Evaluation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibodies to bovine virus diarrhoea virus in milk

The present study shows that milk is an appropriate source for detection of seroreactors to bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV). There was close agreement between antibody titres in serum and in skim milk, as determined by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The antibody titres were usually lower in skim milk than in serum, but all seropositive cows (n = 84) were also skim milk-positive and all but one seronegative cow (n = 55) proved negative in skim milk. During lactation, the level of antibodies to BVDV in milk showed an inverse relationship to the amount of milk produced. However, there was a sufficient level of antibodies in milk throughout lactation to permit an adequate determination of BVDV antibody status in dairy cows. There was a mutual good agreement between milk antibody titre in the four mammary quarters, irrespective of milk cell count. Milk can be used to detect seroreactors to BVDV. Milk is preferable to blood in large-scale epidemiological studies, since the sampling procedure is much simpler.     

Postovulatory Effect of Intravenous Administration of Lipopolysaccharide (Escherichia coli, O55:B5) on the Endocrine Status of Recently Ovulated Sows

The effects of lipopolysaccharide ( Escherichia coli , O55:B5), administered 18 h after ovulation in the second oestrus after weaning on the hormonal profiles in 14 Swedish cross-bred (Landrace × Yorkshire) multiparous sows were studied. The endotoxin group (E-group) sows were administered with 300 ng/kg of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) whereas the control group (C-group) sows were administered 5 ml of saline intravenously via an indwelling jugular cannula. Blood samples for hormonal analyses were collected from all sows until slaughter. In the E-group, progesterone, cortisol and prostaglandin F_2α metabolite levels increased significantly (p < 0.05) following LPS compared with the C-group. It can be concluded from this study that apart from elevating cortisol and prostaglandin F_2α metabolite, LPS also elevates progesterone levels.     

Regulation of Capacitation of Canine Spermatozoa during Co-culture with Heterologous Oviductal Epithelial Cells

Progress of essential steps of the capacitation is coordinated in the oviductal isthmus, where sperm are stored in close contact with the epithelium. A crucial capacitational event is the phosphorylation of sperm membrane proteins. Regulation of the tyrosine phosphorylation by the oviduct has not been examined in dog sperm yet. The aim of this work was to study the effect of dog sperm binding to porcine oviductal epithelium on capacitation‐induced cellular and molecular changes. Epithelial cells were stripped from the oviducts of post‐puberal sows and cultured for 5–7 days at 39°C and 5% CO₂ on Biomatrix‐covered Chamber slides. Sperm washed through Percoll was co‐incubated with the oviductal epithelium cell cultures in a bicarbonate Tyrode's medium. During co‐incubation, sperm membrane changes, the state of tyrosine phosphorylation and motility were determined after 3, 30, 90, 180, 240 and 360 min. Significant increases in the percentage of capacitated and dead cells were observed in unbound sperm, while bound sperm remained uncapacitated, live and motile. An increasing tyrosine phosphorylation of tail proteins in bound, unbound and control sperm suspensions and a subsequent phosphorylation of head proteins in unbound and control sperm suspensions were observed. A significant difference regarding head phosphorylation (p < 0.05) was found between sperm bound to oviductal epithelium and unbound sperm. Binding occurred mainly in sperm with non‐ phosphorylated heads, while higher proportions of phosphorylated cells were found in unbound populations. The head phosphorylation progressed significantly during incubation in unbound spermatozoa (p < 0.05); however, it was suppressed in population of sperm attached to oviductal epithelium. Significant correlations between motility parameters related to hyperactivation and tail phosphorylation were found in unbound sperm. These observations support the hypothesis that spermatozoa with non‐phosphorylated heads preferentially attach to epithelial cells. It can be concluded that tyrosine phosphorylation of head membrane proteins and capacitation are delayed in canine spermatozoa being in closed contact with oviductal epithelium.     

In situ provision of drinking water to grazing dairy cows improves milk production

AIMS: To determine the effect of providing water within the area grazed by dairy cows on milk yield and quality, compared to requiring cows to walk to a distant water trough, on a dairy farm in the Pampa region of Argentina during summer.

METHODS: Holstein dairy cows were allocated to two herds with similar parity, days in milk and milk production. They were grazed in one paddock that was divided in two, with a fixed water trough at one end. Cows were moved twice daily to grazing plots within the paddock. Control cows (n=66) could only access water from the fixed trough, whereas supplemented cows (n=67) also received water from a mobile trough within the grazing plot. Milk production of each cow, and water consumption of the two herds were measured daily over 62 days. Milk composition for each herd was determined weekly from Days 18 to 60 of the study, and grazing behaviour was observed between 08:00 and 16:00 hours on Days 11–15, 19–22 and 39–43.

