BACKGROUND: Abomasal hypomotility plays an important role in pathogenesis of some abomasal disorders such as abomasal bloat which has the same serious side effects associated with using synthetic drugs for its treatment, such as diarrhea and antibiotic resistance. To decreasing these side effects, administration of herbal medicine is a good way. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of oral administration of turmeric aqueous extract on rate of abomasal emptying rate in neonatal lambs. METHODS: This study was conducted on twelve five-day-old Sangsari-female-lambs (average weight 3 kg). All lambs received five oral treatments, including saline (30 ml), erythromycin (400 mg), turmeric 200 mg/kg, turmeric 250 mg/kg, and turmeric 300 mg/kg, respectively. At 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 240 minutes after each treatment, plasma samples of lambs were taken. The rate of abomasal emptying was determined with acetaminophen absorption test. RESULTS: Treatment with erythromycin and three different doses of aqueous extract of turmeric (200, 250, 300 mg/kg) increased the rate of abomasal emptying in comparison to the negative control treatment, significantly (P<0.05). The stimulatory effect of erythromycin on abomasal emptying was higher than aquatic extract of turmeric, significantly (P<0.05). No clinical side effects were observed following the administration of erythromycin and turmeric in lambs. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that aqueous extract of turmeric has a stimulatory effect on lamb's abomasal emptying but more studies are needed on the effect of this plant’s components on abomasal emptying.

Effects of the following treatments on abomasal and duodenal myoelectric activity in yearling cattle were studied: 2 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride solution (NACL); 0.07 mg of bethanechol (BET)/kg of body weight; 0.1 mg of metoclopramide (MET)/kg; and 0.07 mg of bethanechol and 0.1 mg of metoclopramide (BETMET)/kg. All treatments were administered SC during the early part of phase I of the migrating myoelectric complex Myoelectric signals were recorded for 4 hours after administration of the treatments from 1 electrode in the antrum and 3 electrodes in the duodenum. For the antral spike rate (ASR), there was no significant difference among treatments during the first hour, but the ASR was significantly (P < 0.05) greater during hours 2 to 4 after treatment with BETMET, compared with ASR for MET alone. The duodenal spike rate (DSR) was significantly (P < 0.05) greater during the first hour after administration of BETMET than after the other treatments. After administration of BET, DSR was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than after MET or NACL. There was no difference in DSR after MET, compared with DSR after NACL. There was no significant difference in DSR among treatments during the second and third hours. The total antegrade propagating spike (TAPS) count was greater after administration of BETMET in all hours, compared with the other treatments. The ratio of TAPS to total spikes on the orad-most duodenal electrode was significantly (P < 0.05) greater after BETMET during hours 1 and 2.

Objective-To characterize and compare in vitro contractility patterns of sections of abomasal wall harvested from cattle of 3 dairy breeds. Sample Population-Longitudinal and circular smooth muscle preparations harvested from the antrum and body of the abomasum of 30 recently slaughtered Holstein-Friesian, Brown Swiss, and Simmental X Red Holstein cows. Procedure-Spontaneous isometric contractions of specimens in tissue baths of modified Krebs solution were recorded during a 4-hour period. Maximal amplitude, frequency of contractions, and change of basal tension were used to characterize contractility. Statistical analyses were used to test for differences among time periods, among breeds, between specimen locations, and between fiber orientations. Results-Myoactivity patterns of abomasal smooth muscle preparations are highly variable and differ on the basis of location and fiber orientation. Frequency of contractions differed significantly among time periods for longitudinally oriented specimens with decreasing frequencies of contractions over time. Maximal amplitude of the longitudinally oriented specimens from the antrum increased significantly, whereas maximal amplitude of the circularly oriented specimens from the antrum decreased significantly. Values did not differ significantly among breeds. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Patterns of spontaneous contractility of abomasal wall specimens are not homogeneous. During a 4-hour recording period, maximal amplitude and frequency of contractions of specimens varied significantly with respect to orientation and location; however, spontaneous contractile myoactivity did not differ significantly among breeds. Therefore, breed predisposition for displaced abomasum is not correlated with spontaneous activity of smooth muscle specimens.

