Erysipelothrix septicemia in a little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor).

On June 25, 2002, aquarium veterinarians treated a 5-year-old, male little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) that was acutely recumbent and dull, with inappetence of 24-hour duration. The penguin died within 10 minutes of presentation despite emergency resuscitation efforts. Gross pathologic findings consisted of pulmonary congestion and intestinal hemorrhage. Histopathologic findings included necrosis of tips of intestinal villi, increased numbers of mononuclear cells in pulmonary interstitium and hepatic sinusoids, and gram-positive bacteria in systemic microvasculature. Transmission electron microscopic examination revealed short gram-positive bacilli located in lumina of glomerular capillaries and in cytoplasm of mononuclear phagocytic cells in the lung and liver. Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was recovered from the lung, liver, and intestine by bacteriologic culture. Amplicons from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests using Erysipelothrix genus-specific primers and total genomic DNA extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections of lung and intestine demonstrated 99% nucleotide sequence identity with 16S small-subunit ribosomal DNA of E. rhusiopathiae and E. tonsillarum. The source of infection was speculated to be fish in the diet; however, repeated attempts to detect Erysipelothrix spp. from the mucous layer of food fish using bacteriologic culture and PCR were unsuccessful. This is the first report of erysipelas in a captive aquatic bird. Details of the isolation of E. rhusiopathiae and the application of molecular testing to identify Erysipelothrix DNA in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections are given.     

Perivascular wall tumour presenting as pastern mass in a Standardbred gelding

A 2-year-old Standardbred gelding was referred for a mass on the palmaromedial right front pastern which was accompanied by progressively worsening lameness. The mass was firm to palpation and covered by normal skin. Ultrasonographically, a smooth encapsulated mass was present, medial to the flexor tendons and palmar to the neurovascular bundle. Because of a poor prognosis for future athletic performance without surgical or chemotherapeutic intervention and economic constraints preventing further diagnostics and treatment, the horse was euthanised. Post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging, histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed the mass to be a perivascular wall tumour, the first record of such a neoplasia in the horse.     

Breed associations for canine exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of breed associations is valuable to clinicians and researchers investigating diseases with a genetic basis. HYPOTHESIS: Among symptomatic dogs tested for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) by canine trypsin-like immunoreactivity (cTLI) assay, EPI is common in certain breeds and rare in others. Some breeds may be overrepresented or underrepresented in the population of dogs with EPI. Pathogenesis of EPI may be different among breeds. ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs with clinical signs, tested for EPI by radioimmunoassay of serum cTLI, were used. METHODS: In this retrospective study, results of 13,069 cTLI assays were reviewed. RESULTS: An association with EPI was found in Chows, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS), Rough-Coated Collies (RCC), and German Shepherd Dogs (GSD) (all P < .001). Chows (median, 16 months) were younger at diagnosis than CKCS (median, 72 months, P < .001), but not significantly different from GSD (median, 36 months, P = .10) or RCC (median, 36 months, P = .16). GSD (P < .001) and RCC (P = .015) were younger at diagnosis than CKCS. Boxers (P < .001), Golden Retrievers (P < .001), Labrador Retrievers (P < .001), Rottweilers (P = .022), and Weimaraners (P = .002) were underrepresented in the population with EPI. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: An association with EPI in Chows has not previously been reported. In breeds with early-onset EPI, immune-mediated mechanisms are possible or the disease may be congenital. When EPI manifests later, as in CKCS, pathogenesis is likely different (eg, secondary to chronic pancreatitis). Underrepresentation of certain breeds among dogs with EPI has not previously been recognized and may imply the existence of breed-specific mechanisms that protect pancreatic tissue from injury.     

Habitat quality,not habitat amount,drives mammalian habitat use in the Brazilian Pantanal

Landscape Ecology - An understanding of species-habitat relationships is required to assess the impacts of habitat fragmentation and degradation. To date, habitat modeling in fragmented landscapes...     

Root architecture of sorghum genotypes differing in root angles under different water regimes

Plant root architecture offers the potential for increasing soil water accessibility, particularly under water-limited conditions. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the root architecture in two genotypes of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) differing in root angles and to assess the influence of different deficit irrigation regimes on root architecture. The response of two sorghum genotypes, ‘Early Hegari-Sart’ (EH; steep root angle) and ‘Bk7’ (shallow root angle) to four irrigation treatments was investigated in two replicated outdoor studies using large pots. The results indicated that EH possessed steeper brace and crown root angles, fewer brace roots, greater root biomass, and root length density than Bk7 at deeper soil depths (i.e., 15–30 and 30–45 cm) compared with a shallower depth (i.e., 0–15 cm). Across the soil profile, EH had greater root length density and length of roots of small diameter (<1 mm) than Bk7. Accordingly, EH showed more rapid soil-water capture than Bk7. Different levels of irrigation input greatly affected root architecture. Severe deficit irrigation (25% of full crop transpiration throughout the season) increased the angle and number of crown roots, root biomass, and root length density compared with 75 and 100% of full crop transpiration treatments. Consequently, root system architecture can be effectively manipulated through both genotypic selection and irrigation management to ensure optimal performance under different levels of soil available water.