bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and Prevalence of Leptospira Infection in Aborted and Stillborn Horses
Authors: Donahue James M. , Smith Barbara J. , Redmon Kevin J. , Donahue Judy K.
Published: May 2011

A study was conducted to evaluate a recently available fluorescent antibody test (FAT) conjugate for the detection of leptospires in tissues of aborted and stillborn horses, to determine the leptospira antibody titers and compare serologic test results with FAT results, and to determine the prevalence of leptospira-induced abortions and stillbirths in the equine population of central Kentucky. From July 1, 1988 through June 30, 1989, 15 (2.5%) of 594 submissions (fetuses, stillborn foals, and/or placentas) were diagnosed as leptospirosis by the FAT (14 of 15 tested) and/or microscopic agglutination test (12 of 14 tested). Of the 12 serologically positive fetal fluids, 10 had high tigers against Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona and 2 against serovar grippotyphosa.
Cocontamination of Swine Diets by Aflatoxin and Diacetoxyscirpenol
Authors: Harvey Roger B. , Kubena Leon F. , Elissalde Marcel H. , Corrier Donald E. , Huff William E. , Rottinghaus George E. , Clement Beverly A.
Published: May 2011

The effects of dietary aflatoxin (AF) and diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), singly and in combination, were evaluated in growing crossbred barrows. The experimental design consisted of 4 treatments of 9 barrows each fed diets containing 1) 0 mg AF and 0 mg DAS/kg feed (control), 2) 2.5 mg AF/kg feed, 3) 2.0 mg DAS/kg feed, or 4) 2.5 mg AF + 2.0 mg DAS/kg feed for 28 days (10–14 weeks of age). Production performance, serum biochemical, hematologic, and pathologic measurements were made. Body weight and body weight gain were significantly decreased by each toxin but more so by the combination treatment. The effects were additive in nature. Liver and spleen weights, as percentages of body weight, were increased by the AF and AF + DAS treatments, and AF or AF + DAS treatments induced diffuse hepatocellular vacuolar change, early portal fibrosis, and early bile duct hyperplasia. Aflatoxin increased serum values of creatinine and gamma glutamyl transferase, cholinesterase, and alkaline phosphatase activities; increased packed cell volume and hemoglobin; and decreased urea nitrogen and total iron binding capacity. DAS reduced serum iron binding capacity. The AF + DAS treatment increased serum gamma glutamyl transferase and alkaline phosphatase activities, increased hemoglobin, and decreased serum iron binding capacity. Generally, the combination treatment could be described as additive or less than additive, with most of the effects attributable to AF. Under the conditions and parameters monitored in this study, AF and DAS had no synergistic toxic effects when incorporated into diets of growing barrows.
Identification of Treponema Hyodysenteriae and Treponema Innocens using Two Four-Hour Identification Systems
Authors: Achacha Maamar , Messier Serge
Published: May 2011

Two 4-hour identification systems, the RapID-ANAII (Innovative Diagnostic Systems) and the ANI card (Vitek Systems), were used to identify isolates of Treponema hyodysenteriae and T. innocens. Twentyone isolates of T. innocens and 53 isolates of T. hyodysenteriae were tested with both systems. With the ANI system, alpha-galactosidase was the only test that differentiated the two species. With the RapID-ANAII system, alpha-galactosidase and indole tests allowed differentiation of the two species. Treponema hyodysenteriae was alpha-galactosidase negative and indole positive, whereas T. innocens produces the opposite reactions. Three isolates were alpha-galactosidase negative and indole negative. These isolates represent a group intermediate between the two officially described species. The two species of swine Treponema can be identified by commercial identification kits and a third group of isolates intermediate between the two species was identified.
Toleration of High Concentrations of Dietary Zinc by Mink
Authors: Aulerich Richard J. , Bursian Steven J. , Poppenga Robert H. , Braselton W. Emmett , Mullaney Thomas P.
Published: May 2011

Adult and kit male and female natural dark ranch mink ( Mustela vison) were fed a conventional diet supplemented with 0, 500, 1,000, or 1,500 ppm zinc, as ZnSO4·7H2O, for 144 days. No marked adverse effects were observed in feed consumption, body weight gains, hematologic parameters, fur quality, or survival. Zinc concentrations in liver, kidney, and pancreas of the mink increased in direct proportion to the zinc content of the diet. Histopathologic examination of the livers, kidneys, and pancreata revealed no lesions indicative of zinc toxicosis. The results indicate that mink can tolerate at least 1,500 ppm dietary zinc, as ZnSO4=7H2O, for several months without apparent adverse effects.
Outbreaks in Quebec Pig Farms of Respiratory and Reproductive Problems Associated with Encephalomyocarditis Virus
Authors: Dea Serge , Bilodeau Robert , Sauvageau Rene , Martineau G. P.
Published: May 2011

Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) was isolated from tissues of aborted fetuses and weaned and suckling piglets from 4 different pig farms in Quebec. The farms were experiencing reproductive failure in sows of different parities concomitant to respiratory problems in suckling and postweaning piglets. At necropsy, gross lesions were confined to the lung and consisted of pulmonary congestion and edema of various degrees. Lesions of multifocal interstitial to proliferative pneumonia were found in the lungs of these piglets. Bacteriologic examination of various tissues from necropsied pigs yielded no pathogens in most cases. No significant antibody titers against 3 swine viruses (transmissible gastroenteritis virus, porcine parvovirus, and swine influenza virus) and two bovine viruses (bovine viral diarrhea and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis viruses) were detected in the sera of convalescent pigs. The Quebec EMCV isolates were antigenically related to the reference ATCC-VR129 strain of EMCV, as demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence, serum neutralization (SN), and Western immunoblotting. However, one of the Quebec isolates could be distinguish by SN. EMCV-specific SN antibody titers up to 1:12,800 were detected in thoracic and ascitis fluids of aborted fetuses and in sera of convalescent pigs. A possible pneumotropic EMCV variant in swine may exist.
Identification of Coronaviruses by the Use of Indirect Protein A-Gold Immunoelectron Microscopy
Authors: Dea Serge , Garzon Simon
Published: May 2011

