In healthy adult goats, closure of the esophageal groove was induced by thirst, IV administered vasopressin, and intracarotid administration of hypertonic NaCl solutions. The efficiency of stimulation was tested directly by visual inspection of the course taken by orally administered solutions through a ruminal or abomasal fistula, palpation of the lips of the esophageal groove through a ruminal fistula, and indirectly by following the glucose dynamics in the blood after oral administration of glucose solution. Esophageal groove closure was observed during drinking after a 48-hour period of water deprivation. Intracarotid administration of 1.5 ml of a saturated solution or 10.5 ml of a 1.5% solution of NaCl also stimulated groove closure; however, groove closure stimulated by administration of vasopressin is the most satisfactory procedure for passing compounds of therapeutic importance directly from the cardiac orifice to the abomasum.

The efficacy of water vapor-saturated air as a treatment for horses with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) was studied. Horses selected for study (n = 14) had grade 1 or greater hemorrhage in the trachea after a minimum of 4 breezes between 0.8 and 1 km, as determined by endoscopy. Nine horses were treated with water vapor-saturated air; 5 horses were not treated. When the mean and maximal EIPH scores from the pretreatment period were compared with the mean and maximal EIPH scores from the treatment period in both treated and nontreated groups, there was no significant difference between groups. There was a suggestion of a linear relationship between exercise speed and the mean EIPH score of the first 4 breezes in all 14 horses.

Nitrofurazone solution containing 0.2% nitrofurazone and 99.8% polyethylene glycol was given to 4 healthy horses (2 L in 2 L of lactated Ringer solution, intraperitoneally). Horses developed hypovolemia, hyperosmolality, and mixed respiratory and metabolic acidosis. These changes were largely attributable to polyethylene glycol, but a contribution of nitrofurazone cannot be excluded. Intraperitoneal infusion of nitrofurazone solution in horses is contraindicated.

The cardiopulmonary effects of dorsal recumbency were studied in awake cows restrained for surgical correction of left displaced abomasum. During the recumbent period, Pa(O2), Pa(CO2), arterial pH, and base excess values were significantly decreased. Heart rate, respiratory rate, blood hemoglobin concentrations, and rectal temperature increased significantly.

Holstein cow 1 was examined because of skin fragility and delayed healing of skin wounds, which were markedly exacerbated around the time of parturition. A skin biopsy sample was obtained, and light microscopy revealed irregular deposition of thin collagen fibers in a dermal matrix. Although diffuse inflammation did not occur, the number of plump fibroblasts was increased. Electron microscopy revealed poor construction of collagen fibrils in the dermal matrix. Biochemical analysis of the dermis revealed a normal amount of collagen and uronic acid, but sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis reveled an increased proportion of soluble alpha-, beta-, and gamma-collagen chains of normal molecular weights. Neither procollagen nor its intermediates devoid of amino- or carboxy-terminal extension peptide were observed. Dermal collagen from cow 1 was more soluble in a neutral salt solvent, 0.5M acetic acid, and the acid containing pepsin than was dermal collagen from healthy cow 2. The peptic digestion profile of dermis from cow 1 revealed a lowered degree of intermolecular cross-linking and destabilization of helical structure in the dermis collagen. The extrahelical peptic cleavage of collagen before cyanogen bromide digestion resulted in release of more fragments derived from carboxy-terminal part of alpha1 chains in dermis of cow 1 than in dermis of healthy cow 2.

A bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) isolate (FI) from an aborted fetus was used to infect 9 heifers at various stages of gestation. Two heifers were inoculated IV on postbreeding day (PBD) 1, 7, or 14, and 3 heifers were inoculated in the sixth month of pregnancy. Plasma progesterone assays were used to monitor corpus luteum function in heifers inoculated during early pregnancy. Low progesterone values and infertility were seen in the 2 heifers inoculated on PBD 1. Luteal function remained normal in heifers inoculated on PBD 7 or 14. These 4 heifers inoculated on PBD 7 or 14 carried their fetuses to term, and their calves were free of BHV-1 infection at birth. Three heifers inoculated during the sixth month of pregnancy also carried their fetuses to term. Two calves were born alive, and BHV-1 was not isolated from nasal swab samples of either calf; the third calf was stillborn. Virus was not isolated from the stillborn calf's tissues, but BHV-1 was isolated from the placenta. Lesions were not detected in several tissues examined by light microscopy, and BHV-1 antigen was not detected by immunohistochemical examination of paraffin sections. Restriction endonuclease analysis of viral DNA was used to compare the FI virus to other BHV-1 isolates (Colorado-1, Iowa, and K22). On the basis of restriction endonuclease analysis, the FI isolate should be classified as a type-2 (infectious pustular vulvovaginitis) virus, specifically subtype a.

