Canadian journal of comparative medicine : Revue canadienne de medecine comparee最新文献

The blood glutathione peroxidase levels of one day old piglets from 22 litters were examined. Body weight and piglet survival were monitored in order to assess the relationship between these two factors and blood glutathione peroxidase activity. The mean blood glutathione peroxidase level of one day old piglets (65 mu/gHb) was significantly lower (p0.001) than the mean level (85 mu/gHb) at weaning. The mean blood glutathione peroxidase activity of one day old piglets was not related to the size of the litter, but was related (p less than 0.1) to the mean litter blood glutathione peroxidase level at weaning time. Piglet blood glutathione peroxidase was not related to piglet body weight. The blood glutathione peroxidase level of the sows at one-day post-farrowing was not related to the mean blood glutathione peroxidase activity of their litters at one day of age but was correlated (p less than 0.1) with the mean blood glutathione peroxidase levels of their litters at weaning. Piglet viability was shown to be strongly correlated (p less than 0.001) with body weight at one day of age. The blood glutathione peroxidase level of one day old piglets was weakly associated (p less than 0.1) with piglet survival. Further work is required to clarify this latter observation, which suggests that selenium supplementation to newborn piglets may be beneficial regardless of the dams nutritional status.

Instrumental neutron activation analysis was employed to determine the levels of certain trace elements in the hair of newborn piglets and their dams. The mean concentrations (mumoles/mg) of copper, zinc, manganese and selenium in the neonatal piglet hair samples were 222 +/- 55, 4940 +/- 1728, 12.7 +/- 17.1 and 8.9 +/- 5.5, respectively, and in sow hair samples the mean concentrations (mumoles/mg) were 156 +/- 22, 5124 +/- 1927, 31.7 +/- 22.2 and 6.5 +/- 3.7, respectively. The mean copper level was higher (p less than 0.05) in piglet hair compared with sow hair. However the mean concentration of manganese was lower (p less than 0.05) in piglet hair. There was no relationship between the trace mineral levels found in the piglets' hair and the dams' hair. The levels of copper, zinc, manganese and selenium found in piglet hair were shown to be unrelated to the piglet body weight. The feasibility of using porcine hair as a practical biopsy material for trace element analysis is discussed.

The clinical, clinicopathological and pathological findings in three cats with hypereosinophilic syndrome are described. The cats chosen for the study had marked eosinophilia and evidence of tissue infiltration by eosinophils. Necropsies were performed on two cats, biopsy and blood samples were provided for the third cat. At necropsy, there was diffuse reddening of femoral bone marrow with ulceration and thickening of the duodenum. The livers had an enhanced lobular pattern with multiple, white, 1-3 mm nodules throughout the parenchyma. One cat had splenomegaly and the other had several enlarged, white, firm lymph nodes. Histopathologically, there was eosinophil infiltration of intestine, lymph nodes, liver, spleen, adrenal medulla and beneath the endocardium. Ultrastructurally, the eosinophils from lymph node and bone marrow of cat II were morphologically normal. The rigid criteria for eosinophilic leukemia were not fulfilled by these cases and the etiology of the eosinophilia in each case is not known. Possible pathogenic mechanisms are discussed.

Ninety-eight calves were studied to determine if anemia and poikilocytosis were related to iron or copper status or hemoglobin type. No significant differences were found in serum iron, total iron binding capacity, marrow iron, plasma copper or hemoglobin type between affected and normal calves. Poikilocytes were strongly inversely correlated (-0.9177) with age. Calves less than six weeks of age had more poikilocytes, lower serum iron, higher total iron binding capacity, less adult hemoglobin and more neonatal and fetal hemoglobin than calves greater than six weeks of age.

We studied the growth, feed intake, feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio of groups of female Beagle puppies fed 16% or 22% crude protein rations to which 6% or 12% wheat bean was added at the expense of the total diet. The final neutral detergent fibre concentrations were 12%, 16%, 22% and 23% (dry matter basis). The addition of wheat bran to puppy rations, bringing the neutral detergent fibre up to 16% in a 21% crude protein diet had no deleterious effects on feed intake, feed and protein efficiency or growth in Beagle puppies. Over a sufficiently long period of time, the growth of this group did not differ from that of the controls (12% neutral detergent fibre, 23% crude protein) although it was higher at intermediate times. The effects of the high fibre (22 or 23% neutral detergent fibre) diets on growth, feed intake feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio are consistent with an energy deficit resulting from the animals' inability to adapt fully to the dilution of their rations leading to lower growth, less efficient use of feed and, in the case of group 3 (22% crude protein, 22% neutral detergent fibre), a lower protein efficiency ratio. The protein efficiency ratio of group 4 (16% crude protein, 23% neutral detergent fibre) was higher than that of group 3, most likely the result of a more limiting amount of dietary protein leading to a more efficient use for growth by the animal. We have concluded that intermediate levels of neutral detergent fibre (up to 16%) were not deleterious even in puppy rations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Gouge dehorning was evaluated as a mode of transmitting bovine leukemia virus in Holstein calves at a commercial dairy. Significantly (p less than 0.05) more calves dehorned by the gouge method developed antibodies to bovine leukemia virus, as measured by agar-gel immunodiffusion, three months after dehorning, than calves not dehorned. The field use of a blood-contaminated dehorning device resulted in transmission of bovine leukemia virus.

