Plasma Taurine Concentrations and M-mode Echocardiographic Measures in Healthy Cats and in Cats with Dilated Cardiomyopathy

M-mode echocardiography was completed and plasma taurine concentrations were determined in 79 healthy cats and 77 cats with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). In healthy cats, a relationship was not observed between plasma taurine concentrations and any M-mode echocardiographic measurement. End-systolic and end-diastolic cardiac chamber dimensions were larger; wall thickness measures were smaller; and calculations of fractional shortening were less in cats with DCM than in healthy cats. Plasma taurine concentrations less than 30 nmol/mL were detected in 7/79 healthy cats and in 52/77 cats with DCM. Of the 52 cats with DCM and an initial plasma taurine concentration less than 30 nmol/mL, 23 died or were euthanized during the first post-treatment week, 7 were lost to further study, and 22 improved after taurine supplementation. Of the 25 cats with DCM and an initial plasma taurine concentration greater than or equal to 30 nmol/mL, 9 died or were euthanatized during the first post-treatment week, and 9 were lost to further study. Two cats did not improve, of which one died and one was euthanatized 4 to 8 weeks after initiation of taurine supplementation. Five cats with a plasma taurine concentration greater than or equal to 30 nmol/mL improved after taurine supplementation. Myocardial function subsequently deteriorated in three of these cats. Two of the three cats had signs of congestive heart failure redevelop.     

Quantitation of cardiac gross morphology during the development of FZ-induced cardiomyopathy in turkey poults

Furazolidone (FZ) at a dose of 700 ppm was fed to turkey poults 2-5 weeks posthatch. At 3, 4, and 5 weeks of age, seven poults each were sacrificed from control and FZ-fed groups. A section of ventricular tissue 1 mm thick was excised from the heart distal to the base at a level one-fourth of the distance between the base and apex. Parameters estimated from tracings of each section were area and circumference of both right and left ventricular lumen profile, area and circumference of entire heart profile, area of right ventricular free wall profile, area of left ventricular and septal wall profile, and area of entire heart muscle profile. A major finding was a sequential increase in the area of the ventricular lumina in the FZ-fed poults. Differences between the control and FZ-fed poults were statistically significant for the right lumen profile at 3 and 5 weeks of age and for the left lumen profile at 4 and 5 weeks of age. The area of the heart muscle profile was decreased in FZ-fed poults, but this difference was statistically significant only at 4 weeks of age. Data suggest that the pathogenesis of FZ-induced cardiomyopathy involves a dilation of ventricular lumina resulting in increased intraventricular blood volume and altered ECG patterns. Relationships between gross morphology and ECGs may be seen only in terminal cases of several weeks duration. This explains the inability to correlate ECGs with gross morphologic changes in all poults observed at necropsy.     

Transfer of Metals in Soil-Grass Ecosystems under Long-Term N,P, K Fertilization in Hesse,Germany

Soil and plant samples (Lolio-Cynosuretum) were taken from four different locations in Hesse, Germany. Different doses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers were applied to verify metal input due to fertilization. Metal concentrations in plants increased due to mineral fertilization. Detected plant cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) concentrations in non-fertilized plots were 0.04, 4.13, 106.5, 0.57, and 23.0 mg kg^?1 and in long-term NPK-amended plots they were 0.31, 15.3, 524.9, 3.49, and 60.0 mg kg^?1, respectively. Transfer factor (TF) was observed to decrease in the order of Cd>Cu>Zn>Mn>Pb. The results of regression analysis showed that organic carbon (C_org) content, effective-cation exchange capacity (CEC_eff), and bioavailable metal content are the most important predictors for plant metal uptake. This study confirmed that plant metal uptake was not only highly affected by the soil metal content but also influenced by soil properties.     

Influence of exogenous T4 on body weight, feed consumption, T4 levels, and myocardial glycogen in furazolidone-fed turkey poults.

Ten turkey poults each were placed in one of four groups: control, thyroxine (T4), furazolidone (FZ), and FZ + T4. Thyroxine (T4), at a concentration of 1 ppm, was included in the ration of poults fed T4 and FZ + T4, and furazolidone (FZ), at a concentration of 700 ppm, was included in the ration of poults fed FZ and FZ + T4 from 2 to 5 weeks of age. Levels of plasma T4 decreased significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) between 2 and 5 weeks in control and FZ poults. At 5 weeks, plasma T4 levels were significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) lower in FZ poults than in control poults and significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) lower in the FZ + T4 poults than in the T4 poults. Exogenous administration of T4 had no effect on development of the round heart syndrome or on body weight, but significantly increased feed consumption in FZ-fed poults during weeks 4 (P less than or equal to 0.05) and 5 (P less than or equal to 0.01). Inclusion of T4 in the ration increased plasma levels of the hormone 12x in both T4 and FZ + T4 poults and significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) increased myocardial glycogen content in T4 poults but not in FZ + T4 poults.     

