Susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates in equine ulcerative keratitis: Implications for empirical treatment at a university teaching hospital in Sydney

Corneal ulceration is a common ophthalmic condition in horses. It is frequently caused by trauma to the corneal surface, followed by secondary infection by commensal or pathogenic organisms including Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus spp. Emerging antimicrobial resistance amongst these organisms has raised the need for appropriate antimicrobial therapy selection, to optimise treatment efficacy while minimising further antimicrobial resistance. Medical records of 38 horses presented at the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital Camden for ulcerative keratitis between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed to identify those with positive bacterial cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles (13/38). Common susceptibility patterns were identified and used to guide the empirical treatment of equine bacterial corneal ulcers. Pseudomonas spp. (64.3%), Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (14.3%) and Actinobacillus spp. (14.3%) were most commonly identified. Susceptibility to amikacin, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin was observed in 100%, 66.7% and 85.7% Pseudomonas spp. isolates respectively. Resistance to polymyxin B and neomycin occurred in 85.7% and 71.4% of Pseudomonas spp., respectively. All Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus organisms in this study were susceptible to ceftiofur, cephalexin, penicillin and ampicillin, while they were all resistant to gentamicin, neomycin, enrofloxacin and marbofloxacin. Predominating in this study, Pseudomonas spp. maintained overall aminoglycoside susceptibility despite some emerging resistance, and good fluoroquinolone susceptibility. High resistance to Polymyxin B could have arisen from its common use as first-line therapy for bacterial corneal ulcers. Although further research is required, these new findings about predominant bacteria in equine corneal ulceration in the Camden region and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns can be used to guide the empirical treatment of bacterial corneal ulcers in horses.     

Effects of Chloroformic Extracts from Washed and Unwashed Papaya Seeds (Carica papaya) on the Sperm Concentration of Dogs

Papaya seeds (Carica papaya Linn) have been found to have a significant effect on sperm characteristics in some mammals, including humans, but no studies have investigated the effects on dogs. In the present study, a significant decrease in sperm concentration was observed in a group of dogs treated with extracts from washed papaya seeds, but no decrease was observed in the group of dogs treated with non‐washed seeds. An important effect of extract components from washed seeds such as fatty acids is probably involved in the reduction of sperm production because of Sertoli cell damage, as has been suggested for langur monkeys. Dilution of the active components in the non‐washed papaya seeds or interference with some of the components may reduce the expected effect on spermatogenesis. This first report on the effects of a chloroformic extract of papaya seeds in dogs suggests that an increased dose is necessary to achieve azoospermia.     

Suspected tick paralysis (Ixodes holocyclus) in a Miniature Horse

A 9‐year‐old Miniature Horse gelding infested with ticks (Ixodes holocyclus) was presented with flaccid motor paralysis causing recumbency. Neurological examination and other diagnostic tests did not identify an alternative aetiology, leading to a presumptive diagnosis of tick paralysis. The gelding was treated with tick antiserum and intensive supportive care. He made a gradual recovery over the 48 h following presentation and was discharged without further complications. This case report describes in detail the clinical signs and successful treatment of a Miniature Horse with flaccid paralysis caused by suspected envenomation by Ixodes holocyclus.     

Comparison of two atmospheric-dispersion models to assess farm-site exposure to sour-gas processing-plant emissions

We describe two approaches for exposure assessment that we used in a large-scale retrospective cattle study conducted in Alberta, Canada. Sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) was the surrogate measure of exposure to a complex mixture of combusted sour-gas emissions. Monthly air pollution dispersion modeling (1985-1994) (based on individual industrial source processing-plant engineering specifications, emission volumes, and meteorologic information) provided exposure isopleths of sulfur dioxide concentration from each of 231 sour-gas processing-plants across the province. In contrast, a simpler measure of proximity to source(s) of varying emission rates was applied in a geographical information system based on simplified pollution decay at increasing distances from each point source. Province-wide (663,000 km(2)) surface analysis (by exposure-level classification) produced a contingency coefficient of 0.68 between the two exposure estimates. Annual exposure estimates at the 1382 dairy and 5726 beef cow-calf farms studied were highly correlated over the 10-years period (r(spearman)=0.82 and 0.83, respectively), while monthly exposure estimates were somewhat less correlated (r(spearman)=0.80 and 0.82, respectively) for the two exposure assessment methods. Crude exposure estimates from each method were similar in both direction and magnitude.     

