Bilateral kidney translocation was performed on 7 adult sheep. In each sheep, we took 9 renal biopsy specimens (40 mg each) percutaneously between 36 and 110 days after surgery. The serum urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations remained normal, at least through post-operative day 66 (7 biopsy specimens). The 7 sheep were euthanatized and necropsied 113 days after surgery; 75 to 90% of each kidney was normal. The only abnormal areas of each kidney were attributable to resolving biopsy lesions. This surgical model may allow for fewer animals to be used for tissue residue or nephrotoxicity studies.

Ninety-nine nonclassical serogroups isolated from newborn pigs with neonatal diarrhea were tested for fimbrial antigens F4(K88), F5(K99), F6(987P), F41, and F165, and for heat-labile enterotoxin, heat-stable enterotoxin a (STa), heat-stable enterotoxin b, verocytotoxin, and cytolethal-distending toxin. Thirty-two strains, belonging mostly to serogroups O64:K"V142,", O9:K103, and O20:K101, were F5-positive and usually produced STa, although 5 strains produced only heat-stable enterotoxin b. Fifteen strains, belonging mostly to serogroups O64:K"V142" and O20:K101, were F41 positive and usually produced STa. Twenty-three strains belonging mostly to serogroups O64:K"V142," O9:K103, and O20:K101, were F6-positive and usually produced STa. Several strains produced more than one fimbrial antigen, either F5 and F41, F5 and F6, F6 and F41, F6 and F165, or F5, F6, F41, and F165. None of the strains produced heat-labile enterotoxin, verocytotoxin, or cytolethal-distending toxin. The indirect immunofluorescence test was much more sensitive than was the slide agglutination test for the detection of each of the fimbrial antigens F5, F6, F41, and F165 on strains grown in vitro. The production of F6 by certain strains for which only a low proportion of cells were F6-positive in vitro as demonstrated by immunofluorescence, was confirmed by experimental infection of newborn pigs.

Using radioimmunoassay methods, quality control criteria were applied to monoclonal antibodies produced to measure porcine immunoglobulins by quantitative ELISA. Porcine IgM and IgA were purified to homogeneity and were used to produce murine hybridomas that secreted antibodies against IgM, IgA, and immunoglobulin light chains. A competitive ELISA was developed to measure IgM, and a sandwich ELISA was to quantify IgA in serum and colostrum. Both ELISA were tested for specificity, accuracy, sensitivity, and precision. Monoclonal antibodies were specific for porcine IgM or IgA in serum and colostrum, and competitive and sandwich ELISA fulfilled all validation criteria.

During a 1-year period, specimens were obtained monthly from 5 hair coat and 7 mucous membrane sites of 11 healthy dogs. Among 804 isolates of staphyloccocci, 13 species were identified. Staphylococcus intermedius was the most frequently isolated (40.2% of total isolates) coagulase-positive species, and S xylosus was the most frequently isolated (17.3%) coagulase-negative species. Moreover, S intermedius was the most frequently isolated species from the 12 sites evaluated and was isolated persistently from 8 of the 9 dogs that completed the 1-year study. On the basis of a commerical identification system, 14 profile numbers were identified for isolates of S intermedius. However, 2 profile numbers accounted for a majority (70.9%) of the isolates. Specific S intermedius biotypes identified on the basis of hemolysis, coagulase production, beta-lactamase activity, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were found repeatedly in 3 dogs. Seemingly, S intermedius was a resident of the normal bacterial microflora of these dogs; however, the inability to isolate S intermedius from 1 dog during the study year indicated that not all dogs habor S intermedius as a resident microorganism.

An index was developed to measure the proportion of intramammary infections caused by environmental microorganisms on dairy farms. This environmental index can be interpreted as the probability that an intramammary infection was caused by an environmental pathogen, rather than by a contagious pathogen. Using the environmental index as the outcome variable, risk factors for environmental mastitis were studied on 10 dairy farms in New York. Turning the cows outside was associated with lower environmental index, and having cows drink from a stream increased the environmental index. Selective (rather than uniform) nonlactating cow intramammary treatment was related to a lower environmental index (apparently because the farms practicing selective nonlactating cow treatment suffered from epizootics of contagious mastitis).

The minimum anesthetic dose (MAD) and the cardiopulmonary dose-response for halothane were determined in male chickens. The MAD for halothane was 0.85 +/- 0.09% (mean +/- SD), with a range of 0.75% to 0.98%. There was a significant (P less than 0.002) positive correlation between increasing concentrations of halothane and PaCO2, and significant negative correlations of halothane concentration with respiratory rate (P less than 0.04), arterial blood pH (P less than 0.008), and mean arterial blood pressure P less than 0.008). A significant correlation was not found between halothane concentration and heart rate or arterial blood bicarbonate concentration. It was concluded that the MAD for halothane in chickens is similar to values for minimum alveolar concentrations of halothane in mammalian species, and that there is substanial dose-dependent depression of cardiopulmonary function in chickens.