Concentration by airfuge and protein A-colloidal gold immunoelectron microscopy (PAG-IEM) offered a rapid and sensitive method for detection and identification of coronaviruses from various species. The method was applied to partially purified tissue culture-adapted or egg-adapted mammalian and avian coronaviruses and to clarified fecal samples from diarrheic calves and turkey poults for detection of enteric coronaviruses. Aggregates of virus coated with specific antibody were seen in virus samples mixed with homologous antiserum but not in control samples containing preexposure serum. At least a 10–50-fold enhancement of the sensitivity of direct EM for virus detection was obtained using protein A-colloidal gold complex as an electron-dense marker. The PAG-IEM method demonstrated low nonspecific background labeling and permitted detection of soluble and particle-associated antigen. Reciprocal cross-reactivity was detected among the subgroup of mammalian hemagglutinating coronaviruses, and antisera to 4 members of other subgroups only recognized their homologous virus.
Congenital Dyserythropoiesis and Progressive Alopecia in Polled Hereford Calves: Hematologic, Biochemical, Bone Marrow Cytologic, Electrophoretic, and Flow Cytometric Findings
Authors: Steffen D. J. , Elliott G. S. Elliott , Leipold H. W. , Smith J. E.
Published: May 2011

Congenital dyserythropoiesis with dyskeratosis is a slow, progressive, and often fatal disease in Polled Hereford calves. Affected calves have a macrocytic normochromic anemia with a mild reticulocytosis. Studies indicate that calves are hyperferremic with increased saturation of serum total iron binding capacity, which rules out iron deficiency as a cause. Other secondary causes of dyserythropoiesis, including cobalamin and folate deficiencies, are unlikely because serum cobalamin and folate levels of affected calves were normal. Virus isolation was negative, and failure to identify bovine retroviral antigens or antibodies from several calves suggested that viral agents were not involved. Bone marrow cytologic findings were similar to those in congenital hereditary dyserythropoiesis in humans and included occasional multinucleate cells, internuclear chromatin bridging between nuclei of partially divided cells, and, more frequently, irregular nuclear shapes and chromatin patterns. DNA content and cell cycle distribution of erythroid cells appeared normal, and no electrophoretic abnormalities were detected in erythrocyte membrane proteins. The Polled Hereford syndrome is similar in many ways to type I congenital dyserythropoiesis in humans and may be an appropriate biomedical model for studying erythroid proliferation during dyserythropoiesis.
Retrospective Study of Testicular Degeneration in Raccoons with Canine Distemper Infection
Authors: Hamir A. N. , Raju N. , Hable C. , Rupprecht C. E.
Published: May 2011

A 6-year (1985–1990) retrospective survey of raccoons with canine distemper infection and an outbreak of the disease in 1988 on South Island, South Carolina, are described. During this epizootic, 3 male raccoons with the clinical disease had gross testicular lesions that, on histopathologic examination, revealed severe diffuse degeneration and mineralization of seminiferous tubules. The testicular pathology of canine distemper in raccoons has not been previously reported.
Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Plasmid Profiles of Streptococcus Suis Isolates
Authors: Cantin Mario , Harel Josée , Higgins Robert , Gottschalk Marcelo
Published: May 2011

Streptococcus suis isolates recovered from diseased animals in Quebec and western Canada and from human cases in Europe were tested for their susceptibility to different antimicrobial agents and screened for their plasmid content. Most isolates from Quebec were clindamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline resistant; animal isolates from western Canada were notably less resistant to clindamycin and erythromycin, whereas human isolates were considerably more susceptible to most antimicrobials tested.1

More than 60% of isolates had plasmids that ranged from 1.5 to 35 kilobases (kb). Of the 7 plasmid profiles found, 2 were particularly frequent in isolates from Quebec and western Canada, suggesting the presence of epidemic strains in the swine population. A particular plasmid band of about 5 kb was present in most Canadian isolates. When this band was used as a probe in colony and Southem blot hybridization, most isolates harboring the 5-kb plasmid hybridized, even though their plasmid profiles were different. Human isolates from Europe differed in their plasmid content from Canadian isolates of animal origin. Although a high degree of antimicrobial resistance was associated with the presence of plasmids in most isolates, it was not possible to establish a causative relationship.
Competitive ELISA for Serodiagnosis of Bluetongue: Evaluation of Group-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies and Expressed VP7 Antigen
Authors: Afshar Ahmad , Eaton Bryan T. , Wright Peter F. , Pearson James E. , Anderson John , Jeggo Martyn , Trotter Holly C.
Published: May 2011

