Dtw. Deutsche Tierärztliche Wochenschrift最新文献

Hematological traits are essential parameters for veterinary practice to quantify health status of individuals and herds. A major problem with the interpretation of hematological values is their pronounced variability that is to a great extend caused by non-systematic factors. Differences in breeds and populations are providing evidence for different genotypes in this regard, although there is no information available in swine about the nature and shares of participating genes. Goal of the present paper was to evaluate the additive-genetic share of total variability of traits of the red and white blood cell count. The results are based on 139 F2-pigs of a Pietrain-Meishan-family. Medium to high heritabilities have been estimated for the numbers of neutrophiles, the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and the hemoglobin content, and for the shares of basophile granulocytes, platelets and lymphocytes. No meaningful shares of additive genetic variance were obvious in the other traits. Shares of additive genetic variance of the above mentioned traits argue for the existence of favourable and unfavourable gene variants to be involved in their phenotypic variation. Isolation of these variants might improve the diagnostical use of those traits in the future and provide a measure to advance general health in the pig.

Objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of various local anaesthetics (Procaine Hydrochloride, Procaine Hydrochloride + Epinephrin, Lidocaine Hydrochloride) used in castration of four to six day old male piglets. Animals of the control groups (I-IV) were treated analogous to the castration groups (V-IX) but not castrated. In groups I and V 15 minutes prior to castration/fixation the piglets were fixed as for injection but not medicated. The injection volume was standardised to 0.5 ml per testes. Local anaesthetics were applicated intratesticularly in five groups and intrascrotarly in two groups. Blood samples were taken shortly before and one, four and 24 hours after castration/fixation. The serum cortisol level was analysed to determine pain induced neuroendocrine stress reaction. To proof the tissue tolerance creatinkinase-(CK) and aspartataminotransferase-(AST) concentration were analysed. One, seven and 14 days after castration the healing process were evaluated by a wound score. Groups I to IV did not show any increase of the serum cortisol level. Contrary one hour after castration the average cortisol concentration of castration groups (V-IX) rose significantly. Cortisol concentration of the medicated castration groups (VI-IX) showed a comparable or even higher cortisol level as the not medicated control group (V). Determination of CK and AST indicated no tissue damage of the application of the local anaesthetics. The administration of local anaesthetics prior to the castration did not have any effect on the wound healing process. The results of this study lead to the conclusion that injection of local anaesthetics show a good tissue tolerance but the call for reduction of the castration pain by presurgical injection of Procaine Hydrochloride or Lidocaine Hydrochloride is not justified.

The Lisbon's Zoological Garden, Portugal, has maintained for many years a large collection of psittacine birds without any serious health problems. Unexpectedly, in April 1999, a total of nine macaws died after a short period of illness. Clinical signs consisted mainly of anorexia, ruffled feathers and yellowish droppings. A herpesvirus was isolated from brain, trachea, lung, liver, spleen, kidney and intestine of each of the examined dead birds, confirming that all animals succumbed during viraemia. Serotyping of the isolate in cross neutralization tests with reference sera prove that the outbreak was caused by serotype 3 of Pacheco's parrot disease herpesviruses. An autogenous, formalin-inactivated vaccine with adjuvant (aluminium hydroxid gel) was prepared from one of the isolates and injected intramuscularly 14 days and six weeks after the onset of mortality in an attempt to protect the remaining psittacine birds in the zoo from the disease. The autogenous vaccine was well tolerated and was able to rapidly stop virus spread and morbidity and mortality among the psittacine birds. Follow-up studies demonstrate that all nine blood samples from vaccinated birds obtained nine month' after the second vaccination contain neutralizing antibodies. Twenty five month' after vaccination two out of four serum samples were still antibody positive. No herpesvirus was isolated from faecal samples nine and twenty five months after the onset of the outbreak. These data prove that the autogenous vaccine played a major role in containing a severe outbreak of Pacheco's parrot disease in a large collection of psittacine birds.

White spot disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (I. multifiliis), invades nearly all fresh water fish species and causes huge economic losses. In Germany no protocide substance is legal for the treatment of I. multifilis. As an alternative substance the peracetic acid (PAA) was tested to treat the free invasive stage (theront) of the parasite. PAA concentrations of 0.3 ppm were able to kill all theronts in 120 min in our investigations. As a result of these investigations we recommend an interval-application of 0.3 to 0.5 ppm PAA for 30 to 150 min. This application should be prolonged for two life cycles of the parasite. Biotic parameters as e. g. fish species, and age as well as abiotic parameters as e. g. temperature, pH and organic load of the water could possibly influence the efficiency of the PAA application and should therefore be taken into account while picking the dosage and length of the PAA exposure.

