Polyvalent clostridial vaccine has been prepared according to L+ dose of C. perfringens type B and D, C. septicum, C. oedematiens, the optical density of C. chauvoei, and flocculation test of C. tetani. The vaccine has been evaluated in guinea pigs, rabbits and sheep. It gave high protective immunity in guinea pigs in challenge test (100% protection), the sera of vaccinated rabbits gave high titers more than the permissible limit. Sera of vaccinated sheep showed high antibody titer and good immune response which revealed that the vaccine able to protect sheep against clostridial diseases. The recent formulation of polyvalent clostridial vaccine is very useful tool for production of highly antigenic multicomponent clostridial vaccine used for control of different clostridial diseases.

The main goal of this study was to evaluate the protective efficacy of living attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) vaccine in poultry and to evaluate its use in control of salmonella infection in chickens. Oral vaccination of chickens within 36 hours after hatching and after 6 weeks from the first dose induced a strong humoral immune response as measured by ELISA. Challenge test was done with virulent strain of S. Typhimurium. Shedding of S. Typhimurium was detected during the first day, but after 14 days, salmonella could not be detected in the internal organs of vaccinated chickens compared with the non-vaccinated challenged chickens.

Ticks collected from domestic cats (Felis catus), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), caracals (Caracal caracal), African wild cats (Felis lybica), black-footed cats (Felis nigripes), a serval (Leptailurus serval), lions (Panthera leo), and leopards (Panthera pardus) were identified and counted. Thirteen species of ixodid ticks and one argasid tick were identified from domestic cats and 17 species of ixodid ticks from wild felids. The domestic cats and wild felids harboured 11 ixodid species in common. The adults of Haemaphysalis elliptica, the most abundant tick species infesting cats and wild felids, were most numerous on a domestic cat in late winter and in mid-summer, during 2 consecutive years. The recorded geographic distribution of the recently described Haemaphysalis colesbergensis, a parasite of cats and caracals, was extended by 2 new locality records in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa.

A total of 1076 sera from breeding goats were randomly collected from 24 different farms and tested with CHEKIT®-ELISA (IDEXX Laboratories B.V., 1 119 NE Schiphol-Rijk, Nederland) for antibodies against Chlamydophila abortus. The farms were divided into two categories of twelve farms each, based on their previous history of observed abortions over the previous 12 months: those with low (< 5%) levels of abortion and those with high (&gt; 5%) levels of abortion. The farmers were also interviewed on their level of awareness about chlamydophilosis, its zoonotic importance and vaccination measures against the disease. The study detected overall seroprevalence levels of 25% for the farms and 8% for the individual animals (at 95% confidence). A total of six out of twenty-four farms (25%) had at least one positive breeding animal. Only five out of the twenty-four (20.8%) farmers interviewed were aware of chlamydophilosis and its zoonotic dangers. None of the 24 farmers interviewed practised any vaccination against chlamydophilosis. There was a significantly higher number of seropositive animals from farms with high levels of abortion, compared to those animals from farms with low levels of abortion (p = 0.0001). This study underscores the need for a higher level of farmer awareness and training on chlamydophilosis and its zoonotic dangers.

Wound healing is a fundamental response to tissue injury and several natural products have been shown to accelerate the healing process. The present study was undertaken to determine the safety and efficacy of the topical treatment of acetone leaf extracts of Combretum imberbe, Combretum nelsonii, Combretum albopuntactum and Terminaliasericea based on their in vitro antimicrobial activity. Four circular full-thickness skin wounds were made on the backs of eight anaesthetised Wistar rats using aseptic techniques. The treatments were administrated topically using 10% and 20% concentrations of each extract in aqueous cream in separate treatments. Indications of erythema, exudate, crust formation, swelling and ulceration were used to determine the wound healing process. All of the wounds closed completely within 17 days. Throughout the experiment, a subcutaneous probe was used to determine that the body temperature and body weight of the rats were within the normal range. C. imberbe and C. nelsonii extracts accelerated wound healing, but there was no significant difference in wound contraction using 10% and 20% concentrations of the extracts in cream. The results also showed the potential usefulness of this model to measure accelerating wound healing. The extracts could perhaps overcome defects associated with healing failure in chronic wounds and prevent secondary bacterial and fungal infections.