The performance of 2 competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (C-ELISA) was compared with the reference C-ELISA I for the detection of antibodies to bluetongue virus (BTV). One of the assays (C-ELISA II) used a group-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) to BTV, obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (8A3B-6) and tissue culture (TC)-derived BTV antigen (Ag), and the other assay (C-ELISA III) used BTV core protein VP7 (expressed in yeast) and the reference MAb (Pirbright Laboratory, 3–17-A3). Test sera were obtained by sequential blood samples from 22 calves, each inoculated with a different serotype (T) of BTV (South African [SA] T-1-T-16 and T-18-T-20 and USA T-11, T-13, and T-1 7). Sera were also obtained from 4 calves and 4 sheep inoculated with USA BTV T-10 and from several groups of calves exposed to single or multiple doses of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) T-1-T-4 grown in TC (BHK-21) or suckling mouse brain (SMB). A total of 618 bovine and ovine field sera collected from BT-free and BT-endemic areas were also tested. The C-ELISA III was more sensitive than the C-ELISA II in the detection of anti-BTV antibody in sera from cattle and sheep early after infection with BTV. Seroconversion was demonstrated by the 3 C-ELISAs in all animals inoculated with BTV by 20 days postinfection (DPI), except in calves that received SA T-3 or USA T-13, which became positive at 40 DPI. Unlike with the immunodiffusion test, reaction was not generally seen between BTV TC-derived or VP7 antigens and sera from calves exposed to a single dose of EHDV T-1, T-2, T-3, or T-4 or from calves that received TC-derived EHDV T-1 or T-2 initially and were then challenged with the heterologous EHDVs. Postchallenge samples from calves inoculated and challenged with SMB-derived EHDV T-2 and T-1, respectively, resulted in false reactions in all the C-ELISAs. Relative to the reference C-ELISA I results, the C-ELISA II and C-ELISA III results for the field sera demonstrated lower levels of agreement for bovine samples (97.8% and 96.5%, respectively) than for ovine sera (99.3% and 98.2%, respectively). The overall results suggest that both MAb 8A3B-6 and yeast-expressed VP7 may be suitable as diagnostic reagents in C-ELISA for the detection of anti-BTV group-specific antibodies.
A Sensitive Dot Immunobinding Assay for Serodiagnosis of African Swine Fever Virus with Application in Field Conditions
Authors: Pastor Maria J. , Arias Marisa , Alcaraz Carlos , De Diego Maribel , Escribano Jose M.
Published: May 2011

The present work describes a simple dot immunobinding assay (DIA) for African swine fever virus (ASFV) antibody detection that can be used under field conditions. The assay uses nitrocellulose strips dotted with a cytoplasmic soluble antigen (CS-P) of ASFV. The nitrocellulose strips are adhered to a plastic handle. The test serum samples react with the CS-P, and antibodies are detected using a protein A-peroxidase conjugate. Both incubations are carried out at 20 C. The efficacy of the DIA as a screening test for ASFV was compared to an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an immunoblotting (IB) test using 343 sera collected from natural African swine fever epizootics and from inapparent ASFV carriers. The DIA had comparable sensitivity to both reference techniques, and all samples positive in the ELISA and IB test were also positive in the DIA. False-positive reactions were not detected when whole blood or poorly preserved serum samples were tested by DIA. Some poorly preserved sera that were positive initially by the ELISA were no longer ELISA positive in a later run, although they were positive in IB and DIA. These positive DIA and IB test results could be caused by the differences in antibody epitope binding.
Pleuropneumonia Caused by Actinobacillus Pleuropneumoniae Biotype 2 in Growing and Finishing Pigs
Authors: Frank Rodney K. , Chengappa M. M. , Oberst Richard D. , Hennessy Kristina J. , Henry Steven C. , Fenwick Brad
Published: May 2011

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae biotype 2 was isolated in pure culture or as the predominant isolate from the lungs of 9 growing and finishing pigs with pleuropneumonia. Gross and microscopic lesions resembled those caused by A. pleuropneumoniae biotype 1 serotypes (nos. 1, 5, and 7) traditionally seen in the United States. The overall mortality rate for growing and finishing pigs on this 1,200-sow far-row-to-finish farm ranged from 0.37% to 0.84% per month from July 1990 to February 1991, and mortality due to respiratory disease ranged from 0.17% to 0.52% per month for the same period. This Actinobacillus species did not require V factor (no satellitism on blood agar with a Staphylococcus streak), was strongly beta-hemolytic, and demonstrated restriction fragment length polymorphisms in hybridization studies with A. suis, A. lignieresii, and A. equuli. Biochemically, the isolate most closely resembled A. pleuropneumoniae, and a DNA fragment considered specific for A. pleuropneumoniae biotypes 1 and 2 was demonstrated using polymerase chain reaction. Necrohemorrhagic pleuropneumonia similar to that caused by A. pleuropneumoniae biotype 1 was reproduced experimentally in 2 4-week-old pigs inoculated intratracheally with broth cultures of the A. pleuropneumoniae biotype 2. This study demonstrated the presence of A. pleuropneumoniae biotype 2 in the United States.
Prevalence and Serovars of Leptospira Involved in Equine Abortions in Central Kentucky during the 1990 Foaling Season
Authors: Donahue James M. , Smith Barbara J. , Donahoe Judy K. , Rigsby Cindy L. , Tramontin Robert R. , Poonacha Kockanda B. , Wilson Mark A.
Published: May 2011