Fecal Microbiota of Cats with Naturally Occurring Chronic Diarrhea Assessed Using 16S rRNA Gene 454‐Pyrosequencing before and after Dietary Treatment

Background

The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota has a strong impact on the health of cats and these populations can be altered in GI disease. Little research has been done to associate improvement in diarrhea with changes in GI microbiota.

Objective

To evaluate GI microbiota changes associated with diet change and related improvement in diarrhea in cats with chronic naturally occurring diarrhea.

Animals

Fifteen adult Domestic Shorthair cats with naturally occurring chronic diarrhea.

Methods

Controlled crossover dietary trial for management of diarrhea. Fecal microbiome was assessed using 454‐pyrosequencing. Relationships among fecal score (FS), diet, and microbiome were explored using partial least square method, partial least square method – discriminant analysis, and orthogonal partial least square method with discriminant analysis (OPLS‐DA).

Results

Dominant bacterial phyla included the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, followed by Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria, Tenericutes, and Actinobacteria. Orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS‐DA) clustering showed significant microbial differences within cats when fed Diet X versus Diet Y, and with Diet Y versus baseline. Significant correlations were found between the microbiome and FSs. Those bacteria with the strongest correlation with FS included Coriobacteriaceae Slackia spp., Campylobacter upsaliensis, Enterobacteriaceae Raoultella spp., Coriobacteriaceae Collinsella spp., and bacteria of unidentified genera within the families of Clostridiales Lachnospiracea and Aeromonadales Succinivibrionacease, suggesting that increased numbers of these organisms may be important to gut health.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Alterations in intestinal microbiota were associated with improvement in diarrhea, but, from our data we cannot conclude if changes in the microbiome caused the improvement in diarrhea, or vice versa.     

Arsenic-sulfur amino acid interactions in the chick

Experiments were conducted with growing crossbred chicks to determine the reasons why cysteine exacerbates roxarsone (3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid) toxicity. A fortified corn-soybean meal diet that met or exceeded all nutrient requirements of the young chick was fed. While cysteine enhanced roxarsone toxicity, it had little effect on the toxicity of the inorganic arsenicals As2O3 and As2O5. The toxicity of another pentavalent organic arsenical, phenylarsonic acid, was also exacerbated by cysteine. In contrast, the growth-depression resulting from feeding the trivalent form of phenylarsonic acid, i.e., phenylarsine oxide, was not affected by dietary addition of cysteine. Supplementation of the diet with cystine, methionine or K2SO4 did not exacerbate roxarsone toxicity. Reduced glutathione (GSH), however, slightly increased the gain/feed depression resulting from feeding 300 mg roxarsone/kg diet. When injected ip 1) roxarsone and cysteine, or 2) roxarsone and ascorbic acid killed 100 or 60% of the birds, respectively, within 48 h postinjection. Few (6.7%) deaths resulted from ip injections of the same level of roxarsone alone. Therefore, the potentiation of toxicity requires pentavalent organic arsenicals and compounds that can act as reducing agents. We concluded that cysteine exacerbates roxarsone toxicity by reducing it to the more toxic trivalent state.     

Delayed T-cell maturation and suppression of mitogen-induced blastogenesis in turkey poults fed cortisone acetate and furazolidone

The effect of cortisone acetate (CA) on the immune response of control and furazolidone (FZ)-fed turkey poults was investigated. CA, fed at a dose of 500 mg/kg of ration beginning at 1 week of age, decreased mortality but had little effect on the development of FZ-induced cardiomyopathy. When poults were 2 weeks of age, the in vitro stimulation of lymphocytes by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A) was significantly depressed (P less than or equal to 0.001 and P less than or equal to 0.05, respectively) in cortisone-treated poults. The time of the peak response of lymphocytes from poults 2-5 weeks of age to in vitro stimulation by PHA was significantly delayed (P less than or equal to 0.01) and the magnitude of the response was significantly depressed (P less than or equal to 0.001) in cortisone-treated poults compared with control poults. Cortisone treatment had no effect on time of peak response to Con A stimulation but significantly depressed (P less than or equal to 0.05) the magnitude of the response. Poults receiving FZ administered by gastric tube showed a peak response to PHA stimulation significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) earlier and significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) greater than did control poults.