A mail survey of disease occurrence in Canadian sheep flocks was conducted. The survey, which covered the period from September 1982 to August 1983, utilized flocks on the Record of Performance (ROP) sheep program and relatively complete data were available from 116 flocks. Data about lambing rates, incidence of a variety of lamb and ewe diseases and reasons for culling were obtained. At the same time a retrospective evaluation of records of diagnoses of sheep diseases recorded at diagnostic laboratories across the country was performed. Data from the years 1978 to 1982 were obtained and summarized. A lambing percentage of 153% (1.53 lambs live born per ewe lambing) was observed and an additional 0.05 lambs were stillborn. The major identified causes of mortality amongst lambs were starvation, pneumonia, scours and accidents. Pasteurella spp. were the etiological agents most commonly associated with pneumonia in lambs and Escherichia coli had the same predominant position with regards to nonparasitic scours. A large discrepancy existed between the proportional mortality rates for internal parasites and coccidiosis as determined from the farm survey data compared to diagnostic laboratory data. This suggests that clinical parasitism may not be adequately recognized at the farm level. Abortions in ewes occurred in approximately half the flocks, but generally at a low level and no severe abortion storms occurred. Pneumonia was the most commonly identified cause of mortality in ewes and although Pasteurella spp. appear to be the most important etiological agents, regional differences were apparent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood and bone marrow morphology were studied sequentially in dogs during experimental inflammation induced by intramuscular injection of turpentine. Depletion of the bone marrow storage pool of mature neutrophils and an increase in mitotic activity and number of early granulocyte precursors were evident within 24 hours. During the next three days, intense granulocytic hyperplasia resulted in replenishment of the bone marrow storage pool. Neutrophils with foamy vacuolation and increased basophilia of the cytoplasm (toxic neutrophils) were present in the blood by eight hours postinjection. The number of toxic neutrophils paralleled the intensity of clinical signs and changes in rectal temperature but not the number of band neutrophils. This indicates that changes in number of toxic neutrophils in sequential leukograms can be a prognostic indicator in dogs with severe inflammation.

Path analysis was used to determine the interrelationships between postpartum administration of gonadotrophin releasing hormone and cloprostenol and the occurrence of reproductive disease and reproductive performance in dairy cows. The data analysed were those collected on 226 Holstein-Friesian cows calving in a commercial dairy herd during a 17 month period (May 1, 1981 to October 1, 1982). Cows administered gonadotrophin releasing hormone at day 15 postpartum experienced an improved rate of uterine involution as determined by rectal palpation nine days later. Although this improved rate of uterine involution reduced the risk of pyometritis, it actually directly delayed conception. Also, gonadotrophin releasing hormone therapy directly resulted in an increased incidence of pyometritis which in turn resulted in an increase incidence of cystic ovarian disease and anestrus. The occurrence of these abnormalities resulted in increased intervals from calving to first observed estrus, first service and conception. In addition to this effect, the administration of gonadotrophin releasing hormone was also associated with increased plasma progesterone concentrations at days 24 and 28 postpartum which delayed conception. Cloprostenol therapy at day 24 postpartum resulted in a decreased plasma progesterone concentration at day 28 postpartum which was directly and indirectly associated with a decrease in the calving to conception interval. The indirect effects were mediated by a reduction in days to first estrus. Cloprostenol therapy also directly resulted in a decreased calving to first observed estrus interval for reasons not attributable to the level of progesterone at day 28.

The aim of this investigation was to do a comparative study on the deposition and clearance of inhaled bacteria between the lungs and tracheae of mice exposed to aerosols of bacteria. Two hundred and eighty-eight mice were divided into four groups (n = 72) and exposed to aerosols of Pasteurella haemolytica or Staphylococcus aureus in four replicates. The numbers of bacteria were determined in the trachea and lungs of mice sacrificed 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours postexposure. Results indicated that bacterial deposition was greater in lungs than in tracheae. No significant (p greater than 0.05) difference was observed between P. haemolytica and S. aureus clearance rates. Although bacteria were rapidly eliminated from the whole respiratory tract, bacterial clearance was significantly (p less than 0.002) faster in tracheae than lungs. A significant (p less than 0.05) replicate effect was also observed.