A study to determine the prevalence of leptospira-induced abortions in the central Kentucky equine population during the 1990 foaling season and to determine the leptospira serovars responsible was conducted. From July 1, 1989 through June 30, 1990, 32 (4.4%) of 726 submissions (fetuses, stillborn foals, and/or placentas) were diagnosed as leptospirosis by the fluorescent antibody test and/or microscopic agglutination test. Attempts were made to isolate leptospires from the fetal tissues and/or the dam's urine in 31 of these cases. Leptospira interrogans serovar kennewicki was isolated from 11 (35.5%) and serovar grippotyphosa from 2 (6.5%) of the 31 cases. Of 12 cases that were culture negative with serologically positive fetal fluids, 8 had titers against serovar pomona, 1 against bratislava, 1 against grippotyphosa, 1 against hardjo, and 1 against both bratislava and pomona.
Use of ELISA to Detect Toxigenic Pasteurella Multocida in Atrophic Rhinitis in Swine
Authors: Bowersock Terry L. , Hooper Tom , Pottenger Ronald
Published: May 2011

The use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as a means of detecting dermone-crotoxin-producing strains of Pasteurella multocida was investigated. The assay was evaluated as a means to identify toxigenic P. multocida isolates recovered from nasal secretions of swine with atrophic rhinitis. The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA for detecting dermonecrotoxin-producing P. multocida strains were compared to those of mouse-inoculation and cytotoxicity assays. The ELISA was highly sensitive and more specific than animal inoculation or tissue culture assay and is thus a more effective method for screening swine herds for the presence of toxigenic strains of P. multocida. The ELISA is a rapid, effective, economical way to identify toxigenic P. multocida isolates.
Gross and Microscopic Lesions of Naturally Occurring Tuberculosis in a Captive Herd of Wapiti (Cervus Elaphus Nelsoni) in Colorado
Authors: Rhyan Jack C. , Saari Dennis A. , Williams Elizabeth S. , Miller Michael W. , Davis Arthur J. , Wilson Arach J.
Published: May 2011

A Mycobacterium bovis-infected herd of captive wapiti (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) in Colorado was depopulated after lesions of bovine tuberculosis were confirmed in 8 of 10 tuberculin skin test reactors. Of the 43 animals > 1 year of age, 26 had gross lesions suggestive of tuberculosis, 24 had microscopic lesions of tuberculosis, and 23 had acid-fast bacilli associated with the lesions. Lungs and retropharyngeal lymph nodes were the most frequently affected sites. Most lesions grossly and microscopically resembled tuberculosis in cattle; however, some lesions resembled abscesses or ovine caseous lymphadenitis lesions. Special stains and immunohistochemical techniques labeled few to numerous mycobacteria associated with the lesions.
Group-Reactive ELISAs for Detecting Antibodies to African Horsesickness and Equine Encephalosis Viruses in Horse, Donkey, and Zebra Sera
Authors: Williams Roy , Du Plessis Dion Henri , Van Wyngaardt Wouter
Published: May 2011

Group-reactive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were developed to selectively detect antibodies to African horsesickness virus (AHSV) and equine encephalosis virus (EEV), 2 orbiviruses that infect equids. In indirect ELISA, guinea pig antisera to all known AHSV or EEV serotypes recognized immobilized AHSV serotype 3 or EEV Cascara, respectively. Antisera from naturally infected animals did not cross-react with their respective heterologous viruses. The ELISA was used in parallel with the complement fixation (CF) and agar gel immunodiffusion tests to detect antibodies in sera from animals in the field. The ELISA distinguished among those that contained antibodies to AHSV, EEV, or both viruses and was useful with sera that did not yield results in CF tests because of anticomplementary activity. Zebra and donkeys, both potential subclinical carrier animals in Africa, contained AHSV or EEV antibodies. Some sera reacted with 1 of the 2 orbiviruses, whereas others reacted with both. The ELISA can be used in projected epidemiological studies in which many serum samples must be assayed.
Pathogenic Studies and Antigenic and Sequence Comparisons of A/Equine/Alaska/1/91 (H3NS) Influenza Virus
Authors: Alstad Arnold D. , Sahu Sudhir P. , Pedersen Douglas D. , Saari Dennis A. , Kawaoka Yoshihiro , Webster Robert G.
Published: May 2011

An influenza virus, A/equine/Alaska/1/91 (H3N8), was isolated from horses from Alaska with an acute respiratory infection. Pathogenic and serologic studies revealed that this virus is similar to previously isolated equine H3N8 influenza viruses. Antigenic analyses utilizing hemagglutination inhibition and neuraminidase inhibition assays indicated an antigenic drift from the prototype equine H3N8 influenza virus, A/equine/Miami/1/63. Partial sequence analysis of the A/equine/Alaska influenza virus indicated that each of 8 gene sequences are of equine origin.
Application of Indirect ELISA for Detection of Bovine Antibodies against Vesicular Stomatitis Viruses
Authors: Afshar A. , Dulac G. C. , Wright P. F. , Martin D.
Published: May 2011

