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1 Arterial blood from 63 male (315 - 500 g) and 60 female (210 - 290 g) healthy Sprague-Dawley rats was ana lyzed for 16 hematological and 22 clinical chemistry parameters. 2 Nine of these parameters were associated with growth and developmental changes in males between 38 - 78 days and females 49 - 89 days of age. 3 Weight gain in both sexes followed patterns consistent with other studies using this strain, but interexperi mental variation was as much as ± 22%. 4 Rectal temperatures of females averaged 37.28°C, being statistically greater (P < 0.05) than the average male at 36.99°C. 5 The data provide reference values for use in toxicolo gical and other investigations.

Pulmonary adiaspiromycosis was diagnosed in seven of 25 striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in east-central Alberta. The infection varied from mild, where only microscopic lesions were seen, to severe, where gross lesions of grayish-white nodules were observed in the lung parenchyma. Mild lesions were restricted to the lung, while severe lesions extended to the tracheobronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes. Histologically, the lesions were characterized by a centrally located fungal spherule, surrounded by granulomatous inflammation. The morphology of the fungal spherules was consistent with that of Emmonsiu crescens. By electron microscopy, the fungal cells had an outer thick fibrillar wall and an inner cytoplasm filled with large lipid vacuoles with relatively few mitochondria, ribosomes or glycogen inclusions. The absence of endosporulation and budding suggested that each fungal cell in the lung represented a separate inhaled spore. Infection was by inhalation, nevertheless adiaspores may disseminate to the regional lymph nodes.

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Concentrations of Mo, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, N, Ca, P, Mg and K were determined in native and introduced grasses and legume forages from throughout northwestern Manitoba. Nutrient concentrations were compared with minimum requirements of cattle suggested by the Agricultural Research Council and the National Academy of Sciences–National Research Council. Differences in Mo concentrations were noted in forages between two geologic subareas within the study area. Cu and Mo concentrations suggested potentials for primary Cu deficiency in grasses throughout the region, and for Mo-induced Cu deficiency with grasses west of the Swan River formation and with legumes from all areas within the region. Throughout the study area, concentrations of Zn and Mn were found to be at deficient levels while those of Fe and Ca were found to be at adequate to excessive levels for cattel production. N and P concentrations in all forages were borderline to adequate, while Mg and K concentrations of grass forages were deficient to borderline with relation to the requirement of cattle.