Fatal pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza A virus infection in a Pennsylvania domestic cat

We report the earliest recognized fatality associated with laboratory-confirmed pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza in a domestic cat in the United States. The 12-year old, indoor cat died on 6 November 2009 after exposure to multiple family members who had been ill with influenza-like illness during the peak period of the fall wave of pH1N1 in Pennsylvania during late October 2009. The clinical presentation, history, radiographic, laboratory and necropsy findings are presented to assist veterinary care providers in understanding the features of this disease in cats and the potential for transmission of infection to pets from infected humans.     

The role of albumin replacement in the critically ill veterinary patient

Objective: To review the human and veterinary literature on the physiological role and effects of therapeutic albumin supplementation. Data sources: Data from human and veterinary literature was reviewed. Human data synthesis: Hypoalbuminemia often occurs in a variety of critical illnesses, and contributes to the development of life‐threatening complications, including pulmonary edema, delayed wound healing, feeding intolerance, hypercoaguability, and multiple organ dysfunction. Serum albumin concentration has been used as a prognostic indicator in cases of chronic hypoalbuminemia. The use of albumin replacement therapy in humans is sometimes controversial, but may be associated with improved morbidity and decreased mortality. Veterinary data synthesis: Unlike human literature, there is a paucity of controlled clinical studies in the literature regarding albumin supplementation in veterinary patients. Rather, the majority of published studies were performed in experimental animals or via retrospective analyses. One recent study evaluated the use of plasma to improve albumin concentration in dogs with hypoalbuminemia. Other older studies investigated wound healing in dogs with experimentally induced hypoalbuminemia. As in human medicine, serum albumin concentration may be helpful as a prognostic indicator in critically ill dogs. Conclusion: Albumin is one of the most important proteins in the body because of its role in maintenance of colloid oncotic pressure, substrate transport, buffering capacity, as a mediator of coagulation and wound healing, and free‐radical scavenging. Albumin replacement in veterinary medicine is difficult, but until prospective clinical trials determine the efficacy of albumin replacement are conducted, a suggested clinical guideline would be to maintain albumin concentration at or above 2.0 g/dl utilizing fresh frozen plasma.     

草鱼细菌性烂鳃病病原的研究

从患细菌性烂鳃病的草鱼病灶分离得滑动细菌M_(165),经多次水中感染(及反复分离、再感染),能使草鱼及多种池塘鱼类显症、死亡。M_(165)的生物学特性与鱼害粘球菌相似,但不能用Dworkin法快速诱生小孢子。该菌DNA碱基比为35.3％,与粘球菌有明显差异,采用柱状屈桡杆菌学名Fiexibacter columnaris (Davis)Leadbetter。     

酸碱胁迫对奥尼罗非鱼幼鱼鳃组织结构及Na~+-K~+-ATP酶活力的影响

[目的]探讨酸碱胁迫对奥尼罗非鱼幼鱼鳃组织结构及Na~+-K~+-ATP酶活力的影响。[方法]将初始体质量(6.81±0.85)g奥尼罗非鱼(Oreochromis aureus×Oreochromis niloticus)幼鱼暴露于不同酸碱度(p H分别为4.5、6.0、7.5、9.0、10.5,依次设为试验Ⅰ、Ⅱ组、对照组及试验Ⅲ、Ⅳ组)的水体中,每组3个重复,每个重复30尾鱼。胁迫后0、12、24、48、72 h采集鱼鳃样本,采用HE染色石蜡组织切片及分光光度法比较酸碱胁迫对鱼鳃组织结构及其中Na~+-K~+-ATP酶活力的影响。[结果]对照组鱼鳃的组织结构未发现有明显病变的症状,且鳃中的Na~+-K~+-ATP酶活力维持在一定水平;各胁迫组鱼鳃组织结构均不同程度发生病变,出现鳃丝融合,动脉血管破损,鳃小片肿胀弯曲,顶端与末端粘充血和肿胀,黏液细胞增多,上皮细胞增生、脱落,泌氯细胞肿胀,细胞质空泡化等一系列病态症状,且其症状会随着酸碱程度的加深、暴露时间的延长而加重;酸碱胁迫后各胁迫组鱼鳃中Na~+-K~+-ATP酶活力均出现先升高后降低的变化,其中酸胁迫的峰值出现在48 h,而碱胁迫出现在12 h。[结论]该研究结果可为奥尼罗非鱼的养殖生产提供理论依据。     

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Leptospira Seropositivity in Beef Cattle,Sheep and Deer Farmers in New Zealand

Leptospirosis is a global zoonosis that in New Zealand affects primarily people occupationally exposed to livestock. The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of five Leptospira serovars in farmers working on cattle, sheep and deer farms that had the serological status of animals previously assessed and to identify risk factors for farmer seropositivity. A total of 178 farmers from 127 properties participated in the study. Blood samples were tested using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for the presence of antibodies to Leptospira. Samples with a MAT titre ≥48 were considered seropositive. Using Bayesian statistical analysis, the median seroprevalence of Leptospira, all serovars combined, was estimated to be 6.6% (95% probability interval (PI) 3.6–10.9%). Risk factors associated with seropositivity were assisting deer or cattle calving, farming deer, having ≥25% of flat terrain and high abundance of wild deer on farm, while high possum abundance on farm was negatively associated with seropositivity. No association was observed between farmer serostatus and previously recorded livestock serology. Leptospira seropositivity was associated with influenza‐like illness of farmers (RR = 1.7; 95% PI 1.0–2.5). Assuming a causal relationship, this suggested an annual risk of 1.3% (95% PI 0.0–3.0%) of influenza‐like illnesses due to Leptospira infection in the population of farmers. The association between seropositivity and disease can be used to estimate the public health burden of leptospirosis in New Zealand. Identifying and understanding risk factors for Leptospira seropositivity can inform preventive measures, hence contributing to the reduction of leptospirosis incidence in farmers.     

