Bovine arsenic toxicosis.

A ranch in central South Dakota had a number of dead calves because of arsenic poisoning. The clinical picture included diarrhea, central nervous system signs, and death. Gross necropsy findings included adequate body fat, stomachs full of normal-appearing ingesta, and large amounts of greenish brown watery fluid in the intestine and colon. Microscopically there was severe lymphoid tissue necrosis in the mesenteric lymph nodes and gut-associated lymphoid tissue. Chemical analysis of kidneys showed no significant amounts of lead; however, kidney arsenic concentrations were 25 to 44 ppm. The source was a small pile of Paris Green (common name for cupric acetoarsenite) found in an old dump site in the pasture.     

Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Pigeons from Public Parks in Costa Rica

Antimicrobial resistance is known to be an emerging problem, but the extent of the issue remains incomplete. The aim of this study was to determine the presence or absence of nine resistance genes (bla_TEM, catI, mecA, qnrS, sulI, sulII, tet(A), tet(Q), vanA) in the faeces of 141 pigeons from four urban parks in Alajuela, Guadalupe, Tres Ríos and San José in Costa Rica. The genes were identified by real‐time PCR directly from enema samples. About 30% of the samples were positive for genes catI and sulI; between 13% and 17% were positive for qnrS, sulII, tet(A) and tet(Q); and 4% were positive for bla_TEM. The mecA and vanA genes were not detected. The average of antimicrobial resistance genes detected per pigeon was 2. Eight different patterns of resistance were identified, without differences in the sampling areas, being the most common pattern 2 (sulII positive samples). During rainy season, the genes more frequently found were sulI and tet(A). In conclusion, the urban inhabiting pigeons tested are currently carrying antimicrobial resistance genes, potentially acting as reservoirs of resistant bacteria and vectors to humans. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study carried out on direct detection of resistance genes in the digestive metagenomes of pigeons.     

Incidence of salmonellae in captive and wild free-living raptorial birds in central Spain

A total of 595 faecal samples from raptorial birds, either captive or free-living, residing in GREFA Wildlife Hospital were bacteriologically examined using various selective media and an Automated Diagnostic Assay System for Salmonella detection. Serotype and phage type of the strains identified as Salmonella was determined. In the captive group, of the 285 samples examined, 21 (7.36%) were positive for Salmonella. Serotyping revealed that most of the individuals were infected by Salmonella serotype Havana. This result suggested that there could be a source of contamination in the Hospital although it could not be established. In the wild free-living group, over 310 samples examined (4.19%) were positive for Salmonella. The Salmonella isolates showed a major variety of serotypes: Enteritidis, Adelaide, Brandenburg, Newport, Typhimurium, Hadar, Saintpaul and Virchow. Most of them are similar to those commonly described in isolates from human and domestic animals. These results indicate that wild birds could be involved in the dissemination of Salmonella in humans or domestic animals or vice versa.     

The development of a novel percutaneous lung biopsy procedure for use on feedlot steers

The purpose of this study was to develop a percutaneous lung biopsy technique to be used on steers in a commercial feedlot setting. Thirty-four crossbred steer and heifer calves from a commercial feedlot in southern Alberta were used in this study. The calves originated from the auction market and all were chronically affected with bovine respiratory disease (BRD). A technique was developed to obtain a lung sample from the right cranioventral lung lobe, intercostal space (ICS) 2, using a manual or an automatic biopsy instrument with a 14- or 12-gauge (ga) biopsy needle. Overall, lung parenchyma was successfully harvested in 55.9% of experimental animals and in 55.0% of lung biopsy trials. Compared with postmortem diagnosis, the biopsy resulted in the same pathologic diagnosis for 75% of biopsy samples when evaluated using standardized criteria by the same veterinary pathologist. The success rate was 61.5% and 42.9% in a hospital or field setting, respectively. With an automatic instrument, lung was recovered from 57.9% and 37.5% of samples obtained using a 12- or 14-ga biopsy needle, respectively. One experimental animal or 2.9% of the total had fatal complications from the procedure. In a commercial feedlot setting, the procedure took 20 min for each animal. Percutaneous lung biopsy of the right cranioventral lung lobe may be a viable technique when used on feedlot steers affected with chronic pneumonia. These findings suggest that using an automatic instrument with either a 14- or 12-ga biopsy needle may yield lung samples that are suitable for histopathological evaluation. However, this technique needs to be further evaluated in a field setting.     

