bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Survey for hydatidosis in cattle bred in the northern region of the Northern Territory of Australia
Authors: SMALL LM , PINCH DS 
Published: March 2008

Objective To determine whether hydatidosis occurs in cattle bred in the northern region of the Northern Territory. Design A survey utilising two stage sampling was designed to provide 95% confidence of detecting hydatids in cattle with a herd prevalence of 10% and animal prevalence of 10%. Procedure For a 1 year abattoir killing season, lesions from the liver and/or lung were collected from 4348 cattle being slaughtered at a Northern Territory abattoir and examined for hydatid cysts. The origin of cattle was established through identification of the brand. Results Sample sizes of 41 or more Northern Territory bred cattle were achieved for each of 29 properties. No hydatid cysts were found in cattle bred in the northern region of the Northern Territory. Conclusion This study provides evidence that a cycle of hydatid transmission does not occur in the northern region of the Northern Territory.
Comparison of four methods for detection of oestrus in dairy cows with resynchronised oestrous cycles
Authors: CAVALIERI J. , EAGLES VE , RYAN M. , MACMILLAN KL 
Published: March 2008

Objective To compare the sensitivity and positive predictive value of four methods for detection of oestrus in dairy cows with resynchronised oestrous cycles.Procedure Oestrous cycles in cows in three herds were synchronised for a first round of artificial insemination (AI) and then resynchronised for a second round of AI. Sensitivity and positive predictive value of four aids (pedometers, radiotele‐metric transmitters [HeatWatch; HW], tail‐paint and heat‐mount detectors) that were used to detect the resynchronised oestrus were compared. Milk progesterone concentration and pregnancy testing at 12 weeks were used as the reference standard for cows being in oestrus. Results The mean sensitivity and positive predictive value for detecting the resynchronised oestrus, for each aid that was used, was >80%. Tail‐paint was significantly more sensitive at detecting oestrus compared to heatmount detectors (P = 0.002), but not significantly more sensitive than pedometers (P = 0.07) or HW (P = 0.55) for detecting oestrus (91.3, 85.7; 81.4 and 88.4%, respectively). Positive predictive value of HW for detecting oestrus was greater than tail‐paint (P = 0.014) and heatmount detectors (P = 0.024) but not pedometers (P = 0.25; 100, 91.7, 92.9 and 87.5%, respectively). Positive predictive value of heatmount detectors was greater than pedometers in herd C (93.4% vs 73.3%; P = 0.035) but not in herds A (95.0% vs 90.0%; P = 0.56) or B (90.8% vs 100%; P = 0.10). No other significant differences in sensitivity or positive predictive value of detection of oestrus were found between aids. Conclusion Tail‐paint, heatmount detectors, pedometers and HW provide a high sensitivity (>80%) and positive predictive value (>85%) of detecting oestrus in dairy cows with resynchronized oestrous cycles.
Science and its application in assessing the welfare of laying hens in the egg industry
Authors: BARNETT JL , HEMSWORTH PH 
Published: March 2008

ObjectiveTo provide a rational framework for the scientific assessment of welfare and to use this framework to assess the welfare implications of issues relevant to the Australian egg industry.ProcedureA well‐accepted approach to the assessment of animal welfare, based on assessing how well the animal is adapting, is described. This approach is used to consider the welfare implications of issues such as space, perches, nest boxes, dust baths, abrasive strips and non‐cage housing systems.ConclusionsThe role of science in the welfare debate is to provide biological facts and thus it is important to separate welfare and ethics. The welfare of an animal in response to a housing system or husbandry procedure can be assessed by evaluating how much has to be done by the animal in order to cope and the extent to which the coping attempts are succeeding. Using this approach there is evidence for improved welfare from increasing space in cages, based on reduced aggression, corticosterone concentrations and mortalities and increased production, and for incorporating perches, based on the reduction in injuries at depopulation. Similar evidence for the inclusion of dust baths and nest boxes is lacking. The data on abrasive strips are equivocal with recommendations from overseas for their inclusion, whereas some local data have shown an increase in mortality can occur. Similarly, the data on non‐cage systems are equivocal. The data on bone strength suggest improved fitness in non‐cage systems, the data on stress suggest fitness may be better, similar or worse in non‐cage systems, and the limited data on immunology suggest fitness may be worse in non‐cage systems than in conventional cages.
Effect of solute lipophilicity on penetration through canine skin
Authors: MILLS PC , MAGNUSSON BM , CROSS SE 
Published: March 2008

