The aim of the study was to estimate the diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and specificity (DSp) of an agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) assay for detection of myxoma virus (MYXV) in the classical form of myxomatosis and to compare its diagnostic performance to that of molecular methods (IAC-PCR, OIE PCR, and OIE real-time PCR). A panel of MYXV-positive samples of tissue homogenates with low (1 PCR unit – PCRU) and high (3,125 PCRU) virus levels and outbreak samples were used for method comparison studies. The validation parameters of the AGID assay were assessed using statistical methods. The AGID attained DSe of 0.65 (CI₉₅%: 0.53–0.76), DSp of 1.00 (CI₉₅%: 0.40–1.00), and accuracy of 0.67 (CI₉₅%: 0.55–0.76). The assay confirmed its diagnostic usefulness primarily for testing samples containing ≥3,125 PCRU of MYXV DNA. However, in the assaying of samples containing <3,125 PCRU of the virus there was a higher probability of getting false negative results, and only molecular methods showed a 100% sensitivity for samples with low (1 PCRU) virus concentration. The overall concordance of the results between AGID and IAC-PCR was fair (ĸ = 0.40). Full concordance of the results was observed for OIE PCR and OIE real-time PCR when control reference material was analysed. Findings from this study suggest that AGID can be used with some limitations as a screening tool for detection of MYXV infections.

Early detection of pregnancy is vital for appropriate reproductive management programmes to facilitate the rapid re-insemination of non-pregnant females and reduce the calving interval. A barium chloride test was compared with a commercial progesterone ELISA to detect pregnancy in non-descriptive cows and investigate if it could be applied as an alternative to ELISA in the field. Blood and urine samples were collected from 74 cows with recorded insemination dates. The progesterone ELISA and barium chloride assay were implemented to detect progesterone (P4) in blood and urine specimens, respectively. The cows' reproductive systems were examined after they were slaughtered to determine the uterus's status. Macroscopic examination of the uterus was used as a reference standard for both tests. The sensitivity rates of the P4 ELISA and barium chloride test to detect pregnant cows were 100.0% and 79.4%, and to detect the corpus luteum (CL) were 83.0% and 87.0%, respectively, their sensitivity increasing in the presence of the CL. The ELISA and barium chloride tests were 79.7% and 52.7% accurate in the diagnosis of pregnancy. The accuracy of the barium chloride test in CL detection increased to 81.0%, and that of the ELISA to 86.4%. There were no significant differences (P = 0.052) between the barium chloride assay and ELISA when they were utilised for the identification of the CL. The barium chloride test can be an inexpensive and time-saving alternative to ELISA in pregnancy diagnosis when the insemination date is known.

Objective-To examine the accuracy and precision of isoflurane and sevoflurane anesthetic vaporizers. Sample Population-5 identcal isoflurane and 5 identical sevoflurane vaporizers. Procedures-Oxygen flow rates from 0.02 to 10 L/min were used with different vaporizer dial settings. Agent concentrations were measured at the common gas outlet by use of a refractometer. Accuracy was defined as the difference between measured agent concentrations, and dial settings were expressed as a percentage of the applied dial settings. Precision was defined as SD of the measured agent concentrations for each combination of dial setting and flow. Results-Isoflurane values were generally greater than the dial settings. Accuracy of the isoflurane vaporizer was > 20% when 0.6% and 1% was dialed. Accuracy of the sevoflurane vaporizer was always within +/- 20% but decreased at 0.02 L/min flow and at combinations of high flow and high dial settings. Overall precision of the isoflurane vaporizer was better than that of the sevoflurane vaporizer. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-A possible explanation for the inaccuracy of the isoflurane vaporizer may be that it was manufactured to be accurate with air but not oxygen, which must be accounted for when using the vaporizer with oxygen, especially with nonrebreathing systems. The sevoflurane vaporizer may not deliver accurate agent concentrations at high flow and high dial settings. Both vaporizers are suitable for clinical use with a wide range of oxygen flow rates if these precautions are properly addressed.

