A protected catheter brush introduced by fiberoptic bronchoscopy was used to sample the tracheal and bronchial mucosa in 28 horses with small airway disease. Tracheal and bronchial brushings were examined for the presence of fungi, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and a cytoiogical evaluation was also done on fluid collected by the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) technique. Microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) were isolated more often in tracheal brushings (53.6%) than in bronchial brushings (10.7%). Anaerobic bacteria were not isolated. Results of this study indicate that fiberoptic bronchoscopy using a protected catheter brush is an easy and practical technique to obtain minimally contaminated samples for isolation of microorganisms from the lower respiratory tract of horses. However, no association was observed between isolation of high numbers of microorganisms from the bronchi and severity of small airway disease.

Healthy conjunctival sacs of 88 animals of 3 species of captive camelids (Lama glama, Lama guanicoe, Lama pacos) and llama-guanaco hybrids were sampled for bacterial and mycoplasmal flora. Mycoplasmas were not isolated from any animal. Eleven genera of bacteria were isolated. The most frequent isolates were Staphyloccus epidermidis and Pseudomonas spp. Nine varieties of Pseudomonas were found, which represented at least 3 Pseudomonas species. Many of the bacterial isolates (especially the pseudomonads) are potential pathogens in the eyes of these camelids.

The fungal flora of the coat of 172 healthy pet cats was examined qualitatively. Fungi were isolated from 136 (79%) of the 172 cats. Fifteen genera were isolated; 13 are commonly regarded as saprophytes, and 2 (Microsporum and Trichophyton) are commonly regarded as pathogens. Aspergillus, Alternaria, Penicillium, and Cladosporium spp were the most frequently isolated saprophytes. Dermatophytic fungi, including Microsporum gypseum (n = 1), M vanbreuseghemii (n = 1), and Trichophyton rubrum (n = 14), were recovered from 16 cats. Microsporum canis was not isolated from any cat during this study.