Oxytetracycline is used to treat various diseases in cattle. However, its use may be associated with unacceptable residue levels in food. Oxytetracycline residues in tissues from indigenous cattle were determined in a cross-sectional study conducted in the Kilosa district, Tanzania, between November 2012 and April 2013. A total of 60 tissue samples, including muscle, liver and kidney, were collected from slaughterhouses and butchers and analysed for oxytetracycline using high-performance liquid chromatography. Oxytetracycline residues were found in 71.1% of the samples, of which 68.3% were above acceptable regulatory levels. The mean concentration of oxytetracycline across tissues was 3401.1 μg/kg ± 879.3 μg/kg; concentrations in muscle, liver and kidney were 2604.1 μg/kg ± 703.7 μg/kg, 3434.4 μg/kg ± 606.4 μg/kg and 3533.1 μg/kg ± 803.6 μg/kg, respectively. High levels of oxytetracycline residue in meat from indigenous cattle may pose a health threat to consumers in Kilosa. The findings possibly reflect a general lack of implementation of recommended withdrawal periods, ignorance about drug use and lack of extension services. Strict regulation of the use of antimicrobial drugs in the livestock industry and associated testing of animal-derived food sources prior to marketing are required.

Avermectins and milbemycins are commonly used in agro-ecosystems for the control of parasites in domestic livestock. As integral members of agro-ecosystems with importance in maintaining pasture health through dung burial behaviour, dung beetles are an excellent non-target bio-indicator taxon for examining potential detrimental effects of pesticide application. The current review focuses on the relative toxicity of four different anthelmintics (ivermectin, eprinomectin, doramectin and moxidectin) in dung residues using dung beetles as a bio-indicator species. One of the implications of this review is that there could be an effect that extends to the entire natural assemblage of insects inhabiting and feeding on the dung of cattle treated with avermectin or milbemycin products. Over time, reduced reproductive rate would result in decreased dung beetle populations and ultimately, a decrease in the rate of dung degradation and dung burial.

Toxoplasma gondii is a cosmopolitan zoonotic intracellular coccidian of the phylum Apicomplexa infecting warm-blooded animals and human beings. This protozoan causes a significant public health problem in humans and imposes considerable economic losses and damages to husbandry industries. The final host, cats, accounts for all of these significant burdens. Hence the present study was designed to analyse and review the overall prevalence rate of T. gondii infection in cats in Iran for the first time. In the present study data collection (published and unpublished papers, abstracts of proceedings of national parasitology congresses and dissertations) was systematically undertaken on electronic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Ebsco, Science Direct, Scopus, Magiran, Irandoc, IranMedex and Scientific Information Database. A total of 21 studies from 1975 to 2013 reporting prevalence of Toxoplasma infection in cats from different areas in Iran met the eligibility criteria. The pooled proportion of toxoplasmosis using the random-effect model amongst cats was estimated at 33.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 22.05-46.41). The prevalence rate of cat toxoplasmosis in various regions of Iran ranged from 1.2% to 89.2%. Firstly, this study establishes a crude prevalence rate of T. gondii infection in cats. Secondly, it discusses the role of significant risk factors including sex, age and being either household or stray cats, in the epidemiology of the disease. Furthermore, the current study determines gaps and drawbacks in the prior studies that are useful to keep in mind to assist in designing more accurate investigations in future.

OBJECTIVE To determine the cardiopulmonary effects of progressively increasing infusion rates of dopamine hydrochloride and phenylephrine hydrochloride in healthy adult New Zealand White rabbits anesthetized with isoflurane. ANIMALS 6 New Zealand White rabbits. (Oryctolagus cuniculus). PROCEDURES Each rabbit was anesthetized on 2 occasions (≥ 2 weeks apart) with isoflurane in oxygen at 1.5 times the published isoflurane minimum alveolar concentration of 2.07%. Carotid artery and pulmonary artery catheters were placed. During each anesthetic episode, each rabbit received 5 progressively increasing doses of either dopamine (5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 μg/kg/min) or phenylephrine (0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 μg/kg/min). Blood gas and cardiopulmonary measurements were obtained after a 20-minute equilibration period prior to administration of the first drug dose (baseline) and after each subsequent dose administration. RESULTS Dopamine increased stroke index at the highest infusion rate of 30 μg/kg/min; however, cardiac output and mean arterial blood pressure remained unchanged from baseline values. Administration of phenylephrine at a rate of 2 μg/kg/min increased mean arterial blood pressure to 62 mm Hg from the baseline value of 45 mm Hg. This was a result of an increase in systemic vascular resistance with a concomitant decrease in heart rate and no change in cardiac output. Blood lactate concentration increased with time when rabbits received either treatment. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Within the dose range of 5 to 30 μg/kg/min, dopamine was not an effective treatment for isoflurane-induced hypotension in rabbits and phenylephrine was only minimally effective at a dose of 2 μg/kg/min.

Interferon (IFN)-γ has been shown to be associated with immunity to Marek’s disease virus (MDV). The overall objective of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between IFN-g and vaccine-conferred immunity against MDV in chickens. To this end, 3 small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting chicken IFN-g, which had previously been shown to reduce IFN-γ expression in vitro, and a control siRNA were selected to generate recombinant avian adeno-associated virus (rAAAV) expressing short-hairpin small interfering RNAs (shRNAs). An MDV challenge trial was then conducted: chickens were vaccinated with herpesvirus of turkey (HVT), administered the rAAAV expressing shRNA, and then challenged with MDV. Tumors were observed in 4 out of 10 birds that were vaccinated with HVT and challenged but did not receive any rAAAV, 5 out of 9 birds that were administered the rAAAV containing IFN-γ shRNA, and 2 out of 10 birds that were administered a control enhanced green fluorescent protein siRNA. There was no significant difference in MDV genome load in the feather follicle epithelium of the birds that were cotreated with the vaccine and the rAAAV compared with the vaccinated MDV-infected birds. These results suggest that AAAV-based vectors can be used for the delivery of shRNA into chicken cells. However, administration of the rAAAV expressing shRNA targeting chicken IFN-γ did not seem to fully abrogate vaccine-induced protection.

