Musculoskeletal system deformities were observed in 24 (34.3%) of 70 neonatal dairy calves that presented with different congenital abnormalities. Among them, 19 calves (27.1%), the majority of which were crossbred Jersey calves of either gender with mean (± s.e.) body weight 22.00 kg ± 1.17 kg and aged 7.11 ± 1.16 days, were presented for treatment of congenital knuckling. Five of the knuckling calves had additional concurrent congenital conditions and were excluded from the present study. All of the remaining 14 calves showing moderate, bilateral fetlock knuckling had a wooden or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) splint applied to the palmar or plantar aspect of the affected limbs. All of the animals received a dose of the analgesic tolfenamic acid intramuscularly, and were randomly allocated to two equal groups. Calves of Group I additionally received oxytetracycline (20 mg/kg intravenous daily for 3 days). The condition resolved satisfactorily in 83.3% and 80.0% calves from the two groups, respectively. The left and right fetlock angle (mean ± SE) reduced significantly (p ≤ 0.01) from 50.57° ± 4.20° to 4.00° ± 2.27° and 48.71° ± 2.37° to 5.33° ± 3.03°, respectively in animals of Group I. In Group II calves, the angles showed reduction from 50.86° ± 2.94° to 4.20° ± 2.75° and from 48.71° ± 3.14° to 6.80° ± 3.34°, respectively. From the present study, it was concluded that bilateral moderate fetlock knuckling in the neonatal dairy calves can be managed satisfactorily with early application of splints. Supplementary use of oxytetracycline at repeated doses of low toxicity had only a marginally beneficial effect.

Advocacy for neglected zoonotic diseases (ADVANZ) is a One Health Neglected Zoonotic Diseases (NZDs) project, funded by the European Commission through its 7th framework programme. The initiative aims at persuading decision makers and empowering stakeholders at local, regional, and international levels towards a coordinated fight against NZDs. ADVANZ is establishing an African platform to share experiences in the prevention and control of NZDs. The platform will compile and package existing knowledge or data on NZDs and generate evidence-based algorithms for improving surveillance and control with the ultimate aim of eliminating and eradicating these diseases. The platform will serve as a forum for African and international stakeholders, as well as existing One Health and NZD networks and harness and consolidate their efforts in the control and prevention of NZDs. The platform had its first meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa in March 2013.

A gross morphological study of the brain of the African giant pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus Waterhouse, 1840) was undertaken in order to document its normal features and assess the structure-function paradigm. The study was conducted by direct observation of 29 adult African giant pouched rats’ brains. In the telencephalon, the cerebral cortex was devoid of prominent gyri and sulci, but the large olfactory bulb and tract relaying impulses to the olfactory cortex were very prominent. The large size of the olfactory bulb correlated with the established sharp olfactory acuity of the rodent. In the mesencephalic tectum, the caudal colliculi were bigger than the rostral colliculi, indicating a more acute sense of hearing than sight. In the metencephalon, the cerebellar vermis, the flocculus and the paraflocculus were highly coiled and, thus, well developed. The myelencephalon revealed a better organised ventral surface than dorsal surface; the cuneate fascicle, the intermediate sulcus and the lateral sulcus were not evident on the dorsal surface, but there were clearly visible pyramids and olivary prominence on the ventral surface. In conclusion, the highly coiled cerebellar vermis, flocculus and paraflocculus, as well as the conspicuous pyramids and olivary prominence are indicative of a good motor coordination and balance in the African giant pouched rat.

The objective of this study was to explore the reasons for the persistence of human cysticercosis (HCC) transmission in Mbulu District, northern Tanzania. The study was carried out in 25 villages, whereby five major risks were identified. The risks were indiscriminate defaecation and improper use of toilets; a free-range system of keeping pigs; indiscriminate or unregulated slaughtering and inadequate meat hygiene and inspection; consumption of undercooked and porcine cysticerci infected pork; and social structure and roles. All of the identified risks were backed up by the immanent lifestyles of the community involved. These findings are important for the development of intervention strategies in the study area.

