine is characterized by massive virus replication in respiratory epithelial cells, inflammation and an abrupt onset of general and respiratory disease. There is now growing evidence that the so-called early cytokines produced at the site of infection mediate many of the clinical and pathological manifestations. Among these cytokines are interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 (IL-1) alpha and beta, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte-attracting chemokines. This paper reviews: (1) in vivo examinations of the cytokine profiles during influenza in mice, humans or swine; (2) in vivo data on the probable role of these cytokines; and (3) selected in vitro data on cytokine induction by the influenza virus. Examination of respiratory secretions of experimentally infected humans or animals revealed a brisk and concurrent rise in several of the cytokines mentioned. Moreover, peak cytokine levels directly correlated with virus replication and disease. In the mouse model, specific anti-cytokine strategies have further confirmed the role of cytokines in body temperature changes, anorexia and lung inflammation. However, cytokines were clearly not the only factor contributing to disease, and they seemed to be essential for resolution of the infection. Though influenza virus was shown to induce cytokines in cell culture, in vitro experiments have also revealed conflicting data. Furthermore, the viral genes or products that are responsible for cytokine induction are unknown. Exactly this information would make important contributions to our understanding of the genetic basis of viral virulence.     

Estimation of rates of recombination and migration in populations of plant pathogens

ABSTRACT A method of estimating the frequency of recombination in field populations of ascomycete fungi is presented. This is a development of a technique described by J. Zhan, C. C. Mundt, and B. A. McDonald, in which field plots were inoculated with isolates of Mycosphaerella graminicola of known genotypes and then, later, the proportions of the fungal populations in the plots that originated as recombinant progeny of matings between the inoculated isolates or as immigrants from the local population were estimated. It is argued that J. Zhan, C. C. Mundt, and B. A. McDonald's method is inappropriate in terms of its approach to statistical inference and that the lack of confidence intervals for rates of recombination (r) or immigration (m) is a further weakness. An improvement to their method would involve the use of inoculated isolates that can be clearly distinguished from the local population, for instance, by the use of DNA markers. There should also be sufficient markers for there to be a negligible probability that progeny of matings between inoculated isolates will have the same genotype as either of their parents. With this experimental design, estimates of r and m can be found by a standard maximum likelihood method, while confidence intervals for the parameters can be estimated by a simple bootstrap procedure. The method appears to be about an order of magnitude more efficient than are the existing ways of estimating the frequency of recombination in ascomycete fungi.