Objective To investigate the effect of lipophilicity on the percutaneous penetration of a homologous series of alcohols through canine skin Design Skin harvested from Greyhound thorax was placed in Franz‐type diffusion cells and the in vitro passage of radio‐labelled (14C) alcohols (ethanol, butanol, hexanol and octanol (Log P 0.19 ‐ 3.0)) through separate skin sections was measured in replicates of five. Permeability coefficient (kP, cm/h), maximum flux (Jmax, mol/cm2/h) and residue remaining within the skin were determined. Results The kP increased with increasing lipophilicity (6.2 times 10‐4± 1.6 times 10‐4 cm/h for ethanol to 1.8 times 10‐2± 3.6 times 10‐3 cm/h for octanol). Alcohol residues remaining within each skin sample followed a similar pattern. An exponential decrease in Jmax with increasing lipophilicity was observed. Conclusion Changes in canine skin permeability occur with increasing alcohol lipophilicity. This finding has practical consequences for the design of topical formulations and optimisation of drug delivery through animal skin.
Cross reactivity of airborne allergens based on 1000 intradermal test results
Authors: MUELLER RS , CHAPMAN PL 
Published: March 2008

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate concurrent positive reactions of related versus nonrelated allergens based on 1000 intradermal tests of dogs with atopic dermatitis.ProcedurePairs of closely related allergens (based on botanical relations and results of research in human allergic disease) and nonrelated allergens were evaluated. Significance of the difference between group means of log odds ratios was estimated using a Bootstrap percentile confidence interval.ResultsThere was a significant difference in the mean log odds ratio between related and nonrelated allergen pairs. However, there was also a significant difference between most groups consisting of nonrelated allergen pairs.ConclusionThese results provide conflicting evidence and emphasise the need for further studies. Numbers of concurrent reactions of related allergens indicate that immunotherapy should be formulated based on testing with single allergens to avoid exposure to allergens not involved in the dog's atopic disease.
Cross‐sectional study of risk factors for the clinical expression of ovine Johne's disease on New South Wales farms
Authors: LUGTON IW 
Published: March 2008

Objective To explore the environmental and management risk factors that promote the clinical expression of ovine Johne's disease on farms in New South Wales. Design Cross‐sectional study. Procedure A questionnaire about the farm, flock and their management was mailed to all farmers known to keep infected sheep in the area zoned residual for ovine Johne's disease in New South Wales. The resultant data were analysed by multivariate statistical methods, specifically examining the factors associated with farmers reporting some mortality due to ovine Johne's disease; the reported annual incidence of ovine Johne's disease‐associated mortality; the youngest age at which sheep die from ovine Johne's disease; whether scouring was a feature of the disease; and the season of peak mortality from ovine Johne's disease. Results Fine wool Merino sheep were more likely to die from ovine Johne's disease than other sheep types. Mortality was higher on farms with light sandy soils and those with a high proportion of improved pastures containing subterranean clover. Winter shearing was also associated with clinical expression. The time that the infection had been present on a farm was not strongly associated with mortality. Higher stocking density, high rainfall and access to open water, factors that are believed to aid transmission, were not found to be influential. Conclusion Clinical expression appears to be principally associated with light infertile soils and their associated pastures and pasture improvement practices which may lead to micronutrient deficiencies or imbalances. Genetic effects are also important and are likely to be exacerbated by physiological stressors, such as winter shearing.
Carboplatin pharmacokinetics following a single‐dose infusion in sulphur‐crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita)
Authors: FILIPPICH LJ , CHARLES BG , SUTTON RH , BUCHER AM 
Published: March 2008

