Factors associated with development of Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC) in dogs in 5 Canadian small animal clinics

This study investigated the association between presence of respiratory pathogens and development of Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC) in dogs in 5 Canadian small animal clinics. In total, 86 dogs were tested using a commercial PCR respiratory panel; 64 dogs were considered as cases and 22 were control dogs matched by veterinary clinic. No control animals (0/22) were positive for canine parainfluenza virus (CPIV), whereas 27/64 (42%) CIRDC cases were positive. Furthermore, 81% of case dogs tested positive for Mycoplasma cynos, compared with 73% of control dogs. Canine respiratory corona virus (CRCoV) was detected in no control dogs compared with 9.4% of clinical dogs. No animals were positive for any influenza virus type A present in the diagnostic panel. Presence of CPIV was associated (P < 0.01) with the occurrence of CIRDC after adjustment for demographic factors and presence of CRCoV (P = 0.09).     

Habitat suitability and connectivity modeling reveal priority areas for Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) conservation in a complex habitat mosaic

Context

Conservation for the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), a federally endangered species in the United States of America, is typically focused on local maternity sites; however, the species is a regional migrant, interacting with the environment at multiple spatial scales. Hierarchical levels of management may be necessary, but we have limited knowledge of landscape-level ecology, distribution, and connectivity of suitable areas in complex landscapes.

Objectives

We sought to (1) identify factors influencing M. sodalis maternity colony distribution in a mosaic landscape, (2) map suitable maternity habitat, and (3) quantify connectivity importance of patches to direct conservation action.

Methods

Using 3 decades of occurrence data, we tested a priori, hypothesis-driven habitat suitability models. We mapped suitable areas and quantified connectivity importance of habitat patches with probabilistic habitat availability metrics.

Results

Factors improving landscape-scale suitability included limited agriculture, more forest cover, forest edge, proximity to medium-sized water bodies, lower elevations, and limited urban development. Areas closer to hibernacula and rivers were suitable. Binary maps showed that 30% of the study area was suitable for M. sodalis and 29% was important for connectivity. Most suitable patches were important for intra-patch connectivity and far fewer contributed to inter-patch connectivity.

Conclusions

While simple models may be effective for small, homogenous landscapes, complex models are needed to explain habitat suitability in large, mixed landscapes. Suitability modeling identified factors that made sites attractive as maternity areas. Connectivity analysis improved our understanding of important areas for bats and prioritized areas to target for restoration.

     

Ancient Polyploidy and Modern Crop Plants

The growing set of fully-sequenced angiosperm genomes highlight the role of polyploidy in angiosperm evolution, and suggest that even the high level of importance we had already attributed to this mechanism was inadequate.     

Prioritising sites for pollinators in a fragmented coastal nectar habitat network in Western Europe

Landscape Ecology - Habitat loss and fragmentation contribute significantly to pollinator decline and biodiversity loss globally. Conserving high quality habitats whilst restoring and connecting...     

The influence of a low cobalt intake on the neutrophil function and severity of Ostertagia infection in cattle

Two trials involving housed cattle examined the effect of Co depletion and supplementation on immune status as assessed by the neutrophil function test which measures the ability of isolated neutrophils to kill the yeast Candida albicans. A third trial investigated the extent to which Co status influenced the severity of Ostertagia ostertagi infection. In the first two trials liveweight gains were unaffected until some 40-60 weeks on the low dietary Co intake despite very low serum vitamin B12 values being recorded after 10 weeks. However, the immune status as measured by the neutrophil function test was reduced within 10 weeks of commencing the low Co diet. On administration of Ostertagia ostertagi larvae, Co-depleted cattle showed a greater weight loss than Co-supplemented cattle but showed no difference in the length of the prepatent period, worm egg production or serum gastrin and pepsinogen concentrations. After anthelmintic treatment both groups showed a similar response. It is postulated that the lowered immune response of Co-depleted cattle resulted in the greater severity of the Ostertagia ostertagi infection.     

Hematogenous septic arthritis in the dog: results of five patients treated nonsurgically with antibiotics

This retrospective study evaluates the effectiveness of nonsurgical treatment using antibiotics to treat hematogenous septic arthritis in five dogs. Giant-breed dogs were over-represented, with all dogs <1 year of age. Synovial fluid cultures were positive in all cases, with common bacterial species isolated that included Streptococcus B-haemolytic spp., Pasteurella multocida, and Staphylococcus intermedius. Dogs treated with appropriate duration and selection of antibiotics had clinical resolution with no residual deficits. This report and a previous clinical report demonstrate that hematogenous septic arthritis can be successfully treated nonsurgically with antibiotic therapy.     

