An Outbreak of Respiratory Disease Complex in Sheep in Central Ethiopia

An investigation was carried out into an outbreak of respiratory disease complex (RDC) in 3641 Menz and Awassi×Menz cross sheep in Central Ethiopia between 1998 and 1999 by clinical, serological, microbiological, post-mortem and histopathological examinations. The monthly incidence of RDC varied from 2.8% to 4.0% and the prevalence was as high as 17%. The case fatality rate was 18%, despite culling of sick sheep. Over 76% of the morbidity occurred in adults, followed by 19% among weaners. Similarly, 62% of the mortality was in adults. However, 27% of the mortality occurred in lambs despite the low morbidity in the group. Significant breed and age differences were seen in the morbidity and mortality rates (p<0.05). Clinical signs, gross and microscopic lesions and serological and bacteriological examinations showed an interplay of several causes of the RDC, including pestes des petits ruminants (PPR) (72.3%, serologically confirmed), lung worms, maedi-visna, bacterial bronchopneumonia (staphylococcal and streptococcal), enzootic pneumonia and some fungal infections. Cold temperatures, which may be as low as –8.5°C at night, are major predisposing factors along with managemental stresses. Vaccination of animals with a homologous PPR vaccine appeared to decrease dramatically the occurrence of the disease, showing that PPR played an important role in the outbreak. Several of the pathogens do not appear to be individually capable of causing the respiratory disease. Appropriate strategies for the prevention of RDC are suggested.     

Clinical course, diagnostic findings and necropsy diagnosis in dyspneic cats with primary pulmonary parenchymal disease: 15 cats (1996–2002)

Objective: Correlate the necropsy diagnosis with the history, diagnostic findings, and clinical course of dyspneic cats with primary lung parenchymal disease. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Animals: Client‐owned cats over 6 months of age hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a primary problem of respiratory distress that had pulmonary parenchymal disease on thoracic radiographs, and a complete necropsy. Interventions: None. Measurements and main results: Cats included were assigned into 2 groups based on the pulmonary histopathology: inflammatory (n=8) and neoplastic (n=7) disease. No statistical difference was found between the groups with regard to age, body weight, clinical signs, duration of clinical signs, physical examination findings, thoracic radiography, duration of hospitalization, treatment, and outcome. Cats with neoplasia had a statistically higher mean total white blood cell count (26.60 k/μL±10.41) than those with inflammatory lung disease (11.59 k/μL±4.49; P=0.026). Cats with bacterial or viral pulmonary disease had a significantly shorter median duration of illness (5 days, range 1–7 days) than all other cats (30 days, range 7–365 days; P=0.0042). Ultrasound guided pulmonary fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) provided an accurate diagnosis in 5/5 cases. Conclusions: Forty‐seven percent of cats with pulmonary parenchymal disease had neoplasia. The clinical diagnosis was difficult to obtain ante‐mortem; lung FNA appeared to be the most helpful diagnostic tool in these cases.     

