Recovery of brodifacoum in vomitus following induction of emesis in dogs that had ingested rodenticide bait

AIM: To assess the benefit of inducing emesis in dogs that have ingested rodenticide bait containing brodifacoum (BDF), by determining the amount of BDF in bait recovered from the vomitus relative to the estimated amount consumed.

METHODS: Between 2014 and 2015 samples of vomitus from seven dogs that ingested rodenticide baits containing BDF were submitted by veterinarians in New Zealand. All seven dogs had been given apomorphine by the veterinarian and vomited within 1 hour of ingesting the bait. Some or all of the bait particles were retrieved from each sample and were analysed for concentrations of BDF using HPLC. Based on estimations of the mass of bait consumed, the concentration of BDF stated on the product label, and the estimated mass of bait in the vomitus of each dog, the amount of BDF in the vomited bait was calculated as a percentage of the amount ingested.

RESULTS: For five dogs an estimation of the mass of bait ingested was provided by the submitting veterinarian. For these dogs the estimated percentage of BDF in the bait retrieved from the vomitus was between 10–77%. All dogs were well after discharge but only one dog returned for further testing. This dog had a normal prothrombin time 3 days after ingestion.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The induction of emesis within 1 hour of ingestion can be a useful tool in reducing the exposure of dogs to a toxic dose of BDF. The BDF was not fully absorbed within 1 hour of ingestion suggesting that the early induction of emesis can remove bait containing BDF before it can be fully absorbed.     

Nucleoside triphosphate termini from RNA synthesized in vivo by Escherichia coli

Alkaline hydrolyzates of RNA made in vivo by Escherichia coli contain ribonucleoside-3'-monophosphate-5'-triphosphates. These probably arise by hydrolysis of the initial nucleoside triphosphate from the 5' terminus of the nascent RNA chains. Logarithmically growing cultures, labeled for 45 seconds with (32)P-labeled phosphate, yield about 2000 molecules of labeled tetraphosphate per cell, this yield increasing only slightly with continued labeling. Only the tetraphosphates of adenosine and guanosine have been found in Escherichia coli, and these two are present in approximately equal amounts.     

Fishing, trophic cascades, and the process of grazing on coral reefs

Since the mass mortality of the urchin Diadema antillarum in 1983, parrotfishes have become the dominant grazer on Caribbean reefs. The grazing capacity of these fishes could be impaired if marine reserves achieve their long-term goal of restoring large consumers, several of which prey on parrotfishes. Here we compare the negative impacts of enhanced predation with the positive impacts of reduced fishing mortality on parrotfishes inside reserves. Because large-bodied parrotfishes escape the risk of predation from a large piscivore (the Nassau grouper), the predation effect reduced grazing by only 4 to 8%. This impact was overwhelmed by the increase in density of large parrotfishes, resulting in a net doubling of grazing. Increased grazing caused a fourfold reduction in the cover of macroalgae, which, because they are the principal competitors of corals, highlights the potential importance of reserves for coral reef resilience.     

Genomic selection strategies in dairy cattle: Strong positive interaction between use of genotypic information and intensive use of young bulls on genetic gain

We tested the following hypotheses: (i) breeding schemes with genomic selection are superior to breeding schemes without genomic selection regarding annual genetic gain of the aggregate genotype (ΔG(AG) ), annual genetic gain of the functional traits and rate of inbreeding per generation (ΔF), (ii) a positive interaction exists between the use of genotypic information and a short generation interval on ΔG(AG) and (iii) the inclusion of an indicator trait in the selection index will only result in a negligible increase in ΔG(AG) if genotypic information about the breeding goal trait is known. We examined four breeding schemes with or without genomic selection and with or without intensive use of young bulls using pseudo-genomic stochastic simulations. The breeding goal consisted of a milk production trait and a functional trait. The two breeding schemes with genomic selection resulted in higher ΔG(AG) , greater contributions of the functional trait to ΔG(AG) and lower ΔF than the two breeding schemes without genomic selection. Thus, the use of genotypic information may lead to more sustainable breeding schemes. In addition, a short generation interval increases the effect of using genotypic information on ΔG(AG) . Hence, a breeding scheme with genomic selection and with intensive use of young bulls (a turbo scheme) seems to offer the greatest potential. The third hypothesis was disproved as inclusion of genomically enhanced breeding values (GEBV) for an indicator trait in the selection index increased ΔG(AG) in the turbo scheme. Moreover, it increased the contribution of the functional trait to ΔG(AG) , and it decreased ΔF. Thus, indicator traits may still be profitable to use even when GEBV for the breeding goal traits are available.     

