THE EFFECTS OF PATIENT POSITIONING AND SLICE SELECTION ON CANINE ACETABULAR ANGLE ASSESSMENT WITH COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

Acetabular angles (AAs) and dorsal acetabular rim angles acquired by computed tomographic (CT) imaging have been used to assess patient response to juvenile pubic symphysiodesis surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of patient positioning and slice selection on these angles, and an attempt was made to devise a repeatable method of measuring these angles that would eliminate positioning effects. We found significant variation in AAs with small differences in pelvic tilt and slice selection. Dorsal acetabular rim angles were not affected. As a result of positioning differences from one CT study to the next, every attempt should be made to standardize pelvic tilt, or eliminate its effect on AAs by standardizing gantry angle in relation to an anatomic landmark that will not change over time. The floor of the sacral vertebral canal may be a reasonable landmark for this purpose and deserves further study.     

Model uncertainty in the ecosystem approach to fisheries

Fisheries scientists habitually consider uncertainty in parameter values, but often neglect uncertainty about model structure, an issue of increasing importance as ecosystem models are devised to support the move to an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF). This paper sets out pragmatic approaches with which to account for uncertainties in model structure and we review current ways of dealing with this issue in fisheries and other disciplines. All involve considering a set of alternative models representing different structural assumptions, but differ in how those models are used. The models can be asked to identify bounds on possible outcomes, find management actions that will perform adequately irrespective of the true model, find management actions that best achieve one or more objectives given weights assigned to each model, or formalize hypotheses for evaluation through experimentation. Data availability is likely to limit the use of approaches that involve weighting alternative models in an ecosystem setting, and the cost of experimentation is likely to limit its use. Practical implementation of an EAF should therefore be based on management approaches that acknowledge the uncertainty inherent in model predictions and are robust to it. Model results must be presented in ways that represent the risks and trade‐offs associated with alternative actions and the degree of uncertainty in predictions. This presentation should not disguise the fact that, in many cases, estimates of model uncertainty may be based on subjective criteria. The problem of model uncertainty is far from unique to fisheries, and a dialogue among fisheries modellers and modellers from other scientific communities will therefore be helpful.     

Evaluation of peripheral lymphoreticular biopsy techniques and their clinical side effects in sheep

Tissue samples were collected postmortem from 126 sheep at five lymphoreticular sites by different techniques. The three most successful combinations of sites and techniques were: the third eyelids, using a forceps and scissors, which provided a mean (se) of 5.32 (0.70) lymphoid follicles per 5 microm tissue section, a mandibular lymph node, using a Biopty gun, which gave 1.19 (0.26) lymphoid follicles per 5 microm tissue section, and tonsil, using a biopsy forceps, which gave 1.14 (0.27) lymphoid follicles per 5 microm tissue section. These three techniques were repeated once a month for five months on five sheep under general anaesthesia, and their clinical effects were compared with five control sheep which were restrained and anaesthetised in the same way but from which no biopsies were taken. Most lymphoid follicles (3.47 [0.58] per 5 pm tissue section) were obtained by using the third eyelid biopsy technique. There were no clinical side effects associated with the biopsy procedure. There were increases in the plasma concentration of cortisol in all the animals, suggesting that the restraint and anaesthesia were more stressful than the biopsy procedure.     

Temporal patterns and quantification of excretion of Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis in sheep with Johne's disease

OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of excretion of Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis in Merino sheep with Johne's disease and to quantify excretion in a group of Merino sheep. DESIGN: A pen and laboratory experiment. PROCEDURE: Seven sheep selected from an affected flock on the basis of acid-fast bacilli in the sheep's faeces were housed and total daily faecal output was collected, weighed and subjected to culture for M avium subsp paratuberculosis. An end-point titration method was used to enumerate viable M avium subsp paratuberculosis in a 15 day pooled sample from five sheep that had acid-fast bacilli in their faeces while housed. RESULTS: Four sheep with subclinical multibacillary Johne's disease excreted M avium subsp paratuberculosis each day for 11 days of cultural observation. A further three sheep were intermittent excreters but lacked other evidence of infection with M avium subsp paratuberculosis. The average number of viable bacteria excreted was 1.09 x 10(8) per gram of faeces while total daily excretion was 8.36 x 10(10) viable M avium subsp paratuberculosis per sheep. Examination of faecal smears stained with Ziehl Neelsen was an unreliable means of assessing daily excretion in individual animals except in those with severe lesions. CONCLUSION: Excretion of M avium subsp paratuberculosis in Merino sheep with multibacillary Johne's disease occurred daily, proving that environmental contamination can be continuous on farms with endemic ovine Johne's disease. Faecal culture is a useful method for detecting infection as it does not appear to be affected by the timing of collection of a sample from sheep with multibacillary disease however, to maximise the sensitivity of disease surveillance using faecal culture, sampling rates should be adjusted to take account of the proportions of multibacillary and paucibacillary cases.     

