Brucellosis is an endemic disease in Zimbabwe caused by the genus Brucella. Brucella seroprevalence was recently reported to be high in the wildlife-livestock interface in the Chiredzi district and the neighbouring Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) in Zimbabwe, and higher amongst communal cattle with an abortion history and access to grazing in GNP than amongst communal cattle with no abortion history or access to grazing in GNP. The aim of this study was to investigate Brucella species in brucellosis seropositive cattle in the Chiredzi district with access to GNP using isolation and identification. Isolation of Brucella species from whole blood (n = 18) and milk samples (n = 10) from seropositive animals with an abortion history was based on the rose Bengal test (RBT) and enzyme-linked immunoassays (enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]; indirect ELISA and complement ELISA), using microbiology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Brucella abortus was cultured and identified from blood and milk collected from seropositive cows in both communal areas. The Brucella-specific 16-23S intergenic spacer (ITS) PCR and multiplex AMOS-PCR assays verified the identification of the cultures. Our results confirmed that B. abortus is present in cattle on communal farms in the Chiredzi district in Zimbabwe and might cause cattle abortions. The need for implementing control measures and raising public awareness on zoonotic transmission of brucellosis are recommended. (Résumé d'auteur)

Nutritional risk factors for liver damage were surveyed in Black-Pied French dairy herds using serum glutamic dehydrogenase and gamma glutamyl transferase levels to monitor liver dysfunction.The 34 herds chosen were free of parasitic liver injuries. Feeding systems, nutritional blood parameters and production characteristics are analyzed. Two risk factors appeared to be involved in hepatic injury: feeding of fresh rape (Brassica napus) and high levels of serum urea (>/=6.64 mmol/L) associated with grass pasture or dietary nonprotein nitrogen with corn silage

This study was carried out to determine the effects of beta-carotene on the control of mastitis in dairy cows during the dry period. The relationship between the levels of plasma beta-carotene and the status of udder health in Holstein dairy cows were investigated. Blood samples were collected from 117 cows to compare the levels of plasma beta-carotene in lactating cows. The levels of plasma beta-carotene were 1.82 micro gram/ml in healthy cows(n=65) and 1.12 micro gram/ml in mastitic cows(n=52), respectively(p0.01). In the experiment to compare the level of plasma beta-caroten in the cows at different stages of lactation, the plasma beta-carotene levels were 1.73 micro gram/ml in lactating cows(n

The studies were carried out to investigate the effect of recovery in rewarming using the esophageal thermal tube in the deep hypothermia(25+_1 degrees centigrade ; rectal temp) in rabbits. Fifteen rabbits were divided into control group(n=6), peritoneal dialysis group(n=5) irrigated with dialysate at 42+_1 degrees centigrade, and esophageal rewarming group(n=6), peritioneal dialysis group(n=5) irrigated with dialysate at 42+_1 degrees centigrade, and esophageal rewarming group(n=4) perfused with circulating water at 38+_1 degrees centigrade. Rewarming of the rabbits was performed for 5 hours. MAP, HR, RR, esophageal temp, rectal temp, pH, pCO2, pO2, Na+, and K+ were observed. The results obtained in these experiments were summarized as follows:Esophageal rewarming group(38+_1 degrees centigrade) had more effect on esophageal temperature than other groups. Peritoneal dialysis group(42+_1 degrees centigrade) had more effect on rectal temperature and pO2 than other groups. The both groups also had more effects on MAP, HR, RR, and pCO2 than control group. Three groups had no significant effect on pH, Na+, and K+. In conclusion, we found that the simple, safe, and non-invasive esophageal rewarming method had an effect on the treatment of profound hypothermia as well as the peritoneal dialysis method in spite of the temperature difference between the dialysate and the circulating water, and the circulating water at 38+_1 degrees centigrade for esophageal rewarming also had an effect on the recovery of deep hypothermia.

This study was performed to detect Neospora caninum in blood of 61 Korean native cattle and 50 dairy cows in Chungnam province. All of them were healthy and did not show any clinical signs. DNA was isolated from blood samples and a 328 bp fragment was amplified by PCR using primer pair Np21 and Np6. The PCR positive rate was 14.8% in Korean native cattle and 0% in dairy cows. Cows with 15.6% were a little higher than bulls with 12.5% in gender. The detection rate of over 3-year-old Korean native cattle was 28.6% in age. The results demonstrate that N. caninum DNA can be detected in blood by PCR. PCR analysis in blood may be useful to annually screening test for N. caninum infection in clinically healthy cattle.