Serological survey for antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in rabbits in Taiwan

Encephalitozoon cuniculi (E. cuniculi) is a microsporidian parasite commonly found in rabbits that can infect humans, causing encephalitozoonosis. Our laboratory recently confirmed the first case of encephalitozoonosis in a rabbit in Taiwan; the prevalence of encephalitozoonosis is not well documented, even when many clinics suspect pet rabbits as being infected. This study surveys the seropositivity of E. cuniculi using carbon immunoassay (CIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serological examination of 171 rabbits using CIA and ELISA showed that 63.2% (108/171) and 67.8% (116/171) were seropositive against E. cuniculi, respectively. Thirteen of the 14 rabbits (92.9%) with neurological symptoms were seropositive. Except for gender, health status and location had a significant effect on E. cuniculi seropositivity (p<0.05). Adult rabbits aged older than 4 months exhibited significantly higher seropositivity for E. cuniculi than young rabbits (p<0.05). In conclusion, this study shows that E. cuniculi is present and widespread among healthy rabbits in Taiwan. Therefore, the fields of veterinary and human medicine in Taiwan should be aware of this zoonotic issue and the resulting public health concern of encephalitozoonosis.     

Atrazine hydrolysis. Part I: Proton catalysis at 25°C

Six new results have been obtained in an investigation of the catalysed hydrolysis of atrazine. A procedure was developed for determining rate constants from the first 20 mol% of the reaction. The reduced length of the experiments increased the experimental productivity and minimised the risk of sample deterioration. The proton catalysis rate was measured at 25°C, over the H⁺ concentration range of 1 to 10 mmol litre^?1. This shortened the extrapolation to the pH values of field conditions, and guaranteed the absence of doubly-protonated atrazine. Because spectrophotometry has been regarded as a controversial method for studying the hydrolysis kinetics of the 1,3,5-triazine herbicides, this method was re-examined. Excellent agreement was obtained from a comparison of the gas-liquid chromatographic and spectrophotometric methods of monitoring the kinetics experiments. Of the widely diverging relationships found in the literature for the extrapolation of laboratory half-lives to the pH range of field conditions, the one deduced from the reaction scheme of Plust et al. was found to be theoretically correct. Its parameters have been calibrated with several hundred experimental measurements. The proton is not the dominant catalytic agent in soils, but its calibration is essential for identifying those catalytic agents that are dominant. It has been deduced that the temperature dependence of the experimental rate constant is governed by the temperature responses of two parameters.     

Initial Carbon Storage in New Tephra Layers of Mt. Talang in Sumatra as Affected by Pioneer Plants

To date, no global data on carbon sequestration at the initial weathering phase of tephra deposits are available. To study carbon storage in the new volcanic deposit, tephra layers were reconstructed for a period of 46 months. The tephra samples were collected immediately after eruption of Mount (Mt.) Talang on 12 April 2005, over portions of the Solok District in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Pot experiments were filled with and without soil materials and covered with the collected tephra. The pot experiments were conducted in a wired house. The tephra was applied in 0, 2.5 and 5 cm depths to simulate natural tephra deposition. Every day 250 ml of filtered water was added and allowed to percolate. Solid fraction from the tephra layer was collected and analyzed at regular intervals and primary plant succession was observed over a period of 4 years. After 2 months, blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) started to colonize the bare surface tephra layer to form an algae mat. After 16 months, the surface was transformed into a green biofilm of lichen. Vascular plants (grasses and shrubs) started to be established after 2 years. Total carbon (TC) content of the tephra layer was increased significantly from 0.19 to 1.75% or eight times higher after 46 months of incubation. Higher TC storage was found in the 2.5 cm compared to that of the 5.0 cm tephra layer, which was reconstructed above the soil, with values of 1.75 and 0.89%, respectively. On the contrary, lesser amount of TC was accumulated in the single tephra layer (without soil underneath). Between 71 and 90% of TC was considered as total organic carbon (TOC). The labile organic carbon (LOC) content in the 2.5 cm and 5.0 cm of tephra layer was found to be 0.22 and 0.77%, respectively, at the end of incubation. This experiment confirmed the potential of tephra to capture carbon from the atmosphere with the help of nonvascular plants and then by vascular plants and finally sink them in the tephra layer.