Sixteen nonsibling sheep, approximately 12 months old, that were raised in a helminth-free environment, were used for 2 protection studies 6 months apart. Sheep were vaccinated weekly for 5 weeks by IM injection of fibrinogen-degrading proteins derived from the intestinal tract of adult Haemonchus contortus. Ten days after the last vaccination, sheep were given 2,500 infective H contortus larvae by intraruminal injection. Vaccinated sheep produced specific antibodies, and were protected from the worm challenge. Significant differences in mean fecal worm egg counts for 56 days after worm challenge, in mean numbers of H contortus worms, and female fecundity ratios at necropsy were detected in vaccinated sheep, compared with those in control sheep. These data suggest that the fibrinogen-degrading proteins have a protective role in vaccination of sheep against H contortus.

Pathophysiologic effects of Ostertagia ostertagi infection and their prevention by strategic anthelmintic treatments were studied in 3 groups each of 6 steer calves. Group-1 calves were noninfected controls. Group-2 calves were inoculated with 100,000 third-stage larvae on the 1st and 28th days of the experiment and grazed on pasture initially free of contamination. Group-3 calves were on a similar regimen as those in group 2, but were also treated with ivermectin 9 days after each larval inoculation. Group-2 calves had increased plasma pepsinogen and gastrin values and decreased weight gains, and total serum protein and albumin concentrations from the 2nd week of infection onward. They were anemic at 10 to 12 weeks and had lower carcass and meat quality at slaughter. Strategic anthelmintic treatments were effective in preventing these effects and calves in groups 1 and 3 had similar performances. On the basis of our findings, high pepsinogen values were related to worm burdens, whereas high gastrin concentrations were related to gastric lesions.

Possible immunomodulation by low-level infection with Ostertagia ostertagi was studied in 4-month-old calves. Six groups of 4 calves each were subjected to the following regimes: group 1--nonparasitized controls; group 2--nonparasitized, but challenge exposed at day 64 with Brucella abortus strain 19 vaccine (BA) and at day 78 with IV administration of a soluble third-stage larval (L3) antigen preparation of O. ostertagi (OAG); group 3--nonparasitized, but challenge exposed at day 78 with 75 X 10(3) L3 of O ostertagi; group 4--continuously parasitized by weekly dosing with 30 X 10(3) L3 of O ostertagi; group 5--continuously parasitized by weekly dosing with 30 X 10(3) L3 of O ostertagi, then challenge exposed on day 64 with BA and on day 78 with IV inoculation of OAG; and group 6--continuously parasitized by weekly dosing with 30 X 10(3) L3 of O ostertagi, then challenge exposed on day 78 with 75 X 10(3) L3 of O ostertagi. Over the initial 10 weeks of the study, nonparasitized calves, (groups 1, 2, and 3) had higher body weight, blood lymphocyte (BL) response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and significantly (P less than 0.05) higher feed consumption and lymphocyte numbers, whereas parasitized calves (groups 4, 5, and 6) had higher BL responses to pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and significantly (P less than 0.05) higher neutrophil and eosinophil numbers, plasma pepsinogen (PP) values, and BL response to OAG. During the challenge-exposure period (weeks 10 through 13), group-5 calves had significantly (P less than 0.05) higher eosinophil numbers and PP values for week 11 (BA challenge exposure) and for week 13 (OAG challenge exposure) than did group-2 calves, but differences were not observed in BL responses to PHA, PWM, and OAG. Oral L3 challenge exposure at week 13 induced significantly (P less than 0.05) lower lymphocyte numbers, higher eosinophil numbers (P less than 0.05), and higher PP values, but lower BL response to PHA, PWM, and OAG in group-6, compared with group-3 calves. In continuously parasitized calves, comparison of IV OAG challenge exposure with oral L3 challenge exposure indicated that group-6 (L3) calves has significantly lower (P less than 0.05) lymphocyte numbers and higher PP values than did group-5 (OAG) calves. Results of ELISA revealed significantly (P less than 0.05) higher antibody titer to OAG in parasitized calves, compared with nonparasitized calves. Abomasal mucosal pathologic changes were most severe in the continuously parasitized calves. Calves of groups 4, 5, and 6 had thicker mucosae (edema), significantly (P less than 0.05) higher eosinophil numbers, and higher globule leukocyte and mast cell numbers in the fundic and pyloric regions than did calves of groups 1, 2, and 3. Calves of groups 4, 5, and 6 also had significantly (P less than 0.05) larger abomasal lymph node masses than did nonparasitized calves. In group-1 calves, nodes had the lowest mass. Differences were not observed among groups for lymphocyte responses to proliferative and suppressive assays performed on the abomasal lymph node lymphocytes.