Two indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (I-ELISAs) are described for the detection of bovine serum antibody to the New Jersey (NJ) and Indiana (IN) vesicular stomatitis viruses (VSV). Serum samples at a dilution of 1:200 were incubated with binary ethylenimine-inactivated VSV-NJ and VSV-IN type-specific antigens preadsorbed to microtiter plates. Bound antibodies were detected by a murine monoclonal antibody to bovine IgG 1 conjugated with horseradish peroxidase. The performance of each I-ELISA in detecting homotypic and heterotypic antibodies to VSV-NJ and VSV-IN in sequential serum samples from calves experimentally infected with VSV-NJ or VSV-IN was evaluated. The I-ELISAs detected serotype-specific antibodies to either VSV-NJ or VSV-IN in calves infected with the homologous serotype. Homotypic but not heterotypic anti-VSV-NJ antibodies were first demonstrable by the VSV-NJ I-ELISA during the second week postinfection and remained at an elevated level for a period of 11 weeks, with a gradual decrease thereafter. Similar homotypic antibody profiles measured by the VSV-IN I-ELISA in calves inoculated with VSV-IN were observed. The performances of the I-ELISAs were compared using 1,495 microtiter serum neutralization (MTSN) test-negative bovine field sera collected from cattle in Canada (VS free) and 429 samples collected from cattle in the USA and Mexico (VS-epidemic and VS-endemic areas). The diagnostic specificities of the VSV-NJ and VSV-IN I-ELISAs for the Canadian samples relative to the MTSN test results were in the range of 99.8% and 99.7%, respectively. The levels of agreement between the VSV-NJ and VSV-IN I-ELISAs and the MTSN test for the 429 bovine field samples from VS-epidemic and VS-endemic areas were 97.7% and 98.8%, respectively. Relative to MTSN, the sensitivity and specificity of the 429 field sera for the VSV-NJ I-ELISA were 95.4% and 99.6%, respectively, and for the VSV-IN assay were 75.0% and 99.2%, respectively. The results suggest that in addition to the many technical advantages over the MTSN test these I-ELISAs have potential application as rapid and inexpensive tests for the serodiagnosis of VSV infection in cattle.
Detection of Eperythrozoon Suis using the Polymerase Chain Reaction
Authors: Gwaltney Sharon M. , Hays Michael P. , Oberst Richard D.
Published: May 2011

Eperythrozoon suis is an extracellular red blood cell parasite that causes icteroanemia in acutely ill pigs and a variety of syndromes in chronically infected pigs. Current techniques to detect E. suis infection are limited by variability of parasitemias and antibody responses in infected animals. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was investigated to determine its potential as a means of detecting E. suis infection in pigs. With DNA samples extracted from either purified E. suis organisms or E. suis-infected pig blood, PCR produced an amplification product 492 base pairs in length. This amplification product hybridized successfully with the fragment of the DNA probe from which the primer sequences had been selected. Sensitivity studies indicated that the PCR protocol was capable of amplifying total genomic E. suis DNA in quantities as low as 450 pg. When PCR was used with DNA from blood samples from a splenectomized pig that had been infected with E. suis, amplification products were detectable as early as 24 hours postinfection. This preliminary analysis indicates that PCR shows promise as a means of efficiently detecting E. suis infection in pigs.
Fumonisin Toxicity in Turkey Poults
Authors: Weibking Tandice S. , Ledoux David R. , Brown Tom P. , Rottinghaus George E.
Published: May 2011

The effects of dietary fumonisin B, were evaluated in young turkey poults. The experimental design consisted of 3 treatments, with 24 female turkey poults allotted randomly per treatment. Day-old poults were fed diets containing 0 mg (feed control), 100 mg, and 200 mg fumonisin B1/kg feed for 21 days. Body weight gains and efficiency of feed conversion decreased linearly with increasing dietary fumonisin. Liver, kidney, and pancreas weights increased linearly with increasing dietary fumonisin, and spleen and heart weights decreased. Serum aspartate aminotransferase levels increased with increasing dietary fumonisin, and serum cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase, mean cell volume, and mean cell hemoglobin all decreased. Biliary hyperplasia, hypertrophy of Kupffer's cells, thymic cortical atrophy, and moderate widening of the proliferating and degenerating hypertrophied zones of tibial physes were present in poults fed diets containing fumonisin B1. Results indicate that fumonisin B1, from Fusarium moniliforme culture material, is toxic in young poults, and the poult appears to be more sensitive to fumonisin than the broiler chick.
Mycoplasma Bovis Associated with Decubital Abscesses in Holstein Calves
Authors: Kinde H. , Daft B. M. , Walker R. L. , Charlton B. R. , Petty R.
Published: May 2011

Between April of 1990 and March of 1992, calves on a Holstein calf ranch experienced subcutaneous decubital abscesses involving the brisket region, dorsal aspect of the carpus, and lateral aspect of the stifle joints. Fifty out of 2,500 (2%) Holstein calves between the ages of 3 and 12 weeks were affected. Needle aspirates of brisket abscesses from 8 calves and 6 live or dead calves with 1 or more decubital abscesses were submitted for examination. Two of the 6 calves in addition had bronchopneumonia. Mycoplasma bovis was isolated from all abscesses and 1 lung. Formalin fixed tissues taken from the affected areas also revealed M. bovis by immunoperoxidase staining. No evidence of joint involvement was apparent, and no mycoplasma was isolated from the joints adjacent to affected areas. Attempts to isolate mycoplasma from milk and environmental samples were unsuccessful.
Ovine Myeloencephalitis-Leukomyelomalacia Associated with a Sarcocystis-Like Protozoan
Authors: O'Toole Donal , Jeffrey Martin , Challoner Derek , Maybey Roz , Welch Valerie
Published: May 2011

Bilateral pelvic limb paresis developed in 7 of 15 10-month-old Blueface Leicester ram lambs on a mixed enterprise farm in the North of England. Clinical signs were principally mild to severe paresis of the pelvic limbs. Two mildly affected lambs recovered. Multifocal spinal cord white matter edema and necrosis, glial nodules, and mild to moderate nonsuppurative encephalomyelitis were the principal findings in 3 severely paretic lambs examined histologically. Protozoan bodies (12.7–23.0 μm) that stained immunocytochemically for Sarcocystis epitopes were in spinal cord glial cells of 2 of 3 lambs. Protozoa did not react immunocytochemically with anti-Toxoplasma gondii or Neospora canium antisera. Serology indicated there was recent exposure to Sarcocystis spp. in some surviving lambs. These cases resembled those in previous reports of paresis due to an unidentified Sarcocystis-like protozoan in sheep (ovine protozoan myeloencephalitis) in the British Isles, the USA, France, Australia, and New Zealand.
An HPLC Method for the Detection of Ergot in Ground and Pelleted Feeds
Authors: Rottinghaus George E. , Schultz Linda M. , Ross P. Frank , Hill Nick S.
Published: May 2011