Objective T o determine the pharmacokinetics of carboplatin in sulphur‐crested cockatoos, so that its use in clinical studies in birds can be considered. Design A pharmacokinetic study of carboplatin, following a single intravenous (IV) or intraosseus (IO) infusion over 3 min, was performed in six healthy sulphur‐crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita). Procedure Birds were anaesthetised and a jugular vein cannulated for blood collection. Carboplatin (5 mg/kg) was infused over 3 min by the IV route in four birds via the contralateral jugular vein, and by the IO route in two birds via the ulna. Serial blood samples were collected for 96 h after initiation of the infusion. Tissue samples from 11 organs were obtained at necropsy, 96 h after carboplatin administration. Total Pt and filterable Pt in plasma and tissue Pt concentrations were assayed by inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry. A noncompartmental pharmacokinetic analysis was performed on the plasma data. Results The mean ± SD for the Cmax of filterable Pt was 27.3 ± 4.06 mg/L and in all six birds occurred at the end of the 3 min infusion, thenceforth declining exponentially over the next 6 h to an average concentration of 0.128 ± 0.065 mg/L. The terminal half‐life (T1/2) was 1.0 ± 0.17 h, the systemic clearance (Cl) was 5.50 ± 1.06 mL/min/kg and the volume of distribution (Vss) was 0.378 ± 0.073 L/kg. The extrapolated area under the curve (AUC0‐x) was 0.903 ± 0.127 mg/mL.min; the area extrapolated past the last (6 h) data point to infinite time averaged only 1.25% of the total AUC0‐x. The kidneys had the greatest accumulation of Pt (7.04 ± 3.006 μg/g), followed by the liver (3.08 ± 1.785 μg/g DM). Conclusions and clinical relevance Carboplatin infusion in sulphur‐crested cockatoos produced mild, transient alimentary tract signs and the Pt plasma concentration was similar whether carboplatin was given intravenously or intraosseously. Filterable plasma Pt concentrations for carboplatin persisted longer than for cisplatin, due mostly to the difference in systemic clearance between these drugs in sulphur‐crested cockatoos. The distribution of tissue Pt after carboplatin administration was similar to that reported for cisplatin in sulphur‐crested cockatoos. Despite anatomical, physiological and biochemical differences among animal species, the pharmacokinetic disposition of filterable Pt in the sulphur‐crested cockatoo shares some features with the kinetics reported previously in other animals and human beings.
Comparison of the efficacy of a subunit and a live streptomycin‐dependent porcine pleuropneumonia vaccine
Authors: TUMAMAO JQ , BOWLES RE , VAN DEN BOSCH H , KLAASEN HLBM , FENWICK BW , STORIE GJ , BLACKALL PJ 
Published: March 2008

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of two new‐generation porcine pleuropneumonia vaccines when challenged with Australian isolates ofActinobacillus pleuropneumoniaeof serovars 1 and 15.DesignThe Porcilis APP vaccine and an experimental streptomycin‐dependent strain ofA pleuropneumoniaewere evaluated in a standardised pen trial. Each vaccine/challenge group consisted of 10 pigs.ResultsWith the serovar 1 challenge, the Porcilis APP vaccine and the live vaccine, compared with the control group, gave significant protection in terms of clinical signs, lung lesions, re‐isolation scores and average daily gain (ADG) postchallenge. Only the Porcilis APP vaccine provided significant protection against mortality. In the serovar 15 challenged pigs, the only significant difference detected was that the Porcilis APP vaccinated pigs had a better postchallenge ADG than the controls. None of the Porcilis APP vaccinated pigs showed signs of depression postvaccination and none were euthanased after challenge with either serovar 1 or 15. The pigs vaccinated with the live vaccine showed obvious depression after each vaccination and a total of 3 pigs were euthanased after challenge (one with serovar 1 and two with serovar 15).ConclusionsBoth of the vaccines provided significant protection against a severe challenge with serovar 1A pleuropneumoniae.Neither vaccine was effective against a serovar 15A pleuropneumoniaechallenge. There was evidence that the Porcilis APP vaccine did provide some protection against the serovar 15 challenge because the ADG, after challenge of pigs given this vaccine, was greater than the control pigs.
Australian veterinarians who work with horses: attitudes to work and career
Authors: HEATH TJ 
Published: March 2008