Respiratory diseases play an important role in reptiles kept in captivity. Microbiological examinations are described as an essential part of the diagnostic possibilities. Therefore the aim of this study was to collect data on the usefulness of results obtained after aerobic culture (sheepblood, brilliantgreen, sabouraud's agar) of swabs and tracheal lavages following standardized sampling. Respiratory symptoms were found in 24.3% of the snakes, 16.5% of the tortoises/turtles and 1.6% of the lizards presented in the clinic for birds and reptiles at the university Leipzig. Altogether, 52% of the examined samples were found to be bacteriologically and 31% mycologically of pathologic significance. The tracheal lavage proved to be more sensitive in comparison to swabs taken from the pharynx. The bacteria most often found in the samples were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Stenotrophomonas maltophila. Mycologic culture revealed Aspergillus sp. and yeast most often. In boids and pythons, the highest number of bacteriologic results assessed to be of pathological significance were found (75%). Mycologically, samples from tortoises were found most often to have a result of pathological significance (48%). To summarize the aerobic cultivation on standard media (in this study: Columbia-Agar with sheep blood, brilliant-green-, Sabouraud-Agar) can be recommended as an initial diagnostic measure in reptiles presented with respiratory symptoms; further pathogens (eg, viral examination, Mycoplasma) should be checked additionally.

In a pilot study the presence and frequency of Clostridium (C.) perfringens was investigated among apparently healthy farm animals in the Shandong province of China. 748 faecal samples were collected from 9 pig-, 4 sheep-, 7 cattle- and 5 rabbit farms. C. perfringens was isolated from 124 samples (16.6%). The isolates were classified into major toxin types by using PCR analysis detecting the genes encoding these toxins. All isolates were identified as C perfringens toxin type A. There are also some reports from different regions in China linking C. perfringens toxin type A strains to gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore further investigations about the epidemiologic role of C perfringens toxin type A strains in the Shandong region are necessary. Currently, cases of enterotoxemia from this region are investigated for the presence of C perfringens.

The aim of this study was to establish echocardiographic reference values for healthy Icelandic horses. For this purpose cardiologic examinations were performed on 44 healthy trained and untrained Icelandic horses without known cardiologic or pulmonary disease. The atrial diameter of the trained horses were significantly greater than in the untrained horses and the left ventricular free wall diameter was also higher in the trained than in the untrained horses. These findings confirm that the changes of the heart caused by training which have previously been described by other authors in warmbloods, thoroughbreds, dogs and humans are present in Icelandic horses as well. However, in contrast to the findings in race horses, no enlargement of the left ventricle was found in trained Icelandic horses, which may indicate that training conditions of Icelandic horses are not comparable to those of race- or jumping-horses in high level training. The reference values established in this study will serve as basis for the current interpretation of the results of echocardiographic examinations in Icelandic horses. This should enable cardiologists to perform a more detailed and precise examination similar to cardiological examinations in warmbloods and race horses.

The transmission of PRDC-pathogens (PRRSV, influenza virus A, PCV2, M. hyopneumoniae, A. pleuropneumoniae) between swine herds, which was summarized in the first part of the review, mainly occurs via pig movement. The risk of pathogen transmission by insemination with contaminated semen plays only a relevant role in the infection with PRRSV and PCV2. A risk of the aerogen transmission of pathogens between herds within a distance of 2 to 3 km is described for M. hyopneumoniae and PRRSV. Evidence for the other pathogens is not investigated. The PRDC-pathogens are frequently detected in wild boar populations. Therefore, the transmission between wild boars and domestic pigs seems possible by close contacts. PRRSV and M. hyopneumoniae can be transmitted by contaminated clothes and boots, but the use of sanitation protocols appears to limit their spread. Live vectors like rodents or birds seemed to have no special importance for the transmission of PRDC-pathogens.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate four different Petrifllm products (3M, Neuss) for detection of mastitis pathogens in quarter and bulk milk samples, comparing them to the results of standard microbiological techniques. The aim of experiment 1 was to determine the sensitivity of 3M Rapid Coliform Count Plate in identifying clinical mastitis cases caused by coliform bacteria. Within 12 h of incubation, three times more coliform bacteria could be identified with Petrifilm than with the standard technique. For a valid result, milk samples must be free of contamination. Experiment 2 focused on whether Petrifilm was able to monitor S. aureus on bulk milk level in herds being infected with this pathogen. In relation to the gold standard (combination of both procedures (standard and Petrifilm, prevalence 52%), sensitivity for the standard procedure amounted to 15.4% and to 94% for Petrifilm. In Experiment 3 the combination of several Petrifilm (RUEGG, 2004) was compared with the standard diagnostic technique (gold standard). Sensitivity of the Petrifilm method approached the assumed gold standard to 43% and specificity to 29%. The positive predictive value of 28% showed that both procedures are not directly comparable with each other. Due to the definition of a gold standard, the weaknesses of the classical technique can be interpreted as a disadvantage of the Petrifilm procedure. The strength of the available Petrifilm as mastitis diagnostic tools is the identification of S. aureus and coliform microorganisms, moreover E. coli.