In healthy adult goats, closure of the esophageal groove was induced by thirst, IV administered vasopressin, and intracarotid administration of hypertonic NaCl solutions. The efficiency of stimulation was tested directly by visual inspection of the course taken by orally administered solutions through a ruminal or abomasal fistula, palpation of the lips of the esophageal groove through a ruminal fistula, and indirectly by following the glucose dynamics in the blood after oral administration of glucose solution. Esophageal groove closure was observed during drinking after a 48-hour period of water deprivation. Intracarotid administration of 1.5 ml of a saturated solution or 10.5 ml of a 1.5% solution of NaCl also stimulated groove closure; however, groove closure stimulated by administration of vasopressin is the most satisfactory procedure for passing compounds of therapeutic importance directly from the cardiac orifice to the abomasum.

Ostertagia ostertagi, beef cattle, acquisition of inhibited larvae during winter and spring, efficacy of ivermectin against inhibited early 4th-stage larvae of O. ostertagi and other nematodes of abomasum and intestinal tract: Louisiana

nematodes of ruminants, large scale technique for recovery of worms migrating from gastro-intestinal ingesta gelled in agar, significantly more male than female worms failed to migrate, L4 stages generally migrated more efficiently than did adult worms, some genera migrated more efficiently than others, applications for use in quantitative worm recovery such as in anthelmintic testing

The reticulum and adjacent organs were mined ultrasonographically in 51 cows by use of a 3.5-Mhz linear transducer applied to the ventral aspect of the thorax over the sixth and seventh intercostal spaces. Examination included assessment of the contour of the reticulum, of reticular contractions, and of the organs adjacent to the reticulum. The normal reticulum appeared as a half-moonshaped structure with a smooth contour; it contracted at regular intervals and was situated immediately adjacent to the diaphragm and ventral portion of the abdominal wall when relaxed. Contents of the reticulum could not normally be imaged because of its partly gaseous composition. The ruminoreticular groove, craniodorsal blind sac of the rumen, and the ventral sac of the rumen were observed caudally. The distal aspect of the spleen and parts of the omasum, abomasum, and liver could be imaged. Reticular motility was characterized by a biphasic contraction pattern. Four biphasic reticular contractions usually were observed during a 4-minute period. During the first (incomplete) contraction, the reticulum contracted by a mean of 7.2 +/- 2.30 cm. There was then low-grade, incomplete relaxation of the reticulum, followed immediately by the second reticular contraction, during which the reticulum usually disappeared from the 17.5-cm-deep screen. The reticulum then reappeared in its normal position. The first reticular contraction lasted a mean of 2.6 +/- 0.33 seconds and the second contraction lasted 3.9 +/- 0.55 seconds. The mean interval between 2 biphasic contractions was 44.9 +/- 10.53 seconds. The speed of the first reticular contraction was 5.4 +/- 1.32 cm/s. Ultrasonography was useful for assessing the contour and motility of the reticulum.