The effect of 5 fracture fixation methods on bone mineral density (BMD) measurement of femurs, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was determined in a canine model. Six regions of interest were measured, including the entire femur, the diaphysis of the femur, and small regions centered over the middiaphysis of the bone (lateral middiaphyseal cortex, medial middiaphyseal cortex, middiaphyseal medullary canal, and total middiaphysis). Eight unpaired femurs were collected and scanned by use of DXA before (5 separate scans/femur) and after (5 separate scans/femur) fixation by use of 1 of 5 fixation methods. These fixation methods included: intramedullary (IM) nail: IM nail and cerclage wires; IM nail and external skeletal fixation.; locked IM nail; and a dynamic compression plate (DCP). All implants were made of stainless steel. The IM nail fixation devices caused significant decreases in the DXA measurement of BMD in the small regions of interest, compared with femurs without fixation devices (mean decrease, 37.3%; P < 0.05). The locked nail caused similar, but larger, decreases in the DXA measurement of BMD, compared with the IM nail fixation methods (P < 0.05). Plate fixation caused a small, but significant (P < 0.05), decrease (2.8%) in the DXA measurement of BMD in the large regions of interest, but when all regions were averaged, it did not cause significant change in this measurement, compared with femurs without fixation devices. Plate fixation caused a large change in the DXA measurement of BMD in 1 region only in the lateral cortical bone under the plate where the DXA measurement of BMD was increased 13.3% over that in femurs without fixation devices (P < 0.05). In femurs without fixation devices, the precision error ranged from 0.5% for large regions of interest to 2.4% for small regions of interest. None of the fixation methods altered the precision error of large regions of interest (P > 0.05). In contrast, the precision errors of the small regions of interest were increased by the IM fixation methods and the locked IM nail, When all regions were combined, IM fixation methods caused significant (P < 0.05) increase in the precision error, compared with femurs without fixation devices (mean increase, 157%; range, 121 to 193%). Plate fixation did not change the precision error of any region of interest, compared with femurs without fixation devices (P > 0.05; power = 0.8 at delta = 64%).

Arterial blood samples were collected from 19 anesthetized pigs before and after hemorrhage was induced. Blood gas tensions and concentrations of sodium, potassium, chloride, lactate, and total protein were measured. Results indicated that hydrogen ion (H+) concentration calculated from a specific formula was a biased and imprecise estimate of measured H+ concentration. The bias was 5.45 nEq/L, with limits of agreement from -7.92 to 18.83 nEq/L. Because albumin is the fraction of plasma protein most important in acid-base balance, the agreement between predicted and measured H+ concentration was reevaluated, using an albumin charge estimate and a reference swine albumin-to-globulin ratio. This improved the ability of the formula to predict H+ concentration; the bias decreased to 1.33 nEq/L with limits of agreement from -12.16 to 9.49 nEq/L. The formula and a simplified approach for clinical application were biased and unacceptably imprecise estimators of lactate (L-) concentration. The formula approach underestimated L- concentration by 2.8 (-12.4, 6.7) mEq/L, whereas the simplified method overestimated L- concentration by 5.0 (-3.8, 13.9) mEq/L.

Tissue variation in microscope slides made for spermatozoon analysis and variation introduced by the subjective techniques used to analyze these slides reduce the statistical power of studies that seek to use spermatozoon morphology to predict fertility. A simple specimen preparation method was developed to standardize stallion spermatozoon morphologic smears, and a new, automated spermatozoa morphometry instrument was used to objectively analyze the efficacy of the specimen preparation technique. The method achieved a standard spermatozoon concentration and reduced field-to-field variation in the number of spermatozoa analyzed. Metric measurements of spermatozoon head dimensions from clinically normal, fertile stallions revealed small, but highly significant, differences between stallions. The variation in metric measurements between replicate slides within stallions was small, indicating that replicate slide analysis probably is not necessary for clinically normal stallions. Coefficients of variation were generally less than 11% for metric measurements between stallions, and were less than 4% within stallions. This study revealed that a high degree of statistical power can be achieved when using these new, standardized specimen preparation and objective analysis techniques. Such power makes possible the detection of subtle differences between clinically normal stallions, and may facilitate accurate detection of abnormal fertility (ie, subfertility) in stallions.

