Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Anticoagulant Rodenticide Intoxication In Animals – A Review, Ivan Valchev, Rumen Binev, Veska Yordanova, Yordan Nikolov

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The newest measures for the control of harmful rodent populations are from the anticoagulant rodenticide group, which are divided into 2 subgroups: first and second generations, and indandione derivatives. Non-target organisms are potentially at risk of direct consumption of baits (primary hazard) and of eating poisoned rodents (secondary hazard). Anticoagulant rodenticides inhibit the enzyme vitamin K-dependent carboxylase and thus impair the reactivation of vitamin K1, indirectly affecting physiological blood coagulation. The diagnosis is made on the basis of clinical signs (massive hemorrhages), laboratory findings, and especially the changes in coagulation markers (APTT, PT, TT, PCT, ACT, FDPs, and PIVKA). The …

Allelic Heterogeneity At The Equine Kit Locus In Dominant White (W) Horses, Bianca Haase, Samantha A. Brooks, Angela Schlumbaum, Pedro J. Azor, Ernest Bailey, Ferial Alaeddine, Meike Mevissen, Dominik Burger, Pierre-André Poncet, Stefan Rieder, Tosso Leeb

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

White coat color has been a highly valued trait in horses for at least 2,000 years. Dominant white (W) is one of several known depigmentation phenotypes in horses. It shows considerable phenotypic variation, ranging from approximately 50% depigmented areas up to a completely white coat. In the horse, the four depigmentation phenotypes roan, sabino, tobiano, and dominant white were independently mapped to a chromosomal region on ECA 3 harboring the KIT gene. KIT plays an important role in melanoblast survival during embryonic development. We determined the sequence and genomic organization of the approximately 82 kb equine KIT gene. A mutation …

Characterization Of The Equine 2'-5' Oligoadenylate Synthetase 1 (Oas1) And Ribonuclease L (Rnasel) Innate Immunity Genes, Jonathan J. Rios, Andrey A. Perelygin, Maureen T. Long, Teri L. Lear, Andrey A. Zharkikh, Margo A. Brinton, David L. Adelson

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The mammalian OAS/RNASEL pathway plays an important role in antiviral host defense. A premature stop-codon within the murine Oas1b gene results in the increased susceptibility of mice to a number of flaviviruses, including West Nile virus (WNV). Mutations in either the OAS1 or RNASEL genes may also modulate the outcome of WNV-induced disease or other viral infections in horses. Polymorphisms in the human OAS gene cluster have been previously utilized for case-control analysis of virus-induced disease in humans. No polymorphisms have yet been identified in either the equine OAS1 or RNASEL genes for use in similar case-control studies.

RESULTS: …

Risk Factors Of Gastrointestinal Nematode Parasite Infections In Small Ruminants Kept In Smallholder Mixed Farms In Kenya., Agricola Odoi, J M. Gathuma, C K. Gachuiri, A Omore

Agricola Odoi

BACKGROUND: Helminth infections in small ruminants are serious problems in the developing world, particularly where nutrition and sanitation are poor. This study investigated the burden and risk factors of gastrointestinal nematode parasite infections in sheep and goats kept in smallholder mixed farms in the Kenyan Central Highlands. Three hundred and seven small ruminants were sampled from 66 smallholder mixed farms in agro-ecological zones 1 (humid) and 3 (semi-humid) in the Kenyan Central highlands. The farms were visited once a month for eight months during which a health and production survey questionnaire was administered. Fecal samples were collected at each visit …

Risk Factors Of Gastrointestinal Nematode Parasite Infections In Small Ruminants Kept In Smallholder Mixed Farms In Kenya., Agricola Odoi, J M. Gathuma, C K. Gachuiri, A Omore

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences

BACKGROUND: Helminth infections in small ruminants are serious problems in the developing world, particularly where nutrition and sanitation are poor. This study investigated the burden and risk factors of gastrointestinal nematode parasite infections in sheep and goats kept in smallholder mixed farms in the Kenyan Central Highlands. Three hundred and seven small ruminants were sampled from 66 smallholder mixed farms in agro-ecological zones 1 (humid) and 3 (semi-humid) in the Kenyan Central highlands. The farms were visited once a month for eight months during which a health and production survey questionnaire was administered. Fecal samples were collected at each visit …