Bacterial infection of the lower respiratory tract in 34 horses

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between the bacteriology and aspects of history, clinical presentation, outcome and pathology of lower respiratory tract disease of 34 horses. PROCEDURE: Detailed aerobic and anaerobic bacteriological investigations were performed on clinical specimens from horses with pneumonia, lung abscessation and necrotic pneumonia with or without pleurisy in an attempt to identify those bacteria that might contribute to the initiation and progression of infection. RESULTS: Bacteria were cultured from 33 of the 34 horses. In ten cases, only aerobic/facultatively anaerobic isolates were cultured while aerobic/facultatively anaerobic bacteria and obligately anaerobic bacteria were isolated in the other 23 cases. Moderate to large numbers of anaerobic bacteria were isolated only when the estimated duration of illness was at least five days. Bacteria were not cultured from 12 of the pleural fluid samples but were always cultured from pulmonary samples (either transtracheal aspirates from live horses or pulmonary lesions at necropsy). Streptococcus equi subsp zooepidemicus was isolated in the three cases where only one bacterial species was cultured. In the other 30 cases, multiple species were isolated. These included most often and in greatest numbers, Streptococcus equi subsp zooepidemicus, Pasteurellaceae, Escherichia coli, anaerobic cocci, Eubacterium fossor, Bacteroides tectum, Prevotella heparinolytica, Fusobacterium spp, and pigmented members of the genera Prevotella and Porphyromonas. Aerobic/facultatively anaerobic organisms were isolated from 97% of horses, while obligately anaerobic organisms were cultured from 68% of horses. CONCLUSION: There was no association between the isolation of any specific bacterium and the outcome of disease. However, obligately anaerobic bacteria (such as anaerobic cocci, Bacteroides tectum, P heparinolytica and Fusobacterium spp) and the facultatively anaerobic species Escherichia coli, were recovered more commonly from horses that died or were euthanased than from those that survived. There was an association between failure of horses to recover from pleuropneumonia and delay in diagnosis and initiation of treatment.     

细胞色素C在生物医学方面的研究进展

综合论述了细胞色素C的研究简史和结构性质,探讨了细胞色素C与细胞线粒体呼吸链、生物进化细胞凋亡的关系,并对细胞色素C的应用前景作了展望。     

Physicochemical properties of the thermal gel of water-washed meat in the presence of the more soluble fraction of porcine sarcoplasmic protein

We investigated the physicochemical properties of the thermal gel of water‐washed pork meat (WWM) in the presence of the soluble fraction of porcine sarcoplasmic protein (SP) obtained with ammonium sulfate at 75 percent saturation. Two precipitated fractions of SP were obtained at 0–50 percent and 50–75 percent saturation, named SP‐f1 and SP‐f2, respectively, and the soluble fraction obtained at 75 percent saturation, SP‐f3, was used. Sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that SP‐f3 contained mainly glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), while SP‐f1 and SP‐f2 had other SPs such as phosphorylase b, enolase, actin and phosphoglycerate mutase. The gel strength of WWM was greater when SP‐f3 rather than one of various animal proteins such as bovine plasma (BP), egg white, or whey protein isolates (WPI), was added and SP‐f3 had a gel‐enhancing effect as good as that of polyphosphate (PP). The gel strength of WWM with added SP‐f3 increased significantly with NaCl at 0.15 mol/L or more, but not in the absence of NaCl (0 mol/L). The effect of SP‐f3 was evident at neutral pH and maximum gel strength was obtained at a pH above 6.0. Differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis showed that an endothermic peak corresponding to myosin heads in WWM shifted to a lower temperature with the addition of SP‐f3, as in the case of PP, though there was no such shift in the presence of other animal proteins (BP, egg white and WPI), suggesting that SP‐f3 increases the gel strength of WWM through the dissociation of actomyosin similar to PP. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed wall‐like structures among the protein strands in the WWM gel matrix in the presence of SP‐f3. The results of DSC and SEM indicated that the formation of a gel network in meat products is reinforced with GAPDH in SP after the interaction between GAPDH and myofibrillar protein.     

褪黑素对内毒素血症山羊肝细胞线粒体呼吸功能的影响

将48只健康山羊随机分为4组：对照组（A组）、内毒素（LPS）组（B组）、内毒素＋褪黑素（LPS＋MT）组（C组）、褪黑素（MT）组（D组）,在处理后第3 h和6 h提取肝细胞线粒体,采用Clark氧电极技术测定线粒体呼吸控制率（RCR）、磷氧比值（P/O）、氧化磷酸化效率（OPR）的变化,探讨了MT对LPS诱导的山羊内毒素血症机体线粒体呼吸功能的影响。结果显示,内毒素组山羊在第3 h和6 h的RCR、P/O、OPR显著低于对照组（P〈0.05）;应用褪黑素后,即内毒素＋褪黑素组第3 h的肝细胞线粒体RCR、P/O、OPR明显升高（P〈0.05）;褪黑素组第3 h的RCR明显高于对照组（P〈0.05）,而褪黑素组第3 h的P/O、OPR与对照组差异不显著（P〉0.05）。证实,山羊内毒素血症时线粒体的呼吸功能明显下降,褪黑素对肝细胞线粒体呼吸功能具有一定的保护作用。     