Objective To describe the attitudes to their work and career of those Australian veterinarians who work with horses. Method Questionnaires were mailed to 866 veterinarians who had been identified as working with horses, and 87% were completed and returned. Data were entered onto Excel spreadsheets, and analysed using the SAS System for Windows. Results The main attractions of veterinary work with horses were the horses themselves and the equine industries, but working outdoors and with rewarding clients, and the satisfaction of successful outcomes were attractions for many. The list of disadvantages was longer, and included unreasonable and disagreeable clients as well as those who provided inadequate facilities, could not control their horses or did not care for them. The physical demands and risks of injury, the amount of time required, low rates of return and difficulties in collecting payment, were other major disadvantages. Some mentioned concerns about litigation, unethical behaviour, and recruiting and retaining veterinarians competent with horses. For many in mixed practice, the difficulties in affording modern equipment, and of developing and maintaining their own competence with horses, was a real concern. More than three‐quarters of the respondents reported that their careers had lived up to expectations and that they would become veterinarians again; 70% of equine veterinarians would become an equine veterinarian again. Almost all (93%) of the respondents were either very glad, or ‘generally glad though with some misgivings’ that they had done the veterinary course. Older veterinarians reported suffering less stress, and being more content with their career, than younger colleagues. Conclusions The advantages of doing veterinary work with horses outweigh the disadvantages for most veterinarians, especially those well advanced in their careers.
Field evaluation of tracer sheep for the detection of early natural infection withMycobacterium aviumsubspparatuberculosis
Authors: REDDACLIFF LA , McGREGOR H , ABBOTT K , WHITTINGTON RJ 
Published: March 2008

ObjectiveTo determine whether tracer sheep could be used to detect S strainMycobacterium aviumsubspparatuberculosison pasture, and to provide further insight into the early stages of infection.DesignA field study on two farms in an endemic area for ovine Johne's disease in New South Wales.ProcedureLambs, weaners and adult ewes were introduced to pasture with varying amounts ofM a paratuberculosiscontamination and monitored using skin tests, gamma interferon assay, faecal culture and serial necropsy of small groups for up to 15 months after first exposure.ResultsCulture from tissues was the most sensitive method for detecting early infection in sheep after natural exposure to S strainM a paratuberculosis. The organism was detected in at least one introduced sheep from every exposed group, 6 to 12 months after first exposure. Histopathological lesions were detected in only 17% of culture‐positive sheep, and only after at least 8 months of exposure. Similarly, antemortem diagnostic tests had low sensitivity during the early stages of naturally acquired infection. There was no evidence of any differences in infection rate between sheep first exposed as neonates, as weaners or as adults. A higher proportion of lambs born to ewes from an infected flock were infected than lambs suckling uninfected ewes introduced to the same infected environment, and infection was detected earlier in these ‘resident’ lambs.ConclusionThese findings indicate that groups of unex‐posed ‘tracer’ sheep, tested by culture of tissues at slaughter 6 to 12 months after first exposure, might be a useful way to assess pasture infectivity in control programs for ovine Johne's disease.
Effect of season and temperature on mortality in amphibians due to chytridiomycosis
Authors: BERGER L , SPEARE R , HINES HB , MARANTELLI G , HYATT AD , McDONALD KR , SKERRATT LF , OLSEN V , CLARKE JM , GILLESPIE G , MAHONY M , SHEPPARD N , WILLIAMS C , TYLER MJ 
Published: March 2008