Bovine Immune Response To Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia Coli O157:H7., Mark A Hoffman, Christian Menge, Thomas A Casey, William Laegreid, Brad T Bosworth, Evelyn A Dean-Nystrom

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Although cattle develop humoral immune responses to Shiga-toxigenic (Stx+) Escherichia coli O157:H7, infections often result in long-term shedding of these human pathogenic bacteria. The objective of this study was to compare humoral and cellular immune responses to Stx+ and Stx- E. coli O157:H7. Three groups of calves were inoculated intrarumenally, twice in a 3-week interval, with different strains of E. coli: a Stx2-producing E. coli O157:H7 strain (Stx2+ O157), a Shiga toxin-negative E. coli O157:H7 strain (Stx- O157), or a nonpathogenic E. coli strain (control). Fecal shedding of Stx2+ O157 was significantly higher than that of Stx- O157 or the …

A Missense Mutation In Pmel17 Is Associated With The Silver Coat Color In The Horse, Emma Brunberg, Leif Andersson, Gus Cothran, Kaj Sandberg, Sofia Mikko, Gabriella Lindgren

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The Silver coat color, also called Silver dapple, in the horse is characterized by dilution of the black pigment in the hair. This phenotype shows an autosomal dominant inheritance. The effect of the mutation is most visible in the long hairs of the mane and tail, which are diluted to a mixture of white and gray hairs. Herein we describe the identification of the responsible gene and a missense mutation associated with the Silver phenotype.

RESULTS: Segregation data on the Silver locus (Z) were obtained within one half-sib family that consisted of a heterozygous Silver colored stallion with 34 …

Comparative Analysis Of Vertebrate Eif2ak2 (Pkr) Genes And Assignment Of The Equine Gene To Eca15q24-Q25 And The Bovine Gene To Bta11q12-Q15, Andrey A. Perelygin, Teri L. Lear, Andrey A. Zharkikh, Margo A Brinton

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The structures of the canine, rabbit, bovine and equine EIF2AK2 genes were determined. Each of these genes has a 5' non-coding exon as well as 15 coding exons. All of the canine, bovine and equine EIF2AK2 introns have consensus donor and acceptor splice sites. In the equine EIF2AK2 gene, a unique single nucleotide polymorphism that encoded a Tyr329Cys substitution was detected. Regulatory elements predicted in the promoter region were conserved in ungulates, primates, rodents, Afrotheria (elephant) and Insectifora (shrew). Western clawed frog and fugu EIF2AK2 gene sequences were detected in the USCS Genome Browser and compared to those of other …

Determination Of Some Virulence Factors In Staphylococcus Spp. Isolated From Various Clinical Samples, Süheyla Türkyilmaz, Osman Kaya

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The objectives of this study were to identify staphylococci isolated from different animal clinical samples, to examine some of the virulence factors in the isolates, to determine relationships between these virulence factors and coagulase positive Staphylococcus (CoPS)/coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) strains. A total of 180 strains of Staphylococcus spp. were isolated from bovine mastitis, dogs with otitis externa and chickens with various infections. The isolates were identified as S. aureus (29.4%), S. hyicus (16.7%), S. intermedius (3.9%), S. chromogenes (16.1%), S. lentus (13.3%), S. epidermidis (11.1%), S. simulans (7.8%) and S. haemolyticus (1.7%). The rate of positiveness for deoxyribonuclease (DNase) …

The Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome And The Eastern Tent Caterpillar: A Toxicokinetic/Statistical Analysis With Clinical, Epidemiologic, And Mechanistic Implications, Manu Sebastian, Marie G. Gantz, Thomas Tobin, J. Daniel Harkins, Jeffrey M. Bosken, Charlie Hughes, Lenn R. Harrison, William V. Bernard, Dana L. Richter, Terrence D. Fitzgerald