Retrospective Study: The association of blood lactate concentration with outcome in dogs with idiopathic immune‐mediated hemolytic anemia: 173 cases (2003–2006)

Objective – To determine the association of blood lactate with outcome and response to transfusion therapy in dogs with idiopathic immune‐mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). Design – Retrospective study. Setting – Urban veterinary small animal emergency hospital. Animals – One hundred and seventy‐three client‐owned dogs with IMHA. Interventions – None. Measurements and Main Results – Serial blood lactate concentration, therapeutic interventions, and outcome were recorded. Nonsurvivors were defined as those that died or were euthanized. One hundred and thirty‐three dogs (77%) survived, 35 (20%) were euthanized, and 5 (3%) died. One hundred forty‐five dogs (84%; 145/173) had a lactate concentration above the laboratory reference interval [0.46–2.31 mmol/L] on presentation. Blood lactate at presentation was higher in the nonsurvivors (median 4.8 mmol/L; 0.5–13.6) compared with survivors (median 2.9 mmol/L; 0.3–13.2) (P<0.01). All dogs presenting with hyperlactatemia that normalized (<2.0 mmol/L) within 6 hours of admission survived, whereas, 71% of dogs that had a persistent hyperlactatemia at 6 hours survived (P=0.034). Lactate was positively correlated with age, BUN, and alkaline phosphatase, and inversely correlated with PCV. Receiver operating curve analysis for lactate concentration at admission as a test for outcome had an area under the curve of 0.69 with an optimal lactate cutoff concentration of 4.4 mmol/L correctly predicting outcome 73% of the time (sensitivity 60%, specificity 77%). Conclusions – Lactate concentration at presentation was significantly higher in nonsurvivors than survivors. Lactate was significantly correlated with previously reported outcome variables but lactate concentration at admission, as a predictor for outcome was less than optimal. However, serial lactate concentration measurements may be more predictive as patients with persistent hyperlactatemia 6 hours after admission were less likely to survive. Prospective studies evaluating serial lactate concentration while controlling for other variables may provide further insight into lactate measurement as a prognostic indicator in animals with IMHA.     

硫酸铜对三角帆蚌肝脏和鳃的毒害

硫酸铜常用于淡水珍珠养殖中的蚌病防治［张元培１９９４］,铜是生物体的必需微量元素,但当其浓度超过机体调节范围时,在体内累积过多,将会引起机体的酶活性［Ｚｅｒｖａｓ等１９９０］、生化成分［Ｓａｔｈｙａｎａｔｈａｎ等１９８８］、免疫系统［Ｋｕｃｈａｒｚ和Ｓｉｅｒａｋｏｗｓｋｉ１９８８］等方面的一系列变化,对其生长、生存造成危害［Ｅｗｉｎｇ等１９８２］。一般认为肝脏是解毒的器官,而鳃与水体外环境和机体内环境接触密切,也常被作为水生生物铜毒害的重要研究对象,但多集中在海洋生物［Ｍｉｌｌｅｒ和Ｍａｃｋａｙ…     

Groundwater water treatment for iron and manganese reduction and fish rearing studies applied to the design of the Ruth Burnett Sport Fish Hatchery, Fairbanks, Alaska

Studies at the Fairbanks Experimental Fish Hatchery (FEFH) were conducted to investigate the operational characteristics of media filtration groundwater treatment for iron and manganese reduction, water reuse and recirculation technologies for fish rearing, and conditions of fish gill tissue during rearing. Results were used to aid in the design and planned operation of the Ruth Burnett Sport Fish Hatchery (RBSFH), currently under construction in Fairbanks, Alaska. Under a two-stage filtration scenario, with hydraulic loading rates of 0.39 and 0.43 cm/s for Stages 1 and 2, respectively, manganese dioxide media filtration typically removed dissolved iron from 5 to 6.5 mg/L down to 0.1 mg/L or less, and allowed for suitable fish rearing and health (based on gill condition) in treated groundwater. Poor water quality from filter equipment malfunction or improper operation typically manifested tissue damage (epithelial lifting, hypertrophy, degeneration, and in some cases iron adhesion) observed in fish gills. Design refinements from initial use, including changes in hydraulic loading rates and transition from single-stage to two-stage filtration, were required for long-term use of media filtration and were included in the design of the future hatchery. Dissolved manganese removal from groundwater (from 0.7 to <0.05 mg/L) was also implemented by continuous low-level potassium permanganate addition. Small-scale flow-through, fully recirculating, and partial reuse rearing systems were used to mimic planned future fish production, and resulted in 97% or greater survival and adequate growth (average specific growth rate between 1 and 2%) and health of rainbow trout during most rearing trials.