Exploratory Study of Potato Cultivar Differences in Sensory and Hedonistic Applicability Tests

From a potato cultivar breeding database including 2,143 named cultivars and clones, 11 cultivars that spanned the major variation in cultivar quality were selected for subsequent sensory and hedonistic applicability tests. A tailor-made sensory profile of the cultivars was developed for four different cooking procedures: boiled, mashed, oven-fried and oven-cooked potatoes. A sensory profile consisted of the four to five most important sensory attributes, and the data was combined with the applicability data using multivariate data analysis. Ultimately, the variation in eating quality was evaluated in a hedonistic test with expert evaluation of applicability. Three gourmet chefs prepared the different cultivars as boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes and oven-fried potatoes and evaluated the cultivars’ applicability, while a sensory panel consisting of nine judges evaluated the sensory quality. The multivariate data analysis revealed a significant diversity amongst the cultivars for the different cooking procedures. A single PCA bi-plot was able to provide a simple and clear overview of the gastronomic diversity and possible applications of the different potato cultivars.     

Udder health and female fertility traits are favourably correlated and support each other in multi-trait evaluations

Genetic parameters were estimated for protein yield (PY), clinical mastitis (CM), somatic cell score, number of inseminations (NI) and days from calving to first insemination (CFI) in first‐parity Swedish Red cows by series of tri‐variate linear animal models. The heritability of PY was moderate (0.34 ± 0.004), and the heritabilities of the functional traits were all low (0.014 ± 0.001–0.14 ± 0.004). The genetic correlation between CM and CFI (0.38 ± 0.05) was stronger than the correlation between CM and NI (0.05 ± 0.06), perhaps because CM and CFI usually are observed in early lactation when the cow is likely to be in negative energy balance, whereas NI generally is recorded when the cow is not in negative energy balance any more. The genetic correlation between NI and CFI was very close to zero (?0.002 ± 0.05), indicating that these two fertility traits have different genetic backgrounds. All genetic correlations between PY and the functional traits were moderate and unfavourable, ranging from 0.22 ± 0.02 to 0.47 ± 0.03. In addition, the effect of including genetic and phenotypic correlations between the trait groups milk production, udder health and female fertility on the accuracy of the selection index was quantified for a heifer, a cow and a proven bull. The difference between the accuracy obtained by multi‐trait and single‐trait evaluations was largest for the cow (0.012) and small for the heifer and the bull (0.006 and 0.004) because the phenotype of the cow for one trait could assist in predicting the Mendelian sampling term for a correlated trait.     

Systemic Immunosuppression by Methylprednisolone and Pregnancy Rates in Goats Undergoing the Transfer of Cloned Embryos

The presence of the zona pellucida has been perceived as a requirement for the oviductal transfer of cloned embryos at early stages of development while protecting the embryo from an immune system response. We hypothesized that steroid hormone therapy could reduce a potential cellular immune response after the transfer of zona‐free cloned embryos into the oviduct of recipient female goats. In Experiment 1, seven does were used to study the systemic immunosuppressant effect of the methylprednisolone administration (for 3 days) on blood cell counts. Whole blood was collected prior to treatment with methyprednisolone and then on Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 21 and 28 after the first dose of methylprednisolone for the analysis of haematological parameters. Methylprednisolone treatment significantly reduced circulating white blood cells and neutrophils in comparison with pre‐treatment levels, demonstrating a systemic immunosuppressant effect. In Experiment 2, a group of 58 does were used as recipient females to study the effect of administration of methylprednisolone for 3 days on the establishment of pregnancies after the transfer of zona‐free cloned embryos into the oviducts. No effects on pregnancy rates on Day 30 were observed regarding the distinct treatment groups (control vs. methylprednisolone), the source of oocytes (in vivo‐ vs in vitro‐matured) or the presence or absence of the zona pellucida in embryos. In summary, methylprednisolone was effective at inducing a systemic immunosuppressed state in goats, but the treatment prior to embryo transfer did not affect pregnancy rates. Moreover, pregnancy rates were similar between zona‐free and zona‐intact goat cloned embryos.