A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method is described for detecting ergot in ground or pelleted forages and grains. Samples were extracted with alkaline chloroform, filtered, and applied to silica gel/organic binder cleanup columns. Following elution of pigments with acetone: chloroform, ergopeptine alkaloids were eluted with methanol and analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Average recovery of ergotamine, the major ergopeptine alkaloid produced by Claviceps, was 93%, with a relative standard deviation of 4.9%. The detection limit of ergotamine was approximately 50 ppb in all feedstuffs. Confirmation of ergopeptine alkaloids was accomplished by treating the parent ergopeptine alkaloids with 0.2% acetic acid to produce their -inine isomers and reexamining by HPLC with fluorescence detection or silica gel/organic binder column cleanup in combination with tandem mass spectroscopy. The method described is a valid alternative to microscopic inspection for detecting ergot contamination in ground or pelleted feedstuffs.
Influence of Dose and Route on Transmission of Encephalomyocarditis Virus to Swine
Authors: Zimmerman J. , Schwartz K. , Hill H. T. , Meetz M. C. , Simonson R. , Carlson J. H.
Published: May 2011

The susceptibility of swine to infection with encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) was assessed. Transmission of EMCV in a single exposure by gavage or intranasal routes was highly dose dependent. In a direct comparison, animals were exposed to EMCV by gavage, intranasal, intramuscular, intratracheal, or transdermal routes. A higher proportion of animals exposed by transdermal (5/5), intratracheal (5/5), or intramuscular (5/5) routes than those exposed by intranasal (2/5) or gavage (3/5) routes became infected. The large quantity of virus required to infect animals intranasally or orally suggests that transmission by these routes may not occur routinely in the field. Transmission of EMCV by wound contamination (transdermally) has not been reported previously. Although EMCV was recovered from rectal, external genitalia, and pharyngeal swabs, there was no evidence of pig-to-pig transmission of EMCV from experimentally infected animals to comingled sentinels.
Experimental Infections and Natural Outbreaks of Eperythrozoonosis in Pigs Identified by PCR-DNA Hybridizations
Authors: Oberst Richard D. , Gwaltney Sharon M. , Hays Michael P. , Morgan Sandra , Stair Earnest L.
Published: May 2011

Eperythrozoon-specific DNA amplification reactions and subsequent hybridizations with an eperythrozoon DNA probe (KSU-2) were used in experimental infection studies to identify Eperythrozoon suis DNA in the blood of splenectomized and nonsplenectomized pigs. The results indicate that E. suis DNA is present in nonsplenectomized pigs at levels that can be amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and identified in DNA hybridizations within 24 hours after infection. The ability of the E. suis PCR/hybridization assay to detect eperythrozoonosis was further demonstrated in blood samples collected from pigs in 2 separate natural outbreaks in Oklahoma. Results from these initial samplings indicate that pigs infected with E. suis from geographically distinct locations can be identified using the eperythrozoon-specific PCR/hybridization assay, which offers many advantages over conventional laboratory procedures for diagnosing eperythrozoonosis in pigs.
Isolation of Acanthamoeba sp. from a Greyhound with Pneumonia and Granulomatous Amebic Encephalitis
Authors: Bauer R. W. , Harrison L. R. , Watson C. W. , Styer E. L. , Chapman W. L.
Published: May 2011

Acanthamoeba were isolated from a naturally occurring animal infection of granulomatous amebic encephalitis. The amebas were grown from lung lesions from a 1-year-old greyhound puppy, which was 1 of several dogs in a kennel that was affected by a progressive fatal neurologic and respiratory disease. The Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, confirmed the disease to be acanthamebiasis and specifically identified the amebas as Acanthamoeba culbertsoni by fluorescent antibody testing on brain tissue from the dog. The amebas were cultured initially on potato dextrose agar and on nonnutrient agar plates that were seeded with a lawn of nonpathogenic Escherichia coli. The isolate was then transferred to nonnutrient agar plates containing killed Enterobacter aerogenes and subsequently to axenic medium and cell cultures. The isolate was highly pathogenic by intranasal inoculation into 2-week-old mice.
Comparison of in Vivo Reactivation, in Vitro Reactivation, and Polymerase Chain Reaction for Detection of Latent Pseudorabies Virus Infection in Swine
Authors: Brockmeier Susan L. , Lager Kelly M. , Mengeling William L.
Published: May 2011

The following methods were compared for their ability to detect latent pseudorabies virus in 24 pigs that had been experimentally infected with virulent pseudorabies virus: 1) in vivo reactivation by dexamethasone administration, 2) in vitro reactivation by 5 different techniques of explant culture or cocultivation of trigeminal ganglia, and 3) detection of pseudorabies virus genome in tissue digests of tonsils or trigeminal ganglia using the polymerase chain reaction. Reactivation of pseudorabies virus by administration of dexamethasone was attempted in 12 of 24 pigs in an effort to determine if this procedure would affect the detection of latent pseudorabies virus by any of the subsequent in vitro methods. Detection of latent virus by the polymerase chain reaction with trigeminal ganglia was the most successful method (24/24 were positive). The next most successful method was in vivo reactivation through the administration of dexamethasone (10/12 [83%] were positive). Only 1 in vitro reactivation technique, cocultivation involving digestion of the trigeminal ganglia with trypsin and collagenase and the addition of a hypomethylating agent to the medium, yielded positive results (5/24 [21%] were positive). The polymerase chain reaction performed on tissue digests of tonsils was much less effective (2/24 [8%] were positive) than it was with trigeminal ganglia. Reactivation by dexamethasone did not appear to have any effect on the subsequent detection of latency by any of the methods tested.
Laboratory Investigation of PRRS Virus Infection in Three Swine Herds
Authors: Zeman D. , Neiger R. , Yaeger M. , Nelson E. , Benfield D. , Leslie-Steen P. , Thomson J. , Miskimins D. , Daly R. , Minehart M.
Published: May 2011

