Due to the widely documented and diverse toxic effects of acrylamide, the authors decided to evaluate the impact of high and low doses of this compound on the process of granulopoiesis in porcine bone marrow. The experiment was conducted on 15 Danish Landrace pigs at the age of 8 weeks. The animals were randomly assigned into three equal groups (n = 5). Control animals received empty gelatine capsules as placebo. Animals in the first experimental group (the LD group) received a low dose of acrylamide of 0.5 μg/kg b.w./day, and animals in the second experimental group (the HD group) received a tenfold higher dose of acrylamide of 5 μg/kg b.w./day. Placebo and acrylamide capsules were administered with feed every morning for 28 days. Bone marrow was collected into tubes without an anticoagulant twice – before the first capsule administration (day 0) and on the 28ᵗʰ day of the study. After drying and staining, bone marrow smears were subjected to detailed cytological evaluation under a light microscope. Changes in cell morphology, i.e. degenerative changes in the cellular nuclei, were observed in both experimental groups. Both low and high doses of acrylamide decreased the number of segmented eosinophils, neutrophilic and segmented metamyelocytes, neutrophils, as well as basophils and basophilic metamyelocytes. Acrylamide at doses of 0.5 μg/kg b.w./day and 5 μg/kg b.w./day clearly influences porcine granulopoiesis.

The objective of this study was to investigate the normal cytological evaluation of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in healthy adult ferrets (N = 12). These ferrets underwent bronchoscopy and BAL using sterile saline [1.5 mL/kg body weight (BW)]. Percentage of fluid recovered, total leukocyte count, differential leukocyte count, and cell count of the epithelial lining fluid (ELF) were determined. The mean percentage of lavage volume recovered from the right lung and left lung were 67.8 ± 14.9% and 69.7 ± 20.0%, respectively. Gender (P = 0.12) and weight (P = 0.17) did not significantly affect the mean percentage of recovered volume. The mean percentage of recovered volume (P = 0.47) and the mean leukocyte count (P = 0.17) from the right and left lung were not significantly different. Macrophages were the main leukocyte component of the lavages, followed by neutrophils, lymphocytes, and eosinophils. The mean proportion of ELF in BAL fluid was 9.3 ± 3.7% v/v. Bronchoscopy is clinically useful for collecting good quality BAL samples for cytological analysis in ferrets. The leucocyte differential was established, which may help veterinarians to make better clinical decisions when treating respiratory disease. Further studies are required with a larger group in order to establish the healthy reference intervals for BAL values in ferrets.

Different types of skin lesions and their distribution in dogs withrecurrent pyoderma along with haematobiochemicalfindings were recorded in this study. Dogs with recurrent superficial pyoderma revealed papules, pustules, crusted papules, erythema, alopecia,crusts, scales, plaques, hyper-pigmentation and pruritus. Dogs affected with recurrent deep pyoderma had symptoms like papules,pustules, cellulitis, ulcers, crusted papules, nodules, fistulous tracts, alopecia, scale formation, crusts, hyper-pigmentation,erosions and furunculosis, pain and edema. The major locations of lesions for recurrent superficial pyoderma included lateral abdomen, lateral thorax and dorsum, axilla, groin, hind limb, foot, neck and fore limb and head. Lesions of recurrent deep pyoderma were predominantly observed over dorsum and lateral abdomen followedby head, neck, hind limb, lower abdomen, axilla and groin, forelimb and lateral thorax. Haemato-biochemical findings revealed leucocytosis, increased in absolute neutrophil count, eosinophil count and high serum cholesterol levels. Affected dogs also had decreased haemoglobin concentration, total erythrocyte count and serum albumin levels.

Objective-To assess the effects of ischemia and reperfusion on indicators of oxidative stress, activation of eosinophils, and apoptosis in the large colonic mucosa of horses. Animals-40 horses. Procedures-In 1 or two 20-cm-long segments of the pelvic flexure, ischemia was induced for 1 or 2 hours followed by no reperfusion or 30 minutes and 18 hours of reperfusion in anesthetized horses. Mucosal specimens were collected before (controls; n = 20 horses) and after each period of ischemia, and full-thickness tissue samples were collected after each period of reperfusion. Sections of colonic tissues were stained for histomorphometric analysis or assessment of eosinophil accumulation. Nitrotyrosine was identified immunohistochemically, and severity of apoptosis was determined via the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling method. Results-Numbers of mucosal eosinophils were similar before induction of ischemia, after ischemia, and after ischemia-reperfusion. Eosinophil nitrotyrosine production increased significantly during ischemia and continued through 30 minutes of reperfusion; production was decreased at 18 hours of reperfusion but remained greater than that of the controls. In other leukocytes, nitrotyrosine generation peaked at 1 hour of ischemia and again at 18 hours of reperfusion. Compared with control findings, epithelial apoptosis increased gradually at 1 through 2 hours of ischemia with no further progression after reperfusion. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Results suggested that resident eosinophils in the large colon of horses react to mucosal injury from ischemia and reperfusion and may undergo oxidative stress under those conditions. Epithelial apoptosis could contribute to tissue damage.

