No abstract

Eighteen isolates of a Gram-negative coccus (strain 237T) were cultured from the eyes of dairy and beef calves affected with infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK; ‘pinkeye’) in northern California, USA, during summer 2002. These isolates had near full-length (1397 bp) 16S rRNA gene sequences that clustered into three groups with 99.9 % sequence similarity. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence, the isolates were most closely associated with Moraxella bovis and Moraxella ovis in clade I of the classical moraxellae. Biochemically, the novel isolates could be distinguished from the other members of the genus Moraxella isolated from animals on the basis of phenylalanine deaminase activity. The results of partial sequence analysis of six housekeeping genes, the 16S–23S rRNA gene interspacer region and partial 23S rRNA gene provide strong support for the inclusion of these isolates in a novel taxon, for which the name Moraxella bovoculi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain 237T (=ATCC BAA-1259T=CCUG 52049T).

The aim of this invited mini-review is to summarize the rumen transfaunation literature. Rumen transfaunation using the cud from a healthy donor animal to treat a sick recipient animal was practiced long before our understanding of rumen microorganisms. Around the mid-1900 s, scientists began to explore the benefits of rumen transfaunation and the associated microbial populations. Rumen transfaunation has been used clinically to treat indigestion and to enhance the return of normal rumen function following surgical correction of a left-displaced abomasum. Rumen transfaunation was also used to introduce unique rumen microorganisms into animals that were exposed to toxic compounds in plants. Rumen liquor contains chemical constituents that likely contribute to the beneficial effects of re-establishing a normal reticulo-rumen anaerobic fermentation. Recommendations for collecting rumen fluid, storage and volumes transferred are discussed. Rumen transfaunation is a common practice to treat indigestion on dairy and livestock operations. The support of a healthy microbial community in the digestive tract is also used for humans. Fecal microbiota transplantation has been used to treat digestive disorders in humans. Rumen transfaunation, although not widely studied with respect to mode of action, is an effective, practical, and easy method to treat simple indigestion of ruminants.

A retrospective study of Mycoplasma otitis in California calves submitted for necropsy between 1993 and 2002 was conducted to characterize the demographic features of the disease and the pathologic findings associated with infection. Sixty-one confirmed cases of Mycoplasma otitis were identified among 20,525 necropsied cattle. All affected animals were calves, ranging in age from 2 weeks to 4 months and with a median age of 1.5 months. Ninety-two percent of the cases were dairy breeds. A higher percent of necropsied calves with Mycoplasma otitis were males (0.45%) than females (0.23%). The proportion of cases that had Mycoplasma otitis increased from 1993 to 2002, and there was a significant (P < 0.05) seasonal distribution, with the highest proportion in the spring and the lowest in the summer months. Infections involved both the middle and inner ear and were characterized by a suppurative inflammatory response with extensive bony involvement. Three species of Mycoplasma were isolated from the ears: M. bovis, M. bovirhinis, and M. alkalescens. Concurrent pneumonia occurred in 47 cases (77%), and Mycoplasma was isolated from the lungs of 30 of those cases. The increasing proportion of Mycoplasma otitis cases in the past 10 years emphasizes the importance of identifying risk factors that could be modified to lower the incidence of this disease in calves.

Urethral endoscopy is useful for evaluating urethral patency in goats and pot-bellied pigs. Examination of the urethral mucosa following relief of urethral obstructions aids in the assessment of the long-term prognosis for urethral stricture. Urethral endoscopy also expands the therapeutic options for management of urolithiasis by providing a route for conducting laser lithotripsy. Laser lithotripsy proved to be safe and effective for clearing distally located calculi refractory to removal by traditional urethral flushing. Lithotripsy application is restricted to calculi lodged in the urethra.

No abstract

Although a majority of clones are born normal and apparently healthy, mortality rates of nearly 30% are described in many reports. Such losses are a major limitation of cloning technology and represent substantial economic investment as well as justifiable animal health and welfare concerns. Prospective, controlled studies are needed to understand fully the causes of neonatal mortality in clones and to develop preventive and therapeutic strategies to minimize losses. We report here the findings of studies on the hematologic and biochemical profiles of cloned and control calves in the immediate 48-h postpartum period. Cloned calves were similar to control calves for a majority of parameters studied including blood gases, concentrations of plasma proteins, minerals and electrolytes, and white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts. The most notable differences between clones and controls in this study were reduced red- and white-blood cell counts in clones at birth and 1 h of age. As a group, plasma electrolyte concentrations were more variable in clones, and the variability tended to be shifted either higher (sodium, chloride) or lower (potassium, bicarbonate) than in controls. Previously, we noted differences in carbohydrate parameters, the length of time required for clones to make the neonatal adaptation to life ex utero, and morphology of the cloned placenta. Taken together, our findings suggest that cloned calves experience greater difficulty adjusting to life ex utero and that further research is warranted to determine the nature of the relationship between the physiological differences noted here in clones at birth and concomitant abnormal placental morphology.

Ponies given dried red maple (Acer rubrum L.) leaves at a dose of 3.0 gm/kg body weight became ill and died one to five days after administration of the leaves. Two clinical patterns of disease were seen. Ponies given dried leaves collected after September 15 died by 18 hours, while ponies given dried leaves collected before September 15 became ill with a hemolytic syndrome and died by three to five days. Freshly harvested leaves administered immediately after collection did not produce disease in ponies, but when dried, they became toxic and remained so for at least 30 days. Overnight freezing did not alter the toxicity of the leaves. Leaves were toxic when administered at doses of 1.5 gm/kg of body weight. The clinical signs of ponies with the hemolytic syndrome included polypnea, tachycardia, icterus, cyanosis, scleral petechiation, and brownish discoloration of the urine and blood. Blood changes of ponies with the hemolytic syndrome included anemia, hemoglobinemia, Heinz bodies, depletion of erythrocyte reduced glutathione, increased erythrocyte fragility, and increased serum levels of aspartate amino transferase, sorbitol dehydrogenase, plasma protein, and bilirubin. Lesions of ponies that died from the hemolytic syndrome included icterus, centrilobular hepatic degeneration, hemoglobinemic nephrosis, and erythrophagocytosis by splenic, adrenal, and hepatic phagocytes. Only brownish discoloration of the blood and mild centrilobular hepatic degeneration were observed in the four ponies that died peracutely.