From September 2008 to December 2010, 112 Haemophilus parasuis strains were isolated from 536 pigs with clinical signs of Glässer's disease in South China, for a frequency of 21%. The 112 strains were subjected to serovar analysis by gel diffusion (GD) and indirect hemagglutination (IHA) tests and to genotype analysis by means of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). With a combination of the GD and IHA results, serovars 5 and 4 were found to be the most prevalent, at 23% and 17%, respectively, followed by serovars 2 (8%), 15 (7%), 13 (6%), and 12 (5%); 20% of the strains were nontypeable. The 112 strains were genetically diverse, with 85 genotypes identified (discriminatory index 0.992). The 89 typeable isolates belonged to 15 H. parasuis serovars displaying 63 different PFGE profiles. The 23 nontypeable strains displayed 22 different PFGE profiles. These findings confirmed that 15 serovars and diverse genotypes of H. parasuis were widely distributed in southern China.

Objective: To determine the tissue depletion profile of tulathromycin and determine an appropriate slaughter withdrawal interval in meat goats after multiple SC injections of the drug. Animals: 16 healthy Boer goats. Procedures: All goats were administered tulathromycin (2.5 mg/kg, SC) twice, with a 7-day interval between doses. Blood samples were collected throughout the study, and goats were euthanized at 2, 5, 10, and 20 days after the second tulathromycin dose. Lung, liver, kidney, fat, and muscle tissues were collected. Concentrations of tulathromycin in plasma and the hydrolytic tulathromycin fragment CP-60,300 in tissue samples were determined with ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Results: The plasma profile of tulathromycin was biphasic. Absorption was very rapid, with maximum drug concentrations (1.00 ± 0.42 μg/mL and 2.09 ± 1.77 μg/mL following the first and second doses, respectively) detected within approximately 1 hour after injection. Plasma terminal elimination half-life of tulathromycin was 61.4 ± 14.1 hours after the second dose. Half-lives in tissue ranged from 2.4 days for muscle to 9.0 days for lung tissue; kidney tissue was used to determine the withdrawal interval for tulathromycin in goats because it is considered an edible tissue. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: On the basis of the tissue tolerance limit in cattle of 5 ppm (μg/g), the calculated withdrawal interval for tulathromycin would be 19 days following SC administration in goats. On the basis of the more stringent guidelines recommended by the FDA, the calculated meat withdrawal interval following tulathromycin administration in goats was 34 days.

Objective: To determine whether the method of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration (intermittent vs continuous) affects the magnitude and duration of the systemic inflammatory response in horses and whether prolonged (48 hours) endotoxemia induces laminitis. Animals: 12 healthy adult horses (10 mares and 2 geldings). Procedures: Horses were randomly assigned to receive LPS (total dose, 80 μg; n = 4) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (80 mL/h; 4) via constant rate infusion or 8 bolus IV injections of LPS (10 μg, q 6 h;4) during a 48-hour period. Physical examinations were performed every 4 hours, inflammatory cytokine gene expression was determined for blood samples obtained every 8 hours, and IV glucose tolerance tests were performed. Results: All LPS-treated horses had signs of depression and mild colic; those signs abated as the study progressed. Administration of LPS increased expression of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and interleukin-8, but results were not significantly different between LPS treatment groups. Cytokine expression was significantly higher on the first day versus the second day of LPS treatment. Interleukin-1β expression was positively correlated with rectal temperature and expression of other cytokines. Glucose and insulin dynamics for both LPS groups combined did not differ significantly from those of the saline solution group. Signs of laminitis were not detected in any of the horses. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Horses developed LPS tolerance within approximately 24 hours after administration was started, and the method of LPS administration did not affect the magnitude or duration of systemic inflammation. Laminitis was not induced in horses.

Objective-To evaluate and validate 3 spectrophotometric assays for measuring serum activity of paraoxonase type-1 (PON1), an enzyme associated with high-density lipoproteins, in dogs. Animals-22 healthy adult dogs and 10 dogs with eccentrocytosis. Procedures-2 methods were adapted for use in 96-well microplates with phenyl acetate and 5-thiobutyl butyrolactonase as substrates, and 1 was adapted for use in an automated analyzer with p-nitrophenyl acetate as substrate. Blood samples were collected from all dogs, serum was harvested, and serum PON1 activity was measured with each method. Results-Imprecision was low for all 3 methods, with the exception of interassay imprecision for 5-thiobutyl butyrolactonase, and results were linear across serial sample dilutions. The 3 methods were able to detect low PON1 activity when EDTA was used for blood sample collection, yielded lower PON1 values in sick dogs with eccentrocytosis than in healthy dogs, and yielded highly correlated results. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-The methods described here may allow a wider use of PON1 activity as a biomarker of oxidative stress in dogs in clinical and research settings. Results of each method were robust and precise (with the exception of the interassay values for the lactonase method), and the methods were easy to set up in a laboratory.