Effects of repeat fenbendazole treatment in dairy calves with giardiosis on cyst excretion, clinical signs and production

In this 90-day study, 60 male Holstein dairy calves were experimentally infected with Giardia duodenalis. Calves were randomly blocked by weight into treatment (N=30) and placebo (N=30) groups. Beginning on study Day 0, calves in the treatment group were administered an oral dose of 5mg/kg of fenbendazole once daily for three consecutive days. Calves in the placebo group received a daily oral treatment of 5 ml of saline for 3 days. These treatments were repeated on Days 30 and 60 of the study. Fecal samples were collected from calves once per week and examined for the presence of Giardia cysts. Calves were monitored daily for clinical signs of intestinal disease and all episodes of diarrhea recorded. Calves were weighed once per week and total feed intake, on a dry matter basis, was calculated daily. Following each treatment, the number of calves shedding Giardia cysts in the fenbendazole group was reduced (p<0.001) compared to the saline group. Also, calves in the fenbendazole group had fewer cysts (p<0.05) detected in their feces following treatment compared with calves that received saline. Within 2 weeks post treatment, the number of infected animals and fecal Giardia cysts returned to placebo levels. This pattern of reinfection was consistent after every treatment period. Calves receiving fenbendazole had fewer total days with diarrhea (p<0.01) and the average number of days each calf had diarrhea was reduced (p<0.05), compared to the placebo group. There were no differences in mean body weight, average daily gain, or feed intake between the treatment or placebo groups. This study demonstrates that fenbendazole is an effective treatment for giardiosis, resulting in a clinical benefit and reducing the number of infective cysts shed by calves. However, this treatment regime had no impact on production parameters and reinfection occurred rapidly in these calves.     

Primary pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma in an adult dog

A 7-year-old neutered female English Setter presented with syncope, anemia, and weight loss. Clinical examination revealed a systolic murmur and echocardiography demonstrated a mass on the pulmonic valve. Postmortem examination confirmed the presence of a pulmonic valve mass that extended along the pulmonary trunk and into the left pulmonary artery. Multiple pale nodules were observed in the right lung. Microscopic examinations of the pulmonary artery mass and the lung nodules revealed a pleomorphic population of spindle cells often arranged in broad bands containing strap-like nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm devoid of cross striations. The neoplastic cells expressed vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin but did not express desmin, CD31, factor VIII, or S100. The presentation, histological features, immunocytochemical profiles, and behavior of this tumor were indicative of a primary pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma with lung metastasis.     

Characterization of Mannheimia haemolytica isolated from feedlot cattle that were healthy or treated for bovine respiratory disease

Mannheimia haemolytica is the principal bacterial pathogen associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD). As an opportunistic pathogen, M. haemolytica is also frequently isolated from the respiratory tract of healthy cattle. This study examined the characteristics of M. haemolytica collected using deep nasal swabs from healthy cattle (n = 49) and cattle diagnosed with BRD (n = 41). Isolates were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), serotyped, and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to screen isolates for virulence [leukotoxin C (lktC), putative adhesin (ahs), outer-membrane lipoprotein (gs60), O-sialoglycoprotease (gcp), transferring-binding protein B (tbpB) and UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-2-epimerase (nmaA)] and antimicrobial resistance [tet(H), bla_ROB-1, erm(X), erm(42), msr(E)-mph(E) and aphA-1] genes. Isolates were genetically diverse but in three instances, M. haemolytica with the same pulsotype, resistance phenotype, and genotype were collected from cattle with BRD. This occurred once between cattle located in two different feedlots, once between cattle in the same feedlot, but in different pens, and once among cattle from the same feedlot in the same pen. Isolates from healthy cattle were primarily serotype 2 (75.5%) while those from individuals with BRD were serotype 1 (70.7%) or 6 (19.5%). Resistance to at least one antibiotic occurred more frequently (P < 0.001) in M. haemolytica collected from cattle with BRD (37%) compared with those that were healthy (2%). Overall, tetracycline resistance (18%) was the most prevalent resistant phenotype. All tetracycline-resistant M. haemolytica encoded tet(H). Ampicillin resistance (6%) and neomycin resistance (15%) were detected and corresponded to the presence of the bla_ROB-1 and aphA-1 genes, respectively. Tilmicosin resistance (6%) was also detected, but the resistance genes responsible were not identified. The virulence genes lktC, ahs, gs60, and gcp were present in all isolates examined, while tbpB and nmaA were only detected in serotype 1 and serotype 6 isolates indicating they may be potential targets for serotype-specific identification or vaccine development. These results provide the first reported evidence of transmission and spread of antimicrobial-resistant M. haemolytica that have contributed to bovine respiratory disease in western Canadian feedlots.