Objective To investigate the distribution and incidence of chytridiomycosis in eastern Australian frogs and to examine the effects of temperature on this disease. Design A pathological survey and a transmission experiment were conducted. Procedure Diagnostic pathology examinations were performed on free‐living and captive, ill and dead amphibians collected opportunistically from eastern Australia between October 1993 and December 2000. We conducted a transmission experiment in the laboratory to investigate the effects of temperature: eight great barred frogs (Mixophyes fasciolatus) exposed to zoospores of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and six unexposed frogs were housed individually in each of three rooms held at 17°C, 23°C and 27°C. Results Chytridiomycosis was the cause of death or morbidity for 133 (55.2%) of 241 free‐living amphibians and for 66 (58.4%) of 113 captive amphibians. This disease occurred in 34 amphibian species, was widespread around the eastern seaboard of Australia and affected amphibians in a variety of habitats at high and low altitudes on or between the Great Dividing Range and the coast. The incidence of chytridiomycosis was higher in winter, with 53% of wild frogs from Queensland and New South Wales dying in July and August. Other diseases were much less common and were detected mostly in spring and summer. In experimental infections, lower temperatures enhanced the pathogenicity of B dendrobatidis in M fasciolatus. All 16 frogs exposed to B dendrobatidis at 17°C and 23°C died, whereas 4 of 8 frogs exposed at 27°C survived. However, the time until death for the frogs that died at 27°C was shorter than at the lower temperatures. Infections in survivors were eliminated by 98 days. Conclusion Chytridiomycosis is a major cause of mortality in free‐living and captive amphibians in Australia and mortality rate increases at lower temperatures.
Australian veterinarians who work with horses: views of the future
Authors: HEATH TJ 
Published: March 2008

Objective To give an account of the views held by Australian veterinarians who work with horses on the future of their professional field.Method Questionnaires were mailed to 866 veterinarians who had been identified as working with horses, and 87% were completed and returned. Data were entered onto an Excel spreadsheet, and analysed using the SAS System for Windows.Results Their future prospects were believed to be very good or excellent by >60% of equine veterinarians but by only 30% of mixed practitioners seeing < 10% horses. The main factors believed likely to affect these prospects were the strength of the equine industries and the economic climate affecting horse owners, followed by the encroachment of cities into areas used for horses, competition from other veterinarians including specialist centres and from non‐veterinary operators, and their ability to recruit and retain veterinarians with interest, experience and skill with horses. Urban encroachment, competition and recruitment were especially important for those seeing few horses. Concerns were also expressed about the competence and ethical behaviour of other veterinarians, the physical demands and dangers of horse work, the costs of providing equine veterinary services and of being paid for them, the regulatory restrictions imposed by governments and statutory bodies, the potential effects of litigation, and insurance issues. For many veterinarians in mixed practice these factors have reduced and are likely to reduce further the number of horses seen, to the extent that they have scant optimism about the future of horse work in their practices.Conclusion Economic and local factors will result in an increasing proportion of equine veterinary work being done in specialised equine centres, and the future of horse work in many mixed practices is, at best, precarious. A key factor influencing future prospects will be the availability of competent veterinarians committed to working with horses.
Nonfatal splenic haematoma and pancytopenia in an ass
Authors: AYALA I , RODRÍGUEZ MJ , MARTOS N , ZILBERSCHTEIN J , RUÍZ I 
Published: March 2008

This report describes a case of nonfatal idiopathic splenic haematoma and pancytopenia in a female ass, a condition that has not been previously reported in this species.A 12–year‐old female ass weighing 225 kg was presented with signs of anorexia, depression and prominent abdominal distension. At the onset of clinical signs there was evidence of anaemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. A large mass was palpated per rectum. The mass was confluent with the spleen and extended across the entire width of the abdomen. Percutaneous transabdominal ultrasonography and laparoscopy under general anaesthesia confirmed the diagnosis of splenic haematoma. The ass was treated initially with intravenous polyionic fluids; vitamins, trace elements and aminoacids; clanobutin; and penicillin and gentamicin, and was transfused with whole blood. After 5 days of hospitalisation the ass appeared brighter, and after 10 days the animal was discharged to recuperate at pasture. Six months later the animal's demeanour and appetite had improved. Repeat ultrasonographic examination showed persistence of the mass, but its thickness had decreased by 2 to 3 cm. A small mineralised area suggesting organisation of the haematoma was also detected. The haematological parameters had returned to normal values and the ass was clinically normal.