Investigations on suitability of different materials for carriers to be used for virucidal testing of chemical disinfectants in the veterinary field

Various materials with rough surfaces were tested to determine their suitability for virus carrier tests designed to evaluate virucidal activity of chemical disinfectants. A non-enveloped RNA virus, bovine enterovirus type 1, strain LCR 4 [entero cytopathogenic bovine orphan virus (ECBO)] and an enveloped RNA virus, paramyxovirus type 1 [Newcastle disease virus (NDV), strain Montana] served as test viruses. Experiments with ECBO virus were carried out in four sets, and those with NDV in three sets. In the first set we used poplar wood, frosted glass slides and Sartorius membrane filters. The second set comprised of poplar wood, frosted glass slides, polyamide filters, and cellulose nitrate filters and, in the third set, glass fibre filters and glass fibre pre-filters were added. The fourth test included poplar wood, frosted glass slides, and polyethersulphone ultra filters. Because of their extremely low levels of virus recovery, glass, polyamide, cellulose nitrate and glass fibre filter, glass fibre pre-filter, and polyethersulphone ultra filters are not suitable for sufficient recovery of ECBO virus. Only poplar wood carriers allowed sufficient recovery rates of ECBO virus. In the first and second set of tests, NDV could be sufficiently recovered from poplar wood, glass slides, and polyamide filter. In the third set, the virus recovery from polyamide filter was very low. Poplar wood carrier is recommended as a reliable carrier for the tests with both viruses, but methods for virus recovery must be improved, e.g. by more vigorous and longer shaking or optimizing the ultrasonic treatment.     

Effect of Endobronchial Challenge with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Serotype 10 of Pigs Vaccinated with Bacterins Consisting of A. pleuropneumoniae Serotype 10 Grown under NAD‐Rich and NAD‐Restricted Conditions

The efficacy of two bacterins containing an Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 10 strain was evaluated. The bacterial cells constituting bacterin 1 and 2 were grown under nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)‐rich (low‐adherence capacity to alveolar epithelial cell cultures) and NAD‐restricted (high‐adherence capacity to alveolar epithelial cell cultures) conditions, respectively. Ten pigs were vaccinated twice with the bacterin 1 and nine pigs with the bacterin 2. Ten control animals were injected twice with a saline solution. Three weeks after the second vaccination, all pigs were endobronchially inoculated with 106.5 colony‐forming units (CFU) of an A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 10 strain. In the bacterin 1 and 2 group, three and two pigs died after inoculation, respectively. Only two pigs of the control group survived challenge. Surviving pigs were killed at 7 days after challenge. The percentage of pigs with severe lung lesions (>10% of the lung affected) was 100% in the control group, 70% in the bacterin 1 group and 22% in the bacterin 2 group. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae was isolated from the lungs of all animals. The mean bacterial titres of the caudal lung lobes were 7.0 × 10⁶ CFU/g in the control group, 6.3 × 10⁵ CFU/g in the bacterin 1 group and 1.3 × 10⁶ CFU/g in the bacterin 2 group. It was concluded that both bacterins induced partial protection against severe challenge. Furthermore, there are indications that the bacterin 2, containing A. pleuropneumoniae bacteria grown under conditions resulting in high in vitro adhesin, induced better protection than the bacterin 1.     

The Effect of Supplementation with Fresh Browse of Ziziphus mauritiana or Combretum aculeatum on Feed Intake,Nitrogen Utilization and Growth of Grazing Range Sheep

The influence of 0, 60 or 120 min access to a grove of either Ziziphus mauritiana (Ziziphus) or Combretum aculeatum (Combretum) on forage intake and on the digestibility, growth and excretion of nutrients was determined using 40 Oudah rams grazing for 7 h/day on poor-quality dry season pasture in the Sahel. The effects of browse species and browsing duration (0, 30, 60 or 120 min) on the ruminal ammonia content were also evaluated using 8 mature fistulated rams. Ziziphus increased both total digestible organic matter and total dry matter intakes per (kg live weight)^0.75 without decreasing herbage intake, whereas 60 or 120 min access to Combretum reduced herbage intake by 6.3% and 4.2%, respectively. The digestibility of the diet decreased (p<0.05) with the duration of access to the groves. Despite the provision of more nitrogen (N) than in the control diet, ruminal NH₃-N decreased 24 h after browsing commenced. The reduced live weight gain of sheep browsing Combretum may indicate more deleterious compounds in Combretum than in Ziziphus. Ziziphus appears to have more potential than Combretum to increase sheep production in low-input crop/livestock systems.     

Dairy Production and Reproduction by Crosses of Holstein,Jersey or Brown Swiss Sires with Holstein-Friesian/Gir Dams

The performance was compared of cows sired by Holstein, Jersey or Brown Swiss bulls out of Holstein-Friesian×Gir dams of 1/2 to 3/4 Holstein-Friesian content. The animals were kept in a single herd under the same management. The data were analysed by least-squares techniques under a model that included the fixed effects of breed of sire, Bos taurus fraction of the dam, parity, year and season of calving, and a random cow effect. Based on 480 observations, the milk yields per lactation for the Holstein, Jersey and Brown Swiss sired groups were 2821±163, 2320±61 and 2418±119 kg, respectively. The corresponding means for fat yield per lactation were 96.9±6.6, 86.8±2.5 and 92.8±4.8 kg; for protein yield per lactation were 85.3±5.1, 71.3±1.9 and 76.3±3.7 kg; for lactation length, 339±18, 283±7 and 313±14 days for fat percentage, 3.37±0.10, 3.73±0.04 and 3.77±0.07%; and for protein percentage, 3.02±0.05, 3.10±0.02 and 3.16±0.04%. The respective calving intervals were 487±24, 408±11 and 461±245 days. The yields of milk and protein per day of calving interval were similar in the Jersey and Holstein sired groups, while the former had higher yields of fat, implying that production economics might favour the smaller Jersey crosses in production systems in which the males were not reared. Crossing with Brown Swiss did not improve performance over the Holstein sired crosses.     

