OBJECTIVE To determine the anabolic and lipolytic effects of a low dosage of clenbuterol administered orally in working and nonworking equids. ANIMALS 8 nonworking horses and 47 polo ponies in active training. PROCEDURES Each polo pony continued training and received either clenbuterol (0.8 μg/kg) or an equal volume of corn syrup (placebo) orally twice daily for 21 days, and then was evaluated for another 21-day period. Nonworking horses received clenbuterol or placebo at the same dosage for 21 days in a crossover trial (2 treatments/horse). For working and nonworking horses, percentage body fat (PBF) was estimated before treatment and then 2 and 3 times/wk, respectively. Body weight was measured at intervals. RESULTS Full data sets were not available for 8 working horses. For working horses, a significant treatment effect of clenbuterol was detected by day 3 and continued through the last day of treatment; at day 21, the mean change in PBF from baseline following clenbuterol or placebo treatment was −0.80% (representing a 12% decrease in PBF) and −0.32%, respectively. By day 32 through 42 (without treatment), PBF change did not differ between groups. When treated with clenbuterol, the nonworking horses had a similar mean change in PBF from baseline from day 6 onward, which peaked at −0.75% on day 18 (an 8% decrease in PBF). Time and treatment had no significant effect on body weight in either experiment. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Among the study equids, long-term low-dose clenbuterol administration resulted in significant decreases in body fat with no loss in body weight.

OBJECTIVE To measure changes in interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentrations in stored canine packed RBCs (PRBCs) over time and assess the effect of leukoreduction on these cytokine concentrations. ANIMALS 12 anesthetized healthy Greyhounds. PROCEDURES 1 unit of whole blood from each dog was processed into PRBCs. Half of each PRBCs unit was passed through a leukoreduction filter to produce a leukoreduced unit, and the remaining blood was kept as a nonleukoreduced unit. All units had a CBC performed on day 0 (day of collection) and were stored at 2° to 6°C. Samples were collected from leukoreduced and nonleukoreduced units on days 0, 10, 20, 30, and 37 and centrifuged; the supernatant was stored at −80°C until analysis. Canine TNF-α and IL-8 concentrations were assessed with a multiplexed genomic and proteomic biomarker analyzer, and canine IL-1β concentration was measured by ELISA. RESULTS Leukocyte counts were decreased by ≥ 99.9% in all leukoreduced units. Median TNF-α and IL-1β concentrations were not significantly different between leukoreduced and nonleukoreduced units and did not change significantly during storage; median IL-8 concentration was significantly higher in nonleukoreduced versus leukoreduced units on all days, and was greater at all time points after ≥ 10 days of storage than on day 0. Median IL-8 concentration in leukoreduced units did not increase during storage. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that leukoreduction was effective for the removal of leukocytes from canine PRBCs and prevented significant increases in IL-8 concentration during storage. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether leukoreduction reduces cytokine-associated complications of transfusion.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether feeding a direct-fed microbial (DFM) to dairy calves would reduce total and antimicrobial-resistant coliform counts in feces and affect average daily gain (ADG). ANIMALS 21 preweaned Holstein heifer calves. PROCEDURES The study had a randomized complete block design. Within each block, 3 consecutively born calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups within 24 hours after birth (day 0). Calves were fed the DFM at 1.0 g (DFM1; n = 7) or 0.5 g (DFM2; 7) twice daily or no DFM (control; 7) from days 0 through 29. A fecal sample was collected from each calf daily on days 0 through 3 and then every other day through day 29. Fecal samples were cultured, and mean numbers of total coliforms and coliforms resistant to ampicillin, ceftiofur, and tetracycline were compared among the 3 treatment groups. Calves were weighed on days 0 and 29 to calculate ADG. RESULTS Mean total fecal coliform counts did not differ significantly among the 3 treatment groups. Mean ceftiofur-resistant and tetracycline-resistant coliform counts for the control group were significantly lower, compared with those for the DFM1 and DFM2 groups. Mean ADG did not differ significantly between the DFM1 and DFM2 groups; however, the mean ADG for all calves fed the DFM was 0.15 kg less than that for control calves. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that the DFM fed to the preweaned calves of this study did not reduce total or antimicrobial-resistant coliform counts in feces.