Ten-day-old chicken embryos were inoculated with isolates of myeloblastosis-associated virus that induced osteopetrosis of slow or rapid onset. Bursa of Fabricius, thymus, spleen, bone marrow, kidney, liver, and lung were examined at 15, 17, and 19 days in ovo and at 7 and 25 days after hatching by histologic and immunoperoxidase techniques. Tissues from 19-day-old in ovo embryos also were examined by electron microscopy. The lymphoid organs of embryos inoculated with all isolates manifested changes suggesting inhibited development. Virus was most often associated with macrophages, heterophils, and non-lymphoid stromal cells in these organs. Viral particles and antigen were abundant in tissues from embryos inoculated with slow-onset isolates, but cell necrosis was infrequent. The kidney and bursa had especially abundant viral particles and antigen. Conversely, viral particles and antigen were minimal in tissues from embryos inoculated with the rapid-onset isolate, yet intravascular cellular thrombi, substantial cell necrosis, and increased heterophils and hemocytoblasts were found.

Strangulation obstruction was induced in anesthetized ponies for periods of 2 and 3 hours by clamping 45-cm segments of jejunum and associated veins (venous strangulation obstruction) and arteries and veins (arterial and venous strangulation obstruction). Four segments were studied in each of 7 ponies allowed to survive 12 hours, 2 segments in a pony that was allowed to survive 1 hour, and 1 segment in each of 10 ponies allowed to survive 42 days after the strangulation periods ended. Fifteen minutes after the periods of strangulation obstruction ended, the viability of test segments was assessed by clinical judgment (40 segments), fluorescein fluorescence (40 segments), and Doppler ultrasound (32 segments). Because thetest segments were normal at necropsy in long-term survivors, all segments were designated as viable. The overall accuracy of the methods used to predict viability was 88% for Doppler ultrasound and 53% each for clinical judgment and fluorescein fluorescence (P less than 0.005). Failures in the last 2 techniques could be attributed to their tendency to score venous strangulation obstruction segments as nonviable (90% for each). Doppler ultrasound was 94% accurate in these segments.

Dissection and injection studies in canine cadavers and in anesthetized dogs were conducted to determine the feasibility of using the latissimus dorsi, gracilis, and rectus abdominus muscles as musculocutaneous free flaps. Lengths of vascular pedicles for the latissimus dorsi (2 +/- 0.8 cm), gracilis (1.8 +/- 0.8 cm), and rectus abdominus (1.9 +/- 0.9-cm cranial deep epigastric, 1.7 +/- 0.5-cm caudal deep epigastric), as well as arterial diameters (1.28 +/- 0.31-mm thoracodorsal for the latissimus dorsi, 1.10 +/- 0.33-mm muscular branch for the gracilis, 1.25 +/- 0.25-mm cranial deep epigastric and 1.26 +/- 0.32-mm caudal deep epigastric for the rectus abdominus) were considered satisfactory for microvascular transfer. Fluorometry demonstrated overlying cutaneous perfusion in all flaps based on their muscle vascular pedicles, with the exception of the rectus abdominus flap based on the caudal deep epigastric artery. In this instance, up to 20% of the cutaneous element had questionable or no perfusion.

Effects of placing intracisternal bead devices (ICB) into teat cisterns of 6 dairy cows, from the end of lactation through parturition, were studied. Lacteal secretion samples were collected weekly from each mammary quarter during the nonlactating period to monitor composition changes in ICB-fitted and nonfitted quarters. In quarters remaining uninfected (n=15), there were significantly higher mean somatic cell counts (P less than 0.05), percentage of neutrophils (P less than 0.019), and cell viability (P less than 0.038), but significantly lower percentage of macrophages (P less than 0.013) in ICB-fitted quarters compared with those in nonfitted quarters. The ICB had no significant effect on mean weekly values for percentage of lymphocytes, pH, lactoferrin, citrate, citrate/lactoferrin molar ratio, serum albumin, alpha-lactalbumin, and N-acetyl-beta-D-glycosaminidase. In infected quarters (n=9), pH of mammary secretions was significantly (P less than 0.004) higher in ICB-fitted quarters, but concentrations of lactoferrin (P less than 0.004), alpha-lactalbumin (P less than 0.013), and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (P less than 0.028) were significantly lower, compared with those in nonfitted quarters. Coagulase-negative staphylococci comprised approximately 90% of all infections. Over the nonlactating period, 16.4 and 41.5% of samples from nonfitted and ICB-fitted quarters, respectively, contained coagulase-negative staphylococci. Microscopic examination of ICB from uninfected quarters revealed a thin coating of plaque with adhering neutrophils, macrophages, and multinucleated giant cells. Microscopic examination of plaque on devices from ICB-fitted quarters harboring coagulase-negative staphylococci revealed numerous adherent cocci and neutrophils.