Late in 1991, an enveloped RNA virus (now called porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome [PRRS] virus) was identified as the etiologic agent for mystery swine disease. In 1992, laboratory procedures for the diagnosis of this disease evolved rapidly, and veterinary diagnosticians started applying these tests to field cases. This report is written from the perspective of veterinary laboratory diagnosticians and utilizes 3 case studies to define the advantages and disadvantages of the various available diagnostic laboratory PRRS test procedures in different clinical situations. The diagnostic procedures currently used in our laboratory for investigating PRRS are pathologic examination, serologic testing, fluorescent antibody (FA) testing, and virus isolation. Interstitial pneumonia, characterized by mononuclear cell infiltration of alveolar walls with normal airway epithelium, is a hallmark lesion for the disease, especially in neonatal pigs with respiratory distress. Interstitial pneumonia is not a specific lesion and must be coupled with other tests to verify PRRS virus infection. Demonstration of seroconversion is helpful, especially in sows that have experienced reproductive failure. The indirect FA test detects antibody sooner than the serum neutralization test and will likely become the serologic test of choice. The direct FA test on fresh tissue utilizes monoclonal antibody and is useful for investigating PRRS virus-associated pneumonia. Virus isolation utilizing swine alveolar macrophages has also been a useful diagnostic procedure. All of the above tests have been universally unrewarding when applied to aborted, mummified, or stillborn piglets.
Paratuberculosis in Farmed Deer: Case Reports and DNA Characterization of Isolates of Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis
Authors: de Lisle Geoffrey W. , Yates Gary F. , Collins Desmond M.
Published: May 2011

Mycobacterium paratuberculosis was isolated from farmed deer in New Zealand on 21 occasions over a 7-year period. The number of cases increased during the last 3 years of the study. Clinical paratuberculosis was observed in 5 deer, 3 other cases came from grossly normal animals that reacted to a tuberculin skin test, and the remaining 13 animals had tuberculous lesions that were identified at meat inspection. Pathologic features of the lesions in these 13 cases included necrosis and mineralization in lymph nodes draining the gastrointestinal tract. The histologic changes in these lesions were very similar to those caused by Mycobacterium bovis and members of the M. avium complex. Characterization of 20 of the isolates of M. paratuberculosis by restriction endonuclease analysis and DNA hybridization revealed that 3 of these isolates were identical to New Zealand sheep isolates and 17 were the same as cattle isolates. The source of the cervine infections was not determined.
Diagnosis of Equine Influenza by the Polymerase Chain Reaction
Authors: Donofrio James C. , Coonrod J. Donald , Chambers Thomas M.
Published: May 2011

Influenza A is a common respiratory infection of horses, and rapid diagnosis is important for its detection and control. Sensitive detection of influenza currently requires viral culture and is not always feasible. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect DNA produced by reverse transcription of equine influenza in stored nasal secretions, vaccines, and allantoic fluids. Primers directed at a target of 212 bp on conserved segment 7 (matrix gene) of human influenza A/Bangkok/ 1/79 (H3N2) produced amplification products of appropriate size with influenza A/Equine/Prague/ 1/56 (H7N7), A/Equine/Miami/63 (H3N8), A/Equine/ Kentucky/79 (H3N8), and A/Equine/Kentucky/2/91 (H3N8) in infected frozen allantoic fluids and in frozen extracts of nasal swabs of 2 horses with naturally acquired influenza. The products bound a 32P-labeled hybridization probe to an inner region of the target. Control samples, including nasal secretions from a horse infected with herpesvirus, were negative. In a prospective study, 2 ponies inhaled aerosols of influenza A/Equine/ Kentucky/2/91 (H3N8), and thereafter supernatants of nasal swabs in transport medium were obtained daily for 10 days for culture and PCR. Amplification products were evaluated by size and binding of a 32P-labeled probe and also by dotblotting and binding of a biotin-labeled probe. Culture detected influenza more consistently than did PCR in the first 2 days of infection, but PCR detected virus more often later in infection. Gels were the most sensitive, but radiometric and biotin-labeled probes gave specific results and were consistently positive from days 3–6. PCR is suitable for detection of equine influenza in clinical samples.
Type C Botulism in Turkeys: Determination of the Median Toxic Dose
Authors: Jeffrey Joan S. , Galey Francis D. , Meteyer Carol U. , Kinde Hailu , Rezvani Mohammed
Published: May 2011

