Quarantine requirements for the importation of black rhinoceros from Zimbabwe into Australia

SUMMARY The proposal by the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales to import 10 southern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) from Zimbabwe as part of an international project for conservation of the species presented the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) with a unique challenge. This importation is, at least in the modern era, the first importation of live herbivores from the African continent. Many of the serious animal diseases in the world are endemic in parts of Africa. Knowledge of which of these diseases infect wild species and may be transmitted from the wild species to domesticated species, is limited. This paper describes the strategies adopted by AQIS to facilitate the importation of rhinoceros while maintaining protection of Australian consumers, rural industries, domestic livestock and fauna against the entry and spread of unwanted pests and diseases.     

Review: The strobilurin fungicides

The original article to which this Correction refers was published in Pest Management Science 58 (7): 649–662 (2002).Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Pathologic and immunohistochemical findings in an outbreak of systemic toxoplasmosis in a mob of red kangaroos

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoan pathogen that infects many endothermic vertebrates, including humans; the domestic cat and other felids serve as the definitive host. Macropodids are considered highly susceptible to toxoplasmosis. Here, we describe the clinical, pathologic, and immunohistochemical findings of an outbreak of systemic toxoplasmosis in a mob of 11 red kangaroos (Macropus rufus), with high morbidity (73%) and mortality (100%) rates. Affected animals had either severe and rapidly deteriorating clinical conditions or sudden death, which was correlated with widespread necrotizing lesions in multiple organs and intralesional T. gondii organisms identified via MIC3-specific immunohistochemistry and confirmed by REP529-specific rtPCR. Quantification of parasites demonstrated the highest parasite density in pulmonary parenchyma compared with other tissues. Our study highlights the continued importance of this severe condition in Australian marsupials.     

Effects of plasmid-mediated growth hormone releasing hormone supplementation in young,healthy Beagle dogs

Our study focused on the evaluation of the pharmacological and toxicological effects of plasmid-mediated GHRH supplementation with electroporation in normal adult dogs over a 180-d period. Twenty-eight dogs (< 2 yr of age) were randomized to four groups. Three groups (four dogs/sex for each group) were treated with ascending doses of GHRH-expressing plasmid: 0.2, 0.6, and 1 mg. One group (two dogs of each sex) served as the control. Clinical observations and body weights were recorded. Hematological, serum biochemical, and urine analyses were performed. Serum IGF-I, ACTH, and insulin were determined. Necropsies were performed on d 93 and 180; organs were weighed and tissues were fixed and processed for light microscopy. Selected tissues were used to assess plasmid biodistribution on d 93. At all doses, plasmid GHRH caused increased weight gain (P < 0.001), without organomegaly. Serum glucose and insulin in fasted dogs remained within normal ranges at all time points. Adrenocorticotropic hormone was normal in all groups. Significant increases in number of red blood cells, hematocrit, and hemoglobin (P < 0.01) were observed. In conclusion, our study shows that plasmid-mediated GHRH supplementation is safe in electroporated doses up to 1.0 mg in young healthy dogs.     

Effects of dietary electrolyte balance on the chemistry of blood and urine in lactating sows and sow litter performance

One hundred fifty-three sows (average parity of 2.2) were used to determine the effects of dietary electrolyte balance (calculated as mEq/kg of diet for Na + K - Cl) on sows and their litters during lactation. The sows were fed corn-soybean meal-based diets (1.0% lysine, 1.0% valine, 0.95% Ca, and 0.80% P; as-fed basis) starting on d 109 of gestation and throughout the 21-d lactation experiment. Dietary electrolyte balance (dEB) was 0, 100, 200, 350, and 500 mEq/kg (as-fed basis), well above and below the dEB of 185 mEq/kg found in a simple corn-soybean meal-based lactation diet. To achieve the desired dEB, diets had the following: 1) 1.8% HCl (6 N) and 1.06% CaCl2, 2) 1.0% CaCl2, 3) 0.04% NaHCO3, 4) 1.29% NaHCO3, and 5) 2.54% NaHCO3 (as-fed basis). Increasing dEB increased blood pH (linear and quadratic effects, P < 0.001), partial pressure of carbon dioxide (linear effect, P < 0.001), HCO3- concentration (linear and quadratic effects, P < 0.001), and blood base excess (linear and quadratic effects, P < 0.001). However, increased dEB resulted in lower blood concentrations of K (linear and quadratic effects, P < 0.04), Cl (linear and quadratic effects, P < 0.001), and ionized Ca (linear and quadratic effects, P < 0.001). Changing dEB did not affect ADFI; water usage, litter weight gain; sow weight change; sow backfat change; percentages of CP, lactose, and fat in the milk; percentage of sows returning to estrus; days to estrus; and number of pigs born alive in the subsequent litter (P = 0.06). However, piglet survivability to d 10 and overall was greatest with the lower dEB treatments (linear effect, P < 0.05). The pH (linear and quadratic effects, P < 0.001) and colony forming units of total bacteria (linear effect, P < 0.03) in the urine increased as dEB of the diet was increased. In conclusion, dEB had pronounced effects on the physiological status of sows and decreasing dEB below that in a simple corn-soybean meal-based diet decreased bacterial counts in the urine and increased piglet survivability. However, milk composition, sow and litter weights at weaning, and subsequent rebreeding performance of the sows were not affected by dEB.     