Use of pneumocystoplasty for overinflation of the swim bladder in a goldfish

A Ryukin goldfish was evaluated because of a 6-month history of progressive abdominal distention and positive buoyancy. Overinflation of the swim bladder was diagnosed, and the fish was anesthetized with tricaine methanesulfonate. Archimedes' principle was used to determine the volume of swim bladder that was removed surgically. The caudal swim bladder was exteriorized through an abdominal incision and 2 surgical clips were placed across it to limit its size. After surgery, the fish remained in a state of negative buoyancy in sternal and lateral recumbency on the bottom of the tank. Sutures were removed 15 days after surgery, but the fish died 24 days after surgery. A full necropsy could not be performed because of autolysis of the tissues, but the surgical clips and the swim bladder appeared unremarkable. Pneumocystoplasty may be a viable treatment for this condition.     

Associations between age or sex and prevalence of gastric ulceration in Standardbred racehorses in training

OBJECTIVE: To determine associations between age, sex, or medical treatment and prevalence and severity of gastric ulceration in Standardbred racehorses in training. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS: 224 Standardbred racehorses in training. PROCEDURE: Gastroscopy was performed on each horse, and mucosal ulceration was graded from 0 (normal mucosa, no lesions) to 3 (extensive, often coalescing, lesions with areas of deep ulceration). Associations between age, sex, or treatment and prevalence and severity of ulcers were evaluated. RESULTS: Prevalence of gastric ulceration was 87%. Although there was little association between age and prevalence of ulcers, there was an association between age and severity of ulcers. Most 2-year-old horses (57.7%) had an ulcer score of 0 or 1. In all other age groups, most (58% to 82.61%) of horses had an ulcer score of 2 or 3. Although overall prevalence of ulceration was comparable among sex groups, the relative risk for gastric ulceration increased with age in castrated males, whereas it decreased in females and sexually intact males. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Gastric ulceration is common in Standardbred horses in race training. Severity is higher in horses > or = 3 years of age than in 2-year-old horses. Relative risk for ulceration increases with age in castrated males.     

Induction of hypericins and hyperforin in Hypericum perforatum L. in response to biotic and chemical elicitors

Hypericum perforatum L. produces hyperforins, a family of antimicrobial acylphloroglucinols; and hypericins, a family of phototoxic anthraquinones exhibiting anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-herbivore properties in vitro. To determine whether these secondary metabolites are part of the specific plant defense systems that are mediated by methyl jasmonate or salicylic acid, we used meristem cultures to assess the effects of exposure to exogenous application of these chemical elicitors. Levels of hypericins in plant tissue increased in response to both elicitor treatments; total hypericin levels increased as much as 3.3 times control levels when treated with 200 μ methyl jasmonate for 14 days. Increased hyperforin concentrations were detected when plantlets were treated with 1 m salicylic acid or 50 μ methyl jasmonate. For assessing responses to a biotic elicitor, greenhouse-grown plant materials were inoculated with the plant pathogen, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Levels of hypericins increased twice as much as the control when inoculated with 1 × 10⁴ spores per ml; higher doses of spores overwhelmed the plant defenses. The elevation of hypericins and hyperforin in response to chemical and biotic elicitors suggests that these secondary metabolites are components in the inducible plant defense responses of H. perforatum.     

Establishment of the baseline sensitivity and monitoring response of Papaver rhoeas populations to florasulam

In accordance with the EPPO guideline for the efficacy evaluation of plant protection products, resistance risk analysis PP 1/213(1), a method was established to determine the baseline sensitivity of key weed species to florasulam, a new triazolopyrimidine sulfonanilide herbicide for post-emergence control of dicotyledonous weeds in cereals. The aim of the baseline monitoring project was to understand the natural variation in response to florasulam of diverse populations of Papaver rhoeas at the time of product launch. The method entailed seed collection from representative agricultural areas throughout Europe. The seed was subjected to glasshouse tests where dose-response studies were conducted and ED80 values generated. This enabled a sensitivity index to be calculated for each country, giving an indication of the variation in P rhoeas response to florasulam in the populations tested.