Jugular venous emboli of brain tissue induced in sheep by the use of captive bolt guns

Emboli of central nervous tissue were detected in the jugular venous blood of two of 15 sheep stunned with a conventional cartridge-operated captive bolt gun and in two of 15 sheep stunned with a pneumatically activated gun. No emboli were detected in arterial blood from these sheep or in venous blood from sheep stunned electrically. Emboli from an animal with BSE could transmit the disease to people.     

Asymmetric densitometric and mechanical adaptation of the left fifth metacarpal bone in racing greyhounds

The densitometric and mechanical structural properties of the left and right fifth metacarpal bones of 10 racing greyhounds with a fracture of the central tarsal bone and 10 without a fracture were investigated by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and a servo-hydraulic materials testing machine. In all the greyhounds the bone mineral density of the left fifth metacarpal bone was significantly greater than that of the right (P<0.001), but there was no significant difference between the degree of asymmetry in bone mineral density in the two groups. The ultimate torque and energy-to-failure of the left fifth metacarpal bone of the greyhounds with a fracture of the right central tarsal bone were significantly higher than in the right fifth metacarpal bone and higher than in both the left and right fifth metacarpal bones of the greyhounds with no fracture (P<0.05). The ultimate torque and energy-to-failure were significantly related to bone mineral density (P<0.005), and 22 per cent of the variation in these structural properties could be explained by variations in bone mineral density. Fifth metacarpal remodelling in response to asymmetric cyclic loading is bone-specific, and structural properties are enhanced in the left fifth metacarpal of greyhounds with a fracture of the right central tarsal bone.     

Controlled study of the efficacy of clavulanic acid-potentiated amoxycillin in the treatment of Chlamydia psittaci in cats

Twenty-four specific pathogen-free cats were inoculated with 3 x 10(3) infectious units of a field isolate of Chlamydia psittaci on to the corneal surface. Seven days later they were assigned randomly to three groups of eight and treated orally for 19 days with either clavulanic acid-potentiated amoxycillin, doxycycline or a placebo. Both treated groups responded rapidly, with a marked reduction in isolation rates and clinical scores which were significantly lower than in the placebo group within two and four days, respectively. After two days the group treated with potentiated amoxycillin had a significantly lower isolation score than the group treated with doxycycline. Forty days after they were infected the clinical signs recurred in five of the eight cats treated with potentiated amoxycillin, but a four-week course of potentiated amoxycillin resulted in a complete clinical recovery with no evidence of a recurrence for six months.     

Effect of different methods of administration of ivermectin on its efficacy against the shedding of gastrointestinal nematode eggs by gazelles

Seven different methods of administering ivermectin to gazelles were compared: subcutaneous injection, direct oral administration, administration in individual feeds, administration in a herd feed, direct oral administration of a second ivermectin formulation, administration in individual water supplies, and administration in the herd's water supply. The first five treatments were effective, as monitored by faecal egg count reduction tests, and administration in individual feeds or in a herd feed avoided the need to capture the animals, with the attendant risk of mortality. Of the factors associated with the recipients (species, sex, age and inbreeding coefficient) age was the only significant factor for the efficacy of the treatment. Oral or subcutaneous, individual or collective, and direct or indirect administrations were equally satisfactory for the treatment of all the parasite groups studied. Only when parasitic problems were due to Nematodirus species did direct administration to individual animals appear to be preferable.     

Dermatophilus congolensis Infection in Goats in Tanzania

When goats in Eastern Tanzania were screened for skin diseases, Dermatophilus congolensis was isolated from the skin lesions in 8 of 484 animals examined. In one severely affected case, the disease was also characterized by histological studies (Gram stain, Giemsa stain and routine HE studies) and electron microscopy. The histological picture was characterized by hyperkeratosis, parakeratosis, acanthosis, folliculitis and an inflammatory cellular reaction involving the epidermis. Gram stain and Giemsa stain revealed longitudinal and transverse branching filaments in the deeper layers of the epidermis. Ultrastructural studies demonstrated D. congolensis in various morphological forms, ranging from filamentous to tuber-shaped structures, mixed with numerous coccoid bodies of variable size. In some instances, the organisms were geometrically arranged in parallel rows of beading and were present in and among the degenerated epithelial cells. Several host cells showed degenerative changes. Ticks present on the goats were Amblyomma variegatum, Rhipicephalus evertsi, Rhipicephalus pravus and Boophilus sp. The clinical signs, pathological lesions, diagnosis, epidemiology and pathogenesis of the disease are discussed.     

Present and future of veterinary viral vaccinology: a review

This review deals briefly with some key developments in veterinary vaccinology, lists the types of vaccines that are used for vaccinations commonly performed in food animals as well as in companion animals, and indicates that the practising veterinarian can select the best vaccine by comparing the results of efficacy studies. Diva (Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals; also termed marker) vaccines and companion diagnostic tests have been developed that can be used for progammes aimed to control or eradicate virus infections. Vaccine-induced herd immunity, which can be measured relatively easily when diva vaccines are used, is a crucial issue in such programmes. Current vaccine research follows many routes towards novel vaccines, which can be divided into non-replicating ('killed') and replicating ('live') vaccines. Promising trends are the development of DNA vaccination, vector vaccines, and attenuation of DNA and RNA viruses by DNA technology. The lack of (in vitro) correlates of vaccine protection markedly hampers progress in vaccine research. Various characteristics of an 'ideal' vaccine are listed, such as multivalency and the induction of lifelong immunity after one non-invasive administration in animals with maternal immunity. Future research should be aimed at developing vaccines that approach the ideal as closely as possible and which are directed against diseases not yet controlled by vaccination and against newly emerging diseases.     

An Abattoir Survey on the Frequency of Fatty Liver Syndrome in Dairy Cows from the Suburbs of Tehran

One hundred and six Holstein and Holstein x native cows were inspected before and after slaughter, and liver samples were taken. The fat content of all the liver samples was estimated by an extraction method (Soxhlet). The livers of 29 cows (27%) were classified as fatty. Seventeen of the animals were newly calved, 47 were non-pregnant, 33 were pregnant and 9 were dry, the median values for the fat content of their livers being 60.6, 34.4, 34.7 and 33.8 mg/g, respectively. The median concentration of liver fat in the first group was significantly different from that in each of the other groups (p < 0.01).