Feline neonatal isoerythrolysis in two litters

The clinical, pathological and serological findings for feline neonatal isoerythrolysis (FNI) in two litters are described. In each litter one of four kittens died shortly after birth, two showed varying degrees of depression, jaundice and haemoglobinuria and one remained healthy (clinically unaffected). Three of the kittens with jaundice died and the necropsy findings included variable degrees of erythrophagocytosis in the spleen and liver and many casts containing haemoglobin in the tubules and collecting ducts of the kidney. Blood typing and haemocompatibility testing were performed on the surviving kittens, queens and sires. Both queens and the healthy kittens were Type B while both sires and the surviving affected kitten were Type A. In both litters the queens sera haemolysed the sires erythrocytes but did not affect the erythrocytes of the healthy kittens. The erythrocytes of the surviving affected kitten were haemolysed by the serum of its queen. The pathogenesis and treatment of FNI are discussed.     

Long-term climate forcing of European herring and sardine populations

Records of the herring, Clupea harengus, fishery off the Swedish coast of Bohuslän, in the Skagerrak, date back to the 10th century. Nine periods, each lasting several decades, are known during which large quantities of herring were caught close to the shore. In the 1895–96 season, more than 200 000 tonnes were landed. During the `interim' periods, which stretched over 50 or more years, the herring fishery played little role in the economy of this region. Several other herring fisheries in European waters overlap with recent Bohuslän periods whereas the Norwegian spring-spawning herring and some sardine, Sardina pilchardus, fisheries exhibit alternating periods. A study of the climatological/hydrographic scenario of all Bohuslän periods and those of herring in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay showed that, on a decadal scale, they coincided with times when there was a strong ice cover off Iceland, severe winters in western Europe with extremely cold air and water temperatures, a reduction of westerly winds as indicated by negative anomalies in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and a minimum of south-westerly winds over England in response to meridional migrations of the belt of westerly winds. Periods of the Norwegian spring-spawning herring and sardines in the English Channel coincided with inverse climatological/hydrographic situations. It is concluded that climate variation governed the alternating herring and sardine periods.     

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—CONGENITAL VENOUS ANEURYSM OF THE LEFT EXTERNAL JUGULAR VEIN

Primary congenital jugular vein aneurysms are rare with only one prior report in a canine patient. Herein, we describe an 18-week-old Flat Coated Retriever dog in which ultrasound was used to diagnose a primary congenital external jugular vein aneurysm with concurrent dilatation of the internal jugular vein. The aneurysm was successfully removed and the dog remains disease free 24 months postoperatively. Histopathologic analysis was used to validate the ultrasound-based diagnosis.     

Cultivar dependence of polyacrylic acid effects on Pseudomonas syringae in Nicotiana tabacum

Polyacrylic acid (PAA) protected Xanthi-nc tobaccos against necrosis provoked by Pseudomonas syringae (hypersensitive reaction). When highly concentrated bacterial suspensions (1 × 10⁸ b/ml) were injected into PAA-treated leaves, tissue collapse was delayed; with more dilute bacterial suspensions (3 × 10⁷ or 1 × 10⁷ b/ml), a significant reduction or a total suppression of necrosis was observed. This phenomenon occurred when the PAA treatment was applied 4 days prior to injection of the bacteria, but not when it was applied 3 h prior to injection. No such protection occurred in Samsum NN tobaccos. PAA had no toxic effect on P. syringae when added to the injected suspensions, or in vitro in culture media. The bacterial population remained constant in protected tissue, but declined sharply in necrosing tissues. These results suggest that host metabolism is involved in PAA-induced suppression of necrosis.
Induced suppression of necrosis due to bacteria shows some analogies with induced resistance to viruses. The possibility of common steps in their biochemical mechanism is discussed.