Zoometric measurements and bioelectrical impedance analysis were evaluated as methods of body composition determination in healthy cats. Zoometric and impedance measurements were taken on 22 anesthetized adult cats of various ages, genders, breeds, and body weights. The cats were then euthanatized. The bodies were processed through a tissue homogenizer and free-catch specimens were taken, freeze-dried, and analyzed for total body water, protein, fat, potassium, and ash content. Stepwise regression analysis was implemented to identify statistically significant relationships between the chemically determined dependent variables (total body water, protein, potassium, fat-free mass, fat mass, and percent body fat) and the zoometric measurements, with or without bioelectrical impedance analysis. Statistical analysis revealed high correlations between the dependent variables and the corresponding predicted values of those variables. Body weight alone was a poor predictor of body composition in these cats. On the basis of these findings, we suggest that zoometric and bioelectrical impedance measurements may serve as practical, noninvasive, simple, and accurate methods for estimating body composition in domestic cats.

Immunoturbidimetric determination of serum IgG concentration in foals was compared with the reference methods of single radial immunodiffusion and serum protein electrophoresis. High positive correlations were discovered when the technique was compared with either of these reference methods. The zinc sulfate turbidity test for serum IgG estimation was also evaluated. Although a positive correlation was discovered when the latter method was compared with reference methods, it was not as strong as the correlation between reference methods and the immunoturbidimetric method. The immunoturbidimetric method used in this study is specific and precise for equine serum IgG determination. It is rapid and, thus, is advantageous when timely evaluation of critically ill foals is necessary. The technique should be adaptable to various spectrophotometers and microcomputers for widespread application in veterinary medicine.

To determine the suitability and estimate the sensitivity of an immunohistochemical (IHC) test for disease-associated prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in biopsy specimens of rectoanal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT) for diagnosis of scrapie in sheep. 762 sheep at high risk for having scrapie and indemnified by the National Scrapie Eradication Program. The IHC test for PrP(Sc) was applied to 2 RAMALT and 2 third-eyelid biopsy specimens and a postmortem RAMALT specimen from each sheep. Results were compared with those of a reference test in which results for tissues from obex and retropharyngeal lymph nodes, tonsil, or both were considered in parallel. The reference test identified 139 sheep as having scrapie. Biopsy-related complications occurred in 3 sheep. Sensitivity of the IHC test in RAMALT ranged from 85.3% to 89.4%, depending on the anatomic location from which RAMALT was obtained. Results for the test applied to 1 RAMALT specimen were similar to results interpreted in parallel for 2 third-eyelid specimens (sensitivity, 87.0%). The proportion of inconclusive test results attributable to insufficient lymphoid follicles in biopsy specimens was lower when considering results for 2 RAMALT specimens in parallel (10.1%) than when considering results for 2 third-eyelid specimens in parallel (23.7%). Specimens of RAMALT that were inappropriately collected from an area caudal to the rectoanal interface yielded a high proportion of inconclusive results (33.3% to 50.0%). The IHC test for PrP(Sc) in RAMALT was an effective means of detecting subclinical scrapie in live, high-risk sheep.

Objective-To measure concentrations of sucrose in the serum of captive dolphins after oral administration of a sucrose solution and determine the suitability of this method for use as a test to detect gastric ulcers. Animals-8 adult captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Procedures-Blood samples were collected from the ventral fluke vein of dolphins before and 45 minutes after oral administration of 500 mL of solution containing 25 or 50 g of sucrose; oral administration was achieved by use of gastric intubation. Serum was separated, diluted in a solution of 90% acetonitrile-to-10% water that contained 10 ng of an internal standard (trichlormethiazide)/microliter, mixed, and centrifuged. Supernatant was analyzed by use of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Results-Serum sucrose concentrations of dolphins were at or less than the limits of detection before oral administration. Values after administration of sucrose solution varied among dolphins and were higher and more variable after administration of 50 g, compared with concentrations after administration of 25 g. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Serum sucrose concentrations in samples collected during routine health evaluations of captive dolphins can be reliably measured by use of LC-MS-MS. Correlating serum sucrose concentrations with endoscopic observations of the gastric mucosa of dolphins will validate this approach for use in screening for the prevalence and severity of gastric ulcers and determining the efficacy of treatment regimens.