Melioidosis usually results in chronic debilities that reduce the
productivity of animals and condemnation of carcasses in abattoir. Melioidosis is reemerging among animals and humans, and anecdotal reports suggest an increase in disease observation. This study described the seroprevalence of melioidosis in livestock based on the data obtained from the Department of Veterinary Services, Putrajaya and the Veterinary Research Institute, Ipoh. The data were summarized according to animal species, state, and year. The seroprevalence rate in animals was 7.6, 48.2, 2.6, 13.6 and 3.6% in cattle, buffaloes, goats, sheep and pigs respectively. The
seroprevalence of the disease varies in different states of the federation. For all species, the seroprevalence vary between
2.6% and 48.2%. The seroprevalence over the years increased from 4.2% in 2000 to 12.0% in 2003 after which it varies between
the period 2004- 2007 and apparently declined between 2007 and 2009.

A total of thirty snakehead fishes Channa micropeltes (Cuvier, 1831)
were collected at Tasik Kenyir, Malaysia. Muscle, liver, intestine and kidney tissues were removed from each fish and the intestine was opened to reveal cestodes. The cestodes were identified on the basis
of their morphological characteristics. After staining, drawing by using Camera Lucida, measurement by using advanced microscope and using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the results showed that
the cestode was Senga parva (Fernando and Fertado, 1964). It differed from other species of genus Senga, parasitising fish genus Channa, by the size of the strobila, scolex, apical disc, hooks, number of hooks, testes and some other characteristics.

Rice straw and oil palm empty fruit bunch were treated with urea
and commercial effective microorganisms to study their ability to breakdown fibres, improved in protein and energy values. In rice straw, the crude protein and crude fibre treated with urea and urea + effective microorganisms showed significant differences from the untreated control. The neutral detergent fibre and nitrogen free
extract values in the rice straw treatment did not show significant differences. Metabolizable energy values decreased with the treatment groups compared to the control. The results of keeping the treated rice straw in anaerobic plastic bags up to 30 days showed no significant breakdown of fibre components in the control and urea
treated groups. But there is a significant dropped in the neutral detergent fibre in urea + effective microorganisms treatment.
In oil palm empty fruit bunch, there were no significant differences seen in the crude protein, crude fibre, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, nitrogen free extract and metabolisable energy values. Storage showed decreased in energy values in all treated groups. The addition of urea and microbes showed improved protein level and in the reduction of the fibre components in rice straw only. Keywords: rice straw, oil palm empty fruit bunch, urea, effective microorganisms, crude fibre, acid detergent fibre, neutral
detergent fibre, metabolisable energy.

This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of equine
lameness and metabolic disorders in endurance horses during an endurance race. Out of 67 horses that participated in the race, 19 horses completed the race successfully without any derangement while 48 horses were eliminated from the race for various disorders. Fifty-three (53.73%) percent of these horses had metabolic disorders and
17.91% were eliminated due to lameness. The study showed that the highest number of endurance horses that were eliminated were due to metabolic disorders followed by lameness. These findings may assist veterinarians in designing laudable measures in the management and
conditioning protocols of endurance horses during training and further prevent the morbidity and mortality during endurance races.

The study was carried out to investigate the effect of prolong
submaximal exercise on heart rate reflecting the performance of endurance horses after covering distances of 40 and 80 km races. This study was conducted in Malaysia to determine the post-race
heart rates of endurance horses based on distances for the eliminated horses and those that completed the races with good
performance. Heart rates of competing endurance horses were examined at pre and post-race. Thirty-four endurance horses were sampled; N = 9 (40 km) and N = 9 (80 km) were the good performance horses while, N = 3 (40 km) and N = 13 (80 km) were the poor performance horses
eliminated from the race. The mean heart rate of the good performance horses in the 40 km category was 53 ± 8 bpm and that of
the 80 km in the good performance category was 56 ± 7 bpm, while the eliminated horses of the 40 km group had 74 ± 17 bpm and those in the 80 km group had 78 ± 7 bpm. The study showed that eliminated
horses in the 40 and 80 km categories both exhibited high heart rates compared to the good performance horses that were in the same racing category. Thus, the heart rates of horses during training may be used to predict performance based on distances covered in endurance races.