OBJECTIVE To culture Lactobacillus spp from veterinary probiotics and measure their in vitro oxalate-degrading capacity. SAMPLE 2 commercial veterinary probiotics containing Lactobacillus spp. PROCEDURES Lactobacillus spp were cultured anaerobically on selective deMan, Rogosa, Sharpe agar medium and subcultured for speciation by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. Isolates were inoculated into broth containing sodium oxalate (5 mg/L) and incubated anaerobically for 72 hours. An oxalate-degrading isolate of Lactobacillus acidophilus (American Type Culture Collection [ATCC] 53544) was the positive control sample; sterile broth containing a known quantity of sodium oxalate was the negative control sample. Oxalate concentrations were detected with ion chromatography. Oxalate degradation was assessed with Dunnett tests to detect differences in mean oxalate concentration for each isolate, compared with results for the negative control. RESULTS Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus casei or Lactobacillus zeae (too closely related to differentiate) were isolated from probiotic 1, and L plantarum was isolated from probiotic 2. Sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene confirmed 100% homology to type species. Lactobacillus acidophilus (ATCC 53544) and L acidophilus from probiotic 1 significantly decreased oxalate concentrations by 85.3 and 161.9 mg/L, respectively. Lactobacillus plantarum from probiotics 1 and 2 significantly increased oxalate concentrations by 56.1 and 36.1 mg/L, respectively. Lactobacillus casei did not alter oxalate concentrations. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Lactobacillus acidophilus isolates significantly reduced oxalate concentrations. In vivo studies are needed to determine whether probiotics containing L acidophilus decrease urine oxalate concentrations and reduce risk of urolith recurrence in dogs with a history of calcium oxalate urolithiasis.

Colibacillosis, a disease caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), is one of the main causes of economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. This study was carried out in order to determine the APEC-associated virulence genes contained by E. coli isolates causing colibacillosis in chickens. A total of 45 E. coli isolates were obtained from the diagnostics and research branch of the Central Veterinary Laboratories, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. These isolates were obtained from chickens with confirmed cases of colibacillosis after postmortem examination. The presence of the iutA, hlyF, ompT, frz, sitD, fimH, kpsM, sitA, sopB, uvrY, pstB and vat genes were investigated by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Of the 45 isolates, 93% were positive for the presence of at least one virulence gene. The three most prevalent virulence genes were iutA (80%), fimH (33.3%) and hlyF (24.4%). The kpsM, pstB and ompT genes had the lowest prevalence, having been detected in only 2.2% of the isolates. All 12 virulence genes studied were detected in the 45 APEC isolates. Virulence gene profiles were constructed for each APEC isolate from the multiplex data. The APEC isolates were profiled as 62.2% fitting profile A, 31.1% profile B and 6.7% profile C. None of the isolates had more than seven virulence genes. Virulence profiles of Zimbabwean APEC isolates are different from those previously reported. Zimbabwean APEC isolates appear to be less pathogenic and may rely on environmental factors and stress in hosts to establish infection.

The present study to evaluate the third degree burn involved all skin layers (full-thickness burns), and that by using ziziphus leaf extract and nigella seed extract as an ointment. Healthy twelve mature rabbits either sex, weighing 2-2.5 kg, bred locally were used. Divided in to two groups (ziziphus group and nigella group) six rabbits of rabbits each one burned experimentally by using fire source directly on skin surface and then treated with local application of ointment (ziziphus leaf ointment and nigella sativa seed ointment) each one on it is group with daily dressing by using medical gauze. This study appeared the benefit effect of ziziphus ointment and nigella ointment in burn healing in histopathological changes, but the group treated with ziziphus leaf extract (ointment) was better than the other group in cellular response to inflammatory process that occur during healing by early apparition of re-epithelialization

The trachea of the local sheep is a tubular structure that begins at the cricoid cartilage of the larynx and ends when it bifurcates to form the principle bronchi, composed of series of incomplete rings that were incomplete dorsally present between of them longitudinal folds. The study include twelve specimens divided into four groups grossly, histological study, cast and radiography. The anatomical study include the mean total tracheal length from the first ring to the bifurcation about (25.9 cm) , mean number of cartilaginous rings (48.6), mean number of folds (45), measured the length of trachea from the cricoids cartilage to the trachealis bronchus which enter to the cranial lobe of lung which branches from the trachea in last third before divided into two bronchi right and left each of one enter the lung for respiration also measure diameters of each tracheal ring which deference according the position of rings, which decrease of diameters when direction caudally to the root of lung the rings have different shape in the three parts of the trachea cervical, middle and thoracic the histological study showed the trachea lining pseudo stratified ciliated columnar epithelium with goblet cells, the wall of trachea consist of mucosa, submuosa, hyaline cartilage and adventitia and have large amount of tracheal gland,the trachealis muscle composed of elastic fibers interupted with smooth fibers. The cast of trachea showed the bronchial tree and radiography explain the trachea , bronchi and bronchioles.

The objective of present study was to investigate the gross and histopathological findings of calves kidneys slaughtered in Mosul abattoir. Pathological examination were carried out on fifty calves' kidneys. The most common gross lesions were included 20% multifocal white spots, 16% enlarged pale kidneys20% congested enlarged kidneys , 10% small shrunken kidneys, 14% hyperemic hemorrhagic kidneys, 20% kidneys without any gross lesions. The common observation in the histopathological examination of the kidneys revealed slight to severe mononuclear infiltration were commonly observed, widening of the Bowman's space were common, nephrosis, glomerulonephritis, interstitial nephritis, acute tubular degeneration and necrosis. Cysts were observed also in this study.