Milk flow and udder health in cows after treatment of covered teat injuries via theloresectoscopy: 52 cases (2000-2002)

OBJECTIVE: To determine milk flow, somatic cell counts (SCCs), and the incidence of clinical mastitis in cows that had undergone theloresectoscopy for treatment of teat stenosis caused by mucosal detachment in the region of the streak canal or Fürstenberg's rosette. DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 52 cows with teat stenosis that were treated via theloresectoscopy. PROCEDURE: Medical records of eligible cows were reviewed. Additional data regarding milking ease, SCC, development of clinical mastitis of the affected gland, and whether the cow remained in the herd were collected via owner-completed questionnaires. RESULTS: 49 of 52 questionnaires were completed. At referral, teat sinusitis was diagnosed in 29 of 52 cows. Milk flow was normal in 38 of 41 treated teats at discharge and in 24 of 40 during the next lactation. Thirteen of 49 cows were culled during the next lactation because of abnormal udder health. High SCC and teat sinusitis at referral and development of clinical mastitis during the 10-day period after surgery resulted in high SCCs in the remainder of the current lactation. The incidence of clinical mastitis during the remainder of the current and during the next lactation was higher in cows that had teat sinusitis at the time of surgery, compared with those that did not. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Teat stenoses resulting from mucosal lesions in the region of the streak canal or Fürstenberg's rosette may be successfully treated via theloresectoscopy. Inflammation of the teat sinus and gland at the time of surgery may adversely affect udder health.     

Development of a physiologic-based pharmacokinetic model for estimating sulfamethazine concentrations in swine and application to prediction of violative residues in edible tissues

OBJECTIVE: To develop a flow-limited, physiologic-based pharmacokinetic model for use in estimating concentrations of sulfamethazine after IV administration to swine. SAMPLE POPULATION: 4 published studies provided physiologic values for organ weights, blood flows, clearance, and tissue-to-blood partition coefficients, and 3 published studies provided data on plasma and other tissue compartments for model validation. PROCEDURE: For the parent compound, the model included compartments for blood, adipose, muscle, liver, and kidney tissue with an extra compartment representing the remaining carcass. Compartments for the N-acetyl metabolite included the liver and the remaining body. The model was created and optimized by use of computer software. Sensitivity analysis was completed to evaluate the importance of each constant on the whole model. The model was validated and used to estimate a withhold interval after an IV injection at a dose of 50 mg/kg. The withhold interval was compared to the interval estimated by the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD). RESULTS: Specific tissue correlations for plasma, adipose, muscle, kidney, and liver tissue compartments were 0.93, 0.86, 0.99, 0.94, and 0.98, respectively. The model typically overpredicted concentrations at early time points but had excellent accuracy at later time points. The withhold interval estimated by use of the model was 120 hours, compared with 100 hours estimated by FARAD. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Use of this model enabled accurate prediction of sulfamethazine pharmacokinetics in swine and has applications for food safety and prediction of drug residues in edible tissues.     

Pharmacokinetic and Phase I Evaluation of Carboplatin in Dogs

Thirty dogs with spontaneously occurring malignant neoplasms were treated monthly with carboplatin (CBDCA) given as a 30-minute intravenous infusion in a dose escalation study. Twenty-eight dogs were considered evaluable for toxicity. The maximally tolerated dose of CBDCA was conceptually defined as that dose, determined by logistic regression analyses of toxicity data, resulting in a 50% incidence of moderate toxicity (MOD₅₀) or a 5% incidence of severe toxicity (SEV₅). Each designated maximally tolerated dose was calculated for the first course of treatment only and for the first and second courses of treatment combined to estimate cumulative drug toxicity. The MOD₅₀ and SEV₅ for the first treatment course were 340 and 278 mg/M², respectively. MOD₅₀ and SEV₅ values for the first plus second treatment courses were 327 and 231 mg/M², respectively. The nadir of neutrophil and platelet counts occurred approximately 14 days after treatment. The mean neutrophil and platelet values for all dogs experiencing myelosuppression during the first two treatment courses were 1541/μL and 62,600/μL, respectively. Nonparametric pharmacokinetic analysis of plasma CBDCA values suggested that half-life (T_1/2), area-under-the-curve and total body clearance (CL_b) were not dose dependent. Volume of distribution (VD_ss) significantly increased with dose only between 100 and 150 mg/M², not between 150 and 300 mg/M². Dose-independent serum CBDCA pharmacokinetic disposition indicates that detailed investigation of tissue CBDCA distribution would be warranted and may identify novel dosing strategies that could improve the therapeutic index of CBDCA by minimizing toxicity. (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 1993; 7:235–240. Copyright © 1993 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)