Common virus infections in cats, before and after being placed in shelters, with emphasis on feline enteric coronavirus

The purpose of this study was to determine the origin and subsequent spread of feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus (FHV), and feline enteric coronavirus (FECV) in cats relinquished to shelters. FCV was isolated from the oral fauces of 11% of healthy cats upon entry, and isolation rates were highest for kittens (33%). FHV shedding was very low (4%) at the time of entry and occurred mainly in juveniles. FECV shedding was also common among newly relinquished cats (33%), especially older kittens and juveniles (90%). The subsequent spread of all three viruses was rapid and efficient in the shelter environment. Fifteen percent of cats were shedding FCV, 52% FHV, and 60% FECV after 1 week. More detailed studies were done with FECV shedding, which could be accurately quantitated. The amounts of FECV shed by infected cats ranged from 10(2)to 10(16)particles/swab of feces. FECV shedding was several logs higher in young kittens with primary infection than adult cats with primary infections. The mean levels of FECV shedding among adults were the same for primary and chronic infections. Although shelters were not the primary source of these viruses for many relinquished cats, factors intrinsic to the shelter environment were critical in amplifying shedding and spread to susceptible individuals. Extrinsic factors were especially important for the spread of FHV and FECV. FHV shedding rates increased from 4% to 50% in 1 week's time. The speed and magnitude of the increase in FHV shedding suggested that there was reactivation of latent infections as well as acquisition of new infections. FECV shedding increased 10 to 1,000,000 fold in 1 week among cats that were already infected at entry, and more than one-half of initially negative cats were shedding FECV a week later. Feline calicivirus infection was the least likely to spread in the shelter. The infection rate only increased from 11 to 15% in 1 week.     

New and unusual causes of acute renal failure in dogs and cats.

This article provides a source for easy reference, summarizing in one location newly recognized and unusual causes of acute renal failure (ARF) in dogs and cats. Several of the causes discussed in this article have been described previously. New or unusual causes of ARF in dogs and cats include infectious diseases (leptospirosis,borreliosis, and babesiosis), nephrotoxicants (aminoglycosides,vitamin D, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), and plant material (lilies and raisins/grapes).     

Heritability of juniper consumption in goats

Data from goats (n = 505), collected over a 4-yr period, were used to estimate the heritability of juniper consumption. Juniper consumption was determined by near-infrared spectroscopy on fecal samples (n = 1,080) collected from female Boer-cross goats grazing pastures with a variety of plants, including juniper. The animals with records were progeny of 72 sires. Individual goats had from 1 to 4 observations over a 4-yr period. Predicted juniper consumption for individual observations ranged from -5 to +62% of the diet. Data were analyzed with a mixed model that included management group as a fixed effect, BW as a covariate, and permanent environment, animal, and residual as random effects. Management group was a significant source of variation. Least squares means of juniper consumption, as a percentage of the total intake, for management groups varied from 19 to 47%. Heritability of juniper consumption was 13%. Repeatability of juniper consumption was 31%. These results suggest that progress to selection for goats that will consume greater amounts of juniper is obtainable, but is expected to be slow.     

Prostate cancer in dogs: comparative and clinical aspects

The canine prostate gland shares many morphological and functional similarities with the human prostate and dogs are the only other large mammals that commonly develop spontaneous prostate cancer. However, the incidence of prostate cancer is much lower in dogs and the precise cell of origin is not known. Dogs with prostate cancer usually present with advanced disease that does not respond to androgen deprivation therapy. Similar to humans, affected dogs often develop osteoblastic bone metastases in the pelvis and/or lumbar spine with associated pain and neurological deficits. Other clinical signs include weight loss, lethargy, and abnormal urination and/or defecation. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation have been used to treat dogs with prostate cancer, but success has been limited by the location and aggressive nature of the disease. It is evident that better methods of early detection and more effective therapies are needed for prostate cancer in dogs and advanced prostate carcinoma in men. Dogs with naturally-occurring prostate cancer are relevant models for the disease in humans and pre-clinical studies of new diagnostics and therapies in dogs may benefit both humans and dogs with prostate cancer.     

Analysis of serum and lymphocyte surface IgM of healthy and immunodeficient horses with monoclonal antibodies

Nine monoclonal antibodies which reacted with equine immunoglobulin (Ig)M and not other equine Ig and serum proteins were prepared. Cells producing antibodies (C 1.9) which precipitated with IgM and bound to staphylococcal protein A were triple-cloned (C 1.9/3.2) and the antibodies further characterized. Monoclonal antibody C 1.9/3.2 reacted with an IgM determinant present on serum IgM from horses of several breeds. Studies with 125I-labeled IgM revealed the presence of this determinant on all IgM molecules. The monoclonal antibody enabled quantitation of IgM in presuckling foal and adult horse sera, using rocket electrophoresis. This procedure was used because presumably it gives a positive precipitation reaction over a wide range of antigen-antibody ratios. The C 1.9/3.2 monoclonal antibody recognized an exposed mu-chain determinant on live B lymphocytes, as determined by immunofluorescence. Also, IgM-containing cells could be identified in acetone-fixed frozen sections of lymphoid tissue. Sera from several other species carry the determinant identified by C 1.9/3.2, suggesting that the reagent may be useful for IgM studies in other species.