Acute respiratory distress syndrome in dogs and cats: a review of clinical findings and pathophysiology

Objective: To review the clinical and pathophysiologic aspects of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in dogs and cats. Data sources: Data from human and veterinary literature were reviewed through Medline and CAB as well as manual search of references listed in articles pertaining to acute lung injury (ALI)/ARDS. Human data synthesis: Since the term ARDS was first coined in 1967, there has been a abundance of literature pertaining to this devastating syndrome in human medicine. More complete understanding of the complex interactions between inflammatory cells, soluble mediators (e.g., tumor necrosis factor, interleukin (IL)‐6, IL‐8, platelet activating factor) and the clinical patient has provided for timely recognition and mechanistically based protective strategies decreasing morbidity and mortality in human patients with ARDS. Veterinary data synthesis: Although little is known, ARDS is becoming a more commonly recognized sequela in small animals. Initial case reports and retrospective studies have provided basic clinical characterization of ARDS in dogs and cats. Additionally, information from experimental models has expanded our understanding of the inflammatory mechanisms involved. It appears that the inflammatory processes and pathologic changes associated with ARDS are similar in dogs, cats, and humans. Conclusions: Unfortunately, current mortality rates for ARDS in small animals are close to 100%. As our capability to treat patients with advanced life‐threatening disease increases, it is vital that we develop a familiarity with the pathogenesis of ARDS. Understanding the complex inflammatory interactions is essential for determining effective preventative and management strategies as well as designing novel therapies for veterinary patients.     

Evaluation of Thermal Environment of Cowshed and Correlation Analysis Between Thermal Parameter and Physiological Parameter of Dairy Cows in Central Plain of Hebei

The purpose of this study was to evaluate thermal environment of cowshed in four seasons in central plain of Hebei,and analyze the correlation between the temperature parameters and physiological indexes of dairy cows.Three dairy cow houses with different building structures were selected,the thermal parameters (ambient temperature (Ta) and relative humidity (RH)) and physiological parameters (respiratory rate,rectal temperature and body surface temperature) were detected.The results showed that the Ta,RH and index of temperature and humidity (THI) changed significantly in four seasons (P<0.05),the average daily temperature in summer was the highest (28.59 ℃),and the average daily temperature in winter was the lowest (1.55 ℃).In summer,dairy cows were suffering from mild heat stress for 15.5 h every day,and from moderate heat stress for 6.0 h.In winter,dairy cows were under mild cold stress for an average of 12.0 h per day.The Ta and THI of three cowsheds in each season had no significant differece (P>0.05),except for that in winter.Compared with the cowshed with low wall or roller blind,the average Ta in the cowshed with only roof was 0.80-1.27 ℃ higher in summer and 1.36-1.84 ℃ lower in winter.In addition,the physiological parameters of dairy cows were extremely significantly higher in summer than those in other seasons (P<0.01).The respiration frequency or rectal temperature of cows among cowsheds in summer were significantly different (P<0.05),and the seasonal difference in body surface temperature was significant (P<0.05).Correlation analysis of thermal parameters and cow physiological parameters showed that the respiratory frequency,rectal temperature and body surface temperature were positively correlated with THI and Ta (P<0.05).However,there was no significant correlation between physiological parameters and RH (P>0.05).The results provided scientific basis for environment evaluation of cows,and physiological status of dairy cows were inferred according to environmental thermal parameters,which provided data for occurrence and early warning of stress.