Concentrations of trace minerals in the spinal cord of horses with equine motor neuron disease

OBJECTIVE: To compare concentrations of trace minerals in the spinal cord of horses with equine motor neuron disease (EMND) with those of horses without neurologic disease (control horses). ANIMALS: 24 horses with EMND and 22 control horses. PROCEDURE: Spinal cord trace mineral concentrations in horses with EMND and control horses were analyzed by use of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, zinc, aluminum, cobalt, and chromium), atomic absorption spectrophotometry (lead and cadmium), flameless atomic absorption (mercury), and fluorometry (selenium). RESULTS: Copper concentration was significantly higher in the spinal cord of horses with EMND, compared with control horses; spinal cord concentrations of all other trace minerals were similar between groups. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Among spinal cord trace minerals investigated in the study, only copper concentrations were significantly different between horses with EMND and horses without neurologic disease, which suggests that copper may be involved in the pathogenesis of EMND. An hypothesis of oxidative injury in this disease is supported by the finding of increased copper concentrations in the spinal cord and by low vitamin E concentrations reported by other researchers.     

Monitoring distances travelled by horses using GPS tracking collars

Objective The aims of this work were to (1) develop a low-cost equine movement tracking collar based on readily available components, (2) conduct preliminary studies assessing the effects of both paddock size and internal fence design on the movements of domestic horses, with and without foals at foot, and (3) describe distances moved by mares and their foals. Additional monitoring of free-ranging feral horses was conducted to allow preliminary comparisons with the movement of confined domestic horses. Procedures A lightweight global positioning system (GPS) data logger modified from a personal/vehicle tracker and mounted on a collar was used to monitor the movement of domestic horses in a range of paddock sizes and internal fence designs for 6.5-day periods. Results In the paddocks used (0.8–16 ha), groups of domestic horses exhibited a logarithmic response in mean daily distance travelled as a function of increasing paddock size, tending asymptotically towards approximately 7.5 km/day. The distance moved by newborn foals was similar to their dams, with total distance travelled also dependent on paddock size. Without altering available paddock area, paddock design, with the exception of a spiral design, did not significantly affect mean daily distance travelled. Feral horses (17.9 km/day) travelled substantially greater mean daily distances than domestic horses (7.2 km/day in 16-ha paddock), even when allowing for larger paddock size. Conclusions Horses kept in stables or small yards and paddocks are quite sedentary in comparison with their feral relatives. For a given paddock area, most designs did not significantly affect mean daily distance travelled.     

Preliminary studies on long distance, retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase in equine peripheral nerves

As a prelude to studies on retrograde axonal transport of neurotoxin (ie, so-called suicide transport) as a means to prevent post neurectomy neuroma formation, preliminary studies were conducted with an innocuous enzymatic marker, horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The proximal stumps of resected medial and lateral palmar digital nerves in six ponies were injected via a tuberculin syringe and needle with 50 micron 1 of a 30 per cent solution of HRP in order to assess long distance retrograde axonal transport. The dorsal root ganglion of the cervical spinal enlargement (ie, C6, C7, C8, T1, T2) were removed at post injection intervals of two, four, six, eight, 10 and 12 days. These were sectioned serially and reacted by the tetramethylbenzidine method to demonstrate transported enzyme in the ganglionic cell bodies which give rise to sensory fibres of the palmar digital nerves. Enzyme, retrogradely transported over axon lengths of 115 cm, was first demonstrated in spinal ganglia four days after injections of the palmar digital nerves. The calculated transport velocity of 287 mm/day, although almost certainly an underestimate, greatly exceeded rates of 72 to 120 mm/day recorded previously with HRP in the peripheral nerves of small laboratory animals. The intensity of the HRP reaction product in ganglionic neurons was strong at four days and it remained unabated in ganglia examined at six, eight, 10 and 12 days post injection. The major sources of the sensory fibres of the palmar digital nerves appeared to be the ganglia of the C8 and T1 spinal segments which contained more than 90 per cent of all labelled neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)