Although benfotiamine has various beneficial anti-diabetic effects, the detailed mechanisms underlying the impact of this compound on the insulin signaling pathway are still unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of benfotiamine on the hepatic insulin signaling pathway in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, which are a type 2 diabetes mellitus model. OLETF rats treated with benfotiamine showed decreased body weight gain and reduced adipose tissue weight. In addition, blood glucose levels were lower in OLETF rats treated with benfotiamine. Following treatment with benfotiamine, the levels of Akt phosphorylation (S473/T308) in the OLETF groups increased significantly compared to the OLETF control group so that they were almost identical to the levels observed in the control group. Moreover, benfotiamine restored the phosphorylation levels of both glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3¥�/¥�(S21, S9) and glycogen synthase (GS; S641) in OLETF rats to nearly the same levels observed in the control group. Overall, these results suggest that benfotiamine can potentially attenuate type 2 diabetes mellitus in OLETF rats by restoring insulin sensitivity through upregulation of Akt phosphorylation and activation of two downstream signaling molecules, GSK-3¥�/¥� and GS, thereby reducing blood glucose levels through glycogen synthesis.

This study was conducted to compare the patterns of mastitic pathogens and the antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus (S.) aureus from conventional milking (CM) and robotic milking (RM) dairy herds. To accomplish this, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of 14 antimicrobial agents were tested against S. aureus by the microdilution method. Regardless of the milking system, S. aureus, coagulase negative staphylococcus, and Streptococcus uberis were isolated. Additionally, significant differences in the antimicrobial susceptibility of S. aureus isolates between RM and CM farms were only observed in response to tetracycline.

Bordetella (B.) bronchiseptica is a causative agent of swine atrophic rhinitis that promotes colonization of the mucous membrane of the swine nasal cavity by Pasteurella (P.) multocida. Mixed infection with B. bronchiseptica and P. multocida leads to growth inhibition of pigs, resulting in significant economic loss. There are many commercial vaccines for atrophic rhinitis, including B. bronchiseptica as a killed vaccine antigen (Ag). However, the immunogenicity of killed B. bronchiseptica Ag has not yet been elucidated; therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the immunogenicity of killed B. bronchiseptica Ag and the type of immune response it induces. In vitro assays using mouse spleen cells and flow cytometry revealed that B. bronchiseptica Ag induced high proliferation capability of lymphocytes, especially B lymphocytes, and the proliferating cells showed a significant response to interleukin (IL)-2. B. bronchiseptica Ag also enhanced the production of IL-12, a representative cytokine for cell-mediated immunity. In vivo experiments using mice showed that the injection of B. bronchiseptica Ag markedly induced Ag-specific antibody. Taken together, these results indicate that B. bronchiseptica Ag has high immunogenicity by itself.

In this study, the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii and Bartonella (B.) henselae infection among stray cats in Daejeon City, Korea was surveyed. A total of seven samples were positive (7/118, 5.93%) for T. gondii including three samples from female cats (3/58, 5.2%) and four samples from male cats (4/60, 6.7%). There was no significant difference between the genders. A total 22 samples (22/118, 18.6%) were positive for B. henselae; nine were from females and 13 were from males. There was no significant difference between genders. Nineteen samples had a titer of 1 : 50, two samples had a titer of 1 : 100, and one sample had a titer of 1 : 200. The present study is the first to use serological tests to analyze B. henselae prevalence among stray cats in Korea.

Chemotherapeutic treatment is still the foundation of tick control programs. This study investigated the acaricidal efficacy of cypermethrin alone and in combination with chlorpyrifos against Haemaphysalis (H.) longicornis. Unfed larval ticks were exposed to 0.1, 1.0, and 10 mg/mL cypermethrin for 60 min, after which the acaricidal efficacy was examined based on tick mortality. All compounds showed similar suppression curves, with the best control being achieved by cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos (1 : 1 ratio) at 10 mg/mL. Effective cypermethrin concentrations for tick control were two to seven times higher than the recommended doses, indicating resistance by H. longicornis.

A 2-year-old male Tosa was admitted for treatment of a non-healing wound on the right forelimb. Skin tests were unremarkable; however, the lesion contained severe proliferative tissue. Surgical treatment was conducted due to the extensive skin defect and granulation tissue present. Following removal of the proliferative tissue, the wound was closed using the adjustable horizontal mattress suture method with multiple punctate relaxing incisions. The proliferative tissue healed completely after the surgical treatment. This technique can be considered an alternative treatment for the proliferative tissue when conditions require a skin graft or flap after surgical treatment.