A study was conducted to examine sources of variation introduced into a phagocytosis assay as a result of the isolation of neutrophils from bovine blood, including variation attributable to isolation of neutrophils from blood, variation between duplicate determinations of percentage phagocytosis, and the variation in the ability of neutrophils isolated from blood (over repeated collections from the jugular vein) to phagocytose. For the phagocytosis assay, jugular venous blood from each of 4 cows was divided into 2 equal portions. The neutrophils were isolated by lysis of red blood cells with 0.2% sodium chloride. The neutrophils (2 X 10(7)) were incubated in duplicate with 32P-labeled Staphylococcus aureus ([32P]SA; 2 X 10(8)) inskimmed milk samples (2.5% final concentration) prepared from 4 cows. This process was repeated thrice on neutrophils isolated from 4 cows at 2-week intervals. The proportions of variation in percentage of 32P-labeled S aureus phagocytosed between duplicate neutrophil isolations and between duplicate assay determinations were 0 and 1%. Differences among skimmed milk sources and among runs, using blood neutrophils taken at different times from the same donor cow, accounted for 62 and 36% of the total variation. The results indicated that variation arising from blood neutrophil isolation introduced into a phagocytosis assay within a single-day trial is of no concern. The large variation among skimmed milk sample sources indicated differences among cows in the ability of their milk to support phagocytosis. The variation in neutrophil isolations over time for any cow was considered too large to allow for evaluation of physiologic and environmental effects on phagocytosis of neutrophils isolated from blood.

An indirect immunoperoxidase staining technique was evaluated for detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded porcine lung. Lungs from swine with induced (n = 4) or naturally occurring M hyopneumoniae infection (n = 31) were examined grossly, by light and immunofluorescent microscopy, and by an indirect immunoperoxidase test, using antibody raised in swine against M hyopneumoniae as the primary antibody. Organisms stained by the indirect immunoperoxidase method were identified in tissue sections as pleomorphic brown-staining structures corresponding to those observed with immunofluorescence. Mycoplasma hyosynoviae, M hyorhinis, and Acholeplasma laidlawii did not stain with the indirect immunoperoxidase method, using antibody raised against M hyopneumoniae.

Tracheas from 15 toy breed dogs with normal tracheas and 6 dogs with collapsed tracheas were examined histologically and histochemically. Tracheal cartilage was analyzed for chondroitin sulfate by means of alcian blue (CEC method) and for calcium with alizarin red S. Cartilage arcs from dogs with collapsed tracheas had areas that were apparently hypocellular, and some had other areas that appeared like fibrocartilage or fibrous tissue. Histochemically, collapsed tracheal cartilage had less chondroitin sulfate and calcium than did normal tracheal cartilage. Cartilage arcs from the collapsed tracheas were not uniformly affected to the same degree, and parts of a given tracheal arc appeared normal, whereas other parts had an abnormal histologic appearance.

To study communications and boundaries of the middle carpal and carpometacarpal joints of the horse, 50 forelimbs were obtained from fresh cadaver specimens. Blue latex solution (20 +/- 2.5 ml) was injected into the middle carpal joint, and the specimens were frozen in extension. Frozen specimens were cut into 1-cm sagittal sections from the middle of the radius to the middle of the metacarpus. The communications between the middle carpal and carpometacarpal joints and the presence, length, and position of the distopalmar outpouchings of the carpometacarpal joint were recorded. The middle carpal and carpometacarpal joints always communicated between os carpale III (C3) and os carpale IV (C4). An additional communication between the joints existed in 17 (34%) of the specimens, 10 on the palmar aspect of C4, and 3 on the palmar aspect of os carpale II (C2). When os carpale 1 (C1) was present (n = 5), communication between C1 and C2 was observed in 4 of the 5 specimens. In all specimens, medial and lateral distopalmar outpouchings of the carpometacarpal joint were observed and were located between the axial surface of os metacarpale II (MC2) and os metacarpale IV (MC4) and the abaxial surface of the suspensory ligament. There was no significant difference between the lengths of the lateral (2.3 +/- 0.54 cm) or medial (2.6 +/- 0.75 cm) distopalmar outpouchings. Small extensions from the distopalmar outpouchings were seen and extended axially into the fibers of the suspensory ligament or between the suspensory ligament and the distal accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon. In one carpus, the middle carpal joint communicated with the antebrachiocarpal joint between the articulation of the os carpi intermedium (Ci) and the os carpi ulnare (Cu).