This survey was carried out to investigate the seroprevalence of antibodies to Neospora (N.) caninum in dairy cattle raised in Kangwon province in Korea. A total of 349 sera collected from dairy cattle were tested for N. caninum antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Ninety six (27.5%) dairy cattle were positive by IFAT. Seroprevalence of cows was 28.9% (91/315) and seroprevalence of boars was 14.7% (5/34). The seroprevalences of cows were increased according to the ages from 19.6% in cows less than 2 year-old to 50.0% in cows more than 7 year-old. Among the seroprevalences of cattle according to the raised areas, five counties or cities, Wheongsung was 34.6% (27/78), Wonju was 29.3% (46/157), Hongcheon was 28.9% (13/45), Chuncheon was 15.0% (3/20) and Cheolwon was 13.3% (2/15). It was proved that dairy cattle raised in Kangwon provinces exposed extensively and seriously to N. caninum.

Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is a chronic and contagious disease of sheep and goats caused by Corynebacterium (C.) pseudotuberculosis. A four-year-old female Saanen dairy goat was submitted to the Animal Disease Diagnostic Center at National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service. The clinical signs of the goat were emaciation, abortion and quadriplegia. The multifocal nodules of lymph nodes were encapsulated and filled with whitish caseous contents on the cut surface. Histopathologically, lymph nodes displayed suppurative and necrotizing granulomas. Caseous necrosis was diffusely observed in the center of the lymph nodes. Gram positive bacilli were shown in the lesions. C. pseudotuberculosis was isolated and confirmed by the biochemical tests and PCR assay. Based on clinical signs, histopathological examination and bacterial isolation, we diagnosed this case as CLA. To our knowledge, this is the first report of CLA in a Saanen dairy goat in Korea.

Yersinia (Y.) ruckeri has been recognized as a serious bacterial pathogen to several kinds of fish, including rainbow trout. However, there are no reports about the characteristics and pathogenicity of Y. ruckeri isolated from farm-cultured eels. In this study, we isolated and characterized Y. ruckeri from the farm-cultured eel Anguilla japonica in Korea. We investigated the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Y. ruckeri and tested the virulence of Y. ruckeri isolates on experimentally infected eels. Examination of the flagellar morphology of Y. ruckeri by electron microscopy showed peritrichous flagella in its cell body. Biochemical reaction studies showed overall identical profiles between the isolates and the reference strain of Y. ruckeri in API 20E and API ZYM tests. We sequenced the 16S rRNA of the Y. ruckeri (1,505 bp) for the genotypic characterization (National Center for Biotechnology Information accession number EU401667). Comparison of the 16S rRNA sequences with previously reported Y. ruckeri strains revealed similar phylogenetic relationships. In the virulence assay of the Y. ruckeri on eels, the eels exhibited listlessness, but Y. ruckeri was reisolated from those of the gills and kidneys.

Torque teno virus (TTV), a species of Anellovirus, is a non-enveloped single stranded DNA virus with a wide range of animal hosts. The incidence of TTV is quite ubiquitous throughout the world. A total of 235 serum samples obtained from 137 pigs and 98 cattle at slaughterhouses in Korea during April 2005 to May 2005 were tested by TTV-specific PCR as to monitor prevalence of TTV among swine and cattle. As a result, the prevalent rates of TTVs in pigs and cattle were 43.1% and 4.1%, respectively. It seems that TTV infection is quite prevalent in swine population.

A Persian chinchila (2 years old, intact female) and a Korean domestic shorthaired cat (3 months, intact male) were referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of Chungnam National University with tachypnea. The two cats were diagnosed as feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) by blood and blood chemical examination, radiographic examination, RT-PCR and electrophoresis analysis of pleural effusion. Thromboxane synthetase inhibitor (Ozagrel HCl, 5 mg/kg, twice a day) was administered to the Persian chinchila and Korean domestic shorthair for 13 days and 16 days, respectively. Pleural effusion disappeared after treatment with Ozagrel HCl. Further study is needed to establish a new application protocol of Ozagrel HCl for FIP cases.