Pelger-Hu?t anomaly in cats

Pelger-Hu?t anomaly was diagnosed in a young male cat on the basis of persistent nuclear hyposegmentation of blood granulocytes, absence of clinical disease or feline leukemia virus infection, and demonstration of genetic transmission of the anomaly. Neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, and monocytes had significantly less nuclear segmentation when compared to similar leukocyte types from a control cat. On smears of bone marrow, megakaryocytes also appeared hyposegmented. A test mating with an unaffected queen produced a litter of five kittens (three males, two females). One male and one female kitten had the Pelger-Hu?t trait on examination of blood smears. Autosomal dominant transmission of this anomaly is suspected based on these findings.     

A study of the bonding forces between the epithelial cells surrounding the resin canals of slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) holocellulose

Summary Although the bonds between the cellular components of pine epithelia (isolated from holocellulose) can be strengthened by the addition of multivalent ions such as those of calcium, iron, uranium, etc., it was observed that these bonds are only weakened and not destroyed by the removal of the ions from the tissues. Reagents, such as KOH and K₂SO₄, which do not yield soluble calcium salts, do not cause a discernible weakening of the bonds between the cellulose components of epithelia pretreated with Ca ion. Washing the weakened epithelia with water causes them to swell. The separation of epithelial cells occurs only after the application of mechanical forces to the tissues. Electron microscopic examination of the swollen and unswollen tissues shows that fibrils and lamellae extend between the individual cells which must be destroyed by mechanical action before cell separation can occur. The swelling of the tissues by washing after removal of multivalent ions was attributed to the expansion of electrical double layers and to the increasing osmotic pressure from the increasing Donnan potential, while the difference in swelling as a result of HCl treatment vs. KCl and K₄Fe(CN)₆ was attributed to differences in charge development and to hydrogen bonding between acidic components. The restrengthening of the tissue as a result of the readdition of multivalent ion was attributed to the collapse of the electrical double layers and the reduction of the Donnan potential, with the re-forming of bonds between the components of the epithelia. Evidence suggesting that multivalent ions actually participate in bonding was obtained and although the nature of the bonding cannot be determined, both salt formation and complex formation between the ions and the components of the tissues is suggested.     

Assessment of the combination of spinosad and milbemycin oxime in preventing the development of canine Angiostrongylus vasorum infections

Angiostrongylus vasorum is an increasingly reported parasite in Europe that develops in dogs after ingestion of infective third stage larvae (L3) that reside in gastropod molluscs which are needed to complete the parasite's life-cycle. Infection can produce a diversity of clinical signs, determined by involvement of the respiratory, neurological, and/or coagulation system, with a likely fatal outcome in the absence of treatment. Few drugs have been shown to reliably prevent infection, and data on treatment of infections is limited. A controlled, randomized, partially blinded laboratory study was therefore executed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combination tablet of spinosad/milbemycin oxime in dogs inoculated with approximately 250 A. vasorum L3. Sixteen healthy nematode free adult dogs were randomly allocated to two study groups of 8 dogs each. Thirty days post inoculation (dpi) all dogs in the fed state were treated: dogs in group B were treated with spinosad and milbemycin oxime at the dose rates of 45–60 mg/kg and 0.75–1.0 mg/kg bodyweight, respectively, approximately the lower half portion of the expected full unit dose range; dogs in group A were treated with placebo tablets. All dogs were euthanized and necropsied 56–58 dpi. The heart and lungs were examined to determine the presence of A. vasorum. All placebo group dogs were infected at necropsy with counts ranging from 22 to 98 adult worms and a geometric mean worm count of 55.2. In contrast, the geometric mean worm count in the spinosad/milbemycin oxime group was 0.7 with worm numbers ranging from 0 to 8. The results of this study demonstrate that a single treatment with the tablet combination of spinosad and milbemycin oxime administered 30 dpi provided 98.8% preventive efficacy against development of adult A. vasorum infections. Monthly treatments with spinosad and milbemycin oxime have the potential to prevent the establishment of infections with A. vasorum in dogs.     

Evaluation of the Breeding Soundness of Male Camels (Camelus dromedarius) via Clinical Examination,Semen Analysis,Ultrasonography and Testicular Biopsy: A Summary of 80 Clinical Cases

Male camel infertility is a heterogeneous disorder. A variety of factors may adversely affect sperm production and function and impair fertility. This study was designed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography and testicular biopsy in the evaluation of the breeding soundness of male dromedaries compared with results obtained by clinical examination and semen analysis. Eighty‐four male dromedary camels (5–15 years old) were used in this study during the rutting season (November–May). Four sexually mature male camels were used as controls. These animals were apparently healthy and had histories of normal fertility. Eighty infertile male camels were subjected to an algorithmic approach based on information collected during careful examinations of the camels' breeding histories, clinical examinations, testicular evaluations, testicular ultrasonographies, the results of the semen analyses and testicular biopsies to diagnose the camels' infertilities. The differences in the semen parameters between the control and infertile male camels were highly significant (p < 0.01). Regarding the diagnoses of male camel infertility, the results of testicular ultrasonographies and biopsies were compared with those from the semen analyses, and the accuracies of these tests were 92.5% and 90%, respectively. Additionally, the results of the testicular ultrasonographies were matched with those of the testicular biopsies of the infertile animals, and this comparison resulted in 85% accuracy. Testicular biopsy is a promising method that, along with a carefully performed history, clinical examination, an appropriate testicular ultrasonography procedure and semen analysis, can afford veterinarians the opportunity for more precise diagnosis and treatment of many dromedary infertility disorders.     