RESULTS: Over the 62 days of the study, supplemented cows produced 1.39 (SE 0.11) L/cow/day more milk than Control cows (p=0.027). Estimated mean daily water intake was 50.4 (SE 2.1) L/cow/day for supplemented cows and 58.2 (SE 2.7) L/cow/day for Control cows (p=0.004). Percentage total solids in milk was higher for supplemented (12.5 (SE 0.06)%) than Control (12.4 (SE 0.04)%) cows (p=0.047). During the periods of behavioural observation, a higher percentage of cows in the water supplemented than the Control herd were observed in the grazing area (p=0.012).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This preliminary study demonstrated that provision of water to dairy cows within the grazing plot was beneficial for milk production and composition, and may be associated with longer periods spent within the grazing area, during hot weather in the Pampa region of Argentina.     

Use of intralesional cisplatin to successfully treat distal limb haemangiosarcoma in a foal

A 4-month old, 200 kg, grey warmblood colt presented for a firm, non painful mass on the distal medial aspect of the left third metatarsus. Excisional biopsy revealed a diagnosis of haemangiosarcoma. Equine haemangiosarcoma is uncommon and only limited reports of successful treatment are available. The prognosis for survival is therefore considered to be poor. After two separate incidences of recurrence with incomplete excision of the tumour, intralesional treatment with cisplatin without excision or debulking was performed on three separate occasions. Intralesional cisplatin injection was performed at monthly intervals for three treatments. Four years post treatment with cisplatin, the horse remained in remission. This case report describes the diagnostic and treatment challenges for successful treatment of a primary haemangiosarcoma on the distal limb of a warmblood foal using intralesional cisplatin chemotherapy.     

Acrylamide and N-methylolacrylamide poisoning in a herd of Charolais crossbreed cattle

Seven beef cattle from a herd accidentally exposed to acrylamide and N-methylolacrylamide while grazing were observed for eight months. They showed clinical signs of impaired nerve function, mainly in the hindlegs, with varying degrees of weakness and ataxia. The animals were irritable, nervous and hypersensitive to touch. Both pupils of the most badly affected animal were dilated and it had poor pupillary light responses; it also showed signs of axonal neuropathy. Selected haematological and clinical chemistry variables were normal. The severity of the neurological signs was correlated with the concentrations of haemoglobin adducts of acrylamides. The animals recovered substantially after their exposure. The gestations of four of the animals which were in calf proceeded normally.     

Failure to spread bovine virus diarrhoea virus infection from primarily infected calves despite concurrent infection with bovine coronavirus

Previous reports on the spread of bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV) from animals primarily infected with the agent are contradictory. In this study, the possibility of transmission of BVDV from calves simultaneously subjected to acute BVDV and bovine coronavirus (BCV) infection was investigated. Ten calves were inoculated intranasally with BVDV Type 1. Each of the 10 calves was then randomly allocated to one of two groups. In each group there were four additional calves, resulting in five infected and four susceptible calves per group. Virulent BCV was actively introduced in one of the groups by means of a transmitter calf. Two calves, susceptible to both BVDV and BCV, were kept in a separate group, as controls. All ten calves actively inoculated with BVDV became infected as shown by seroconversions, and six of them also shed the virus in nasal secretions. However, none of the other eight calves in the two groups (four in each) seroconverted to this agent. In contrast, it proved impossible to prevent the spread of BCV infection between the experimental groups and consequently all 20 study calves became infected with the virus. Following infection, BCV was detected in nasal secretions and in faeces of the calves and, after three weeks in the study, all had seroconverted to this virus. All calves, including the controls, showed at least one of the following clinical signs during days 3-15 after the trial started: fever (> or =40 degrees C), depressed general condition, diarrhoea, and cough. The study showed that BVDV primarily infected cattle, even when co-infected with an enteric and respiratory pathogen, are inefficient transmitters of BVDV. This finding supports the principle of the Scandinavian BVDV control programmes that elimination of BVDV infection from cattle populations can be achieved by identifying and removing persistently infected (PI) animals, i.e. that long-term circulation of the virus without the presence of PI animals is highly unlikely.     

A target-site mutation is present in a glyphosate-resistant Lolium rigidum population

Annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) is the only weed species to have evolved resistance to the broad‐spectrum herbicide glyphosate in Australia. A population that had failed to be controlled by glyphosate was collected from a vineyard in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. Dose–response experiments on this population (SLR 77) showed that it was glyphosate resistant, with an LD₅₀ that was 1.9–3.4 times higher than that of a susceptible population (VLR 1). The movement of radiolabelled glyphosate within SLR 77 plants showed that this population did not have the differential glyphosate translocation mechanism of resistance common to several other Australian glyphosate‐resistant populations. Subsequent analysis of shikimic acid accumulation within the plant after glyphosate treatment showed that this population accumulated significantly less shikimic acid than a susceptible population, but more than a glyphosate‐resistant population with the translocation mechanism, indicating the possible involvement of another mechanism of resistance. Sequencing of a portion of the SLR 77 5‐enolpyruvylshikimate‐3‐phosphate synthase gene was carried out and a mutation causing an amino acid change at position 106 from proline to threonine was identified. This mutation is likely to be responsible for glyphosate resistance in this population, as mutations in this position have been found to be responsible for glyphosate resistance in goosegrass (Eleusine indica) from Malaysia. This paper represents the first report of target‐site glyphosate resistance in L. rigidum and provides evidence that this species has at least two mechanisms of glyphosate resistance present in Australia.