Segmental ostectomy of the second and fourth metacarpal and metatarsal bones in horses: 17 cases (1993-2002)

OBJECTIVE: To determine clinical findings in and outcome of horses with fractures of the second or fourth metacarpal or metatarsal bone that underwent segmental ostectomy, leaving the proximal and distal portions of the bone undisturbed. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 17 horses. PROCEDURES: Medical records were reviewed, and information on signalment, affected bone, lesion type, surgical procedure, amount of bone removed, and surgical and postsurgical complications was obtained. Follow-up information was obtained through telephone conversations with owners, trainers, and referring veterinarians. RESULTS: One horse had a fracture involving the distal third of the second metacarpal bone; 13 had fractures involving the middle third of the second metacarpal bone (n = 4), fourth metacarpal bone (5), or fourth metatarsal bone (4); and 3 had fractures involving the proximal third of the second (2) or fourth (1) metacarpal bone. Affected portions of the bones were surgically resected, leaving the proximal and distal portions undisturbed. All horses returned to previous performance levels without evidence of lameness. Cosmetic results were good to excellent. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that horses with a complicated injury of the proximal, middle, or distal portion of the second or fourth metacarpal or metatarsal bone may be successfully treated by means of segmental ostectomy of the abnormal portion of the bone.     

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) in four calves

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA), or Bland-White-Garland syndrome, is a rare congenital malformation described in children and adults. In this condition, the left coronary artery, which normally originates from the left coronary sinus in the aorta, instead originates from the pulmonary trunk, which results in retrograde flow of blood away from the myocardium into the lower-pressure pulmonary artery. Myocardial hypoxic-ischemic injury results in cardiac dysfunction, failure, and eventually in patient death if not surgically repaired. This report describes gross and microscopic findings in 4 beef calves with ALCAPA. All the calves had a history of being found dead with few or no premonitory signs, 2 shortly after sudden strenuous exercise. Gross necropsy lesions suggestive of heart failure included cardiomegaly with atrial and ventricular dilation and/or ventricular hypertrophy, and hepatomegaly. Dissection of each heart revealed the origin of the left coronary artery arising in the pulmonary trunk above the anterior cusp of the pulmonic valve. No degeneration; mineralization; and fiber loss, with replacement by fibrous connective tissue, predominantly in the left ventricular papillary muscle and the interventricular septum. Changes observed in the liver and lungs, including hepatomegaly, sinusoidal congestion, centrilobular fibrosis, and pulmonary congestion, edema, and intra-alveolar pigment-laden macrophages were consistent with heart failure.     

Fertility Assessment in Sorraia Stallions by Sperm‐Fish and Fkbp6 Genotyping

The Sorraia, a critically endangered indigenous Iberian horse breed, is characterized by low genetic variability, high rate of inbreeding, bad sperm quality and subfertility. Here, we studied 11 phenotypically normal but subfertile Sorraia stallions by karyotyping, sex chromosome sperm‐FISH and molecular analysis of FKBP6 – a susceptibility locus for impaired acrosome reaction (IAR). The stallions had normal sperm concentration (>300 million cells/ml), but the numbers of progressively motile sperm (21%) and morphologically normal sperm (28%) were invariably low. All stallions had a normal 64,XY karyotype. The majority of sperm (89%) had normal haploid sex chromosome content, although 11% of sperm carried various sex chromosome aneuploidies. No correlation was found between the percentage of sperm sex chromosome abnormalities and inbreeding, sperm morphology or stallion age. Direct sequencing of FKBP6 exon 4 for SNPs g.11040315G>A and g.11040379C>A revealed that none of the stallions had the susceptibility genotype (A/A‐A/A) for IAR. Instead, all animals had a G/G‐A/A genotype – a testimony of low genetic variability. The findings ruled out chromosomal abnormalities and genetic predisposition for IAR as contributing factors for subfertility. However, low fertility of the Sorraia stallions could be partly attributed to relatively higher rate of sex chromosome aneuploidies in the sperm.     

Antigenic and genetic variations in European and North American equine influenza virus strains (H3N8) isolated from 2006 to 2007

Equine influenza virus (EIV) surveillance is important in the management of equine influenza. It provides data on circulating and newly emerging strains for vaccine strain selection. To this end, antigenic characterisation by haemaggluttination inhibition (HI) assay and phylogenetic analysis was carried out on 28 EIV strains isolated in North America and Europe during 2006 and 2007. In the UK, 20 viruses were isolated from 28 nasopharyngeal swabs that tested positive by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All except two of the UK viruses were characterised as members of the Florida sublineage with similarity to A/eq/Newmarket/5/03 (clade 2). One isolate, A/eq/Cheshire/1/06, was characterised as an American lineage strain similar to viruses isolated up to 10 years earlier. A second isolate, A/eq/Lincolnshire/1/07 was characterised as a member of the Florida sublineage (clade 1) with similarity to A/eq/Wisconsin/03. Furthermore, A/eq/Lincolnshire/1/06 was a member of the Florida sublineage (clade 2) by haemagglutinin (HA) gene sequence, but appeared to be a member of the Eurasian lineage by the non-structural gene (NS) sequence suggesting that reassortment had occurred. A/eq/Switzerland/P112/07 was characterised as a member of the Eurasian lineage, the first time since 2005 that isolation of a virus from this lineage has been reported. Seven viruses from North America were classified as members of the Florida sublineage (clade 1), similar to A/eq/Wisconsin/03. In conclusion, a variety of antigenically distinct EIVs continue to circulate worldwide. Florida sublineage clade 1 viruses appear to predominate in North America, clade 2 viruses in Europe.     