This study was conducted to detect the toxoplasma-specific DNA in peripheral blood collected from cats experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii (RH strain) and from domiciled cats by B1 gene-base polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The sensitivity of oligonucleotide primer, T-1 & T-2, designed from toxoplasma B1 gene amplification method was compared with parasite detection by mouse inoculation(MI). And also, latex agglutination test(LAT) and indirect fluorescent antibody test(IFAT) were conducted to detect the fluctuation of serum antibodies compared with the detection of toxoplasma by PCR and MI. Toxoplasma B1 gene PCR was shown consistently high sensitivity and the results obtained by PCR agreed completely with those from MI. All blood samples collected before infection with T gondii gave negative results by PCR and MI. Also, toxoplasma B1 gene PCR was not cross reaction with Neospora caninum DNA and normal cat leucocyte as cnotrols. The toxoplasma-specific DNA was detected by PCR in blood of 5 cats experimentally infected with T gondii 6 days after infection and the detection of this specific-DNA was long lastedin blood for 64 days after infeciton. The detection of toxoplasma-specific DNA by PCR could be identified as few as 10 tachyzoites and the isolation of T gondii by MI could be isolated as few as 1 tachyzoite from tenfold serial dilution of T gondii with normal cat blood, respectively. In healthy domiciled cats, the toxoplasma-specific DNA and the parasite were detected and isolated in blood from 3 of 56(5.3%) cats by both PCR and MI, respectively. In the results of antibody test from the total 56 heads of healthy domiciled cats, the positive rates are 15(26.7%) by LAT and 19(33.9%) by IFAT. These results suggest that PCR detection of toxoplasma can be applied as a sensitive and specific diagnostic and research tool.

Anesthetic agents are useful in inducing the anesthesia for surgical operations and various biological experiments, but they can disturb the body homeostasis and cause the stress in animal. Much efforts have been directed on reducing such side effects of anesthesia. In this work, we measured the serum ACTH, corticosterone and glucose concentration in rabbits to compare the degree of stress induced by two commonly-used anesthetics, ketamine, xylazine, and the combination of xylazine and ketamine. 1. The anesthesia was induced in about 10 min in the rabbits treated with xyalzine, ketamine and xylazine-ketamine. The duraion of complete loss of righting reflex were 12, 13 and 115 min in the groups treated with xylazine, ketamine and xylazine-ketamine, respectively. 2. Serum ACTH concentrations in all treatment groups were gihger than those in control group. At 30 min after the administration of the drugs, serum ACTH levels in ketamine-treated group were significantly higher than those in control, xylazine- and xylazine-ketamine-treated groups. However, at 1, 2, 5 and 9 hours after the drug administration, serum ACTH levels in xylazine-treated-group were gihger than those in control. 3. Serum corticosterone levels in xylazine- and xylazine-ketamine-treated groups were lower than those in control or ketamine=treated groups at 0.5 and 1 hour after the administration. However, at 5 and 9 hours after the administration, serum corticosterone levels inxylazine- and xylazine-ketamine-treated groups were significantly higher than those in ketamine-treated group or control. 4. Serum glucose levels transiently increased to 3 tives of the pre-injection levels at 0.5 and 1 hours after the administration in xylazine or xylazine-ketamine-treated groups, but were not changed in control and ketamine-treated group. These results indicate that xylazine-induced stress lasts longer than ketamine-induced, suggesting that the difference in stress-related hormone levels during anethesia could be due to the differences in modes of actions of individual drugs used and the depth of anesthesia.

To estimate the source of variance components for some hematological parameters and assess the utility of the conventional population-based reference interval, this study computed index of individuality for blood samples, which were from 13 dogs drawn once weekly for 4 consecutive weeks. Results were subjected to nested analysis of variance. For all parameters measured between-dog variations were greater than within-dog variation. Except for the parameters RBC and MCHC the index of individuality was less than 1.4. The low reliability coefficient and high index of individuality of less-than or equal to 0.8 were found for the majority of hematological parameters.