Objective-To evaluate the association between airway reactivity and age, sex, body weight, and radiographic findings in cats. Animals-32 mature cats that constituted 2 age groups (17 young cats that were 1 to 2 years old and 15 old cats that were 12 to 13 years old). Procedure-Cats were placed in the chamber of a barometric whole-body plethysmograph (volume, 38 L), and box pressure was measured at baseline and after aerosol administration of increasing concentrations of carbachol. Airway reactivity was assessed by monitoring increases in enhanced pause (PENH), a unitless variable that measures bronchoconstriction as derived from dose-response curves. The endpoint chosen was the provocative concentration of carbachol that increased PENH to 300% of the baseline value (PCPENH300). Results-We did not find a correlation between PCPENH300 and sex, body weight, number of eosinophils, PENH before bronchoconstriction, respiratory frequency, tidal volume, or minute ventilation. Airway reactivity was significantly less in the old cats (mean +/- SD PCPENH300, 0.578 +/- 0.051%), compared with the value for the young cats (0.053 +/- 0.006%). Radiographic patterns differed significantly between groups of cats; a greater proportion of old cats (12/15) had bronchointerstitial patterns, compared with the proportion of young cats (4/17). Conclusion and Clinical Relevance-These data support the notion that age exerts a strong influence on airway reactivity in adult cats, and radiographic differences suggest that structural changes in older cats may contribute to this effect. These findings have important implications for interpretation of results of airway reactivity tests in cats.

Sixteen German Shepherd Dogs from 4 litters were IgA-deficient on the basis of at least 1 of 2 serum IgA determinations, and all had small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, as documented by quantitated small intestinal bacterial culture in another study. These dogs were fed 2 diets that differed principally in their protein source (chicken vs beef, milk, and wheat). All dogs were fed each diet for 2 weeks before the study began. Next, all dogs were fed the chicken-based diet for 2 months. Then, half the dogs (group 1) were randomly assigned to continue eating the chicken-based diet, while the other half (group 2) ate a diet containing beef, milk, and wheat proteins. The small intestine was biopsied at the beginning of the study and after dogs had eaten the assigned diet for 2 and 4 months. At 2 months, group-2 dogs had more colonic mucosal mast cells, but this difference did not persist at 4 months. At the end of the study (ie, 4 months), although all dogs were clinically normal, group-2 dogs had significantly (P = 0.010) decreased numbers of jejunal villus plasma cells. However, these histologic changes were not considered clinically important. There were no significant differences in blood eosinophil counts, serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity, or cobalamin, folate, or IgA concentration. Clinical differences were not detected between the 2 groups, before or after the study. Changes were seen in serum IgM and IgG concentrations. Although results of this study suggest that dietary protein may influence intestinal mucosal cell populations, there was no evidence that the protein sources in these 2 diets caused intestinal disease in these dogs under the conditions of this study.

Fourteen cats were inoculated orally with 1 of 2 infective doses of Toxocara canis to induce eosinophilia. Cats were subsequently challenge exposed twice via intraperitoneal injection with 1 of 2 T canis antigen preparations. Peritoneal lavage was performed 2 days after antigenic challenge exposure, and eosinophils in the peritoneal lavage fluid were quantified. None of the cats developed clinical signs of disease after infection. All cats developed peripheral eosinophilia after infection. Significant (P < 0.05) difference in mean eosinophil count from the lavage fluid was observed between lavage 1 (prechallenge exposure) and lavages 2 and 3 (postchallenge exposure) in both groups of cats. Significant difference in eosinophil count was not found between cats given different doses of eggs. After initial challenge exposure, significantly (P < 0.05) more eosinophils were obtained from cats given antigen preparation 2 (prep-2) than from those given antigen prep-1. This difference was no longer observed after the second challenge exposure with higher doses of either antigen prep-1 or prep-2. In cats given antigen prep-2, significant difference was not found between lavages 2 and 3. However, in cats given antigen prep-1, eosinophil count was significantly (P = 0.005) greater in fluid obtained from lavage 3, compared with eosinophil count from lavage 2. Mean +/- SEM percentage of eosinophils in the fluid from lavage 3 in all cats was 70.8 +/- 2.2%. Other cell types included macrophages, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and mast cells. Gross postmortem findings were mild. One- to 3-mm nodular white foci of inflammation were observed on the serosal surfaces of the liver, spleen, kidneys, and omentum. Microscopic examination of tissues revealed pulmonary artery hypertrophy (n = 4), eosinophilic peribronchitis and perivasculitis (n = 10), mild granulomatous interstitial nephritis (n = 6), interstitial pancreatitis (n = 1), focal lymphocytic myocarditis (n = 1), focal eosinophilic granulomatous hepatitis (n = 1), and eosinophilic hyperplasia of bone marrow (n = 14). Large numbers of eosinophils could be harvested from the peritoneal cavity of cats inoculated orally with 500 embryonated T canis eggs and subsequently challenge-exposed intraperitoneally with preparations of parasite antigens. After the second challenge exposure, at least 108 eosinophils could be harvested from each cat, yielding eosinophils in the quantity required to begin isolation of granule constituents.

Tracheobronchial aspirates obtained from 66 healthy Thoroughbred racehorses in training at the same track were examined. Twenty-seven percent of the horses had > 20% neutrophils in the aspirate. Eosinophils, mast cells, giant cells, and Curschmann's spirals of mucus were observed in 94, 83, 65, and 42% of the horses, respectively. Hemosiderophages were observed in 86% of the horses, half of which had previous confirmation of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Although fungal elements were seen in 70% of the horses, bacteria were detected in only 3% of the horses. The authors conclude that inflammatory airway disease is widespread in the racing Thoroughbred population.

Dirofilaria immitis, dogs, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay used in combination with radiographic examination, Knott test, blood cell counts, and fecal examinations to study seroepizootiology of canine heartworm infection and to investigate the influence of several host and environmental factors (age, sex, living conditions, breed, hair coat length) and chemoprophylaxis (diethylcarbamazine) on serological patterns in dogs; other nematodes also identified

Ascaris suum, swine, immune responses monitored by lymphocyte blastogenesis assays, indirect radioimmunoassays, peripheral eosinophil counts, and cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity reactions