Porcine diarrhea outbreaks caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has occurred in China with significant losses of piglets since 2010. In this study, the complete S and ORF3 genes of 15 field PEDV isolates in mid-eastern China from 2011 to 2013 were detected and compared with other reference strains. Based on S gene, all of the PEDV strains could be assigned to 3 genogroups. Only 1 isolate, JS120103, belonged to genogroup 1 and showed a close relationship with previous Chinese strains DX and JS-2004-2, European strain CV777, and Korean strain DR13. The other 14 isolates belonged to genogroup 3 and showed a close relationship with other Chinese strains isolated after 2010. The S genes of those isolates were 9 nucleotides longer in length than JS120103 and the other reference strains in genogroup 1, with 15 bp insertion and 6 bp deletion. Homology analyses revealed that all of the Chinese field isolates, except JS120103, are 97.6% to 100% (95.8% to 100%) identical in nucleotide (deduced amino acid) sequence to each other. Meanwhile, based on the ORF3 gene, all of the PEDV isolates could be separated into 3 genogroups. Eleven of the 15 field isolates in this study belonged to genogroup 3 and were 95.8% to 100% identical in nucleotide sequence or 95.6% to 100% in deduced amino acid sequence to each other. Our results indicate that the variant PEDV strain spread wildly in mid-eastern China. This will be useful to take into consideration in the control and prevention of this disease.

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) are used to monitor sensory function and are often recorded under general anesthesia. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of isoflurane on SSEPs in calves as it has not been reported. Eight calves (mean age: 40 days), were included in the study. Calves were anesthetized with a randomized sequence of four different isoflurane partial pressures. Blood gas analysis was performed before each measurement. SSEP were induced by repeated stimulation of the common dorsal digital nerve III. SSEPs were recorded from the lumbo-sacral junction (s-SSEP) and the head (c-SSEP). Latency and inter-amplitude of each peak were measured. For s-SSEP: One negative (Nsp1) and two positive (Psp1 and Psp2) peaks were identified in all tracings except for two calves. There was a significant effect of isoflurane on the latency of Psp2 (P = 0.01). Inter-amplitude decreased significantly with PaO2, PaCO2 and temperature (P < 0.05). Psp2 latency decreased with PaO2 (P = 0.01). For c-SSEP: two positive (Pc1 and Pc2) and two negative (Nc1 and Nc2) peaks were identified. There were identifiable peaks for the analysis of Pc1 latencies only. There was a significant positive linear relation between end-tidal isoflurane partial pressure (ETiso) and Pc1 latency (P = 0.04). None of the co-variables had a significant effect on the latency of Pc1 (P > 0.1). Isoflurane has a major impact on the recording of c-SSEP. Recording should be done at the lowest ETiso as possible, and anesthesia parameters should be kept constant.

Sepsis is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in dogs. Alterations in hemostasis by systemic inflammation play an important role in the pathophysiology of sepsis. To evaluate the functional hemostatic changes in sepsis, we evaluated coagulation profiles and flow cytometric measurement of P-selectin (CD62P) expression on platelets, as well as platelet-leukocyte aggregation from a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia model in dogs (n = 7). A sublethal dose of LPS [1 mg/kg body weight (BW)] induced thrombocytopenia and increased activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), prothrombin time (PT), and D-dimer concentrations. Flow cytometry analysis showed a significant increase in P-selectin expression on platelets between 1 and 24 h of a total 48 h of the experiment. In addition, platelet-leukocyte aggregation was significantly increased in the early stage of endotoxemia (at 1 and <6 h for platelet-monocyte aggregation and at 3 h for platelet-neutrophil aggregation). Our results suggest that CD62P expression on platelets and platelet-leukocyte aggregation, as measured by flow cytometry, can be useful biomarkers of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in canine sepsis. These functional changes contribute to our understanding of the pathophysiology of hemostasis in endotoxemia.

Four 3-day-old piglets with retarded growth were submitted to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency for diagnosis. Necropsy showed that one piglet had black spots ranging from 2 mm to 1 cm in diameter in the cerebellum, lungs, regional lymph nodes, and cecum. Histological findings were consistent with the gross appearance in which melanin pigmentation was observed in the organs mentioned above. Based on Fontana-Masson staining, we diagnosed this animal with systemic melanosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of systemic melanosis in black breeds of swine in Korea.

An 8-year-old intact male Pekingese (weighing 13 kg) was presented for evaluation of chronic coughing. Thoracic radiography found a redundant tissue swelling (protruded on expiration and collapsed on inspiration) on the ventral neck just cranial to the thoracic inlet. Fluoroscopy also identified that the cranial portion of the right/left cranial lung lobe was seen to protrude through the thoracic inlet into the ventral neck on expiration. On the echocardiogram, there were no abnormal jets in all cardiac valves and no dilation in all cardiac chambers. Based on diagnostic imaging studies, the case was diagnosed as cervical lung lobe herniation.