Identification of Mycobacterium spp. isolated from snakehead, Channa striata (Fowler), and Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens (Regan), using polymerase chain reaction–reverse cross blot hybridization (PCR–RCBH)

A variety of methods have been used to identify Mycobacterium spp. isolated from snakehead and Siamese fighting fish, including biochemistry, mycolic acid profiles and antibody-based methods. However, these methods are unable to differentiate between different species of Mycobacterium . Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by reverse cross blot hybridization (RCBH) was adapted in this study to speciate aquatic mycobacteria. The method was highly specific for Mycobacterium spp. and identified the bacteria to species level with a detection limit of 100 fg DNA, equivalent to 20 mycobacteria. Twenty-nine isolates previously collected and cultured from Siamese fighting fish (10 isolates) and snakehead (19 isolates) during outbreaks of mycobacteriosis were analysed using PCR–RCBH. Six of the Siamese fighting fish isolates and nine of the snakehead isolates were identified as Mycobacterium fortuitum , while the remainder were classified as M. marinum . Notably, two isolates recovered from snakehead and Siamese fighting fish, previously identified as M. poriferae and M. piscicida , respectively, were confirmed to be M. fortuitum .     

ULTRASONOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF LIPIDURIA IN CLINICALLY NORMAL CATS

Echoes are frequently seen in the urinary bladder of cats during abdominal ultrasound. These have been attributed to hematuria, pyuria, crystalluria, and lipid. However, sonographic findings have not been previously correlated with urinalysis. We prospectively evaluated 40 clinically normal cats via ultrasound, serum chemistry, and urinalysis. Thin layer chromatography was performed on the urine to determine the amount (mg) of lipid subfractions including diacylglycerol, triglyceride, phospholipid, free fatty acid, cholesterol, and cholesterol ester. Ninety percent (36/40) of the cats in our population had sonographic echoes suspended in the urinary bladder, with most having a subjective score of mild echoes (n = 20). None of the sonographic echoes were gravity dependent or caused distal acoustic shadowing, reverberation, or twinkle artifact. Of the cats with sonographic echoes in the urine, 66% (24/36) had no significant findings on urinalysis other than the presence of lipid. The total amount of subjective sonographic echoes was not significantly related to the total amount of fat measured on thin layer chromatography or the number of lipid droplets seen on urinalysis. An increased amount of urine diacylglycerol was significantly associated with clumping of echoes (P = 0.02) and the amount of lipid droplets seen on urinalysis (P = 0.04). An association between increased amounts of urine diacylglycerol and the amount of echoes seen on ultrasound approached significance (P = 0.05). Findings from this study support previously published theories that sonographic echoes within the urinary bladder of clinically normal cats may be due to urine lipid.     

A comparison of the antigenicity of the extracellular products and whole-cell sonicates from Mycobacterium spp. in rabbits, mice and fish by immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

The antigenicity of extracellular products (ECPs) derived from Mycobacterium spp. isolated from snakehead, Channa striata (Bloch), and Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens (Regan), were examined by immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using sera collected from immunized rabbits, mice and fish (rainbow trout). All three species responded to a 65-kDa protein present in both the ECPs and whole cell sonicates (WCSs) from a variety of Mycobacterium spp. Cross-reactivity of anti- M. tuberculosis and anti-human heat-shock protein monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), and the presence of fibronectin binding proteins secreted into ECPs of mycobacteria were also examined. The MAbs against human 60-kDa heat-shock protein cross- reacted with the band at 65 kDa in the ECPs of TB1 (isolated from snakehead fish) and the type strain M. marinum, while the anti- M. tuberculosis MAb F29–47 elicited a strong reaction with a band at 21 kDa with most of the ECPs from mycobacterial strains examined. The major fibronectin-binding proteins were located between 21 and 25 kDa. The 65-kDa protein from ECPs of Mycobacterium spp. proved strongly immunogenic to rabbits, mice and fish. Rabbit antiserum against the 65-kDa protein from strain TB267 reacted with many non- Mycobacterium WCSs, and therefore, the 65-kDa protein from Mycobacterium spp. is believed to be a common protein found in many fish bacterial pathogens.     

Pesticide residues in foodstuffs in Great Britain: XIII.—Organochlorine residues in cereals,pulses and nuts

Results are presented for the determination of organochlorine insecticide residues in grain, pulses and nuts sampled on arrival in Britain during the 2½ years up to June 1969. BHC was detected in nearly every sample but the general level was low, most samples containing less than 0·1 ppm. DDT was found less frequently. Very few samples contained more than 1 ppm of either insecticide. DDE in trace amounts was found in about 10% of the samples of grain and nuts and TDE was found in one sample of grain. The only other organochlorine compounds detected were aldrin in one sample of pulses and hexachlorobenzene in 7 samples of wheat.