Health of finishing steers: effects on performance, carcass traits, and meat tenderness

The impact of respiratory disease during a 150-d feedlot finishing period on daily gain, carcass traits, and longissimus tenderness was measured using 204 steer calves. Feedlot health status was monitored in two ways. First, clinical signs of respiratory infection were evaluated each day; treatment with antibiotic was based on degree of fever (if rectal temperature exceeded 40 degrees C then calves were treated). Steers that were treated (n = 102) had lower (P<.05) final live weights, ADG, hot carcass weights (HCW), less external and internal fat, and more desirable yield grades. Steers that were treated had a higher prevalence of carcasses that graded U.S. Standard than steers that were never treated. Second, as an alternative index of health status, lungs of all steers were evaluated at the processing plant using a respiratory tract lesion classification system; this health index included presence or absence of preexisting pneumonic lesions in the anterioventral lobes plus activity of the bronchial lymph nodes (inactive vs active). Lung lesions were present in 33% of all lungs and were distributed almost equally between treated (37%) and untreated cattle (29%). Steers with lesions (n = 87) had lower (P<.05) daily gains, lighter HCW, less internal fat, and lower marbling scores than steers without lesions. Compared to steers with lesions but inactive bronchial lymph nodes (n = 78), steers with lung lesions plus active lymph nodes had lower (P<.01) ADG and dressing percentage. Longissimus shear force values for steaks aged 7 d were lower (P = .05) from steers without lung lesions than those for steaks from steers with lung lesions. Overall, morbidity suppressed daily gains and increased the percentage of U.S. Standard carcasses. Compared to health assessment by clinical appraisal (based on elevated body temperature), classification based on respiratory tract lesions at slaughter proved more reliable statistically and, thereby, more predictive of adverse effects of morbidity on production and meat tenderness.     

Prevalence and determinants of Cryptosporidium spp. infection in smallholder dairy cattle in Iringa and Tanga Regions of Tanzania

The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. infection in a cross-sectional study of dairy cattle, from two contrasting dairying regions in Tanzania, were determined by staining smears of faecal samples with the modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique. Of the 1 126 faecal samples screened, 19.7% were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. The prevalence was lower in Tanga Region than in Iringa Region. The prevalence of affected farms was 20% in Tanga and 21% in Iringa. In both regions, the probability of detecting Cryptosporidium oocysts in faeces varied with animal class, but these were not consistent in both regions. In Tanga Region, Cryptosporidium oocysts were significantly more likely to be found in the faeces of milking cows. In Iringa Region, the likelihood that cattle had Cryptosporidium-positive faeces declined with age, and milking cattle were significantly less likely to have Cryptosporidium-positive faeces. In this region, 7% of cattle were housed within the family house at night, and this was marginally associated with a higher likelihood that animals had Cryptosporidium-positive faeces. Our study suggests that even though herd sizes are small, Cryptosporidium spp. are endemic on many Tanzanian smallholder dairy farms. These protozoa may impact on animal health and production, but also on human health, given the close associations between the cattle and their keepers. Further studies are required to assess these risks in more detail, and understand the epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp. in this management system.     

Screening for 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline in the headspace of rice using SPME/GC-MS

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) is used to collect and concentrate the compounds in the headspace of rice. This research describes optimization parameters of temperature, moisture, and sampling time. Optimization was based upon the recovered levels of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP), the popcorn aroma in aromatic rice. The method uses a sampling temperature of 80 degrees C and adds 100 microL of water to a 0.75 g sample of rice. The rice was preheated for 25 min, a carboxen/DVB/PDMS SPME fiber was exposed to the headspace for 15 min, and a subsequent GC-MS analysis took 35 min. Samples of rice can be analyzed as the flour, milled kernels, or brown rice. Twenty-one experimental rice varieties were analyzed by the SPME method and compared to a wet technique. Recoveries of several nanograms of 2-AP from 0.75 g samples of aromatic rice were observed, whereas only trace amounts of 2-AP were recovered from nonaromatic rice. Recovery from a single SPME headspace analysis is calculated to be 0.3% of the total 2-AP in the sample.     

Effects of methanol on the microflora of an arctic soil

The effect of 36 lm^?2 of 20% and 100% methanol spillage on the microflora of a soil near Inuvik, N.W.T. was assessed. Gas-liquid chromatography was used to monitor the residual methanol in the soil. Associated with residual methanol determination were measurements of changes in numbers of bacteria, fungal standing crop, respiration and isolation of methanol utilizing bacteria. Twenty percent methanol spillage had two different effects on the surface vegetation, in that the vegetation was killed in some plots and not others. The applied methanol disappeared completely between 1 and 4 weeks. No increased soil activity (as indicated by respiration, bacterial numbers, fungal standing crop) was detected when methanol was present in the soil. Because only one bacterium (i.e. pink gram negative rods) metabolized only very small concentrations of methanol, it was concluded that biodegradation of methanol was not a significant agent affecting methanol loss from the soil.