Eastern equine encephalitis in a flock of emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae).

Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) was diagnosed in a flock of emus in southeastern Louisiana. The outbreak involved juvenile and adult breeders ranging in age from 20 to 36 months, with an attack rate of 76% and a case fatality rate of 87%. The diagnosis was confirmed by isolation and characterization of the viral agent, and by detection of EEE antibody in two recovered emus. High mortality was preceded by marked depression, hemorrhagic diarrhea, and emesis of blood-stained ingesta. On postmortem examination, hemorrhagic enteritis and multiple petechia of viscera were observed. Microscopic changes included severe necrosis of hepatocytes, intestinal mucosa, and necrotizing vasculitis of the spleen and lamina propria of the intestine. No nervous system lesions were observed. This outbreak occurred concurrently with EEE in horses and was attributed to unseasonably heavy rainfall with an abundance of arthropod vectors and proximity to free-living reservoir host species.     

研究和发展益生菌和益生元的前瞻

人体的结肠微生物区对健康有着极大的影响。自从引入益生菌和益生元的概念后,对人体肠微生物区组成的观点产生了极大的变化,详细研究复杂的细菌群落一直是个巨大的挑战。用抽样法研究肠微生物群将会更加成熟,并广泛应用于此项研究中。目前,以核酸为基础的分析方法是研究肠微生物区系的基本工具。应用先进的分子技术,使点查和鉴定结肠细菌的种类以及族系级别成为可能。目前正在对第二代益生元的概念展开广泛研究。了解内脏生态系统的作用机制以及处于内脏生态系统中的细菌的作用机制,对于益生菌和益生元将来的发展极为重要。     

Relationship between soil respiration and soil moisture

Microbial activity is affected by changes in the availability of soil moisture. We examined the relationship between microbial activity and water potential in a silt loam soil during four successive drying and rewetting cycles. Microbial activity was inferred from the rate of CO₂ accumulating in a sealed flask containing the soil sample and the CO₂ respired was measured using gas chromatography. Thermocouple hygrometry was used to monitor the water potential by burying a thermocouple in the soil sample in the flask. Initial treatment by drying on pressure plates brought samples of the test soil to six different water potentials in the range -0.005 to -1.5MPa. Water potential and soil respiration were simultaneously measured while these six soil samples slowly dried by evaporation and were remoistened four times. The results were consistent with a log-linear relationship between water potential and microbial activity as long as activity was not limited by substrate availability. This relationship appeared to hold for the range of water potentials from ?0.01 to ?8.5 MPa. Even at ?0.01 MPa (wet soil) a decrease in water potential from ?0.01 to ?0.02 MPa caused a 10% decrease in microbial activity. Rewetting the soil caused a large and rapid increase in the respiration rate. There was up to a 40-fold increase in microbial activity for a short period when the change in water potential following rewetting was greater than 5 MPa. Differences in microbial activity between the wetter and drier soil treatments following rewetting to the original water potentials are discussed in terms of the availability of energy substrate.     

Septicemic salmonellosis in two cats fed a raw-meat diet

Salmonella gastroenteritis and septicemia were diagnosed in two cats presented for necropsy. Both cats resided in the same household and were fed a home-prepared, raw meat-based diet. Salmonella was isolated from multiple organs in both cats and from samples of raw beef incorporated into the diet fed to one of the cats. Subtyping of the bacterial isolates yielded Salmonella newport from one cat and from the diet it had been fed. This report provides evidence that the practice of feeding raw meat-based diets to domestic cats may result in clinical salmonellosis.     

Comparative renal physiology of exotic species.

In this article the osmoregulatory, acid-base homeostasis, and excretory functions of the renal system of invertebrates and vertebrates are reviewed. The mammalian renal system is the most highly evolved in terms of the range of functions performed by the kidneys.Renal physiology in other animals can be very different, and a sound knowledge of these differences is important for understanding health and disease processes that involve the kidneys, as well as ion and water homeostasis. Many animals rely on multiple organs along with the kidneys to maintain osmotic, ionic, and pH balance. Some animals rely heavily on postrenal modification of urine to conserve water and salt balance; this can influence the interpretation of disease signs and treatment modalities.     

Surgical removal of retrobulbar hemangioma in a goldfish (Carassius auratus).

The surgical removal of retrobulbar hemangioma is described in a mature fantail goldfish (Carassius auratus) with a 6-week history of a swollen right eye.The fish was anesthetized using alfaxalnone at a concentration in the water of 5 mg/L to facilitate fine-needle aspiration and surgical removal of the eye. The fish was treated with enrofloxacin 5 mg intraperitoneally and recovered with major buoyancy deficits that corrected 20 minutes after treatment with methadone at a dose of 0.4 mg intramuscularly. Histologic examination of the excised tissue demonstrated that the tumor was a compact hemangioma.     

Pharmacokinetics of ketoprofen in the green iguana (Iguana iguana) following single intravenous and intramuscular injections.

The nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug ketoprofen (KTP) is a commonly used antiinflammatory and analgesic agent in reptile medicine, but no studies documenting its pharmacokinetics in this species have been published. Ketoprofen was administered as a racemic mixture to green iguanas (Iguana iguana) intravenously (i.v.) and intramuscularly (i.m.) at 2 mg/kg. Pharmacokinetic analyses were performed and indicated that ketoprofen in iguanas administered by the intravenous route has a classical two-compartmental distribution pattern, a slow clearance (67 ml/ kg/hr) and a long terminal half-life (31 hr) compared to ketoprofen studies reported in mammals. When delivered by the intramuscular route, bioavailability was 78%. These data indicate the daily dosing that is generally recommended for reptile patients, as an extrapolation from mammalian data, may be more frequent than necessary.