The median toxic dose (TD50) of type C botulinurn in turkeys was determined using an up-and-down method for toxicologic testing. Birds were dosed intravenously with 10, 20, or 40 mouse lethal dose per kilogram body weight (MLD/kg) of type C botulism toxin and observed for 5 days. Administration of toxin resulted in acute death, posterior paresis, or no effect, depending upon the dose. The TD50 causing posterior paresis was calculated as 25.75 MLD/kg (confidence interval = 17.08–38.82 MLD/kg). Posterior paresis was identified as the principal sign associated with sublethal botulism toxicosis in turkeys. The resultant posterior paresis was similar to the clinical syndrome observed in an unsolved field investigation.
Identification of African Horse Sickness Virus in Cell Culture using a Digoxigenin-Labeled RNA Probe
Authors: Brown Corrie C. , Meyer Richard F. , Grubman Marvin J.
Published: May 2011

A digoxigenin-labeled RNA probe was synthesized from a plasmid containing a portion of the African horse sickness virus (AHSV) serotype 4 genome segment coding for nonstructural protein 1. In an in situ hybridization procedure, this probe hybridized successfully to Vero cells infected with each of the 9 serotypes of AHSV. There was no hybridization with noninfected cell cultures or cell cultures infected with bluetongue virus.
A Retrospective Study of Circovirus Infection in Pigeons: Nine Cases (1986–1993)
Authors: Woods Leslie W. , Latimer Kenneth S. , Niagro Frank D. , Riddell Craigmyle , Crowley Ann M. , Anderson Mark L. , Daft Barbara M. , Moore Janet D. , Campagnoli Raymond P. , Nordhausen Robert W.
Published: May 2011

Circovirus infections were diagnosed in 12 pigeons from the United States, 4 pigeons from Australia, and 1 pigeon from Canada (1986-1993). Circovirus was identified by electron microscopic examination of basophilic botryoid cytoplasmic inclusions that had a histologic appearance similar to that of psittacine beak and feather disease virus inclusions. Inclusions were seen in splenic, bursal, gut-associated, and bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue macrophages and in bursal epithelial cells. Inclusions were composed of paracrystalline arrays of tightly packed, nonenveloped icosahedral virions 14-17 nm in diameter. Histologic changes in the spleens ranged from lymphofollicular hyperplasia with mild discrete lymphocellular necrosis to lymphoid depletion and diffuse histiocytosis. Lesions in the bursa of Fabricius ranged from mild lymphocellular necrosis to severe cystic bursal atrophy. Remaining histologic findings coincided with concurrent bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections. Immunoperoxidase staining and DNA in situ hybridization demonstrated that pigeon circovirus is distinct from psittacine beak and feather disease virus; however, both viruses apparently share some homologous DNA sequences. Clinical and diagnostic findings indicate that pigeon circovirus may be similar to psittacine beak and feather disease virus with respect to acquired immunodeficiency and subsequent multiple secondary infections.
The Cytology of Squamous Cell Carcinomas in Domestic Animals
Authors: Garma-Aviña Armando
Published: May 2011

A series of 40 tumors with a proven diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma for which both histology and cytology were available were classified according to their histologic appearance as well differentiated, moderately differentiated, and poorly differentiated. The Romanowsky-stained cytology specimens were reviewed. When available, Papanicolaou-stained smears were included. The cytologic findings for each of the 3 groups are described, and the most significant findings are photographically illustrated.
Comparison of an Improved Polymerase Chain Reaction Protocol and the Indirect Hemagglutination Assay in the Detection of Eperythrozoon Suis Infection
Authors: Gwaltney Sharon M. , Oberst Richard D.
Published: May 2011

The ability of an improved polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol to detect Eperythrozoon suis DNA in the blood of experimentally infected nonsplenectomized pigs was evaluated. The protocol utilizes previously described E. suis-specific primers and a proprietary DNA-releasing reagent in a 2-step amplification cycle followed by visualization of the 492-bp amplification product on agarose gels. This PCR protocol successfully amplified E. suis DNA in blood from all postinfection samples and from the preinfection samples of 2 pigs, indicating preexisting natural infections. Results of the indirect hemagglutination test on serum samples from these pigs revealed that only 1 pig developed detectable antibody titers to E. suis infection during the 43-day study; that pig was determined by PCR to have been infected naturally with E. suis prior to experimental inoculation. These results confirm previous reports of poor antibody response of young pigs to E. suis infection and demonstrate the potential of PCR as a valuable tool for the diagnosis and study of E. suis infection in pigs.
Application of Polymerase Chain Reaction to Detect Animals Latently Infected with Agents of Malignant Catarrhal Fever
Authors: Lahijani Roya S. , Sutton Stacy M. , Klieforth Robert B. , Murphy Michael F. , Heuschele Werner P.
Published: May 2011

Oligonucleotide primers derived from alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AHV-1) isolate WC11 DNA, the first identified agent of malignant catarrhal fever (MCF), were used to assay blood lymphocyte DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Multiple species of exotic ruminants were examined to determine the suitability of this technique for detecting animals that may be latently infected. To correlate the PCR results with those of serology, serum samples were obtained from each animal concurrently with lymphocyte collection and subjected to an AHV-1 virus-neutralization assay (VNA). A total of 86 MCF-susceptible animals were tested, and the results of the VNA and PCR assays were compared. PCR results were positive for 44 animals. Of these, 13 were positive by VNA. Animals positive by both VNA and PCR were all wildebeest, the asymptomatic carriers of AHV-1, confirming the ability of the primers to amplify AHV-1 sequence. Positive PCR results from species other than wildebeest may represent sequence amplified from viruses related to AHV-1, which may not induce antibodies capable of neutralizing the WC11 isolate used in the VNA. This study demonstrates that PCR is capable of detecting the presence of MCF agents in various populations of captive ruminants prior to the appearance of clinical MCF so that the sources of infection can be more reliably ascertained.