A fossil noctuid moth egg from the late cretaceous of eastern north america

A moth egg assignable to the family Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) is described from 75-million-year-old sediments from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. This sample, which extends the fossil record of this farnily and modern heteroneuran moths back to the Cretaceous, may provide insight into the coevolution of moths and flowering plants, as well as have implications for the evolution of bats.     

Esophageal ectasia in a quarterhorse colt

A one month old Quarterhorse colt was presented after a week history of bilateral nasal discharge and respiratory difficulty. The cervical esophagus was greatly dilated, tortuous and filled with diluted milk. A nasogastric tube could not be passed beyond the base of the heart. An aspiration pneumonia was found at postmortem examination and the esophageal segment from the pharynx to the base of the heart was dilated, thin-walled, had degenerative muscular changes, and a reduction in size and number of ganglion cells of the myenteric plexus. Muscular hypertrophy of the terminal esophagus had reduced its lumen size. Some similarities and disparities of this condition to achalasia of man and megaesophagus of dogs are discussed.     

Examination of the origin of increased equine serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations

Serum alkaline phosphatase activity was found to be increased in 32.6% of equine samples analyzed at the Ontario Veterinary College over an 18 month period. An attempt was made using sensitivity to L-phenylalanine and heat to identify the origin of increased serum alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes present in 44 clinical cases. No difference in sensitivity to either procedure was observed for serum alkaline phosphatase from groups of foals and horses representing different clinical problems. Alkaline phosphatase of osseous tissue origin appeared to be the major source of activity for each group of animals reported.     

Sarcocystis spp. infections in naturally infected cats and dogs: levels of sporocyst production and the influence of host, environmental and seasonal factors on the prevalence of infection

Data obtained from faecal samples from 508 domestic cats and 481 dogs, previously found to have a high frequency of Sarcocystis spp. infections, were further examined to provide information on levels of sporocyst shedding and to ascertain the influence of host, environmental and seasonal factors on the prevalence of naturally acquired infections. Statistical analysis of prevalence data revealed that, of the factors examined, only host age in cats exerted any apparent influence. Infections were significantly more common in cats up to, rather than over, 6 months of age. Although they tended to be greater in dogs than cats, faecal sporocyst counts in both hosts were generally low, with the majority of infected samples containing 200 sporocysts per gram or less. In infected dogs the highest count recorded was 144,600/g with a mean of 2270/g, and in infected cats it was 11,100/g with a mean of 597/g.     

Oxfendazole resistance in Nematodirus spathiger

The occurrence of anthelmintic resistance in a field strain of Nematodirus spathiger is reported for the first time. In a controlled anthelmintic trial with naturally-acquired infections, oxfendazole at 5 mg/ kg and levamisole at 8 mg/kg were 0 and 86% effective respectively, against this strain.     

Field trials with a bivalent vaccine (HVT and SB-1) against Marek's disease

White leghorn chickens on five farms were given a bivalent Marek's disease (MD) vaccine consisting of turkey herpesvirus (HVT) and SB-1 (a nononcogenic MD virus); other chickens received only HVT. The farms had histories of "vaccination failures," presumably owing to an exceptionally virulent challenge MD virus. The bivalent vaccine uniformly protected chickens better than HVT alone between 12 and 16-20 weeks of age, when serious MD losses occurred. During that period, total mortality in groups given both viruses ranged from 0.39 to 1.26% (mean 0.86%), whereas that in HVT-vaccinated groups not exposed to SB-1 varied from 1.92 to 7.44% (mean 3.43%). Chickens in pens or rows with close contact to those given bivalent vaccine also had low MD mortality rates (0.46-1.06%, mean 0.77%), probably from the spread of SB-1.     

Kinematics of the equine thoracolumbar spine

At least three types of movement take place in the joint complexes of the equine thoracolumbar spine: dorsoventral flexion and extension, axial rotation and lateral bending. Using the standard right-handed Cartesian coordinate system, these movements may be defined as rotation about the x, y and z axes respectively. Except in cases of intervertebral fusion, all three types of movement occur in each joint complex of the equine back. The greatest amount of dorsoventral movement takes place at the lumbosacral and the first thoracic intervertebral joints. The greatest amount of axial rotation and lateral bending was measured in the mid-thoracolumbar spine at the level of the 11th or 12th thoracic intervertebral joints. The caudal thoracic and the lumbar spine is the least mobile region of the equine back. In the mid-thoracic spine, lateral bending was always accompanied by a "coupled" axial rotation. The presence of the rib cage stabilised the cranial thoracic vertebrae against axial rotation.