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

During 2001, central Kentucky experienced acute transient epidemics of early and late fetal losses, pericarditis, and unilateral endophthalmitis, collectively referred to as mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS). A toxicokinetic/statistical analysis of experimental and field MRLS data was conducted using accelerated failure time (AFT) analysis of abortions following administration of Eastern tent caterpillars (ETCs; 100 or 50 g/day or 100 g of irradiated caterpillars/day) to late-term pregnant mares. In addition, 2001 late-term fetal loss field data were used in the analysis. Experimental data were fitted by AFT analysis at a high (P < .0001) significance. Times to first abortion (“lag time”) and abortion rates were dose dependent. Lag times decreased and abortion rates increased exponentially with dose. Calculated dose × response data curves allow interpretation of abortion data in terms of “intubated ETC equivalents.” Analysis suggested that field exposure to ETCs in 2001 in central Kentucky commenced on approximately April 27, was initially equivalent to approximately 5 g of intubated ETCs/day, and increased to approximately 30 g/day at the outbreak peak. This analysis accounts for many aspects of the epidemiology, clinical presentations, and manifestations of MRLS. It allows quantitative interpretation of experimental and field MRLS data and has implications for the basic mechanisms underlying MRLS. The results support suggestions that MRLS is caused by exposure to or ingestion of ETCs. The results also show that high levels of ETC exposure produce intense, focused outbreaks of MRLS, closely linked in time and place to dispersing ETCs, as occurred in central Kentucky in 2001. With less intense exposure, lag time is longer and abortions tend to spread out over time and may occur out of phase with ETC exposure, obscuring both diagnosis of this syndrome and the role of the caterpillars.

Development Of A Blocking Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay For Detection Of Serum Antibodies To O157 Antigen Of Escherichia Coli., W Laegreid, M Hoffman, J Keen, R Elder, J Kwang

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The O157 antigen of Escherichia coli shares structural elements with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigens of other bacterial species, notably Brucella abortus and Yersinia enterocolitica 09, a fact that confounds the interpretation of assays for anti-O157 antibodies. To address this problem, a blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) was designed with E. coli O157:H7 LPS as the antigen and a monoclonal antibody specific for E. coli O157, designated 13B3, as the competing antibody. The bELISA had equivalent sensitivity to, and significantly higher specificity than, the indirect ELISA (iELISA), detecting anti-O157 antibodies in sera from cattle experimentally inoculated with O157:H7. Only 13% of sera …

Biochemical And Mutational Analysis Of The Histidine Residues Of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin A., M Hoffman, M Tremaine, J Mansfield, M Betley

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The goal of this study was to examine the role of histidine residues in the biological activities of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA). Carboxymethylated SEA was unable to stimulate murine T-cell proliferation but was resistant to monkey stomach lavage fluid degradation, suggesting that native conformation was intact. Site-directed mutagenesis of the histidine residues of SEA was subsequently performed. SEA-H44A (SEA with histidine 44 replaced with alanine), SEA-H44D, SEA-H50A, SEA-H50D, SEA-H114A, SEA-H114D, SEA-H187A, and SEA-H187D retained superantigen and emetic activities, whereas SEA-H225A and SEA-H225D were defective in the ability to stimulate T-cell proliferation. These mutants were unable to compete with SEA for …

Euthanasia Of Dogs And Cats: An Analysis Of Experience And Current Knowledge With Recommendation For Research, T. Carding, The Institute For The Study Of Animal Problems

Euthanasia Collection

While it may be regarded by some as inhumane or unethical to take any life, mankind, as responsible stewards of animals, is obliged to do so for many reasons: for food, health, population control, to alleviate incurable suffering, etc. Yet beyond the ironies and ethical dilemmas of the right to life versus the right to take life, lies the necessity to destroy life. This entails an enormous ethical responsibility relevant to the times, and also the moral injunction that the method of killing be humane, in other words, causing the least possible distress, physically and psychologically. This injunction implies, therefore, …